Remember that ::blah:: indicates mind speech, usually between item spirits
and their owners.
* * *
Part Three
* * * *
::May I ask again, Yugi, why we did not simply take the elevator?::
Yugi giggled in the way only he could and shook his head. Yami had been a real complainer lately, ever since the Millennium Eye had come into their possession. The boy turned and ascended another flight of stairs, his small fingers trailing lightly across the handrail as he moved. "It's just a few stairs, Yami."
::We'll miss Mai's tournament if we keep up this pace, little one. I'm curious to see how she intends to beat Rex Raptor. She's been improving her deck lately and I think she stands a chance of winning this tournament. We'll have to be extra careful when dueling her tomorrow.::
"I know, Yami. You've only told me this a million times." Yugi clutched the Millennium Puzzle in his left hand, his eyes glazing for a moment as he thought on his situation. When he'd received the Puzzle, he'd been frightened, but never had it occurred to him that the item or the spirit within it would be evil. When he'd spoken to Pegasus, though, he'd seen a new side to the items that had for some reason never presented itself. He'd been shocked to see such pain on the face of a person who, until recently, he'd only thought of as a monstrous man bent on cheating his way to ultimate power. Yugi never thought long about the other side of the story. Even when he'd listened to Téa read aloud from the man's journal after Duelist Kingdom, the fate of Grandpa's soul was the only thing he could think about. Now, though, he wondered just what the consequences of the items themselves could be. Pegasus had believed fervently that by stealing the Millennium Puzzle and Kaiba Corp's technology somehow his dead wife would be revived. Yugi wasn't sure of the exact details, but he knew that the plan had failed. He didn't regret winning, but he did regret the lost look he'd seen in the older man's eye.
Were the items evil? It was a question he'd been asking himself every day since Pegasus had left Grandpa's comic shop. Yugi didn't think the spirit of his Puzzle was evil. Yami had been nothing but kind to him, always helping even when he really had no need. Yami was a true friend, there was no doubt about it. Yet somehow, Yugi felt that the Eye was different. It wasn't that he felt evil emanating from it, only a strange longing. It was odd the way the golden orb glowed sometimes, or weighted down his pocket as he carried it from place to place. There was no safe haven where he could safely store the thing, though often Yugi wished he could just toss it away and be done with it. Yami had urged him to put the sphere into a strongbox and bury it somewhere, though both knew such a thing could never be done safely. If Bakura could steal the item and not even remember taking it, then the item was not safe anywhere.
Sometimes Yugi pulled the Eye from his pocket and, as he stared at it, it seemed to stare back. He always turned the symbol for the Eye of Horus away from himself, but even then the metal seemed to simultaneously burn and freeze his hand. He was terrified of the thing, but what else could he do? Someone had to watch it.
::Yugi, are you alright? You've been quiet for a while.::
Yugi sighed, shaking his head. There was no need to worry Yami with such thoughts, the spirit would only worry more for him. "I'm alright, Yami. Just a little tired."
::Elevators are a wonderful invention, my friend.::
"I've heard this story, Yami." Yugi laughed as he turned to the final flight of stairs. "We'll be right on time for Mai's duel, don't worry. Anyway, we had to listen to Kaiba explain all the rules again for so long . . . I just felt like walking, that's all."
::If you say so. I can't be mad at you. As long as we make the duel, it will be alright.::
When Yugi was halfway up the stairs, however, the lights began to flicker. He gripped the railing tight, instinctively afraid of the pitch black that might come and the danger it posed. The lights seemed to flare all the brighter for a moment before abruptly dying. Yugi sighed, taking a deep breath. "Great."
::It could be worse, my friend. We could be in the elevator I've been so insistent upon.::
Yugi and the spirit laughed together as the emergency lights came to life, flooding the stairway with crisscrossing beams of light. The illumination wasn't complete, but at least the boy could see where he was going. He hesitated. "Yami, should I go on up to the level of the Tournament or back a floor to my room?"
::The others will find you better at your room. I say return. The match will most likely be cancelled or delayed by the outage. Seto Kaiba relies too much on machinery and holographic projectors to allow the duel to continue as planned.::
Yugi nodded, "You're right." He turned obediently and began to descend the stairs he'd mounted only moments before. As he was about to reach the landing, the world seemed to spin. He felt as though someone had shoved the full weight of their body against him, and he cried out as his tiny body collided with the railing. Had the metal bar not been there and Yugi had not been so terribly short, the boy would surely have fallen to his doom. He clung to the railing helplessly, sinking to his knees as wave after wave of dizziness washed over him. He could hear Yami calling to him, but he could not make out the words of his dark. Only the whirring in his ears, as though the entire stairway had been filled with cicadas.
It was a long time later that he cracked open his violet eyes. The world seemed to have stopped spinning, and Yami was whispering into his mind that everything would be alright. Yugi shook his head, the dizziness passing slowly as a dense cloud. It was then that he noticed that his hand was in his left pocket clutching a weighted object. Yugi swallowed and closed his eyes as the full realization of what was happening washed over him. "Yami," he managed, "The Eye. It's . . . I think it's trying to . . ."
Yami said nothing, only urged the boy without words to make his way carefully back to his room. He had underestimated the Millennium Eye by allowing his light, his little Yugi, to carry the terrible item. If anything happened to the boy, Yami did not know what would become of him. Surely the puzzle would be lost, and he with it; but there would be more to it than that. A sorrow unlike any he'd ever know swept over him. Yami would protect Yugi at any cost. He would never forgive himself if anything befell the boy, especially if it could have been prevented.
Yugi sensed the spirit's distress, but paid little mind. He was focused on the revelation he was only just beginning to understand. He clutched the orb tightly, his hand barely large enough to cover the entirety of the golden surface. He didn't need to pull the thing from his pocket to know that it was glowing. It had never occurred to him that one item could possess such a power without its owner, and somehow that thought worried him all the more. "Pegasus must be here."
* * *
Part Three
* * * *
::May I ask again, Yugi, why we did not simply take the elevator?::
Yugi giggled in the way only he could and shook his head. Yami had been a real complainer lately, ever since the Millennium Eye had come into their possession. The boy turned and ascended another flight of stairs, his small fingers trailing lightly across the handrail as he moved. "It's just a few stairs, Yami."
::We'll miss Mai's tournament if we keep up this pace, little one. I'm curious to see how she intends to beat Rex Raptor. She's been improving her deck lately and I think she stands a chance of winning this tournament. We'll have to be extra careful when dueling her tomorrow.::
"I know, Yami. You've only told me this a million times." Yugi clutched the Millennium Puzzle in his left hand, his eyes glazing for a moment as he thought on his situation. When he'd received the Puzzle, he'd been frightened, but never had it occurred to him that the item or the spirit within it would be evil. When he'd spoken to Pegasus, though, he'd seen a new side to the items that had for some reason never presented itself. He'd been shocked to see such pain on the face of a person who, until recently, he'd only thought of as a monstrous man bent on cheating his way to ultimate power. Yugi never thought long about the other side of the story. Even when he'd listened to Téa read aloud from the man's journal after Duelist Kingdom, the fate of Grandpa's soul was the only thing he could think about. Now, though, he wondered just what the consequences of the items themselves could be. Pegasus had believed fervently that by stealing the Millennium Puzzle and Kaiba Corp's technology somehow his dead wife would be revived. Yugi wasn't sure of the exact details, but he knew that the plan had failed. He didn't regret winning, but he did regret the lost look he'd seen in the older man's eye.
Were the items evil? It was a question he'd been asking himself every day since Pegasus had left Grandpa's comic shop. Yugi didn't think the spirit of his Puzzle was evil. Yami had been nothing but kind to him, always helping even when he really had no need. Yami was a true friend, there was no doubt about it. Yet somehow, Yugi felt that the Eye was different. It wasn't that he felt evil emanating from it, only a strange longing. It was odd the way the golden orb glowed sometimes, or weighted down his pocket as he carried it from place to place. There was no safe haven where he could safely store the thing, though often Yugi wished he could just toss it away and be done with it. Yami had urged him to put the sphere into a strongbox and bury it somewhere, though both knew such a thing could never be done safely. If Bakura could steal the item and not even remember taking it, then the item was not safe anywhere.
Sometimes Yugi pulled the Eye from his pocket and, as he stared at it, it seemed to stare back. He always turned the symbol for the Eye of Horus away from himself, but even then the metal seemed to simultaneously burn and freeze his hand. He was terrified of the thing, but what else could he do? Someone had to watch it.
::Yugi, are you alright? You've been quiet for a while.::
Yugi sighed, shaking his head. There was no need to worry Yami with such thoughts, the spirit would only worry more for him. "I'm alright, Yami. Just a little tired."
::Elevators are a wonderful invention, my friend.::
"I've heard this story, Yami." Yugi laughed as he turned to the final flight of stairs. "We'll be right on time for Mai's duel, don't worry. Anyway, we had to listen to Kaiba explain all the rules again for so long . . . I just felt like walking, that's all."
::If you say so. I can't be mad at you. As long as we make the duel, it will be alright.::
When Yugi was halfway up the stairs, however, the lights began to flicker. He gripped the railing tight, instinctively afraid of the pitch black that might come and the danger it posed. The lights seemed to flare all the brighter for a moment before abruptly dying. Yugi sighed, taking a deep breath. "Great."
::It could be worse, my friend. We could be in the elevator I've been so insistent upon.::
Yugi and the spirit laughed together as the emergency lights came to life, flooding the stairway with crisscrossing beams of light. The illumination wasn't complete, but at least the boy could see where he was going. He hesitated. "Yami, should I go on up to the level of the Tournament or back a floor to my room?"
::The others will find you better at your room. I say return. The match will most likely be cancelled or delayed by the outage. Seto Kaiba relies too much on machinery and holographic projectors to allow the duel to continue as planned.::
Yugi nodded, "You're right." He turned obediently and began to descend the stairs he'd mounted only moments before. As he was about to reach the landing, the world seemed to spin. He felt as though someone had shoved the full weight of their body against him, and he cried out as his tiny body collided with the railing. Had the metal bar not been there and Yugi had not been so terribly short, the boy would surely have fallen to his doom. He clung to the railing helplessly, sinking to his knees as wave after wave of dizziness washed over him. He could hear Yami calling to him, but he could not make out the words of his dark. Only the whirring in his ears, as though the entire stairway had been filled with cicadas.
It was a long time later that he cracked open his violet eyes. The world seemed to have stopped spinning, and Yami was whispering into his mind that everything would be alright. Yugi shook his head, the dizziness passing slowly as a dense cloud. It was then that he noticed that his hand was in his left pocket clutching a weighted object. Yugi swallowed and closed his eyes as the full realization of what was happening washed over him. "Yami," he managed, "The Eye. It's . . . I think it's trying to . . ."
Yami said nothing, only urged the boy without words to make his way carefully back to his room. He had underestimated the Millennium Eye by allowing his light, his little Yugi, to carry the terrible item. If anything happened to the boy, Yami did not know what would become of him. Surely the puzzle would be lost, and he with it; but there would be more to it than that. A sorrow unlike any he'd ever know swept over him. Yami would protect Yugi at any cost. He would never forgive himself if anything befell the boy, especially if it could have been prevented.
Yugi sensed the spirit's distress, but paid little mind. He was focused on the revelation he was only just beginning to understand. He clutched the orb tightly, his hand barely large enough to cover the entirety of the golden surface. He didn't need to pull the thing from his pocket to know that it was glowing. It had never occurred to him that one item could possess such a power without its owner, and somehow that thought worried him all the more. "Pegasus must be here."