Merodi no Yami: *sits up, groggily* *o_ * Uhh…wha? O_O *stares*
*reviewers have flooded the room, running around like maniacs* Wha…?
{{Naito: AIBOOOOU!!!! HEEELLLLP!!!}}
Merodi no Yami: What- oh dear Ra.
*Naito is tied to a chair, as various reviewers have finished torturing him.*
*walks over to Naito, plays with hair* Hmm…pigtails…that's a new look for you, Naito. And the cheese doodles are a nice...er...garnishing feature. ^_^ *snicker*
{{Naito: YAKAMASHI!!!! Aibou, just help me out of here!!!}}
Merodi no Yami: What's in it for me?
{{Naito: Uh…I won't hit you when you do?}}
Merodi no Yami: Fine, you can stay that way. *walks away*
{{Naito: AIBOU!!!! YOU BAKAYARO, GET BACK HERE!!! Grr…. *a fox walks up to Naito* Huh? What do you want, you little furball.}}
Faux: *looks up* BAD MOUTHING!!! *hits him over the head, continues walking*
{{Naito: ????? O_o? Itai….}}
Merodi no Yami: *sits down, watching reviewers and their yamis/muses prance around* Prance prance prance…. *fox walks up to MnY* Huh? What're you?
Faux: *sits down, looks at her* I like pie.
Merodi no Yami: …. *stares* o_o…^_^ I like pie too!!! *nods head*
Faux/MnY: We like pie.
{{Naito: *hops through, still tied to chair* HELPP!!!! *is chased by crazed reviewer with a knife* IIIIiiiEEE!!!!}}
Merodi no Yami: Uh…yeah. Anyway, I bet you all are wondering why I haven't been updating lately…
Reviewers: STORY TIME!!! YAY!!! *sit in front, waiting expectantly*
Merodi no Yami: -_-; Uh, ok. Yeah, well, last week I was on a band tour with our Wind Symphony, so I obviously couldn't get to the computer then (though I did finish writing the following chapter… ^_^)…and the week before that was spent taking all my final exams for this past quarter…the weeks before that being spent STUDYING for these exams…ick.
Reviewers: Oh. Ok. *all leave*
Merodi no Yami: *blinks* Well, that was easy enough. Wait…what's that noise?
*Naito walks in, hanging with Aete* O_o? *Naito waves drunkenly, holding a bottle* Why don't I like this….
{{Naito: Heeeeeyyyy, Aibu! 'Ete here got me in out of that chair thingy, and gave me summa this funny-tasting dwink. Wh-want some?}}
Merodi no Yami: *glares at Aete* No, that's ok, Naito. Uh, maybe you should go lie down?
{{Naito: PANTS!!}}
Merodi no Yami: o_o???
{{Naito: Sing the praises of pants!!}}
Merodi no Yami: *looks around* Hey, has anyone seen the emergency exit?
{{Naito: *whines* AIBOOOU!! Dolphins!!}}
Merodi no Yami: ….
{{Naito: One of the smartest mammals on earth!! Do they wear pants??}}
Merodi no Yami: …uh, no…. _
{{Naito: NO! But they WISH they did!! That's how smart they are!!! SEE??? *rips pants off, revealing navy blue boxers* ^_^_^_^_^ *runs off*}}
Merodi no Yami: *smacks forehead* No. Nononononononono! Kuso, first Dai, now Aete. *sighs* This can't possibly get any worse.
{{Naito: *from other room* YAY!! NAKED JOCK STRAP WRESTLING!!!}}
Merodi no Yami: O_O … _ I did NOT just hear that….*grabs Aete, eyes narrowed* You. Never. Get. Him. Drunk. Again. Got it?
Aete: *shakes head up and down furiously*
Merodi no Yami: Good. *sigh* Here's the disclaimer, everyone, while I go get Naito.
Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, don't own Slayers (ideas for battle scene taken from here). I can not be held responsible for any damage caused by the reading of this story – this is Yaoi, Yami/Yugi all the way. I also ask that no one kill me after reading this chapter – I put a bad fluffy cliffhanger right in the middle, and an even worse cliffhanger at the end. Yeah. And under threats of death, this story will be the long version. *sigh, looks up* Why me?? This is going to take forever!!!
Merodi no Yami: *has bound and gagged Naito, drags him back* There. Better. Or as good as it's going to get.
{{Naito: *spits out gag, still drunk* Heheheh – I can make it MUCH better, hikari. Want me to show you? *wink* }}
Merodi no Yami: NO!!! Ra, NO!!
Um, anyway, prepare yourself. Since I've neglected all of you for so long ("I'm so sorry!!!!" *cries*), prepare yourself for the longest chapter you've ever seen!! (Dun dun DUN!!!) Yes, 12 pages long on this computer!! *mutters* I better get some reviews for this… Speaking of reviews, a big thanks goes out to the following people:
Silver Dragon
Ami Winner
Towairaito Zoon
Karadaki
duh huh! I'm stupid!(I'd true!)
yugi_yamigal2002
boo
Kanatasha
MMW
…for reviewing my story and letting me know how they felt about the short version/long version debate.
And a HUGE thank you goes out to
Wolfspeaker
Ko-chan (and co.)
…for being my biggest supporters, my best buds, etc etc etc! SHAMELESS PLUG: Go and read their stories!! They're awesome!! I can't believe it, Ko-chan – dedications?? Two of them? FOR ME?? And I hadn't even written a chapter of my story during that time??? *faints again, gets back up* Well, then, I dedicate this entire chapter to Wolfy-chan and Ko-chan, and the entire next chapter (have it typed already, heheheheh) to Ko-chan exclusively!!! (Though, thanks to Wolfspeaker for beta-ing it!!!) ^_^_^_^_^
I think that's all I had to say, for now anyway….
{{Naito: *starts singing, still drunk* OooooOOooh…when loving lovers loooovve…they loving love on wings of golden loving love, we fly above….ooooh….their love is such a soft and precious love….it's love…a lovely love is all we seem to need when we're in loving love…}}
Merodi no Yami: *smacks head*
{{Naito: And then - IT'S GONE!!!! IT ISSSSS NOTHING BUUUUTT A MEMORRIEEE!!!! And then…IT'S BACK!!! And loving lo-MMPH!!}}
Merodi no Yami: *clamps hand over Naito's mouth* Uh, enjoy the story! *Naito licks her hand* AGH!!!
{{Naito: ^_^ *}}
[ blah blah blah ] – thinking
/blah blah blah/ - Yugi talking
//blah blah blah// - Yami talking
{{blah blah blah}} – Naito talking/thinking
**blah blah blah** - talking in dream sequence
blah blah blah - flashback
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Where we left off last time (…can you tell the authoress has a REALLY lousy memory?):
…
{{What, you don't get it?}} he asked mockingly. {{Don't tell me you don't recognize your own soul room.}}
Merodi's heart stopped upon hearing that last statement. She looked at him, shock and apprehension apparent as she realized the meaning behind those words.
"You don't mean...no, you can't be...th-that's impossible!"
{{Why Merodi,}} he smirked, {{is that any way to treat your yami?}}
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Destinies of the Past - Chapter 7: Heartfelt Confrontations
{{What? You don't like me? I'm hurt,}} Naito continued in a mocking tone as Merodi sat staring at him, speechless. {{Oh well, I just love retribution….}} With that, he let loose another fierce onslaught of energy which had been building up in his hand during the conversation. The girl, sitting in her shocked stupor, never saw it coming. It engulfed her, then disappeared as her scream died away. She fell face down onto the bed, unconscious.
************************************************************************
Naito turned as he heard a knock on the door in the real world. "Merodi?" Yami's voice inquired from the other side, still sounding a little sleepy from waking up. "Merodi, are you up? Can I come in?"
[Kuso. That teme no baka – as much as I'd love to strike him down right now, I can't have him interfering my plans just yet. Hmm…this should prove to be interesting,] Naito thought with a smirk. A bright flash, and suddenly Merodi was back in her normal room. Groaning, she sat up, her eyes closed tight as she clutched her head. "D-Da re?" she mumbled.
"It's me, Yami – I assume you're awake now?" asked the voice again from behind the door.
"H-Hai. Give me a minute, I'll be right down."
"Ok, see you downstairs."
Merodi continued to sit on the bed, listening to Yami's footsteps as they retreated down the stairs towards the kitchen. Her eyes still closed, she let her hand fall to rest on the bed, where it curled into a fist around the sheets. She started shaking; if anyone had seen her from behind, they might have supposed that Merodi was having a small seizure. However, the girl began to chuckle, followed by deep, rich laugher as a few cobalt streaks traced their way down her hair. She opened her eyes.
They were blue.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yawning, Yami reached the bottom of the stairs, following the enticing smell of breakfast that came wafting in from the kitchen. Today promised to be a good day, as the sunshine flooded the room through the windows of the living room. Being fall, the mornings had begun to turn cold; closing his eyes, Yami stepped into one of the many sunbeams and simply stood there for a while, enjoying the old, familiar heat of the sun.
As his mind wandered, still waking up from his deep slumber, Yami found himself replaying last night's chain of events over in his mind. It had been both sour and sweet – first that horrible, graphic nightmare of Yugi's death; then, he had fallen asleep in his hikari's arms. He shook his head – Yami would never be able to get over the fact of how Yugi was always putting others before himself. He had such a kind and caring heart – how could one NOT love him? [I'll have to do something special for Yugi today to thank him.] Opening his eyes, Yami sighed wistfully. He wished he could show his thanks by showering Yugi with kisses, but knew that probably wouldn't be the best approach, and would most likely result in some sort of screaming tantrum - perhaps even the destruction of the puzzle - by Yugi. Resigned, Yami retreated from his spot, now sufficiently warm.
Yami started walking toward the kitchen, when he suddenly stopped to look at the table, a small smile growing on his face. There in the middle sat a small bunch of red and yellow flowers, lightly placed inside of a simple, black onyx vase. Yami found it a bit strange that Yugi would have such a container hanging around the house, but he paid it little attention as he put forth a hand to finger one of the delicate blossoms; its petals soft and shining in the morning glow. The vase of flowers reminded him of his hikari; his hair the same color and soft texture as of that which he held in his hand.
Suddenly, he frowned. No, this wasn't quite right. Something was missing from the centerpiece. He was sure of this, but couldn't figure out what it could possibly be. Thinking, he looked up as he faced his reflection in a mirror on the wall. Yami frowned further, staring into his own eyes.
Red. Blood red. Harsh, cold, and calculating. Yami had never cared much for them – why should he? He had been given the eyes of a demon – no wonder his parents had named him Darkness; whenever people saw him, they half expected to see black, leather wings sprout from his back. Every glance he gave others caused them to cower in fear – even Seto Kaiba had winced at one time or another under his haunting gaze. Everyone – except Yugi. No, Yugi had been different. Upon their first meeting he had stared back at Yami, unflinching; his kind and understanding visage shocking the past-Pharaoh. Those beautiful amethyst orbs would always enchant him to no end.
Yami suddenly started. [Eyes. That's it.] Retracting his hand from the flower he was still fondling, he walked briskly to the front door, exiting as Yugi came into the room to finish setting the table for breakfast.
"Yami?" he asked the otherwise empty room. Hearing no answer, Yugi sighed. [Oh well – I thought I had heard him come down the stairs. I wonder if he's still sleeping?] Shrugging, he continued to set the table. As he finished putting the final piece of silverware down he turned in surprise when the door flew open, revealing an equally surprised Yami.
Yugi drew a breath in sharply as he gazed at his guardian's dark form. The sun, nearly risen, sent red, orange, and yellow flames across the sky behind him, backlighting Yami so that he was some dark, mysterious being which stood out against the blazing sky. Every feature of him rested in the shadows, save those handsome red eyes of his. He looked very…seductive. Gazing at him, Yugi couldn't understand why everyone seemed so fearful of him – they seemed to think that those eyes meant that he was some sort of demon; even Yami himself appeared to hold some sort of secret grudge against his own eyes.
Rose red. That was their color, in Yugi's mind. Jounouchi and the others had sometimes remarked on how "freaky" Yami's eyes seemed to be, but Yugi never saw why. To the young teen, Yami seemed to be like a red rose himself – beautiful, yet dangerous. Was Yugi really the only one to see past Yami's numerous thorns, his defenses, to know what a kind, caring, and understanding person Yami was? How perfect he was? [Like a fallen angel, or a god…well, I suppose that would make sense, if he was once Pharaoh of Egypt. But still….] Suddenly the teen blinked, realizing he had been staring as he quickly turned away; his face burned with embarrassment.
Of course, Yami hardly noticed any of this; he was too busy gaping at his aibou to pay attention to anything else. The same sun that shined behind him let its light flood through the window, sending a shaft of light down on Yugi's gentle form. Combined with the afterglow of sleep, Yami could only find one word to perfectly describe the scene – Heaven. For a fleeting moment, the guardian truly believed he had died, before snapping back to reality. He stared in awe as the light made the teen's hair appear as if it were on fire. White pants added to his glowing, angelic look; his purple shirt providing a stark contrast while simultaneously bringing out the spellbinding color of his charge's eyes. Realizing this last thought, Yami looked down at what he had gone outside to obtain, missing Yugi's awkwardness.
In his closed hand rested a small bunch of purple flowers, matching his aibou's eyes perfectly. With these added to the vase on the table, the arrangement would be complete. Yami smiled slightly as he tightened his grasp on them; the smile growing as he watched Yugi rush into the kitchen, bringing back some breakfast to the table. His heart beating a little faster than normal, Yami walked up to stand next to his hikari as he waited expectantly for Yugi to turn and look at him. Sure enough, his charge glanced up as he finished straightening the table once again, sending his guardian a warm, radiant smile. Yugi was about to say, "Ohayo," but something in Yami's expression kept him quiet. His beaming expression turned to a quizzical one as the past-Pharaoh continued to stare at him – was he…nervous? Why?
Before Yugi could ask any questions, Yami presented the flowers before him. "Here, aibou. These are for you."
Silence passed. Yami raised an eyebrow as he shifted nervously, expecting Yugi to do something other than just stand there, staring at what he held in his hand. However, Yugi's face lit up in a smile once again as he took the flowers from his guardian's hand, gently placing them in the small black vase with the other flowers he had placed there that morning. The teen stared at them for a moment. He had picked them because they reminded him of Yami – blond bangs, black hair, and red eyes. Now, with the purple flowers alongside them, a bit of hope sparked within Yugi's heart. [Purple and red – Yami, do you think we could ever be together? As more than just friends?] Angrily he pushed the thoughts away from his mind, telling himself he was hallucinating. But that small spark remained.
He turned back to face Yami, beaming. "Thank you, Yami! But, why?" he asked. Yami usually wasn't one for doing things like this – why the sudden change? Sure, he'd like to believe it was because Yami loved him, but there was no way he could. [Yes, that's it – stop right now, Yugi. False hope never helped anyone or solved anything,] he told himself. He suddenly snapped out of his thoughts as he noticed Yami beginning to turn a shade of red after Yugi's question. Slightly worried for his guardian's well-being, the teen quickly raised a hand to touch the other's forehead before letting it sink slightly to cup his cheek. "Yami, are you feeling alright? You're a little warm – are you sick?" he asked, concerned.
Yami nearly blushed brighter at his charge's care for his well-being, but managed to push it down in time. [Yes Yugi, I am sick – love-sick…over you.] "Don't worry, aibou," he started, quickly holding his own hand over Yugi's so as to keep it in place against his face. "I feel fine." Only half-realizing what he was doing, Yami closed his eyes as he nuzzled into his hikari's warm, soft hand. After a few moments he forced himself to stop as he looked at Yugi. His face was unreadable, but still sparkled with the same kindness and understanding that he remembered from when they first met.
Suddenly, the pharaoh dropped to his knees, dragging his hikari down with him. Tearing his gaze away from his aibou, Yami let go of his hand as he grabbed Yugi in a protective, yet fiercely possessive, hug as he buried his face in the feathery-soft hair of his hikari. A minute or two passed; Yami never letting go of his charge as he murmured his thanks and love in ancient Egyptian, knowing Yugi couldn't understand the language.
His eyes wide with shock at this sudden show of affection, Yugi could only come to one rational conclusion. [Yep. He's sick. Yami has definitely come down with something. Fact, he's completely delusional. …Oh well.] Mentally shrugging, the teen happily returned the hug, relaxing into his guardian's loving embrace. Listening to Yami speak, he soon felt himself completely melting in the arms of his protector. He had no idea what the past-pharaoh was saying to him, but the words which he whispered were warm, sweet, and exotic as Yami's deep, baritone voice washed over him. Eyes half-closed, Yugi reluctantly loosened his grip as the other pulled away to look at him, a similar expression on his face.
"Why?" the teen repeated softly, as if afraid to break the silence that had surrounded the two.
"What?" Yami asked, just as quietly, as he brought his face closer to his aibou's.
"W-why?"
Yugi could feel his face burning uncontrollably as his guardian continued to draw closer. He stayed stuck to his spot, unconsciously pulling at the collar of his turtleneck, nervously – he was unbearably hot; when had the weather suddenly changed?
Yami never answered the question. By this time, he had finally reached the brink. Their faces were no more than an inch apart – any closer, and Yami would not be able to stop himself from capturing his aibou's sweet lips in his own. He swallowed uncharacteristically as he gazed at Yugi in this dream-like state. Nothing else existed now, save yami and hikari. A strong, slightly tanned arm found its way to Yugi's own, tracing its way up to his shoulder before resting at the base of Yugi's head. The teen sighed under the cool touch, sending shivers down the pharaoh's spine.
Taking the small sigh as permission, Yami dared to venture over the said line. Ever so slowly he drew Yugi closer to him, faces nearly touching. Eyes fluttered closed as the two moved to close the gap between them.
"Oof! Agh! Ow! Ack! KUSO!!!"
Eyes shot open as Yami and Yugi quickly stumbled backwards in opposite directions, staring at each other as they both realized what had just been about to happen. Suddenly, a painful groan alerted the two boys as to what had caused the sudden interruption. Turning their heads, the pair spied a young girl picking herself up from the bottom of the stairs, obviously having fallen down them. They continued to watch as Merodi stood up, hugging herself tightly as she began walking into the kitchen. Her gait seemed a bit halted and stumbling, worrying the two as she continued in her dazed stupor. Something was very wrong. With a quick, concerned glance at his guardian, Yugi swiftly got up and followed her, while Yami sat staring at the floor, thinking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merodi looked around the kitchen, feverishly. The pressure in the back of her mind was increasing, and she didn't know how long she would be able to keep it at bay. She closed her eyes as horrible images of Yami and Yugi lying dead on the floor entered her mind's eye. [No. I can't let him hurt them. I don't know what he's up to, but no good can come of this….]
"Merodi?"
Whirling around she saw Yugi, who stared back at her with a look of concern on his face.
"Oh, Yugi. Um, sorry to startle you…guess I'm a bit clumsy this morning, ne?" She tried laughing, only to result in a massive headache. Pushing the pain aside, Merodi noticed Yugi still looking at her, obviously worried. She was about to reassure him, when everything began to go dark. Suddenly Merodi let out a piercing scream as she fell to her knees, clutching her head in pain. Her body shook violently as a few beads of sweat appeared on her light skin.
"Merodi!" Yugi cried, "What's wrong? Yami! Yami, get in here, Merodi needs help!"
As soon as the words had left his lips, Yami ran into the kitchen to stand beside his hikari. Sitting on his heels, he put one hand on the girl's shoulder. "Merodi? What's wrong?" he asked, reiterating the question his aibou had put forth.
Yami had to stop himself from drawing back in shock as Merodi raised her head to look at him with wide eyes. Her face seemed twisted in pain as she stared, her eye color flickering between silver and sapphire. One or two blue streaks were slowly beginning to trace down her hair. "Yami…" she murmured, barely audible. "Get…Yugi…out…."
"What?"
"Get…Yugi…out…now. I-I don't know…how much…longer…I can…hold him…off…."
"What? Who? Hold who off? Merodi, what's going on?" Yami demanded, briefly glancing at his hikari, who looked just as confused as he was, before returning to look at the girl kneeling on the floor.
"…I…I don't understand…but…Yami…Naito…he's…he's my yami…."
Yami's eyes bulged, but before he could put forth any more questions, Merodi let out a blood-curdling scream before falling to the cold linoleum floor. Just as soon as it happened, Yami noticed a bright blue light emanating from behind them. Turning, Yami came face-to-face with the one person he had hoped not to see for another five millennia.
Naito.
His younger brother. Naito. Here, in flesh and blood? The said person looked down, a little surprised himself to have a physical form. "Well well well, isn't this nice?" he said, looking up to meet Yami's crimson eyes, eyes which were presently filled with shock and hate. "What, not even happy to see an old relation?" Naito smirked as Yami let out a low growl, the sapphire orbs glinting with amusement and some hidden plan.
Yami quickly stepped in front of Merodi and Yugi, who had rushed to the girl's side as soon as she had fallen to help her. "What do you want, Naito?" he stated angrily, as he shielded the others from his brother.
Naito clicked as he rolled his eyes in annoyance. "You never change, do you Onii-chan?" He brought his hand up in a casual manner, palm facing Yami, before letting loose a bright blue ball of energy. Shocked, the pharaoh had little time to react before the attack hit him square in the chest, sending him flying backward into a kitchen cupboard. Dust and debris flew everywhere as Yugi looked up in shock, as his guardian began to get up, grunting slightly.
"Yami!" Yugi cried as the said person shook his head to clear it. He looked at his hikari, only to feel his anger rise within him as he began to power up for an attack. The younger teen turned his head quickly as a deep, dangerous chuckle resounded from behind him. Looking up, blue eyes gleamed down maliciously, an evil smirk on his face.
"Hello, Yugi."
A murderous look filled Yami's eyes as he prepared to attack. Quickly letting loose a ball of his own dark energy, Yami yelled, "You get away from him, Naito!"
Naito blinked, not having realized that the puzzle had granted Yami his shadow powers after being released. At the last possible second he jumped to the side, narrowly missing Yami's attack. [Hmm. This could prove to be interesting.] He looked down, his eyes resting on a wide-eyed form as it stared back at him angrily. Two small gasps were uttered as Naito bend down to grab Merodi, holding his own hikari up by the neck as she struggled in vain to loosen his grasp.
"Merodi!" the two exclaimed.
Smiling, Naito tightened his grip on her air pipe as she dangled in the air, frantically clawing at him as she struggled to breathe. "One false move, Yami, and your young friend here dies."
"Let her go!" Yugi pleaded.
Naito looked at the teen, eyes narrowed. "And give me one good reason why I should." He stared at Yugi, waiting for an answer, not noticing Merodi as she opened her eyes to glare at him. Before he could stop her, Merodi gripped his arm tightly for stability as she brought her legs up in a swinging kick, nailing him in the head with her foot. Dazed, Naito let go of the girl as light flashed behind his eyes in pain, sending her sprawling to the floor as she gasped for much-needed air. Seizing the opportunity, Yami rushed forward, tackling the blue-haired demon.
Yugi moved to Merodi's side, cautiously looking her over her injuries as she laid there, staring at him. "Merodi, are you ok?" he whispered.
She nodded. "Thanks, Yugi," she said weakly. "Don't worry, I promise I won't die out on you anytime soon."
Merodi shot him a gentle smile, winking at him before passing out – her head injury proved to be too much for her to bear consciously as Yugi hovered over his friend protectively. Suddenly, a blue beam of energy shot over the boy's head, just missing them. Yugi turned to watch the commotion behind them worriedly.
The two brothers had begun to fight, each sending as many painful attacks at the other as possible, both of them hoping to get an opening in the other's defenses. Blue and black energy flew across the house, leaving holes in the walls and furniture on impact. Yami side-stepped quickly to avoid another attack as he formed a dark red beam of light, aiming it straight for Naito. It was successful, somewhat; Naito yelled as the energy hit his shoulder. He stumbled back, wincing, as Yami moved forward, preparing another magical attack. The younger quickly launched a succession of short energy bursts, hoping to catch the other off guard. However, Yami put up a defense shield just as quickly, deflecting each one back at Naito. The blue-eyed brother ducked; he turned to watch the wall behind him begin to crumble as his attacks flew past him before looking back at Yami, who had placed a hand on his hips while holding a ball of energy up, smirking. [Kuso!] Naito thought, gritting his teeth. [This is getting to be harder than I anticipated. Oh well, it would be disappointing to defeat him easily enough, anyway.]
Narrowing his eyes, Naito drew back to as a big blue ball of energy formed around him. Seeing what he was doing, Yami stopped and did the same, his being a red-purple color. Suddenly, both of the combatants thrust their hands forward, sending their attacks to collide in mid-air, exploding with exceptional force. By this time there were numerous holes in the walls as the wind whipped through the room. They repeated the attack, with the same result – a stalemate and another hole in the floor. The two bent over, panting.
Naito straightened first, looking down at Yami. "Well, there seems to be only one way to end this, doesn't there, Onii-chan?"
Looking up, Yami smirked before replying. "Hmm. For once I think you may be right, Naito. Let's finish this, NOW."
Yugi watched as the brothers both hit a stance, their fists clenched in front of them. He began to wonder what exactly was going on, until he spied that their fists were beginning to glow. Without warning, a flash of energy erupted from Yami's hands, with Naito swiftly following suit. Yugi shielded his eyes, blinded by the light that had suddenly filled the room. When it had dimmed a bit, the teen turned to see what exactly had resulted from the sudden flash. He stared.
Yugi watched as Yami stood tall, wielding a sword of black energy about the size and shape of a small lance. Red energy swirled around the 'blade' as it crackled in the past-pharaoh's hands. He faced Naito, who also possessed such a sword – though his was, of course, a cobalt blue. Yugi could see the two of them sweat a little – the power needed to maintain such weapons was great, and both paid a toll in order to wield them.
Suddenly, the two rushed each other, meeting in the center of the room as their blades met. Jumping back, Yami brought his sword down in a swinging arc, only to be parried by Naito's. Soon, the younger was on the offensive as Yami blocked thrust after thrust, slowly moving backwards. Their blades met again in stalemate, as Naito stared at him with confidence. His face peered between the crossed swords, smirking at Yami as he growled back. Yami was about to make a move when he heard Naito establish his own mind link with him.
{{So, Yami, having fun?}}
He smirked. //Of course, Naito. I'll admit, you've gotten better, but you won't win. //
{{Oooh, I'm so scared! Go flush your head in the Nile, Pharaoh – you're delusional.}}
Blades separated, only to meet again in their previous position. //Am I? //
Naito started for a second. [Argh, what am I doing? He's pulled this trick on me before, purposely holding back so he can trick me into slipping up! Well, not this time.]
{{Hey, Yami, tell me something – how do you think I should go about killing Yugi once I've defeated you? I've been juggling a few ideas around in my head...definitely can't be anything quick and painless, you know how it is. Drowning, perhaps? Or maybe I should chain him up and try my hand at modern-day surgery…I'll admit, it's intriguing, all those different tools they can use to cut up the body nowadays…so many things to choose from, compared to the old days, huh brother?}}
Naito inwardly grinned as he saw Yami's face light up in fury. [I knew it – I knew that teme was still his weakness – now to exploit it further.]
{{Oooh, I know! Why kill him, when I can simply take him by force? Yes, rape can be the best tool for torture sometimes. I know I'm not one that usually does that, I'll admit, but it's not like it would be too unpleasant on my part…he is very pretty little prince, isn't he, Pharaoh? And breaking that little spirit of his would be so much fun, don't you agree?}}
Yami struggled to keep himself under control, but it was no use. His temper was beginning to flare; he was enraged at Naito's words, at daring to even think about hurting his Yugi. His anger began to spill over and cloud his mind as his brother projected a few choice scenes into his mind. Yami's eyes were filled with hatred, but Naito ignored the look and continued his one-sided discussion, knowing that he was getting to Yami. [What reckless thing will you do once you lose your cool, Yami? Don't disappoint me, now.] Naito smirked.
{{Better yet, why don't I just chain you up, so you can watch all of the above? No? You don't want to see me slice the little prince open? Oh come now, it can't be all that bad – who knows, you might enjoy watching me pump little Yugi over and over again.}}
*SNAP*
That was it.
Yugi, not having heard the conversation between the two brothers, moved back a little as he heard Yami let out an enraged yell at the top of his lungs. His eyes burned like fire, giving Naito a murderous glare that could have killed a mere mortal. Yugi was shocked as Yami let his temper fly, striking at Naito with more speed and force that anyone would have thought possible.
"KISAMA!! YOU SICK BASTARD!! NOW, I'LL MAKE SURE YOU ARE DAMNED TO THE UNDERWORLD FOREVER, YOU PATHETIC TEME!!"
Now Naito was on the defensive as he began stepping back, struggling to ward off Yami's blows as they came in quickly. Their blades clashed once more, as Yami sent him a thought of his own.
//Guess what, Naito. You've lost, like you did in the past. I remember how you betrayed me, little brother. Because you were too much of a coward to stand up to what needed to be done. // He could sense his brother now beginning to become just as enraged as him – that was his weakness, Yami knew all too well.
Growling, Naito let one hand go of the blade he held to form a bright blue ball of energy. Yugi started, noticing that Yami hadn't seen the maneuver.
{{Don't be so sure, brother.}}
"Huh?"
"Yami, look out, he's going to attack!" Yugi yelled. Yami looked down, finally noticing what Naito was about to do, but too late. Naito sent the attack directly into the two energy blades, creating a huge explosion as the two brothers went flying, smoke billowing around them.
Yugi let out a grunt as Yami was knocked back into him from the particularly forceful blow. Naito landed on the floor on the opposite side of the room. Both of them were unconscious and looked the worse for wear as Yugi quickly slipped our from under his guardian to kneel at his side; one hand supporting Yami's head, while the other placed itself on his chest. He felt a heartbeat, he was breathing, but Yami was badly wounded. He looked at him, tears threatening to fall. [No! What can I do? I have to help him!] Suddenly, he remembered what his guardian had told him at the museum:
"Usually, my Shadow Powers can only be used to destroy. However, if a person with these powers is somehow connected to another of pure heart, he can use the energy from that person to heal another."
Looking down at Yami's handsome face, Yugi only thought one thing.
[What the hell.]
Naito started coming around as a bright light filled the room. Looking up, he saw Yugi's eyes closed in concentration as he willed his own life energy into Yami's shadow powers, silently praying that it would work. Sure enough, the cuts and bruises on his skin began to fade away.
[Kuso, that little teme is healing him! No!] Naito snarled in frustration. Before releasing the attack, he had placed a magical defense barrier around himself; the force of the blast had broken through it, but it had still managed to take most of the damage.
Finally, Yugi stopped as he felt himself beginning to sway in exhaustion. He kept his eyes closed a little longer as he steadied himself. Finally, he opened them and shook Yami gently. "Yami, are you alright?"
Eyes fluttering open, Yami winced as he grunted in pain before replying. "I'm ok, Yugi," he said, though not realizing that Yugi had healed many of his injuries. "But Naito's powers are stronger now than I remember them – I think we need to get out of here."
Suddenly, Naito stood up, his features stony as he slowly walked towards the pair, unnoticed, his eyes slanted dangerously.
"No more games, Yu-Gi-Oh. This ends now." The two teens turned at the sound of his voice. Without warning, Naito let loose a final fiery ball of blue energy. Eyes widened as it hit its intended target.
Yami looked up in shock as Yugi flew into the wall from the impact. Being so weak from healing Yami, the force of the blow knocked him unconscious as he fell to the floor, limp as a doll.
"No! YUGI!"
Before Yami could do anything, unfortunately, Naito quickly rushed over, scooping Yugi up. Furious, the tri-colored pharaoh stood up, ignoring the remaining pain as he saw his soul mate unconscious in the arms of this psycho he called brother. He rushed forward, intent on taking back his love. But just as Yami was about to make contact, Naito disappeared in a bright blue flash – and along with him, Yugi.
Yami stopped, shocked as eyes widened; realization dawning on him as he stared at the spot from which the two had disappeared. An image suddenly flashed across his mind's eye; the most horrifying image of his dream replaying itself in front of him. He closed his eyes, shaking.
Suddenly, Yugi awoke with a shock as the blade pierced his skin; his amethyst eyes flashing with sudden pain and horror. Yami's felt his heart rip from his chest as he heard the bloodcurdling screams come from his aibou, while Naito slowly pressed the knife into his chest, into his heart.
"No…."
Yugi had stopped screaming.
He simply laid there, the knife half-buried into his body; blood overflowed from the wound as Naito cruelly shoved the limp, cold body to lie at Yami's feet. Dull, lifeless eyes gazed up at Yami.
Sinking to his knees, Yami stared before sending all his fear and anger into a single desperate punch, creating a huge hole in the wall. As the sunlight touched his face, a tear could be seen revisiting Yami as he shook.
"...no...NO...YUGI!!!!!!!!!!!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merodi no Yami: So? Good? Bad? Whatdya think? Huh? Huh? Do you read me, people? DO YOU READ ME??
{{Naito: Like a book.}}
Merodi no Yami: _ …you've been watching too much MST3K again. *sigh* Well, I may or may not post the next chapter right away – see, the next two happen during the same time frame, and I don't know which one I want to go first – I may have to save the chapter I have now for later and get to work on writing the other one, which means you people will have to wait. *smirk* Hey, Naito, are you still drunk?
{{Naito: …uh…I was drunk?}}
Merodi no Yami: Apparently not.
{{Naito: Huh? What's going on? And why do I have a headache?}}
Merodi no Yami: Hey, don't ask me. I never touch alcohol, really.
{{Naito: …uhhhh…I'm going to go crash….}}
*CRASH*
Merodi no Yami: Well, I can say I didn't expect him to mean that literally…oh well…please review, everyone!! Let me know how this went! Flames accepted, but will probably be used for lighting Naito's bed on fire. Why?
…uh, why not? It's fun!!! Really!! Talk to you later!
