Merodi no Yami: Ohayo, minna-san!!
Naito: {{-_-…it's 9:30pm, aibou.}}
Oh, details details. Well, how is everyone doing? I hope it was a happy Easter weekend!!
{{Hmpf. What's so happy about it? First I get stuck over at Ko-chan's – AGAIN – and now it's raining. *pouts*}}
You don't like the thunderstorm outside? Gee, given your personality, I thought you'd love it.
{{…it didn't rain in Egypt. Not this often, anyway.}}
Whatever. I like the rain and thunder and lightning, it's cool! ^_^ God's own fireworks show, if you ask me!! Oh well, on to the warnings and stuff.
Warning: Y/Y. If you can't stomach it, well…you're weird. Go away, we no like you. Oh, and you should probably be warned that I don't like this chapter…it starts out good, but I think it goes downhill from there. Oh well, you're the reviewers – you decide.
Disclaimer: Uh…letssee, what stuff did I rip off of in this chapter…? Um, ok, yeah – so, I don't own Yugioh, nor do I own One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (where EST idea came from). The only things I own here are this storyline, Merodi (not me – couldn't think of a better name at the time), and Naito, who happens to be MY personal bishie, whom I may rent out to people for a small fee. ^_^ *grabs Naito in a big hug* Yay, Naito-chan!!
{{!!!!! Ai..bou…can't…breathe…ack!...*pries MnY off* Get OFF!! What, are you spending time with Dai or something? *cough* Which reminds me, hikari….}}
Hmm?
{{What EXACTLY was Dai talking about in that last review?}}
Huh? Oh, that's right, you were drunk. Yeah, you kissed him.
{{….}}
And Aete too, I think. I dunno, I decided to stay out of it. Though now I'm curious, since you're SUPPOSED to be straight….
{{!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!}}
Naito?
{{IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! *runs from room*}}
Heh heh. It's fun to scare my yami…ESPECIALLY when it's with the truth…. Well, anyway, here's a thank you to the following people:
Wolfspeaker
Randomasdf
TidBits
CutieCherry
boo
Ko-Chan
…for reviewing the last chapter. ^_^ Glad you people liked it…well, I think you liked it…dunno, got a couple of people saying, "Wow, that's very unique,"…so I'm just going to interpret that as a happy thing. ^_^
OOOH!!! Shameless advertising here!! If anyone would like to send me fan-art for this story (or any of my other ones, in fact), I promise to glorify your name and put your artwork up on my new website (which is currently under construction, hence the site name isn't listed here).
Also, I know I don't update on a regular basis like I should, so I've created something called The YY OneShot Database – it's basically a collection of one-shot Y/Y fics, if you haven't already figured that out. Just to help you folks along a bit when I don't update this story right away.
…think that's it. Wow. Ok, onwards!!
[ blah blah blah ] – thinking
/blah blah blah/ - Yugi talking
//blah blah blah// - Yami talking
{blah blah blah} – Merodi talking
{{blah blah blah}} – Naito talking
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Destinies of the Past - Chapter 9: Reestablishing Connections
"Itai…head…." Merodi mumbled as she put a hand to her temples, trying to stop the slightly throbbing pressure. Sitting up on the floor, she opened her eyes and looked around blearily. [It's so bright in here…did Mr. Muoto have new skylights put in or something?] Upon looking up and noting that there really wasn't much of a roof left to put new skylights in, Merodi shook her head as she recalled the events before she had passed out.
[So, Yami and Naito must have fought? Wow. I never thought those two could cause this much damage…wonder what happened?] She let her gaze travel around what was left of the room, when it suddenly came to rest on a spiky-headed figure. He was kneeling on the floor, his back to her. Noting the attire the person was wearing, she got up shakily before walking towards, calling his name. "Yami? Yami, what happened here? Where's Yugi? And Naito?"
She walked around to face the figure, waiting for an answer. Yami seemed to have not heard her at all, however, as he continued to stare off into space. Merodi's brow furrowed as she looked up at the sky. It was mid-day now – how long had that battle gone on? Had Yami been sitting there since that morning? She looked back down into those red eyes. No malice, no happiness, no nothing…they were completely blank. Which could only mean one thing.
Naito had taken Yugi.
Merodi sighed, knowing Yami must be blaming himself at this point for losing his hikari. She put a hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently. "Ne, Yami, wake up. We need to go get Yugi."
Still no reply. By this point, the girl began to become seriously frustrated. Yugi was in danger, and Yami was just sitting here staring into the now-non-existent wall! Who knew how long she had been out since the end of the battle, and Yami had done nothing!! She began shaking him harder and calling his name, the pressure of her headache increasing, until finally she couldn't take it anymore.
She slapped him hard across the face, getting him to blink before she started yelling at the top of her lungs.
"YAMI, YOU BAKA!!! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, JUST SITTING AROUND HERE, WHEN YUGI NEEDS YOUR HELP?"
Finally Yami looked up at her, blinking. He had been stuck in the agony of watching Yugi die over and over again since his aibou had been taken away, when the slap had finally broken the cycle. He put a hand to his cheek where she had hit him and looked up, staring at the fuming girl above him.
She let out a curse of frustration. "YAMI!! DON'T YOU LISTEN?? YUGI IS OUT THERE WITH NAITO, WHO IS DOING GOD KNOWS WHAT TO HIM, WHILE YOU'RE JUST SITTING HERE WALLOWING IN YOUR OWN SELF-PITY!! WHAT KIND OF PROTECTOR ARE YOU?"
[Shimatta, I shouldn't have said that,] she thought as she saw his reaction. Fully aware now, Yami's eyes filled with a hopelessness and despair she had never seen before. He lowered his head in shame, staring at what was left of the living room floor.
"Yami – I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"No Merodi. You're right," he said quietly. "By now, Yugi's probably dead – all because of me. Me and my stupidity. I've failed him as his protector - he never should have been chosen to be my hikari; Yugi would be safe now if I hadn't come into his life. This is all my fault."
Sighing, Merodi knelt beside the past-pharaoh, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Iie, Yami. You know very well that if Yugi heard what you just said, he would have yelled at you for saying something so stupid. Yugi loves you heart and soul, and you know it."
Yami said nothing in reply. He continued to look at the ground as a gentle breeze blew past his face. Noticing a slight movement out of the corner of his eye, Yami looked up slightly. The gentle wind quietly pushed forward a small, purple flower to rest near the teen's hand. He reached slightly to grasp it lightly in his hand as he smiled slightly, reminiscing – it was one of the flowers that he had given Yugi that same morning. He stared at it, slightly surprised that it had survived the blast.
[Yugi….] He remembered the happy reaction his aibou had to the present, and the incident slightly afterwards. In his mind's eye, images began to flash before him. His aibou's melodious laughter. A piggy-back ride. A duel monsters game. A sunset. The quick flit of crimson, black, and gold as his aibou turned to look at him, smiling radiantly. All of the memories of Yugi which Yami treasured blurred into one as he saw his hikari standing there, calling his name as he smiled innocently.
Yami....
His hand closed around the flower as Yami slowly stood up to face the horizon. [Yugi….] he thought with a look of determination.
[I'm coming for you. Hold on.]
Merodi looked up at him, slightly startled by his sudden change in mood. Nonetheless, she was glad to see him out of his stupor and back on his feet again. He looked down at her, a slight smirk on his face.
"Come on. Let's go get Yugi."
For the first time that day Merodi smiled with a determination outdone only by Yami. She got to her feet and slapped him on the back. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!
Yami smiled also, briefly, before he went into a state of shock.
"Yami? Yami, what's wrong?!" the girl asked worriedly as Yami's eyes widened.
However, he continued to ignore her as he stood there. Suddenly, he had felt his mind link open – not knowing if it was Naito, he simply waited with bated breath until a familiar voice rang in his head.
/Yami? Yami, are you there?/
Yami let out a sigh of relief. //YUGI!! Thank Ra, where are you? Are you alright? What's happened? Where's Naito?//
/I-I don't know…/ came the reply, obviously nervous. /It's a big room…dark…I can't tell. Naito's here, but I don't know how long it will be until he can sense us talking./
{{Oh, it didn't take that long, I assure you.}}
Yami started, quickly grabbing Merodi's arm. Startled, the girl was about to question the other when suddenly she heard his voice in her head.
//…Naito?//
{{Hello Yami. Nice to hear from you. But I'm afraid I can't talk with you right now – I have to get Yugi ready for his torture session, if that's alright with you.}}
//WHAT?? NAITO, DON'T YOU DARE LAY A HAND ON YUGI, YOU KISAMA!!// The grip he had on Merodi's arm tightened, but the girl said nothing, more focused on the conversation at hand.
{{Oh don't worry, 'Onii-chan'…I promise I won't lay a finger on him.}}
{Naito!! Whatever you're planning on doing, please stop!!}
Yami turned to look at her, bewildered. How was it that she was able to hear and speak during their mental conversation? Come to think of it, he could also sense her emotions over the now four-way link – determination, concern, and…pity? For Naito? Why?
Apparently Yami wasn't the only one who was shocked, as his brother's voice replied uncertainly.
{{…Merodi?}}
{Yes – please, leave Yugi out of this!!}
//I swear, Naito, if you hurt Yugi I'll-//
{{I have only three letters for you, Merodi. E-S-T. Hope you have a good day.}}
With that, Merodi felt the bond break off from her and from Naito at the same time. She stood there, staring, as Yami frantically continued talking to his aibou.
//Yugi, what's going on? What is he doing?//
/Yami, I don't have time, ask Merodi. Please, just get here soon, or I might not b-/
//Yugi? YUGI!!!//
/……/
Nothing. He could no longer sense him. Whirling around, Yami faced Merodi. "Merodi, what did Naito mean by EST?"
The girl continued staring for a few seconds before turning to Yami, her eyes shimmering with tears. [Oh Yugi, I'm so sorry…this is all my fault…I'm so sorry….] "EST…stands for Electro-Shock Therapy…it's a type of punishment that was used back in North America 30 or 40 years ago…. It's…basically…electrocution…though not enough to actually kill a person…of course, if he uses it too much…." She trailed off, before hiding her hands in her face.
[Yugi….] Quickly, Yami tried to reestablish his connection with Yugi. As soon as he thought he was successful, however, his knees buckled as he began shaking, the immense pain overflowing into his mind. He could feel his body beginning to seize up, unaware of Merodi's cry of panic. Suddenly the link severed itself under the immense strain, and Yami fell to the floor, eyes wide. Merodi kneeled beside him, shaking him frantically.
"Yami! Yami, wake up, please!!!"
After a few moments, Yami began stirring again. Groaning he got up, putting a hand to his head as he winced. "Ahhh….what was that?" he wondered aloud.
"You tried to connect with Yugi again?"
"Yeah."
She sighed. "Can you absorb pain through a mind link?"
"Yes…wait, are you saying-?"
She nodded sadly. "Yes – you tried to connect with Yugi while he was undergoing EST…though judging by your reaction with just a little bit of it, I can't imagine what Yugi must be going through."
Silence. Then -
"Merodi. Do you have a car?"
She looked up at him, his face stony yet resolute. "H-hai, it's parked outside."
"Good. We're going to get Yugi."
As they stepped out of what remained of the game shop and walked towards the car, Yami made a solemn promise. [Yugi, I swear I will find you. I swear that I'll rescue you. And I swear I will never let anyone harm you again.] His hand tightened around the purple flower that was still in his hand. [I'm coming, Yugi.]
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Merodi no Yami: Wow, can you believe it? This is actually going to get posted before midnight, how wonderful!!!
Well, minna-san, hope you enjoyed it, please review and make me happy!! ^_^ Or send fan art, that'd be cool too…(hey, yeah, Ko-chan – did you ever get that scanner to work? Hmm?). Next chapter coming soon!
…now where did Naito go…I'd better go fix him before he goes out and tries to…well…I dunno, do something bad…yeah. *rolls eyes* Yeah, I'm golden today, all right. *sigh* Ja ne!!
