Hey! I just wanted to thank all of my loyal reviewers, and decided to start advertizing their work every chapter.
First off to the reviewer I've known the longest, my "Nee-chan" Keiko C. Crawford! Check out her story about the Moto's new housekeeper, Seto's new tournament, a long forgotten love, and be ready to laugh your head off! I'll also be doing a joint-fic with her soon, using her characters and mine! ^_^ She's in my "Fav Authors"
.
Yami: Last time, Yugi found out that there may be side-affects to me posessing his body. He also came across that Tanaka girl playing a Penalty Game on some thug. Now, it's my turn to try and test her skills!
Chapter 4
Yami and Nazo's First Battle: Crazy 7
The cold night air bit Yami Yugi's face as he stood in the lot. The dark, dank earth, frostbitten from the cold and recent snowfall, stretched for a square mile before running into the projects of Domino City.
Yugi's digital watch beeped, announcing the hour. 'Nine o'clock,' he thought. 'Now where is she?'
"Right on time, Yu-Gi-Oh." Nazo's form emerged from the building opposite Yami. He tried not to gasp. She wore her long coat with shiny black boots, tight blue leggings, and a skin-tight red cardigan shirt with a high collar that accentuated her cleavage. She also wore red and black striped gloves and a black choker.
Yami gulped and tried not to blush. Seeing her so closely in the moonlight took his breath away. She was so beautiful! "As are you, Tanaka-san. With all of your money, I expected a far more comfortable setting."
"This way we cannot be disturbed." She gave the smallest of smirks and Yami's heart just about popped out of his throat. Why did he feel so differently around her now? "My family thinks I'm in my room studying, so we can play for a couple of hours at least. Considering its a school night, I wouldn't want us up too late."
Yami reached for his deck. "I'm assuming Duel Monsters-"
"My DM deck is unavailable," said Nazo, reaching into her coat for a pack of ordinary cards. "I figured some regular card games. If you don't mind, of course."
"I do not." Yami looked from side to side. "Where?"
Nazo also pulled out a small, folded flat wooden surface hanging within her coat. Yami couldn't help but smile wondering what else she had in there. "Will this suffice?"
"Very nicely." He undid most of the buttons on his jacket and let it fly behind him like a cape. "Ladies first," he said bowing for Nazo to sit down.
They both sat, and Nazo shuffled the cards in a fantastic manner. She let them fly above her head, then in front of her, then had them flip across the make-safe table. "Know any good card games?"
"A few hundred. You?"
"Same." She placed the deck in front of her for Yami to cut. "Let's start with a simple game of Poker. No wild cards."
"Sounds good to me." Yami did more then cut the cards, but returned the tricks by sliding them down one arm, behind his neck, and landing in his other hand. He placed them in an impressive two-second card house, them re-shuffling them perfectly onto the table.
Nazo gave another very small smirk. "I can see this is going to be quite a night!"
As the games progressed, the two played in almost complete silence. Yami admitted to himself he had never played such a worthy opponent! He almost dropped the cards when he lost the first time. But, buy the second hour of their games, he assumed them almost equally matched.
"Why did you challenge me anyway? And with no spectators?"
Nazo's eyebrow raised. "I should have thought that obvious to you of all people!" Yami shook his head. "Don't you feel it? The excitement of the unknown? The risk of losing? The rush of taking a chance with victory or humiliation on the line?" Her eyes sparkled with an infectious fire Yami shared.
"I can certainly relate! It does make one's heart race testing their favor with Lady Luck. But why in such secrecy?"
Nazo paused, pretending to study her cards carefully. "I don't get along well with people. With me, popularity is never an option."
"Shame," said Yami without thinking. "I thought all sexy teenagers were popular with men."
It took a couple of seconds for Yami to realize just what he had said. In that time, Yugi's soul split from his yami's to gawk at him. Nazo's eyes widened substantially, and she nearly screamed at him. Yami picked up his cards from the deck and looked up at the stunned faces. An anime sweat drop formed on the side of his head. "I-I-I mean, such a passionate - uh - intelligent young lady . . ." His face turned beet red and he avoided eye contact. "Um, I stand."
The corners of Yugi's mouth curved up with comprehension, and made a mental note to tease Yami later.
Nazo's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Flattery without truth is a cheap trick, Moto." She set down her cards. "Full House. Two 10s and three 4s."
Yami smirked. "Who said I was playing a trick on you? I never cheat!" He set down his cards. "I don't think the four 9s are worth much, but the extra Ace is pretty high."
Nazo grabbed all of the cards and shuffled furiously. "New game! Do you know 'Crazy 7?'"
"Yes, but not with an English-style deck! That game originates from Mexico, really called 'Siete Loca.' It's played with a special deck of 40 cards."
She flipped the cards over and shuffled out the 8s, 9s, and 10s. "This is how! Just get rid of the other twelve. SIt's the same as the game 'Twenty-One,' just start with one card and try to get 7 and a half. Face cards are half a point each."
"Something tells me you've played with cards more then I have. And that's saying something!"
"Keh! Unlike those stupid tournaments, I play like in Sin City. Always better to place a bet when changing games." She eyed his Puzzle. "Where'd you get it?"
Yami put his hand over it. "I'm not wagering this!"
"I'm not talking about betting the pendant, baka! Does it, you know," she paused, "do weird things too?"
Yami started getting mad. "You mean 'Shadow Games'? Yes, it does."
Nazo took off her left glove, revealing the Bracelet. "Then that's how this will play out. And no petty lies-"
"Honest compliments," Yami muttered under his breath.
" - will back you out, assuming you hold your word."
Again, Yami and Yugi's bond separated, but this time internally. Yugi could sense his friend's anger rising with each word Nazo spoke. /Mou hitori no boku! Don't do this! It was all a misunderstanding!/
Yami spat. Yugi didn't understand! The pharaoh had expressed an attraction to this girl, and she flat out turned him down! Didn't she know who he was!? How DARE she turn down a pharaoh! And now she mocked his competence with games, his character, his word, and worst of all, the Shadow Games themselves?! How could she wield such an Item without respect for it? His eyes narrowed. He'd show her respect! He'd show her not to cross the Heir of the Shadow Games!!
"Deal the damn cards, woman" Yami growled, trying to think of the perfect Penalty Game for her. "I win, I give you play Mosaic Illusion." Anything to get those gorgeous eyes out of his mind!
"If you don't, I give you Mind Recall." She placed one card face down in front of him and one in front of her. He picked his up. It was a 5. High already. Trusting the cards, he motioned Nazo for another. The next card was an Ace, giving him a total of six points. Dare he take another?
He saw her eyes glint with the same purple fire of excitement and remembered her passionate speech. /No! Keep your mind on the game!!/ Both took another card. A King. Six-and-a-half points. Another card. A Jack.
Yami smiled. "Ready?" Nazo nodded. "Good." He set down his cards. "Seven points."
Nazo hesitated, and Yami thought for sure he had won. Then, she set her cards down: a 3 and two 2s. "Seven points."
Yugi breathed a sigh of relief. /That was close!/
"Appears neither of us shall use our Millennium Items, shall we," said Yami with more liberation then his hikari. His anger had subsided back to intrigue and attraction.
Nazo smirked once again. "Did you not forget our deal? You said that if you won, you'd give me a Penalty Game. Well, a tie isn't a win." Before Yami knew what was happening, She pushed away the table and reached out for his forehead.
Inside his mind, the spirit of the pharaoh pushed his friend into his own mind room and shut the door. //Sorry, Aibou, but if anything terrible happens to me, I refuse to let you be witness to it!//
"MIND RECALL!!!"
.
.
The room within his mind dissolved. Yami felt shackles close in around his wrists, cutting off his circulation and suspending him inches above the floor. He had been hanging there for quite some time. Dulling pain wrecked his body, and the salty taste of blood parched his mouth. He blinked, trying to see his surroundings, but his eyes were badly scratched and everything blurred.
'Where am I,' he thought. 'What is going on?'
Several pairs of foot steps made their way into the room, and Yami saw at least four shapes enter. One stood in front and grabbed Yami's chin. The man's long fingers grazed Yami's cheeks, and, for no immediate reason he recalled, he loathed the man! He wanted to break his neck!
But the pain in his body made this impossible. Even if he were released from the chains, he couldn't move.
The man was saying something. What was it? Yami's mind was so clouded from fatigue and hurting he had trouble making his oppressor's voice clear. ". . . had the gods allowed such a stubborn boy such as yourself," the man said, or something like that.
Yami smiled. He felt too weak to respond verbally, but he wanted to anger the man as much as he deserved.
The man's hand moved down to his neck and began choking him. "Where is it," he demanded. "Where is the Millennium Puzzle!?!"
So that was it! He wanted the Puzzle! Yami squinted, trying to make out clearer details of the man's pale face. "My Puzzle shall never fall into your filthy hands," he vowed, defiance radiating in his raspy voice.
The man threw the young pharaoh's head away. Yami's head swam as the wretched man gave the three torturers their orders. Each burly man took a whip with spikes and continued beating Yami's body. More skin tore, and he felt fresh blood drip down his torso and legs. 'This is only a game,' Yami repeated to himself, trying to hold onto at least that fact. 'This is only a Shadow Game! I'm not captured! I'm not being beaten! I'm in that lot in Domino City! This is only a Shadow Game!'
A voice rang out. Someone was calling him. Yami searched through the clouds in his mind to hear whom is was. "Wake up! Please wake up!!" "Don't be dead!! We need you!!"
A cool breeze floated by, and the wooden ship swayed slightly. Yami was now on the deck, still in chains, next to about three others tied with rope on a mast. The voices belonged to people, people he knew and loved.
One breathed a familiar sigh of relief. "Whew! I saw him move! He's alive!"
Yami tensed. Yugi? Yugi was here? So then maybe this vision was created within his own mind. Was that the secret of this game?
Someone else spoke. A woman's voice, but Yami's head couldn't register whom is was. His body . . . his head . . . so much pain!
The third spoke. Kaiba!! Yami's mind refused to make out the words, but that voice belonged to Kaiba Seto!
More words followed, and Yami tried to register the conversation. "I sense our forces are nearby," the woman's voice said. "They are so close, but Minkabh's magic makes us invisible." Yami knew that voice! He knew her! How!?! In the name of Ra, how did he know her!?!
//I have to stop! This is only a Shadow Game! I need to figure out how to break it. These are only images and sounds. Its not real!//
"If only we could get to that cannon," muttered Kaiba. "We may catch their attention with the noise."
"I know," said Yugi. "Push up against the ropes. I might be small enough to squeeze through. Then, I'll signal the ships."
"That's suicide," exclaimed Kaiba.
"You'll get caught," added the female voice.
Yami struggled to lift his head and squint at his hikari. He could just make out his spiky hair. "Don- ... don't do ... anything .... foolish ...."
"You're not going to last much longer at this rate," Yugi replied. "Hurry, before the guards come."
Yami pulled against his chains. No! He can't let his best friend put himself in danger! Not Yugi! But the effort of straining against the manacles was too much, and he nearly passed out again. //Not real! Only a game! Not real! NOT REAL!!!//
Far off, he heard Yugi's feet tip-toe across the deck, pause, then make a break for the cannons.
"Hold it!" A guard must have found him. Yami struggled more. //No! No! Yugi, get away! Get away from here!!// Their connection must not have worked, because Yami heard his friend dash to the side of the ship.
The evil man's voice came. "Shoot him down! He can't signal the others!"
Yami gasped with pain, ignoring the shouts from Kaiba and the woman. He had to save Yugi! There's no way-
More noise and confusion. Fresh blood dripped from Yami's arms as he tried to break free. A sound like a fire cracker rang out. Yugi had sent up a flare! They would be saved!
"Stop .... stop this ...!" Yami pulled once more until he collapsed from exhaustion. He lifted his head to find his hikari. With many *fffwwtt* sounds, a dozen or so arrows flew past and right into Yugi's body.
"NNOOO!!!!!!!!"
.
.
Moto Yugi broke down the door within his mind and rushed into Yami's room. The walls echoed with a scream of anguish that gave the hikari chills. "Mou hitori no boku!? Where are you!?"
Then Yugi saw Yami's crumpled spirit on the floor, bloodied, beaten, and sobbing. He ran to his side. "Mou hitori no boku," he yelled as he shook him. "Mou hitori no boku! What happened!?" It was no use. The spirit was incoherent.
.
.
Yugi awoke to find himself in the backseat of his grandfather's car. The old man was driving, and noticed Yugi's movement in the rearview mirror. "Ho! Awake, are you?"
Yugi's mother was in the passenger's seat. She turned around to face him. ", Yugi-chan, what were you doing in such a bad neighborhood in the middle of the night," she demanded angrily.
The teen groaned, holding his head. Penalty Games often had physical side affects, so whatever Yami had experienced mentally, his hikari felt physically. "Jus' meeting someone," he muttered.
"Who!?"
"A friend from school."
"What kind of friend allows you to get beaten up so badly?! You could have been killed for all we knew!" Yugi started ignoring his mother's rants and let his mind wander. As much as he hated to admit it, Yami had provoked Nazo into using her Bracelet. But where could she have gotten it from?
"And to think, this whole time I figured the way you're dressing was some harmless phase you're going through," his mother continued, leaping to conclusions. "Now I see the truth! Why couldn't I before?! The dark clothes, the dog collar around your neck, that heavy chain -"
"I don't think Yugi's the sort of boy to join a gang," said Sogoroku simply.
"I never thought so either," replied Yugi's mom. "But - those new friends he hangs out with - I always thought they reformed from bullying kids. But maybe they've just influenced Yugi-chan."
`WHAT!?!' "I'm not in a gang, Momma! Jonouchi and Honda had nothing to do with this!!"
The young woman turned around again to look at her son. She wanted to believe him; Yugi could tell. She loved him so dearly and worried about him. She hated seeing him in pain. "Mommy ... " Yugi whispered.
Grandpa Moto cleared his throat. "As I said," he reiterated, "I don't think Yugi is in any sort of gang. But I do think he constantly gets into situations he should not."
Yugi gulped. His mother didn't know about the Puzzle, or the spirit that lived inside of it, but his grandpa did.
She turned back around again as the car pulled into the garage behind the game shop. "Yugi, you are staying home from school tomorrow. No arguments, young man," she added before he could protest. But then, she let out a small sob. "I wish you could just tell me what's wrong so I can help you!"
The image of his mother's mournful face and shaking voice stayed with Yugi long after his grandfather helped bandage him up and he went to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yugi: My god! Yami's completely out of it! And now, Jonouchi's ready for payback, but will it be enough? And Anzu wants to ask Nazo directly what's her problem!
Next time - Jonouchi's Mistake; Anzu Meets Mr. Tanaka
.
.
Bardock: Boy, you sure are a downer, ain't you Una? Is it a rule for you to kill off somebody in each story?
Yugi: Kill? Who's dead?
Una: Hey, I haven't killed him!
Yugi: Him who?
Bardock: I'm just starting to enjoy this! Don't start makin' it a tragedy already!
Yugi: WHO DIED!?!
Una: No one, Yugi-kun. *pets him* Don't worry about it.
Bardock: Hey! I just noticed you two are the same height!
Yugi/Una: *start beating up Bardock*
Review!
First off to the reviewer I've known the longest, my "Nee-chan" Keiko C. Crawford! Check out her story about the Moto's new housekeeper, Seto's new tournament, a long forgotten love, and be ready to laugh your head off! I'll also be doing a joint-fic with her soon, using her characters and mine! ^_^ She's in my "Fav Authors"
.
Yami: Last time, Yugi found out that there may be side-affects to me posessing his body. He also came across that Tanaka girl playing a Penalty Game on some thug. Now, it's my turn to try and test her skills!
Chapter 4
Yami and Nazo's First Battle: Crazy 7
The cold night air bit Yami Yugi's face as he stood in the lot. The dark, dank earth, frostbitten from the cold and recent snowfall, stretched for a square mile before running into the projects of Domino City.
Yugi's digital watch beeped, announcing the hour. 'Nine o'clock,' he thought. 'Now where is she?'
"Right on time, Yu-Gi-Oh." Nazo's form emerged from the building opposite Yami. He tried not to gasp. She wore her long coat with shiny black boots, tight blue leggings, and a skin-tight red cardigan shirt with a high collar that accentuated her cleavage. She also wore red and black striped gloves and a black choker.
Yami gulped and tried not to blush. Seeing her so closely in the moonlight took his breath away. She was so beautiful! "As are you, Tanaka-san. With all of your money, I expected a far more comfortable setting."
"This way we cannot be disturbed." She gave the smallest of smirks and Yami's heart just about popped out of his throat. Why did he feel so differently around her now? "My family thinks I'm in my room studying, so we can play for a couple of hours at least. Considering its a school night, I wouldn't want us up too late."
Yami reached for his deck. "I'm assuming Duel Monsters-"
"My DM deck is unavailable," said Nazo, reaching into her coat for a pack of ordinary cards. "I figured some regular card games. If you don't mind, of course."
"I do not." Yami looked from side to side. "Where?"
Nazo also pulled out a small, folded flat wooden surface hanging within her coat. Yami couldn't help but smile wondering what else she had in there. "Will this suffice?"
"Very nicely." He undid most of the buttons on his jacket and let it fly behind him like a cape. "Ladies first," he said bowing for Nazo to sit down.
They both sat, and Nazo shuffled the cards in a fantastic manner. She let them fly above her head, then in front of her, then had them flip across the make-safe table. "Know any good card games?"
"A few hundred. You?"
"Same." She placed the deck in front of her for Yami to cut. "Let's start with a simple game of Poker. No wild cards."
"Sounds good to me." Yami did more then cut the cards, but returned the tricks by sliding them down one arm, behind his neck, and landing in his other hand. He placed them in an impressive two-second card house, them re-shuffling them perfectly onto the table.
Nazo gave another very small smirk. "I can see this is going to be quite a night!"
As the games progressed, the two played in almost complete silence. Yami admitted to himself he had never played such a worthy opponent! He almost dropped the cards when he lost the first time. But, buy the second hour of their games, he assumed them almost equally matched.
"Why did you challenge me anyway? And with no spectators?"
Nazo's eyebrow raised. "I should have thought that obvious to you of all people!" Yami shook his head. "Don't you feel it? The excitement of the unknown? The risk of losing? The rush of taking a chance with victory or humiliation on the line?" Her eyes sparkled with an infectious fire Yami shared.
"I can certainly relate! It does make one's heart race testing their favor with Lady Luck. But why in such secrecy?"
Nazo paused, pretending to study her cards carefully. "I don't get along well with people. With me, popularity is never an option."
"Shame," said Yami without thinking. "I thought all sexy teenagers were popular with men."
It took a couple of seconds for Yami to realize just what he had said. In that time, Yugi's soul split from his yami's to gawk at him. Nazo's eyes widened substantially, and she nearly screamed at him. Yami picked up his cards from the deck and looked up at the stunned faces. An anime sweat drop formed on the side of his head. "I-I-I mean, such a passionate - uh - intelligent young lady . . ." His face turned beet red and he avoided eye contact. "Um, I stand."
The corners of Yugi's mouth curved up with comprehension, and made a mental note to tease Yami later.
Nazo's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Flattery without truth is a cheap trick, Moto." She set down her cards. "Full House. Two 10s and three 4s."
Yami smirked. "Who said I was playing a trick on you? I never cheat!" He set down his cards. "I don't think the four 9s are worth much, but the extra Ace is pretty high."
Nazo grabbed all of the cards and shuffled furiously. "New game! Do you know 'Crazy 7?'"
"Yes, but not with an English-style deck! That game originates from Mexico, really called 'Siete Loca.' It's played with a special deck of 40 cards."
She flipped the cards over and shuffled out the 8s, 9s, and 10s. "This is how! Just get rid of the other twelve. SIt's the same as the game 'Twenty-One,' just start with one card and try to get 7 and a half. Face cards are half a point each."
"Something tells me you've played with cards more then I have. And that's saying something!"
"Keh! Unlike those stupid tournaments, I play like in Sin City. Always better to place a bet when changing games." She eyed his Puzzle. "Where'd you get it?"
Yami put his hand over it. "I'm not wagering this!"
"I'm not talking about betting the pendant, baka! Does it, you know," she paused, "do weird things too?"
Yami started getting mad. "You mean 'Shadow Games'? Yes, it does."
Nazo took off her left glove, revealing the Bracelet. "Then that's how this will play out. And no petty lies-"
"Honest compliments," Yami muttered under his breath.
" - will back you out, assuming you hold your word."
Again, Yami and Yugi's bond separated, but this time internally. Yugi could sense his friend's anger rising with each word Nazo spoke. /Mou hitori no boku! Don't do this! It was all a misunderstanding!/
Yami spat. Yugi didn't understand! The pharaoh had expressed an attraction to this girl, and she flat out turned him down! Didn't she know who he was!? How DARE she turn down a pharaoh! And now she mocked his competence with games, his character, his word, and worst of all, the Shadow Games themselves?! How could she wield such an Item without respect for it? His eyes narrowed. He'd show her respect! He'd show her not to cross the Heir of the Shadow Games!!
"Deal the damn cards, woman" Yami growled, trying to think of the perfect Penalty Game for her. "I win, I give you play Mosaic Illusion." Anything to get those gorgeous eyes out of his mind!
"If you don't, I give you Mind Recall." She placed one card face down in front of him and one in front of her. He picked his up. It was a 5. High already. Trusting the cards, he motioned Nazo for another. The next card was an Ace, giving him a total of six points. Dare he take another?
He saw her eyes glint with the same purple fire of excitement and remembered her passionate speech. /No! Keep your mind on the game!!/ Both took another card. A King. Six-and-a-half points. Another card. A Jack.
Yami smiled. "Ready?" Nazo nodded. "Good." He set down his cards. "Seven points."
Nazo hesitated, and Yami thought for sure he had won. Then, she set her cards down: a 3 and two 2s. "Seven points."
Yugi breathed a sigh of relief. /That was close!/
"Appears neither of us shall use our Millennium Items, shall we," said Yami with more liberation then his hikari. His anger had subsided back to intrigue and attraction.
Nazo smirked once again. "Did you not forget our deal? You said that if you won, you'd give me a Penalty Game. Well, a tie isn't a win." Before Yami knew what was happening, She pushed away the table and reached out for his forehead.
Inside his mind, the spirit of the pharaoh pushed his friend into his own mind room and shut the door. //Sorry, Aibou, but if anything terrible happens to me, I refuse to let you be witness to it!//
"MIND RECALL!!!"
.
.
The room within his mind dissolved. Yami felt shackles close in around his wrists, cutting off his circulation and suspending him inches above the floor. He had been hanging there for quite some time. Dulling pain wrecked his body, and the salty taste of blood parched his mouth. He blinked, trying to see his surroundings, but his eyes were badly scratched and everything blurred.
'Where am I,' he thought. 'What is going on?'
Several pairs of foot steps made their way into the room, and Yami saw at least four shapes enter. One stood in front and grabbed Yami's chin. The man's long fingers grazed Yami's cheeks, and, for no immediate reason he recalled, he loathed the man! He wanted to break his neck!
But the pain in his body made this impossible. Even if he were released from the chains, he couldn't move.
The man was saying something. What was it? Yami's mind was so clouded from fatigue and hurting he had trouble making his oppressor's voice clear. ". . . had the gods allowed such a stubborn boy such as yourself," the man said, or something like that.
Yami smiled. He felt too weak to respond verbally, but he wanted to anger the man as much as he deserved.
The man's hand moved down to his neck and began choking him. "Where is it," he demanded. "Where is the Millennium Puzzle!?!"
So that was it! He wanted the Puzzle! Yami squinted, trying to make out clearer details of the man's pale face. "My Puzzle shall never fall into your filthy hands," he vowed, defiance radiating in his raspy voice.
The man threw the young pharaoh's head away. Yami's head swam as the wretched man gave the three torturers their orders. Each burly man took a whip with spikes and continued beating Yami's body. More skin tore, and he felt fresh blood drip down his torso and legs. 'This is only a game,' Yami repeated to himself, trying to hold onto at least that fact. 'This is only a Shadow Game! I'm not captured! I'm not being beaten! I'm in that lot in Domino City! This is only a Shadow Game!'
A voice rang out. Someone was calling him. Yami searched through the clouds in his mind to hear whom is was. "Wake up! Please wake up!!" "Don't be dead!! We need you!!"
A cool breeze floated by, and the wooden ship swayed slightly. Yami was now on the deck, still in chains, next to about three others tied with rope on a mast. The voices belonged to people, people he knew and loved.
One breathed a familiar sigh of relief. "Whew! I saw him move! He's alive!"
Yami tensed. Yugi? Yugi was here? So then maybe this vision was created within his own mind. Was that the secret of this game?
Someone else spoke. A woman's voice, but Yami's head couldn't register whom is was. His body . . . his head . . . so much pain!
The third spoke. Kaiba!! Yami's mind refused to make out the words, but that voice belonged to Kaiba Seto!
More words followed, and Yami tried to register the conversation. "I sense our forces are nearby," the woman's voice said. "They are so close, but Minkabh's magic makes us invisible." Yami knew that voice! He knew her! How!?! In the name of Ra, how did he know her!?!
//I have to stop! This is only a Shadow Game! I need to figure out how to break it. These are only images and sounds. Its not real!//
"If only we could get to that cannon," muttered Kaiba. "We may catch their attention with the noise."
"I know," said Yugi. "Push up against the ropes. I might be small enough to squeeze through. Then, I'll signal the ships."
"That's suicide," exclaimed Kaiba.
"You'll get caught," added the female voice.
Yami struggled to lift his head and squint at his hikari. He could just make out his spiky hair. "Don- ... don't do ... anything .... foolish ...."
"You're not going to last much longer at this rate," Yugi replied. "Hurry, before the guards come."
Yami pulled against his chains. No! He can't let his best friend put himself in danger! Not Yugi! But the effort of straining against the manacles was too much, and he nearly passed out again. //Not real! Only a game! Not real! NOT REAL!!!//
Far off, he heard Yugi's feet tip-toe across the deck, pause, then make a break for the cannons.
"Hold it!" A guard must have found him. Yami struggled more. //No! No! Yugi, get away! Get away from here!!// Their connection must not have worked, because Yami heard his friend dash to the side of the ship.
The evil man's voice came. "Shoot him down! He can't signal the others!"
Yami gasped with pain, ignoring the shouts from Kaiba and the woman. He had to save Yugi! There's no way-
More noise and confusion. Fresh blood dripped from Yami's arms as he tried to break free. A sound like a fire cracker rang out. Yugi had sent up a flare! They would be saved!
"Stop .... stop this ...!" Yami pulled once more until he collapsed from exhaustion. He lifted his head to find his hikari. With many *fffwwtt* sounds, a dozen or so arrows flew past and right into Yugi's body.
"NNOOO!!!!!!!!"
.
.
Moto Yugi broke down the door within his mind and rushed into Yami's room. The walls echoed with a scream of anguish that gave the hikari chills. "Mou hitori no boku!? Where are you!?"
Then Yugi saw Yami's crumpled spirit on the floor, bloodied, beaten, and sobbing. He ran to his side. "Mou hitori no boku," he yelled as he shook him. "Mou hitori no boku! What happened!?" It was no use. The spirit was incoherent.
.
.
Yugi awoke to find himself in the backseat of his grandfather's car. The old man was driving, and noticed Yugi's movement in the rearview mirror. "Ho! Awake, are you?"
Yugi's mother was in the passenger's seat. She turned around to face him. ", Yugi-chan, what were you doing in such a bad neighborhood in the middle of the night," she demanded angrily.
The teen groaned, holding his head. Penalty Games often had physical side affects, so whatever Yami had experienced mentally, his hikari felt physically. "Jus' meeting someone," he muttered.
"Who!?"
"A friend from school."
"What kind of friend allows you to get beaten up so badly?! You could have been killed for all we knew!" Yugi started ignoring his mother's rants and let his mind wander. As much as he hated to admit it, Yami had provoked Nazo into using her Bracelet. But where could she have gotten it from?
"And to think, this whole time I figured the way you're dressing was some harmless phase you're going through," his mother continued, leaping to conclusions. "Now I see the truth! Why couldn't I before?! The dark clothes, the dog collar around your neck, that heavy chain -"
"I don't think Yugi's the sort of boy to join a gang," said Sogoroku simply.
"I never thought so either," replied Yugi's mom. "But - those new friends he hangs out with - I always thought they reformed from bullying kids. But maybe they've just influenced Yugi-chan."
`WHAT!?!' "I'm not in a gang, Momma! Jonouchi and Honda had nothing to do with this!!"
The young woman turned around again to look at her son. She wanted to believe him; Yugi could tell. She loved him so dearly and worried about him. She hated seeing him in pain. "Mommy ... " Yugi whispered.
Grandpa Moto cleared his throat. "As I said," he reiterated, "I don't think Yugi is in any sort of gang. But I do think he constantly gets into situations he should not."
Yugi gulped. His mother didn't know about the Puzzle, or the spirit that lived inside of it, but his grandpa did.
She turned back around again as the car pulled into the garage behind the game shop. "Yugi, you are staying home from school tomorrow. No arguments, young man," she added before he could protest. But then, she let out a small sob. "I wish you could just tell me what's wrong so I can help you!"
The image of his mother's mournful face and shaking voice stayed with Yugi long after his grandfather helped bandage him up and he went to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yugi: My god! Yami's completely out of it! And now, Jonouchi's ready for payback, but will it be enough? And Anzu wants to ask Nazo directly what's her problem!
Next time - Jonouchi's Mistake; Anzu Meets Mr. Tanaka
.
.
Bardock: Boy, you sure are a downer, ain't you Una? Is it a rule for you to kill off somebody in each story?
Yugi: Kill? Who's dead?
Una: Hey, I haven't killed him!
Yugi: Him who?
Bardock: I'm just starting to enjoy this! Don't start makin' it a tragedy already!
Yugi: WHO DIED!?!
Una: No one, Yugi-kun. *pets him* Don't worry about it.
Bardock: Hey! I just noticed you two are the same height!
Yugi/Una: *start beating up Bardock*
Review!