Mmmmmm, please don't yell at me for not updating the other stories. ^_^; Let me just say right now that I have half of the next chapter of Amaranth done already.
Okay. This ficcy. This ficcy is written for the Anime North fanfiction contest. It's short, it's done, and… while it's not the best work I've done, it's not bad either. I hope. Please, please, give feedback! Be as critical as you like. I need this thoroughly edited before the end of April. ^_^;
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh does not belong to me. How sad. I wish it did.
Sweet, Sweet Temptation
I once learned in school about weather systems, about how bright sunshine was only a façade to cover cold days, about how the storybook ideals of beautiful weather could not exist in real life. Yet, I never remembered those lessons when they mattered. On a day like today, when the sun smiled brilliantly from a cloudless dome of purest sapphire, I could look out the window and believe that the warmth outside would be reflected in the compassion we all felt in our hearts. Watching flickering shadows of sun-kissed leaves flit across flame-coloured bricks, their dances mesmerizing as spectral phantoms of dreams, I could hold hope in my hands like a luminous pearl. Never one to fear the inevitable truth, but to hold onto a thread of hazy dream, I would step out, every time, with the expectation that this one day would be different from all the others I have lived.
Five minutes into every walk, I discovered that I was, actually, partially correct. However, one change would need to be made. I would have to substitute the word "iciness" for "warmth", for that was all that rested out there.
It did not come as a surprise, after all. I knew that the buttery glimmers of light were but a disguise for bitter winds that tore at unprotected skin, pierced deeply to ivory bone. I knew that the fragile, iridescent beauty of humans, their soft smiles and gentle tones, were but a disguise for cruel words that shredded hearts with a precise cruelty that no blade could match.
I knew... Yet, every single time, I would forget. Or, perhaps that was too precise a word. I remembered. But still, I would hope, and I would believe. It was not shock that assaulted me each time, but deep sorrow.
One such occurrence was more frequent than I would have liked. One such betrayal of my inner hope struck me each time I touched what I loved most. My deck… my deck, tainted by a hand that knew no mercy, by a soul that heard not the pleading cries of challengers-turned-victims. "They deserved the retribution," he had told me each time I raised the question. But did they? Did anyone deserve the fiery terror of looking upon an arrogant smirk, of seeing the lightning slash of diamond-hard claws or the earthshaking force of a magician's abysmal magic, in those crucial and horrifying moments before they were forced to accept their humiliating defeat?
Curtains, thin and gauzy as gossamer wings, drifted aside at a gentle brush from my hand, admitting the sweet sunshine into my cluttered room. I could taste the very essence of the sun as the rays, honey-gold and lighter than the slightest breeze, kissed my upturned face. The light, the core of my being. So different from him... from the one who shared my body as he shared my soul.
A beautiful day.
Such days did not come often. It was probably just as well, that such betrayal I suffered was, too, rare. Warmth seemed to permeate throughout my room, and, like the innocent child they termed me, I believed that it likewise spread in all places of the city. How wrong I was, each time... yet I did not, could not, lose hope.
I sometimes wondered at my own steps, at the automatic, instinctive reaction of heading out from my room, gently shutting the wooden door, painted soft blue, behind me; of lightly bouncing down the soft, carpet-covered stairs, my slim, small fingers hurriedly fixing the buckles on the many belts and chokers that adorned me, another part of him that seemed to possess him; of greeting whatever lay beyond the heavy oak back door of my grandfather's game shop with a smile, even as I pulled on my dark denim jacket.
This routine... this unbreakable routine...
I fear the result, if I were to lose faith one day, if I were to give up my desire to embrace the sunshine.
The cool breeze stirring the fragrant spring air was barely noticeable when I left my house. Like a playful child, it tugged at my hair, entangling its long, slender fingers in the multicoloured tresses. For that short moment, my belief was realized. For that short moment, the day was... perfect. It was the epitome of beauty, of simple, sweet refreshment.
It happened like that every single time. And each time, I was fooled. Each time, my hope soared, only to plummet down as a bird with a torn wing, soft feathers matted with rusty dried blood.
It was still long before noon, the sun a pale wheat-gold disk lounging lazily in a pool of azure beauty. Few people roamed the streets. The early-risers had their many errands to run, their daily business requesting personal attention which could not be spared even for the beckoning sunshine. Those who had nothing to do were languid in their beds, dreaming of sweet visions never achievable in reality.
Perhaps... they were dreaming of a sky pierced with topaz rays, coupled with soft warmth that caressed lovingly the soft skin presented with a loving sigh.
In a hazy, half-dazed state myself, I skipped lightly across the ground, thanking, for a moment, the way _his_ presence in my shared body gave me a certain degree of his lithe grace. Unconsciously, my hands strayed to the golden upside-down pyramid resting against my chest, near my swiftly-beating heart. He lived in there. And, despite all that we had shared, despite my insistent protectiveness of the spirit who seemed almost to be my birthright, I feared him, feared his ruthless attitude which disregarded any semblance to kindness towards opponents.
It came as a surprise, when a figure appeared over a slight hill in the street, striding purposefully towards my direction. It was clearly a male, akin to my age, but ever-so-much taller. Broad shoulders and a muscular torso sported a leather jacket, and a half-sneer seemed to permanently rest on his face. Curiosity rose in my mind momentarily, only to be shrugged off. I did not need to know his objective. I needed only to give a smile, an offering of goodwill, when he passed. However, it seemed, when his gaze caught mine, that he sped up, swiftly closing whatever distance lay between us.
"You."
I blinked, assessing his rough voice and waiting for him to state his reason for talking thus to me.
"You're Yugi Mutou?"
I nodded, by now used to recognition. It seemed every person who had ever heard of Duel Monsters knew me. But then, I was difficult not to recognize. There were not many with my type of hair and my height... or lack of such. I spoke up, my voice soft and hesitant. I was unsure. What did he want of me? "Yes...? Is there something I can do for you...?"
"I challenge you to a duel." The youth pointed to me, his words and gestures seeming almost to be a mocking mimicry of my own. How many times had my dark side stood like that, arrogant, confident, a smirk touching his lips and fire in his eyes? But there was no proud fire in his eyes, and his lips were twisted in an unsightly sneer.
Egotism. Belittlement. He was one of the ones, not so few as could be hoped, who believed me to be nothing but a child possessing nothing but one stroke of uncanny luck. A harsh wind whipped my hair back, laughing cruelly at me, reminding me that once again, my belief was broken.
"I have no time," I murmured, trying to keep the dark spirit of the Millennium Puzzle calm. "I am enjoying my walk. Perhaps if you would like to join the next regional tournament, we would be fortunate to meet."
I did not think it would have been possible to take offense at my neutral, polite answer, but somehow, my challenger did. His face twisted in a rage as he sputtered.
"Y-you!" He was pointing at me in livid anger, though I could see no reason why. "How dare you hold yourself high above me like that! How dare you imply that you duel only in tournaments? How dare you tell me that it would be _fortunate_ to even meet you? Who do you think you are?! Did you really think one big tournament made you King? Well, think again. You're nothing. You're scared, and you're trying to back out of dueling me."
I sighed, annoyed. I had hoped he would be slightly smarter than all the rest who challenged me, all the rest who used such taunts. It was easy to quickly grow weary of hearing the same uncreative provocations from the same overconfident mind. If I were to say anything at all, they would take offense and pick out implications that I never knew I gave. If I said nothing... they would be more angry.
"Look, I..." I tried to reason, before my darker half took over. I gave an exasperated sigh in my mind. Now the duel was unavoidable... and there was no question who would be the winner.
'You sealed your own doom,' I muttered silently to the foolish youth who disregarded all my victories and thought he would be the one to take down the King of Games. I felt a smirk settle onto my dark side's lips, his body settling into its proud, cocky stance.
"I accept," he finished for me, as I knew he would. No one insulted the Pharaoh and got away with it. Now, the opponent would know see no mercy, no saving light. He faced the darkness itself. _Yami_. "But remember, as you fall to your knees before me, that it was you who dug your own grave..."
Settling myself on the ground nearby, a spirit that could only be seen by Yami, I watched intently. Our challenger was disrespectful, unskilled. He was but a amateur too full of himself to listen to advise, too confident to learn. With the simple tactics to defeat a child, he tried to face against the millennia-old Pharaoh who had mastered this game at what seemed like the dawn of time. Lazily, Yami dueled, seeming not to even watch what he was doing, giving the impression that he could easily win in his sleep.
He was as a cat, playing with a terrified mouse.
No mercy...
'Yami, stop.' I knew that, in his mind, he could hear me as clearly as if I were right next to him, talking into his ears.
There was no reply, as my darkness made his next move, idly attacking the youth with a weak monster, as if he did not care, knowing he could not possibly lose.
'Yami...' My voice took on a slightly pleading tone. He hated weaknesses of that sort, sentimentality to one who did not deserve it. But not from me... not from me...
'What is it, Yugi?' he murmured softly, always gentle with me. Somewhere along the line, sometime during the many months we had spent together, he had learned to respect me, to care for me, for a reason I could not fathom.
'Yami, please stop,' I requested, though knowing what the answer would be.
His head shook, as it had so many times in my memory. 'No.' For a moment, his voice was hard, cold as the frozen north.
'Why?' Even as I raised the question, I knew the answer. Maybe someday, I would even be able to understand it.
'Because he insulted you,' my darkness explained to me, calmly, patiently, as if it were just a matter of life.
I shook my head. I could not see why it was such a big deal, why it had always been so important to him. My respect. My reputation. He seemed instantly ready to fight for those at the slightest provocation. In some ways, I was flattered, touched. But I did not want that respect to be bought at others' pain, even if they were people like this…
Our opponent was down on his knees, appearing, for that moment, like a fragile child. It was only a trick of the light, a slightly off angle... but I could not help but to feel pity. I knew he knelt not out of reverence, but out of pain. Even in this world and not the land of Shadows that my dark side could control, the Duel Monsters themselves held magic, as they crashed upon the youth like wild waves upon a seaside cliff, their imagery dissipating momentarily as they touch physical matter. But, even as the liquid ocean erode the hard rock of the cliff, these holograms destroy pieces of our challengers' souls.
'Yami, please, don't...' I stared at him beseechingly, though the rest of the world could not see, could not hear our conversation. 'No one deserves to face eternal nightmare, not even the people who insult me.'
'That is for me to judge.' His voice was confident, but I heard the slightest tremble.
I pressed on. 'No, Yami, it's not. Many things are, indeed, yours to judge, as I am sure the world was when you were Pharaoh... But that is not here, not now.'
He shook his head, ever so slightly, that an observer would think he was letting the wind brush his long bangs from his eyes. 'Do you not feel the power, Yugi? Do you not feel the energy, the fury and rage pent up within this area? I want to fight. They want to fight. And... it is all for you. Be proud. Be powerful. Crush your enemies beneath your feet. You have no time for sentiments in a war.'
I sighed. He seemed to be living in some other era, with some other purpose. Enemies? War? This was a time of peace. 'Yami, there is no war.'
'But there will be one.' He was sure of himself, as if he could tell the future. 'And you would need to be strong.'
I closed my eyes, leaning back just a little. I could feel it too, this sense of "impending doom", as some called it. It swirled all around me, followed me, along with the flowing power that took my breath away. That was what he wanted me to see, that pulsing vein of power. It whispered sweet promises, honeyed words teasingly fluttering by with a taste, a hint, of what lay ahead if I were only to grasp it. I could have the world... Everything that I have ever wished for. Fame. Wealth. A life unplauged by bullies. And most of all... friends. That golden promise shining before me, leading me, daring me to reach out.
I shook these thoughts out of my head. 'No, Yami.'
'But why not?' His surprise was almost real. 'Such offers, Yugi. All you need do is to extend your hand, your heart, and all that you desire would be yours.'
'And what would be the cost?' I murmured, eyes downcast. 'Who would I have to give up in exchange for this... vision?'
'Nothing!' If he had not been not dueling, I knew he would have thrown his arms wide in this dramatic declaration. 'Nothing, Yugi. Why do you stop yourself? Why do you not embrace this power?'
'Embrace it?' I scanned him from head to feet with a critical gaze. 'Embrace it... and become like you? Become you?'
For a moment, there was pain in his eyes of frozen flames. "Is it such a bad thing to be like me? Is it, my partner, my light?'
I looked away. There were various changes, various small differences, but it was the same conversation. Every time I stepped into the wind-strewn sunshine, every time I met a harsh challenger, every time he played with their lives and their pain, we talked about this.
We talked, we repeated, and someday, I would understand.
'Just end it, Yami.' I sighed wearily. I did not answer his question. I never did. Maybe someday, when I understood this discussion, I would know the answer. 'Don't torture him any more.'
The veins of power, so much like the faery ley-lines of myth, throbbed in its light before me, no longer banished from my sight. I could feel them across my skin, a web of magic, capturing the unwary. Once again, I was in control of my body, as the spirit of the Puzzle stood behind me, his ghostly arms supporting me.
I did not notice that I had closed my eyes until I was forced to re-open them, taking in the brilliance around me. In a physical body again, I felt once more the bitter wind streaming from the North, stinging needles that cut no skin, drew no blood.
Slowly, my mouth opened, almost of its own accord, and I heard my voice declare my favourite attack.
"Dark Magician... Dark Magic Attack!"
It was over. I turned away. I had no wish to see the poor, foolish opponent on the ground, recovering from the sharp blow to his mind. I had little strength to do much of anything.
'Let's go home, Yugi...' Strong arms held me, wound around my waist. I knew it was him... my darkness. My body, he could not touch, but he carried my soul. 'Let's go home... Aibou.'
I smiled faintly at this nickname, turning in the direction he indicated.
He brushed a strand of hair gently from my face, all hostility and coldness gone now that the duel was won. My spirit leans into him, resting against his firm body. Sometimes, I wondered what I had lost. Sometimes, I wondered just how much of that "innocence" that everyone said I had was left.
He smirked, knowing that I would give in, as I always had in the past. He knew that I would submit to the sweet, sweet temptation of power, of infinite magic. I always had. But I knew too, that every moment I pressed on, I brought him closer to me, to the temptation of innocence, of purity, of sweetness.
And each second... each second we drew closer to each other, in the sweet temptation, the beautiful seduction, of unity... of love.
'Home...'
And someday, I knew, we would be one. And someday... the bright sun would reflect a warm, gentle breeze.