Latias: WHERE THE HELL IS LILY?!
Dark Latias: BWAHAHAHAHAH!! *burning down things around*
Everyone: *sweatdrop*
Akhet: Did she die?! O_O If she didn't then I will cause I'm filled with mystery!! GAAH!! *runs from mystery*
Iris: *sweatdrops* Weird new reviewers... Erm... I need volunteers to go get Lily...
Everyone: *raise hand*
Iris: ... Someone who won't try to kill her for delaying her story...
Few: *raise their hands*
Others: *slap fingers* Damn...
Iris: *sweatdrops more* Right... *ahem* She's there... *points*
Lily: *playing video game* Waii!! I'm almost finishing Valkyrie Profile!! Yay!! ^_^
Radfel: -.- *sighs* Lilyyy...
Lily: *blinks* uhh?? RADFEL-SAN!! ^^ You're alive!!
Flowers: ^^U Lily, do you have any idea how delayed your story is?
Lily: *blinks* What?
Hime no Ichigo: ^^U You haven't updated "Shadowed Reminiscences" for like... about 4 months...
Lily: O_O!! YOU'RE RIGHT!!
Mel Gods: 'Course we are, we have been waiting for it for 4 months ¬¬
Hobbit13: *nodnod*
Lily: *sweatdrops* Erm... gomen ne...
LilTakariGirl aka Yami Aro: Yeah... and you have some new reviewers who want your head...
Lily: *blinks*
YumeTakato: *points to new reviewers*
Lily: *sweatdrops* What about the old ones, like you guys? Do they "understand"?
Hime no Ichigo: Well...
Yume no Yami: *giggling madly* Fluff... fluffluffluffluffluffluff...
Lily: O_oU
Katya Motou: *places hands on hips* And 'sides, we are all curious about what is about to happen!
Lily: O_O WAHH!! *jumps on Iris' arms*
Iris: What?!
Lily: I-it's Katya Motou!!
Iris: ... so?
Lily: ^^ Famous writers are reading my story!! YAY!!
Iris: -.-U *drops her*
Lily: *falls down hard* OW!! *rubs her butt* aiee...
Yana5: *stands just before her* Make Yugi hate his friends *determined*
Lily: *blinks* *sweatdrops* Erm... sorry, can't do... ^^UU
Hobbit13: *places finger on chin thoughtfully* And how was Yugi able to see Elle and Shizuka if they weren't dead and/or in a coma?
Lily: *blinks* Well, they are both alive... Simple as that... They just came to Domino, just that...
Destiny: *timidly* Erm... who are Elle and Rebecca?
Lily: *blinks* Oh, Rebecca is a spoiled little girl who appears after Duelist Kingdom, and then later in the series... Elle is my trademark OC ^^
Hime no Ichigo: *on sugar high* Will there be dreams? Will there be more fluff?? Will Rebecca appear more??
Lily: Erm... yes, yes, and yes... *thinks this is beginning to appear like a interview*
Love_to_sing&Akhet&Latias: UPDATE MORE!!
Lily: O_OUU *was trying to stand up, but startled herself and fell on her face* itai.... @_@
Iris: ^^U Erm... aibou... you should start soon...
Kouichi: Hai... Before our hikaris go insane or something... -.- *watches Hime no Ichigo waiting for more fluff all excited*
M: -.- *nods her agreement*
Kitsy: More than they already are? *tries to put a giggling Yume no Yami in a straight jacket in vain*
YumeTakato: :3 Mau! Seto and Joey!! Mau!! ^-^
Lily: *sweatdrops* Everybody is getting so strange...
Dark Latias: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! *keeps burning things down around*
Bakura: *passing by* *blinks* HEY, THAT LIGHTER IS MINE!! *chases after Dark Latias*
LiLTakariGirl aka Yami Aro: Bigger Yugi!! Yami Bigger Yugi!!
Pretenna: *falls down on the floor laughing*
Iris&Lily: ...
Hobbit13: Seto and... Joey ^-^ Couple...
Pretenna: Yes!! Seto and Joey! Couple!!
M: *raises an eyebrow*
Mel Gods: Couple?
Destiny: COUPLE, YES!! ^-^
Flowers: Mystery!!
Everyone: Hooray!!
Hime no Ichigo: FLUFF!!
Yume no Yami: Fluffluffluffluffluffluffluffluffluff... ^_^
Pretenna: Fluff! ^-^
Everyone: FLUFF!!
Lily: O_O They're.... getting really strange...
Iris: ... Lily?
Lily: Hai?
Iris: ... your sugar's gone...
Lily: .... damn it
Disclaimer: *rubs temples* Dudes, this is serious... If you guys think I own Yu-Gi-Oh, you better go out and find a psychiatrist cause you're delusional...
Claimer: I own Elle, bwahahahahahahahahahaha!! And Ellian too!! And Chris Daisuke!! =DDDDDD Bwahahahahahaha *continues*
Yami: *sweatdrops* *ahem* Ignore her, please, and move on... -.-U
Warning: This fic contains shounen ai, that meaning boyxboy love. Don't like it? Simply, don't read it!! The couple is Yugi/Yami, so you've been warned. There's Bakura/Ryou, (Yami)Malik/(Malik)Ishtar and.... another pairing I'm not telling =P. Also, Anzu bashing (duh =P) and mild Rebecca bashing.
Keys: "__" is talking, '__' is thinking, and Italic is a Flashback
Note: It is MORE than imperative that you read both Shades of a soul and Even in death before reading this one fic. Allusions to both fics will be made often, since this IS a sequel after all. So please, take your time reading THOSE fics before coming back to this one. ^_^ Thank you.
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Shadowed Reminiscences - [ Act III ]
By: Lily Maxwell
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Yami raised an eyebrow at the scene before him, trying to take in and understand the situation he was in. First, some random stupid girl tackled HIS Yugi (yes, he was possessive, he knew it, and he was proud of it). Then another one appeared and they started fighting. And his Yugi seemed to know both. And after that, a boy came up and seemed to know his Yugi (and tried to hug HIS Yugi too, let's not forget about that) and then Kaiba appeared and seemed to know him and...
Now they were glaring at each other with such intensity Yami was afraid they were going to melt the snow with their anger.
Then Seto smirked. The blond one blinked and raised an eyebrow, but growled anyway. That only made Seto chuckle, his eyes shining with mischief.
"Still a mutt." He said, the corner of his mouth raising slightly in an evil smirk. The blond one growled louder, and Yami had the faint idea that the nickname was not so misplaced after all...
"Still a pain in the butt." The blond replied, narrowing his eyes dangerously, making Seto do the same. By now, the tension was so thick Yami was afraid he would step on it and people would bump into it anytime soon.
Yugi, by his side, was completely clueless.
'Since when does Seto knows Katsuya Jounouchi...?' he thought. But there was actually no way Seto knew Yugi himself knew Jou because he never spoke about his old friends with his new ones. Actually, Yami was the only one whom he had ever talked about his past.
He had taken Yami's friends as his own, yes, and he trusted them indeed. He remembered how Yami got worried about Bakura with the suicide attempt he made one month ago[1] and he noticed how much his friends meant to him, even though, for example, in Bakura's case, they acted pretty hostile to each other at times. So, Yami's friends became his friends too, but... Why comment about a subject he had ignored the past years and that only brought that very same day to his mind, making him suffer? Why bring to the surface people whom he had tried to forget?
And to think that, at that moment... Everything was coming back at him. It was like he was being tortured all over again. Like his past was trying to haunt him, like it had done for the past years of his life. Shizuka, Elle, Jou, Rebecca... He wouldn't be surprised if he spotted Honda near. They were all coming to him... Back at him... To tell him how little he meant to them and how he was useless... and weak.
Yami felt Yugi shaking by his side, and placed his attention back on him. His brows were brought together in concern, observing how Yugi stared at the other unknown teens with an unfocused glance. But slowly his face contorted into an expression of pain.
"Yugi...?" he called loud enough for just him to hear, and Yugi closed his eyes shut. He let go of Yami's arm and turned the opposite way the others were, running away from the scene. Immediately, Yami followed him. "Yugi, wait!" he said and ran after him, catching Rebecca and Elle's attention.
The two girls looked at the way they went, but fought the urge to follow. More Rebecca than Elle anyway. The blonde pouted and crossed her arms angrily, turning away and walking out of the park. Elle merely sighed and ran a hand through her long hair. Things were not going as she had expected them to. She looked back at Jou and sweatdropped.
He was still in the glare contest with Kaiba.
"What are you doing here, mutt?" Seto asked, and Jou crossed his arms over his chest.
"Give me a reason not to, butt (A/N: A not very common nickname for Seto, now is it? XD)." He replied, making Seto frown.
"Answer the question as your master asks you, unfaithful canine." He said, and that struck a nerve.
"Care to repeat dat?!" he spat, almost advancing on Seto didn't another voice intervene.
"I see no problem with the adjectives or nouns, Jounouchi." A female voice spoke, and Jou turned around to meet a pale girl, crimson eyes staring right back at his hazel ones, some icy feeling clear in both her voice and stare. Jou sighed angrily. Things couldn't get any worse for him.
"Chris... Nice ta see ya too." he said sarcastically, earning a sarcastic smile in reply.
"What brings a dog like you here, Jounouchi?" Chris asked, gaining only a growl as a response. The girl rolled her eyes and walked over to Seto, intertwining her fingers with his and grabbing his entire attention. "Come on, Seto. Mokuba and Claire[2] are waiting." She said, voice filled with warmth.
That made Jou's right eye twitch, and he blinked.
"Ne....?" was all he was able to mouth as his eyes locked with azure ones. It seemed as if someone dropped ice on both of them. Jou was completely filled with the air of indifference Seto radiated as response of the girl's actions. It made sure for him what those acts meant.
And it was sure to Seto that Jou was not expecting that. He raised an eyebrow as the only sign of surprise he got from the other one was the void of emotions on Jou's eyes and expression. He wondered...
The second of wonder of both boys was broken when a female voice spoke up.
"Yugi's gone." Elle said, catching Jou's and mildly Seto's and Chris' attention. "Jou, what are we going to do? He's run out from us... again..." she said, and gazed at the ground. Things were definitely not going as they had planned...
Seto said something to Chris in a whisper and the girl nodded, then turning around and walking away. He looked after her with a longing expression on his face before bringing his attention to the silent teens near him.
"Katsuya." He called, and Jou looked up at hearing his first name. It had been long since he last heard it... It even sent a shiver down his spine as the smooth voice voiced out the syllables and let out a low, soft single penetrating word. No one could speak such usual word like that voice. No one got Jou's immediate attention like that voice.
And that deeply annoyed him.
"What?" he asked, hugging himself. The air changed around them. They changed. It was a flashback all of a sudden... One that Jou longed to forget.
"Is he the one?" he asked, and Jou blinked before looking away and reluctantly nodding. Seto arched his eyebrows before sighing deeply, shaking his head short after. "Fool..." he whispered, and Jou looked up, not really catching the meaning behind his words. Neither of the two misguided teens got what the taller intellectual meant, not understanding whom his 'insult' was meant for.
Seto turned his back to them, but continued to speak. "Good luck with him, Katsuya." He said, and looked over his shoulder at him. "You'll need it, inu[3]." He finished and walked away, not waiting for the blond's answer.
Jou blinked once. Twice. Before he finally got the offense in Seto's sentence. Then he growled and, with Seto too faraway to listen to any of his replies, he did the only insult he could manage.
"Maturity is a very interesting trait of yours." Elle said as Jou stuck out his tongue in Seto's direction, chuckling in amusement. It was funny how the two could change from offensive mood, to serious mood, then to offensive mood again and finally to humorous mood. Really amusing.
"Whateva." Jou replied and walked away, in a sour mood. Elle giggled, shook her head, and walked back home too. Though the interesting relationship between her goofy blond friend and the serious brunet was a distraction for the moment, she was still concerned about Yugi.
Would they ever be able to face each other without running away?
~^:^~
The snow began to fall harder than predicted, and Yugi ran even faster towards his destination. The footsteps he heard coming behind him were soon fading away into nothingness as all he could see were silhouettes of buildings and white. He shivered from head to toe and was feeling colder by the seconds, the snow not taking long to get him soaked.
But he didn't want to stop. He paid attention to nothing. He only had past memories covering his mind, and the thought of having nightmares of the same day over and over again in the next nights left him terrified.
He looked up and was barely able to make out the door he was looking for with the wind threatening to blow him away. He hurried towards it and opened it quickly, entering the warmer ambient and welcoming what he saw inside.
Comfort for his mind.
He ignored the one who was calling him and instead only stepped further into the heat, opening doors and climbing stairs until he came across the sanctuary he was looking for.
He fell. With his arms placed on his bed, and sitting on the ground, Yugi tried to do only one thing.
He tried to breathe.
~^:^~
Sugoroku was ready to follow his grandson, concern growing in his old but alive heart, when someone banged on his door. He looked up from his standing position behind the counter to find Yugi's precious Yami in a state that easily reminded him of Yugi. Soaked and desolated.
With a quick nod from the elder man, Yami stepped into the Game Shop and looked around before settling his gaze on Sugoroku.
"Where is Yugi, Mr. Mutou?" he asked, and by the tone of his voice and his addressing at 'Mr. Mutou', Sugoroku guessed that something had happened. No matter how many "nothing's" his grandson or the crimson eyed young man would say. "Can I see him?" he continued in a rushed tone, making Sugoroku (A/N: gaaack...) frown.
"Did something happen, Yami?" he asked, but Yami seemed only more distressed.
"Please, Mr. Mutou, where is he? I need to talk to him." He claimed, and Sugoroku crossed his arms.
"I'm sorry, Yami, but I can't let you talk to him until you tell me what is going on. My grandson just walked through that door without giving me at least a glance and looked so bad it seemed as if he had just seen the ugliest of ghosts." The elder Mutou said, making Yami sigh.
With a rushed voice, Yami tried to explain to Sugoroku the afternoon of incidents Yugi had. First, with two girls. Then, with two more girls and a boy. He tried to remember their names, but the only one he could grasp in his mind was...
"Katsuya... The boy was named Katsuya. Yugi told me he once was his best friend..." he said, and added a 'and someone who knows my best friend'. Sugoroku did not speak any words throughout his whole speech, and did not seem like he was going to speak anything now. Yami was anxious.
He needed to speak with Yugi. God knew what the boy was going through right now, and Yami thought that he had suffered from enough pain already. No one lost their friends and parents and lived in a world of loneliness without being pained in the heart. When Yami met him in the sea of trees near his house, he knew he was not normal. He knew they were destined to meet. When he heard Yugi's voice in his head... He was afraid. He was afraid he would get to know him. Know him like no one else would.
He was afraid of getting too close to someone, without losing them. And he felt it. When he looked for Yugi the next day, and didn't find him, he felt it. He felt a 'deja vú', fell into a flashback of pain...
Yami shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Yugi was there for him now, and he needed him, and it didn't matter if someone was trying to delay him, he would get to Yugi, and would comfort him.
"I'll see him now." He said, standing up, placing the towel Sugoroku gave him on the couch. The shop was closed due of the storm going outside, so they were all trapped inside the house.
"No."
Yami blinked. Did... Mr. Mutou just deny his request to help Yugi?
"B-But Mr. Mutou..." he tried to say, but the elder man started his speech first.
"Yugi is a strong boy, though it may not look like it. Back then, when he was left alone with no friends or parents, he made it through. He cleared his mind and let himself go on with his life. This time, it is no different." He said.
"But, he's in pain and..." Yami tried to say, but while his words came up incoherently dumb, Sugoroku knew what he was talking about and was determinate in not letting Yami talk to Yugi.
"He needs to do it by himself. If you keep helping, he'll become dependent on you. And he is strong enough to endure it on his own. He has passed through it before, he simply needs to clear his mind and try to do what it is needed like before... Though his decision was not a good one, he at least came to it by himself, without anybody's help." Sugoroku reasoned, and Yami sat back down, defeated.
"But... last time... he came to me when he needed..." Yami said, referring to when Yugi was completely alone in the hospital. In the coma, no matter how tightly Sugoroku would hold his hand, Yugi would be alone in his own world on unconsciousness. And he appeared before Yami, yearning for someone...
"And he will come to you again when he needs you again." Sugoroku said, his eyes softening at the boy. It was clear to him that Yami cared deeply about Yugi, and that left him relieved. Yugi had never been so happy in his life before, and that was all thanks to Yami. He gave him friends, love and light... And no matter how much a grandfather love for his grandson is envious of anybody's love for what is his, he had to admit...
Yugi was not his alone anymore. He never had a part of him, the part of him that was constantly asleep, broken, silent or covered in darkness. Now, that part of him belonged to Yami, and there was nothing he could do to get him back. It was either accept it, or deny it...
"Yugi..." Yam murmured, placing a hand over his eyes and bending his head, keeping his face from view. He looked weak, drown in concern, lost in worry.
... And Sugoroku had already made his decision.
[ To be continued... ]
[1] Read "Even in Death"
[2] That's Chris' sister's name... ^^U I never mentioned she had a sister, did I?
[3] Inu means Dog
Lily: So!! ^^ There it is!!
Everybody: *frozen*
Iris&Lily: *blink*
Lily: *whispers to Iris* You think the sugar wore off?
Iris: ^^U let's hope so...
Everyone: *still frozen*
Lily: *sweatdrops* Erm... please review, ne? I still need opinions... *nudges the frozen reviewers to review*