Chapter Five
When the boy had left, Yami leaned against the wall thinking hard. 'Yugi is definitely not what he appears to be. He shows so much wisdom, yet is so innocent and pure. But then. . .!'
Yami bolted upright, realization coming in. 'Master said he had great powers. And lately, his powers have been growing rapidly. He's very innocent and pure. Of course! That means he's a white mage! His powers are growing so fast because they're feeding off his innocence! Oh no. . .'
Yami leaned against the wall again. 'Master and I are dark mages. If Yugi fully realized the extent of his magic, he could defeat both of us easily. Wait!'
Again, Yami jerked up, remembering something extremely important.
'My mission was to get Yugi to trust me. Master told me that that would be the only way to extract the magic from an inexperienced mage.'
**Flashback**
"Why are you telling me all this?" Yami was curious to know how Yugi seemed to trust Yami, a stranger who he just met a few days ago, enough to talk freely and say things that he wouldn't normally want to mention. Especially the topic about his dead parents.
Yugi shrugged good naturedly. "I don't know. I know you're practically a stranger and all, but I feel that I can trust you."
**End flashback**
'He said he could trust me! That means I can send him to Master! But. . .'
Yami glanced in the direction Yugi's room was in.
'H-he's so. . .kind, so innocent. It seems a shame to ruin such purity. Damn, I'm getting soft!'
'I'll wait another day. Just to make sure I have Yugi's full trust. Yeah, that's what I'll do.' Yami walked back to his bedroom, but in the back of his mind, he knew that the only reason he was waiting another day was to stall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yami woke to the bright sun and birds chirping merrily outside his window. Groaning, he was about to turn over to go back to sleep when suddenly, a face popped up in front of him.
"Ohayo, Yami-kun!!" Yugi chirped.
"Ah!!" Yami jumped up. "Don't scare me like that!"
Yugi giggled. "Gomen. Come on, breakfast is ready!"
As Yami got up yawning, he asked, "How'd you get the money to buy food?"
"Oh, Anzu-san, Honda-kun and I went out early to work. We got enough money to buy a day's worth of food. Jou seemed too tired to get up early, and you were sleeping like a rock!" Yugi called from the other room.
"Um. . .okay."
Yami rose from his bed and walked to the next room, where the others were.
(Okay, skipping a bunch of boring stuff, nothing really happens here, so skipping all the way to the evening)
"Whew, who knew it get's so cold here at night." Anzu shivered in her blanket.
"Here, Anzu-san, you can have my blanket." Yugi offered. The girl gratefully accepted.
Yami noticed something he hadn't realized before. "Hey, Yugi. What's that necklace you're wearing?"
Yugi looked up. "My necklace? Why?" Yugi wasn't very comfortable with showing anyone his treasure.
"I have a hunch of something. May I see it?"
Reluctantly, Yugi pulled out the jewel and handed it to the mage. Honda and Jou gasped at the piece of gold, as it glittered even in the dark.
Carefully, Yami examined the piece. "This is. . ." He murmured. Slowly, he reached down to finger his own necklace, the golden pyramid with a hole in the middle. With his other hand, the one holding Yugi's necklace piece, he slowly eased it into the hole in his pyramid.
Yugi's eyes almost bugged out. "They. . .they fit! Perfectly!!"
"How?" Honda pondered.
"Yugi, where did you get this necklace?" Yami asked seriously.
"My parents. They said I was destined to have it." Yugi scratched his head, confused. "You said you found that pyramid. Does that mean my parents lost it somewhere?"
"I doubt it."
"Eh?"
Yami took a deep breath.
"I-" Suddenly, his scrying mirror in his pocket began to glow, drawing everyone's attention to it.
"Uh, excuse me." Yami rushed out, hoping Yugi wouldn't suspect anything.
Once outside, Yami took out his mirror, and was met by the furious face of his Master.
"Yami!!" The face snarled. The mage feverishly hoped the others wouldn't hear. "It has been three days, my servant. Did you not say it would take only three days at the most to complete your task?!"
"B-but Master-" Yami was rudely cut off.
"Shut up, you disobedient dolt. By now, you must have earned at least a small amount of Yugi's trust. I command you now to perform the spell to allow me to take the little one's power. Obey, and I will refrain from punishing you. Disobey, and you will wish you had never been born." The face vanished.
Yami trembled, knowing fully well what the punishment would be. 'What should I do? Should I confess to Yugi? But he'll never believe me. And even if I did tell him, what good would that do? He doesn't know how to use his powers.' Remembering the last punishment he went through for failing his master, Yami barely let out a sob as he fell to his knees. 'No. . .I can't go through that again. I can't!'
The distressed mage felt a small hand on his shoulder. "Yami-kun, what's wrong? Daijabou?" Yugi asked in a concerned voice.
"I'm fine." Yugi nearly backed away at the void tone of his voice.
"Um. . .what happened?"
This time, Yugi did back away as Yami turned to face him. The mage's expression was frightening enough, yet his eyes were worse off. Completely blank of emotion, Yugi could have sworn Yami's pupils had disappeared.
"Yugi. . ."
"What, Yami?"
"You trust me, don't you?"
Yugi's expression was one of bewilderment. "Of course I do, why?"
Not answering, Yami raised his hands and began to chant. Yugi was beginning to feel frightened, a little intimidated by Yami's strange behavior.
"Uh, Yami-" Yugi didn't have time to finish his remark. His body seemed to freeze, and he had no control over his movements. There was time for one last action of his own will.
He screamed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anzu jerked up from the noise.
"Wasn't that Yugi?"
Honda and Jou jumped up. "Yeah, it was! Come on, he's outside with Yami." The three rushed out, only to be met with a strange sight.
Yami was chanting with his arms raised, while Yugi's body floated lifelessly above the mage.
Screaming in rage, Anzu leapt upon Yami. "What have you done?! Stop it, right now! Yami, you bastard, stop!"
The girl and two fugitives vainly attempted to halt whatever Yami was doing, but to no avail. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, but was only a few minutes, Yami lowered his arms, one which had Anzu clinging to it. And Yugi disappeared.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finally done, Yami slumped down, feeling very guilty indeed. 'I shouldn't feel so guilty. This was my mission in the first place! I-I shouldn't let emotions keep me from obeying Master. But, Yugi. . .'
Anzu was by now clawing at Yami's face, shrieking in fury. As Honda and Jou tried to calm her down. "I knew from the beginning we shouldn't have trusted you! What did you do?"
Yami just closed his eyes, and performed the teleportation spell, leaving Anzu to grasp nothing but air.
When the boy had left, Yami leaned against the wall thinking hard. 'Yugi is definitely not what he appears to be. He shows so much wisdom, yet is so innocent and pure. But then. . .!'
Yami bolted upright, realization coming in. 'Master said he had great powers. And lately, his powers have been growing rapidly. He's very innocent and pure. Of course! That means he's a white mage! His powers are growing so fast because they're feeding off his innocence! Oh no. . .'
Yami leaned against the wall again. 'Master and I are dark mages. If Yugi fully realized the extent of his magic, he could defeat both of us easily. Wait!'
Again, Yami jerked up, remembering something extremely important.
'My mission was to get Yugi to trust me. Master told me that that would be the only way to extract the magic from an inexperienced mage.'
**Flashback**
"Why are you telling me all this?" Yami was curious to know how Yugi seemed to trust Yami, a stranger who he just met a few days ago, enough to talk freely and say things that he wouldn't normally want to mention. Especially the topic about his dead parents.
Yugi shrugged good naturedly. "I don't know. I know you're practically a stranger and all, but I feel that I can trust you."
**End flashback**
'He said he could trust me! That means I can send him to Master! But. . .'
Yami glanced in the direction Yugi's room was in.
'H-he's so. . .kind, so innocent. It seems a shame to ruin such purity. Damn, I'm getting soft!'
'I'll wait another day. Just to make sure I have Yugi's full trust. Yeah, that's what I'll do.' Yami walked back to his bedroom, but in the back of his mind, he knew that the only reason he was waiting another day was to stall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yami woke to the bright sun and birds chirping merrily outside his window. Groaning, he was about to turn over to go back to sleep when suddenly, a face popped up in front of him.
"Ohayo, Yami-kun!!" Yugi chirped.
"Ah!!" Yami jumped up. "Don't scare me like that!"
Yugi giggled. "Gomen. Come on, breakfast is ready!"
As Yami got up yawning, he asked, "How'd you get the money to buy food?"
"Oh, Anzu-san, Honda-kun and I went out early to work. We got enough money to buy a day's worth of food. Jou seemed too tired to get up early, and you were sleeping like a rock!" Yugi called from the other room.
"Um. . .okay."
Yami rose from his bed and walked to the next room, where the others were.
(Okay, skipping a bunch of boring stuff, nothing really happens here, so skipping all the way to the evening)
"Whew, who knew it get's so cold here at night." Anzu shivered in her blanket.
"Here, Anzu-san, you can have my blanket." Yugi offered. The girl gratefully accepted.
Yami noticed something he hadn't realized before. "Hey, Yugi. What's that necklace you're wearing?"
Yugi looked up. "My necklace? Why?" Yugi wasn't very comfortable with showing anyone his treasure.
"I have a hunch of something. May I see it?"
Reluctantly, Yugi pulled out the jewel and handed it to the mage. Honda and Jou gasped at the piece of gold, as it glittered even in the dark.
Carefully, Yami examined the piece. "This is. . ." He murmured. Slowly, he reached down to finger his own necklace, the golden pyramid with a hole in the middle. With his other hand, the one holding Yugi's necklace piece, he slowly eased it into the hole in his pyramid.
Yugi's eyes almost bugged out. "They. . .they fit! Perfectly!!"
"How?" Honda pondered.
"Yugi, where did you get this necklace?" Yami asked seriously.
"My parents. They said I was destined to have it." Yugi scratched his head, confused. "You said you found that pyramid. Does that mean my parents lost it somewhere?"
"I doubt it."
"Eh?"
Yami took a deep breath.
"I-" Suddenly, his scrying mirror in his pocket began to glow, drawing everyone's attention to it.
"Uh, excuse me." Yami rushed out, hoping Yugi wouldn't suspect anything.
Once outside, Yami took out his mirror, and was met by the furious face of his Master.
"Yami!!" The face snarled. The mage feverishly hoped the others wouldn't hear. "It has been three days, my servant. Did you not say it would take only three days at the most to complete your task?!"
"B-but Master-" Yami was rudely cut off.
"Shut up, you disobedient dolt. By now, you must have earned at least a small amount of Yugi's trust. I command you now to perform the spell to allow me to take the little one's power. Obey, and I will refrain from punishing you. Disobey, and you will wish you had never been born." The face vanished.
Yami trembled, knowing fully well what the punishment would be. 'What should I do? Should I confess to Yugi? But he'll never believe me. And even if I did tell him, what good would that do? He doesn't know how to use his powers.' Remembering the last punishment he went through for failing his master, Yami barely let out a sob as he fell to his knees. 'No. . .I can't go through that again. I can't!'
The distressed mage felt a small hand on his shoulder. "Yami-kun, what's wrong? Daijabou?" Yugi asked in a concerned voice.
"I'm fine." Yugi nearly backed away at the void tone of his voice.
"Um. . .what happened?"
This time, Yugi did back away as Yami turned to face him. The mage's expression was frightening enough, yet his eyes were worse off. Completely blank of emotion, Yugi could have sworn Yami's pupils had disappeared.
"Yugi. . ."
"What, Yami?"
"You trust me, don't you?"
Yugi's expression was one of bewilderment. "Of course I do, why?"
Not answering, Yami raised his hands and began to chant. Yugi was beginning to feel frightened, a little intimidated by Yami's strange behavior.
"Uh, Yami-" Yugi didn't have time to finish his remark. His body seemed to freeze, and he had no control over his movements. There was time for one last action of his own will.
He screamed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anzu jerked up from the noise.
"Wasn't that Yugi?"
Honda and Jou jumped up. "Yeah, it was! Come on, he's outside with Yami." The three rushed out, only to be met with a strange sight.
Yami was chanting with his arms raised, while Yugi's body floated lifelessly above the mage.
Screaming in rage, Anzu leapt upon Yami. "What have you done?! Stop it, right now! Yami, you bastard, stop!"
The girl and two fugitives vainly attempted to halt whatever Yami was doing, but to no avail. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, but was only a few minutes, Yami lowered his arms, one which had Anzu clinging to it. And Yugi disappeared.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finally done, Yami slumped down, feeling very guilty indeed. 'I shouldn't feel so guilty. This was my mission in the first place! I-I shouldn't let emotions keep me from obeying Master. But, Yugi. . .'
Anzu was by now clawing at Yami's face, shrieking in fury. As Honda and Jou tried to calm her down. "I knew from the beginning we shouldn't have trusted you! What did you do?"
Yami just closed his eyes, and performed the teleportation spell, leaving Anzu to grasp nothing but air.