A/N: Final Chapter! Thanks to all who reviewed, and to all those who WILL review. (I know you're out there!) I'd be more than happy to reply, as always. Just gimme an e-mail addy! Umm… I hope everyone's liked this chapter? *hopeful smile*
Also note: This chapter is officially dedicated to the Lady Winged Knight, my very nice beta-reader. All the wondrous, glorious praise everyone has (very nicely) given me should really be directed to her, because without her offer to beta-read, I would have never had the courage to keep writing. If people have time, you should check out her work! LWK wants reviews for "The Dueling Angel," okies?
Review Answers!
Unal: ^____^ Big grin! Thank you for reviewing! Your compliments make me flush with pleasure. And I'm glad there have been so many things that you've liked about the story – I know I've certainly been putting a lot of effort into it. Also glad that you liked the Psych twist on things! As for me, I'm just going to strut around the house now. I merited profanity! *is very impressed*
BMDen: Huggles to you! This story is really one of your favourites? Oh, wow. I am so humbly amazed. Wow. I'm glad you liked the way I write angst – did that sound egoistic? It wasn't meant to be. I'm just glad someone likes it, since I have the feeling that the involved characters certainly don't. Even I, at times, think it goes a little over the top… Heads up! More angst on the way!
Mists: Light and Dark playing cards. *bursts out laughing* That's great! And the aquarium visit! *giggles all over the place* Too, too funny. You should really be writing stories! You're great. And your guesses on how Yuugi/Yami will try to defeat their controlled states were remarkably accurate! Whoo hoo! Hope you enjoy this chappie and I'm so glad you've continued to like this chapter. You're very nice for putting up with my (HORRIBLY SLOW) updates!
Subieko: THANK YOU! Wow. Not only did you like my chapter enough to try and find it in the maze that is fanfiction.net, but you also reviewed every single chapter. And! You gave me a running account on your feelings for the events that were going through each one. No-one's really done it that way before, and it really helped me analyze my method and stuff! As for the Shadows affecting all the Millenium holders, oops? Malik/Marik immediately leapt to mind, but sure. Let's just say they've all been affected okies? I'll probably throw that in my epilogue. Which I've decided now that I will write. *pouts* Right now, I'm not too impressed with the ending, for some reason. So yes! Thank you again for your support! ^___^ I'm also glad you liked Kaiba's character – he does tend to get written off as evil-ish, doncha think? Besides, that trenchcoat of his is too great to pass up!
And Then There Were Two
Chapter 8: The Chapter Before the Epilogue!
Even as he screeched in terrified pain, Ryou's eyes stared into nothingness. The burningburning green light was consuming his body and the Ring. It hurt so veryvery much and why wasn't his yami stopping the bad thing?
In his soul room, Bakura started to scream…
For Ryou and Bakura, there was no chloroform to dull the mind against the searing pain. So they felt every second of the forceful tearing. The seconds themselves dragged for hours…
Bakura dimly registered the shadows scattering as a sickly green light wrapped its clawed hands around his waist. The needle points pricking into his flesh, he was dragged out of the sanctity of his room. Burning heaviness consumed him as he was given a physical body of his own, one whose throat started to throb with pain from his unwilling cries. In desperation, he flung his arms out for the comfort his other half provided, only to feel their mental link being violently ripped apart. The pain was so intense that he came disturbingly close to unconsciousness, but remained awake with single minded vengeance. Whoever had done this was going to be screaming when they died…
Ryou, on the other hand, was forced into tears as the mental link tore. Suddenly, his previously darkened mind was splattered with something far, far worse.
Blood.
With a final gasp, the chocolate eyes widened. He stared blankly where his yami had appeared. Ignoring the oozing blood that trickled from his mouth, he could only concentrate on his trembling, grasping hand. Seemingly of its own accord, it reached out for the crumpled, heaving form of Bakura ahead, the fingers clenching convulsively.
"Bakura…?"
The world around faded to a blur.
* * *
"Oh, man…"
The two whispered words were the only things that Jou could force out of his throat. He now understood, utterly and completely, how Anzu had felt after witnessing Yuugi and Yami's separation. It was horrible. It was beyond horrible. Jou was positive he was going to have nightmares about this for at least a month.
Right now, Ryou's darker half lay collapsed on the floor, surrounded by shards of glass. After a sudden materialization, Bakura had been flung toward the scientist, hitting him with enough force to make Ceebague drop the gun and sending the lab-coated sicko stumbling a few feet back. Bakura, however, had then fallen forwards, hitting a nearby table that had been covered with test tubes, beakers, and the whole deal. Barely aware eyes hadn't even flickered as he'd crashed into the table, cutting himself everywhere as the glass shattered on his body. Now he lay utterly still on the floor, the slanted eyes staring into nothing. He didn't even twitch as Ryou's screams increased.
Speaking of…
The gentle hikari had fallen to his knees. His hand was frantically reaching, even as tears poured down a pain twisted face. The trickle of blood continued to flow from his mouth, garbling his screams for Bakura, Bakura, come back…
Jou looked around. Anzu hadn't moved at all, although her hands had come up to cover her mouth. Eyes wide with horror, she began to shake her head in unconscious denial of the situation.
On the ground, Yuugi was slowly drawling towards Yami, somehow completely ignoring Ryou's sobs. Yuugi's own face was twisted into an expression of demented glee as he moved, tortoise-like, towards his spiky-haired double.
Yami.
Yami, whose crimson eyes remained open as he howled in laughter. Bent over almost double, he cackled in delight at the almost visible pain that radiated from the devastated pair.
Jou had never, ever seen Yuugi or his counter part act like this. To deliberately laugh at another's pain…
Jou shuddered. How could any of this be happening? Faced with this impossible situation, Jou's mind shrank bank from the reality that his eyes were fixedly absorbing.
* * *
Ceebague's body huffed as it fought to regain its forcefully expelled breath. Panic and fury danced continuously in the mind, inciting the pumping adrenalin to flow faster. The hands flailed desperately around, searching madly for a weapon.
Master. It had to guard the Master. Without the Master, there would be no blood, no pain, no screams of agony that this body was yearning for so veryvery badly…
The body continued to thrash about in its panic and the shoulder knocked into an obscured cupboard, spilling out the contents.
Papers.
Glass. Glass tubes and beakers.
Pencils.
Pens.
And, at the very bottom, a gun.
The hand closed around the last with a decisive, satisfied grip.
* * *
Yuugi crawled closer to his salvation. Staring up at the roiling darkness with desperate eyes, he continued to grin.
He reached up with his hand, daring to humbly touch the hem of the bloodstained shirt.
"Yami…"
Inside his mind, a desperate figurine still sobbed outside Yami's abandoned soul room.
\ Yami, please come back! Pleasepleaseplease! Come back! Make everything good again! I'm sorry I made you leave! Please please please- \
The tormented litany was cut off with a mental shriek. The Light had finished its attack on the mental grounds and was starting on Yuugi's persona itself.
Yuugi's physical breath hitched in agony. Involuntarily, the tightly clenched hand lowered, trying to draw back into the body without letting go of Yami.
* * *
Yami, in the surrounding pitch, paused his struggle. There had been a hopeful, background noise that had been lending him desperately needed support. However, that had seemed to just stop abruptly.
An ominous foreboding skittered across Yami's nerves and he began fighting harder than he'd ever thought possible in a furious attempt to regain control of the body. He drew on deep-seated reserves of power within his very soul, trying to clear a way closer to the surface.
And it was working.
Slowly, gradually, bit by bit, he could feel the pressure of the surrounding Darkness lessen. Still, even then, Yami did not stop his struggle, consumed as he was with worry for his light.
// I'm coming, aibou! Do not give in! //
* * *
Once again, the unconscious message vibrated through time and space and broken minds, slowly traversing the small distance to where the small, pitiful looking duellist lay gasping on the uncaring floor.
* * *
Yuugi blinked pained eyes as he felt something like a fine, black mist settle soothingly over his mind. He could only guess where it came from, but the calming, twilight sensation was a welcome relief. Gradually, the blurry image in front of him resolved itself, transforming into a nightmarish tableau. Still, his panicking mind was comforted by the soft shadows and was calming down. At last, Yuugi could struggle back into the realm of reality.
Blinking again, Yuugi craned his neck upwards to stare at Yami. He looked so very, very different now. Yami was all covered in blood, his hair matted inelegantly to a crazed face. The gentle ruby eyes with which Yuugi remembered sharing fond glances had now slanted and narrowed even further.
Right now, pupil-less, manifested evil stared contemptuously down at him. A sneer wormed its way across the normally handsome face.
And yet…
And yet, Yuugi could somehow sense Yami was still there, fighting to get out. His brow furrowing in determination, Yuugi tightened his hold on Yami's shirt, ignored the blazing pain in his mind, and threw everything he had into mentally projecting a straining hand. It hovered tremulously, its very existence begging Yami to take it, to grab on and never ever let go, just come back and pleasepleaseplease don't leave again…
* * *
Exhaustion.
Fatigue.
Defeat.
Yami was worn out and his burning desire to reach the surface had dimmed to a flickering ember.
He could go on no longer; the Darkness had almost quenched his very essence. He could feel himself losing ground – losing himself – as the Darkness overwhelmed him and further depleted his reserves of energy.
He shed a lone tear as guilt crushed him. Yami could only offer a heartfelt, silent apology to his other. Sinking further into despair, he wondered why he had even tried to fight. After all, he had been born from the Darkness, and only with his aibou at his side could he tap into the golden part of his soul, which encircled his aibou and his precious friends in an unending, protective embrace. Without his aibou, he was nothing.
Shuddering one last time, his eyes began to slide shut and dim…
Suddenly, a golden hand appeared before him. It was faint, to be sure, but it was him! Yuugi! His aibou was reaching out and saving him from the Darkness once again. There could be no other explanation.
His crimson eyes burned with joyous fire again. He lunged forward once more, grabbing on to Yuugi's mind firmly.
And for the first time in days, a broad smile adorned Yami's face.
* * *
It was losing control of his body-host! How dare this pathetic mortal be able to triumph over him? He was Darkness. He was Evil.
How was this possible? HOW?
* * *
It was all happening so fast. Weren't dramatic moments supposed to be slowed down? Anzu couldn't figure it out.
Still, gazing across the room, she temporarily abandoned her attempts to revive Ryou. Instead, she blatantly stared at Yuugi and Yami. Yami's…aura – there was no other word to describe it – had somehow become much less sinister. In fact, a gentle smile had even appeared on his face and he no longer looked like the embodiment of nightmares and worst fears. Once again, Anzu felt…safe, as if she somehow knew that nothing truly bad could attack her anymore.
Yuugi seemed a lot happier, too. While his left hand was still clutching desperately at Yami's shirt, his eyes were clearing. An identical, gentle smile also formed upon his tear-streaked face.
There was more, too. Even now, Yami's hand was slowly drifting down and tenderly entwined itself between Yuugi's trembling fingers. Then, gently, ever so gently, Yuugi was pulled to his feet.
It was a meeting of equals.
The two teens stared into each others joyful eyes, and Anzu got the feeling that the past few days had been longer and more torturous than an eternity spent in fire. The two needed each other.
Anzu sniffed, overcome. It was so beautiful that they were finally together again…
Suddenly, her head whipped sharply to the left. A sharp screech of denial resonated from the scientist's throat.
* * *
It was a staggering relief to both when their mental bond linked back into place. With a mentally audible click, the light and dark melded together once more in a perfect blend. Yuugi's shoulders shook with overwhelming emotion as the gentle shadow protected him from the piercing agony at last. Yami, in turn, revolved around his light, swearing to himself with renewed fervour. He would never leave his aibou again.
\ Yami! \
// Aibou! //
A simple brushing of the minds, perhaps. But to the two, it was worth more than the future of the world.
They were jarred out of their peaceful state, though, at the screech of denial.
* * *
The beast howled, clutching its head in agony as it felt its Master leave for good. There was no intellect to question how an entity as powerful as the master had been pushed aside by a mere boy-spirit. No. There was only the horrified denial as it felt its essence draining steadily back into the pool of darkness.
Once again, the hands of Ceebague's body, so accustomed to rituals of violent acts, began to move of their own accord. They turned the body with the force of their movements, focussing on the long-time obsession.
What was left of the beast smirked in feral glee as the neurological order lashed through the nerves, causing the fingers to tighten around the trigger.
The gun spat liquid pain once. And once again.
The eyes revelled in the arched back of its subject, ignoring the smaller version that was staring in shock from its horrified position on the floor. The smaller one had been shoved across the room by the taller one.
The boy-spirit bled so prettily.
Prettyprettyredred blood. It was forming a pool of liquid silk around the boy-spirit. Prettypaingood!
The beast within gradually dispersed, but the remaining thought raced through the scientifically trained mind.
'One of the two is bleeding. What about the other two?'
With a fading cackle, the beast turned and, with the last bit of strength, fired. The bullet raced toward the sobbing white-haired boy on the floor.
Then the beast vanished, leaving the former scientist's corpse to collapse like a broken marionette. The body thudded onto the floor, limbs twisting unnaturally and the leer still winding its way across the face.
* * *
"Yami!!"
Yuugi shrieked, flying across the floor. "Oh, Yami, no, no, please, no, I'm so sorry! Sosososo sorry, oh Yami, please, please, no…" Sobbing in terror, he fell upon his other half's body, embracing it fiercely even as he felt his own delicate frame threaten to shudder apart.
"Yami! Please! Please wake up! Wake up! PLEASE!"
But Yami's eyes remained screwed shut in pain, rebelling even in unconsciousness against the onslaught of torture.
"YAMI!"
* * *
Ryou gasped as the burning steel slug blasted through him, his insides erupting with fiery pain in its wake. Still, his attention remained fixed on his counterpart, who was just now staring back at him in dawning apprehension.
Ryou tried to smile reassuringly at his yami, but his body wouldn't respond. All that come out of his mouth was an upheaval of blood and a gurgling choke.
Still, his gaze stayed on Bakura.
Even as the world dimmed and faded into oblivion.
Unconscious, Ryou fell forward into a puddle of his own blood. It grew larger.
* * *
'Revel in darkness, but guard the light.' The light was essential for continued survival. After all, who could have a light without a shadow?
All of this flitted through Bakura's mind as he watched Ryou collapse. Time seemed to slow down and stop, and he could only stare in horror at the seemingly vast sea of red that was spreading out and it was his Egyptian family being slaughtered all over again and nononononononono…
The next thing Bakura registered was shaking his frail-looking aibou almost frantically. It didn't matter how he had crossed the room, all that mattered was that his light remained alive. Alive and well. How else could Bakura continue otherwise? Even as this thought flashed through his head, he could feel the residual shadows begin to suck at him. At the moment, without the mind-link, there was no light, no anchor to connect Bakura's spirit to reality.
But Ryou wasn't waking up? Whywhy not? At this closeness, he could tap into the Ring on Ryou's chest and feel everything his other was experiencing. It hurt sososo much and there was blood everywhere and no-one wanted him around. Why else would the mind-link have been torn? Why else wouldn't his other – his Bakura – come back?
Bakura shook himself abruptly, disengaging from Ryou's feelings. The mind-link! That was it! Bakura grunted as his thought turned inwards. No matter what the sacrifices, he was going to re-forge their link. The pain was too great without it.
Ryou would come back. He just had to.
"Aibou! Wake up!"
* * *
Yuugi could only cry. Why would he be reunited with his other only to be torn away? His mind, linked once more to his half, could feel the pain he saw Yami feeling. Blood, red and hot, seeped out of the two bullet wounds in the leg.
Yami had collapsed to the floor and was panting. Crimson eyes fluttered randomly, unconsciously reflecting the blood that was flowing down to splash against the floor.
In Yuugi's mind, he could sense Yami's pain. Pulsing agony coupled with a raging worry for Yuugi's safety.
Gently cradling Yami's head in his trembling arms, he began to rock to and fro. His throat let out a keening wail in a desperate attempt to relieve the pain that was bottled up, that gashed and tore inside, that fed his guilt and let it bloat.
What else could he do?
\ Yami, Yami, I'm here, it's ok, see? Looklook! I'm not hurt at all! Come back to me, please come back, I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry sorry sorry sorry – \
His voice broke as he screamed raw despair.
"YAMI!"
* * *
Blood was everywhere.
Racing around the corner, that was Seto's first impression upon reaching the room.
To his right, the distraught girl stood on shaking legs, hugging herself as if she was frozen. Eyes filled with tears couldn't stop staring ahead at the violent aftermath the occupants in the room were suffering. Her white shirt was stained crimson, as were her hands.
To his left, the puppy dog was in shock. The normally cocky expression had been replaced with one of helplessness. Unwillingly, Seto found himself relating. It was like all those times where he had been unable to rescue Mokuba, where he could only berate himself time and time again for not being the perfect being he should have been. Even the later forgiveness didn't ring true, and guilt would overwhelm Seto, causing him to draw inside himself. In turn, Mokuba would start to feel as if he'd done something wrong…
It was a vicious cycle. Seto had no intention of making anyone else – except maybe Pegasus – suffer the same way he had. Bracing himself once more, he sharply slapped Jou on the cheek.
"Wake up, you stupid fool!"
"Wha-?"
On the ground ahead of him, two – two? - white-haired boys lay wrapped around each other, both appearing dead to the world, save for their exaggerated chest movements. Blood completely soaked the two, making it hard for Seto to tell where one left off and the other began.
In the distant corner, a mangled corpse lay sprawled obscenely across the floor. He'd obviously been dead for some time. Seto recognized him as Ceebague, then promptly dismissed him to focus on the traumatic scene in the centre of the room.
Tears streamed uncaringly down Yuugi's face as he clutched the unconscious form of a bloodied, near-identical twin. It was obviously Yami, but it was nothing like who Seto had been expecting. The constant confidence Seto had secretly admired during the duels was gone from both parties, and the masks of self-assurance had been blasted away. Now, both teens lay with their hearts on their proverbial sleeves.
By this time, Jou had come around and, like the idiot Seto knew he was, had started panicking. "Kaiba! Ya jerk! Yuug'! Holy- We'll help ya out here, buddy. Jus' hang in dere!"
Yuugi shrieked on, insensible.
Shivering, Seto tried to set himself, to not care about the teens in front of him. But, heaven help him, it was so hard. Yami, especially, should experience defeat – if at all – in a card game, no matter how important. Physical violence that had been used to reduce the proud spirit to a bleeding, unconscious, numbed body was absolutely beyond the question.
'No…'Seto suddenly shook his head and whipped out his cell phone. It paid to be rich, on very many occasions. For example, now he could get a speedy hospital-issued helicopter to land close by in the next 3 minutes. At this point, he would have gladly pushed the arriving helicopter himself, if he thought it would have helped.
Moving forward, he incited Anzu and the puppy to help care for the patients until the desperately needed help arrived.
~Two weeks later~
Yami pouted from his confinement on the hospital bed. "But, aibouuuu… I am fine! My wounds have healed and I am becoming increasingly bored!"
Perched as near to Yami as the standard-issue bed would allow, Yuugi giggled. "And we all know that a bored Yami is a dangerous one, right?"
The former spirit smirked. "Yes. Precisely my point – wait. Aibou, are you mocking me?"
Guileless, violet eyes blinked innocently back at him. "Who, me?" They suddenly softened. "Still. I am so grateful that we were able to save you in time. When I saw all that blood everywhere and you fell like that limp puppet…" Tears welled up as the small frame shivered in horror.
Yami sat up to run a calming hand across his aibou's brow, hospital rules be banished. "Ssh...aibou. Everyone is all right and it all turned out in the end. You must remember that and use the thought to overwhelm the negative memories."
Yuugi sniffed. "Yeah… I know." He blinked, suddenly staring off into space. "We really owe Kaiba a lot, don't we? If it weren't for him, things wouldn't have turned nearly as well they did!"
Smiling, Yami replied. "Yes, indeed we do. Perhaps I shall repay his generosity by granting him the privilege of a duel with me?" He smirked, enjoying the look of exasperation that fluttered over Yuugi's face.
"After all he's done, the least you could do is shower him with trophies!"
"Trophies? Probably not. I will let him come close to defeating me, though. How does that sound?"
"But not actually let him win, right?" Yuugi fondly shook his head. "Silly Yami."
"All right! What are you two doing? Talking? At this hour? The patient should be resting!" The bustling nurse scurried in, rearranging pillows and half-heartedly scolding Yuugi for keeping Yami so occupied.
As Yami stared at his laughing hikari, he let the thought drift across his mind. // If I were to physically repay Kaiba for reuniting me with you, my aibou, all the treasures and knowledge in the world wouldn't be enough. You are priceless, worth more than anything I can think of. //
* * *
The nurse clucked and rolled her eyes, half-heartedly wondering why the sweet little boy was suddenly blushing. Still, these two weren't nearly so bad as her other recovering patients. She didn't quite know what to make of the two pale-haired boys in the next room over. One was courtesy himself, even when he'd been drugged with morphine to lessen the excruciating pain. The other, however, was a different matter entirely. She couldn't figure out if the spikier teen was insanely jealous or just mad at the world in general.
Despite their contrasting tempers, though, both were recovering nicely. Actually, the taller one should have been released days ago, but he'd insisted so vehemently, violently, that he would stay by his "aibou's" side that the staff had no choice but to accede to the demands. And perhaps it had been for the best. Certainly the nice one was improving drastically with the other one around. But why…?
She shrugged, softly taking herself out of the room. As a nurse, she'd seen many inexplicable cases where forces stronger than physical strength had pulled a patient through. It was not her place to reason why, not without the necessary knowledge. She just did all she could, and revelled in the delighted shouts that rang out from the successes.
The End.
A/N: Well, whaddaya think? Sorry this was so short, but I covered all that I wanted to cover… Do you think I should be doing a Bakura/ Ryou epilogue-y thingy? They're so hard to write…but usually very much worth it! *Big grin*
Yuugi: *staring in shock* Happy…ending?
Divey: *still grinning* Told ya!
Yami: *checks body parts* And I'm still intact? Relatively unharmed?
Divey: Yup! *vigorous head nodding*
Bakura: *smirks* Not for long! Bwahahaha! *chases Yami with the Pointy Object of the Day*
Ryou: *contemplative* And so things return to normal, here… ^__^ I'm glad I didn't die either!
Divey: *snuggles* Me too.
Reviews please! E-mail it to me directly, and I'll reply back!