:…: Hikari to yami
::…:: Yami to hikari
Slight shonen-ai.
Yu-Gi-Oh! is owned and created by Kazuki Takahashi
Chapter 9: AloneYugi glanced at his Yami, trying to figure out his expression of bewilderment, frustration, and anxiety. After all, Akushiko was gone, and Kaiba could get them all out of DMRPG whenever they wanted. This was a game, wasn't it? Little did he know that there was more to Akushiko than met the eye—it had been pure luck that saved Yugi from the clutches of the evil mage.
:Yami, what's bothering you?: the hikari asked, knowing that something was definitely wrong. His darkness was quiet, but never that silent.
::Nothing. Everything's fine…:: Yami replied, trying to evade Yugi's question rather unsuccessfully.
Yugi always knew when someone was worried, he seemed to be able to sense everyone's feelings. But when the inquisitive light got to the bottom of things, he'd try to solve the problem, regardless of whether he got beaten up or not. He was just too self-sacrificial at times. Or perhaps it was his innocence that led him into boiling water time after time.
:Yami… you can tell me. Please…: Yugi persisted, looking at Yami with his penetrating amethyst-eyed gaze.
::Akushiko… She will be back. I'm sure of it. And she'll try to steal your soul again…:: Yami finally revealed, wondering whether he'd done the right thing.
A frown formed on Yugi's face, and Yami knew that he was worrying himself to bits as usual.
--
Bakura snuck around the palace gates, the usual smirk on his face. Atemu was still going around giving orders to murder all the high priests, and he wasn't even discreet about it. The targeted high priests persistently disbelieved all the rumors flying around about the massacre, being the excessively loyal assistants of the pharaoh, not even once did a shadow of doubt surface in any of their minds.
As he crept around, he wondered why his hikari and his annoying friends hadn't shown up. They had agreed to meet when Ra rose in the east, but it was long past then. The heat was getting to him, he usually remained hidden from the prying eyes of the high priests in the day, only coming out to go treasure-hunting at the graveyard hour. Retreating into the scant shade of the gatekeeper's shed beside the entrance, he heard a voice complain, "Ow! Quit stepping on my foot Yugi!"
::Hikari, you there? Just beside the shed?::
:Yeah, where are you? We've been waiting like forever…:
::Great, you're invisible.:: The yami reached out, and to no surprise of his, touched something that he had never expected to be there.
:Baku, what are you doing? That hurt! :
::Oh sorry, didn't mean to whack you…::
It was then decided that Yugi [and Yami, since he couldn't repossess his own body and had to share with Yugi again, much to the delight of the little light] and Kaiba were to actually go into the palace, while Ryou stayed with his yami at the gate to update the others constantly.
--
"Pharaoh Akunadin. The ritual can begin at any time. Should I start now…?" Akushiko rubbed her hands together in anticipation. She couldn't wait till her master gave the command to begin, soon they would be immortalized, and nothing would ruin their journey to world domination, not ever. Yugi hadn't known, but the spellbinding magic she had cast on him in his very own soul room allowed for his soul to be removed at any time. On the other hand, Yami had a foreboding feeling most of the time.
"No. Even if we can absorb the boy's soul now, it is nothing like seeing the stupid thing struggle as we nibble at his soul a little at a time."
--
::Aibou, please let me take over…:: Yami pleaded, as he felt his hikari's fear.
:No it's okay, I don't want you to get hurt.: Yugi gazed cutely at his darkness with his bright amethyst eyes.
::But…:: Yami's heart melted as ruby eyes met amethyst. It was useless to say anything when Yugi was being stubborn.
:Yami, please let me do this…:
Kaiba was busily tapping away on his laptop, but in the virtual world he was sitting in a dim corner of the palace, writing a virus that would hopefully destroy Akunadin and Akushiko. He knew that it would work, but wasn't sure how long it would take for the infection to take effect. With any luck, it would all go very well, and everyone would be able to escape unscathed. It helped that they were in DMRPG, and could log out at any moment… Or could they…?
A few moments later, though it seemed like infinity to Yugi and Yami, Kaiba stood up, wearing a satisfied smirk on his face.
"'K, the virus has transferred to them, now all we have to do is wait. Bakura knows too." Thanks to the chat function of DMRPG, the group could communicate very easily.
"I really don't feel good about killing them." Yugi murmured softly.
::Aibou, they tried to kill you?!:: Yami started overreacting. ::There's no way you can ever forgive them!!::
"It's either them or us." Kaiba reassured his best friend.
"Still…" Yugi complained a little, his kind nature kicking in. He never knew when to say no. He always put the feelings of others before his, that was his greatest flaw, yet a rare thing to be found in the youth of today.
-Flashback-
"Yugi. For every thousand life points I lose, I will take a step back." Kaiba threatened menacingly from the edge of the balcony where their duel took place. It was a height to the vast green-blue sea below.
Duelist Kingdom was a tournament held by Maximilian Pegasus, and he had forced Yugi to enter it—by stealing Yugi's beloved grandfather's soul. If Yugi won, Grandpa would be freed from within Pegasus' card. If he lost… Who knew what would happen?
Seto Kaiba knew where Yugi's weakness laid, but was not sure whether it was the regular large-eyed Yugi Mutou he was dueling or the strange, freaky guy whom Yugi sometimes metamorphosed into. But there wasn't any way out—if he lost the duel, he wouldn't be able to get Mokuba back. So what was the point of living anymore then? The consequences seemed dire. It was now or never, both players had almost the same amount of life points, but it was Yugi's turn. Celtic Guardian would attack him, and everything would end. Including his life.
Kaiba took a few steps back.
The light felt his heart turn cold, from deep within the Millennium Puzzle. Questions pricked the back of his mind. :This other guy who is dueling as me—who is he? And what does he want from me?: He had seen what his darkness had done before, if he did not stop the duel somehow, Kaiba would die, like the others who had burned to death at the hands of his yami. No matter how much he disliked Kaiba, he knew he could not let him die.
"Celtic Guardian attack!" Yugi heard the deeper voice of his dark side announce. :If I don't do anything now… PLEASE STOP!!: Yugi cried vainly. He had tried so many times before to stop Yami from killing, but… Would it work this time?
::My hikari… I will do anything for you.::
Celtic Guardian froze in mid-swing of his sword.
"Yugi. Since you gave me a chance, I will repay you by attacking you. Attack!!" Kaiba screamed in relief.
The lifepoint meter of the small hikari went down to zero, and Kaiba smirked to himself as he claimed Yugi's star chips.
Yugi fell to the stony floor, tears flowing down his cheeks, overcome with emotion. He had gotten so near to victory, but he had lost. Kaiba had been so close to death—and he didn't even seem to care at all. He had just taken advantage of the situation for a smooth road to victory. :How am I going to save Grandpa?:
--End of flashback--
Yugi and Kaiba heard Ryou's voice in their ears, "Akushiko is heading into the palace!! We'll try to stop her…"
"Huh?!" Kaiba was taken aback. He had not predicted that the evil magician would arrive so soon; would the virus affect her after only such a short while?
A brunette girl materialized before Kaiba and Yugi, chanting an eerie spell, her eyes closed, and her hair billowing out behind her in a mystical wind that swept the entire area.
::Let me take over!::
:Yami, please believe me, I can do it.: Yugi gulped, trying not to tremble.
Yugi felt a sharp pain sear through his entire body, like he was being ripped to pieces. Gasping, the hikari fell in a crumpled heap on the sandy ground. :Yami!!:
::Aibou what's wrong?!:: Yami appeared at his light's side, feeling the pain burn through him as well. Just then, he sensed that Akushiko had cast a spell on Yugi to tear his soul from his body, but the fact that two souls were occupying Yugi's body at one time was messing her spell up.
::Say something!!:: Yami bit his lip to keep himself from crying, but his efforts were ineffective. The darkness rarely showed any emotion, saving his tears for important occasions. He could not feel Yugi beside him any longer, his lighter alter ego had disappeared in that split second, without leaving a single trace of his pure soul.
Then everything went dark.
::Where am I? I can't seem to see myself… It's like I don't exist anymore…::
--
"Kaiba!" Ryou called urgently. "There… There's a purple-black mass in the middle of the palace! Can you go check it out?"
"Yugi and Yami are gone, Akushiko's taken their souls!" Kaiba tried to remain calm, but with Akushiko standing just beside him, absorbing Yami and Yugi's soul energy, it was all he could do to keep his voice from shaking.
"Curses!" Ryou cried, dashing through the palace gates with his yami, trying to get to the others before it was too late.
--
:Mou hitori no boku… Doko?: The hikari bit his bottom lip, blinking back tears.
--
Bakura dragged his panting light down the labyrinth-like corridors that led to the area Kaiba and Akushiko were, cursing. This wasn't supposed to happen! It wasn't possible that an apprentice mage could rip two souls from Yugi's body in such a short time.
A cool voice broke his train of thought. "I'm afraid you're too late. Your friend is gone now, and you'll never see him again, not now, not ever."
::Atemu!:: Bakura's heart leaped when he saw the just pharaoh, then remembered that Atemu was possessed by Akushiko, while Yami's spirit was wandering aimlessly somewhere.
"I am not going to let you interrupt my student in her work," Akunadin continued, and the Millennium Puzzle that hung around his neck emitted a force that nobody had ever seen or felt before.
Everywhere in Egypt, time froze in its tracks.
Ryou saw his yami suddenly halt, and noticed that nothing was moving. His soft brown eyes met his yami's blank ones.
:Baku, what's wrong? Why has everyone stopped moving?:
Silence settled in the back of his muddled mind, and he reached out to hug his darker self tightly.
:I'm sorry. I have to go look for Yugi and the others.:
Running ahead, he shut his eyes tight, to keep his sadness within him as much as possible. The hikari knew that Bakura would not want him to just sit down and cry.
:I'll make you proud of me. I'll come back, no matter what. I promise.:
--
"Mou hitori no boku…" Yugi murmured silently to himself. "Will I be alone again?"
-=-End of chapter-=-
Authoress Notes: The next chapter is the epilogue which I decided to post the same time as this chapter, so if you want to know what happens in the end, you better read it! Please? XD And please review too?