Hey guys! I'm really really sorry it took so long for me to update. We're kinda in the middle of trying to find me a good computer, since the one I'm using right now is... well, is JUNK! Anyways, Let's get started.
Review Responses:
Mittens no Hikari: YAY! A cake! For me? *Hugs cake* O.o' *looks at her cake covered self* Maybe hugging a cake wasn't such a good idea. *Looks over at Joey and sees him holding an empty box* Joey? Where did all your camel treats go? Joey: Where all food goes once it's in my sight. Nightlight5: ~_~ Right don't the garbage disposal. Thank you for the review and for the cake that I'm wearing, this color looks great on me. Joey: Thanks MnH.
CrazyAboutYugi: Thanks for understanding about the late late updating. I really glad you're getting into the story and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks
Bayleef: So true! They don't know what there in for, but I hope everything will be okay. Thanks
Amethyst: I'm glad you think it's great and I did update, but I didn't quiet make the soon part. Sorry and Thanks!
LadyDeathStrike1: Ah! Don't kill poor Bakura! *Hugs Bakura* He can't help it if he's just a poor Baka. Bakura: Hey! Nightlight5: Thanks for the review!
SerafinaMoon: I'm sorry I just had to end it there; it's my evil nature coming out. So okay okay, here's your update. Thanks! ^_^
Sorceress Vanessa: *stops and catches her breath* so we can finally stop running now? *Falls on the ground* what a relief! That cramp was starting to kill me. But I guess I better hurry up and update so the angry mob won't come back. Thanks!
Fire Pendant: *jumps at her screaming no* Erk! Come down. Don't worry... well, maybe I shouldn't tell you that since I know what's coming up next, but I don't want to spoil the story. ^_~ Thanks!
inuyashabutterfly: Thanks! I do really want to be on the school newspaper. *Flames* But they won't let me! I think a good Anime section is what our school needs. But no, I really don't have the cake. Only the one MnH gave to me and I'm wearing that one. See, it goes perfectly with my eyes. Yugi: But your eyes are brown. Joey: *licks lips* It was a chocolate cake. Nightlight5: Hey! Wait a minute! How you know? Joey: Ummm, I don't. Got ta go bye! Nightlight5: . Why doesn't he just eat everything? Thanks for the review!
Una1: Awww, Thank you and thanks SerafinaMoon. I'm really glad you like it. Thanks for the review! ^_^
Sword Master Jeff: *gasp* A laptop! *Hugs SMJ* Thank you Thank you Thank you! And you even put all my files on it. You're too kind! Thank you for the review and for the laptop! ^_~
Thanks you guys for all the reviews, I never thought I would get this many *58*! You guys are the best! *Hugs all the reviewers*
I would also like to thank the following for putting me on their Favorite Story List:
CrazyAboutYugi
Sorceress Vanessa
inuyashabutterfly
Anime-crazed33
Isilfea
MitoSanu
Mittens no Hikari
SerafinaMoon
Thanks you guys! Now Yugi?
Yugi: huh?
Nightlight5: Would you be so kind as to do the Disclaimer for me?
Joey: I'll do it! Nightlight5 doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh so she needs to stop torching my little buddy!
Nightlight5: Joey Wheeler! Nobody pulled your string and you ate my cake... both of them... so you'd better be glad I'm not torching you!
Joey: *sticks cake in his mouth*
Nightlight5: That's better! Now, on with the show... I mean story. ^_^
"Blah"=thinking
/blah/=Yugi to Yami
//blah//=Yami to Yugi
Chapter 9: The Confrontation between Friend or Foe
Yu... Yugi?!
It was the only words Joey could muster out at the time. Could it really be Yugi standing before them or was it just a mirage the cruel desert had sent to play with their weary minds. But it couldn't be, this was just too real. He had to find out for himself.
"Hey Yugi", Joey yelled taking a few steps closer, "Is that you?"
Joey continued to step closer and closer until he felt a firm grip take hold of his shoulder and stop him in his tracks.
"Hey, what's the meaning of this Shadi?"
"Don't go any closer", Shadi said as he examined the unmoving form of Yugi, "I feel a great evil inside of him, one that I haven't felt in years. I'm afraid that this isn't the Yugi you've known."
"What are you talking about, Shadi? My little buddy's not evil." Joey continued to walk forward ignoring Shadi's warning until he was close enough to touch him.
"Uhhh, Joey, I won't do that if I were you", Tristan said, "What if Shadi's right?"
"Nonsense, its just Yugi"
"Hey Yugi", Joey sighed putting his hand on Yugi's right arm, "Where have you been we've been worried about you?"
**~~Back Inside the Puzzle~~**
"Wakey Wakey Yugi", the Shadow mocked, prodding Yugi in the side to wake him up again.
Yugi slightly opened one eye and let a moan slip through his lips. His entire body ached from lose of energy, and he didn't feel like going though the mental torch again.
"Please just... leave me alone." Yugi moaned
"Awww, come now Yugi", the Shadow said, "I'm not here to let you sleep, besides, I'm here to give you good news."
"I doubt that."
"hmm, looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." The Shadow shrugged it off and stepped to the edge of the darkest that surrounded them. "But if you don't want to see your friends for the last time, I'll just destroy them now."
A sharp shot though the back of Yugi's head as his eyes popped wide open. "What are you talking about?"
"Your friends dear Yugi, they came all this way to see you. But don't take my word for it... here, see for yourself." the Shadow said placing his finger into the shadowy walls and swirling them around. The swirl began to spread out leaving a clear image of the outside world in the center. Yugi looked at the image that lay out before him. He could see Joey directly in front of him mouthing something that he couldn't hear. He could see Tea, Tristan, Ryou, Grandpa, and even Shadi in the background all with the same worried expression on their faces; except for Shadi, whose face never seemed to contain a bit of worried ness in it. But even despite the looks on their faces, it was those faces that gave Yugi a small flicker of hope. He never thought he would see them again and now here they were, just like they always were.
The Shadow watched Yugi's face turn from depressed to hopeful in a matter of seconds. It was a grave mistake on Yugi's part. For in that moment, the Shadow realized that he could get everything he wanted from Yugi now and all he had to do was use Yugi's last hope against him.
"Such loyal friends", the Shadow sighed, "It's to bad their about to meet their end."
"You leave my friends alone! They didn't do anything to you." Yugi pulled hard on the shadows around he's wrist begging them to let go.
"They're in my way, and I can't allow them to continue to be in my way. But... I suppose I could let them go."
Yugi stopped for a moment and looked into the Shadows eyes trying to figure out why he would let his friends go, just like that.
"I don't trust him. He's after something"
"But first", the Shadow said, "you have to do something for me."
Yugi bit the bottom of his lip as the pain in the back of his head increased. "What do you... want from me?"
"You know what I want Yugi. The same thing I've always wanted. Complete control of this pathetic body of yours."
"No way!" Yugi spat while getting a grim reminder of the pain in his head.
The Shadow shrugged and turned back to the image of Yugi's friends. "Suit yourself, but don't say I didn't warn you."
**~~Back to the Outside World~~**
"Hey Yugi", Joey repeated, "Are you okay in there?"
Yugi placed his hand on top of Joey's hand. He jumped at the sudden movement and asked Yugi one last time was he okay. Yugi looked up at Joey and gave him a slightly evil grin before speaking.
"Joey?"
Joey winced at the sight of Yugi's eyes. They were dull and sad and signs of life that once covered Yugi's face were now all but gone. They were just… empty. Joey had no doubt now that there was something wrong, but it was too late. A blinding blue light shot out from Yugi's hand and sent Joey flying backwards only to fall on top of Tristan.
"Joey! Tristan, are you okay?" Tea yelled as she and Ryou helped them both to their feet.
"Yugi?" Joey Whispered
"Yugi, what's the matter with you?" Grandpa scowled
"I told you this was not the Yugi you once knew", Shadi stated calmly.
"Well, if that's not Yugi", Tea questioned, "then who is it?"
"That's an excellent question." Shadi stated and then turned to Yugi, "An excellent question that demands an answer."
"I would worry less about who I am and worry more about what I'm about to do to all of you."
"Look here ya creep", Joey yelled taking a step closer, "I don't know who ya are or what ya want, but ya better let my little bud go or ya'll have Joey Wheeler to deal with."
"That's right", Tristan chimed in, "You'll have all of us to deal with."
"Oww, Yugi doesn't have quiet brave friends", Yugi smirked, "but right now friendship won't save you or him!" Yugi began to glow a bright blue and the earth began to rubble causing Grandpa to fall off his camel and onto the ground.
"What's going on?!" Grandpa yelled
**~~Back Inside the Puzzle~~**
"What are you doing?!" Yugi yelled, "leave them alone!"
"I'm doing what I told you I had to do Yugi. Now what kinda of shadow would I be if I didn't keep my word."
"Why can't you just go around them without hurting them? You have the power. Why can't you just leave them alone?" Yugi shook his head trying to will away the on coming tears, but was unsuccessful. "Why can't, you... just, leave them alone?"
"Awww, come now Yugi", The Shadow mocked skimming his fingers along the sides of the walls causing the others shadows to twist and swirl, "There's no need for tears. This can all stop if you just give me what I want. What do you say?"
Yugi didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. His friends had traveled all the way to Egypt to save him and now they were about to be destroyed buy this shadow that now resided inside of him. But now, he had a decision to make. He had to choice between himself... or his friends.
"I guess that's a no then", the Shadow said whirling around and slowly walking back to the screen like image.
"I'm so sorry about all of this you guys," Yugi thought as a salty tear slipped down the side on his pale cheek, "but I won't put you in danger any longer."
"So, I guess I'll just have to destroy...
"No, wait." Yugi whisper. "Take it."
"What's that Yugi", the Shadow said, "I couldn't quiet hear you."
"I said take it!" Yugi spat feeling a little more angered this time then before. "If it's my body you really what, then just take it and leave my friends alone!"
The Shadow smirked, letting out a small laughed and then turned on his heels. He's eyes had now turned to a deep crimson that seemed to glow in the dark. Yugi was taken back by this, but at the same time he felt peaceful, he felt as if he were fading away into this peaceful nothingness. He was slipping away, but to where he didn't know, nor did he really care.
The dark shadows rapped around the young boy after he had slipped into unconsciousness, covering him from head to toe. The Shadow approached slowly wearing the smile in victory. He shook his head slowly and let a small laugh slip from his throat.
"Yugi... I hadn't realized how much of a fool you really were. I would have never been able to destroy your friends, not so long as you were around. The love you have for your friends was the only thing keeping me from destroying them, but now that you're gone, there's nothing that can stop me now. It's strange, to think that the only way to save your friends, has now become their must certain death!"
**~~Back to the Outside World~~**
The rumble began to get stronger forcing the surrounding sand behind Joey and gang to rise into a tidal wave, sending a dark shadow out over all but Yugi.
"Watch out behind you, you guys." Tea yelled over the loud rumble.
"Let's get out of here!" Tristan yelled
"We can't", Joey said, "We can't leave without Yugi!"
"He's to far gone man! We'll have to worry about him later!"
"We can't move guys", Ryou yelled, "with all this rumbling we can't even stand for two seconds!"
There was nothing else left do. Because they couldn't stand, there was nothing else left to do but brace themselves for the oncoming wave. But a certain spirit wasn't going to stand for this.
"These foolish mortals can't even handle something like this on there own, Bakura sneered from inside the Millennium Ring, "But if I'm going to be around long enough to gain the seven Millennium Items, I'm going to need Ryou's body to do it."
Ryou fell to the ground as another rumble knocked him off his feet. He looked open at the wave of sand that was about to swallow them up, when suddenly he caught the bright light of the Millennium Ring glowing out the corner of his eye. Ryou looked down at the Ring and held it in his hands. A strange feeling washed over him, a feeling like he was being pushed aside. He remembered having this feeling when the spirit of his Millennium Ring uses to reside inside it. Ryou's eyes widen as he remembered that feeling well. "Can it be?" He felt his body go numb as the mouth of the sand closed and swallowed them up into an endless sea of sand.
Yugi smirked as the sand settled at his feet and all was calm again. At least... things on the outside were.
**~~Back in the Puzzle~~**
"After all this years, I had forgotten how good doing something like that can make you feel, right Yugi?" The Shadow looked at the small mass of wrapped up shadows where Yugi once was and smiled. "No, no... don't say another word, I would be must honored to take your place while your gone." The Shadow let out a ghostly laugh as he stepped inside the wrapped shadows. The mass began to glow a soft blue as the Shadow spoke one last time. "Soon... soon you'll all see!"
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Nightlight5: Well, there's chapter 9, I hope I didn't bore anybody to bad. So what did you think, drop me a review and tell me what you liked and didn't like, or what I need to improve on. Thanks, and again, sorry for the wait! ^_~
Nightlight5