Well, I was kinda hoping for some reviews here people. At the moment, I've got 1, count 'em 1. Excuse me while I go wallow in self pity. I do want to thank my reviewer, Nightlight5: I'm glad you like it and I hope you like this one too. J. This chapter's pretty long. I don't know if they'll all be this long, but maybe. I do want reviews this time though, ok?
By the way people, Nightlight5 wrote her own cool story. It's a Yugioh fic called Back 2 the future. I read what's posted so far and I really liked it. Check it out.
Disclaimer: Why does this sign keep popping up? I thought we already discussed this. *sigh* Okay, fine. I don't own anything but the idea for the plot and two new characters. Those are mine, you wanna use, ask.
//..// Yami mind speak
/…/ Hikari mind speak
Ch. 2- What Makes a Shadow
Yami woke to the sounds of the house being torn apart. He left the puzzle to find Yugi digging through drawers, couch cushions, and dumping out the contents of his toy box.
//um, Yugi?//
/Where is it? Where is it?/ Yami heard Yugi mutter in his thoughts.
"Yugi, what are you looking for?" Yami tried again, out loud this time. He ducked a flying apple and wondered if it wouldn't be safer back in the puzzle.
"Oh, morning Yami." Yugi smiled as he poked his head out from the freezer and ran over to the sink, yanking the cupboard doors beneath it open. "Do you have my backpack? I can't find my homework."
"Oh. I'm sorry Yugi, it probably got left a the library." Yami dodged a flying bar of soap. 'Definitely safer in the puzzle.' He thought. Fortunately, Yugi stopped throwing stuff over his shoulder.
"Oh, that's right," he sighed in relief. "I can't believe I didn't think of that." He scurried around the room, trying to put the house back in order.
"One question, Aibou," Yami called to him. "Why were you looking for your homework in the freezer?"
Yugi got rather red in the face. "Well, I'd already checked the rest of the house," he muttered while Yami laughed.
"Don't worry Yugi, we'll go back to the library and pick it up later," Yami assured him.
"Ok, Yami." Yugi smiled at him as he stuffed a jar of pickles back into the fridge. A knock reverberated throughout the house. "I'll get it, Aibou," Yami called to Yugi. He pulled open the door and wasn't happy with what he found.
""What do you want?" Yami growled.
"Stuff the high-n-mighty act, pharaoh." Bakura glared back. "What the heck were you doing in Ryou's soul room last night?" He pointed to the small white-haired boy tucked behind him.
"What?" Yami frowned. "Why would I be in Ryou's soul room?"
Bakura opened his mouth to answer, but Yugi who had peaked out form around Yami spoke up first. "Ryou, someone was in your soul room, too?" Ryou looked at Yugi and nodded.
"Someone, my butt!" Bakura yelled, glaring at Yami. "You're the only one I know who might have been able to do that."
"But Bakura," Yugi cut off Yami's angry response. "What about the Key Shadii had?"
"Shadii?" Yami thought about it for a second and in that second he and Bakura reached roughly the same conclusion: 'This is not going to be Shadii's day when I find him.'
"Actually, I don't think it was him or Yami," Ryou said, cutting into Yami and Bakura's thoughts. "It didn't sound like either of them."
"You're right," Yugi agreed. "The voice was a bit younger…"
"And I think it was female." Ryou added thoughtfully.
"Yeah, like a little girl or something."
"It could just be a boy with a high pitched voice."
"Are you two done yet?" Bakura demanded impatiently. "If the baka pharaoh didn't do it there's no reason to be here." Bakura grabbed Ryou and pretty much dragged him down the front steps to the sidewalk.
"Bye, Yugi," Ryou called, wincing slightly as Bakura's fingers dug into the skin of his arm. Yugi waved sadly and slowly closed the door. "Poor Ryou. Why's Bakura so rotten to him? Ryou's really nice!"
"I'm not sure, Aibou." Yami shrugged as he started up breakfast. "I think he really does care about him but probably resents the emotion. Let's hope the baka tomb robber figures that out before Ryou decides to stop being so forgiving."
The clouds that had been brought in by the wind the night before were still looming over head as Yugi and Yami started off for the library once more. This time, of course, he managed to remember to bring a jacket. Yugi was walking with his face turned up, trying to make pictures out of the clouds. Yami couldn't seem to get the idea.
"What's that one look like Yami?" Yugi pointed to one.
"…Ummmm…"
"Aww, come on, Yami. Look at it. I think it looks like …a dog!"
Yami blinked. "That looks nothing like a dog."
"Just use your imagination Yami." Yugi continued to stare at the clouds. Until…
"Aibou! There's a pole-" Clang! Yugi bounced off the pole, clutching his forehead. "Yugi are you ok?"
"Don't you dare laugh." Yugi demanded as the corners of Yami's mouth twitched.
The library was fairly empty when they got there. Yugi headed straight for the table he'd fallen asleep at the night before. He sighed in relief as he found his notebook and backpack lying untouched by the vacant chair. He gathered his stuff up and turned to leave.
"Yami, you're supposed to be quiet in a library!" someone hissed.
"Did you say something, Aibou?" Yami asked. Yugi shook his head, looking puzzled. Yami move toward where it sounded like the voice had come form. As they rounded the corner, they heard a light laugh and someone else chuckle.
When they finally found them they saw two teenage girls browsing the bookshelves. The smaller one was crouched on the floor, trying to read the titles on the bottom shelf. She had dirty blonde hair and light grey green eyes. Just to her right, another girl that could have been her sister for so many similarities was leaning against the bookshelf, looking bored. He had nearly the same face as the girl on the floor, except her hair was a light brown and longer. In addition, she had pure jade eyes and probably would have been taller than her friend if they stood back to back.
"Hikari, do we really need to do this?" the taller one pleaded with the one on the floor.
'Hikari?' Yami's eyes widened. 'Is it possible?'
"Yes yami." The girl on the floor sighed. "I'm sorry you're bored, but-" She caught sight of Yugi and Yami and her eyes grew huge. Her face went from shocked ot joyful in seconds flat. Before Yugi knew what was happening, the girl had sprinted over and knocked him over with a hug. "Oh my gosh! Yugi! I can't believe this! I must be dreaming!" She released him only to hop around with joy. Yugi stared at her in shock, almost afraid to move in case she attacked. (A/N: Anyone else think this sounds like an encounter with a fangirl?)
"Uh, Kamui, I think you're scaring him." The other girl came up behind her, smirking. She grinned at a confused and scowling Yami. "Geeze Sunshine, you look happy as ever."
"I don't mean to be rude or anything," Yugi burst out, "But who the heck are you?"
The smaller girl stopped jumping around and turned to him surprised. She bit her lip and winced. "I guess you don't remember us, huh?" She looked downcast.
"Don't pout, Story-teller. You didn't remember who I was at first and you're the one who keeps the story," the taller girl reassured her.
"Oh. Right." She grinned sheepishly. She turned back to Yugi and yami and took a deep breath. "My name is Kamui. This," she gestured to the taller girl beside her, "is my Yami, Shion."
"Nice to see you again, Yugioh," Shion grinned.
"How do you know my Aibou and me?" he demanded. Shion rolled her eyes and Kamui smiled apologetically.
"You don't have a very good memory, do you?" Shion accused.
"Yami…" Kamui said in a pleading tone.
"All right, Hikari, I'll be nice." Shion replied grudgingly.
"It's not Yami's fault he can't remember much about Egypt!" Yugi defended him. Shion look amazed.
"Hold a moment. You mean he can't even remember Egypt? Well no wonder he can't remember us!"
"I knew you two in Egypt?" Yami raised an eyebrow.
"No, baka. We knew you before Egypt." Shion snorted. There was a moment's silence while this sunk in. Yugi and Yami were becoming increasingly confused.
"You weren't lost yet, when we knew you," Kamui added. Needless to say, this didn't exactly help their confusion.
"Try explaining from the beginning," yami said through gritted teeth.
"The beginning?" The two girls glanced at each other. "This could take awhile."
* * * * * * * * * * *
Quick Note: let's discuss the name confusion shall we? Ok, Yami will still be refered to as Yami in the narration, though Kamui and Shion refer to him as Yugioh when they speak. Kamui calls her own Yami: Yami. Ryou's Yami is known as Bakura. Ok? So it's:
Hikari: Yami
Yugi: Yami (Yugioh)
Ryou: Bakura
Kamui: Shion
Everybody got it or confused? Oh well, just go with it.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
After 15 minutes of debate and three cases of Hikaris using puppy eyes on their yamis, the foursome agreed that the whole story could be explained at Yugi's favorite burger place. Neither yami was hungry, but the two Hikaris both insisted on ordering before talking. Yugi ordered a burger and Kamui had three orders of fries.
"Don't ask," Shion muttered when Yami raised an eyebrow at Kamui's choice. "Just thank the stars they don't sell candy canes."
"Alright, now will you explain?" Yami asked. Yugi looked over at Shion. She took a deep breath and began to talk.
"Alright, no interruptions. In the space of time between the beginning of earth and ,well, time, 4 lights and darkness were created."
"Four Hikaris and Yamis?" Yugi piped up. Shion nodded.
"As hard as this may be to believe, you and Yugioh were one of those four pairs. Kamui and I were another. The third was-"
"Ryou and Bakura," Yami finished.
"You remember them?" Shion asked, surprised.
"They're in the area, actually." Yami explained.
"No kidding!" Shion's brow furrowed in thought for a moment. Then she straightened and continued. "Anyway, each light and darkness had both a physical representative light and a balance to preserve. I know this is kind of confusing, so let me give you an example. Yugi," she pointed at him, "is represented by the sun. Yami, you in turn are represented by all shadows and darkness that exist or are created during the day. I bet you'd guess the balance you two preserve if given the chance, but in the interest of time, I'm just going to tell you. You two are supposed to be preserving the balance between justice," she pointed at Yami, "And mercy." She pointed to Yugi. "Any questions?"
Yugi blinked. This was a little much to absorb in one go. First he finds yet another person with a Yami and now he's being told that he existed before the before the earth? So much for homework this weekend.
"If we're justice and the sun and all that," Yugi asked, "what are you guys?"
"My Hikari is represented by the moon ," shion explained as kamui smiled. "Between us, we keep the balance between stories, that's her, and secrets, that's me. That's why we remember. When I finally found my Hikari, I taught her how to go into her soul room. As Storyteller, she was able to find her own story among all the others she keeps in her room and regain her memories."
"The only part we can't find is what happened to the fourth pair of Hikari and Yami," Kamui interrupted. "Also, aside form the fact that it had something to do with the creation of the shadow realm, we don't know why all the pairs were split up and sent to earth."
"The Shadow Realm caused this?" Yami asked.
"We think so. Speaking of the shadow realm, I need to speak to you, Yugioh." Shion looked at him.
"Secrets, Yami?" Kamui looked at Shion reproachfully.
"I'm sorry, storyteller, but I really do need to speak to him."
Kamui sighed. "Come on Yugi. The secret-keeper can't seem to enjoy herself without a secret. Let's go to the sweetshop across the road." The two left and yami turned to Shion. "Do we really want to let them go into a sugar store unsupervised?"
"I don't want my hikari to hear what I have to tell you. You can choose to tell yours later, but frankly I don't want mine scared out of her wits." Shion snapped.
"What do you need to tell me that your own hikari can't hear?"
"What's your hikari's worst fear?" she asked him.
Yami thought for a moment. "That his friends would get hurt or that I would abandon him, even though he knows its impossible for a yami to want to leave their hikari."
"Which is why I think its best they not be here when I tell you what happened when one did."
"What?!" Yami yelled. The entire restaurant stared. Yami and Shion glared around the room until they all returned to their own conversations. "A yami purposefully abandoned their hikari?" he lowered his voice this time.
Shion nodded, her eyes blazing. "My hikari didn't find it in her soul room because it's in my soul room."
"It's a secret then?" Yami asked.
"My secret." Shion nodded. "What happened is something along the lines of this: the fourth pair-I couldn't find any names- were the guardians of the balnce of chance and fate. I don't know why and frankly I don't want to, but the fire yami (they were the light and darkness of flame) felt that her life would be more in her control if she weren't connected to her hiker, who held the fate side of the balance. Yugioh, she…" Shion swallowed, trying to force the words out. Yami watched as she seemed to be almost in physical pain and began to fear what would be said.
"Yugioh, the fire yami literally cut the bond between them, tearing her lights soul into tatters in the process."
Yami felt like he'd been kicked in the gut. How could someone do something like that to their hikari? He winced and ground his teeth in anger. 'How could they?!' He pulled himself form his shock as Shion began to speak again.
"When that happened, both the fire yami and hikari were sort of…twisted. They no longer had each other and when there's no light, there's no darkness and vise versa. There's only-"
"Shadow," Yami finished. "They became the Shadow Realm."
Shion nodded. "Well, they began it anyway. It seems to have been growing while were gone."
"How did we leave? I mean, how did we wind up on earth with no or little memory? Why was I in Egypt?" Yami pressed her.
"I'm getting to that. Now, when those two became the shadowed, all balances were thrown into chaos. The other three hikaris, Yugi included, seemed to be affected first, as though they could feel the fourth light's pain. Perhaps that's why Kamui's always so afraid of me leaving her…" Shion trailed off.
"Continue." Yami growled, not really wanting to dwell on the thought of of his Aibou in such torment. Shion growled back, but continued.
"Our three Hikaris were pulled into the shadows that began to grow form where that blasted Yami had cut his and his hikari's bond. You and Bakura dove after them while I tried to reach mine through our soul rooms. The only thing I can imagine happened after that is that you must have all gotten lost in time when I got locked in my soul room. I didn't manage to get out until about a year ago. I found my hikari and showed her her own soul room as proof of who I was. Of course, I wasn't entirely sure myself of what was going on until I found the secret and she found the story. Those two things along with what was left of my memory helped me piece it all together.
"You know what we have to do now right?" Yami asked.
"Find the fire yami and kick her butt?" Shion suggested hopefully.
"We have to find Bakura and Ryou and let them know what's going on." Yami corrected her.
"I like my idea better." Shion grumbled.
"So do I," Yami admitted. "I'm sure we can fit that in too."
"So we get to go visit Bakura," Shion mused. "Peachy. Is he a big a pain in the butt as I remember?"
"Better believe it." Yami groaned. "Just this morning he was accusing me of-" Yami stopped. Something clicked in his mind. "Yugi's soul room."
"Whaa?" Shion looked at him weird.
"Someone was talking to Yugi in his soul room last night. Bakura said someone was in Ryou's room. In both cases the voice said the same thing: that Yugi and Ryou's yamis weren't there anymore."
"Aww crap. I was hoping Kamui had simply had a nightmare. This can't be good. Only a Yami or a hikari can get into another's soul room."
"Shadii had a key he used. The millennium Key," Yami pointed out.
"It must have used powers form the Shadow Realm which used to be a Yami and Hikari." Shion reasoned. Her eyes became slits and turned a brighter green. "If that bloody fire Yami comes within three miles of my hikari…" she let the threat hang.
Yami pounded on the table. "What would she want with out hikaris? She didn't want her own!"
"Balance." Shion whispered. "Don't you see? If it can separate another pair of Yami and hikari, they will become shadows too, and be large and strong enough to tip the balance and break the bond that you and whoever else placed on them when you sealed them with the millennium items.
"Oh Ra." Yami breathed. "It wants to tear Yugi and me apart? I WON'T ALLOW IT!"
"Well, DUH!" Shion hissed. "But don't tell your hikari unless you feel you have to. The fear would be crazy and I'm afraid it would trigger the memories of how it flet before, when the dark and light were cut apart."
Yami nodded. "Lets go pick up Yugi and Kamui and pay Bakura a visit."
"Yeah. Hey Yugioh? What kind of sweets are in that shop?"
"Huh? Oh, the shop they went into has all kinds of chocolate and sugar and holiday candies and-"
"H-Holiday candies?" Shion squeaked. "Oh no! MY HIKARI'S BUYING CANDY CANES!!" A look of pure horror raced over her face as she rushed out. "Come on Yugioh! We've got to go prevent an early apocalypse!"
** * * * * * * * * * * *
Wow! That was a long chapter. Please don't assume all chapters will be this long. They might be, but I doubt it. Especially not if you want me to update on a regular basis.
So, how'd I do? The next chapter will probably be more light-hearted, at least in the beginning for sure. I'd really like some reviews here people, so I'm not up dating so fast next time. So let's all press the little blue button that says go and write something.
Warning: flames will be used to light the fuses of bombs I throw back.