Chaos: Would you believe it, this story lives! I really do apologise for the first chapter; characterization is my new thing, and I can't read that chapter without cringing. Grr. Anyway, it's Joey's turn – gotta feel sorry for him. (grin) As always, the timescale is messed up; this takes place after Tea's chapter, but half way through Yami's chapter. If that makes any sense to you. Heh.
Shibby-one – (gasp) Rest in Pieces? That song is the lyrics in a later chapter! How did you know? (sweatdrop) I love that song! And you're right – they can't keep denying it. That's the theme of this chapter, actually… how do you keep doing that? Anyway, thankyou for the wonderful review! (hug)
WEIRD – I say nothing. (grin) I can't give it away just yet! But it will shock you… I think. As for Seto… well, well, well. I'd really better shut up right now. As for the God problem, I'm trying to fix it! It's sort of automatic to leave a small 'g'. (sweatdrop)
Butterflybg – Actually, I considered starting over, but then everything suddenly sorted itself out. If you need to know, the story will cycle around Yami, Tea and Joey, but the other characters make occasional appearances. As for the evil heart… I figured if I killed Yugi at the start, I wouldn't feel it so bad. But then I got in a macabre mood, and wrote the scene where he died, and… hehe. I love him really! (sweatdrop)
Kitkat – No mistakes? Can it be? (gasp) Anyways… I'm glad you liked it so much, and I hope this chapter is as good!
Darkmetaldragonfangs – Aaw, thanks! I love those little things likes birds and denial that get repeated often. I'm glad you liked this so much!
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Illusion
Chapter 3
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Ok. I can't put this off any longer. Tea spoke to me yesterday, she'll be expecting me to have spoken to him by now. But where is he? I've spent the entire morning looking for him.
He's not in any of the places he hangs out normally. Though, if what Tea was implying...
Hey, I'm not stupid. I may act it sometimes, but I don't deny the truth when it's staring me in the face. And either Yugi's suddenly completely different, or we really did lose him that day. But then... who's my best buddy now?
At first it was ok. He was slightly odd - wanted to be on his own more - but we all disregarded that as shock. It seems stupid now. Denial - as I'm learning the hard way - is the most predictable of human emotions. (I heard that in a movie once)
The funny thing is, at first he reminded me of... well, it sounds stupid... he acted as though he was duelling all the time. I mean, not actually challenging people and throwing cards this way and that, obviously... he had the same confidence. The same - I don't know - inner strength. He moves differently; calmer, quieter. Though I put that down to shock at first, too.
It seems strange to think it, but I'm getting more and more convinced that there are - were - two Yugis. The friendly one, my best friend, and this other one - the strong one. He's my friend too, but lately... I really have to talk to him about this.
You're too important for anyone,
You play the role of all you long to be,
But I, I know who you really are,
You're the one who cries when you're alone,
There! I've found him. In this field behind the school. He's just getting up - I wonder how long he's been alone here?
As my suspicions grew, I tried to talk to him more and more often; by this point I can almost predict his responses. Let's see... first, he won't hear me calling. Then, I don't know, he'll probably be either withdrawn or aggressive.
I call his name. No response. Looks like I'm right...
I'm starting to hate being right.
"Yugi! Hello?" I yell again. I'm out of breath - I've been looking for him for ages - but my voice is still plenty loud enough, I'm sure.
"Yugi! Hey, Yug'! Can you even hear me?"
He looks round! Result! Or not. He looks worse than usual - not exactly withdrawn, more... sick. Ill. This conversation is going to be... interesting. "What is it?" he asks dully. Huh, that's a fine hello! It's like he can't wait to get rid of me.
Though if my theory if right, and provided that the two Yugis knew each other - I can't believe I'm saying this - then he has every right to hate me. And everybody else too. We've been forcing him to be somebody he's not, somebody he's most probably missing a lot.
Yugi a schizophrenic? I must be going crazy. But, well, the things I've seen in the duelling arena, all this stuff about the Shadow Realm? I'm starting to think that anything is possible...
"I've been yelling for the past five minutes, Yug'. Are you completely deaf all of a sudden?" Argh, it always goes like this. I'm trying to get Yugi back again... why can't I talk to him for once! Yugi is gone. Gone.
Denial. Corrupting everything... we should be comforting each other, not sticking our minds into a little pretendy game where nothing went wrong. Most predictable of human emotions. No wonder we're such a messed-up species.
"Yugi? What's wrong, man?" No! No, bad brain! I have to force out the right words... oh, God knows I'm useless at this. Why couldn't Tea do this instead of me! But... I suppose she already has. It's the rest of us that are keeping up this illusion.
I'm so sick of speaking words that no one understands
Is it clear enough that you can't live your whole life all alone
I can hear you in a whisper
But you can't even hear me screaming
"Nothing's wrong, Joey."
Denial. It's surrounding us. Right, this time I will say the right thing.
"You seem so out of it lately, that's all. I've been talking to Tea, and she agrees. It's like you're a completely different person since the accident."
I take a deep breath. That was near enough - he's intelligent enough to see through it. I wonder how he'll respond? He turns back to stare at me searchingly. I wait. Come on... help me, here... tell me I'm right. I hate being right, but anything's better than this...
He shakes his head. "What am I supposed to say?"
The death-blow. Yugi would never say that - he would shudder and say not to talk about the accident, or something - and the impact is like a weight falling on my shoulders. He really is gone. This... other-Yugi... is all we have left. And we're losing him. I look down and shut my eyes. I want to be sick.
"You're..." My voice is oddly strangled. I can't keep this up. "...you're supposed to say what Yugi would say."
There. I've admitted it. Out in the open. In your face, denial. Oh, but it hurts... I don't think I can bear to see the expression on his face, and before I know it my feet are carrying me out of there.
You think that I can't see right through your eyes,
Scared to death to face reality,
No one seems to hear your hidden cries,
You're left to face yourself alone,
You're supposed to feel better after this kind of thing, right? Well, whoever said that is a liar. I feel like somebody's tried to use a can opener on my heart. Why did this have to happen to us! What did we... what did Yugi... do to deserve this? It was only the school dance. None of us did anything wrong.
Tristan met a new girl - Mino? Miho? Something like that - Serenity tried to teach me how to dance. (No success there, sis'. Joey Wheeler is not a dancer) And Tea and Yugi - or was it the other Yugi- spent the entire time staring at each other. Both in denial, even then, when it was funny to watch it.
Nothing wrong there, is there? So why? Why this? Why us!
Life isn't fair.
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Yu-gi-oh! and all affiliated characters and trademarks are copyrighted to Kazuki Takahashi. This story is unofficial.
Song lyrics; Where will you go, by Evanescence
Note: Miho was a character in the original first series of Yuugiou in Japan. Unfortunately, the show never made it this far, and Duel Monsters took over. (Probably because Yami was quite the violent spirit back then – set people on fire and turned them insane and the like.) Anyway, Miho and Honda (Tristan) had serious crushes for each other, as I gather. So, voila! I incorporated her into the story, just because I felt like it. And she has purple hair. (grin)
