MP: Hello again readers! Thanks for coming back. Ofcourse, if you wanted to find out what happened to Joey and Yugi, you didn't really have a choice. Hehe. Down to our alternate ending. Now, the reason I put up the alternate ending before the REAL ending is because I just thought it would be more exciting. Besides, now you'll have to keep checking back to see what really happens to Yugi, Yami, and Joey. Alright, with that said, enjoy. Oh, P.S., character death in this chapter (not tellin who though).
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of it's characters.
Friendship Beyond the Grave
Chapter 9
"Yugi! Yugi!" Yami was calling out to his lighter half. "Release me immediately!" he demanded, glaring at Nattero. "Jeez, you are a whiney pharoh." Nattero said, rolling his eyes. Yami was being pulled along, still bound to the puzzle. He pushed against the invisible wall that kept him from saving his aibou.
A loud bang was heard. Followed by a shout of pain. Yami's blood ran cold. His heart felt like it had lept into his throat. "No..." he whispered. Nattero stopped. "Ah. It sounds like Kutana finnished off your little midget friend. About time." He smirked contently and started to walk off again. This time, he was slower, knowing that all was taken care of. He didn't care one bit that a death had occured just yards away.
Yami couldn't speak. He couldn't move. He just froze and stared into the darkness behind the two of them. He sank to the ground. Though still being pulled, he didn't resist. There was no reason to struggle anymore. He had no one to save. Yugi was dead.
Yami thought to himself for a moment. 'he..he can't be...no..' His eyes were turning dim. The once ambitious, powerful crimson color, was now dull and lifeless. '..no..Yugi can't be...' Tears started to fall to the cold ground. '..he can't be...'
Yami started to fade. He was disappearing. He didn't know where. He didn't know why. He didn't know how. But he didn't care. He didn't even think about it. All he wanted was to escape this reality. He wanted this all to be a terrible dream. Or more like nightmare. He wanted to wake up, and be greeted by Yugi, Joey, and everyone he cared about. Yami closed his eyes calmly. 'he can't be...gone...' He disappeared, as the Millenium Puzzle glowed, then dimmed.
Yugi felt a bead of sweat drip down his face. He also felt a warm substance flow down the side of his head. Blood. He opened his eyes slowly. There, standing infront of him, was Kutana. He was cringing, in what seemed like embarrassment. "Juro, you ok?" yelled Yutamu.
Yugi felt the force on his left arm disappear, as Juro broke away. He was clutching his arm, which was covered in blood. "YAH! Kutana! What was that about?" he shouted. He fell on the ground, and was pratically rolling around, crying in pain. "I'm sorry! The kid must have moved at the last second!" Kutana said defensively.
Yugi was standing, still confused as to what had just happened. He brought his hand up to the side of his head. Surely that shot would have killed him. And the blood was right there. But there was no injurey, and no pain. That wasn't his blood, it was Juro's. Kutana must have accidently shot Juro's arm, instead of Yugi's head. But Yugi knew he hadn't moved an inch after that shot was fired. He thanked goodness that this particular evil leader had a very bad aim.
He looked at the panicing Kutana, and the stunned Yutamu. Seeing this as his chance, Yugi ran for it. Luckly, Yutamu's grip had losened, so jerking his arm away was easy. He took off like a racecar. Unfortunatley, Kutana had managed to spot him before he could get out of range. "Oh no you don't!" he shouted. Kutana pulled the trigger again and again. He fired several shots at Yugi, before stopping to see if they hit the target.
Yugi dodged one, then another, then another. He must have jumped away from at least four bullets by now. Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his right leg. he cried out and tripped, falling to the ground. He looked back, and saw he was bleeding a few inches away from his knee. Spying Kutana, firing more shots, he quickly pulled himself to his feet. He struggled to run as fast as he was able. If he got caught, or seriously injured, it was all over.
Another pain shot through him. This time in the left arm, mere inches from his shoulder. Yugi clutched the new wound, gritting his teeth, trying to ignore the burning sting. Tears started to build up in his eyes. He was only a few feet from a large bunch of trees. Hopefully, that would provide some protection.
"Get him!" Kutana ordered. Juro staggered to his feet, still holding his arm. It was still bleeding, but was slowing down. He charged for the small boy. Yugi glanced behind him. Seeing Juro on his tail, he sped up. Juro ludged for him, but just barely missed, landing flat on his face.
Yugi sighed in relief. 'at least these guys are clumsy.' he thought. He was about two feet away from the safety of the trees when he heard footsteps behind him again. He turned to see Yutamu, almost inches away. He let out a startled gasp before zooming off.
There was a thud, and Yugi suddenly lost his balance. He soon found himself on the ground. Looking at his foot, he saw that he had tripped over a rock in the ground. Before he could react, Yutamu was right above him. Yugi looked up to see him, an annoyed look on his face. "You're not running away this time.." he said, in a deep voice. Yugi was frozen in fear. For the second time that night, he felt like he was staring death in the face.
He couldn't move from the spot. He knew that he couldn't escape in time anyway. Yutamu pulled a small gun from his jacket. "I'm a better shot then Kutana." he stated. Yugi knew what was coming next. He gulped and shut his eyes tight, bracing for the pain. He wished that Joey was here to save him. If only. "Ok kid...time to die." He pulled the trigger. A loud gunshot was heard.
Yugi screamed as he felt the bullet hit. But what was odd, was the fact that it had hit his right shoulder. He opened his eyes to see why. What he witnessed was something entirely unexpected. It was amazing, but at the same time confusing.
Yutamu was in mid air. He was being thrown to the side, head first. It looked like he had been puched in the face, very hard. He fell on the ground, and looked up, spitting out a little blood. "W-what the heck was that?" he shouted, wide eyed. Yugi was also confused. "Hey Yugi..." came a familiar voice. The boy's eyes widened. He slowly moved his attension to who was infront of him.
He gawked at the image he found. It was a person he knew. They had scraggly blonde hair, and honey brown eyes. He wore a blue, boy's Domino High uniform. Much to Yugi's surprised, he also wore the Millenium Puzzle around his neck. The figure stood there, smirking proudly. It was none other than Joey Wheeler. "...what's up pal?"
"Gotta find Yugi..gotta find Yugi..." Joey keep repeating himself over and over. He was still running to the park, hoping that he wasn't too late. Finally, he was close enough to see the entrance. But he stopped suddenly, seeing someone run out, holding two golden items. Joey's eyes widened. It was Nattero, one of Kutana's group. He was carrying the Millenium Cage, and in it, a smaller version of the Millenium Puzzle. Joey expected this as a sign of the worst. that Yugi was now dead.
He dashed to Nattero. Knowing he couldn't be seen, he went right up to him and threw and angry punch. Nattero was flung to the ground, in a daze. He was out cold, never knowing what hit him. Joey picked up the cage. After fiddling with it for a few minutes, he finally got it open. He snatched the puzzle out, and tossed the cage on the ground carelessly. "Oh man! Yugi's puzzle! Dis can't be good." he muttered.
Joey was panicing. He had no idea what to do. Suddenly, the puzzle began to glow brightly. The teen dropped the magical object in surprised. "Ah! What the hey?" he shouted. Yami suddenly appeared next to it in spirit form "Yugi! Is that you?" he asked hopefully. "Y-Yami?" he realized. "J-Joey?" Yami shouted back.
"Yami, what are you doin' here? You should be helpin' Yugi out!" Joey said, still surprised. "Me, what about you? You're suppose to be dead!" Yami cried, still stunned. "It's a long story. I'll tell ya later. Right now, I need to know, where is Yugi?" Joey asked worriedly. Yami suddenly realized the situation. "Yugi! Kutana has him! I-I think he might be..." He trailed off, not wanting to finnish. He didn't want to believe it himself. Joey got a worried look. "Yami..that shot, I heard..please, don't tell me it was..." Yami got a sad look. He didn't say anything. He only winced at the thought.
"No...h-he's not! There's no way my buddy is.." Joey didn't finnish. "I won't believe it!" he shouted. Yami looked up at him. "Joey..." He got a determinded look on his face. "You're right. There's still time." he said, confidence in his voice. The blonde smiled, ambition filling his eyes. "Alright! Let's go save Yug."
Yami nodded. Joey began to take off, when the pharoh stopped him. "Wait, Joey. I have an idea." he said. Joey turned around. "Huh? What?" he asked. "You're a spirit. Yugi is unable to see you, and you probably can't do much, can you?" Yami asked. "Uh..well, sortta." Joey responded. Yami smiled. "Well, I have a spell I can use on you. It'll give you a temporary solid body."
"What? A body? That would be awso- hey! Wait a minute, you ain't gonna use me as a test for dis thing are ya?" Joey blurted out. "No, no, Joey." Yami chuckled. "I've tried it many times on myself. It works for about twenty minutes or so." "Alright, I'll try it. But make dis quick ok?" Joey said, sighing. Yami nodded and held out his hand.
It started to glow yellow. Yami closed his eyes and concentrated. Joey's body was suddenly outlined in a light of the same color. "Woah...is dis normal?" Joey asked. He was being raised off the ground. "Calm down Joey. Everything's fine." Yami whispered. Joey's body was now covered in bright light. Yami's eyes shot open. He put his hand down slowly. The light around Joey shattered into bits, and he was lowered to the ground.
For the first time in days, Joey felt his feet touch the grassy floor. He examined himself in amazement. "Woah...it worked.." His entire body was now solid. He felt so alive. Which was kind of ironic. Joey looked up to Yami, who was smiling proudly. He rushed up and tried to give him a big hug. "Man, Yami, your the bes-woah!" Forgetting that Yami was a spirit, he fell flat of his face. "Ouch!"
Yami snickered at Joey. "Heh..oh Joey..it's so good to have you back. And funny too." Joey laughed, blushing at his stupidity. It was kind of good to feel the pain of the ground again. Suddenly, the laughter was broken by the sound of another gunshot. A barrage of shot followed soon after. Varies shouts were heard in the distance. Yami and Joey snapped out of their cheerful moment. "Yugi!" they shouted in unison. Joey snatched up the puzzle, and put it on, around his neck. Now he could bring Yami with him. "Alright, let's go find Yugi." He said. Yami nodded. They rushed to where Yugi was, and arriving just in time.
"Hey Yugi...what's up pal?" Joey asked. Yugi stared, stunned. "J-J-Joey...i-is that..really you?" he whispered. "The one and only." Joey said, giving him a thumbs up. Before anyone knew what happened, Yugi had tackled Joey. "JOEY! I-I can't believe this! You're ok!" He was shouting with happiness. He had tears joy, flooding out of his eyes. "Woah! Woah! Calm down Yug!" Joey said, attempting to pry Yugi off. Yugi clung on tighter, hugging the air out of his best friend. "Yugi..can't..breathe.." the blonde choked.
Yugi suddenly realized he was suffocating Joey. "Oh, uh sorry." he said, climbing off. Joey sat up and took in a breath. He smiled warmly. "Hi ya Yugi. Long time no see eh?" Yugi was still wide eyed. "Joey...how..how did you..?" Joey sweatdropped. "It's...a long story buddy." Yugi smiled weakly. He once again jumped at Joey and squeezed him tight. "Joey, I don't care how you did it! You're back! You're alive!" Joey hugged Yugi back. "Well...not exactly..but, dis is good enough for me."
"Sorry to interupt...but I have a little something I need to finnish." came a voice. It was Kutana. He was holding his gun, and it was aimed right at the two boys. Joey and Yugi stood up quickly. "Kutana.." Joey growled. He stepped infront of Yugi protectively. Kutana smirked. He looked smug and sure. He had something up his sleeve. But what was it?
A sharp pain flew through the side of Joey's face. Before he knew what happened, he was on the ground. "Joey!" Yugi shouted. Joey sat up, wondering what happened. He looked over, to see Yutamu, standing behind Yugi. He had punched him while he wasn't looking. "Yugi! Look out!" Joey warned. It was too late. Yugi was grabbed from behind, and was now being restrained by Yutamu.
"Yugi!" Joey shouted. Kutana laughed coldly. Joey turned his head to the leader. "Leave him alone! He hasn't done anything ta you!" he yelled. "If I were you, I'de be a little less worried about your friend, and a bit more worried about the pharoh." he proclaimed. Joey blinked in confusion. He looked down at the puzzle. His eyes widened in fear and shock. The puzzle now lay in pieces. He must have fallen on it and broken it.
"No! Yami!" Yugi screamed. Joey removed what was left of the puzzle. "No.." he whispered. "I-I didn't mean ta..." He stopped speaking as soon as another shot was heard. Yugi yelled in pain. Joey snapped his head to where Yugi was. He saw his worst fear. Yugi was staring off into space, still being held. His eyes were wide and dull. His body was limp and lifeless. Blood started to poor out of his chest. "J-Joey...Yami..." he whispered. His voice was barely heard.
A final breath escaped Yugi's mouth. Yutamu released him. His body slumped to the ground in a lifeless heap. Joey's blood ran cold. He could barely breathe now. He trembled in fear. "YUGI!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. Yugi didn't respond. He couldn't respond. He was dead. Kutana chuckled and turned the gun toward Joey. Joey jerked his head toward the murderer. "Now then..." Kutana said darkly. "..I don't know how you're alive...but you won't be for much longer. Say good-bye..." He pulled the trigger. Joey felt a sharp pain pierce through his chest. He fell the ground, blood started to pool on the ground.
Joey stared up at the stary night sky. It seemed so calm and peaceful. The pain Joey felt was starting to numb. His eyes were clouding over. He was dying. Again. He couldn't believe it. Only five minutes in his new body, and already, it was dying. What was worse, was that now Yugi was dead.
With Yugi and Yami dead, there was no point in staying on earth. He had failed his mission. Joey's vision got darker and darker. Soon, there was nothing but blackness. He closed his eyes and took in his final breath. He spoke his last words softly, using up the rest of his air. "Yugi...Yami...I'm...sorry..."
Beeping. There was beeping. It was a constant beeping. It matched a thumping in his chest. His heart beat. Joey slowly opened his eyes. He groaned and sat up. "Uh...what the...where am I?"
He looked around. He was in a white room. All around him were various machines. The beeping came from the heart moniter sitting next to him. "What the?" Multiple wires and bandages covered him. Looking down, he saw that he was in a white hospital bed. A low moaning sound was heard next to him. Sitting there at Joey's side, with his face buried in wet sheets, was Yugi Mutou.
"Y-Yugi!" Joey shouted. Yugi's head shot right up. He stared at Joey. His eyes were wide, and his face was wet with tear stains. "J-Joey!" he shouted back. "Yugi! Your alive?" Joey asked. "I should ask you the same question!" Yugi said, stunned. Joey looked around frantically. "What's goin' on? Where am I?" he asked. Yugi's voice turned calm. "You're in the hospital Joey. You've been in a coma for two weeks now."
Joey's eyes turned wide again as he looked to Yugi again. "What? A coma? How?" he asked. Yugi tried not to tear up as he explained. "A passing police car found you in an alley. You were bloody and unconcience, so they brought you to the hospital. As soon as I heard, I dropped everything and came here." Joey suddenly remembered something. "Yugi! I gotta tell you something! There's this guy named Kutana, and he-" Joey's fast speech was interrupted by Yugi. "Kutana? You mean Kutana Yukazuma?" Joey stopped explaining. "Uh..yeah. How did you-" "He's all over the news." Yugi said, holding up a newspaper that was on the small table next to the bed. "The police found him and his gang a few blocks away from where they found they you. Those guys are in jail right now. I think they're the one's who attacked you."
Joey looked at the newspaper article about Kutana's capture. He leaned back in bed, still not quite sure what was going on. "I can't believe it. That was all a dream?" he said calmly. He closed his eyes and sighed. All of a sudden, he began to giggle. He burst into a crazy fit of laughter. Yugi stared at his friend, wondering if he had an overdose of a drug or something. Was this normal for a coma patient? He inched back a little, only to be pulled into a hug by Joey. "Haha! This is great! I was in a coma! It was all a dream!"
Yugi felt a little weirded out. Maybe that coma had effected his brain somehow. He simply shrugged unknowingly and smiled. Joey was insane, but Yugi just couldn't imagen life without the crazy teen.
The End
(not really, but you get the idea)
MP: Ta-da! There's chapter nine! Ok, be honest! None of you saw the whole coma dream plot coming, did ya? Tee hee. I was trying to surprise everyone. I hope it worked. Anyway, this is NOT the last chapter. If you wanna see what REALLY happens, keep checking back! Now, off to work on chapter 10! R&R!
Preview for Chapter 10
Joey smiled in victory. "Alright! We did it!" he said proudly. Yugi nodded happily. Joey suddenly felt strange. There was a tingling sensation in his arm. He looked at his arm to see it disappearing. "Gah! What the?" Yugi noticed Joey's body fading. "Joey! What's going on?" he asked, concerned. "Yami's body spell must be wearing off." Joey answered. "What? Body spell? You mean Yami gave you that body?" Yugi asked. "Yeah. I guess my times almost up." Joey sighed. Yugi gasped. "Does this mean you'll be dead again?" Joey nodded. "Yeah. But not for long. I've got it under control." He smiled. A shot suddenly pierced the night sky.
Yugi and Joey turned their heads to see Juro holding a gun. They had forgotten about him. Yugi thought he blacked out of blood loss or something. "There's one bullet left in this gun. Who wants it?" he asked, straining his voice. He was still weak from being shot. Yugi and Joey stood still. Juro smirked evily. "Fine. I'll choose." The trigger was pulled. It fired toward Yugi's head.
