hey guys - it's been a while, i know, but i am back & at it...
i've also graduated & that's a big load off...man does it feel good!
thanks to:
Isis for the...um...5 reviews... but yeah, u completely made me smile there, and here's to you!
Christina - i survived! and if u liked that, this'll be even better (at least i think so...)
Fyredra - yes, me, big bad senior! but it's over now...i'm not really anything anymore. and i didn't get as much ryou in this chappie as i meant to, but i had to cut it off somewhere. i won't promise, but the next chappie should have plenty ryou... or at least his yami...
this chapter was one of those that was a lot of fun to write once i got into it. i hope u like it as much as i did...
Part 2 (Chapter 11) – Reaching Limits
No!!! Tea wanted to scream - to cry out. But all she could do was to watch helplessly as Yugi, Kira, and two other figures, more mysterious and shadowed than the first, walked unknowingly right into the darkness. Kira was surrounded in a lively green glow, and the girl walking behind her had a darker, emerald light around her. At Kira's left walked Yugi, his figure gleaming a golden color, and Yami, walking behind him, helped his smaller self to outshine their companions. Yet even that royal light was not enough to fight away the shadows closing in & unseen to all of them except Tea.
The last thing Tea saw was the golden light disappear into the black fog before she woke with a start. "Yugi!"
Breathing hard, Tea looked around her with widened eyes, and took in the familiar surroundings of her room. "Just a dream..." she murmured to herself in uneasy reassurance. She placed a hand against her chest where her heart pounded against her ribs. "Still... Why does it feel like I've already lost him?"
Tea drew her face downward, and clasped both hands beneath her chin. Yugi! Don't forget us! We'll always be your friends, and we'll always be here to stand by you. Don't forget... And please, Yugi, please . . . be careful.
Bakura, finished kneeling, stood back from the garden wall, slowly lifting his hands from its feathery surface. The wall may have looked delicate like the rest of the garden, but in truth, it was about as thick as magic could make it, and filled with many of the protective shadow spells that Bakura knew. When that fool of a pharaoh and his followers arrived, they would be held off for sure, even with knowledge of the ancient magics. For in his many years, Bakura had learned much of the dark arts, and the power he had taken from Ryou had opened for him, extraordinary opportunities. But all power does reach its limit...
Nothing. Just a flash that faded quickly. But no sound of an explosion. And not even a crack to signal weakness. Only Yami's long, laboured breaths, as he forced his spirit back to composure. And though the golden burst of magic that Yami had thrown forward had been intense, the garden wall before them showed no sign whatsoever of the pharaoh's assault.
"Well?" Kali asked, a bit impatient. If Yami's magic had done nothing, there was little chance that hers would be any different.
Yami punched the wall in frustration and muttered a few Egyptian curses under his breath, ignoring the sting in his fingers. "We can't let him win! That worthless dog..." and Yami broke off into Egyptian once again.
Yugi sighed, glancing from his darker self, over to Kira and Kali. "Any ideas?"
"Not really," Kira frowned, then semi-curious, stretched out a hand to the smooth surface before her. To the surprise of the group, her fingertips seemed to disappear into the haze that was the wall, but not a split second later, sharp pain coursed up her hand and arm. Kira fell away before the burning sensation could reach any father, and sat on the ground, holding her already numb arm in surprise.
Both Yami and Kali looked over in concern, as Yugi dropped to one knee next to Kira. "What happened?"
"A strong magic," Kira winced. "Probably to keep us out." She wiggled her fingers clumsily; tiny pinpricks of feeling were already starting to return.
"I didn't feel anything," Yami's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Kali walked over, and placed a palm firmly against the wall. It's surface was cold and smooth beneath her touch, but nothing more.
"I'm not making this up!" argued Kira.
Yami raised two hands in defense of himself. "I'm not saying you are. I'm just wondering what it could be."
"I wonder," Yugi mused, standing and walking to the wall. "If it affects me." The others watched in silence, Kali still touching the wall, as Yugi placed a palm firmly against its surface, just as Kira's yami had done.
Immediately, his hand disappeared all except for the very top layer of skin. Squeezing his eyes tight, Yugi shouted out in pain, and Yami rushed to his side, grabbing the hikari away from the wall. Yugi's breathing was heavy and uneven as he lay against Yami for support, and he didn't open his eyes for several long minutes.
"I don't understand." Kali shook her head. "Why does it only affect them? What can it mean?" Yami didn't have an answer.
Kira was deep in thought. "I don't know why just us, but this might be Bakura's only weakness. It might be our way to get in."
"If you survive," Yami cautioned. "The pain is too intense. It would do no good to kill yourself trying."
Kira shook her head stubbornly. "I think it's a way."
Yugi spoke up before either of the yamis could reply. "There's something else." He opened his eyes, and managed to sit up on his own strength. "I heard something when my hand went inside the wall. It sounded like..." he hesitated.
"Like what?" Yami asked.
"Well, I only heard a few seconds' worth," Yugi answered. "But it sounded like a song. Steady, gently-flowing notes. It was almost like it was fighting the pain."
"That's it then," Kira stood suddenly, and Kali looked at her in alarm, but the hikari just smiled. "I'm going to try again."
"You may not survive!" Yami spoke fearfully. "It's too much to risk."
But Kira shook her head. "I know what I'm doing."
Yami watched her, wide-eyed. "Kira...no..."
Not listening, Kira walked toward the wall, her arm already much better. Palms outstretched, she pressed both hands to the wall. This time, they went in past her wrists, and the place where her hands had entered began to glow. Drawing in a sharp, agonized breath, Kira fell to her knees, but pushed her hands further into the dark barrier.
Music filled her ears now, but not the song that Yugi had described. A few long notes were overshadowed by a fast-moving melody that swam all about her senses. The pain was ever as intense, but so was the music, and Kira thought only of being able to listen to it forever. The pain could wait. Kira pushed forward, wanting to find the source, and know this song down to her very soul.
And suddenly, she was through.
From the outside, all that could be seen was a sudden blaze of light that enveloped Kira before fading and taking any sign of her with it.
"Where is she?" Yugi murmured fearfully, getting to his feet.
Yami put out a hand to steady his light, though his eyes were still focused on the spot where Kira had disappeared. "She must have gotten through."
Kali walked over to the wall, her expression void of any emotion, though a hint of sad fear could be found in her voice. "But is she dead or alive?" Kali rested a hand on the once again smooth surface, and dropped her head, muffling her voice. "I can't feel her any more. The connection's been broken."
Why am I feeling this? Tea wondered. I'm not a dreamer. I don't have special powers. So can I really trust my own feelings?
She gazed over into her mirror across the room. What did she know of ancient magic? Of spirits and other realms? That was Yugi's world. His and Kira's. They belonged there. She didn't. Tea was a girl whose faith was in the things in front of her. True, she believed in friendship and staying true to what you believed in, but she wasn't so sure about magic.
"You can't deny it. Not after you've seen him go so far."
"Who?" Tea looked around her, and came face to face with a young girl, chin in hands and elbows resting on the edge of her bed, looking up at Tea with large blue-grey eyes. Tea stifled a scream.
"You needn't be so afraid," the girl casually waved one hand through the air. "I'll be gone in a few minutes, and you won't hear from me again. In fact, you can consider these next few moments to be another strange dream if it makes things any easier."
Tea found that any reply she might have wanted to make was stuck in her throat.
The girl smiled, almost cheekily. "You're not usually a dreamer, I know. Nor are you associated with the Shadow Realms in any direct way, so I'll forgive you your fear and confusion for now."
She continued, more seriously. "But what you've seen isn't any fantasy imagining. Your friends are soon to be in grave danger; though even there, they won't be without hope. So after I leave, think on your friends. Think on Yugi. Be sure of your trust in him, and be sure that he knows."
Tea blinked and managed a few hoarse words. "But how? How will I..." Tea paused, unsure of whether or not to continue, because the little girl had already vanished.
Slowly, surrounded by a sort of dazed feeling, Tea returned her thoughts to Yugi. My friend. Please. Be brave. I know that you can make it. There is so much more strength in your spirit than what most people see. And you aren't alone. Always remember that. Always...
"Tea..." Yugi whispered. Somehow, impossibly, he felt her presence - her reassuring hope & her positive faith. "But I'm still scared."
"What?" Yami looked down at his hikari.
Yugi took a deep breath and looked up at his yami. "I'm going after her."
Startled, Kali looked up from where she had hidden herself and her emotion against the wall.
"No!" Yami objected, and drew his little light to him in a close hug. "I won't lose you. Not to Bakura."
Yugi smiled. It was his turn to be strong. He had to be - for his yami. "Don't worry," he pulled back to look up at the anxious pharaoh. "You won't. But Kira needs me, and so does Ryou. I'm going after them, no matter what it takes." He took a deep breath and walked towards the wall.
Yami let the arm he had placed around Yugi's shoulders drop to his side. He didn't move, but watched his hikari in almost disbelief.
Help me, Tea, Yugi whispered silently. I can't do this on my own. And soon, he felt her love flow into him, soothing his frightened soul.Then, with a deep breath, Yugi let a genuine smile cover his face as he looked back at his yami to reassure him. "Don't worry," Yugi grinned, "I'll be back. I promise."
Yami looked away for a moment, ashamed of his own fear, then managed a shaky smile of his own. "I have faith in you, hikari. Be strong. I know you have the power to succeed."
"Thank you," Yugi nodded a farewell, then turned, and with a deep breath, walked boldly into the wall, where moments later, he disappeared in a bright light.
Feeling the bond with his hikari dissipate, Yami sank to his knees. "Come back to me, hikari. You have to. I can't lose you." And for the first time in five thousand years, Yami felt a wetness across his cheek.
btw - if you're into sailor moon at all, check out my new story Love Once Denied
it's a silver millenium romance story from a different pov. i wrote it for a present for a friend - it's a short (even by my standards) story & i should have posted the rest of the chapters within the next week!
well, that's all for now... cya soon!