Hope it's a pleasing chapter to everybody! (I'm trying to start every chapter a different way…) And thank you for the reviews!
I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!
The sun had climbed out of the horizon a while ago, and the once-sleepy town was beginning to awaken. For quite a while, the black limo had been one of the only cars on the road, but now others were pulling out to join it. And inside that black limo, the passengers were trying to keep their dropping eyelids open. Several heads jerked up from where they had been resting on their owners' chests when a brisk voice cut through the air. "Here we are! Way ahead of schedule!" Seto Kaiba, who, any sane person would agree, was way too cheerful in the mornings, smiled, pleased with himself, as they pulled off the freeway. A sign loomed over them, blinking "Welcome to DenTech City" in black, green, and red lights.
None of them had been able to sleep during the night, so enchanted were they by the sights aground them. Over the past hours, it had been like stepping into another world. There were huge monitors installed into the walls of skyscrapers, flashing colorful images for all to see. Citizens carried around what looked like miniature lap-tops in their belts, constantly taking them out and putting them back. The streets were miraculously clean, free from any garbage. The cars spilled no black fumes. In fact, Seto had caught people looking disapprovingly at the trail of exhaust his limo spilt out. Children, now emerging from homes on their way to school, pointed out their long, black car to their friends, curious expressions on their faces. The CEO was glad that the dark windows made it impossible for the people outside to look in.
It seemed that everything here was linked to computers. Mokuba had been right: this place was amazing.
"Now, where was that place…" Seto muttered, looking at a piece of paper. "BlazeQuest Headquarters…51423 Asen Street…"
"Uh…Niisama?"
"Yes, Mokuba?"
"I may be missing something…but where are the street signs?"
Seto looked around, startled.
Try as he might, he could not find any signs that told them where they were.
"What the…" the man frowned, slowing down.
BEEP!
Seto winced, speeding up again. Apparently, cars horns were one thing that had yet to be replaced.
Yugi sighed softly, looking out the window. It's all so grand, so new, so intriguing…
Yami would have liked it. He always liked exploring new thing…
Yami…
Yugi's eyes moistened, as they always did when thinking of his yami. It had been five years ago that he had gone home to a trashed and empty house. His friends had been shocked, and comforted him the best they could. But as months went by, they returned to their normal lives, as if Yami had never been there. Yugi, too, was forced by Time to move on. It seemed to him that the others gradually forgot about Yami, and also expected him to forget. But he never forgot. How could he! Yami had been his best friend, like a brother to him. They had been so close, and he had been torn away so suddenly…They say that Time heals, but for him, Time did not help. The pain, after all this time, was still so fresh, so raw, and so real.
Bakura and Malik made things worse. He could not help feeling jealous of the other two hikaris. It wasn't fair, that their dark halves were still there with them while his had been so cruelly taken. It wasn't fair! What had Yami done, to deserve all that pain? What had he done!
But he couldn't blame his friends. It wasn't their fault Yami was not here.
Yami…
I wish you'd come back.
He looked up towards the sun.
I'll wait for you, Yami. No matter how much time passes. I'll always wait for you.
"Damn."
"Hey Seto! Why'd we stop?" Joey yelled. "Out of gas?"
"Yes. Oh, and we're lost, too," Mokuba laughed. "Never thought I'd live to see the day my brother got lost!"
"We're lost?" Marik asked disbelievingly. "Does this mean that the great Seto Kaiba is actually human!"
"You're kidding!" his yami gasped. "All this time I thought…"
"Oh, shut up!" Seto snapped irritably. "It's not like you could have done much better! I don't know how these people get around without street signs!"
Bakura sniggered. "Maybe they all have their own personal Millennium Rings." He patted the item fondly.
"So what're we gonna do now?" Ryou asked with a hint of worry in his voice.
"What else? Get out and ask for help," Seto muttered dejectedly.
"Hey, are the pigs flying yet?" Joey yelped. "Has hell frozen over? SETO KAIBA IS ACTUALLY THINKING ABOUT ASKING FOR HELP!"
"Oh, Joey, lay off him. We're all only human," Yugi punched his friend lightly in the shoulder.
"That's not what I've always thought," Malik said indignantly.
"But then, your mind has always moved in mysterious ways," the bleach-blonde hikari responded thoughtfully, earning himself a jab in the ribs from his yami.
"Alright men. No help for it. Let's move out!" Mokuba chirped, opening the car door and climbing out. The others had no choice but to follow his example.
"Of all the places we could've gotten stuck in, why'd it have to be here!" Tristan moaned once they got a clear look at their current surroundings.
The place was out of synch with the world around it. It was an old neighborhood, with manually-locking doors and trash on the streets. There were no high-tech devices here. In short, it was a dump, in the outskirts of the most advanced city in the world.
"You picked a great place to stop, Seto," Joey groaned. "We'll be lucky if we can find anyone here!"
Seto winced, and vainly tried to scrap together what dignity he still had left. "I just picked a random place to park! What was I supposed to do, let the car break down in the middle of the road! Just shut up!"
"Let's go. We won't get anywhere by standing around. The car's no use now." Mokuba started forward, his brother by his side and the others trailing behind him.
After about twenty minutes of aimless wandering, they somehow made it to the top of a hill, which overlooked what appeared to be a run-down old village. There were people here and there, milling about. Children in ragged clothing ran together, laughing, with lean, well-muscled dogs at their heels. In the center, there was a small village square, with a store, a tailor's, and other such places. It was surrounded by a couple rings of houses.
"I thought places like these don't exist anymore," Ryou muttered to his companions. "And especially in the middle of the Tech World."
"Yes. It is odd," Seto nodded. "But what can we do? Perhaps they know the way out of here. Let's just go ask."
And so they started down, walking among the houses. They were surprised by they obvious care that had been put into the little gardens that popped up left and right. The flowers blossomed like jewels, little rays of hope in this desolated place.
As they made their way into the center of the village, the number of people they saw grew. Some turned to look at them curiously. Seto could not decide whom to ask.
Yugi looked around, made uncomfortable by the fact that they simply did not fit in. Although they were from the Outside World, it was clear that their lives were better then those of the people here.
But his unease was rudely pushed aside a moment later, for something caught his eyes.
Straining, he craned his neck to see what it was that had grabbed his attention more clearly. And when his eyes finally comprehended what they beheld, he suddenly chocked, stumbling backwards, thereby catching the others' attention. They turned to look at him questioningly, and all he could do was point.
He could practically feel his friends' eyes widen as their eyes landed on what he was currently staring at.
The object of their attention was a teenager; he was lean, with tanned skin and a good build. A black sleeveless shirt much like Seto's was pulled over his body, while a belt secured his worn jeans to his waist. He was walking away from them, hands stuffed into his pockets, a dog trotting beside him. A light breeze ruffled his messy hair, which was black, tipped with crimson and streaked with gold.
Yugi would recognize him anywhere.
Yami…
They were now earning more strange looks then ever from the people around them. But Yugi didn't care. He didn't care about anything anymore, except that Yami was there! He was right there, in front of them! Yugi almost started to cry right then. So many times, he had almost started to believe that he would never see his friend again. The police had given up, and closed the case years ago. His friends had given up, too, so very long ago. But he had held out against all the doubt and the uncertainty, and kept the small flame of hope alive.
And now Yami was here.
He started to move forward. It felt like he was in a dream. But no, it was no dream. He was dimly aware of the others behind him. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was that he got to his goal. Yami.
Yami, Yami. Yami…
"Hey!"
He didn't realize he'd spoken until he heard his own voice.
Yami didn't turn around. He just kept walking.
Yugi started to run. He ran until Yami was only a few feet ahead. And then he stopped. Because at that moment, the other teen seemed to finally realize someone was following him, and spun around.
Yugi's breath caught in his throat. For a moment, he thought he had been mistaken. That maybe this wasn't Yami after all.
But that couldn't be. This teen had the same crimson eyes and the same blonde bangs framing the same face. His hair style was different – it no longer stuck straight up – but that was a minor detail. This was Yami…wasn't it?
But Yugi could not only see, but also feel, the differences. The Yami he had known always had an air of authority about him. Something that told perfect strangers that he was older than he looked, and that he was much more experienced in the matters of life than any ordinary high school student. His eyes had always bore a hint of darkness, embedded there by thousands of years inside the Puzzle. His stride always had the confidence of a king.
This Yami – the teen in front of him, staring at him with a curious look on his face – had a light, almost innocent feel to him. His eyes held a spark that Yugi did not remember. They were softer, too, and no longer told the world that he was not to be messed with. He was like any fifteen-year-old, striding down the street to meet his friends. Where the Puzzle had hung there was now a round metal amulet attached to a long piece of brown leather. The amulet was divided into three uneven sections by what was like a lightning blot with an extra line. The biggest section was black. The medium-sized one was white, and the smallest part, red. On his belt, where his old dueling deck had resided, there was now a case with a strange device Yugi did not recognize.
And then he spoke, blinking in understandable confusion, for how many times was one chased down by a group to total strangers? His voice sounded strange to Yugi's ears. Yugi could hear the difference in that strange-yet-familiar voice. It was lighter now, with a trace of warmth that had never been there. "May I help you?" the teen asked simply, without a trace of hostility.
"Uh…I…" Yugi stuttered, completely at a loss for what to say. His mind had chosen to temporarily shut down, no doubt overdriven by the bombardment of feelings and questions. "Don't you…know me?" was the best the poor man could manage to get out.
"Excuse me?" the boy looked surprised. "Have we met?"
"Um…" Yugi looked down, uncomfortable. He doesn't even remember us! He doesn't remember me! Maybe he isn't Yami…
Bakura saved him, speaking up. "You look a lot like someone we know."
The boy cocked his head slightly, clearly perplexed. "I'm sorry…I don't believe I know you."
Malik shrugged, always the non-committal one. "Well, just forget it, then."
Seto grimaced, wondering how he had been talked into standing in the presence of such a ill-mannered fool. "I'm sorry. Please, ignore him. He has no manners whatsoever. But now that we're here…I was wondering if you could help us."
The boy smiled, and Yugi let out a light gasp. He knew that smile. That was how Yami always looked when he was particularly happy about something. He loved that smile. And then he knew. All his doubts were pushed away. This was Yami. Granted, he was missing a few memories, and had changed a whole lot, but it was most definitely him.
"I'd be glad to. What can I help you with?" the teen asked cheerfully, causally re-tucking his hands into his pockets.
"We're looking for Blaze Quest headquarters. We're from the Outside World, and got lost due to the lack of street signs. And, to top it all off, our car also decided to break down on us."
The teen perked up. "Oh! You're the group the government invited, right? It was all over the news!"
Seto nodded.
The boy grinned. "I was heading there now. We're a long way off. You could come with me."
"That'd be great," Mokuba said happily, relived. "Thanks."
"It's no problem," the teen smiled in such a un-Yami like way that Yugi wondered briefly just what kind of drugs the kidnappers might have given him to warp his personality so greatly.
"By the way, what's your name?" Joey asked, holding out a hand. "I'm Joey Wheeler. And these are my friends Seto and Mokuba Kaiba, Tristan Taylor, Marik and Malik Ishtar, Ryou Bakura, Bakura Ryou and Yugi Mouto."
"It's nice to meet you!" this was accompanied by an accepting smile and nod as he took Joey's hand and gave it a firm shake. "My name's Atemu."
Yugi sighed. Even his name was different.
An arm settled around his shoulders. Startled, Yugi looked to see Ryou smiling comfortingly at him.
He smiled back, standing up straight. He should be happy. No point seeking out all the bad things about their situation. After all, at least Yami – or Atemu, whoever – was alive…
They followed Atemu through the streets, wondering how in the world the teen could know exactly where he was going. And he must have known, for a series of alleys later, they found themselves back at their car.
Atemu looked down at the black dog that had been by his side the whole time. Grinning, he nudged the animal with his foot. "Yuro, go home. You know they won't let you into the buildings."
The dog looked up at him reproachfully, as if saying "I don't wanna go home."
"Go on," Atemu urged. "I'll be home by nightfall."
The dog looked up at his master, begging with the infamous "puppy eyes".
"Oh, don't do that," Atemu scowled. "Go on. Be a good dog."
Finally, Yuro gave up. He turned and headed back, tail between his legs, looking back every few steps as if to say, "I really have to go?"
"Why won't they let him into the buildings?" Ryou asked curiously.
"Animals have been forbidden in any public buildings for ages," Atemu shrugged. "It's a stupid rule, but I can't disobey it. Is this your car?"
"Yup," Seto patted the limo almost affectionately. "And it's never let me down before."
Atemu giggled. Yugi blinked. Boy that sounded strange. He didn't believe he had ever heard Yami giggle before.
"Well, I can see why you got lost. The cars in DenTech City are all installed with its own tracking device, so there's no need for street signs. And if the system in the car ever malfunctions, everyone has a PET to back it up with."
"What's a PET?" Joey spoke up.
"A Personal Terminal." Atemu explained patiently, reaching for the device at his belt. He took it out, and offered it to Joey, who accepted it. "It's a very useful thing, like a mini laptop."
Atemu's PET was red, rimmed with black. Upon it was the same symbol as the one on the amulet the teen wore. The buttons and structure of the PET reminded Yugi of a video game controller. There were slots in the side of the device, and the flat top was dominated by a square screen.
All of a sudden, the screen flashed to life, and the image of what looked like a young teen appeared. He wore a turquoise colored helmet with a clear green manual visor. The helmet had a wide strip of silver upon its center, stretching from its tip to the back. Two little golden notches were raised above the earpieces of the helmet. Spiky deep blue hair spilled out from under the helmet. His eyes were a clear violet set on a round boyish face. He sported a loose, comfortable aqua green shirt and loose pants in the same color. There was an indigo belt around his waist; and he wore knee-high robot-like boots and gloves that reached to his elbows. A sword was attached to his belt, and the same symbol that was on both the PET and Atemu's amulet was encrusted into the two sides of his helmet and also on his chest.
"Who are you!" he snapped harshly in a teenage voice, eyes narrowing in anger. "What have you done with Atemu-kun!"
"Wha-!" Joey yelped, almost dropping the device.
Atemu laughed, and took the PET back. "Nothing happed to me, Rokku. Stop thinking that I run into trouble around every corner."
"But you do!" the boy on the screen protested, amusement lacing into his voice, relaxed now that the apparent danger was past. "And don't do that to me. Warn me before you go passing the PET around."
"What is that thing?" Tristan asked, fascinated.
"Excuse me?" the boy in the PET sounded injured. "What do you mean by 'that thing'?"
"Oh Rock, don't take it personally. These are the people the government invited from the Outside World," Atemu soothed. Turning to the group, he explained, "In the PETs are the programs that run them. We call these programs Net Navis, short for Network Navigators. There are standard Navis, and customized ones that people either program themselves, or pay someone else to program for them. Navis can be useful." He paused and looked down at the screen with a smirk. "They can also be annoying. Much like a pesky little brother one must take care of."
"More like an older brother who must take care of their immature Operator. What would you do without me?" the Navi stuck out his tongue.
"I remember back before I had you," the teen replied, a dreamy look coming into his eyes. "Back then, I could actually do things without someone breathing down my neck. Tell me, what was I thinking when I created you?"
"Oh, ha ha ha, aren't you hilarious," the Navi scowled.
"Aren't I?" Atemu chuckled, thrusting the PET back to its holder on his belt. He ignored the muffled indignant string of words that followed.
"Looks like we're going to have to walk," the crimson-eyed teen said good-naturedly. "Let's get started."
Not many words were exchanged during the trip. Their surroundings melted from those of the rural area to the industrialized and prospering center of DenTech City. They boarded a bus, then a train, and then another bus, until finally, almost two hours later, they arrived in front of the gates of a huge compound, in the center of which was a wide and towering building. It reminded Mokuba of a castle of the medieval times, except without the watchtowers. In huge letters on the wall of the building were the initials 'BQ'.
"Here we are," Atemu grinned satisfactorily. "Blaze Quest Headquarters."
"Do we need any ID?" Seto asked, gazing in awe at the place, which was bigger and more magnificent then his own.
"Nah. They know me." Atemu walked up to a small panel by the gate and placed his palm upon it. The machine beeped, and the gates swung open.
Seto cocked his eyebrows, surprised that Atemu would have access to such a grand place.
More amazing still was how the staff welcomed him.
The moment they cleared the security and entered the main building, the butler smiled warmly, coming forward. "Ah, Mr. Atemu. You haven't been by this week. Are you well?"
"Very well, thank you, Mr. Takashi," Atemu beamed, and Yugi had the strange sensation that someone must have hijacked his yami's body. "If I may ask, where is Chaud?"
"Up in his room, Mr. Atemu. Are these your friends?"
"They are your guests. You knew they'd be coming?"
"Oh, yes! The group from the Outside, of course. May I take you coats, sirs?" the butler bowed, and took the coats they gave him.
"Shall I show them up to Mr. Blaze?" the man inquired as he hung their coats up onto a rack.
"No. I'll see to it. See you later, Mr. Takashi!" Atemu beckoned to his companions. They followed him down the hall and up several flights of stairs. The whole place was spotless, and every inch of it told of great wealth. There were no words to describe the majesty of the building, and it did what no place had ever been able to do: it took Seto Kaiba's breath away.
They at last came to a stop in front of a pair of wooden doors, which had been polished until it gleamed and shown. Intricate carvings and designs adorned the otherwise plain wood.
Atemu knocked, rapping his knuckles against the door twice.
A voice floated out almost immediately. "Who is it?"
"It's me Chaud. I brought some people you'd probably like to meet."
"Atemu, it's ten in the morning. Why are you here so early? Whoever it is couldn't have waited?" the voice sounded a bit annoyed.
"Chaud, that's not nice. You wouldn't say that if you knew who it was," the tri-color haired teen said sweetly. "Come out."
There was an audible sigh, the scrapping of a chair, footsteps, and then, with a small growl, the person inside opened the door.
He was a teen about fifteen years of age, with handsome features and a cold gaze. A gaze that was eerily similar to what Seto's had been like when the CEO had been sixteen. His hair was bi-colored: black topped with white. His shirt was black, covered with a red vest. A red PET sat in it pouch attached to his belt.
"Alright, who are these?" the boy ask impatiently, staring accursedly at Atemu.
"Oh, Chaud, no wonder you're so unpopular. Don't be so rude!" the shorter boy replied in a long-suffering tone. "How many times must I tell you? You're never gonna make any friends like that."
"Atemu…" Chaud warned, one eye twitching slightly.
The teen looked innocently at him. "I'm just warning you. Anyway, these are your guests from the Outside World. I found them in that old village outside the city."
"What?" the other teen's eyes widened, and he instantly straightened up. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"When exactly did I have the chance?" Atemu rolled his eyes.
"I was told you were to arrive this evening," Chaud was now completely ignoring the red-eyed teen (who made a face at him behind his back), shifting slightly to face the group. "You're early."
"Yes, we arrived quite a bit ahead of schedule," Seto nodded. "Unfortunately, street signs seem to be a bit…outdated here, and we got lost…"
"Oh…I take it your car does not have a tracking system?" the teen asked. "That would make it difficult to navigate. I'm sorry about that."
"The car ran out of gas. It's parked near that village. Would it be possible to retrieve it?" Seto inquired.
"Of course. I'll get someone to fetch it. I'm sorry you were not more properly welcomed. Come in, we'll get acquainted. My name is Chaud Blaze."
"Seto Kaiba." The two shook hands, and Chaud stepped back to let them through.
The group followed him in. The room was like the ones at those huge, fancy hotels, except better. There was everything. Including a bunch of stuffed chairs and two couches on which they settled themselves.
"If I may ask," Mokuba spoke up once they were settled. Atemu had followed them in, perching on the armrest of a recliner, legs swinging in a rather child-like fashion. "Who exactly are you? Will we not be meeting with the head of this company?"
"That's my father," Chaud responded. "I'm vice-president. He asked me to host you. As he put it, I 'need the experience.'"
"Ah. That makes sense. I'm the vice-president of Kaiba Corp. Mokuba Kaiba." The raven-haired teen grinned.
"A pleasure," Chaud nodded. "And are these your friends?"
"Yes. Yugi Mouto, Joey Wheeler, Ryou Bakura, Bakura Ryou…" he went on to introduce the rest of the gang.
"Well, I'm glad Atemu found you. The rural areas are not the best example of our city," Chaud commented.
"No need to thank me." Atemu grinned his remarkably cheerful grin.
Chaud shook his head despairingly. "Don't you ever grow up?"
"Not this century. You're going to talk with them now, aren't you?"
"Yes. Do you have any problems with that?"
"Yeah. Your talks bore me. They always end up as dull, boring, hour-long speeches."
Marik and Joey laughed. Bakura groaned. He hated speeches! Malik didn't look too happy, either. Ryou suppressed a chuckle.
Chaud shot Atemu a disgusted look. "Don't listen to him. He's talking about those speeches we have at board meetings."
Both Seto and Mokuba winced. They had had their fair share of those dreaded meetings.
"Nevertheless, I won't take my chances. Besides, your cook promised me some of her best dessert this time." Atemu slid off his chair. "I ain't gonna miss that. And Lan invited me to go to the arcade with him later. Who knows how long this meeting's going to take." He headed for the door.
Chaud sighed, knowing he had lost the discussion. "Shut the door on the way out."
"Yes, sir!" Atemu winked at him, giving a mock salute, at the same time bowing deeply, looking very ridiculous as a result. "Have fun! Try not to bore them all to sleep. Come down to the arcade later if you have time." Then the door closed and he was gone.
I realize this is a very different tone compared to the beginning to the story. I went from deep angst to almost-humor in two chapters. Stick with me (I begging here) and if you like angst, you won't be disappointed. That's coming up.
Rokku/Rock does NOT equal Megaman in this story. I just like the name. All cahracters of Megaman will have the names the English dub gave them.
Review, and tell me whatcha think!