Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh. Kazuki Takahashi does.
Warning: This fic contains shounen-ai, that is, boyxboy relationships. Don't like, don't read… now, on with the chapter!
Seto and Jonouchi looked through a scrying mirror they had found amongst the debris of the Room of Visions next to the unmoving body of and apprentice Seer.
"How's the battle going, Seto?" Jonouchi eagerly asked, sitting on the Kings lap.
"Everything is going very well," he replied, lowering the mirror so that Jonouchi could see, "The real Elementals are losing their power… and fast."
"Soon we shall be ruling?" Jonouchi asked, tilting his face towards Seto's.
"Yes, soon," he said as he gently kissed Jonouchi.
(A New Fight Begins)
Bakura floated through his mind, letting the gentle currents take him where they desired. Sighing, he closed his eyes and the currents eventually set him down in the underwater garden that was in his mind. Opening his eyes, he looked around the once beautiful garden. His eyes widened at the scene in front of him. The once neatly kept garden was wild and unruly. Different sea plants were growing in every direction, some killing others and closing off homes to the marine life that lived there. He glanced around in shock as he noticed the leaves of the plants tinged brown.
"What is going on?" he whispered, as he held a leaf gently in his hand. It grew browner and browner by the second. "Ryou…your magic is being depleted too quickly," he said aloud, hoping that Ryou could somehow hear him. An icy tear froze on his cheek as he became frightened of what may happen to the teen.
"Be careful, love. I need you. You cannot die. You must not die," he whispered, holding the only perfectly alive flower in his hands as he drifted back to consciousness.
(A New Fight Begins)
Marik wandered through his mind, tiny flames welcoming him, gently brushing against him in comfort.
On the outskirts of his mind, the flames were small, but as he travelled deeper and deeper and closer to Malik's special place, the small flames were becoming glowing embers. He looked around confusedly. Although his magical reserves had been severely depleted, almost on the verge of being wiped out completely, the flames in Malik's place should have been burning strongest and hottest…
"There is something wrong," Marik whispered as he stepped into Malik's place and looked at the glowing embers. Tenderly, he picked them up and realised that the air in this area of his mind was decreasing, and quickly too.
"Malik…Malik. You're pouring your life force into your magic. Stop before it's too late, love. Please, keep your air for me. I need you," Malik said as he gently placed the embers where they came from before tending to his tiny flames and returning to the real world, his magic slowly replenishing itself.
(A New Fight Begins)
Being Yugi's shadow, Yami had time to drift on the borders of his mind, amidst the very edges of the darkness of his mind that he hardly dared to enter unless his light was with him. He tried to look through the shadows that occupied his mind, looking for that telltale orb of Yugi's light that lit the never-ending darkness. He noticed a bare glimmer through the dark and began to move towards it. The dimly pulsating ball of light was only very slightly warm in his hands. With every passing second, the light was getting dimmer and dimmer.
"Yugi," Yami murmured, "You're putting out your light."
Slowly, Yami returned to the fringes of his mind.
"You can't let it go out. I need your light, Yugi. I need your light. You balance me," he said as he became aware of the thing happening outside.
(A New Fight Begins)
Icy cold rain fell from the sky, many of the droplets frozen solid creating small cuts on the two who were fighting. The copy looked to where Malik had both arms outstretched in front of him, controlling the spinning mass of water.
"You won't defeat me!" The copy called, glowing violet as he held his own arms out, trying to take control from the real Malik.
The tower of water shivered as it was in a tug-o-war between the two Air Elementals. Suddenly, the tower jolted and the copy laughed as the water tornado was under his control. Marik watched in horror as Malik screamed in rage and use the last ounce of his power to regain control over the spinning mass of water and immersed his copy deep within. His copy screamed as shards of ice were hurled at him inside the tornado while being held underneath the freezing water. After a few moments, only the sound of the howling wind and thunder was heard as the water tornado dispersed and his copies body fell to the calming ocean waves below. Marik looked over the cliff edge, making sure that the copy wasn't coming back anytime soon. He saw something yellow fall from the sky.
"Malik!" he called out as he ran to catch the falling God.
Marik caught Malik and gently set him down.
"Malik, are you alright? Malik?"
Slowly, lavender eyes opened.
"Marik? Is your flame all right? I tried to protect you… but…" Malik said quietly.
Marik smiled sadly, gently stroking Malik's hair.
"My flame is fine."
"I'm a fool. I went over board with my magic."
"No, not a fool. Never a fool. You did this for me," Marik whispered comfortingly as tears made their way down the God of Air's face, "What's wrong, love?"
"I…just want you…to know. I'm glad," Malik said with a smile, "I'm… I'm glad that…" Malik trailed off.
"Glad that what, love?"
Malik reached a tanned hand to his love's cheek.
"Glad that I…I got to see you…one last time…" Malik whispered as his lavender eyes closed.
"Malik?" Marik asked, gently shaking him, "Malik? Wake up… wake up. Don't leave me, please! Don't leave me!" he yelled as he held Malik's body close, crying openly as he lost the one thing that was worth living for. Slowly, he lifted Malik's motionless body and headed back towards the palace.
(A New Fight Begins)
Bakura opened his ocean blue eyes and saw Ryou's copy standing on a metal platform in the middle of the superheated molten rock, trying to stop the flow of magma. The real Ryou was standing in the tree Bakura was sitting in, contending with his copy for control over the volcano.
"Never will you control this…" Ryou growled under the strain of trying to regain his power over the volcano, "Never!" he yelled, a bright green flash of light emanating from his body, the sheer power of this final magical move knocking the copy from his platform into the bubbling inferno below with a blood curdling scream.
Bakura heard a rustling in the leaves and almost fell from the tree himself when he noticed that the volcano was gone and that Ryou had fallen from a few branches up. Hooking his legs around the branch, he let Ryou fall into his awaiting arms before managing to swing back up and rest against the trunk of the massive tree.
Bakura rested Ryou against him and brushed long silver bangs out of Ryou's closed eyes.
"Ryou?" Bakura asked, gently.
Bright green eyes fluttered open.
"Bakura? Is it really you?" Ryou asked, taking Bakura's hand.
Bakura smiled, "Yes. It's me."
"I thought you had been killed," Ryou whispered, tears streaming down his dirty face.
"It's alright, I'm here now."
"I know…and I wont be."
"What do you mean?"
"I used up too much magic when I lost control…and my life force was what… what was fuelling me."
"So…what you're saying is?"
Ryou nodded, a sad smile on his face, "Yes. Remember…that…I will be there…for you and," Ryou took a breath and softly kissed Bakura, "I…I will… love you…al…ways…"
"I'll love you always too," Bakura whispered, kissing Ryou's forehead, as tears dripped down his face. Holding Ryou, Bakura made his way to the ground and headed to the palace.
(A New Fight Begins)
Yami took solid form behind one of the large rocks in the destroyed throne room where Yugi and his copy were fighting. Yugi had conjured up a pair of twin swords made of solid light his opponent had managed to conjure up a spear.
"Pitiful…and you call yourself a copy of the God of Light," Yugi said, swinging one of his swords up, only to meet the stick of the spear halfway. A shard of light broke off. The copy swung the handle of the spear under Yugi's sword handle and managed to smack the real Yugi in the stomach. Yugi jumped back with a wince and crossed his swords in front of his face as another blow from his copy was directed at his face. Lunging forward, Yugi turned his sword flat and slammed it hard against the clone's ribs. The copy yelled out as a 'crack' was heard. Yugi kept one of his swords up but was resting on the second taking deep, heavy breaths. Yami looked on silently.
You're using too much magic to continue using the swords! Yami thought.
"Getting tired? Surely keeping two swords made of pure light is very taxing on your strength."
Yugi couldn't move fast enough. In the blink of an eye, the clone had lifted the spear up and swung it down. The razor sharp edge of the spear had sliced Yugi's wing at the joint on his back and blood spurted from the small wound, Yugi crying out in pain as his right wing hung limply from his back. His copy smirked. "You're using too much energy. You were far too slow," his clone taunted. Yugi looked back at his bleeding and useless wing, its white feathers stained red with blood.
"Yugi!" Yami called, coming out from his hiding place.
"Y… Yami!" Yugi's swords disappeared as he ran to his darkness, "You're alive," he whispered.
Yami smiled and kissed Yugi deeply. Just as they parted, Yugi let out a pain-filled scream. Yami looked at Yugi and saw the spear of Yugi's clone going right through Yugi's chest, barely missing Yami. Yugi grimaced as he turned around and formed a sword of light once more. With a yell of rage, Yugi plunged his word into the clone's chest. The clones amethyst eyes widened as he looked at Yami, then Yugi's sword and finally into Yugi's dark amethyst eyes.
"Burn…in…hell," Yugi panted before he deftly pulled the sword out and the clone fell to a crumpled heap on the floor, crimson pooling around the lifeless copy.
Yami ran to Yugi as he fell to the floor, the sword of light disappearing
"Yugi!"
Yami gently lifted the injured God of Light into his arms. Yugi looked over at his clone's unmoving body and then to his blood stained hands.
"What have I done?" he whispered.
"What you believed and felt was right," Yami answered.
"I had no right to do this."
"It doesn't matter. So long as your alive," Yami said with a smile as he placed his hand on the spear that was still lodged in Yugi's shoulder.
"Leave it," Yugi said.
"No. It has to come out." Yami fixed his grip on the spear right next to the wound. Looking into Yugi's teary eyes, he kissed him. Forgive me he thought as he pulled the spear out, Yugi crying out in pain.
"Yami…"
"Yes?"
"The others are here."
Yami looked to the main entrance of the throne room and sure enough, Marik carrying Malik and Bakura carrying Ryou came in and spotted Yami and Yugi.
The Gods of Fire and Water sat down, clutching the Gods of Air and Earth.
"They're both…" Marik trailed off.
"They have moved on from this world," Bakura said.
Yugi looked over at them and smiled.
"Yami. I'm dying. We both know this," Yami, Bakura and Malik looked at him.
"No! We can save you…we…" Yugi silenced him.
Yugi shuddered and continued, "I can't be selfish enough to save my own life and have Ryou and Malik die. So…I am giving a final gift to you with my last reserves of magic."
"Yugi, don't do it!" Yami said.
"Don't worry. You will see…" Yugi glowed a pale amethyst as his eyes slid shut.
"Yugi…no…" Yami whispered as tears fell down his face, holding onto the God of Light.
From up above, they heard a harmonious dark chuckle. All three gods looked up to a platform of solid ice.
"Kaiba! You will pay!" the three remaining Gods yelled in unison as they each glowed blue, deep lavender and crimson.