DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Yu-Gi-Oh! and all related characters are the creations of Kazuki Takahashi.
Chapter 5: Knowledge of the Shadows
By Shadow's Mirror
"Can you really help me?" At the Spirit of the Books' calm announcement, Yugi forgot his shyness and embarrassment. He stared at the librarian, his wide eyes shining with a mix of shock and relief.
The Spirit of the Books nodded. "I certainly can." He gestured at the shelf-clad walls around them. "Within these books lies all of the knowledge of those who dwell in this Realm of Shadows. I know every book, although I must admit that not even I know all that is written upon every page. However, as long as it is within these walls, I can find whatever information is needed. These books hold more than knowledge. They are all part of my power. They are all part of me, as I am part of them."
As he spoke, he moved to the middle of the room and extended his wings. On his final word, his wings began to beat, their powerful strokes lifting him into the air. He hovered for a moment, his eyes closing as a faint golden aura surrounded him. The air stirred, suddenly alive with magic. As the Spirit of the Books' power called, responding glows began appearing around the room. His eyes snapped open again as the light around him faded. For the next few minutes, he swooped, soared and glided gracefully from shelf to shelf in a stunning display of aerial agility. When he had gathered all of the glowing books, the librarian spiraled slowly down and landed lightly in front of Yugi and Yami.
"Ah! I enjoyed that! There is nothing as good as stretching your wings after a long day of leaning over manuscripts." He put his armload of books down on the table and looked over at the two boys. They were both staring at him, speechless. His eyes twinkled with amusement. Apparently his little show had surprised them. "Here you are Master Yugi, these books contain the information you are seeking."
Yugi blinked and came out of his daze. His smile lit up his face as he trotted over to the table. "Wow! Really?" Hope shone from his wide amethyst eyes as he looked up at the Spirit of the Books. The librarian nodded. Yugi beamed at the books for a moment, but then his happy smile faded into a worried frown. "But… is it really okay for me to borrow these?"
The Spirit of the Books chuckled. "It will be. There are just two minor details that need to be dealt with first. I will need to cast a special spell on the books, to disguise them so their true origins are hidden. After all, I doubt if your teacher would believe the titles of the books, let alone the names of their authors. It is not every day that you come across a book written by the Dark Sage after all! Which is a very good thing, considering that his writing is so dry it makes dust look like an mud puddle." He winked at Yugi as the boy laughed. Passing one taloned hand over the books he concentrated. The ancient tomes shimmered as they were disguised for their trip to the outer world. "There, done. Which leaves only one thing."
As he spoke, the librarian reached under the table and opened a small drawer there. He pulled out a piece of parchment, a quill pen and a pot of ink and pushed them across the table to Yugi. "You need a library card. If you would be so kind as to fill that out, Master Yugi…"
"Is that really necessary? I mean, you know who he is!" Yami protested as Yugi grinned and started filling in the form.
"Yes. I do. He is the light of someone who borrowed a book and did not return it on time." The Spirit of the Books fixed Yami with a stern gaze as Yugi gasped and looked up from the form in shock.
Yami blinked. "What? When was that? I haven't been here since…" He trailed off, trying to remember.
"I believe it was called 'Tactics and Strategies to Win Battles with Weak Monsters', by the Armed Ninja." The Spirit of the Books' words made Yami wince.
Yugi eyed his yami in concern. "Yami? What's wrong? You've gone really pale. Are you okay?"
Yami shook himself out of his daze and put his hand reassuringly on his worried light's shoulder. He squeezed gently but was obviously still rather distracted as he eyed the librarian in shock. "You remember that? I borrowed that book over five thousand years ago!"
The Spirit of the Books' eyes twinkled. "Be very glad that this library does not impose late fees."
If Yami had been anyone other than the ex-Pharaoh that he was, he would have whimpered at the thought. As it was, he turned paler still, then a tide of colour washed over his cheeks and his eyes focused on the floor as if it was suddenly the most fascinating thing he had ever seen.
Yugi blinked. "Yami! You mean you didn't bring it back at all?" He winced as his darker half's blush deepened in silent confirmation. "Oh, Yami…" The light shook his head, obviously dismayed at the thought that his own yami could have done something so scandalous.
"I intended to return it. I kept… forgetting." The mumbled words were so soft they were barely audible. "Then that incident with Bakura and Set happened and… well, I could hardly return the book after I was trapped within the Puzzle!"
Yugi looked thoughtful for a moment before turning to the Spirit of the Books. "He has a point there."
The Spirit of the Books shook his head. "I will admit, it is an original excuse. It certainly makes a nice change from 'the Gigatech Wolf ate it'. However, I feel obliged to point out that he borrowed the book almost a year before that incident occurred, and the lending period is only one lunar month."
As Yami became the recipient of Yugi's saddest expression, the librarian chuckled softly. "Due to the nature of the book, it should have followed your soul into the Millennium Puzzle. If you search your soulroom, you should be able to find it."
"Search my…!" Yami's head snapped up, his startled eyes staring at the Spirit of the Books. "Have you any idea how complex my soulroom is?"
Yugi nodded. "It's a cross between 'Labyrinth' and M.C. Escher, only with more traps." He turned to his yami, his eyes suddenly appearing even larger, brighter and more vivid in colour than usual. "But I'm sure that if we look really hard, we'll find it in no time, Yami! I'll help you! We'll find it together! Because when we're together, there's nothing that we can't do!" He smiled happily up at his darker half.
Yami blinked, stunned by the wide eyes that were so filled with hope and determination. There was something else in those eyes too. Another emotion. Part of his mind called it 'simple friendship' and sent a warm fuzzy feeling into his heart. Another part of his mind labeled it 'hero worship' and pumped up his ego even as it prodded him to feel protective of his innocent and defenceless light. The rest of Yami's mind merely removed the word 'no' from his vocabulary until he recovered from his daze. How could he possibly refuse his light anything when Yugi looked at him with those eyes?
"Very well, Yugi." Yami smiled slightly as he gently ruffled the smaller boy's hair. "We will search for it. Together." The beaming smile he received in response almost made the thought of searching through the maze of his soulroom bearable. Almost. As Yugi returned his attention to his form, Yami somehow managed to keep himself from groaning out loud.
As soon as the form was completed, the Spirit of the Books handed Yugi a small card. It was made of parchment and had the words 'Royal Magical Library' printed neatly on it in black ink. The hieroglyphs inscribed around the edges of the card were also black. Yami frowned slightly as he read them over Yugi's shoulder. "It appears to be a spell of some kind."
The Spirit of the Books nodded. "Yes, it is a ward-spell against theft, loss, damage or destruction. A little something the Dark Magician came up with at one point, when he grew tired of replacing his card all the time." Yami raised an eyebrow in silent query. "It keep being charred to ashes during encounters with Blue Eyes White Dragons or soaked into an unrecognisable state by the Maiden of the Aqua."
Yugi was distracted from his admiration of his new library card. "The Maiden of the Aqua?" He blinked in confusion. Yami raised an eyebrow again. The Spirit of the Books chuckled.
"Yes. There was a little incident involving a hot spring, her clothes and an accidentally-multiplied Kuriboh. That was about four thousand years ago, but it still comes up in conversation every now and then. The Maiden of the Aqua vowed revenge, naturally. Eventually, she calmed down enough to stop soaking the Dark Magician every time he passed a lake, stream, pool or puddle. Still, those few hundred years did give him plenty of opportunities to perfect his hat-drying spell."
Yugi's eyes were wide with shock. "She was mad at him for that long?"
"I think the fact that the Stern Mystic was there at the time might have had something to do with that. He gave her a lecture about showing her knees in public." The Spirit of the Books paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Which was rather odd, now that I come to think of it. The middle of the forest was hardly what I would call 'public'. For that matter, I very much doubt if anyone present was taking all that much notice of her knees at the time. I know I wasn't."
Yugi and Yami were still trying to get over that excess of information when something unexpected happened. A previously unnoticed door in the library's back wall suddenly opened and a small figure stepped hesitantly into the room, pausing just inside the doorway to look around.
The Spirit of the Books gasped. "What are you doing here?"