Please Read and Review: I really love hearing from people reading the story, and I'd like to know what you think, and where you think it's going.
IMPORTANT! ANIME NOTE: Déjà vu is based set after the DOMA arc of the anime. I don't have all the details, because I'm relying on summaries, but the following is important: During a duel with Rafael, Yami is given a card that will bring out his dark (as in evil) side. Despite Yugi's objections, Yami is convinced that he will be able to control the card, and that it is the only way to win the duel and save and his friends. Of course playing the card seals his defeat. Since this was a kind of Shadow Game, his soul was supposed to be sealed in a stone tile as a punishment for losing. But Yugi pushes him out of the way and allows his own soul to be trapped instead – leaving a guilt-ridden and grief-stricken Yami in sole possession of their body.
STYLE NOTE: Italics are used to indicate a flashback scene. Yugi and Yami are talking telepathically is indicated within the story itself, without a change in formatting.
Thanks to Kagemihari for a complete Beta review.
CHAPTER 3: BACK TO THE FUTUREYAMI'S POV
He had Kaiba's ability to stand at the fringe of a group; precisely where he could see and hear everything without joining in any of it.
Although we were walking towards his house, and he was the only one who really knew the way, Seto was in the back of the group, with me. Where he could keep all of us in his field of vision. Where he was just out of arm's reach. Where he could melt into the shadows if any of us made a sudden movement. I smiled at the openness of his suspicion. By the time five more years had passed, Seto would have learned to hide all his emotions, even wariness.
We were close enough that I could hear Yugi's voice in my head, as he walked in front with Jounouchi.
"I'm proud of Jounouchi. He's come a long way."
I smiled. It was so like Yugi, that in all of this, his first thought was for his friend.
"Yes, aibou. I never thought he would pass up a chance to throw Death-T in Kaiba's face. Any Kaiba."
"Well, I guess it's one thing to bait a full-grown Kaiba, another to taunt this stray kid."
But unexpected as the night's events had been, I was not surprised. I had been waiting for… something, ever since the night Shadi had turned up on our doorstep, once again, wearing his key.
We had returned six of the seven Sennen Items to the Valley of the Kings that summer. Shadi had insisted that Yugi and I keep the puzzle. I had some of my memories back. Enough to remember Isis and Shadi fighting at my side. Enough to remember Seto – my cousin, comrade… and lover. I had enough memories to know that there was unfinished business ahead. Enough memories not to be surprised at Shadi's sudden appearance at the Game Shop.
His appearance had triggered the shift from Yugi to myself. Shadi might have been my ally, but his appearance always meant danger.
As usual, he got right to the point. "Time has become unstuck."
"But we sealed the items back in the tombs," I protested.
"We thought we did. Two of them, the rod and the eye, are… incomplete. They must be made whole before they can truly be sealed. Otherwise there is a chance that Akunadin can seize the items for his master, Zork Necropolis – that they could finally succeed, 3,000 years later, in covering the world in Darkness. We must be the ones to reunite the splintered items, and seal them in their tomb once and for all."
I could feel Yugi's support, like a fire warming me from within.
"What do we have to do?" I asked.
"I'm not certain. The future path has not revealed itself clearly to me."
"Well, thanks for stopping by," Yugi said in my head.
But Shadi was already speaking…
"I've had… glimpses… of the future. Just as you've had glimpses of the past. There will come a time when Yugi and you will need to be in two separate places at the same time. So I've come with the gift you haven't yet realized you desire – the power to give you your own body."
I didn't need our bond to know Yugi's first thought… Anzu.
He had always loved her, but had been afraid to approach her, carrying as he did, his rival within his very body. And against my desire, I had been his rival. As long as we were one, I could do no other than reflect his feelings. He was the boundary of my existence. I saw the world through his eyes; his emotions ran through my blood. His love for Anzu was so strong that I was helpless to resist it's infusion.
I thought, I hoped, that Anzu had grown to love Yugi; grown away from her infatuation for me. She both knew and cherished Yugi, whereas I was her dream lover. But fantasies are not meant for the rough and tumble of daily life. And I hoped she was wise enough to prefer substance to shadow.
Shadi had been right about me as well.
Our battle against DOMA had changed me. It had marked the first time I had truly been my own person in 3,000 years. At first I felt nothing but guilt at having lost Yugi; at having lost myself to my own darkness. The same guilt Kaiba must have felt as he pieced his heart together after Death-T.
But once we were reunited, although the remorse remained, other memories had also surfaced: Jou smacking me out of my catatonic state; Kaiba laughing, happy to have scored a point off of me – he had defeated his adversary where I had failed – telling me to bleach the tarnish off my title.
Other feelings arose: feeling the wind in my hair, the grass beneath my feet, feeling… myself for the first time in millennia. I remembered running down the endless corridors of Kaiba Corporation, USA, with all the demons of hell chasing us; with Kaiba at my side. Never so sure I was going to die; never feeling so vibrantly alive.
I had accepted my sacrifice 3,000 years ago… or I thought that I had. Now, for the first time, I regretted the briefness of my existence. For the first time the bond between Yugi and myself was not quite enough. I was no longer as content to simply be someone else's darkness.
But I wondered at Shadi's cryptic parting words: "In the battle that lies ahead, your greatest strength will become your greatest weakness."
"You think he's funny – Seto, I mean," Yugi said, his thoughts breaking into mine. It was not quite a question.
I thought of the miniature whirlwind who had just crashed into our lives and smiled. "Didn't you?" I parried.
"Let's see, in about five minutes he trashed Jichan's shop, kicked Jou in the nuts, and threw anything he could get his hands on at the rest of us. We all got beat by a 13 year old punk. Yeah, I guess you're right… it was pretty funny.
"But it's more than that, isn't it?" he continued. "You like him. Part of you was rooting for him – just like always."
I couldn't deny my other… my better half's words. In all our duels, I had fought for Seto Kaiba as well as against him. Fought to show him the person he could be. Now that I was in my own body, aware of my own desires, I wanted the chance to fight to make him believe in himself… to make him believe in me.
I looked at the boy walking almost, but not quite at my side. He had hidden Mokuba in whatever temporary refuge he had found. Knowing Kaiba, the separation must be tearing at his soul. He was going to face a future, that despite his efforts to hide it, filled him with dread. He was clearly fleeing from whatever horror had sent the brothers into the night and landed them here. (And it was hard to imagine anything that could make Seto Kaiba run.) Since he was here, out of time, I was willing to wager that they had met up with Shadi, always an unsettling experience. Yet none of that showed on the surface. His face was without expression, his body seemingly relaxed – or at least, no tenser than usual. He might have been out on some mundane errand. For all that had happened in the past five years, the essentials remained untouched.
"Yes, in spite of everything, I like him," I finally answered. "In some ways, he's a remarkable child."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: One thing I found interesting in the little I know about DOMA, is that Yami in a sense, betrays Yugi. He refuses to listen to Yugi, and his desire to win, and certainty in his own invincibility causes him to lose, leading to Yugi losing his soul. Although Yugi is the one choosing to sacrifice himself, it occurred to me that there were some parallels to Kaiba's experiences which might be interesting to explore.
RESPONSES: First, a big "Thank You" to everyone who reviewed! I was especially thrilled and touched to see how many of the names I recognized from "I Guess it was in the Cards." That really blew me away. Some points were raised that I thought were interesting:
Two Setos meeting – (Desidera, Red Dragon4, Unsolvable Riddle) It's funny – I've been writing this story for a while, and as soon as I posted, I realized that I really needed to go into more detail in future chapters on the somewhat convoluted, and often non-verbal interactions between the two Seto Kaibas. So thanks to everyone for asking about it – it pointed up a weak spot, that I didn't even realize existed. That's what I love about reviews. (Well besides the encouragement.) I had it all mapped out in my head, but as I keep forgetting – it has to make in to the paper. For those waiting for the two to meet, sorry to keep you waiting, (did I mention I'm a bit of a tease?), but, it happens in the next chapter.
13 year old Kaiba – (samurai ashes, Tuulikki, Unsolvable Riddle) I picture Seto being on the verge of out of control, almost feral. At first I had thought of him being more open, and more likely to be friends with the gang – but the more I thought of it, the more I realized that he would be even more hostile and more unused to being around people who weren't a threat. I think he's been so focused on surviving his almost insane upbringing, that not much else gets through to him.
Time Travel – (Amarin Rose, samurai ashes) This was pretty funny. I brought the younger Kaibas to the future because I thought it would be interesting for them to meet. I picked Akunadin as the principal antagonist (although Zork Necropolis shows up too) for a variety of reason, some of which won't be clear until the middle. But then I realized that I really needed to figure out just how they got there and why. So I planned it all out in my head and forgot to put any of it down on paper until about the middle of the story (did I mention that this was going to be a long story?). Luckily, Kagemihari, in the nicest way possible reminded me that unless it was on the page, no one would be able to figure out what was going on. Anyway, how the time travel works, etc. should hopefully be explained in bits and pieces over the next 3 chapters. Hopefully.
Akunadin – (Desidera) I agree --- I think Akunadin's hasn't totally grasped Seto Kaiba's character. Interestingly, though, I think either of the Kaibas would agree with him. I think they seem themselves in the same negative way that he does.
Yami – (Sunrise and Sunset, Desidera) As you can see there will be more Yami.
Suspense – (Elle King, Katie Torango, Leland Lancaster, Tokemi) This is the first time I'm trying out a story with an actual sort of plot with action (if that makes sense) so I'm glad to see it's got people's interest.
Thanks to GakiFang, Kaiba dude 101, and mezu – the encouragement means a lot.