Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh, and it's a good thing too.
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Bakura often came into class tired, and rumors spread. Jounouchi and Honda tried to invite him into the school's gang, but he refused to spend his time with some amateurs. They took exception to this, and came into school bruised the next day. Bakura just smirked in what Yami learned was his default expression. The other was a considering look, one that seemed to ask whatever was on his mind, "You dare to be a problem?"
Yami knew Ryou occupied Bakura's mind often. As often as Yugi occupied his.
Finally, in class Bakura signaled to meet him after school. The rich kid, however goth he had become, and the class bad boy weren't supposed to be friends.
Bakura was an ally, but he doubted he would ever be a friend. He doubted Bakura's calculating mind with its anger at the world would ever let anyone close. Except Ryou, who he seemed to worship as the hope and innocence, the gentle strength that he did not have.
Yami knew that Bakura had been happy when Ryou defeated him, filled with unimaginable hate for the risk Ryou had been placed at.
Ryou had wanted to be the hero. The Items had granted his wish. Just as they granted Yugi's wishes.
"I've found another," Bakura informed him, cleaning his nails with his vanishing knife.
"Another?" Yami's ears perked up. "Another bearer of a Millennium Item?"
"You're quicker than you look. Get this, it's an eye. Stuck in his face in place of his light's own eye. Must have hurt going in, huh? Sounds like more of a pain than your Yugi spending so many years solving that Puzzle you got there." Bakura laughed.
"Does he know anything that will free us?"
"He's worse off than we are. He's not even allowed to interact with his light. Can only watch, never speak. But maybe that's better than being hated." Bakura seethed.
"What is his name?"
"Mr. Crawford. He's a portrait artist, not as wealthy as you but he has enough he took the next flight here when I contacted him."
"He's coming here?"
"He's already here. We're going to meet him after school."
"Yugi's going somewhere after school. There's a boat to this island for some tournament." What if Yugi was challenged again by the mindreader? He had to be able to concentrate on that. But he couldn't miss the opportunity to learn more about the Items.
"I know, I'm stowing away on it." Bakura smirked. "I seem to be obsessed with gaining the Millennium Items, and the island will soon contain both your Puzzle and the Millennium Eye. Ryou was easy to convince."
"Ryou agreed to help you? That's wonderful!"
Bakura scowled. "No, I warped his mind. He thinks it was his own idea. He still thinks I'm gone. I've seen him look at the Ring, try to rid himself of it. He's afraid I'm still inside it, you see. Even if where I am is inside him."
"I wonder if the creator of Duel Monsters has a millennium item." Yami frowned thoughtfully.
"You are denser than I thought. Mr. Crawford's first name is Pegasus. It seems like fate is drawing us together, isn't it? But his light knows much about the Items, and he will share that with us. He's had the Eye for over ten years, after all." A condescending smirk.
"So his light's dream was to make the game a success?"
"We corresponded by e-mail. His light went on a trip after his wife divorced him and was given the eye by a man in a turban named Shadi. Who holds what looked like a Millennium Ankh."
"Millennium Key."
"You know of it?" Bakura glared at him. "You knew something I didn't about the Items and you didn't tell me!"
"I thought it was part of the fantasy. I sensed no more from this Shadi then from any other of the illusions. He used a key to see into my mind and also used scales to judge people. He confronted Yugi, but was easily dealt with, though the story the Items told said I was worrying." Yami rolled his eyes.
"You still should have told me." Scowling.
"Forgive me. I have a tutor after school," though he was running out of things to teach him, "but Sugoroku will forgive me skipping this once. I don't want him to know you have an Item as well. He would think you are conning me out of my money and contributing to this 'delusion.'"
Bakura laughed. "Well, I'm not conning you, am I? I promised results, rich boy, and I have them."
"We shall see."
"After school. Meet me by the gate."
Yami spent the rest of his classes not even bothering to pretend to pay attention. The fantasy world's version of Sugoroku, Solomon, had been kidnapped by Crawford's light.
Why would Yugi want to believe he lived in a town in America called Domino? What an odd name. Crawford's light's name was Maxamillion Pegasus. The names of all the people Yugi knew had changed, but not Yugi's name. Perhaps because it meant game? And all Yugi wanted to do, what his dream world revolved around, were games?
Bakura led him to a streetside café where a man with short hair. Hair which was going grey early. He didn't seem that old, but he wasn't young either. He nodded courteously.
He seemed nice enough but there was that edge of harshness to him that Yami was beginning to suspect all those in their position had. The lights had to be protected, after all.
He looked very different from Pegasus at first. There wasn't that tinge of insanity. Strange that the darkness of the pair seemed the softer, more stable one. Yugi was… he had a delicate temperament, but he didn't allow his obsessions to hurt anyone but the enemies the fantasy created, who deserved it. Yami was grateful he didn't have to hurt the innocent.
"So you're the real Yugi Motou." He raised his coffee cup in acknowledgement.
Yami blinked. "No, I am Yami. The real one is the one your light faced in that duel."
"He's going to face him again. He has it all planned out. I would spoil the surprises, but I do have to look after him, after all. We aren't enemies, but his research dug up what you do to those who offend you if you defeat them." He took a sip of the coffee, pencil tapping on his sketchpad.
"I also need to protect Yugi, Mister Crawford."
"Just Crawford is fine. Oh, right. The Japanese are more formal. I'm sorry, my other half knows more about Japan then I do. I can't seem to pick up the language from him." Crawford shrugged. "I'm good at art, bad at memorizing." Light swirled around the pen. A couple surprised glances looked their way, but the other diners shrugged it off. A trick of the light.
The rational world didn't arrange for magic tricks.
"You know what annoys me most?" Crawford looked harshly up at the sky. "He still worships her. In his little fantasy, she died tragically soon after they wed. He went on the quest in which he acquired this little trinket," he tapped his eye and produced a golden ringing sound, "and lost his artistic muse not because she brutally divorced him after marrying him for the fame he was beginning to gain, but because he was so in love with his faithful Cecelia he wanted to bring her back to life. I wanted to kill the bitch." He growled. "You're not the only ones who can play games, you two."
His light loved another? Yami was beginning to understand how lucky he was. Yugi had a crush on Tea, the fantasy's version of class president Anzu, but she was more interested in him. What a relief, although it angered him that she ignored how his light felt about her.
Part of him wanted her to keep ignoring.
"Bakura said you do not speak to your light?" And that wasn't something it was good to change the subject to, but he needed to know.
"He doesn't even know he exists. I show up and make the Eye's magic work for him. That's it." Crawford's hand was sketching something. "Look, but never touch. The e-mails said it's the same for you?"
Bakura scowled. "Mine hates me."
"I haven't, or rather he hasn't, met yours yet."
"He will soon. Forgive me, but I'm not going to share that sort of information either." The knife had reappeared. "Head home, rich boy. Let the adults do the talking."
"You're no older than I am, Bakura."
"Our hosts are the same age, rich boy. But you've only know yours a few months. I have existed for almost two years."
"Do you want to challenge me?"
"Perhaps I should." The people around them looked up. The sky was darkening, but there were no clouds. "I would like to see how strong you are without the script."
"Quit threatening him, Bakura." Crawford seemed bored. "Neither of you are actually planning to do anything, so don't pretend, boys."
"Mindreader." Bakura scowled.
"It's incredibly boring after a while. The shock value wears off sooner than you'd think, and then it's just boring. I can't turn it off without closing my eye, and I can't walk around with one eye closed all the time. It does help the art, though. Apparently my work captures the soul of the person I paint." He laughed. "Sometimes literally."
"Mindreader?" That explained it.
"Oops." Crawford didn't seem very sorry. "Well, you would have figured it out soon enough. He shows it off, doesn't he? Good luck finding a way around it." A smile.
"He can read every card, every strategy… no wonder I was defeated." Yami got up out of the chair at Crawford's table. "Excuse me, I must return home." To try to plan.
It wasn't until he was halfway home he realized he shouldn't bother. Yugi would come up with something. Yugi would be the hero. It was his story after all, not Yami's. Or Bakura's, or Crawford's.
The world of their lights was their lights' world.
The danger would be averted, Solomon would be rescued, Bakura would threaten but be defeated thanks to Ryou. Everything would turn out fine.
He did his homework and spent the rest of the evening outwardly meditating but inwardly watching Yugi. He wasn't doing anything important until he dove overboard after some cards.
Yami wanted to rescue him. He cursed Yugi's imaginary friends.
He did not hate them, how could he if they made Yugi happy? But even so…
Two days later, the eye was in Bakura's possession. And Bakura envied Crawford more than Yami.
Pegasus had died, killed by Bakura.
And been cast down out of his heaven.
Crawford kept control of the body and took Pegasus to his private island off the coast of Maine, to try to console him.
He kept asking to see Cecelia once Crawford let slip she was alive here and calling Crawford a demon.
But at least he knew Crawford existed now. The rest would heal with time, Crawford said, renewing his vows to protect his light.
He left Bakura with the real eye and Yami with a portrait of Yugi.
Sugoroku had it framed. How fortunate Yami had become friends with such a famous painter. This was something to show his parents, when they returned from the latest business trip.
Bakura was split between raging at the Items and admiring his light's courage. A far better light for him than Yugi the cream puff.
Yami hung the picture by his bed. It was beautiful.
But not as beautiful as watching Yugi be happy in his heaven.
He didn't want Yugi to die, but to be able to speak to him freely without the Item intervening, to be able to hold him in their soul rooms at least, if not in the physical world was something he would give anything for. Except Yugi's pain.
Bakura planned to try to kill both Ryou and Yugi, as a favor to Yami.