MODERN DAY
Chapter Four
"All together now…"
Yugi slung his legs over the arm of the couch, tossing his hand over his eyes and sighing dramatically. His head spun for hours every time they left the Shadows for the comfortingly mundane reality of the game shop; even with Yami's protection the Darkness still drained his precious life-energy and left him dizzy with weakness. He couldn't really explain what he lost on those journeys, not something he was conscious of until it wasn't there- not to mention something Yami seemed to have in infinite supply.
"What I don't get is why didn't he just attack yous while he had the chance?" Joey's usually easy-going drawl was tight and his lanky frame was twisted up into a position tense enough to burst on the other end of the couch. He didn't take to tension well, and tension didn't sit well on him.
"I don't know, Joey…" Yugi sighed and sat up, feeling marginally better, but not altogether well. He'd had a fleeting mental image of Yami's ghostly hand resting on his forehead and knew his other half had been healing him again, giving up his own energies to help his partner.
(And why shouldn't I?) Yami sounded abstractly indignant, his inner voice resonating just at the edges of Yugi's hearing, probably mindful of his still-aching head.
/I don't like it/ Yugi replied stubbornly, /I think it affects you more than you let on./
Yami snorted and his spectral form flickered into being in the doorway opposite the couch, (I'm going to contact the others. I think this warrants some kind of meeting considering they will be dragged into the proceedings eventually despite my best efforts.)
Yugi smiled at his Darkness coyly and turned back to Joey, "I think it's got something to do with Egypt- well, obviously it always does…" he sniffed, frustrated. "I mean, I think it's someone who was pretty close to Pharaoh at some point, of course not a friend or anything like that, just…" Yugi trailed off again, aware this was going nowhere at blinding speed.
/Yami, is there a reason I can't think straight/ He rubbed his temple tiredly, feeling distinctly stupid for no apparent reason.
(Mmm… Might be that wind the necromancer threw at us, Death spells are almost always difficult to direct or channel properly, and I'm still sure he didn't plan on that wind originally. It was unstable… He might have effected you accidentally, subtly enough that I didn't sense it. Do you want me to check you out?)
/That'd be nice./ Yugi stood and threw an apologetic glance at Joey, knowing he was ignoring him more than usual in favour of his internal dialogue. Joey seemed to understand these things better than the rest of the gang, though, (probably because he lived with them,) and didn't take offence.
"No problem, Yug'," he said without needing to be told, "I'm just gonna go and see if Tristan an' Tea are around at Burger World. Figure we should talk to 'em before we do anythin' anyway." He waved off his friend's surprised look, tapping his head knowingly and smirking, "I can tell when ya need a second, Yug', you an' the Pharaoh have some spooky magic thing to do." He wriggled his fingers and grimaced to illustrate.
Yugi laughed, "Thanks Joey…"
As soon as the door was closed behind his best friend, Yugi felt the warm and intimately familiar strands of Yami's Shadow Magic trickling seekingly over his form. The physical check was brief and the magic soon turned inward, to the stone corridor and the infinite depths of Yugi's mind and aura. It made him shiver; it was always like a breath of sweet, yet spicy summer air, super-heated and achingly real and tangible, almost burning his throat. A mixed caress for a part of himself no one else could even see. He sighed.
(I don't…) Yami's strong presence lingered and hung on the 'air', his voice coming from deep within the recesses of Yugi's mind and echoing up the usual passage as if from a distance. (Wait-)
There was a strange mental -click- in Yugi's head and he found himself falling to his knees on the floor, his hands raised to cover his ears, but frozen centimeters away from actually doing so. His vision swam then slowly cleared over and over again in waves of haze like a television being tuned. He let out a low moan and shook himself, images not belonging to his own memory flooding him and overwhelming his senses- coming complete with their original atmospheres, smells and tastes and feelings-in-the-pit-of-your-stomach.
'…just one little girl'
'Don't think…'
'Your majesty! No!'
'…can't help you now, little one, I can't…'
'She's mine and no one can take her from me!'
'…think this is the best course of action…'
'You forget I am not an ordinary man, my friend! I am a god!'
'You're a thief!'
'…save her…'
'Remember me…'
'…Not long at all.'
Like a radio, someone rolling the tuner knob back and forth over static and clarity and never capturing more than an instant, a moment out of time, never leaving him in any one place long enough to properly orient himself to what he was seeing, hearing, feeling…
A beautiful youth with golden skin reclining lazily on a golden throne, regarding him with sharp, dark eyes and flicking an ornamental flail back and forth over his bare leg, thrown haphazardly over the arm of the throne. Fantastic jewels and bracelets dripping from every possible portion of his anatomy, slinky ebony black hair sliding over broad shoulders and thin, sinewy chest. Majestic beyond any imagination, regal and commanding and ruthless and cruel… and yet delicately wonderful, long elegant fingers betraying a subtle tenderness….
An infinitely defiant fiery-eyed teenager, tanned and tattooed, long white locks hanging loose in his face and down his bare back, callused hands gripping tightly to a rope attached to a sickeningly obvious bundle… Screaming and violence and the clash of swords, a familiar voice raised in rage… the beautiful youth being held back by a shadowy figure, ominously silent.
The man in the cowl and the smell of burning flesh everywhere, screams of anguish more terrible than a thousand deaths. The youth again, eyes glowing ruby with the reflection of the awful blaze, golden skin turned ruddy as the flames licked higher and higher, the screams growing louder. His expression stoic, the grim, determined line of his mouth set in stone and arms crossed over his narrow chest in resolute decision.
'What must be done…'
'Only my duty…'
'I am but a servant to my people...'
'…ends justify the means…'
'Forgive me…'
Yugi slumped onto his kitchen floor where he had started to walk when the visions came, his cheek burned against the cool tile, as if the heat of the great blaze was still in his skin. He couldn't remember… he had been trying to stop something… someone… someone he had thought he could trust with everything and to always do right by anyone had been causing this great suffering. He couldn't stand it… had to stop him.
The man in the cowl.
"Yami…" he croaked, feeling his throat tighten, his mouth parched as though he'd walked a league in a desert without water. He stretched a hand foreword in desperation, struggling for purchase on the slippery linoleum floor to push himself to his feet.
Strong hands grabbed hold of his shoulders and hauled him up, ushering him into the living room and onto the couch. Yami stood over him then, solid and real, unearthly crimson eyes glinting dangerously with an unfathomable emotion Yugi was almost afraid to contemplate. That emotion, that searching in his gaze filled up Yugi's mind so completely he didn't even startle at this wonder- that Yami was standing before him at all, real enough to lift him. He didn't question it for a moment, as if it had always been, didn't question the changes in his Darkness' appearance.
It was simply the way it was, and he knew it was Yami. It could be no one else.
He was naked except for the towel he'd slung around his slender hips, apparently seized out of the hall closet for lack of anything else to wear. His skin was darkly tanned golden bronze and sleek as was characteristic of his nation, his hair lying limp and long instead of in the wild spikes Yugi affected, the red disappearing out of it leaving only deep black and bright gold bangs. His eyes were more almond-shaped, his lips more full. He looked… real.
"It seems I have the strength to take my form after all…" he murmured strangely, more to himself than to his partner, his voice suddenly far more lilting, coloured by an accent and a hesitation it had never had before. The hesitation of not speaking his native tongue. Then his flashing eyes settled on Yugi, questing and almost sad, "What happens to us, small one?"
Yugi let his eyes drift shut tiredly, "I may have a lead on that necromancer."
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The others, when they arrived with Joey some half hour later, had quite a shock.
When they entered the living room, Yami was standing behind Yugi's place on the couch, his arms crossed over his chest and a brooding look settled firmly over his sharply handsome features. He was, now obviously, nothing like the twin of Yugi they had all individually concluded he would be. He had about a foot of height on his partner and five years of growth, his arms were still thin, but muscled and his chest and shoulders were thickened with maturity absent on Yugi's short form. Though he was still slender, his lean figure held an obvious strength.
His long black hair and wild blond bangs shadowed his features, but his dark eyes still gleamed visible under regally arched black brows, furrowed in some silent vexation. Slim fingers trailed down his arm to rest on Yugi's shoulder as the teen sat down. No one really took notice that Yami was clothed in one of Granpa's shirts and a towel; it really didn't seem important.
Tea gaped, "Ph- pharaoh?"
"Yug', what happened?" Joey's auburn eyes were the size of dinner plates.
Tristan was silent, just staring and staring.
Yugi took a deep breath and slowly released it. "Something strange happened today," he began wearily.
Joey nodded, "I told 'em about the Shadow Realm and that wizard guy yous met."
"He…" Yami's voice was uncertain and he seemed to struggle, his grip on Yugi's shoulder tightening, "He hath placed over us- he has done us to- urg!"
He broke away from the gathering, his face heating up in a mixture of frustration and embarassment, an emotion he had thought he would never be forced to face again. This new weakness was unsettling him almost more than his form did, because it meant that this physical shape he could now take was somehow... his true shape? He leaned his forehead against the wall, brimming with irritation and doubts, his knuckles thunking dully on the plaster.
Yugi rose and walked around to his Darkness with speed none of his friends knew he posessed, wrapping his arms around this new Yami's slim waist, completely unintimidated by the changes or the difficulties, his hold laxing only slightly as he spoke again. "After we got back Yami searched my mind for traces of magic because I sensed something wrong. When he found it, I don't know… something happened and I saw all these… And when I woke up…."
Yami turned again, hand trailing through Yugi's hair absently, his gaze staying on the floor, "I discover I could hold to... shapes in this... realm. It is… useful, but as I am not so closely bound to Yugi… I…." He grimaced, trying to find words, "The link is not as easy… I do not speak English…" he trailed off.
"What he means is, when he's inside my body we share the same mind- sort of. And Yami uses everything that I know, including my knowledge of the English language. So now, since he's not used to having to actually use the link to speak- because it's always right there when he's in control of my body- he's having some difficulty." Yugi glanced up at his Darkness, pondering, "It seems to help if we keep in touch."
Joey frowned, a great furrow forming in his brow under his chaotic mass of bangs, "Sos, he would be speaking Egyptian right now, if he wasn't tryin' to speak English? Whoah, man, I bet that could actually help us- you know, since he couldn't read hieroglyphs and stuff before because he couldn't remember."
Yugi's eyes lit up, "Great idea, Joey! I hadn't thought of that!" He smiled at Yami, who tried to smile back for Yugi's sake.
Tea was still staring in detached shock, unable to wrap her head around seeing both Yugi and the pharaoh at the same time. It was so strange to see them standing side by side, not only strange, but completely throwing her off balance. She had thought she understood them, had believed that there was only one Yugi and that they were both Yugi; halves of the same whole. The different sides of the same person, somehow seperated by the magic of the Items. Now, faced with Yami's physical reality, she didn't know what to think. And yet another layer made her shift uncomfortably as she watched the inhuman intimacy between Yugi and his Darkness, a sense of belonging and complete familiarity that she'd never seen equaled.
"Why would the evil wizard guy want Yami to be able to have his own... er, form?" She asked finally, her real thinking power still a million miles from the problem.
"I know not." Yami answered darkly, "I know not whether it was… whether he intended this or… even had anything to do with it." He smiled grimly at having completed a sentence.
"If not him…" Tristan mused aloud, "Who could give you that power?"
The Pharaoh gave an elaborately graceful shrug, "The gods?" He asked rhetorically and promptly disappeared back into his soul room leaving no trace of his presense.
(I never thought I'd miss this place so much.) He muttered, flopping onto the stone floor, clothed again in Yugi's school uniform, which could fit him here where no real rules applied. Outwardly, Yugi hide a smile.
"I don't know, guys," Yugi said diplomatically to his freshly unnerved friends, "It looks as though this is another one of the 'long haul' sort of problems. Yami's worried about how we could be affected and if it might prove dangerous for him to take physical form…" Wide blue eyes stilled as he listen to the voice no one else could hear, "He thinks it may be a trap to… spilt us up?"
Yugi's colour drained at the thought. There was nothing more horrible than being torn away from Yami- when Marik had stolen the puzzle and his other's mind voice had slowly faded away…
He'd felt like half of him was missing, paralyzed on one side, impotent to help anyone, let alone himself, without knowing Yami would be there. He wondered sometimes if he was getting too dependant or if it was all part of the magic that held them together… He liked to think it was just because he cared so much and not because he had no choice but to be with his Darkness. He'd been fine before he'd solved the puzzle, hadn't he? A little bored and unfulfilled…
"We've got to figure out how this happened!" Yugi announced in a tone that allowed no argument, his small fist coming down on the coffee table with a loud crack.
"Yug'…" Joey started.
"Naw, Joey, he's right, the Pharaoh's supposed to save us again like he did in ancient times- we can't let this guy get in the way." Tristan crossed his arms coolly, "So where do we start?"
Tea pushed her hair back out of her face, wondering if she was up to starting another one of these cockazany adventures and deciding she had no real choice. "The Shadow Realm?"
Yugi nodded.
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AN: That was an extremely meh chapter, my apologies. I shall edit it henceforth. Anyway, thanks to lucidscreamer for pointing out the 'peeks' typo. I hate typos. As for indigence, I really don't know what happened there, something is very screwy with my spellcheck. Stupid Microsoft Word. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Please keep telling me what you think! And, I know this isn't going to be completely accurate to the show or the manga already- but if there's any really offensive errors or I switch back and forth between Japanese and English names, don't hesitate to correct me. smile