Yu-Gi-Oh Original Series
Parallel
Chapter 012
Song: My Pet Protector II - Calming Serenity
Originally Written: Wednesday, April 6, 2022 356PM to 505PM
. . . . .
'Earlier, I asked what could make an individual with more fame and money than he could ever need act in such a manner.'
'Family.' Yugi sighed mentally. Solomon wasn't family, and he was playing a silly card game to save his life. 'The answer is family. I realized that when you asked the first time.'
'I knew you would, Yugi. And I don't believe you are upset with Seto for the lengths he went to to save his brother. Rather, it is more upsetting that you were contemplating going above and beyond what he attempted by taking him with you, if you had lost. You did not go through with it however, because he has never wronged you. Yet, you never wronged him, and he tried to harm you anyway.'
Yugi had no idea how the voice could speak about this so calmly. He threw himself into another spin, so he wouldn't cover his ears with his hands as he started doing since arriving on the island. The others were starting to give him looks. 'Do you have a name, Voice?'
He didn't know why he started dancing. With Tea dancing alongside him, he definitely didn't have enough room, and this particular routine would throw him into a series of backflips that would send him tumbling off the castle roof. He couldn't backflip in place yet. He'd need to stop anyway. He couldn't think of anything else to do though. Seto Kaiba told him he wasn't trying to eliminate him or cause suffering and he mentally traumatized him anyway. The voice in his head was spitting facts Yugi wished he'd stop spitting.
'I am certain I did at one point, but it eludes me. As do most of my memories. They are shrouded in darkness.'
'That kind of works out then. I was thinking of calling you Hikari.'
'Hikari? Light?' That was new. The only other time the voice sounded confused was when it first woke up after he completed the puzzle.
'Yea, because you keep stopping me from doing all the crazy, dark crap that I want to do, whether or not I could actually do it, consequences be damned.'
'...I don't feel much like a Hikari. I'm too well versed in the darkness. Yami.'
'I'm not calling you Yami.' Yugi stumbled over his feet, and caught himself on the dueling platform. He decided to stop dancing. 'If you're Dark, what the hell am I? The devil reincarnated?'
'Even though I was not awake, I have been surrounded by shadow within this puzzle for a long time. I know it well. How it caresses before suffocating and snuffing out light. Well enough that I can say with confidence, that you are not it. You are brighter than you see. You just locked it deep within you.'
Yugi sighed, and ducked his head. 'Well, we'll figure out a name for you eventually.'
Yugi felt the voice nod in agreement. To this date, that was easily the strangest feeling.
"You good?" Tea looked at him with a smile.
"Yea." Yugi nodded. "Yea, I'm okay. Let's go." He walked off the roof to the others, with Tea following him.
"Next time, just ask for help ya doofus. I got a lil sister, Tris has an older sister. Tea's got younger cousins. We all woulda jumped at the chance to help you, Mitsura." Joey held his arms out to his sides.
Seto rubbed at his eyes, despite that not being a good idea. Mokuba, now awake, leaned into his side, refusing to let him go.
"It wouldn't have worked." Yugi interrupted. "He still would have needed to duel me." He looked at Seto. "I don't know what's going on, and I don't care, but it's important enough that you need to keep the number one spot. Right?"
Mokuba took a breath to speak, but Seto placed a firm hand on his head. Mokuba looked up at him.
"Yes." Seto drummed his fingers against Mokuba's head.
"Not like that though." Joey growled, "Yug' that entire duel was messed."
"Not like that though." Yugi agreed.
"I should have tried another way. I am sorry." Seto bowed deeply as he agreed. Seto's phone rang. He straightened up. "Please excuse me." He partially turned away from the others, "Good afternoon. Yes, this is Seto speaking. Yes, I'm with him…" He walked away from the others, pacing and rubbing at an eye with Mokuba by his side.
"This journey took so long, there's not nearly enough time to collect the required star chips." Mai frowned. "I was hoping for more than just the participation prize. And as I understand it, Yugi can't afford to not make it to the finals. The timeline for this tournament was brutal."
Bakura clapped his hands. "Aren't you glad I said I bring gifts, then?" He held up a brown cloth bag. "Enough star chips to get you, Joey and Mai up to the ten required."
Tea looked at him in surprise. "But you earned those!"
"I am completely disqualified for this stunt, I guarantee it." Bakura laughed nonchalantly. "If I keep my rank, it'll be at Pegasus' and the Duel council's mercy. Even if I don't, I ran through six different duelists in official matches to get here, as well as playing my role as an eliminator. I have more than enough star chips for all of us."
"If you knew what we had to do to get Mokuba back." Tristan shook his head.
"You're telling us about it." Joey demanded as he pointed at both Tristan and Bakura.
"Of course." Bakura smiled. It was warm like hot cocoa and strained like someone had put far too much cayenne pepper in it as a prank.
"W-where are my glasses? Have you seen them, Mokie?" Seto stumbled towards the gang, now off the phone, and holding a contacts lens case in a death grip. He patted the top of his head with his free hand, "I hope I didn't drop them. I always do this…"
Mokuba giggled, and tapped Seto's stomach. "They're hanging from your shirt, big brother."
"O-oh. Thank you, Mokie." Seto put on his glasses and blinked a few times. He looked at Bakura. "Pardon my disruption. That was a Duelist Kingdom Official. You're disqualified from the tournament, Bakura."
Bakura jerked a thumb at Seto. "I told you I had as long as it would take for Pegasus to find out what I did, Tristan. So! Gifts! On one condition." He held up the bag. "Whoever duels Bandit Keith needs to make the duel so difficult for him he debates on killing your family members, then crush him in a defeat so horrible he realizes it'll be absolutely impossible to do. I want him moping for months after this tournament."
Mai frowned in confusion. "Bandit Keith isn't even a qualified participant."
"No one told him that." Tristan muttered.
"Deal." Joey said, holding out his hand. "I don't need to go much further. The 50 grand USD I'll get just making it to the finals will be more than enough money for my sis' operation. But, to be honest, I haven't had this much fun in a while."
"Fun, he says." Yugi muttered in distaste. The voice chuckled in his head.
"Your sister?" Seto asked, eyes hidden behind his thick lenses.
"I told ya I had one, doofus." He smiled, "She got real bad eyes too. Why I never bothered you about those coke bottles on your face. She needs an operation to keep her from going blind, though. It ain't got a high chance of success, but she wanna try anyway." Joey shrugged, "Who am I to stop her?"
He smiled a shy smile. "I see…"
"It's cool, Mitsura. We all friends here." Joey nudged Yugi, which was kind of awkward, because he forgot how short Yugi was and wound up nudging Yugi's head with his elbow. "Long as no one pulls another of these crazy stunts. Keep our feet planted firmly on the ground, people."
"I would hope so." Tea looked around. "Most of us are in the same class. I don't want to have to explain why any of us died in detail."
"Traveling with you guys has been quite the adventure." Mai smiled.
Yugi gave Joey the stink eye. "You forgive easily, for someone who starts a lot of trouble."
"Life's too short to be mad all da time, Yug'." Joey laughed.
Now Joey was spitting facts. Yugi hung his head in annoyance. "You guys are goofs."