Orichalcosshipping (Orichalcos Possessed Yami no Yugi x Orichalcos Possessed Rafael)
The Orichalcos...what was it, exactly?
Even now, deep within its clutches, Yami no Yugi wasn't sure.
It was hard for him to think straight. There was a green pulse in his head, in his eyes. It was like all he could see was in shades of green. Power flooded through him like he was some kind of charging battery. It both hurt and exhilarated him, and the combination scared him.
He could vaguely remember that, some time before he had activated the card, he had considered it to be evil. A cruel magic that warped the minds of all who used it, tempting them with extra power. Within the Orichalcos, he couldn't imagine he had ever thought that. It was a beautiful poison that dripped through him, increasing a deep, satisfying rage somewhere within him.
But deeper still, that increasing rage worried him.
What was the Orichalcos? What was it? Was it evil? Good? Was it as Rafael had said? Did it show the darkness of someone's heart, if there was any?
He was here, too, Yami no Yugi realized. Rafael. He wasn't using the Orichalcos right now. But he had before. Yami no Yugi could see it, the green aura that stained his silhouette. A green aura that pierced between time and space, leaking through the cracks in the world…
For a brief moment, Yami no Yugi could see it – see himself.
For a brief moment, he realized what the Orichalchos was.
Rafael placed the glowing green card into the field magic slot. He could feel the power rushing through him, opening him up, loosening his muscles but tightening his mind.
It was exhilarating. This was the power that the pharaoh could never handle, because he had too much darkness in his heart. This was his power. It was something that no one – save perhaps Dartz – could handle. It was purity. It was truth.
He never doubted that.
Something strange was happening. The green was spreading across his eyes, a blinding color that drew him into darkness –
Wait – what was happening? Why was the magic turning on him? He couldn't see – it was so bright! And then darkness.
Two people appeared in the dark. Green lines pulsed along the ground…but they were not the organized lines of the Orichalcos, it was a faint web of interconnected and random lines.
"Where is this?" Rafael said.
"I was hoping you knew…" Yami no Yugi said.
They stared at each other, at the green seal on the other one's forehead.
"We're from different times," Yami no Yugi said.
They both realized it was true, without knowing how they knew.
"Does the Orichalcos do this often?" Yami no Yugi asked.
Rafael slowly shook his head. Both of them could feel the power in their veins. Like hot water. Like electricity.
Like poison.
"Why are you here?" Yami no Yugi asked.
Rafael, for a moment, wasn't sure the question was for him. So he didn't answer, and the silence grew long, until it was too great a distance for him to answer it.
Yami no Yugi's eyes closed.
"Never mind..." he said softly. "I know...I know what you are, now."
And this time, Rafael knew for sure that the statement was not for him – it was for the Orichalcos.
"You think you can understand it? You think you can understand this power, this divine spirit?" Rafael spat. "I can't wait until you finish the duel in your time – I can't wait to see you broken. No one with darkness in their hearts could ever understand the light."
Yami no Yugi didn't open his eyes for a long, long moment.
"I'm going to lose myself to it, in a moment," he said. "And then we'll go back."
He didn't even acknowledge Rafael's statement. Fury, augmented by the Orichalcos, pushed Rafael forward, and he grabbed Yami no Yugi by the collar. He wasn't sure what he was going to say, but he could barely think straight – he was so angry with this dark, ancient spirit, who had already managed to escape him once –
"Anger," Yami no Yugi said softly. "...it's a second stage...of grief."
Rafael blinked.
"First is denial," Yami no Yugi continued, eyes still closed. "Denying the card in my hand. Trying to ignore it. Then, it's activated. Next is the anger. The blinding fury. There is no control; just...anger."
Rafael's hand slipped. He let go of Yami no Yugi – still, the spirit didn't open his eyes.
"Bargaining. To avoid the consequences of anger...one soul is taken in exchange for the other."
Rafael shook his head, trying not to listen, but it was like voices echoed in this place.
"Depression – a state where one is a shell of their former self. Like a soul ripped away from the body...like the Orichalcos removing it."
"You aren't making any sense!"
Yami no Yugi's eyes slowly opened. They were a startling crimson, but it was a soft color, like apples, rather than that of blood. But the moment his eyes opened, the red seemed to deepen towards that other end of the spectrum, quickly now.
Yami no Yugi only had time to say one more thing.
"The Orichalcos...its essence is grief," he whispered. "It's sadness."
Then he was gone, and Rafael was back in the present, and he could feel his memory of the scene starting to fade. He grabbed it – held it, like gripping a butterfly.
One thought came to him.
If the Orichalcos is grief...when does acceptance arrive?
A/N: Yeah. Dunno. But I've always had this feeling that the Orichalcos is less evil and more of a passive presence. I like the idea of it being representative of the five stages of grief, although I might be stretching it a little bit. And of course, acceptance is what breaks the Orichalcos; like breaking the wall of grief. This happened when Rafael accepted the death of his family, and the Orichalcos was unable to take his soul. :) Lookit me, getting all deep. XD I once had this thought that the Orichalcos was the remains of a giant, shattered Soul Gem, and that Atlantis was covered in the witch's barrier of a supremely powerful Puella Magi, and that the people turning into monsters were actually turning into minions. Although that would be a crossover, and not appropriate for this particular series. :) So for now, I'll consider the Orichalcos the essence of sadness. Next is Ordershipping (Marik x Possessed Jonouchi).
