Loyaltyshipping (Yami no Yugi x Mahad)
(Set during the very first episode, in Yami no Yugi's duel with Kaiba. I refer to Yami no Yugi as Yugi during this because at this point, neither of them realized that they were separate beings.)
He had never really seen his grandfather's deck before. It was a powerful thing, Yugi knew – he trusted not only his grandfather's deck-building skills and gaming prowess, but his bond with the deck as well. He didn't have to see every card to know that it would pull him through as long as he trusted in its strength.
And yet he still felt somewhat detached from it. It wasn't his, it was his grandfather's. His grandfather's soul beat within it, to be sure, and he trusted that, but he did not have the connection with it that his grandfather had. The deck beat with his own heart because of his grandfather's will, and no one else's. He was not the true master of this deck. He trusted it, but he did not control it.
Or so he thought.
With his eyes trained on his sneering opponent, he placed his fingers on the deck. Instantly, something like a static shock trembled all the way up his arm. He felt his heart jump. As he drew the card from the deck, the tremor came again. He took his eyes away from Kaiba so that he could glance at the card. He drew in a sharp breath in spite of himself, because in that moment, he knew.
This card was not his grandfather's. This card was his.
"I summon the Dark Magician!"
Kaiba's eyes flashed with a measure of surprise – he knew how rare that card was. The stadium glowed as the holographic systems whizzed to life and the form of the Dark Magician solidified, calm violet eyes looking out beneath the brim of his tall hat.
Again, Yugi's heart leapt. He felt his soul tremble and then resonate, matching the rhythm of the being in front of him. It was not just a hologram. It was not just a card. It was a real, living human, and when the Dark Magician turned slightly towards Yugi and met his eyes, he drew in another breath.
Those eyes. He had seen them before. Their gazes had met before.
With their souls resonating, he felt a power beginning to surge through him, and a smile tugged at his lips.
Maybe he had a connection to this deck after all.
A/N: Yep. There's that. Next is Lotusshipping (Seto x Noa x Mokuba).
