Chapter 9: Lucid Dreaming Part II

Yami bravely ventured into Yugi's Soul Room. He covered his face with his hands, shielding off the bright light coming his way. After a few seconds the flash faded away, and he saw where he was roaming.

He grew astonished he did not waltz into a room filled with toys that reflected his partner's innocence; instead, he came into a deep dark forest filled with dead trees and a pitch black sky. The path he entered on was rough and cumbersome. He covered his shoulders with his hands to keep himself warm as the atmosphere filled him with chills. Despite all the negativity, he marched on, determined on finally freeing Yugi.

"I wonder if this is part of the spell," he ruminated as he looked around. "Could it be this was to scare the victim into not wanting to enter back into reality?"

Searching through and through, he used his own magic to locate Yugi. The task proved to be very difficult as dark magic circulated everywhere. But he stayed focused on a small portion of positive energy. He grew pleased feeling the same connection he customarily held with Yugi. However, he became alert feeling the same sensation waning.

He quickened his pace. The positive vibes he concentrated on eventually led him out of the dank forest. On the other end the sky was clear blue, the grass was bright green, and the path he was walking on became smooth. He immediately knew something was amiss.

"Now why did everything turn from dark to light? Either way, I must find Yugi."

He stopped upon approaching a hill with three people on top. He looked carefully and became filled with joy seeing one of the people was Yugi. He was about to call out his lighter half's name when he became unsure who the other two people were.

He hid behind a bush while laying low. He scoped his situation to see how Yugi was behaving. Despite all what took place in the real world and the attitude Yugi had displayed for the past few days, Yami grew torn between bliss and sorrow. He was glad his friend finally wore a genuine smile on his face, but he was crestfallen this caused by an illusion.

"Even if this is a misapprehension, then is it possible those two people are…"Yami trailed off perceiving a closer view. Focusing his eyes, he spotted a woman with short maroon hair and male with short raven hair. Both adults carried features similar to Yugi. Yami gasped remembering the photo he had seen earlier while preparing his duel deck.

"Those are Yugi's parents!"

Again, he became torn on the inside, a quandary about what to do.

"Should I go up and just grab Yugi? Should I wait until he's alone?"

The most unfavorble part of what he truly felt was in regard to how Yugi was.

"He looks so happy… He goes around helping others at the risk of his own life. Is it so wrong for Yugi to enjoy a little happiness with the people he truly loves?"

He trembled behind his cover.

"If I leave Yugi alone for a little bit longer, will this affect him tremendously in reality? But if I do go now, will Yugi not be convinced this is all dream?… Perhaps I should at least talk with him."

Yami gathered his courage and walked briskly up the hill. Approaching his friend, he found himself feeling uneasy; making a smile into frown is never an easy job. Yami did not wish to place his idea into action, but others had warned him of his troublesome task. He knew sometimes in order to help someone out you need to hurt them by showing them the harshness that is reality. The only variance was that friends help friends see the light and make it through the dark tunnel of troubled times. Yugi had done so for others in the past, and now it was Yami's turn to do the same.

He was only a few inches behind Yugi. He quietly lifted his right arm and was about to tap Yugi on his shoulder when the young boy turned around, already sensing the presence of his other half. He smiled. Yami immediately pulled his hand back down.

"Hey, Yami," Yugi greeted with his usual cheerfulness. "What's up?"

Yami was taken aback. It had felt like an eternity since he last heard Yugi's sweet, gentle voice. He stumbled to find the right words he knew he had to say, "Err… Yugi… there's something…we need to… talk… about."

Yugi still wore an actual smile across his face, but he listened to what his friend had to say. He carried no memory of the duel or his hands acting out of place. He was only glad to see a friend once more.

Yami took in a deep breath, but before he could start, he was interrupted.

"Is everything all right," asked a man with short, black hair.

Yami's chest tightened seeing Yugi's parents right in front of him.

"Yami," Yugi began. "I'd like you to meet my parents."

Yami froze in place, completely unsure what to do at this point.

Xxx

Everyone on the outside could only sit, hope, and wait for their fallen friend to wake up. Yugi's body just lied comfortably near his grandfather. His color had fully returned, and he was breathing fine. It did not appear there was any struggle at all.

Joey and Tristan concentrated their gaze on Yugi. Neither one of them had ever guessed that the petite teen they had picked on a while ago had ever borne through such pain of loss. And prior to knowing this event, they had grown impressed with how much their little buddy had accomplished through his game play and duels. They could not wait for him to come back.

Solomon looked down at his only blood relative. He never regretted taking in the child. He had always been so proud how his boy had grown, facing great challenges and making great friends. He hoped his grandson would be fine.

Tea looked at her childhood friend. She admitted he was an odd person even when he was young, but she was always glad to see his strong heart. And after learning about this tragic event regarding his parents, she did not blame his silence. Her mind and heart soon drew themselves back in the past.

Flashback

"Good morning, Yugi," greeted a young girl with short brown hair. She had walked from the back of the game store and into the backyard of a tiny home. She had noticed the young boy with tri-color hair had been keeping to himself lately. She understood he could be shy, but she had noticed his distant behavior.

"Good morning, Tea," a young boy greeted back. He sat alone under a tree that began to lose its colorful leaves. His large eyes did not meet with hers, for he was playing with his compact game device.

The young girl took a seat by her friend. She enjoyed that the weather was turning cooler after bearing through the heat of another blistering summer. She asked in her friendly voice, "What are you playing?"

"Just a little game." Yugi replied, keeping his voice steady as his orbs continued being cemented to his game, a world that he wanted to escape to.

Tea saw how fascinating it was to control a pixilated character. She requested, "May I try?"

Yugi blinked. He paused his game and looked at his friend. He spotted the genuine appeal within her eyes. He always wanted to spread his joy of games. "Sure."

The young boy handed over his electronic game to his female friend.

The girl was delight in having the console fit into her hand. She played, losing herself into the new world and transforming her personality into the character. She was having fun until she lost.

"Argh," she complained. "This is too hard!"

The boy laughed. He did not mind that the girl had spent one of his lives on an easy level; he was glad she had enjoyed herself until that difficult moment. He offered her some assistance. The game was equipped with two files. He helped create the girl's own character and guided her on her own adventures.

When it was time for Tea to go, Yugi allowed his friend to borrow the game.

The next day, the girl came back behind the game store.

"Hello, Tea," the young boy greeted, sitting in his same spot as before but with his clunky, brown backpack placed by his side. His eyes appeared a little bluer than before, but his smile still displayed his joy of a friend seeing him. "How was the game?"

The young girl's gaze did not meet her friend. Her expression fully displayed her shyness, embarrassment, and wretchedness.

"What's wrong?" he asked concerned.

She closed her eyes and reluctantly moved her arm. She took out the game from her own bag and revealed how it had been smashed.

"What happen?" he asked, surprised to find it broken.

She explained, "I tried to get to the next level, I really did but… I… got mad and broke it."

The young boy turned mute.

"Err… I'm really sorry," the girl apologized blushing. She grew stunned hearing her friend laughing.

"What…what's so funny?" she asked both unexpected and a little annoyed.

The young boy with radiating eyes reached into his bag and took out another game for her to try. He permitted the young girl to take a seat next to him underneath the nearly deserted tree.

"This one should be easier." He offered her the game and assistance.

End flashback

Tea gripped her friend's hand tightly. "Yugi, please be safe and come back."

Xxx

Yami took a big breath. He knew deep down if he didn't bring back his friend at this moment achieving the task would only morph into a copious challenge. He lowered his head to where his bangs covered his eyes. "Yugi… I must speak with you privately."

Yugi turned to his parents. "I'll be right back."

They replied by nodding.

The two boys walked down the hill to where they could talk sequestered. Yami had his back to his friends while his bangs continued to cover his features.

"So," Yugi began freely, enjoying his clear day of being with his parents and friends. "What is it that you need to talk about?"

Yami felt his lighter half still wearing his rightful, warm smile across his face. He knew he must take action. Even though he may hurt his best friend, it was all for the better.

"Yugi, there's no easy way for me to tell you this, so I'll just come out and say it." Yami stated. He spun around and claimed, "Yugi! This is all a dream! None of this is real!"

"W-what?" Yugi asked confused, yet he still played his smile. "What are you talking about Yami? Of course this is all real!"

"No! It's not!" Yami argued back, trying to help a friend. "You're under a spell Akana had placed over you! We were separated from the Puzzle! We had a duel in the Shadow Realm, and I was able to come back in here to rescue you!"

An uneasy silence fell between the two.

"Yugi… I…" Yami was unsure what to say next. He was aware of the caveats he had been given, and he needed to find a solution to help heal someone. He swallowed a hard lump in his throat.

Yugi turned around. His bangs covered his face and he mumbled, "This… that's not true."

"What?" Yami asked, feeling tense.

The young boy turned back around. "No! This is not a dream!"

Yami was taken aback.

The young boy continued to debate, "It just can't be! I know for sure because it's not like anything else I've seen before! There aren't any crazy animals that can talk, and I don't have the ability to fly!"

"Yugi! I know this is hard! But please, believe me!" Yami begged. "Think back to what happen before you found yourself within these parts!"

Yugi shut his eyes. His anger built up, but he had tried to listen to his friend's words.

"Why would Yami lie to me?" Yugi attempted to reason with himself. He thought back to his first encounter with this new area. He knew something was not right.

A memory flew in as he recalled being attacked earlier by a strange man. He was scared. He was separated from his friend. He was at the mercy of a villain who had something against the Pharaoh.

His chest started to hurt. With each beat his heart made, it became a throbbing ache within him. He gasped for air as he his eyes became hollow. At once, he clutched his shirt with his hand.

Yami became alert. "Yugi! What's wrong?!"

The teen felt his energy slipping away. He could only answer in a whisper, "My… chest… hurts…"

The spirit swiftly grabbed hold of Yugi by his shoulders to keep him for loosing complete balance.

Yugi abruptly felt a sharp pain casting from his shoulders where his darker half was gripping. He screamed in agony.

"What's going on!?" Yami was alarmed.

Yugi was losing strength in his legs. The only thing keeping him from hitting the ground was his darker self.

"Yugi! What's wrong!?" the older boy asked again.

Yugi gasped and managed to stutter, "Y-Yami… you're…. you're hurting me!"

Xxx

Yugi's body was blissfully resting against his grandpa. He appeared to be very relaxed, and resting after a large battle is important. But his group of friends kept their spirits up, a belief that Yami will be able to free him of the dark magic that twisted his heart. They remained silent with the only noise being crickets chirping once again. The unruffled atmosphere was soon interrupted when Yugi lost his color once more. He began to wheeze, and his face turned to worry.

"Yugi!" everyone called out.

"What's wrong, bud?" Joey asked knowing full well he wouldn't receive an answer.

"Yugi!" Tea cried out once more, worried. She had seen this earlier in the day, but she still did not understand why he was acting like this.

"Maybe this is the work of Yami trying to break the spell." Tristan guessed.

"That Egyptian woman did say that this was not an easy task," Tea noted.

Solomon stayed quiet. He only looked down at his grandson who struggled to breath.

"Come on, guys!" Joey encouraged. "If anyone can save Yugi, it's the pharaoh!"

Everyone nodded, and they continued to root for both their friends in their hearts.

Xxx

Yami hurriedly helped Yugi kneel on the floor as the young boy continued to gasp for air. When he became confident enough knowing Yugi would not fall over, he released his partner. He then looked at his hands with fear as well as disgust and confusion.

Yugi's breathing slowly stabalized.

"What was that all about?" Yami excogitate. "Is this part of me not being able to help Yugi?"

His thoughts were interrupted sensing an oncoming attack. He quickly grasped Yugi and rolled over the thick green grass to prevent them both from being hit. He wished it could be seen only as playful act of rolling in the grass, but that was not the case. He tilted his head and gasped seeing a purple wizard with a green staff preparing for another attack.

"Dark Magician?!" Yami yelled out in question. He grew dumbfounded that such a loyal monster had attempted to blast him. He then saw who was calling the attacks. He gasped once more seeing it was himself.

"Let Yugi go!" the other Yami ordered.

Yami stood up and placed himself right in front of Yugi.

"Who are you!?" Yami demanded to know.

"I'm his yami." the other Yami replied.

"Is this part of Yugi's dream or Akana's spell?" Yami needed to make a decision quickly. He pulled out his deck and summoned his own Dark Magician. Seeing his own creature manifest itself, he became confident once more in his servant.

"I must think of a plan fast! I must save Yugi!" He prepared himself to go through another battle. "If I do have a match with this illusion, will this have any effect on Yugi?"

He noticed his opponent wasn't attacking. He did not understand, but he turned around and saw Yugi struggling to stand.

"Yugi!" both Yamis called out.

"Yugi! You must get away from this imposter!" the other Yami ordered.

The boy wheezed as he tried to grasp who was his real friend.

The other Yami took the opportunity of having the real Yami distracted, so he had called an attack against the real Dark Magician.

Yami and his Dark Magician at once dodged the oncoming assault. He then had his loyal magician attack the other monster.

The battle continued on as Yugi attempted to see what was happening.

He did not know if one was real and the other one was a fake, but there was also the possibility that both were real. Yugi did not want to take that risk. He always believed in his heart that his partner always held the attitude to do what was best for others. When he had gathered enough energy, he ran into the middle of the battle field.

"This madness must stop!" he cried out, spreading out his arms while standing on the ground firmly.

Yami and his wizard did.

The other Yami yelled out, "Yugi! We must get rid of this evil spirit!"

"But he may not be!" Yugi defended. "Please! Stop!"

Yami knew he could no longer attack that other Yami. Not only did he refused to disobey his friend, but he still did not understand how much the illusion kept itself over Yugi.

"What should I do?" His brain rattled to find solutions.

Unfortunately, the other Yami did not listen. He continued on with his plan. "Yugi! I must protect you!"

Yami grew thunderstruck. "If this is all a dream, is this how he sees me? Or is this just another illusion?"

He heard the other Yami holler another attack. He had his Dark Magician defended him as he ran to the center of the battlefield to save Yugi from harm. He wrapped himself around the younger boy and braced himself for a painful attack. A beam of dark energy was shot from both Dark Magicians' staff.

Yami felt his friend tremble with fear and pain, but he continued to hold on. He was close to saving him, and he could not risk losing him again. He had vowed he would always protect him. Suddenly, he felt a warm glow shielding them both form the center of war. He abided in holding Yugi close to him, but he looked up to investigate. He grew surprised seeing Yugi's parents had deflected the blow.

Slowly, everything had been cleared up. Both wizards were gone, and no more attacks were announced.

Yami looked over towards the hills and spotted dream versions of everyone, the people who protected and cared for the young teen. What captured his attention most were Yugi's parents. He felt Yugi slowly pulling away from him, but he did not stop him.

Yugi dashed over to where his parents were. He wanted to cry, but he found he could not.

"Dad… Mom…"

He was lost for words. He always wanted to be with his folks. He had dream of meeting them once more. But upon sensing something was off about this world, hearing voices from the outside world, and seeing a friend protect him, he understood his surroundings. His father placed both hands on his son's shoulder.

"Yugi," he began. "You are going to have to make a very difficult decision."

Yugi listened carefully, but he had already known what subject his parents were talking about.

"Son," Yugi's mother stepped in and took his hands. "In life, you are always going to have to make painful decisions."

The young boy could not take anymore. He may have been able to say a farewell to his parents at the funeral, but such a feeling turned hollow. He had a chance to speak his heart, but he was unable to. He could not, not even now. He broke away from his parents' grip and sped to the other direction. He snatched Yami's hand and headed out into the dark woods.

Yami knew the evil magic was about to put a painful toll on Yugi's body, so he took the lead while still holding his partner's wrist.

As they raced through the woods, Yugi found it becoming hard to breath once more. His heart caused him great discomfort as painful memories swooped in and out of his mind.

He remembered times where he was alone in his room.

He remembered the times when he was picked on at school.

He remembered the times when he longed for strength and courage.

He remembered the times he had wished for friends.

Yugi tripped over a sharp stone and fell to the floor. He felt his energy slipping away.

"Ya… mi..." he whispered as he struggled to get up. He always had to find a way to lift himself up when he was alone. The act was never easy. He needed help to move on.

Yami offered a helping hand, and Yugi took it.

"Come on," Yami encouraged gently. "We're almost there."

Yugi nodded boldly. When he was prepared, both in his situation and in life, the two took off once more. They were approaching a door that looked similar to the ones found in the virtual world they had once been trapped in.

"It looks as though this is where we part." Yami surmised.

Yugi vigorously shook his head. He did not want to be alone. He shrieked panicked, "But you said we were connected once more!"

"We are," Yami assured tenderly. He tried to open the door to demonstrate his meaning, but he found the door would not budge.

"What's wrong?" Yugi asked, becoming scared.

"I believe this is your door to breaking the spell."

Yugi was not sure what to do. He did grow independent after the death of his parents. That was how he kept his good heart. But he needed help to walk in dark tunnels and paths of the unknown.

"It's all right," Yami guaranteed with a warm smile. He took his hands and wrapped them around the Puzzle around Yugi's neck. "I'll be there when you wake up and so will your friends. We'll always be there to help you out."

Accepting the compassionate words, the teen nodded. He always knew what he had now, and he never wanted to forget them.

He took a deep breath and opened the door.

A huge flash of blinding light impaired him as he bravely stepped through.

"Yugi!" everyone in the real world cried out with joy.

The young boy in the park at night sat up, but he was speechless. He inhaled and exhaled heavily. His body shook at it adjusted into moving once more. His heart raced. He was in the real world with his real friends who had stood by him in so many ways. He looked at his grandpa who took him in and cared for him as he grew up. As his physical body calmed down, smooth tears streamed down his cherubic face.

"Yugi, what's wrong?" his grandfather asked.

"That must have been one intense battle," Joey noted out loud.

"Is the pharaoh ok as well?" Tea asked.

Yugi only nodded but continued to sob.

Everyone was quiet; there was not much to be said. They were all glad their return back to reality, but the battle the young boy had undergone took a huge toll on him.

The next day everything returned to normal. Yugi attended school with a smile. He hung out with friends and talked with his grandpa and Yami without flinching. They had all returned to their usual routine of school, trips to the Spider Arcade, hanging out at the Turtle Game Shop, and so on.

There was only one problem: Everyone knew Yugi was only acting.

They had all seen the teen who would stare out the window or at his desk emptily. He was not truly focused on anything, and his smile was not the same as before.

Everyone knew Yugi was hiding something, but no one knew what to do about it.

To be continued…