Chao- This is all so hard… Stupid duels… No wonder fans don't like to type them out. Just when you think you have it, BAM! you think of something else to write… And as far as the deck, it was a bit difficult to figure out what cards suited Yugi from Yami; they both have different uses of cards and battle styles.
"Talking."
"Thinking."
/Yami and Yugi's mind link./
Chapter 11: Without His Second Heart Part 2
Yami anxiously waited for the door to open. He prayed he would see his partner again. If not, he feared the Shadows would take not only Yugi but himself as well. He knew he could not live out his purpose unless Yugi wielded the Puzzle. He also knew he would be locked away in darkness forever.
He shuddered; he couldn't stand being alone again. He had been filled with bliss and peace whenever he was around his light. Sorrow filled his heart at the thought of being separated from Yugi once more.
Suddenly, a sharp pain slammed into his heart. He grunted in agony and waited for the throbbing to past. He placed his hands on his chest. Even though the games were for Yugi, he felt what Yugi underwent.
He assumed it was because of the connection he had created with Yugi over their friendship bond and not just through their link. He also believed the other adolescents felt the same thing as well. He glanced up at the door way.
"Yugi… please be ok. Find the courage to make it through… like you had in the past."
Xxx
"This is a Shadow Game." Yugi thought as he zoned out. "What am I supposed to do?! I… I can't win either way…"
Because his opponent was himself, regardless of who attacked, both players received physical damage. Yugi didn't want to attack his favorite card. He just couldn't. The purple magician was what assisted him in tight battles against his toughest opponents.
He shut his eyes tightly.
He clinched his fists hard.
He wanted to run away.
Feeling his arm burning once more, he knew he couldn't give up. He had a game to finish. He had to find his own strength, like he did before the first challenge, in order to be reunited with everyone. He had to win.
"But how can I play against a powerful card like Dark Magician?" Yugi pondered. He looked at his hand and what lied on the field. His younger self had a powerful wizard as well as one facedown. He, on the other hand, had two monsters in defense mode and his own facedown. His concentration was interrupted seeing his favorite card trying to attack.
"NO! I can't be attacked if I want to see my friends one last time!"
He defended himself by lifting one hand and announced, "I activate my Spellbinding Circle!"
The purple wizard was now caught in a circle with strange symbols on it.
The teen had to think of something. Although the monster could not attack, he wasn't sure what his adversary would draw next.
Throughout the past few rounds, it appeared Yugi had his deck constructed from the time before his awareness of the spirit of the Puzzle. Yugi was curious about which cards were by his choice and which ones came from the former pharaoh.
The younger Yugi appeared to not have any more moves.
The adolescent drew a card and brainstormed any new ideas that could help him out of his predicament. He refused to attack as well as be attacked by his favorite card even though the monster appeared to serve Yami more.
"What am I supposed to do next?" Yugi sighed. He feared the cards on the field and the ones in his deck. He was unsure how he would survive this round. Terror overflowed his mind thinking about the possible next set of cards he had no idea how to beat: The Egyptian God cards.
He took a look at his hand and noticed how much he was shaking. He was nervous. His hands were like this whenever he was frightened. Glancing across, he saw his younger self's hands were shaking as well.
Xxx
Outside in the real world, Joey, Tea, and Tristan waited anxiously.
The sleeping teen's breathing became rough and heavy. His facial expression turned from ordinary to worry. He shifted a little beneath his sheets. He moaned as though he was in actual pain.
Everybody became even more concerned. They knew from past events their little friend was now in trouble. But they could not do anymore other than wait and hope for the best.
Tea noticed not only the terror expression on her childhood's face but also his hands. She observed them and noticed how they were shaking. She held them tightly. Ever since the two were young, she was aware of how badly Yugi's hands would shake whenever he was scared, which was often since he was a timid child and lacked any courage and self-confidence.
Flashback
"Yugi, your hands are shaking," a young Tea noticed. "Everything ok?"
"Um… Y-Yeah," a young Yugi lied. "I'm just… a little cold."
Tea was unsure of what to say. She knew her friend was fibbing; the classroom they were in was fine. She believed her companion was being his normal, timid self, but she did not know what he was afraid of. Like how some people nibbled their nails or twirled their hair, Yugi's hands would tremble. She smiled when an idea came to her mind. She reached for Yugi's hands and covered them with her own.
She grinned as she said, "Then let's keep them warm."
End Flashback
"Don't give up." Tea continued to mentally cheer for her companion.
Joey kept his eyes on Yugi, but his focus was split. He remembered how much trouble he had while he was in the Shadows. He survived by the courage and strength of his friends. Even though Yugi was a gentle soul, Joey believed he needed to be push a little.
"Come on Yug!" he shouted, causing the other two adolescents to look at him surprised. "We're all here for you man, so keep on moving forward towards the light!"
Xxx
Yugi noticed his hands stopped shaking. They became warm. Closing his eyes, he smiled. He was always filled with joy whenever his childhood friend would hold his hands. He saw how his younger self's hands stopped trembling as well. Yugi placed back his concentration on his duel.
He needed to conceptualize a way to end this match without hurting himself. The only option he had was bringing both his and his opponent's life points to zero at the same time. However, he was insecure about what card would be drawn next. He decided to place another monster in defense mode and end his turn.
The other Yugi drew a card. He placed two cards face down in the Magic/Trap area. He also placed a monster in defense mode. He then pointed to his Dark Magician, and the purple wizard vanished. As it did, the trap card cast on it dispersed, and in the monsters place came another magician (2000/1700).
"Dark Magician Girl!" Yugi gasped.
Because Dark Magician was in the graveyard, the female wizard gained 300 more attack points. The monster in the pink and blue outfit went and destroyed one of Yugi's facedown monsters.
The teen braced himself as one of his monsters was desolated. He then drew a card and pondered about his next move.
"Summon Skull has 2500 attack points, and Dark Magician Girl right now has 2300 attack points…" He assumed if he brings his opponent's life points further down there would be an easier way to bring both their life points down to zero.
"I switch my Summon Skull to attack mode!" Yugi boldly stated. "And I'll have him attack Dark Magician Girl!"
The fiend type monster gathered up a powerful wave of electricity. It then flashed its attack towards the female wizard. However, the younger Yugi activated a trap card.
"No! That's Magician's Selection!"Yugi cried out. "It allows for any face up spell-caster type to negate my attack! The card also allows for the user to destroy any face up monster with lowest attack points!"
The Summon Skull's attack faded before it had hit its target. The same monster was then eradicated.
The teen could do nothing more except place a monster facedown. He ended his turn.
The other Yugi drew a card. He sacrificed his facedown monster and summoned Jack's Knight (1900/1000). He had his magician attack and destroy Yugi's facedown monster. He then had his new monster attack Yugi directly.
The adolescent stood his ground as he received damage. He inhaled and exhaled heavily trying to maintain his balance.
The other Yugi did the same.
The teen's life points dropped down to 2100. Tiredly, he drew a card. He observed the monsters across from him. Jack's Knight was a powerful monster; Yami had combined many powerful moves when Queen's Knight and King's Knight were out in the field as well.
"Yami and I have different strategies." Yugi noticed. "I was able to bring my opponent's life points to 900 while my opponent cut me almost in half in one turn."
He doubted his dueling skills. He could only place monsters in defense mode. He felt he was running away. He looked at his cards and noticed there was still something he could to protect himself.
"Yami may be the one dueling, but I was the one who chose these cards before we knew about each other." Yugi reminded himself. He placed down the magic card Brain Control. He took away the male knight monster and brought it over to his side.
"I sacrifice my facedown monster, as well as Jack's Knight, and summon Gaia the Fierce Knight (2300/2100)!"
The two monsters vanished, and a purple knight on a horse came to the field. He could not attack Dark Magician Girl since the two possessed the same amount of attack points. He only placed down a card in the Magic/Trap zone and ended his turn.
The other Yugi drew then placed a monster faced down. He pointed to both of the monsters. The two cards vanished.
"What? Why is Dark Magician Girl being sacrificed?" Yugi questioned. His eyes widened seeing what monster came out in the field. On the other side appeared a vast, black dragon with red eyes.
"That's the… Red Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)!" he gasped. He remembered how hard his friend Joey underwent in the game of Duel Monsters to earn it.
The card demonstrated his title and strength as a duelist. The same monster was also connected to the blonde teen in the first Shadow Game of Concentration. He remembered how the tall adolescent went through Battle City to reclaim his card and prove himself.
Yugi allowed a tear fall down his cheek. He remembered while Joey was under Malik's control, he sacrificed himself for his first friend in high school. He closed his eyes to reflect.
"I didn't want Joey to die… He had something to prove to himself… He needed to be strong for himself and his sister… I gave him the Puzzle… so Yami could live, too… Everyone continued to stand strong… even when things were going from bad to worse."
He then thought about his relationship his darker half.
"Yami goes around with me even though he has no memories… I sometimes thought having no memories would be better because then I wouldn't have to suffer from my past… But… What if Yami suffered from terrible memories as well?
"Doesn't he have any good memories? That wouldn't be fair to him if he just forgot them… He never wanted to play those Shadow Games… He knew what the consequences were… but he had to… to save people from their own darkness… I… I don't want him to do it alone…"
Yugi swallowed a hard lump in his throat as his eyes became even more watery.
"I… I want to be by him… and help him regain his memories and defeat the Shadow Games."
Yugi glanced up. His eyes enlarged witnessing his younger self and the rest of the game slowly vanished. He then felt a warm sensation on his arm. He pulled down his sleeve and grew surprised the final gash began to disappear.
Everything around him went from darkness to light. He covered his face with his hands to block the brightness. He then was lifted into the air but felt his whole body become heavy.
"What's going on!?" Yugi gasped shocked.
Xxx
Yugi awoke in his room. He sat up and heard blissful, friendly voices, warming up his heart. He glanced around and saw how excited Joey, Tea, and Tristan grew. They were all cheering and relieved the event was over. He then noticed the spirit of the Puzzle was in the room as well. Yami had a calm smile and gave a thumbs up. He vanished from sight to allow his partner to enjoy his freedom with his friends.
"You did it!" Joey cheered.
"I'm so glad you're ok!" Tea smiled.
Yugi grew too stunned to say anything. The duel he was in shouldn't be over: There were still life points and monsters for each player.
"Did I win… by accepting… my Destiny?"
He only wanted to help his darker half regained his memories. And now he was out of the Shadows and in reality.
"Yug? What's wrong?" Joey finally asked after noticing how distracted his petite companion appeared.
Yugi looked up and saw how everyone was concerned for him. He struggled to find an answer. He looked down at his sheets and quickly mumbled, "Just… a lot on my mind."
His brain remained baffled about the events. He looked at his arm and saw only two cuts remained, the ones from the games he lost.
"Why don't you let me bandage up your arm?" Tea offered sincerely.
The small teen nodded. The girl whom he card for washed away the remaining blood and carefully wrapped around a snow colored gauze. Yugi looked at his limb once more. He didn't understand why the marks had remained.
"Is this to remind me… of my Destiny?" he thought cheerlessly.
"So how was it!?" Joey asked with excitement and empathy. Even though the games were always hard, coming out as the victor was satisfying; the player survived a realm of darkness and defeated the problem that lurked in his heart.
"I… err…" Yugi tried to answer, but his mind turned very hazy, exhausted after the five trials he underwent nearly alone. The first and last rounds were the hardest for him to face. He never expected for the games to have the twists that they did. He then felt something on his stomach. He lifted up his sheets and pajama top and saw someone had placed a heating pad on his stomach.
"I hope you don't mind, but I just wanted to be sure you were all right." Tea said with a soft smile.
Yugi looked down once more. He figured his friends now knew about his physical illness. He was again lost for words.
"You may have won, but you should still take it easy." Tristan advised.
"Yeah, he's right." Joey agreed. "Maybe if you feel better we can have a duel later!"
Yugi closed his eyes and placed one hand on his head. He still tried to figure out what happening around him.
"Does that mean… everything is back to normal," he questioned.
He felt everyone looking at him once more. He didn't want to talk about what happened to him nor what he stayed stressful about. He decided to speak up by asking, "So… how was school?"
"It was ok." Joey replied.
"Worried about falling behind?" Tristan asked.
"Well…" Yugi trailed off. He originally was anxious to not miss class or any homework. However, he would still need to miss a few more days of school before he could even be slightly considered to go back.
"I'll get your homework and worksheets." Tea happily volunteered. "And we'll all help you with your school work when you get back."
"Thanks." Yugi sighed tiredly.
"Good news is it looks like your fever is down," she observed.
Yugi became confused about the statement. He placed one hand on his forehead. He never recalled having one at all. He wondered if the other illness was caused while his spirit was in the Shadow Realm. He was now worried about how much panic and grief stricken everyone had been.
The group stayed around for several minutes. They were all excited seeing their small friend, from what they assumed, was doing well. He entered and won the Shadow Games and now only had to recover from his stomach ulcer.
Yugi glanced around at his group. He was glad seeing everyone had come over, like they had in the past, but their time would soon end. He looked past his friends and towards his deck on his desk. He did not finish his duel in the Shadow Realm. He didn't have a chance to see what he was capable of doing on his own. He vaguely recalled the amount of time he and the spirit of the Puzzle underwent to construct a well thought out deck to go against any opponents.
"It just seems as though it's really Yami's deck." Yugi thought. "He's the one in the duels… not me…"
"We'll go ahead and let you rest." Joey finally said as he saw the boy with the tri-color hair seemed groggy. He also understood a duelist needs to recover after a Shadow Game and be prepared for the next challenged that could occur at any moment in their young lives.
"See you around, Yugi." Tristan added.
The two males left the room to allow the ill teen spend some time with the one he cared for.
Tea stayed behind for a while longer. She had so many questions to ask her childhood companion. She remembered the spirit of the Puzzle had mentioned the small teen underwent an excess amount of stress and was now suffering from a physical illness. She was also curious about the games Yugi had to play. She wanted to know, but she knew she had to leave and allow her friend to recover. She also believed the two souls connected by destiny needed to chat first about the predicament Yugi was in and be prepared for their unfortunately next challenge.
She decided to ask, "Will you be all right?"
"Yeah," the boy answered with a tired smile. Knowing all his friends would be worried about him over night, he decided to ease his pal's mind by saying, "I'll talk about what happened later."
"Ok." Tea agreed with another soft smile. She turned around but before she left she said, "I'll see you later when I bring your stuff. But take it easy, ok?"
Yugi only nodded. His watched as his female companion left.
When the door closed, he shut his eyes and sighed. He wasn't sure how much time went by, but he felt he had a very long day. He also knew he was about to have a long night ahead. He partly opened his eyes sensing his darker half had returned.
"That was all a Shadow Game… wasn't it…" Yugi stated more so than asked.
The spirit was taken aback by the sudden assumption. His partner already had on a serious attitude rather than his usual cheerfulness and playful tune. The boy figured out what had lied ahead for him without the need of his help.
Yami nodded, "I was about to tell you, but I was unable to. The Shadows kept me from assisting you. How did you find out?"
"I was able to figure it out… during my last game."
"What happened in the final event?"
"I was playing a round of Duel Monsters…"
"I suspect your opponent was just a figment created by the Shadows and Puzzle to test you."
"I was being tested?" Yugi questioned, shooting a glance towards Yami. "By the Puzzle?"
"Yes," the older boy nodded. "The Puzzle wished to test your heart. To secure you were willing to accept your Destiny and assist me to stopping the Shadow Games and finding my memories."
Closing his eyes, the small teen was conflicted for how to feel. He was curious about his purpose in life, but his found answer felt hollow. He wondered if he would be tossed aside like a broken game when he was done with his destiny. He didn't want to be treated in that manner but knew he could not fight what was set before him. The five trials were a strong example of that.
"So this entire situation with me playing these games… dueling myself… feeling all this pain… was another test from the Puzzle? It wasn't to help me in any way? Is that all I am!? A vessel to the Pharaoh and nothing more!?"
He struggled between his emotions. A part of him felt relieved he was needed for something bigger than himself, but he also felt as though he was only being used. He wanted to scream in shame and disgrace when he suddenly felt a large wave of pain enter in his stomach. He grasped his abdominal area and cried out a little.
"Yugi!" Yami bellowed as he rushed over towards his partner.
For a moment, Yugi was incapable of concentrating on anything. His agony became too great to focus. His entire mind and body were growing very weary from not only the five trials but from his long, tedious, emotional journey as well. He just wanted to sleep and never wake up.
As the sting began to diminish, he slowly repositioned his physique on his mattress.
"Are you all right?" Yami asked after seeing the boy appeared fine.
Yugi remained mute. He wasn't well physically, mentally, spiritually, nor emotionally, but he could not find the energy to speak at all.
The spirit was unsure of what else to do but saw his partner seemed to not undergo anymore pain.
"Are you feeling sleepy?" he finally asked.
"A…. a little." Yugi replied.
"I can imagine." Yami empathized with.
He understood the challenges in facing a threatening game and be lucky enough to come out the winner. The Shadow Games were harsh and required great amount of energy to play. Although Yugi had participated in some of the challenges, the entire games stayed very difficult. Yami also understood the teen was also still ill.
He advised with care, "Go ahead and sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."
Yugi closed his eyes and thought, "Then what is going to happen to me after I complete my destiny?"
To be continued…
Chao- The games are over but not his problems… But good thing that duel is over! It was really hard to write and think about the next moves as well as remember what the past moves were… Anyways, please review!