Ranko: I love you guys so much! I am so close to 200 reviews! That is so cool, you guys are so awesome!
Yami: Ranko is so cheesy…(shakes head)
Yuugi: (shrugs) But that's why we love her.
Ranko: I know that I did something big for my first hundred reviews last story but I will not be doing anything special this time, sorry. I think I might just start a story of collected one-shots, if I'm not busy.
Yami: Can we just answer reviews?
Ranko: Fine…(holds up list) Before I forget, atoinette martino, I'm sorry that I keep messing up your user name. I write it out completely but it just turns into a 1, I don't know why.
lilpopsplash: You are so close to figuring out where the base is, but alas, not quite! You will find out in this chapter though. I love Malik too but last chapter I kind of imagined him as an escapee from an asylum ^^" Please continue to review!
AmerillaRose: Thanks for the awesome review! Yes, there will be a sequel, so fret not! But right now I'm just worried about ending this story ;) Please continue to review!
Chesirecat23TheWantedOne: Your reviews always make my head spin, but that's why I love them so much! Personally, I want Yami and Yuugi to get together too! I already miss Malik and I feel so bad for sending him off in such a weird way. Anyway, you shouldn't feel bad for not being able to guess the base, its fine! Please continue to review!
SokiKuro: Thanks for the awesome review! Don't worry, after this story, there will be a third one, but then that will be it. And I know what you mean, I find myself rooting for Yami half the time. You are so close to where the base is, but not quite! Please continue to review!
hikari no senshi17: Foul! I call a foul! Yami is cheating! Sorry, that is what I thought of when I read your review ^^ Pleas continue to review!
CandyFiend: First of all, awesome penname. Second, in my mind, Yuugi dropped the gun while he was looking in the dark so that is why he couldn't shoot Yami. I can't believe that I forgot to mention that last chapter, silly me -_- Pleas continue to review!
typark: It is totally fine that you haven't reviewed before! Anyway, your review made me so happy! You want to know why? Because you were the first one to guess correctly where the base was! You are so awesome, I just freaked out when I read your review! Let's see who wins this game, shall we? ;) Please continue to review!
TheGuardian'sOfTheFishbowl: I am totally fine with being called a demoness author, because I totally am! It is an awesome nickname, thanks! Please continue to review!
Yami: Couldn't have said it better myself.
Yuugi: Ranko twin does not own anything involved Yu-Gi-Oh or the Forbidden Games.
Ranko: Enjoy!
-/-
Yuugi couldn't stand to look at the vortex in front of him. It was similar to looking down the big hill of a roller coaster as it was about to drop. The rider knew what was coming and didn't want to look. So instead of looking, Yuugi buried his face in Yami's chest.
Yami ran a comforting hand up and down the boy's back as he began to shiver in fear, making soothing noises in his ear. "It's all right Yuugi, just a little step. Just a little step and we can finally be together."
Yuugi didn't know why but he felt comforted by this. He felt safe in Yami's arms. He leaned into the familiar touch subconsciously and found himself drawing away when he realized what he was doing.
But Yami's touch was so soft and caring, as if he held Yuugi too hard he might break. It was so confident, as if he knew that Yuugi would always come to him. Yami pulled away to look down at Yuugi and rubbed his thumb against the boy's delicate cheek bone. It came away wet. When had Yuugi started to cry?
Yami kissed away a tear that rolled down Yuugi's cheek. "Together, forever."
Yuugi felt Yami's lips all over his face, touching everywhere but his lips. It was as if the man was outlining Yuugi's face in his mind with his touch. Engraving it in his mind forever.
"It was meant to be Yuugi, you can't deny it. Stop running away and just accept it."
Yami's lips lightly brushed against Yuugi's and the boy considered for a moment actually going with Yami. His touch was so warm and comforting against Yuugi's skin, it made him feel safe. But then he remembered that Yami was evil, he remembered all the things he did to his friends, and that thought vanished from his mind.
A plan started to formulate in Yuugi's mind; slowly, carefully.
"Come with me now, Yuugi, let me love you."
Yuugi's heart skipped a beat and then he felt it drop down to his stomach. He absolutely hated it when Yami said that he loved him; Yuugi hated how it made him feel. He hated that he had to remind himself to not love Yami back because he was evil and had tortured his friends. But he always felt himself falter.
Yuugi internally scolded himself for thinking that way. "I'll go with you, Yami," Yuugi said softly. "Just let me go, I can stand up on my own." Even though that was a lie; it felt like his legs didn't have bones.
The moment Yami loosened his grip on Yuugi, the boy shoved him. He didn't think about it before he did, just pushed as hard as he could. Yami was obviously surprised; his usual gracefulness was lost as he went toppling backwards into his own black vortex.
He let out a surprised shout and reached out for Yuugi, but the boy was already gone. He ran around the vortex where he had dropped Mai's framed photograph of the two of them when they were little kids. It was the picture where Mai had Yuugi in her arms as she sat on the couch in Yuugi's old house.
As clear as black and white, he remembered Yami saying. Black and white as in a photograph. It was an image of reality, and image of Yuugi's entire living room with the basement door barely seen in the corner. It was a room Yuugi had been through in real life.
But he'd never been in it, because you can't be in a picture of a room.
But not Yami, he could make images into reality. If Yuugi could concentrate enough, he could make it real as well. Just like the mural in front of the game store where Yuugi first met Yami.
The image began to swirl and it opened up just like the vortex that Yuugi had pushed Yami in. It made Yuugi drop it in surprise.
"Yuugi!"
Without a second thought, Yuugi jumped through the vortex and it felt just like it had when he and his friends were sucked into the Game. Rushing wind, like a hurricane surrounding you. Yuugi felt as if his mind was not connected to his physical body.
Then all of those sensations came to a screeching halt and then Yuugi was lying down on a carpeted floor. It was a familiar color, beige with black flecks; but he couldn't remember where he had seen it before. He sat up and looked around…and then shouted in surprise.
All of the friends, the friends that he had lost, were all standing there in front of him, looking at him in surprise. No one uttered a word. Yuugi was still recovering from his shock; it felt as if he had not seen them in years. Anzu was even here!
Jounouchi gaped at him and then looked up at the ceiling. "You realize that you just fell out of no where don't you?"
And just like that, the thick tension in the room dissolved; everyone laughed.
Mai offered a hand to her cousin. She had old bruises all of her arms and Yuugi was sure that there were more that he couldn't see. She had large bags under her eyes but she still smiled for her cousin. "Are you alright, sugar?"
"Of course he's all right, he found the base!" Bakura shouted excitedly, he was dripping wet, his clothes clinging to his skin. "Take that!" he shouted at no one, extending his middle finger to the ceiling above them.
Yuugi was hefted to his feet and Malik immediately clung to him. "You lied to me," he whispered. Yuugi heard his friend's voice trembling; Malik was just as he was before he was taken: just a scared child. "You said that it wouldn't get me, and it did."
Yuugi felt a wave of guilt roll through him and he hugged his friend back tightly. "I know, I'm sorry." He pulled back and studied the faces of all his friends. Anzu was probably the only one that looked fairly decent out of the rest of them.
He went over to hug the girl. "It's you…it's all of you."
Honda stepped in and slapped a hand on Yuugi's shoulder. "Of course we're here, where else would we be?"
"We've been waiting for you to get us, Yuugi," Anzu said sweetly. "I knew that you would come, didn't I tell you guys?" she asked directing it towards the group of friends.
Yuugi looked at his friend worriedly, she was the one who had been here to longest. "Are you okay? I mean, are you all okay?" he asked.
Anzu shrugged. "We're alive, it feels like I've been gone forever, but these guys have been telling me it's only been a week or two." Anzu shrugged. "I still had to spend all that time alone; that was fun," she drawled sarcastically with an easy smile on her face.
"It's not so bad," Seto said, speaking up for the first time. "We sleep on the couch or the floor, we get food and water. But we could never get that door open," he said, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the basement door.
Yuugi looked around, this place was so familiar yet at the same time unfamiliar. He had vague memories of this place, his home. He had only lived here the first five or six years of his life, then he moved in with his grandpa.
"How did you guys get in here?" he asked, curious.
Mai pointed up. "The ceiling, just like you. A big vortex would open up and drop one of us off. Then it would just close up again." Mai shrugged. "There was never enough time for us to try and escape through the hole when it opened up again."
"Did the Shadow Creatures hurt you at all?" he asked to all his friend.
Mai picked at one of her scabs. "Not really, they just wanted us to fall in the hole."
"Where's Yami? I would have thought he would follow you here," Jou said.
Yuugi looked bashful for a moment, blushing a deep shade of red and avoiding eye contact with his friends. "I pushed him in the vortex…"
There was a moment of silence and then everyone began to laugh, everyone but Yuugi. They were laughing because of how it was insanely unexpected of Yuugi to do something like that, but the smaller boy was full of surprises ever since the first Game.
"He is going to be so mad," Malik said, still chuckling.
Yuugi shrugged. "He already is so it doesn't mean any difference to me." Yuugi waved a hand to gesture to the room around the. "Besides, I found the base so I won. All you little lambs are free."
Then they all looked around and waited…nothing happened.
"Of course he would do something like this," Bakura muttered darkly. "That cheat."
"He has to let us out," Yuugi said looking around the room, everywhere Yami might randomly appear. "It's the rules of Game. Unless Yami is going to cheat."
"I never cheat," Yami said from the corner of the room by the lamp. Standing by the light made all of Yami's facial features pop out. "I practice gamesmanship, the art of winning a game without actually cheating."
"Then you'll let us go," Yuugi said, though he was slowly losing hope as he said that. He knew how Yami played. "I found the base."
Yami's eyes did not lighten in mockery or with a mischievous twinkle, they remained natural and blank. This unnerved Yuugi who was so used to seeing expression in those glorious ruby eyes.
Yami nodded his head. "Yes, you did. You found the base, you won the Game…now all you have to do is walk out," Yami said, pointing towards the door leading down to the basement.
The group of friends remained wary, not moving an inch towards the door. All eyes were on Yami; they expected the other two Shadow Men to pop out of no where and attack or one of the Shadow Creatures.
Yami obviously noticed this and sighed impatiently. "What are you waiting for? Go on, all you have to do is walk through that door and then you'll be outside the photograph. Back home, safe and sound."
Mai snorted. "I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him," she said. However, she still began to move towards the basement door, having to pass by Yami as she did. She continued to look over her shoulder as if Yami would suddenly attack; he simply bowed gracefully.
When Yami straightened up again, Yuugi saw it. The flash of mockery in his crimson colored eyes; a twinkle of mischief. Yuugi locked eyes with the Shadow Man and Yami smiled as Yuugi's eyes widened.
"Mai…" Yuugi said in a warning tone, but it was too late; the blonde was already at the door.
Then there was a loud whoosh, a sound that was both great and soft at the same time. It was the same sound a gas burner makes when it was turned on and the gas ignites. Only this one was a hundred times louder. It made Yuugi's ears pop and a blast a burning air rushed past his face and nearly knocked him off his feet.
Mai actually was knocked off her feet; she was thrown backwards by the force of the…whatever it was. Yuugi was immediately at his cousin's side.
"Mai! Mai! Are you okay?" he shouted, hysterical. His cousin was unresponsive. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath, her long lashes resting on her cheekbones, and her head rolled limply on her neck.
Yuugi felt panic build up in his chest as he shouted, "Mai!" desperately.
Mai's eyelids fluttered open and Yuugi breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'll give the bastard gamesmanship," she said, her eyes narrowed and her breath still hitching.
"He's gone," Honda said. "And we're all in trouble so don't waste your breath."
Yuugi didn't understand what Honda meant at first and for a moment, he didn't care either. It wasn't until he looked up did he realize what Honda was talking about.
They were in the middle of a ring of fire.
It was just large enough to fit all of his friends and Yuugi could imagine that the living room from his old house was on the other side of the flames. However, no one could see through it. It was as high as the walls and it was hot.
And it was incredibly loud. Yuugi just realized that his friends had been shouting over the sound to be heard. It was like at a school dance when you have to yell over the music to get your friends attention; you don't realize you've been yelling until your voice gives out. But this was not a school dance, the fire sounded deadly.
He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder that made him jump in surprise. He looked up and over his shoulder and saw Jounouchi's worried face. "Yuugi, are you okay, pal?"
No, he wasn't okay. He was shaking all over, tiny tremors that passed through him. Despite the heat that surrounded them, Yuugi's fingers were ice cold.
Bakura leaned over Yuugi and looked into the boy's amethyst eyes. "He's in shock."
Malik snorted. "Of course he is, after everything that has happened I'm surprised he hasn't gone insane." Malik kneeled by his friend and rubbed his back soothingly. "Its okay, Yuugi, just relax."
Yuugi shut his eyes and tried to relax but as soon as he did, he felt dizzy. He tried to listen to his friends talking but it was nearly impossible over the roar of the fire.
"We can't last long in this heat," Seto said.
"Thank you for pointing out the obvious but right now we need to figure out what we can do," Jounouchi snapped. Yuugi could imagine him rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly.
"We're going to be roasted," Honda said; it was meant to be a joke but Yuugi could hear Malik yelp in fright. "Anyone got any mint sauce?"
He heard Honda let out a cry of pain and then Bakura say, "If you don't shut up, I'll kill you myself."
'I can't let this happen to them,' Yuugi thought. His mind was frantic as he tried to figure out a way to get them out of this mess. He couldn't concentrate and his thoughts kept slipping away. Images of the last three weeks kept playing in his mind every time he tried to concentrate.
"I never cheat. I practice gamesmanship…" Yami said.
Then Ishizu, her eyes looking far off into space. "I had a dream the other night about a Hausa story…"
Mai talking to him. "An image is not reality…"
Yuugi furrowed his eyebrows together as it all began to click into place. And then Yuugi sat up, when did he lie down? And his eyes popped open. All of his friends looked at him in surprise.
The fire was warm on his face and still let out a deafening roar.
"That's it, I got it," he said excitedly. "Everyone," he had to shout so they could hear him, "come over here. I've got it. I know how to get out of here."
Everyone gaped and began to frantically ask Yuugi questions on how. The boy laughed at the sheer brilliance of it.
Mai groaned and sat up. "My cousin has officially lost it."
Yuugi shook his head. "No, it's okay. I know how we get out…" There was a dramatic pause, everyone waiting with baited breath. "We just walk! The fire isn't real, its just an illusion. It can't hurt us if we don't let it."
Yuugi's friends didn't look nearly excited as he thought they would. They were actually starting at him blankly as they tried to register this.
"I think that you need a rest a bit more, Yuugi," Bakura said, pushing on the boy's shoulder so he could lie back down.
Yuugi swatted the hand away and jumped to his feet. "I'm not joking, we can just walk right through it."
"Yuugi," Anzu cut in softly. "I hate to burst your bubble, but that fire is real. It burned me; I have blisters," she said, holding out her arm so Yuugi could see.
Yuugi was wary for a moment and then he recovered. "That's because you let it happen, you believed the fire was real and it burned you. Please, believe me, Anzu," Yuugi pleaded.
"Yuugi, its really hot," Malik argued. "You can't even get near it."
Yuugi was really starting to get upset. "No, that's because you let it happen! Mai," he cried desperately, turning to his cousin. "Believe you, don't you remember Magritte? You told me that an image isn't reality and I said not unless someone makes it real? What if that someone is us? And Yami just makes us believe that its reality?"
"That's a pretty big if, sweetie," Mai said.
"But it's the only thing that makes sense," Yuugi shouted. "Yami said that he wouldn't cheat. If the fire's real and there is no way to get out of it, that's cheating."
Seto put a hand to his heart dramatically. "I think that you're faith in him is charming."
Yuugi didn't know if his face turned red from embarrassment or anger. "Fine, if you guys won't believe me, I'll show you," he said determinedly. He walked over to the wall of fire and before anyone could stop him, stuck his hand in.
Everyone shouted and Mai was immediately at her cousin's side, pulling his arm out of the fire. "What do you think you're doing? Are you fucking…" Mai then noticed her cousin's arm and her voice died out. "Crazy? How is this possible?"
Everyone crowded around Yuugi and saw that his arm was completely fine. There were no blisters or burns.
Everyone gaped at Yuugi's arm and the boy nodded. "See? It's just like the girl in Ishizu's story. The girl had to swim through a river of fire and she came out just fine."
"But the fire burned her," Malik said.
Yuugi nodded. "Yes, but it didn't kill her. If our will is strong enough, we can get through the fire."
Mai sighed. "Okay, I believe you, Yuugi. But what if we do walk in the fire and our will isn't strong enough anymore. Then what?"
"Toast…" Honda muttered under his breath; Anzu elbowed him in the ribs.
Mai through Honda a look. "It's too big of a risk," she said to Yuugi.
Jounouchi shook his head and stepped away form Seto. "What more proof do you guys need?" he asked, gesturing to Yuugi's arm. "I'll go through the fire with you, pal," he said to Yuugi.
Yuugi felt confidence build up in his chest. "Thank you, Jou."
"Hang on," Seto said, grasping Jou's arm.
The blond shrugged it off. "You're not going to stop me," he said to the taller man.
"Who said anything about stopping you? I'm going too," he said.
Jounouchi held onto Yuugi's hand and Seto grasped Jou's. Yuugi nodded and they were all about to walk through the fire when Yuugi felt a hand enclose around his right hand. He looked up and saw his cousin staring down at him faithfully. "You didn't think I'd let you go through this alone, did you?"
Yuugi smiled. "Thank you, Mai." He turned to the rest of his friends he was leaving behind. "We'll be right back to get you!"
"We have to go fast," Seto shouted over the fire.
Mai nodded. "I think the door is that way," she said, pointing in a certain direction.
Yuugi could feel Jounouchi's pulse beating through their connected hands. He looked up, thinking Jounouchi would be afraid, but it looked like the blond was on his highest adrenalin rush. "You ready?" he asked his friend.
Jounouchi nodded.
"Just think of cool, wet grass," Yuugi whispered to himself.
"Alright!" Jounouchi shouted. "On the count of one! Ready?"
Yuugi's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"
Jounouchi disregarded him. "One!" he shouted.
And then they were surrounded by fire.
-/-
Ranko: And I ended there! Have I ever mentioned how much I love Jounouchi?
Yami: Next chapter is the last!
Yuugi: (puppy dog eyes of death!) Please review…