Ranko: All the feedback I got back from you guys was awesome! I feel like I haven't updated on this story in forever…how long has it been?
Yami: Almost a week.
Ranko: Man! I really need to get on top of this! So let's answer some reviews!
Yuugi: Wait.
Ranko: What!
Yuugi: In case some of you didn't know, Ranko twin turned three years old on June 26th so that is what was so important about that date.
Ranko: Yeah, and I wrote a stupid little one shot about it too, cause I'm a nerd like that :P Now can I answer reviews?
Yuugi: (sighs) Go ahead…
lilpopsplash: So you officially approve of Yami and Yuugi's relationship now? What a relief! I have been waiting for your approval all this time and now they can finally be together! Whoa, I sounded really mean, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way! I loved your review, it made me smile :)
IlluminatedWord: Yes! I have been telling Yami he is just a jackass this whole time but he doesn't believe me! So now, you are one of my dedicated followers! That sounds much more classy than "subject." ;)
YinYang Moon Dragon: "Son of a biscuit eating bulldog." I might use that now ;) The line to kill Yami for being an ass forms to the left, take a number :)
SincerelyChristina: I do that all the time. I will be responding to an email or PM and always going back to the message I got so I know what to say. I'm glad that I made your fangirl heart sing with joy. I did not intentionally add that line in there because it was a line from that movie…actually I've never seen that movie? Is it the one with Amanda Bynes? Okay, back on topic, I wanted to kill those bandits too and I'm the one that did that to Akefia! …I feel sad.
The Akatsuki Rocks: That sounds like a great idea! I will put it on my list of stories that I plan to do in the future (I take suggestions)! The only thing is that I have this personal rule to myself that I will not do TWO things: Mpreg and genderbending. So I will/might (all depends on the time that I have) but Yuugi will remain his original gender.
CrimsonStrawberry17: Interesting, very interesting ;) I think that you are very close as to why Yami cannot remember his past. But no spoilers!
Zeladious: Thank you, lovely! Really, you have no idea how much each little correction means to me. There will probably be one point when Checkmate is done that I will go through the trilogy and correct any spelling/grammar error that I find. I'm sure that you don't suck! No one sucks! I can read one or two of your stories and review on them if you want? Also, I made a reference? =3 I have a horrible memory.
TheWingedSunDragonofRal13402: No love for Akefia? :'( Hmm, I understand that. There are plenty of stories that I read drag the story on and on and I'm just thinking, "Get to the part I want to read already!" All will be revealed soon enough ;)
Dinogirl: Don't you just hate those moments when the flow of the story is interrupted by such a stupid little mistake like that? I am so, so sorry about that :( I can handle spelling/grammar mistakes but mistakes like that just get under my skin. Thank you for the awesome review though! I loved imaging the prince pout! X3
Cascade00: I may give the characters a lot of crap but I let them off easy with Ryou ;) I was contemplating: "Make it a challenge or just give them Ryou? Hmm, I think I'll just give them Ryou." Workings of my mind. And now that you know Yami isn't evil, am I the only one who is going back to the last two stories and thinking, "He was never evil! Holy crap!" Now you know the surprise! It was my birthday and I was so happy the whole day! Yes, Bakura and Akefia are different people. I don't think that the Shadow Men's past lives are really reincarnated. It make my head spin just thinking about it. Thank you so much for the awesome review!
Ranko: Okay, I personally apologize to all those people whose reviews I did not answer. I love you all. Here, take a cookie.
Yami: Ranko twin owns nothing.
Ranko: Enjoy!
-/-
Malik sat curled in the fetal position, rocking back and forth. He was leaning against Jounouchi, the blond's arm tightly around his shoulder to support him. Malik was whimpering like a child during a thunder storm, covering his ears with his hands, trying to block out the voices in his head that he didn't recognize but at the same time he did.
Jounouchi made soft shushing noises to calm the boy down, holding him tighter. "Its going to be okay, Malik, calm down."
Malik shook his head furiously. "No, Jounouchi, you don't understand. I…I'm so scared." Tears began to roll down his cheeks. He didn't know why he was crying. He didn't know whether it was because of the unbearable ache in his chest—which he couldn't explain for some reason—or the fear of not knowing.
He was scared of what Marik had told him. He was scared of what Marik had left out. He didn't want to know this. He didn't ask for this. He just wanted to go back home and sit on the couch with Ishizu drinking hot tea. He wished he had never gone to Jounouchi's birthday party in the first place so he wouldn't be here now. But he knew, whether he had gone to that party or not, this would have caught up with him and he would still be exactly where he was now.
Curled up in a ball in the Shadow Realm looking pathetic and weak.
He was never like this before The Shadow Game.
He had a strange feeling in his head, like it was filled with helium. He felt dizzy and his vision started to fade to black around the edges—this was the exact feeling he got right before he saw one of those stupid visions.
He couldn't see anything, he was surrounded by blackness. He began to panic. Where was he? What was going on? But then he realized that his eyes were just closed. They were actually sealed shut and he couldn't open them even if he tried. This was an even more terrifying thought. What happened? Why was he here? All he remembered was running away from the fire and then nothing but endless pain.
He felt this strange feeling in his chest—the feeling he got when he thought of what it would be like if he was the slave master—right before everything turned to black. Then he realized that he couldn't open his eyes and now he was here, wondering what was going on.
What was he lying on? It was cold and solid. It was like the fields during the winter but much more flat and smooth.
Then he heard voices, but for the life of him, he could not place them with a face. But one of the voices sounded painfully familiar and he could not remember for some reason. Now he was even more scared than he was already.
"Please! Don't take him!"
"The blackness in his heart created a seal with us, nothing can change that. We always get what we want."
He cringed when he heard this voice—it reminded him of rusty nails grinding against rock.
"Then…take me instead!"
There was a long pause, and then, "You are still alive. You would sacrifice your own life to the Shadows forever for this boy who is already dead? You realize this will not bring him back to life?"
"…Yes, I do know that. But I would rather my soul be taken into the darkness than his. I will take his place. So please…make me a Shadow Man and spare Nahum."
Malik felt like he was being yanked from a pool, breaking the surface of the water and breathing in the fresh air. The sensation he always felt after a vision.
He felt short of breath; like he had just run a mile. He heard that conversation repeat in his head; he didn't want to believe everything that he had just heard, but he could not find it inside of himself to try and convince himself it was all a lie.
So that is what Marik wanted to tell him.
Elsewhere ~
Yuugi stepped out of the revolving door and was brought back outside to the park. He was happy to see that all of his friends were there waiting for him.
Then he was suddenly embraced tightly by Ryou. "Where have you been?"
Yuugi wandered why the boy was so worried; all of his friends almost looked indifferent because they were practically used to it. Yuugi disappearing and then coming back with this almost vacant look in his eyes was normal. But then Yuugi realized that Ryou wasn't used to that. He hadn't finished the first Game and he wasn't even apart of the second Game.
Yuugi gave Ryou a reassuring squeeze back and then lightly pushed the boy away and back into Bakura's arms. "I'm fine, Ryou." He gave a boy a smile for good measure.
"Did you…?" Mai asked, trailing off; she didn't need to finish the question for everyone to know what she was talking about. Yuugi nodded without another word; Mai looked solemn.
Bakura kissed the top of Ryou's head. "We filled him in on everything that has happened while you were gone."
Ryou nodded. "Yeah, so no more taking little unexpected detours and disappearing."
Yuugi had wanted to stop taking those "detours" a long time ago, but Yami obviously had different plans than Yuugi's. "I'll try my best."
Yuugi couldn't stop thinking about what Yami said back there.
"You want to see what I really am? I'll show you, Yuugi. And I'll enjoy proving to you that I am evil."
Yami had something nasty planned, but he was ready for it. Besides, what could be worse that what he has already done? Yuugi has a list of all the crap Yami put him through. Made him go through hellish nightmares, attacked him with giant bugs, stalked him, almost killing a few of his friends on more than one occasion—excluding Ryou. Really, Yuugi was practically reading for anything at this point.
He would love to see Yami top all that. He really hoped that Yami wasn't tapping into his thoughts and taking this as a direct challenge, he knew how Yami responded to challenges.
"So where do we go next?" Anzu asked, snapping Yuugi out of his thoughts.
"Nothing looks like its lit up," Seto observed.
There were a few moments of silence as everyone tried to contemplate their next move, then Ryou's face brightening up with a smile. "I know!" He squirmed out of Bakura's arms and began to shimmy up the nearest lamp-post.
Everyone reached out for Ryou at once as he began to climb. He looked down at his friends who were looking at him with worry and fright. "What's the matter? I'm not glass, you know." He stuck out his tongue and began to look out across the park.
"Just, please, be careful," Bakura begged, positioned directly under Ryou if he may fall.
Ryou rolled his eyes and his eyes widened as he spotted something. "Hey! I see something that is lit up near the back!" He squinted to hopefully make out a few details. "I can see a big waterwheel and…some boats shaped like swans?"
"That's the Tunnel of Love," Yuugi said.
Ryou looked confused. "Isn't that more of an American ride?" he asked. He shrugged and suddenly let go of the pole. He knew that Bakura would catch him and he was right. It was much faster than sliding down the post and much more fun.
Yuugi had a bad feeling about going into the Tunnel of Love. Not because of how ironic it was but he remembered that ride as a kid. The tunnel was dark with only a few dimly lit red and pink lights. After his conversation with Yami, he didn't feel safe going there. But what other choice did they have?
They were skirting the lake when they saw a shape among the trees.
"Hey, what's that that?" Honda suddenly asked, pointing his flashlight in the direction where he saw the thing move.
Yuugi quickly turned and caught a glimpse of reddish skin, almost like tanned leather.
"I saw it too," Seto said, also pointing his flashlight where the thing once was. "It had a head so it can't be Soren."
Ryou looked confused; he turned to Bakura. "Who?"
Bakura shook his head. "Long story, tell you later."
"Forget it, just keep your eye out for more of them," Mai said. They kept their back to the water and looking out at the trees, clustered into a tight group to keep close.
'Damn it, I should have asked Yami what those things are,' Yuugi internally chastised himself.
"What do you think those things are?" Anzu asked. "Better yet, why are they running loose?"
"Other people the Shadow Men may have caught?" Seto guessed.
"Pets?" Honda said in a half-joking manner.
Yuugi didn't really care what it was, but he felt a repulsion for it. It was kind of like those things were bugs or spiders; they were so small and could show up at any time and anywhere.
Ryou had not joined in on their little guessing game. He was just staying close to Bakura and looking at everything they passed with a sort of strange fascination; he was like a curious child. But then again, Yuugi couldn't blame him. Who knew what it was like in the Shadow Realm for him? Ryou was probably just getting used to his surroundings.
That was when Yuugi really looked around their group of friends that was slowly gaining the number they started with during The Shadow Game. They sure were an interesting bunch.
There was Ryou in his bright white clothing with Bakura's camouflage jacket on his shoulders to help keep him warm. Bakura had on a light, black jacket that stood out against his shocking white hair. Seto was just abnormally tall and had these insane coats. Anzu with her arm in a makeshift sling from Honda's jacket and Honda with only a long sleeved shirt on.
Then there was Mai with her pickaxe in one hand and her flashlight in the other.
There still wasn't something completely right about Mai. She was too quiet. Mai craved adventure, she loved this stuff; she should be more excited. Yuugi remembered when Mai was taking the Oath of the Game for the Shadow Game and she had promised to beat the Shadow Men's asses. He couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. Mai usually told him everything; now he just felt like there was a brick wall between him and her.
Pink and red and yellow lights shone on the waterwheel in the front of the Tunnel of Love. There was a rustic old mill behind it and there was a sign in front of the tunnel.
At the normal park, it would just read: TUNNEL OF LOVE.
But here at the Shadow Park, the sign read: TUNNEL OF LOVE AND D—
The last of the word was obscured by a cluster of ivy.
"Isn't that conveniently placed?" Seto commented. "How many want to bet that its 'death'?"
"Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me," Bakura said.
There was a swan boat already waiting for them at the loading dock. Its wings arched gracefully by its side, its neck making the supple curve of half a heart. Beads of water glistened on the shiny plastic.
'So help me, if that heads turns around, I swear…' Yuugi thought.
"Come on, people," Mai said, starting to help her friends into the boat. Yuugi took Mai's hand as he stepped into the boat; it rocked slightly when he stepped in.
Ryou was sitting between Bakura and Yuugi in the middle seat. Mai was up front with Seto, and Anzu and Honda were sitting in the back. As soon as they were all in, the boat began to drift across the water peacefully, entering the—suddenly, very intimidating—tunnel.
It was dark and dank, with a very musty smell. The most unsettling part about it was that it was so quiet. The silence in the tunnel was almost deafening; without the sound of chatter or laughter, the water sloshing was amplified ten-fold.
It was all so very unexciting.
"Where is everything?" Honda whispered; everyone could still hear him loudly and clearly. "You know, those scenes and everything from this afternoon."
Everyone gave silent shrugs. This afternoon there were silly scenes that portrayed classic love stories. There were scenes from Romeo and Juliet, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Julius Caesar with his Cleopatra. Now there were just blank walls. The swan was leading them into darkness.
Then, as if this situation could not get bad enough, their flashlights started to dim. The strong, white beam of light was fading to a soft orange glow.
Mai started to beat her flashlight against the palm of her hand, as if that would make it start working again. "Fuck," she said silently, hitting her hand against the swan's neck; Anzu jumped in surprise. "We should have kept one on to save the batteries. I thought of that earlier and I forgot! I am so stupid," Mai muttered to herself in frustration.
"Mai, it isn't—" Yuugi began, but then Honda said,
"There is goes." The light from the back seat went out.
Yuugi and Bakura's flashlights followed soon after that, then Mai's—they were completely in the dark now. They had nothing; no guidance, no light. Yuugi was personally sick of being in the dark; he just knew that Yami was laughing at him right now.
"Is it me or does it feel like we're slowing down?" Anzu asked in a timid voice from the darkness.
Everyone heard a quiet splashing. "We're not moving," Mai's voice spoke strongly.
Yuugi sighed. "Mai, get your hand out of the water."
Mai mumbled like a child being sent to his or her room, but Yuugi heard the dripping of Mai removing her hand from the water.
"I don't like this," Ryou said, holding on to Bakura.
"So we're basically…stranded," Seto said. Bakura would have hit Seto if he could see where he was.
Yuugi began to feel uncomfortable. They were sitting ducks—no pun intended. They had no light and they weren't moving. They couldn't see what was coming at them from what direction.
"Whatever you do, please, no one imagine anything," Anzu begged.
"Trying," Yuugi murmured quietly. The harder Yuugi tried not to imagine what Yami or the other Shadow Men could do to them just made the images come to his mind faster. He just hoped that the eyes didn't appear.
Then there was light.
It was brighter than any of their flashlights were and everyone squinted their eyes at the unexpectedness of it.
Standing before them, bathed in the spotlight of the floodlights outside was Yami.
He had on his usual black ensemble. Black, black, black, always black. He had on a long black shirt and over it a black vest. He had on black jeans and black combat boots on his feet. He had his arms crossed over his chest and his hip cocked; his usual confident stance.
He looked like the kind of boy one would see hanging out around the bad parts of town up to no good. Or standing by parked cars at gas stations smoking a cigarette.
"So…it all comes down to this?" It was more of a statement than an actual question; he gestured to the tunnel around them.
To Yuugi's surprise, Ryou did not look as scared as he thought he would around Yami.
Yuugi was jealous; he felt so vulnerable right now. Yami was standing on the place where one of the dioramas should have been, but Yuugi felt that the seven of them in the flimsy little boat were the real spectacle.
"You were wrong about the sign on this ride," Yami said to Seto as if he was discussing the weather; Seto scowled at him. "It's not the Tunnel of Love and Death. It is the Tunnel of Love and Despair."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean to us?" Seto asked, completely outraged. All he wanted to do was just about of that stupid boat and demand the Shadow Man to give him back Jounouchi.
Yami shrugged and gave a lazy smile. "Just thought I'd let you know." He flipped something in the air and caught it. Yuugi saw the thing catch the light and gleam when it was tossed up; his eyes widened.
Yami obviously noticed Yuugi's expression; he smirked. "What, this?" Yami held the small object between his thumb and forefinger, showing them a bow stamped on its side. "Yes, this is a coin. In fact," Yami said, rubbing his chin in thought. "You only need one more of these little guys, don't you?"
Everyone in the boat exchanged wary glances, all of them sitting on the edge of their seats.
Yami smiled at their reaction. "Do you want to know what you have to do to get it?" No one answered and it didn't look like Yami expected them to. "You just have to listen," he said in a way too friendly tone that did not fit the grin spreading across his face. "We'll have a little talk. A chat between buddies."
Now he was just mocking them.
"About what?" Yuugi asked.
Yami shrugged and nonchalantly flipped the coin between his fingers. "Oh, you know, this and that. The weather, nuclear disarmament, . . ." Yami looked up at them and smiled at them. "You."
"Us?" Honda questioned, like he hadn't heard Yami correctly.
Yami shrugged again, chuckling. "Why not? I mean, look at you all," he said, gesturing to them all sitting there. "You are all such a pathetic looking bunch." He laughed again. "And you all are planning to storm the Shadow Realm?"
"We're working on it," Mai said sarcastically.
Yami scowled. "You never learn, do you?"
Mai began to rise, but Yuugi grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
Yuugi couldn't believe this Yami that was standing in front of him right now. This all seemed so fake. It was like he was watching a play that had been practiced and rehearsed but the actor never got into the character. This was not the real Yami; this was all a pathetic guise to fool—not Yuugi—but himself that he was evil.
Yuugi gave Yami a warning look. "Please, don't."
Yami either didn't hear Yuugi or decided to ignore the boy. "Maybe it's because you're just too stupid to learn. Have you told your family yet that you dropped out of college a month ago?"
Yuugi was shocked to say the least; he had no idea that Mai had dropped out. What all was she keeping from him? "Mai, it's okay, no one will judge you for that," he whispered quietly to his cousin.
Yami barked out a laugh. "No one will judge her? The only reason her own mother is proud of her is because she decided to go to college; you know that you have disappointed her."
"Mai, you know that isn't true…"
"She knows that she doesn't know anything. All she has ever known is fashion and what will that get her in life?"
"Leave her alone!" Yuugi snapped at Yami.
Yami ignored Yuugi's outburst. "And have you noticed she is nothing without her confidence?"
"Shut up!" Mai shouted, her voice reverberating off the walls of the tunnel. Yuugi heard desperation in Mai's voice, sounding like she was on the verge of tears. It sounded like she was saying something like, "You know why, you know why I dropped out." But it was too soft for Yuugi to be sure.
"Despair," Yuugi whispered quietly to Mai. "He wants you in despair, Mai. He wants you like this. He wants you to give up and stop fighting, but I know you're stronger than that, Mai."
"She should give up," Yami said matter-of-factly. "She's all talk. All she wants is attention to fill the emptiness and loneliness that is always in your heart. Isn't that right, Mai? You have always been alone."
"Mai, you are you're only master," Yuugi prompted quietly, nudging his cousin. "You said it yourself. He has no control over you. What he says doesn't matter. You are you're only master."
Mai nodded and said in a strong, confident voice, "I am my only master."
Yami scoffed. "Gets her philosophy from a kung fu movie she watched when she was just a little girl."
"I am my only master!" Mai said more fiercely.
Yami scoffed. "Please…"
"She's smart too," a voice spoke up from the back of the boat; everyone's head turned and saw Anzu rising. "And brave. She has always been the one that has protected us. She has done things so we wouldn't have to and then possibly get hurt. She puts us before herself."
"Its not like college and books are everything," Seto said.
Yami narrowed his eyes at him. "I thought they were to you."
Seto met Yami's stare. "What?"
Yami shook his head. "Come on, all of your life, you adoptive father has pushed you to the point of exhaustion. He wanted you to be perfect. He made you work every hour of every day until you were a lifeless robot that could only think of statistics and proven facts. Maybe that is why Jounouchi never loved you."
Seto suddenly got up in a rage. "That is a lie!"
"What? Are you going to deny everything that I said about your step-father? You know that it's all true. How do you know what I say about Jounouchi isn't true?" Yami asked.
"Hey!" Honda barked out. "I know that it is a lie because Jounouchi has told me what he feels for Seto. He loves him! I know he is telling the truth because he is my best friend, so back off!"
Yami sighed. "Don't even get me started on you with your love life?"
Honda paled. "What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean, you have been seeing Otogi in secret for, what? The last year? But your father told you growing up that gays are wrong and you were ashamed of feeling that way towards another man. You started chasing after Anzu so you could hopefully change your feelings, but you still love men, don't you? And you know you are a disappointment to your father."
"Stop it!" Anzu cried. "I don't care whether Honda likes men or not. I have always known that he doesn't really love me! But that doesn't matter! He is one of my closest friends whether he is straight or gay or bi or whatever!"
"What about you, Anzu?" Yami asked. "Aren't you afraid that no one will ever love you? You have always been friends with boys and when you were growing up, you dressed and acted like a boy. Now, no guy will take you seriously. You will always be 'one of the guys' to them."
"Hey! Plenty of guys like her, you jackass," Ryou said in a quiet but firm voice.
Yami sighed tiredly and gestured to Ryou in Bakura's arms. "Do I even have to talk about you two?"
Yuugi fumed. He stood up and stared right into Yami's eyes, not backing down. "Oh, no you don't. If you have anything to say, say it to me." He jerked his thumb towards his chest.
Then Yuugi surprised everyone. He stepped out of the boat and sloshed through the water. He climbed up to the diorama and stood in front of a very shocked Yami who was scrambling to get recomposed.
"Say it to me, if you have the guts. Come on, Yami, lets get personal."
-/-
Ranko: I LOVED this chapter! I just loved the beginning part and I loved Yami being a jackass towards the beginning of the Tunnel of Love and Despair scene.
Yami: Oh my goodness (shakes his head)
Yuugi: I am actually really excited about what is going to happen next chapter. Am I going to tell Yami off or what?
Yami: Why are you guys ganging up on me?
Ranko: Whatever. Anyway, I liked the idea of having questions for you guys to answer in reviews, but that is no fun really; it's not personal enough for me. But I still want LONGER reviews and more feedback ^^ Please and thank you. If you feel like it, you can tell me what your favorite part and least favorite part were.