Ranko: Hello everyone! I just want to give a big "thank you" to everyone who gave me a word! They were all really creative and different and I know that I am going to have fun with all of them!
Yami: Any other announcements?
Ranko: Hmm…actually, no. Usually I have something to say during the beginning author's notes. Soooo…how are you? Oh yeah, where's Yuugi?
Yami: Not here today.
Ranko: Yami! What did you do to him?
Yami: Nothing!
Ranko: Uh-huh! I'm coming to save you, Yuugi!
Yami: No, you can't. You have reviews to answer.
Ranko: Damn you, Yami! You win this time!
IlluminatedWord: Don't worry, no one gave me that word before you ^_^ Oh! I'm sorry, I'm sorry that I made you sad! I tend to make people feel that way towards me (worried) it's a gift. Yay! I love sarcasm! I am afraid that I will give you at least a few more heart attacks before this story is done; have fun ;) As much as I want to tell you about Mai, I can't. I'm sorry, dear!
hikari no senshi17: Yami will find out who he is…hopefully soon -_- I'm getting tired of a clueless Yami; I think I'm going to pick things up a bit. Akefia only feels friendship towards Ryou; what I think is that Akefia once thought he loved Ryou but mistook that feeling and it was really just friendship. Jounouchi and Malik have been in the Shadow Realm this whole time. I didn't really emphasize that much on Jou because he doesn't have a past with the Shadow Men.
lilpopsplash: First, let me just say that I love you. "When" Yuugi is going to win. Not "if," but "when." Made my day! Yami has always had feelings for Yuugi, since the first Game. He has always been in love with Yuugi. But now that feeling is starting to grow into something much stronger, correct? Yuugi has never been sure how he feels about Yami, right? Their relationship has always been a cat and mouse kind of thing, you know? How this relationship with change? I don't know, will it? Long way around the barn. About Marik and Malik? I'm not sure, I think that Malik is confused and doesn't know what to feel anymore.
CrimsonStrawberry17: I don't think they hate Yuugi, per say, I think they hate how Yami feels about Yuugi; they think that it is bad for Yami to love a mortal boy so much and go to all this trouble. So they will do everything they can to get rid of the problem, aka Yuugi. Why they haven't stepped in as much, I don't know. Ask L.J. Smith, I'm going off of what she wrote.
TheWingedSunDragonofRal13402: All Shadow Men were once human, except for Father. All existing Shadow Men were turned into what they are by Father at one point. Akefia was a sacrifice, Marik took Malik's/Nahum's place, and Yami has not been revealed yet, though you are close.
My name is BK-201: I don't know, do you want more?
AmerillaRose: Yami has always loved Yuugi, ever since the beginning. He is starting to feel confused because he is having these strange visions he has never had before that is making him question everything. Even his feelings for Yuugi, which have always been solid. It depresses me just thinking about it. There is more to be revealed!
Cheshirecat23The: Any word will do! The more random the better! It can be something as completely strange as…watermelon! Whatever you like!
SincerelyChristina: I do it all the time! Because the person I am talking to always has to reference back to something I may have said in my previous message and I cannot remember for the life of me! Yep, just call Yami "Mr. Smooth." Wait! Or my personal favorite, "Jackass." Yeah, a lot of people have those mixed feelings about Yami. But trust me, by the end of this story, there will be no hitting Yami because there will be so many FEELS! I've revealed too much, moving on! Yeah, got to love Honda! "My voice gives me super strength!" I know, I'm sad that my baby is almost all grown up. I think I'm going to go reread everything now. Then I'll find all my spelling/grammar mistakes and cry. I think you sent me a word too, but unfortunately, you can't send another.
SincereJoyy: I'm pretty sure I'll just be bawling about everything by the end of this story; prepare for the feels! No! Please don't leave me! JK ;) I'll see what I can do about some stories ;) Please don't hurt me if I haven't updated it! Wait, I forget, have you read the Forbidden Game series? If you have, I think you'll like my ending better, just saying.
Ranko: Thanks for all the awesome reviews, guys! I love them all and I love all of you!
Yami: Ranko twin owns nothing!
Ranko: Enjoy!
-/-
It was Mai who took the lead, as usual and Honda was following behind her, holding Anzu's hand. Ryou was between Bakura and Yuugi, and Seto was holding up the end.
In all honesty, Yuugi wanted the others to go ahead of him so he would be at the very end; mostly because he was afraid and also he didn't want anyone to try and save him if he fell.
Seto must have been a mind-reader because he quickly pushed Yuugi ahead of him when they were beginning to ascend the bridge. Also, Ryou wanted Yuugi behind him so he would feel safer.
Ryou had a fear of heights, Yuugi discovered that when they were thirteen and went on a roller coaster. Ryou nearly had a mental breakdown.
Yuugi didn't really have a problem with heights. He was fine with them, actually. He could have walked across the bridge just fine, if it wasn't for the fact that the bridge was steep and narrow and did not have handrails. He didn't mind that the bridge rose twenty feet up in the air, he just had a problem with how unsafe it was and if they fell they would be landing in what was supposed to be a lake but at this time of night looked like black sludge.
Yuugi looked straight down and concentrated on his feet. He just focused on putting one foot in front of the other as they climbed. Right, left, right left, right…then something drifted past his feet. It was a wisp of mist.
Yuugi's mind was boggled by this. They weren't at cloud-height, but the nature-defying mist was rising around them.
"This is just great," Bakura said bitterly. "I can't see."
Yuugi heard Ryou let out a soft whimper.
"Alright," Yuugi heard Mai sigh out from the front. "Everyone grab hands and stay close. I can feel my way along."
Yuugi reached forward blindly to try and find Ryou. He felt the rough material of Bakura's camouflage jacket and grabbed hold of it. Yuugi could imagine Ryou clinging to Bakura's back like a monkey.
He felt Seto put a firm hand on his shoulder as he shuffled closer to him. With their height difference, Yuugi was just about at Seto's collarbone and that was with his hair up.
They all continued to walk forward, more slowly since they couldn't see anything but white and they did not walk to endanger anyone in front of them by crashing into them and knocking them over the edge.
In a few moments, the mist cleared. By this time, Yuugi didn't care that he could see again, his legs were aching and he hoped that they were getting near the top soon.
It wasn't until Ryou gasped in front of him that Yuugi bothered to look down.
It was…unearthly. It was dark but strangely beautiful. Arching into the darkness were other bridges, delicate and airy, like the one they were on. Some were fiery; those bridges looked like there was fire trapped in the glass like surface. The different bridges led to clumps of land that looked like islands floating in space.
"It's like…Neverland," he heard Anzu say softly.
Bakura snorted. "A whole bunch of Neverlands."
"What the hell is this?" Seto asked, frustrated that he was always so confused in this Realm. "Where are we?" He asked the question to no one in particular but everyone knew who could answer any questions they had.
"I don't believe this," Yuugi said.
"I do," Mai said from the front; she was at the very top of the arch. The glow from the other bridges made her look even more beautiful. It lightened her skin and made her purple eyes sparkle.
Some of the islands were brighter and more…distinct. It reminded Yuugi of a precise painting that was created with a fine attention to detail. An attention to detail that could never be found in real landscapes. Others were dim and vague, almost as if the painter had begone to work on the painting and then abandoned it.
Between these clumps of land, Yuugi saw stars. But these stars were different, it was as if he was staring at the reflection of these stars in a clear stream.
"What are these things? You know, the other islands?" Honda asked.
Mai bit her lip, looking astonished and completely in awe. "These…these are the nine worlds." Yuugi had never seen Mai so happy or completely captivated. To Mai, this was a dream come true. She never thought she would ever see this sight.
Honda sounded puzzled when he said, "Wait, are you saying that we are above the Shadow Realm somehow?"
Mai shrugged. "I guess," she said, a small smile gracing her lips. She pointed at one island that was above them with complete fascination. "That is Asgard, its got to be."
Yuugi tilted his head back. Far above them, farthest away from any of the other islands, was one that looked to be all silver and gold. From the angle which he was viewing the island it was hard to make out some of the details. He thought he saw a large mountain rising into a golden cloud. The bridge to this island was narrow and looked like there was fire trapped in the bridge.
"That's where the gods live," Mai explained.
"Like Thor?" Anzu asked curiously; because she was still looking up at the island in amazement, she didn't notice the look Mai gave her.
"Yeah, like Thor," Mai said, shaking her head. "According to myths, of course. I think that is Vanaheim, world of primal water and plenty, its where some of the less important gods live." Mai pointed to an island that was magnificent and painted in jewel-like colors.
Mai continued to point out different islands, excited as she chatted about them casually, as if she were discussing an interesting book rather than different worlds. She pointed out Alfheim, world of light and air; it was shimmering with the colors of sunrise. Mai said that is where good spirits live, like light elves.
"What about those?" Anzu asked, pointing straight outward. There were two islands that were floating at the same level as the bridge they stood on. One was rocky and looked like it was lashed out with tornadoes. The other was bright orange, like the core of a campfire flame.
"Well, the rocky one is Jotunheim, which is the world of primal storms. The other one is Muspelheim, the world of primal fire; nothing lives there but killer giants," Mai explained.
"Well, there goes my vacation plans," Bakura said, smiling devilishly.
Mai gave the boy a look that clearly told him she was not amused. Bakura continued to smile.
Yuugi quickly cut in before they could get into a shouting match. "What about that one?" he asked, pointing downward.
"Oh, that's Hel," Mai said casually.
"Here I thought hell would be hotter," Seto observed, looking down at the world that looked like a frozen lake, colder and blacker than the empty space between the worlds. In all honesty, it did not look like a fun place to visit. The bridge though was like a slide, broad and frosty
Mai rolled her eyes. "Hel, with one L. It's the underworld, where everything sinks in the end. Its ruled by Hella, queen of the dead."
"Let's try to avoid that one," Ryou said, holding onto Bakura's arm.
Mai nodded in agreement. "And that one, the one that looks like a cave," she said, pointing it out. "That there is Svartalfheim—the subterranean world."
Yuugi shivered; after everything that happened to him in this Game, he was done with caves.
Yuugi saw that there was one island left. It was directly below them, and both ends of the bridge they on seemed connected to it. The surface looked like it was obscured by dark mist and shadows. Yuugi's eyes widened as he continued to stare at it. He had seen something similar to this once; it was horrifying for a child of five to witness and it wasn't much better grown up.
He had seen something like this world below them when he opened the closet in the basement. The landscape was dark and icy, covered in mist and shadows. Now it was right below him.
"It's the Shadow Realm," Yuugi whispered in shock.
Mai heard. "Yep, otherwise known as Niflheim, the land of ice and shadows."
"But Mai, I don't understand," Yuugi said quietly. "Inside…inside the closet, there was landscape just like that. But it wasn't the Shadow Realm…completely, right?"
Mai nodded. "Right; Yuugi, what you saw that day when you opened the closet door was not the Shadow Realm. Think of it like this. When you get a pet fish, you put water in a bowl, but all of the ocean is not in that bowl. Make sense?"
Yuugi furrowed his eyebrows as he thought of this. "I—I guess so."
"Good," Mai said as she continued to walk forward.
"Hold on, weren't we just in the Shadow Realm?" Honda asked, making Mai stop.
"Yes; that is the strange part about the Shadow Realm, most of it is just an illusion that can be manipulated by the Shadow Men. The Shadow Realm is like a blank canvas and can be turned into any landscape or setting the Shadow Men please. You can think of Niflheim as the capital, where all the power it."
"Wait a second," Ryou called. Mai looked over her shoulder. "I only counted eight worlds. Where's Earth?"
Mai's eyes widened at this as she began to count the worlds again as well. She furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion. "Maybe we don't get to see that bridge until we finish the Game?" she guessed.
Yuugi bit his lip; he hoped that was the case, unless Yami had another surprise for them.
"Who cares?" Honda said. "Look, we wanted to walk between the worlds, right? And now we're doing it." He turned to look at Mai who had stopped and was looking back at everyone. "Lead the way, Mai."
She blinked, as if she were coming out of a daze. She turned around and they continued to walk across the bridge.
Yuugi didn't have a problem with heights, but the thought of falling now frightened him. This time, the drop was much longer, endless maybe. It made his insides twist. It was probably going to be a harder time going down than going up as he thought that one wrong step could send him stumbling and falling down and down and down…
"Yuugi, you okay?" Seto asked, cutting of Yuugi's train of thought.
Yuugi bit his lip nervously and nodded. Seto looked unconvinced. He put both of his hands on either one of Yuugi's shoulders and began to guide him forward. "Don't worry, I'm right behind you."
Yuugi wished that those words would calm his nerves, but they didn't. "Why are you being so nice to me?"
Seto pondered this for a moment and then answered. "I don't know, the better question is, why did you always try so hard to help me with Jounouchi?"
Yuugi opened his mouth to answer, but Seto continued on.
"Why did you stand up against me in The Shadow Game and help me realize that it wasn't just a game? Why were you there for me after I faced my nightmare? Why did you sacrifice yourself to Yami so we would have the chance to get away? Why did you tell Jounouchi how I felt about him?" Seto asked the stream of questions and it made Yuugi's head spin.
"I'm not following," Yuugi said softly, trying to focus on Seto instead of everything under him. "Are you saying that this is you repaying a favor?"
Seto chuckled. "You can take it however you wish to take it, Yuugi. But let me tell you, this experience with the Games has really changed me. It's changed all of us, and it all because of you, Yuugi."
Yuugi snorted. "I got you all into this mess in the first place."
"Did you?" Seto asked.
Yuugi looked up and over his shoulder. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that you bought The Shadow Game, but you didn't want to play it if I remember correctly. It is Jounouchi who wanted to play it originally, and everyone else put it together. You weren't the one to read the Oath and you weren't the one to draw the first card. What I mean Yuugi is that you may have brought it home, but it wasn't completely your fault all of this happened. So stop blaming yourself for everything."
Yuugi's eyes widened. "Seto…"
Seto shook his head. "Like I said, the Games changed all of us. I know that it made me think that life is unexpected and then I realized that I am a complete jackass. It changed me and my way of thinking, and it was for the better, thanks to you, Yuugi. The people you love should be the most important people in your life, for the longest time that was only Mokuba. Now there are so many other people I care for." Seto let out a sigh. "So in answer to your question, Yuugi, the reason I am being so nice to you is because you are important to Jounouchi and Jounouchi is important to me."
"Seto…" Yuugi said again, his eyes watering. "Thank you for saying that." He gave Seto a weak smile.
Then Yuugi made the mistake of looking down and hysteria began to build inside of him. "Oh God…oh my, God; I can't do this."
"Yes you can, just keeping walking forward Yuugi; look straight ahead and continue to talk to me," Seto said in a soft voice. "We're almost there."
"Seto, am I coward?" Yuugi asked shakily; actually, his whole body was shaking like a leaf.
"All of you have faced your own fears, yet I still can't conquer mine," Yuugi whispered, tears trailing down his cheeks as he tried to get his shaking legs to move. All he had to was put one foot in front of the other but for some reason it felt like his legs were completely numb.
Seto nudged him forward slightly. "Yuugi, you are not a coward. We have faced all of our fears in The Shadow Game, but you were always there with us; you were always there to help us through it. You went through some pretty scary stuff in the Game, all for us. Then when you had to face your nightmare, you were alone; you didn't have us. Yet you still conquered it. In the second Game, you were the last one left and you still found the base. You have gone up against Yami alone countless times. You are one of my bravest people I know, Yuugi."
Yuugi clutched his hands close to his chest to try and get them to stop shaking; he clenched his eyes shut.
"And you know what?" Seto asked.
Yuugi shook his head. He then felt solid ground under his feet. "You made it across."
Yuugi let out a sob of relief and he collapsed onto his knees, putting his forehead against the firm, solid, wonderful ground. He felt Mai and Ryou surround him.
"Yuugi, are you okay?" Ryou asked, putting a hand on Yuugi's shoulder.
"Peachy," he said breathlessly, giving a small, shaky smile.
Mai turned towards Seto, who had his arms crossed over his chest and had his stone-faced mask back in place. "What the hell happened back there?" Mai asked.
Seto scoffed. "Nothing, the shrimp just got a little scared and I helped him across. He's still all in one piece, isn't he? You're welcome," he said in a bored manner and walked away before Mai could retaliate.
It was then that Yuugi realized they were across. They made it!
Now he could get his friends; he couldn't wait to see Jounouchi and Malik.
He looked up so fast that he got a head rush.
After the wonderful display of the different and beautiful worlds, where they were now was a bit of a letdown. They were on the central island in the artificial lake at Wonderland Park. There was the amphitheater further back that was lit up with what looked like stadium lights.
Yuugi looked behind him and saw the park with all of its rides and attractions lit up with different techno colors. There was the bridge, connecting the island to the park; the bridge was reflected back on the surface of the water. There was no mist and the top of the arch was no more than forty feet off the ground.
"Maybe it was another one of Yami's hallucinations?" Anzu guessed. "Like Mai said, the Shadow Men have the power to manipulate whatever they want here."
Yuugi thought back to that time of the bridge; the sickening height, the mental images of him falling off the bridge. And then there was the beauty of the stars, and the bridges and the different worlds. Yuugi couldn't be sure whether Anzu was right or wrong, but he would probably never be sure.
He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. "Come on, guys. This is it." Mai and Ryou helped him to his feet and he automatically took the lead. He felt good as he saw the amphitheater getting bigger as they got closer. It felt like he was walking on air. This was it, this was the moment he finally beat Yami, once and for all.
Yuugi's eyes widened as full realization struck him. He realized that all of this time, all of this pain and hardship, it has just been a game. A dangerous game, but still, a childish game. While actually playing, Yuugi didn't have the time to think about that. All this time, he and Yami have been acting just like children playing a silly little game. It made his blood boil and he felt an even greater rush of satisfaction at being able to beat Yami.
He warned him he would win from the very beginning. Now it was finally ending; Yuugi wondered if he was even prepared for it to all be over. He almost couldn't handle the thought. Did this mean that he would never see Yami again? That should be a good thing but the thought of never seeing him again made his chest ache. Right when he was really starting to peel back the layers of Yami.
All of those thoughts were pushed to the back of his mind whenever they reached the amphitheater and saw who was on the stage. Jounouchi and Malik.
Yuugi let out a choked sob and, ignoring his other friends, rushed towards the two. He didn't know that he was crying as he ran towards Jounouchi and Malik. He didn't care about the possible danger or if it might be a trap. He didn't care about the Game or Yami at the moment. His friends were in front of him, and that is all that mattered.
Yuugi realized that this is the first time they had all been together since that time in the foyer in the paper house. Ever since that moment, someone was always missing and it left a gaping hole in the group.
Now they were all together again and it made Yuugi's heart burst with joy.
Yuugi engulfed them both in a hug, crying tears of joy. He didn't notice that they didn't hug back since they were both tied up.
"Hey Yuugi, its good to see you again, buddy," Jounouchi said with a cheeky smile.
"Watch out, Yuugi, Yami was here just a minute ago," Malik said.
Yuugi looked up and took in their features for the first time. He noticed that, despite being prisoners, they were in better shape then they were. Yeah, Jounouchi and Malik looked a little worn down; Malik had dark bags under his eyes and his usually bright violet eyes were dim. Besides that, they looked exactly like they did when they lost them.
"Malik!" Bakura cried as he ran up to the stage and dropped down beside his friend, pulling out his pocket knife.
"Bakura," Malik said, giving a weak smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Bakura put a hand on his friend's shoulder as he cut through the ropes easily.
Yuugi didn't notice that Seto was kneeling beside Jounouchi. "Hey, mutt, you two aren't hurt, right?"
Jounouchi rolled his eyes as Bakura started working on cutting through his ropes. "Oh, Seto, you're words of kindness touch my heart," he said, sarcasm dripping like honey off of every word. "We're fine, unlike you all. Yeesh, it looks like you got in a fight with a grizzly and lost."
Jounouchi rubbed his sore wrists after Bakura had cut through the ropes and then Seto was hugging him. Jounouchi blinked in confusion. "I'm just glad that you're safe."
Jounouchi patted Seto's back awkwardly. "Th-thanks, I guess."
Seto released Jou and cleared his throat.
"Anyway, we were in this white place for a really long time and then the Shadow Men put us here," Malik was explaining to Bakura.
"I was so worried about you," Bakura said, hugging Malik tightly.
Ryou stood awkwardly behind Bakura and cleared his throat. Bakura jumped in surprise and released Malik; he looked up and over his shoulder, seeing Ryou. The boy had his arms crossed over his chest and he almost looked hurt.
"What?" Bakura asked.
Ryou shook his head. "Nothing."
"There is nothing to worry about anymore," Yuugi said quickly. "We've won the Game. We went on a treasure hunt and found you guys. It's all over."
"That's great," Jounouchi said with a bright smile. "But can we get out of here? It's creeping me out and then there are the eyes…" Jounouchi shuddered.
Yuugi stiffened. "The eyes?"
Jounouchi nodded. "Yeah, you know, the eyes that watch you from the shadows. And the whispering was weird too."
Yuugi clenched his hands into fists, biting his bottom lip. So the other Shadow Men had been here too. Why couldn't they just leave them alone? This was Yami's Game they had no reason to get involved. They had also tried to kill Yuugi more than once. What did he ever do to them? Alright, bad question.
Malik stood up and gave Yuugi a hug. "Thanks for coming for us Yuugi."
Yuugi hugged him back. "Of course I came for you guys. But I have to ask. What happened back there in the fire? One minute I was holding your hand and the next…"
Malik stepped out of the hug and chuckled. "I tripped and when I got up, I didn't know which way to go, I didn't see any of you."
Yuugi felt a wave of guilt. If only he had stopped when he felt Malik's hand leave his, then maybe none of this would have happened.
"Thankfully Jounouchi was there and we started walking in some random direction. Luckily, we made it back to Yami's base instead of just wondering around there forever," Malik continued, unaware of Yuugi's train of thought.
"So now that the gang is back together again, what's the plan, Yuugi?" Honda asked, smiling cheekily. Yuugi noticed that he seemed more happy and go-lucky after the incident in the Tunnel of Love and Despair. It was almost as if a big weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.
Yuugi smiled back. "I don't really have one. But then again, we don't need one, either. We've won and we should just be able to walk out of here." He turned to Mai at this point for guidance and she nodded towards him. Yuugi smiled at her but then it fell when he realized something. "The only thing I don't understand it why Yami or the other Shadow Men haven't shown up."
There was a heavy silence that fell over the group as they exchanged glances and looked around warily.
"Do you think that…maybe—he's watching us?" Ryou asked.
"Of course I'm watching; that's what I do."
-/-
Ranko: Can someone please remind me who gave me the name Queen of Cliffhangers? Because it is really fitting.
Yami: I think you gave it to yourself.
Ranko: Oh…bow before your queen!
Yuugi: Ranko twin shouldn't have this much power.
Ranko: Yuugi, you're back! Where have you been?
Yuugi: I was tired and I didn't feel like being in the opening author's note.
Ranko: You make me feel sad.
Yami: Yeah, did you not want to be with us?
Yuugi: What? No! It's just…ugh! I don't understand you two sometimes!
Ranko: Guilt, it works every time.
Yami: You know it.
Ranko: You shouldn't even be talking, you're evil for goodness's sake!
Yami: I thought you said you were going to redeem my character!
Ranko: I never said that!
Yuugi: And this is why I need a break from you two sometimes. Anyway, please review and tell Ranko what you thought of this chapter!