Chapter Twenty Seven – A Matter of Magnitude
"It's easy to infer that you have questions to ask," Mahaad said. "While Yugi, Joey, and most of the monsters of the Magic Box are away, this would be the best time for a conversation."
Seto stared at the tall duel monster for a long moment. He seemed to be waging some war within himself. Mahaad suspected that while Seto had many questions for him, the Dragon Duelist might be less than confident he wanted to hear the answers.
"How – did it work?" Seto was indeed wearing an aspect he'd never seen from the young man before. He was unsure.
"How did what work?"
Seto snapped a cold glare into Mahaad's face. "Forcing me to play my part in your little adventure."
"Magic." Mahaad shrugged. At Seto's stare he continued. "I am a spirit sorcerer. Given the proper power, I have the ability to–"
"Manipulate spirits? Is that the term you are trying to avoid? Is that what you did to us – to me?" Seto demanded.
"Yes. Manipulate is the proper term. I did manipulate you, all of you, for my purposes."
"So, when I was – tolerating Joey, and – befriending Yugi that was..." Seto began.
"That was you, Seto. I manipulated your memory, but not your heart. Think of it this way: if I set down a boundary on your left side, two feet away from you, and a similar boundary on your right, you could only move forward and backward along the narrow path, correct? Now, if I were to set some annoying thing behind you, you would be most likely to move forward, along the path I designed. You could stand still and endure the annoyance, or you could move forward in the way I wanted. The actions you took along that admittedly narrow path were your own, completely free, and of your own will."
Seto still stared at Mahaad's face, but with markedly less hostility.
"That is what I did for Joey, Yami, and Yugi. In your case, instead of proscribing boundaries, I eased them," Mahaad told him.
"What do you mean?"
"There are boundaries within you, set in place by your own experiences. I've been aware of them for a long time, and – they grieve me. Not only because they have caused trouble and heartache for Yugi, and Yami – but..." Mahaad shook his head. "It is hard to see someone with such promise hemmed in to such a narrow path. It is one reason Yami was so harsh with you after that first duel. Remember, in my adventure, you were named 'Seto' and never once called 'Kaiba'. Without the bitterness of your memories and past, you were able to act more in tune with your heart."
Seto lifted a skeptical eyebrow.
"Believe it, or not, as you wish. However, it is one reason I did as I did, and 'took liberties' with your spirit. Talk is cheap, as the saying goes. Experiencing something first-hand has more power than any thousand words I could utter."
"I suppose I should thank you for sparing me a tedious friendship speech," Seto noted wryly.
"I have observed that they never work on you. For trespassing upon your soul, without permission, you have my deepest apologies. If you wish, I could seal the memories of the events away from you..."
"NO!"
Mahaad carefully did not smile at Seto's instinctive and immediate rejection of the idea.
"You've tampered with my memories enough, magician."
Mahaad nodded, acknowledging the admonishment. "If my actions were not part of ma'at, rest assured, I will be held accountable for them."
Seto nearly snorted. "Not good enough, magician. I am the one you've offended. I'm not about to let some god or universal mandate balance the score between us."
"Was it really so awful, Seto?" Sadness softened Mahaad's tone. "I did not construct your role, any of the roles for that matter, to denigrate or embarrass anyone. I thought – to be Lord of Dragons – to have the abilities I gave you in the adventure might in some way make up for any ill-will you might feel. It is true I constructed that adventure mostly for Yami and Yugi's benefit, but I intended for both you and Joey to gain from it too – in gratitude for unwittingly helping me."
Seto stared at the ground for many long moments after that. When he looked up, there was a curious vulnerability stamped on his face. He shook his head, and his usual faintly superior cold mask slid back into place. "I might be inclined to – forget, given that you did not intend to harm me. Just don't ever do anything like that again," he warned.
"So, you've no wish to be Seto, Lord of Ice and Dragons, in the future?" Mahaad asked lightly.
The immediate, involuntary gleam of nearly child-like delight in Seto's eyes made Mahaad smirk. He gentled it into a smile, but not before Seto caught his initial expression. Truly it is interesting to watch the war within this young man's spirit, Mahaad thought to himself. He wants to be cold and analytical in all things, but there is this stunted child within him who never had a proper chance to play. Of course, if I put it that way, he will never...
"Must I lose my memory of who I really am, in order to be Lord Seto, again?" Seto asked in a low, nearly inaudible, voice.
Mahaad regarded him for a long, taut, moment. "Regrettably, yes. All of you 'Lords' would. Your interactions with both Yami and Joey, and theirs toward each other, and you, would prevent any of you from truly enjoying any adventure I could craft otherwise. Each of you would have to leave the shackles of your real world memories behind."
"But..."
Mahaad waited. He sensed what Seto wanted to ask. If he managed to find the fortitude to actually ask it, there was hope that his adventure had perhaps started a tiny spark of something very positive in this man's soul – where so many of his life experiences had been anything but positive.
"I would – remember – afterward? Everything that I did – as Lord Seto – I would not lose those memories...?"
"How could this be any help if you do not recall who you are while play-acting, and then don't recall the details of the game when your memory is functioning properly? Why play a game you can't recall? It makes no sense. While much of what I do might be inscrutable to you, my young friend, I assure you, I always make sense."
"A game...?" Now the gleam was back in Seto's eyes, and what seemed to be a smile shadowed across his lips.
"Yes. A most –immersive– role playing game – would you not agree?" Mahaad let his smirk free to spread across his face.
"I will have to think about this," Seto said.
Mahaad nodded.
"There is one other matter I wanted to ask about."
"Yes?"
"When, in the adventure, Yugi lost the Kindly Lords to gain the True Lords... That Red Dark Magician controlled Wheeler's actions, and you evidently were in control of Yami's..."
Mahaad waited.
"You are going to make me ask, aren't you?" Seto demanded peevishly.
Mahaad smirked and nodded.
"Who was – in control – of me? Was it one of the other aspects of you?"
Mahaad was not surprised that Seto had sensed the nature of his many-faceted reality, and was able to mentally reconcile that Mahaad had more than one aspect without the difficulty that most others struggled with. "I assure you, Dragon Duelist, that thought is as uncomfortable to me as it is to you. No. I detailed another, one I held a great deal of trust in, to that monumental task."
Seto glared.
"Do you want to know? Yugi's deck holds a secret you might be interested in."
"I doubt that." Seto crossed his arms and sneered on general principle. "But as it seems it's just us, and I suppose I can't leave here until you release me, you might as well show me whatever little secret you think might interest me."
Mahaad bowed in a highly mocking fashion, then started to lead the way. It took quite a bit of 'time' to travel to their destination. Seto wondered at the changes around him as the friendly aspect of the Magic Box started to give way to something that looked more and more like the Shadow Realm. The Dark Magician finally paused, moved aside a concealing branch, and pointed.
"But, that's the Aerie!" Seto exclaimed.
"Yes. But it is the real Aerie, not the construct created for Yugi's adventure," Mahaad told him.
Seto looked up at the massive edifice. It was unmistakably the Aerie of the adventure, and his heart lifted in a weird sort of pride in ownership at the very sight of it. But, as he took in the details, he realized this Aerie, unlike the one he, as Lord Seto, had owned, was in a state of shocking disrepair. It looked as though an earthquake had struck directly beneath it, and split the edifice into two. All along the damaged margins of the structure chunks of stone and mortar had eroded, bearing mute witness to the ongoing nature of the destruction. "Why is it so damaged? What happened and why hasn't it been repaired?"
While facing the Aerie, Mahaad began to speak. "In the very early days of the Magic Box, a powerful creature of Light had shared in the companionship of myself and the other monsters. As the monster himself had been a token of deep friendship, he had been welcomed in the Dark-powered Magic Box, and he and I became friends. We combined our powers, Darkness and Light, to create this sanctuary where he, a creature of Light, would be able to dwell in comfort, despite the overall Dark alignment of the rest of the deck. During that time, we were rarely called upon to manifest in duels, content to dwell in peace."
Mahaad stared at the ruins of the Aerie, but his gaze was unfocused. Though his voice remained even and light, its lack of any inflection bespoke of deeply-held pain.
"After my friend had been defeated in a rare duel, I myself had been unable to withstand the attacks of two Blue-Eyes White Dragons. Though my duelist was quite skilled, his desire to win was tempered with an intent too gentle to triumph over his adversary. The spiritual fabric of the Magic Box shuddered when the unthinkable happened. The most powerful creature of Light, my friend, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon who at one time lived in amity in Solomon Motou's deck, was suddenly, shockingly, utterly destroyed after that pivotal duel had been lost."
Mahaad turned and faced Seto directly. There was no smirk or teasing in his manner. Though his featured betrayed no emotion, somehow Seto was able to sense the deep anguish in the spirit of the duel monster before him.
"Tekhenu, one of the Four Pillars of the Shadow Realm, died that day. Yugi's grandfather cherishes the damaged card as the token of friendship that it has always symbolized, even to this day. Though he is no longer my duelist, my heart resonates with him in this matter deeply enough that I have been able, in the spirit of that same friendship, to help sustain a remnant of the soul of my friend in the ruined Aerie."
Seto stared at Mahaad with grudgingly deepening respect for his resolve and power, even while ruthlessly pushing aside the guilt that tried to creep into his heart that he had caused this pain.
"Despite my efforts, the Aerie is crumbling into ruin. Each time more of it falls, my contact with Tekhenu lessens. I fear what will happen to the Shadow Realm the day the Aerie falls completely. The Magic Box, for all of my power, cannot support one fourth of the Shadow Realm as Tekhenu has been able to – even in his weakened state."
Mahaad took a deep, centering breath, and smiled sadly at Seto. "So, the Guardian I created for Lord Seto in the adventure had been something of a gift for my friend. The spirit spell creating the adventure affected the entire Magic Box, so it affected even him. He was able to assume the persona created for him, and leave the Aerie, perhaps for the last time. The White Knight, then later the Blue-Eyes White Dragon of the Lord of Ice and Dragons, was Tekhenu's soul, freed from the crumbling Aerie, manifesting as that character to help me with the adventure. It was Tekhenu, him alone, who I trusted enough to guide the actions of Lord Critias in the adventure. Your actions were controlled by the Blue-Eyes White Dragon you never knew."
Seto's awareness turned inward at this revelation, and he delved into the lucid dream-like, almost-memories of himself as 'Lord Critias'. First and foremost among those feelings was a gentle regret centered on Yugi, and a longing that things had been different. There had been a restrained sort of delight that he was free, at long last, to move and interact with others. Finally, there was a sense of regret that somehow centered on him, Seto Kaiba. Seto had never given the fourth Blue-Eyes White Dragon any thought after he tore up the card. The relief that he felt that his favorite duel monster could never, ever be used against him – that he would never have to regard his favorite monster as merely a target for destruction as he held every playable Blue-Eyes White Dragon card in existence – had been short-lived. Yami had shattered his soul for his ruthless actions, and recovering from the Mind Crush had become not only Seto's first priority, but his only reality. After that recovery, such things as ensuring he would never have to destroy a Blue-Eyes White Dragon as if it were a common enemy monster just didn't seem to be very important, anymore. Never had he imagined any of this – that the Blue-Eyes White Dragon he destroyed had possessed will and spirit, or that it had been friends with anyone, much less Yugi's Dark Magician, or that it had hovered about in the Magic Box as some sort of not-quite dead ghost of itself...
"Well, it's a nice fairy-tale, magician," Seto said aloud. "Of course, I find I have to take your word for it as there is no way to authenticate the veracity of what you claim, and even you should know by now that I'm not that gullible."
Mahaad stared at Seto long enough that even Seto couldn't maintain his gaze, and lowered his eyes. "Ma'at brings all things into balance," Mahaad warned softly. "You should take care, Seto Kaiba, that the hand of ma'at not smite you for your actions."
Seto grinned mirthlessly at the spellcaster. "If I won't rely on ma'at to balance the score between us, what makes you think I'd be concerned about the fallout from your oh-so-tragic story of friendship lost?"
Before Mahaad could form a thought to voice a retort, horrendous pandemonium turned their attention away from the conversation and back to the Aerie again. A wave of pure force flung Seto to the ground onto his back. His view of the world canted abruptly, and he found himself staring up into the sky that was a disturbing blend of the 'normal' Magic Box and the weird, restless energy ebb and flow of the Shadow Realm welkin. Before his mind fully comprehended that, his attention was suddenly commanded by giant pieces of soaring marble and granite, large enough to crush him several times over and drive his body deep enough no further burial would be necessary as they slowed in their ascent, seemed to curve and take aim, and descend toward him at a rapidly increasing rate.
Crushed by a building – really? Me? How banal an end, Seto thought to himself. Though that end is coming here in this magic-ridden place. I guess that's something – not that anyone would ever know that. How is it something that is happening so fast I can't avoid it is giving me so much time to ponder its outcome? Is this what Yugi went through when my building collapsed on him? Of course, the building falling on me has to be a larger than life mystical structure designed for a dragon. I don't think there's any way I'm walking away from this – heck, I don't think they'll be able to find anything of me under all this rubble when it finally crashes down. Oh, Mokuba...
Seto got no further in his defeated and dire ruminations before an enormous translucent purple dome of pure magic sprang up around him. Under its arc, Mahaad matter-of-factly reached a hand down to help him regain his feet. Remnants of the Aerie rained down like stone hail upon the protective dome of magic and slid along it to the ground. After the debris settled, Mahaad dismissed his magic shield with an impatient gesture and walked toward the main bulk of the rubble that had settled back on the ground in the spot where the Aerie had stood. Ominous creakings and smaller random crashes occurred throughout the massive pile as what was left of the Aerie kept settling into this new form after its destruction.
"I can no longer sense even the smallest remnant of my friend's spirit," Mahaad reported sadly. "I know not what happens to duel monster spirits when they die – such a thing has not happened since I became such a spirit myself. All I know for certain is that, on this plane, Tekhenu is no more." Mahaad shook his head. "I only hope the Shadow Realm survives his loss."
Seto merely stared at the total ruination of the Aerie and wondered at the deep sense of bereavement he felt at the loss. No other words were exchanged as Mahaad turned from the wreckage and silently led the way back to the center of the Magic Box.
Yugi was glad Seto was easy to find when he returned to the Magic Box. He'd helped Vialla sluice water over Charvron's sides and wings and offered to help scrub the dragon's hide after they returned from their field trip, but the Mystical Elf pointed out delicately that she had a bit better reach than he did, and she was used to helping the Winged Dragon cool down and clean up after long flights. Yugi knew it would be a while longer before Joey and the rest of the monsters trekked back – unlike the race to Joey's deck, which he'd won fair and square, his monsters were doing their best to hinder Joey and the Red-Eyes Black Dragon on the return race. Grateful for their unexpected and unasked for interference, Yugi figured he'd have a few minutes to figure out what was going on with Seto before everyone returned.
"Ah, Seto?"
"Yes?" Seto's reply was terse and impatient – as if he were at the end of his ability to bear weirdness.
"I don't blame... That is, it's not reasonable to expect that Kaibacorp would have destroyed a building it had just acquired in less than twenty-four hours," Yugi said as a way to try to let Seto know he didn't blame Kaiba Corporation's C.E.O. for his misadventure with the condemned building.
"You're saying I'm not reasonable, Motou?" Seto slid his gaze over to Yugi. Yugi's eyes widened as he realized that Seto's expression wasn't the glare he was expecting. Seto snorted. "I know you don't blame me or my company. Legally, you were trespassing, and I'm sure I will have to argue down my lawyers for assuming any sort of financial responsibility for your recovery. Still, I need you in good health, Yugi."
"So you can beat me in a duel, huh?" Yugi ventured.
"Of course." Seto assayed a wink. "What other reason could there be?"
"What indeed," Yugi mused as if to himself. "'Lord Seto'?" he teased.
"I will admit, to you alone, and don't share this with that wretched spirit you somehow saddled yourself with, Motou, that there were parts of the adventure that were – amazingly fun. Who would have thought your magician had it in him?" Seto shocked Yugi with his almost companionable attitude.
"I would!" Yugi averred.
"Yeah, you would. If ever..." Seto shook his head. "No. Look, perhaps time, or our perception of it flows differently here, but I would really appreciate it if you could reign in your monster and command him to return us to the real world. I have real work to do."
"YUGI!" Joey bellowed from the back of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon who was even now spiraling down for a landing. "That wasn't fair! Your monsters deliberately got in the way! I demand a rematch!"
Seto winced. "If I don't get out of here soon, I might have to strangle Wheeler."
Yugi laughed. "I'll see what I can do."
Just on the other side of a copse of trees, Mahaad, while gathering the composure and mystic strength he would need to release the guest spirits he'd compelled to the Magic Box in the first place, stiffened as another presence impinged upon his aura. He tried to sublimate his concentration beyond the distraction. After a few minutes, he realized he would have to deal with this matter first, so he made his way unnoticed through the loud and happy crowd of three duelists and throng of monsters clustered near the Atelier. He entered the inner sanctum where the advanced forms of the Dark Magician gathered.
Dark Knight, with a more vibrant than usual awareness in his eyes, smiled as he entered. Dark Sage, likewise more interactive than usual nodded gravely toward him. The Magician of Black Chaos stood in the center of the inner room, and turned toward Mahaad as the Dark Magician entered.
"You summoned me?" Mahaad demanded in a cool and forbidding tone.
"Strongly invited," The Magician of Black Chaos countered lightly.
"Close enough. What do you want?" Mahaad stared reprovingly at the Magician of Black Chaos.
"It seems as if now is as good a time as any to resolve any divisions between us." A hint of a smile cross the Chaos Magician's face. "Something of an after-mission briefing, as it were? To facilitate the synchronization?"
"There is no need," Mahaad said.
"I see. You don't trust me?"
"Should I? You went wildly off-script from the very start. When you destroyed the Point the entire adventure nearly ripped apart." Now Mahaad's voice held a note of disdain.
"I knew it wouldn't. Rather, I knew you wouldn't let it. Didn't you feel that the young one was ready? Didn't you sense his growing anguish? Perhaps the adventure didn't end in the completely elegant way you designed, but it ended well, and in a timely way. Before the young one traded one problem for another," the Magician of Chaos explained.
"True enough." Mahaad nodded fractionally. "Nevertheless, it is – uncomfortable to allow you to fully synchronize. You are different enough from me that it must be as uncomfortable for you as it is for me."
The Magician of Chaos shook his head sadly. "There is no 'you' or 'me' between us. I am merely a different aspect of you, even as all our 'brethren' assembled here are. The only differences between us are in your perception of me – or rather, of yourself when you manifest as me."
Mahaad crossed his arms and turned away. "There is no need for us to have any further discussion on this matter."
The Magician of Black Chaos nodded sadly. "It is as I feared. For your comfort, even though it means my increased discomfort, be it as you will. I only hope you come to accept that I am you – albeit a more unrestrained version of you – before it is too late. I will remove my objectionable presence, for now. Summon me when –" Chaos laughed softly. "Summon me whenever you wish whether for acknowledgment and completion of the unity between us once more – or even just to talk. I will accept my banishment without complaint."
The Magician of Chaos faded from the Atelier. Mahaad stared at the space for a moment with an indescribably irritated look. "It is high time this comes to an end and everything returns to normal." He turned and left the inner room, exiting from the Atelier as well.
Yami seemed to be the only one who noticed when Mahaad returned from his visit to the Atelier. Though he didn't shout, Mahaad's voice carried across the raucous hum of the many conversations. "Everyone, say your good-byes. The adventure is long over." Yami seemed to frown as Mahaad's clipped attitude and nearly chiding manner proved to be a wet blanket abruptly silencing everyone.
Undaunted, Yugi approached his favorite duel monster. "Mahaad, nothing bad happened, right? Everyone is happy and having fun, surely there's no need to just stop the party!"
Mahaad couldn't help but smile at Yugi. If things had been quite different, and Seto had been his duelist that he had yanked from the real world to force to play an adventure, there's no way Seto would be addressing him in so friendly a manner afterward. Even Joey, as easy-going as he is, wouldn't be friendly again so soon. Only Yugi had the right combination of understanding and forgiveness to accept the lesson of the adventure without being bent out of shape over it. "Nothing bad has happened. It is just maintaining the spirit magic that holds non-duel monster entities safely in the Magic Box taxes my magic."
"Oh! I hadn't even thought of that. Good-bye, for now, Mahaad, I'm sure we will see you soon, either in a visit another time, or in the soul rooms, or in a duel. Come on, Yami, it's time to go. Joey, Seto, hurry up so we can leave. Vialla, Shelleene, Celedor, Akai, everyone, I'm sorry, but we really do have to go. Thank you, so much, everyone for helping with the adventure. I loved it; it was the most awesome thing I've ever done, well, except for solving the Puzzle, and that other thing, oh, dear... Well, it's one of the most awesome things I've ever done! It's too bad we can't do something like that again, all of us in the same story – I really liked being the Hero, even though I don't think I ever really got the hang of what that means at all. Come on, Yami, we've got to go before Mahaad hurts himself trying to keep our souls here," Yugi babbled almost too fast to follow before Yami strode over and casually placed his hand over Yugi's mouth to stop the flow of words.
"I take it now would be the ideal time to let your spell drop and allow our spirits to return to the real world?" Yami asked.
"I am nowhere near taxed to my limit to maintain the spell, but it seems as if the reason for casting it in the first place has been more than satisfied," Mahaad replied.
"As far as I'm concerned, magician, it's far past time for this nonsense to be over, so hurry up and do whatever you need to do for me to get out of this insane place and get back to the real world." Seto punctuated his statement with a glare. After the slightest pause he placed his hands on his hips and demanded, "Well?"
Joey had just started bristling in reaction and his mouth fell open to say something undoubtedly insulting when all four of them faded into soft black and purple sparkles which quickly dissipated.
The soft blackness parted, and Yugi winced. He could sense that Yami was right there, doing his level best to take on as much of the pain that he could. Yugi could almost feel Yami's wish to trade places, to accept all the pain as he'd done before, but true to the lesson of the adventure he didn't force Yugi to switch with him. Yugi scrunched his eyes as tight as he could, aware that there was an increase in the tenderness around his face, but needing the action to help him master enough of the pain to even think of opening his eyes and assessing the situation. He'd never hurt this much in his life. The pain was sharp and jagged, and seemingly riddled throughout his entire body deep enough that he couldn't spare the mental energy to direct actual thoughts toward his partner. After a long moment, an infinitesimal easing of the agony permitted him to open his eyes.
Joey was seated in a chair at the foot of his hospital bed, slumped over onto the bed next to where Yugi's feet were covered by a light blanket. Seto, his arms crossed, leaned up against the wall, with his head dropped down toward his chest. Seto fell asleep standing up! Yugi thought knowing his connection through the Millennium Puzzle would transmit the image perfectly to Yami.
That is the most absurd thing I've seen in a long time, Yami returned. Yugi could almost feel the smile in Yami's mental voice.
It is pretty silly, isn't it? It's too bad we don't have a camera. The thought of the expression on Seto's face if Yugi were to show him that picture made him laugh.
Joey and Seto woke immediately at the sound. Joey fussed at his return to normal consciousness, trying to get his hair out of his face and ease some feeling into an arm that had fallen asleep with a pinched nerve in his awkward position, or that is what Yugi gathered from Joey's mutterings and half curses. Seto merely stood up straight and pinned Yugi with a hard, unreadable look. His gaze flicked over to a point above Yugi's head, then back down into his eyes.
"Recover as quickly as you can, Motou," Seto actually smiled slightly as he completed his command. "to minimize the impact you are having on Kaiba Corporation. Don't waste my money." His smile dropping, Seto turned and stalked out of the hospital room.
"Wow. He really is the most lame-ass friend of all time. I don't know what you see in that guy, Yuge. Get better, quick. I'll see ya later!" Joey said all in a rush, then started to dash out of the door.
"W-wait! What?" Yugi stammered.
Joey turned and grinned at him. "You know how it is, Yugi. If I hurry, I can catch Moneypants at the elevator and fuss at him on the way down. If I play my cards right, I might even score a ride from him an' get to tease him about Ice and Dragons while hooking a ride home. Saves me the bus fare."
"Yeah, you do that. See ya, Joey!"
Yugi grimaced in pain once his friend was out of sight and raised his hand to his aching head. His touch encountered bandages. More bandages wrapped around his right hand, securing a splint in place. The clear plastic tubing of an intravenous line snaked out from under the bandages as well. The pain from that part of his body spiked even higher when he gingerly pressed with his left hand.
"Yugi, stop it," Yami advised from within.
"Yeah, you're right. Wow – everything hurts!"
"Hmm." Yami replied. "Would you mind meeting me in the corridor?"
"You're not about to try to lock me in again, are you? No," Yugi answered his own question. "you might be hard-headed, but you aren't stupid." He closed his eyes, and made the mental twist that allowed his consciousness to share the corridor between soul rooms with his partner.
"You've been through a lot today. Why not let me take over for a while, so you can get some rest?" Yami suggested as Yugi opened his eyes. "I promise I'll switch with you as soon as you ask, and I won't try to lock you in your soul room ever again."
"But the pain is really bad. You shouldn't..."
"Please, aibou?"
Yugi didn't want to, but Yami asked for things so very rarely, and he couldn't say no. Yami sensed his agreement. "Don't worry. I've got a few meditation techniques a certain spirit sorcerer taught me years ago that should definitely help master the pain. After you've rested a bit, I could try my best to teach some of them to you. Besides, it's nearly time for the nurse to come in and give you something that makes the pain ease up and your head go spinny for a while, anyway. I've been letting your body just go to sleep when that happens, and going to my own soul room, since I don't much like being dizzy, but of course, it's up to you what you want to do."
"Recovering from this is going to be tedious, isn't it? How badly was I hurt?"
"Let's see; you've got fourteen stitches in your leg and bandages pretty much everywhere. From what the doctor said to Grandpa when he visited earlier, if I remember them all, you've got a concussion, sprained wrist, wrenched back, twisted ankle, a gash on one thigh, two black eyes, a cut lip, and various deep bruises, minor abrasions, and small cuts all over your body. No internal damage, no broken bones – nothing that won't heal given care and time. Once the doctors are sure your concussion is resolving properly, and they've gotten enough antibiotics into you that you aren't going to get an infection, you'll be discharged. They think it will be a few more days."
"Yami," Yugi was struck by a sudden thought. "How long has it been? It seemed as though weeks passed in the adventure."
"Mahaad is a master of spirit sorcery, and time must flow differently in the Magic Box. I think it even flows differently here, in this corridor and our soul rooms. It's been less than a day since the accident. While you were locked... Uhm, that is, while you weren't fully aware of the outside world, the doctors ran tests, stitched up your leg, and other very tedious sorts of things; Grandpa visited; nurses fussed about taking blood and ticking things off in charts; Tristan stopped by for a moment on his way to work, and then Joey and Seto showed up. Believe me, aibou, you didn't miss anything."
"You still shouldn't take all the pain to yourself, Yami," Yugi noted softly.
"I won't. I know better, now. Still, I have to admire Mahaad's remedy for showing me the error of my ways. You make a very effective hero, Yugi. It's really too bad we can't do that again."
"Oh, I've got a feeling I haven't seen the last of the Lord of Blood and Shadows, the Water Sage, or any of them," Yugi replied lightly. "Mahaad had too much fun to not want to do that again, and all the monsters of our deck liked helping him." Yugi grinned at the flabbergasted expression on Yami's face. "It makes sense. He's got to do everything we tell him to do within the game of Duel Monsters, but I think Mahaad likes being the game master and running the show. I'm pretty sure we're going to find ourselves adventurers in the Magic Box world again, at some point."
"We can't let him..." Yami started.
"Aw, what's the harm? It took practically no time at all, the monsters enjoyed it, and it was fun!"
Yami sighed. "It might have been fun for you, but..."
"It was fun for you, too, Yami, and you know it!"
Yami crooked a grin his way. "Yeah, it was fun. I hope I get to be Lord Yami instead of Lord Timaeus, though. He was such a jerk to you!"
"Only because the adventure called for him to be a jerk. I bet he gets to be nicer next time..."
"Next time..." Yami added thoughtfully.
Epilogue
"I am never going to learn this spell, Master!" The gentle sunlight of the Magic Box, the playful breeze wafting the scent of flowers past her face, and the confident expression in her teacher's eyes did nothing to ease Mana's frustration.
"You are fully capable of learning and properly casting this magic, Mana," Mahaad reassured her.
"But it's so hard!"
Mahaad tapped a finger against his lips and regarded his pupil. "There is no need to continue your education in this, if you no longer wish to pursue mastery of spirit sorcery. Your proficiency in Dark Magic granted to you through the game of Duel Monsters..." he began.
"No – I want to learn. I don't want to simply rely on the magic the game gives me automatically. It's – lazy."
Pleased with her decision, Mahaad continued. "Well, then, the next step is to master double weave magic spells." Mahaad smiled kindly at his pupil. "It is, as so many skills worth learning are, only difficult until you learn how. While you shape one part of the spell with the words, you weave the other part into the incantation with arcane gestures. Adeptness with multi-weave spells, which contain two or more mystic components working in harmony to craft a single spell, is the true power of spirit sorcery – and it is very hard to defend against."
"O-okay. would you please show me the gestures again?" Mana watched her master's graceful hands as they slowly moved through the mystic passes carefully, trying to lock them into her memory.
~end~
– – – – –
Author's note –
I never expected The Remedy to gain the scope it did, or to take so long to finish. There are a few distinct story arcs that evolved within this story that were too big to try to contain within it. I didn't want to lose sight of the core of this story – that the friction between Yugi and Yami had to be eased somehow, and Mahaad took it upon himself (with many assists from his friends in the Magic Box and the two guests he conscripted into service) to tend to it. The two main tensions that remain as this story ends – between the Dark Magician (or 'main') aspect of Mahaad, and the Magician of Black Chaos aspect; and the tension created within Seto in regards to how his direct actions destroyed the fourth Blue-Eyes White Dragon when he tore the card (and the notion in this fic-verse that the four BEWDs each support one fourth of the Shadow Realm) will, hopefully, grow into their own, distinct stories. Before that, though, this writer needs a remedy herself after all the angst and drama of The Remedy, and the best remedy I know for too much angst is crackfic. Be on the lookout for Plushi-oh!