Yugi groaned. His body was heavy especially his back, he was being held by a man who kept yelling at an Angel. The boy wiggled more in the arms; Yugi wondered why he knew there was an Angel near him. The arms loosened their hold on him and Yugi struggled to open his eyes. Spots invaded his vision and familiar blurs came into place. Atem was the man holding him and yelling at the strangely dressed Angel. She wore baggy jeans and a t-shirt with the logo of the Grateful Dead band on it. Her wings were golden solid, no variation showed on the feathers.
Atem had stopped yelling, he turned to look at Yugi, the boy smiled weakly, still dizzy from fainting. Atem kissed him on the forehead and straightened the boy. Yugi wobbled, feeling the weight on his back…and another on his left hip. He got his bearing and examined the cause of the weight.
Two large pure white wings had sprung out of his back, eleven feet in length, and on his hip was a sheath with a tsurugi sword in it; also Yugi's hair grew out, the spikes were gone and his hair flowed down his back to his shoulders, the bangs remained the same and he was dressed in a white robe with flowing sleeves and no shoes.
Red behind him had his clothes, which were covered in blood, his shirt and jacket having a hole in the chest area.
All was quiet as the Half-Angel looked around; the forest had returned to its original form, his friends were healed and their clothing had changed to white with silver trimming. Atem stood by Yugi, in his black attire, with his grandfather and the Kaiba brothers near him, their clothes transformed too; the Half-Angel looked at the Angel.
"What am I?"
"Oh, dearest," she waved her hand nonchalantly, "do not worry. All is safe and returned to normal for the most part. And…well, dearest, the whole explanation and backstory to your tale is a bit extensive, so here's the gist of it." She fluttered her wings and cleared her throat. "You, Yugi Motou of Japan, have the essence of a once powerful Angel in your soul and as part of you. Dearest, this means that you are the first Half-Angel to exist and possess heavenly powers and light magic. The Angel part of you was unlocked when Red," she nodded to him, "shot you and destroyed your human heart. So, basically you kind of died."
"I-I died," Yugi felt his chest and pulled down the robe to see a healed bullet wound that was a good sized hole in his heart. He shook so Atem went to grab him, but Sugoroku stopped him. The old man had a glare that rivaled Seth's and Atem backed off waiting for his in-law to calm down.
The Angel continued, "Er…yes, dearest you did die, however when you did you grew a new heart and your Angel side came out. That's what the whiteness was earlier, you had a strong desire to protect those around you and end this game and so it was done; although, there is more to discuss. For now, you need to know that when you change back into a human, there will be marks on your back where the wings resided and that you have gained knowledge that was not in your head before, for example is how to use that sword. Also, when you are in human form you will find certain changes in strength, stamina, and maybe some mood swings, I am not sure, but…" she looked at the sky, "I am late for my next appointment, so ta-ta for now."
And she vanished.
Red coughed and went up to Sugoroku who gave him a warning scowl. "Elder, don't be that way. No one had fatal wounds; we simply knocked you bitties out for a few hours. Now don't interrupt I have to speak with the Half-Angel."
Sugoroku held Yugi tighter as Atem strode up to Red and a dark orb appeared on his hand.
"Any closer and I will shoot," he growled.
Red clicked his tongue, "If you must be so difficult, then let's have the boy decide. Lad, do you believe I'm dangerous."
Yugi flinched at the mocking tone in Red's voice, but had to admit, there was something familiar about the monster. It was meeting an old friend feeling Yugi had that led him to relinquish his grandfather's hold and walk up to the monster. Red smirked and Atem glared. Yugi placed his hand on his husband's, letting Atem know not to fear.
"When you transformed," said the monster, "your scent came out. Lad, I knew the Angel whose essence you possess. What Bathsheba, the one from earlier, did not mention is that you might receive some of his old fancies and talents."
"Like what?" asked Atem, angered still. Yugi kept his grip on Atem , rubbing his thumb in the King's palm, as comfort for himself and to soothe the angered being.
Red answered by humming a tune then singing,
Mariah, Mariah
They call the wind
Mariah
Out way out here
They got a name
For rain and wind and fire
The rain is Tess
The fire's Joe
And they call the wind Mariah….
At this point, Atem almost laughed, not that Red was a bad singer, but why would Yugi know this…then he heard a voice like bells humming and Yugi started to sing the second verse.
Mariah blows the stars around
And sends the clouds a'flyn'
Mariah makes the mountains sound
Like folks were up there dying
Red's smirk widened immensely. He bent down to look Yugi straight in the eye.
"Paint Your Wagon was this Angel's favorite movie and Mariah he sang till the words were stuck in his head. I knew him for twenty five years before you were born."
Red stood up and made a horrible screeching noise. A portal opened where Wally and the rest were sitting and sucked them in; Red gave Yugi another look over.
"I will see you again, Half-Angel," he jumped in and the portal closed.
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Yugi stretched his wings again. His room never felt small as it did now, his wings took up so much space. It had been three days since the maze and he remained locked up.
After Red left, Atem tried to convince Sugoroku to let Yugi come stay with them, until he got hold on his magic. The old man exploded like he did when they first met. It was messy and Kaiba did not help. He grabbed Yugi and his grandfather throwing them in a helicopter that had arrived when he knew where they were. Yugi was surprised it got there so fast although Kaiba had called it after the light disappeared. And apparently, the Angel Bathsheba also did not mention she could not be seen by mortals, because all the humans present thought they were talking to thin air and then Red.
The children, aside from Ryou, went back to the Shadow Realm for rest. Atem and the cat followed the helicopter and were at the Game Shop to confront Sugoroku. Yugi tried to dissuade his grandfather from what he decided, but nothing could convince the man otherwise.
So, it was day three of Yugi's lost communication with his husband and friends. Sugoroku's permission for them to live there and enter his home was more than tradition, but also served as a gateway and contract for the beings to stay in the human world.
A knock was heard on the door, "Come in."
In came Sugoroku with a tray of food. He set it down on Yugi's desk. They had not spoken to each other since Atem left. The old man had confirmed that Yugi's safety came before his happiness. He waited for his grandson to say something. He would not be the first to crack. Yugi was silent and gazed at the bed spread, his wings folded behind him. The once explorer left, defeated.
Yugi finished the ham sandwich and orange juice. He sighed and jerked his back. The wings were hurting, they kept twitching in patterns. The first day, he spread them out and that helped but as time went by, he could not move them without the urge to lift up and fly. He wanted to, but Grandpa had locked the windows.
The reason he could not look at his Grandpa was not only stubborn anger, but when he held his grandfather after being shot, he knew something. Yugi knew in his head that his grandfather was dying. Not soon, but it was happening. The boy sighed and got up from his seat. He balanced his wings and the tune that Red hummed came to his head. The lyrics played in his mind along with the melody.
Before I knew Mariah's name, he began to sing.
Or heard her wail and whinin'
I had a man and he had me
And the sun was always shinin'
Yugi swayed his body back and forth, careful not to knock over his things.
But then one day my man left me
He left me far behind him
And now I'm lost so gone and lost
Not even…Atem can find me
Yugi choked on the last lines. He pushed with the singing, it gave him a peace of mind as his cards did too, but Sugoroku had taken everything but school supplies.
Mariah
Mariah
They call the wind Mariah
Out there they got a name for rain
For wind and fire only
But when I'm lost and all alone
I am nothing but lonely
And I'm a lost and lonely boy
Without a friend beside me
Mariah blow my love to me
I need Atem beside me
The Half-Angel curled up on his bed and furled his wings, making a cocoon.
SR
Ryou sat in his room with Akefia getting dressed. Motou-sama had sent them away and he could not see Yugi anymore. Akefia tied his sash and went to his lover. He sat next to Ryou and embraced him.
"I'm here, kitten," he said softly.
"Yugi…" Ryou buried his face in Akefia's chest. The man tightened his hold on Ryou; light sobbing was heard as the cat hiccupped and finished his sentence, "Yugi can't come here if Motou-sama doesn't want him near us. I-I can't see my friend anymore, Akefia…and the King. He had been so happy after the longest time, even before meeting Yugi. I-I miss him, Aky, I do. If-"
Akefia stopped Ryou by kissing him. They pulled apart, and Akefia kept their faces close.
"Don't say what you're thinking, kitten, it might come true. Yes, we can't see our Princess for a while, but he'll return to us. I know it, so don't say it, don't think about it, and remember Yugi will come back."
They held tighter to one another, Ryou shaking slightly and Akefia holding down his own doubts.
Throughout the palace, the children, their parents and other members of the council pondered the same doubts.
Seth saw Kisara's dazzling smile fade in the last three days and how she seemed in deep concentration.
Marik was outside in the training grounds, sweating profusely, destroying all the targets and practicing his sword play. Shada was watching the boy beat himself. Mana sat in her room crying and reading her spell book while Ishizu studied quietly in the library on herbs, remedies, and such to be prepared. Mahad and Isis knew this was a coping mechanism for what had happened.
In the Winged Kingdom, Shizuka and Hiroto kept to themselves and went on as usual. Only Jono and Mai saw the pain they hid and heard the cries.
Prince Noah was not faring well either, despite Alistair's and Valon's attempts at cheering the young noble. Raphael had to tell them to let the boy alone on whatever had been bothering him. Dartz and his family could feel the loss that all shared at the possibility of Yugi not coming back.
Atem was quiet. He did not have a reaction on returning home to anyone and he did his duties as the days went. No one saw the broken man kissing and sobbing with a picture, like it was a life line.
HW
Seto sat by Mokuba on the bed. The boy had caught a cold from being outside in the lion cage so long, and now he spent the last three days asleep. Sometimes he woke up and would ask Seto for drinks or to tell him what had happened after the white light had gone out. Mokuba even asked where Yugi was. Seto gave short replies.
He left Mokuba with the in-call nurse they had and went into his office. In there, he slumped in his chair and ran his hands in his hair.
He did not understand what had happened and what Yugi and that guy were talking to; there was no one there, but somehow Yugi had wings. It made no sense. And then there was that dark man, Seth, who said that he, Seto Kaiba, held his mother's essence. That Mokuba held some too; that they were part of the Shadow Realm. It was all nonsense!
And yet…he saw Yugi get shot. The blood pouring out of him; those monsters were real, no hologram or costume could do what they did, and Seth was sure he, Seto, was different, a freak like the rest of them. Yugi was locked in his home, and he could not muster the humility to go over there and ask for help.
The kid who defeated him, aided him, and who he had grown to care for was also the one with answers.
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There was tapping on the window. Yugi groaned as he tried to ignore the intruder. It was nine at night and he wanted to hide again. The tapping continued as the woman had all the time in the world.
Yugi unfurled his wings and decided to get it over with; on his window tapping was Bathsheba. But what got Yugi's attention was who he saw with the crazy woman. Shadi sat next to her, smiling sheepishly at him.
Bathsheba opened the window, without breaking the lock, and she floated on Yugi's bed. Shadi came in too, landing gracefully on the floor. The boy grabbed the priest and hugged him tightly, not caring that he hardly spoke with the man. Shadi was surprised but hesitantly hugged back.
"Aw, I don't gets a hug," Bathsheba pouted.
"No. Tell me why you are here?"
"That," she pointed to the priest, "is Shadi's job."
"My Princess," Shadi began, blushing lightly at the close contact he had with the boy. Yugi let go.
"I am here to see if you still want to be our Princess and the King's wife."
Yugi's jaw dropped. "Of course I do. I….I love Atem."
Shadi smiled again, he would accept another hug if Yugi wished for it.
"Well then, that's settled," said Bathsheba.
"What is? Gah, just tell me what you're doing?"
Yugi's wings shook and emitted a small breeze in his room.
"Wow, cool it. Just let me explain," a groan was heard from the other two occupants. "Oh, hush. Now, dearest, it was you're decision to marry the King of the Shadow Realm and your decision to stick to it. And it is your decision if you want to see your husband. The verbal contract Sugoroku made earlier only qualified for you as a human. As a Half-Angel, you can freely visit this world, the King's, and Limbo. And, as you said, it is your decision to remain crowned Princess and wife of the King."
"So, I can go back."
Shadi nodded.
"Then let's go…wait, Grandpa-"
"All will be arranged, my Princess. No need to pack anything unless you want something."
Yugi shuffled his feet, "Is it okay to bring my cards and duel disk?"
"Yes."
Outside of the Kame Game Shop, a stray dog walked by to see a woman with wings vanish and two other figures go into a glowing hole. One of the figures, who also had wings, threw some food for the dog to eat. The stray munched on the processed meat and walked away.