AN: I don't really know what to say so here is the next drabble. This time I made Joey and the rest a little bit older.
I hope you guys enjoy it!
Yugi: Age 9.
Joey, Tristan and Duke: Age 15.
Desperation. That is what he was starting to grow in his stomach. Maybe if he didn't play the card he was given, he was, in fact, going to lose the duel to Raphael, and with the loss of the duel, he'd lose his soul too. Then Yugi would have to face the 'Great Beast', this Leviathan without him. And Yami wouldn't be able to do anything but helplessly watch in fear that something might happen to his aibou.
So with that thought swirling around in his head in a constant loop, that was when he made up his mind. There's only one card in my hand that can free my dragon. I must play the Seal of Orichalcos or I'll loose the duel! Raising his right hand in the air, he looked away as he tried to form the words of the next card he was going to put down, because in the back of his mind, he knew he was going to regret this decision. This card is evil, in every shape and form... But they were out of options.
"Yami! No! Don't do this! Please!"
Yami let out a gasp of surprise when he heard that voice. He looked up to see his aibou holding his arm in place so he wouldn't be able to use the card in his hand. He wanted to say that everything was going to be fine, that they were going to win, together as a team, like they always do. He wanted to tell Yugi that he still would be himself even after he activated the Seal of Orichalcos. But what he did say was the complete opposite of what he wanted. "Let go."
Yugi shook his head, fiercely. Tears falling from his young nine year old eyes. The Pharaoh felt a slight pang of guilt that he had cause his dear friend to start crying, but he shook that feeling off. "No! You don't know what your doing! The card is bad, it's dark!" Yugi cried out, his voice high-pitched and begging.
"Let go!" He demanded more firmly. Wondering why his voice sounded so strange, so rough and so unlike him. Yugi closed his eyes and tighten his old on Yami's arm."Other me! Listen to me, the Seal is effecting your mind!"
Yami fixed his aibou with a look between a glare and an act of reason. We're going to lose the duel! Why can't you see that!? Trust me, it's the only way, aibou." He gazed down at the card, the uneasy feeling in his stomach grew just a bit more. "We must do this. Now. Let. Me. Go!" The Pharaoh stated, jerking his arm out of Yugi grip.
The nine year old stared at his other self, he tried to grab hold of the card in his darker half's hand, but Yami moved away from the boy. His eyes wide and pleading, begging him not to go through with it. "Please, Yami! Please, don't play that card! It won't matter if you win, you'll change, you'll turn into the very thing Raphael says you'll be and I'll loose you forever! Please!"
But he did, and even as he felt it activate, even if he wanted to take it out and duel his way, along side Yugi. He wouldn't be given the chance, for the Seal had unlock something deep within Yami, something he has never felt before.
Power. It was invigorating, this strength coursing through him, it was like someone had set his insides ablaze.
He could hear his aibou's voice faintly off somewhere, screaming, yelling at the top of his young lungs, asking him to stop. But as the duel progressed he could no longer hear the nine year old.
As he attacked Raphael again and again. The feeling didn't fade away, in fact, it only grew as time went on. And when his opponents Life Points hit 100, only due to the that Raphael was able to save himself from losing them all, he couldn't help but smile wickedly, just one attack away from winning. Then Raphael would be the one to loss his soul for all eternity.
To his annoyance, Raphael started to laugh. "I told you, Pharaoh. The power of the Orichalcos reveals all. And just as I suspected your evil!"
Yami's eyes widened at the man's words. He felt something strange with in him, it was like someone flipped a switch inside his head. "No!" He said, refusing to believe that he was evil. He wasn't! He's done to much good to be considered evil, to have darkness lurking in his heart.
"If you don't believe me, just take a look at your monsters! At one time they were pure, but now their dark shadow creatures!"
The once powerful feeling he had in his chest was gone, it was now replaced with horror as he realized what he has done to himself, his monsters and to Yugi. All his faithful cards, Yami's darkened mind made him treat them like trash. Berfomet, Gazelle, Big Shield Gardna, Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl. He carelessly sacrificed them for power, to win.
He gazed up at his monsters as he watched Raphael summon them back to his side by one using his Guardian Eatos. They stared back at him, eyes full of disappointment and betrayal. He could barely stand their gazes.
Why hadn't he listen to Yugi! He was right, he was right all along! Aibou! Yugi! Brother... I am so sorry! Yami walked an inch toward his summoned cards. "Please forgive me for what I've done to you!"
But they didn't, instead they filled Guardian Eatos power to whip out the rest of his Life Points. And there was nothing he could do, no card he could play, no comeback he could make that would win him the duel.
And as the number hit 0 and the Seal of Orichalcos circled around him the realization finally dawned on him. He lost, but not only that, he was going to lose his soul.
"No! Yami, I won't let this happen to you! I won't, other me! You don't deserve this, I won't let it happen!" A voice shouted out in the distance. He felt hands push him his mind forward and out of the Seals grasp. Standing in the center of the circle was Yugi."Yugi, no! How on earth- What are you doing here, aibou!"
Yugi gave his taller, more confident half a sad smile, tears spilled from his eyes. He tried to act brave, even though he was completely terrified. "It only needs one of us, Yami. To save you, I'm letting it take me instead." The spirit of the Millennium Puzzle shook his head in protest, he didn't want this, he never wanted this, reaching forward he tried to grab his young friend, pull him forward and stop the boy he swore to protect from going away, to his relief, Yami was able to do so. He was able to grasp his 'brother' and pull him close, he hugged Yugi tightly to his chest.
Don't go! Please, Yugi! I did this! This should be my punishment!
Yugi hugged him back, gripping Yami's clothing in his fingertips.
Goodbye, other me.
Then he felt the same small hands shove him away.
"NO! Yugi" Yami yelled, but the Seal of Orichalcos already faded away, taking his aibou with him.
The next thing he was aware of was the faint voices of Duke, Tristan and Joey telling him to wake up. And he did so, even though he didn't want too. Yami stood up slowly, but when his eyes laid on the Puzzle, the guilt hit him full force. Yugi... What have I done! How could I have been naive and fell for Raphael's trick!? Tears formed in his closed eyes, his shoulders shook and grunts of shame left his lips.
"Everything alright, pal?"
The Nameless Pharaoh bowed his head. "No, Joey. Everything is far from alright..." He turned away from them, he couldn't look at their faces. Yami felt too ashamed of himself to do so.
"I didn't out smart Raphael- He succeeded... Yugi's gone."
He heard them all gasp out in shock, but he stayed where he was, he stayed there like a statue. Aibou! Yugi! Yugi! He started to feel a horrible ache in his chest, he raised his hand and clinched his heart, it throbbed and cracked with each breathe he took.
Yami's whole body began to shake, He was gone. Yugi, the little boy who assembled the Puzzle together, who became the most important person in his existence, was no longer by his side, he had been brutally ripped away from the Pharaoh, and only he was to blame.
"How can you be talkin to us if he took your soul, Yugi?"
Yami collapsed on his knees, did he really have to explain what happened? Why couldn't they understand that he wasn't his aibou! "Not mine! YUGI'S!" He said loudly, the tears falling freely down his guilt-ridden face. He grabbed his hair with his hands, gripping the spiky ends, he pulled at them and let out a anguished scream.
"It's all my fault! YUGI! AIBOU! Come back! Please! This isn't what I wanted! I never meant for you to go away!" Yami fell forward, forehead hitting the dirt ground as he pounded his fists into the desert surface. The other must think him childish, but right now he couldn't bring himself to care. Come back! Bring him back to me! Aibou! The tears kept coming, white hot tears filled with overwhelming shame and fault, they fell two by two, not knowing when they'd ever stop.
"It should have been me! Not him! Why Yugi! Why did you sacrifice your life for me!? WHY!? It's not fair! It's just not!"
Somewhere off in the distance of the world, somewhere unknown to anyone but the few people who inhabited it. Was a frightened nine year old boy, who had just given his soul to save a dear brother of his.
He watched the scene play out in front of him, he watched Yami fell to his knees and cry out openly, he listened to his darker half beg and plead out for him to come back, exclaim that it was all his fault, the boy with the spiky tri-colored hair watched all that was being showed to him by the 'Great Beast' to further his torment.
He looked away, no longer able to witness what he was being shown anymore, his heart ached for his other self. Tears of his own slipped out of his closed eyes, as he laid his head against his knees, in complete defeat.
Yugi sobbed out then. But no one tried to comfort him.
Of the thousand of souls that were yanked away from their bodies, the thousand of people floating in a bubble of an endless sea of stillness. He was the only person with his eyes open.
The only one that was even listening.
AN: *sighs* I don't know about you guys, but when that episode of Yu-Gi-Oh came out I wanted to flip a table over, I had no idea what to do with myself. What got to me was Atem's reaction to losing Yugi!
Just...God damn, that was heartbreaking! I mean think about it, up till that point, we've never seen him act that way, we've never seen him cry like that, Atem was always the calm, confident, cautious Duelist and to see him break down in tears, to see him fall to his knees and pound the dirt, crying and begging Yugi to come back, that it was his fault, that it wasn't fair.
I didn't know whether to cry, rage or pace around the living room, because I had no idea what to do with myself. Anyway, I was originally going to wait to write this drabble, but I changed my mind. So hear you guys go, some feels for ya! XD
So thoughts on this? Please leave them in a review and I'll see you soon!