Original Yu-Gi-Oh Series
Parallel
Chapter 064
Originally Written: Sunday, May 01, 2022 233PM to 352PM
. . . . .
A week later under the dark clouds of a rainy day, Joey pushed himself up from the ground, and walked through the shining golden barrier that surrounded the basement of the Kame Game Shop. He winced, rubbing his back. "How many times was that Pharaoh? Ten?"
He took step after step towards the Millennium Puzzle. It sat on a shelf, mostly dormant, next to the boxes of well kept games and trinkets stored in boxes. The Puzzle glowed, and shook, but Joey was ready this time. He sidestepped and weaved through the bursts of wild magic that came from the puzzle. " 'Put it on,' they said. 'Don't give it to Seto Kaiba. Put it on.' Pharaoh! You done!?" He shouted like a parent waiting for their child's temper tantrum to end.
Something launched him back from the Puzzle. He felt like a kitten being picked up at the back of their neck by their mother for a moment. Then he flew back across the room like a ragdoll. He hit the wall of the basement, and slid to the floor. "You're gonna get tired first, Pharaoh. I ain't leavin'."
He pushed himself to stand again. It took ten more minutes of being thrown into the wall and back up the basement stairs before the puzzle seemed to calm. He picked up the puzzle sitting on the shelf. It rattled in his hands. He looked up at the ceiling. "There ain't nobody else, ya know. Your Vassal keeps telling your Priest he's not strong enough yet. By the time he is, workin' by himself or wit Pegasus and Ishizu, Zorc'll have won. I don't know much about how you guys think, but I don't think that's what you want."
He looked down at the shaking puzzle in his hands. It felt like it would break apart in a million pieces if he touched it wrong. "Yug's Pharaoh too, technically, right? He called me. He ain't call Seto or nobody else. He expected it to end wit him, Ryou and the Old Man. Marik ain't gonna do your bidding or whatever. Even if it means the world ends for him. He care but he don't care. He ain't never had freedom. Freedom is death for him. So, just gimme a chance or somethin', I don't know."
Slowly but surely the Puzzle stilled in his grasp. Joey sighed. "I don't know what I'll do, but I'll try not to letcha down." He hung the puzzle around his neck. He lurched forward, feeling light headed. He slid down to the ground, using his hands to steady him. The puzzle glowed brightly. It burned against his shirt and his skin. Joey closed his eyes. "I ain't quitting! Pharaoh needs help, and if I can help 'im, I will!"
He vaguely heard Seto calling for him in his head. He flopped to the floor on his side. Staring blankly at the wall.
He blinked, and jerked up to sitting up. He looked down at the bed he was laying in. Then he looked around his messy room. He ran a hand against the rough sheets. The table he placed his mother's lamp on now had his duel disk on it, as well as his deck. "Huh…That's wha' he meant."
He swung himself off the bed. He walked to the door and stared at it. "I am Jumpin' Jounouchi Katsuya. I can make ma own damn way back ta ma own damn body." He opened the door with more force than necessary, and stepped into the dark hallway.
The hallway lit up with golden bricks. Shiny golden bricks. Shiny and dull golden bricks. Joey felt like he just stepped into the Wizard of Oz. He looked at the thick steel door directly across from his own door. "But the brick road's goin' tha wrong way."
He pressed his hand against the second door. A familiar cold wafted through the door, burying the slight warmth he felt behind it. "Pharaoh? It's me. Joey. Can ya lemme in?"
Silence.
"You were all pissed off and shit earlier." Joey frowned.
Silence.
"Where'd Mista Toughguy go? I don't mind da otha guy, but I'd like ta know ya ain't quit."
Silence.
"I'll let myself in, then." His hands shook as he tried to open the door. It moved slowly, even after he realized he needed to push it open. It reminded him of those thick doors Yugi complained about when he had doctor's appointments or was going to the mall. He always struggled opening them, because he wasn't strong enough like a taller person would be. On the good days someone would come along and help him open the door. On the bad days Yugi would give a good pull or tug that'd make him lose his balance, and he'd stumble into the building trying to reign in his anger so he didn't look like he was trying to shoot up the place.
The chill hit him first. He started shivering almost immediately. He wrapped his arms around himself.
"It's dark now." Pharaoh mumbled.
Joey stared at the pitch black in front of him. It surrounded the Dark Magician and the Dark Magician Girl. Dark Magician Girl sat next to Pharaoh on her knees, carding her fingers through his hair. Pharaoh curled up in a tiny ball, shivering. Dark Magician moved out the way, but never took his eyes off Joey. Joey walked over to Pharaoh.
"Go'way." Pharaoh turned away from him.
"Can I take 'im?" Joey bounced on the balls of his feet. "It's freezin' in here."
The two Magician's looked at him. Dark Magician Girl seemed to hunch over, protecting Pharaoh with her body. The Dark Magician said something, but Joey couldn't understand him. Yami Marik did warn him that duelists can't understand other's duel monsters, but what Dark Magician said came out as complete gibberish. Joey never actually heard him speak, but he was still pretty certain the magician didn't speak gibberish.
"You can't understand me either, huh?" Joey continued bouncing. It took a minute but an idea came to him. He concentrated.
The Flame Swordsman appeared behind him, bringing heat to the cold room. Joey mentally cheered, gravitating closer to the duel monster. Both Magician's tensed.
"I'm not here to fight. Master is asking if Pharaoh can leave with him to Master's Soul Room." Flame Swordsman held up his hands in a placating manner.
Dark Magician said something.
"The Mage says that's improper, Master."
Joey gave both mages and the Flame Swordsman a searing look. It took him ten minutes to convince them, but he left with Pharaoh in his arms. Pharaoh protested Joey holding him in a bridal style, and he protested being placed in Joey's Soul Room bed. Joey hadn't minded, and hadn't understood nor wanted to know what was so improper about the thing.
"Just rest already, wouldja? Ya been through enough, don'tcha think." Now that Pharaoh was close up to him, he could see the slowly healing wounds Pharaoh had taken when Zorc killed Yugi. He didn't understand how they showed up on Pharaoh, but he'd make sure Zorc got as good as he gave in return.
He woke up, and pushed himself up off the floor. He trudged up the stairs. The puzzle felt both heavy and light around his neck. Yami Marik, Mokuba and Seto looked at him.
Yugi's soul gave him a thumbs up. "Kick his butt you guys. Whoever you are."
Joey grinned, even though Yugi didn't know who he was anymore. "Sure thing." He looked at Mokuba. It was getting easier to tell when he was looking at Bakura. "So, how do we stop Zorc from eating more of Yug' like he did ma ol' man?"
"Burn it." Mokuba looked at him with solemn eyes. "Burn the Game Shop down like the Pharaoh's armies burned Kul Elna. Melt it all."
"I like fire." Yami Marik rubbed his hands together. "Long as it's not aimed at me." He giggled.
Joey and Seto looked at each other. Then they got to work. Seto popped some containers of oil Joey didn't know where from into the shop. Joey found other containers of cooking oil in the kitchen upstairs. They coated the place in silence. Wherever they could reach, and wherever touched the seals Solomon Moto had painstakingly drawn on the walls of his beloved shop.
"I don't have any matches on me." Seto placed the last container of oil on the ground.
Joey frowned, unable to bring himself to say that Seto didn't even need matches. He fished a lighter out of his jacket pocket. He turned to look at Yugi.
'I hope Solomon isn't too upset.' Yugi mumbled, drawing with his foot in the dried blood stains around his soul's feet.
"He'll be glad to see you again, Yug'."
Yugi smiled. "I don't know your name, but you're a good person. Make sure to nurture your garden, okay?"
Joey blinked in confusion. He jumped when he heard a voice in his head.
'Friendship. Caring…It is like a garden. You have to nurture it, or it will die.' Pharaoh spoke to him in his mind in soft words.
Joey nodded. "I'll take the best care of it ever, Yug'." He gave his friend a long and deep low bow, followed by a two fingered salute. "Take care Yugi."
Yugi smiled and waved, as Seto, Mokuba, Bakura and Yami Marik all said their piece. Joey relayed some warm, caring words Pharaoh had to tell Yugi as well. The Kame Game Shop went up in flames minutes afterward.
Joey placed his hands in his pockets, and rocked on the balls of his feet. "What now?"
"Stay for a bit." Yami Marik sang, entranced by the flame. "Don't want the fire to spread too far."
"Then we run, because people are watching us from their apartment windows. We are going to be charged with arson, and tampering with a crime scene." Seto fixed his white trench coat around his frame. "Standing next to me, it's inevitable."
Mokuba leaned against Seto. His gaze was far away, and Joey knew he was speaking to Bakura again.
"Fine with me." Joey watched the flames cleanse the game shop. Next to him, Pharaoh knelt, bowed so low he was touching the floor. He didn't understand the words Pharaoh was saying, and he wasn't sure Pharaoh understood what he was saying either. Joey let him speak and pray, because who was he to stop a Pharaoh?
A/N: ~Insert profound statement concerning the end of a story arc here~