This took a little more time than I thought to get this up. I realized I had an opportunity to set a few things up for future chapters and had to rewrite a few things.
Mahou sat in her room working on a sketch. It was the throne room, a hole in the floor, and a robed figure bowing in front of it. She put the pencil down and rested her head in her hands.
Today was stressful, she thought. Kanekura-san . . . the painting . . . the Egyptian . . . the other Yuugi . . .
She lifted her head and started back on her drawing, creating the shadowy figure on the throne.
I should call him something else. To keep calling him the other Yuugi is demeaning. To not hear you name . . .
"Girl, how much longer?" "Hurry up, girl! The client wants it tomorrow!" "What do you mean you don't have the right color? Stupid girl, you have plenty of paint! Mix it yourself!" "The only thing you were worth to them, girl, was the sum of their debts."
The pencil snapped, the tip rolling across the page. It broke Mahou out of her hurtful memories. She reached for the pencil sharpener.
What could I call him? I may never have to say it to his face, but he'd have a name . . . He is a part of Yuugi in a way.
"It's a Yami Game!"
Yami Game. Yami Yuugi . . . ? Yuugi means game . . . Just Yami for short . . . That could work . . .
"Yuugi! Mahou! This is terrible! Come look at the news!" shouted Sugoroku.
They ran down to the kitchen where the TV was.
"Police arrived at the Domino Museum to find Kanekura-san in a disturbed state and an unidentified foreigner dead in Kanekura-san's office. The cause of the foreigner's death appears to be heart attack induced by shock, yet according to the coroner there are reasons that it is not a natural death. Is this the curse of the pharaoh's tomb?"
So Kanekura lived . . . thought Mahou.
"Grandpa . . . do curses really exist?" asked Yuugi.
"Well . . . When Tutankhamen's tomb was opened in 1923, there were the same kinds of rumors. Some of the discoverers died mysterious deaths. But now it's thought that the 'mummy's curse' was just a sensation stirred up by the media of the time. No one knows the truth. But that's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried because there was one more man involved in the excavation . . . Professor Yoshimori!"
One more man? Mahou thought.
"Anyway, Professor Yoshimori would be the last person to believe in curses," said Sugoroku. "But still, one of the people he worked with is dead! It must be hard for him. So Yuugi, Mahou, I'm going to his lab at the university to try and cheer him up."
Sugoroku left and Mahou went back up to her room to continue on her sketch. She wasn't sure how long she was up there before the phone rang. Yuugi was still downstairs and she knew he would answer it.
"Mahou!" he yelled.
Mahou jumped up from her desk and ran downstairs. "What?"
"Professor Yoshimori is in the hospital! Grandpa said he fell out the window on the second floor!"
"What?"
They called their friends and ran over to the hospital.
Sugoroku came out of the hospital room.
"Grandpa!"
"Looks like it isn't fatal. Now it's late, so everyone return home."
"What about you, Grandpa?" asked Yuugi.
"Tonight I plan to stay with him all night," replied Sugoroku. "Can you two get yourselves ready for school tomorrow without me?"
"We'll be fine," Mahou assured quietly.
The group left and walked home.
"But what's going on?" Anzu asked. "Kanekura-san and Professor Yoshimori. Two of the people on the Egypt excavation."
"And the foreigner," added Mahou.
"It's obviously the curse! The curse!" Jounouchi yelled, drowning out Mahou. "It's for harvesting from someone's grave without permission!"
"Miho is scared!"
"Miho-chan, don't worry about anything," Honda told her. "There's no way such a thing like curses exist. Even if they existed, I'd risk my life to protect you."
"With his hard head he's more scary than any curse!" mocked Jounouchi.
"What was that?" Honda shot back.
"Cut it out! Don't create a fuss in the street!" scolded Anzu.
"Right right."
They stopped at an intersection.
"Well, I go this way," said Anzu.
"Be careful, okay," said Miho.
"I'll be fine," Anzu replied.
"See you again tomorrow!" Yuugi said with a wave.
Anzu turned down the other street.
A little farther down and Yuugi and Mahou broke away from Jounouchi, Honda, and Miho, the trio planning on taking Miho home before heading home themselves.
Yuugi went downstairs where he could smell breakfast cooking. "Grandpa, you're home! Huh?"
Mahou was standing at the stove with a pot. She wasn't dressed for school yet like Yuugi was. She looked very tired. "Grandpa hasn't come home yet."
"Oh."
Yuugi sat down at the table.
Mahou plated what she had made. "It's not much, but it's editable."
Yuugi took the bowl of congee offered to him. He took a bite and made a face.
Mahou sat down with him. "Sorry. I can get you some toast."
"No, it's good!" Yuugi quickly said. "It just needs a little more seasoning."
"I was worried I would get too much," said Mahou. "I'm not used to cooking."
"I don't want you cooking. You're worthless without use of your hands. Stick to making tea. You're not that much of a klutz to hurt yourself that way."
"Uh, Mahou . . ." Yuugi started.
She looked up from her bowl.
"Did you sleep at all?'
Mahou shook her head.
"Um . . . do you want to stay home . . . ? I can tell the teachers you're sick."
Mahou shook her head.
Yuugi finished his food and put his dishes in the sink.
Mahou went to her room and changed into her uniform. She came back downstairs to leave for school and saw Yuugi waiting for her. He had a little box in his hands.
"What's this?" Mahou asked.
"Well . . . I was saving this for your birthday, but since you weren't feeling well . . . I don't know . . . maybe this will make you feel better . . ." Yuugi held the box out to her.
Mahou took it and opened it up. It was deep blue oval stone with flecks of gold in a gold setting, the chain linking to either end.
"I found it at the museum's gift shop," Yuugi went on. "Almost all the jewelry had these blue stones."
"Lapis lazuli . . . Egyptians loved this stone . . ." said Mahou. "It's been prized for its color for millennia. Vermeer used it in his famous painting. Michelangelo left one of his unfinished because he couldn't procure it. Thank you, Yuugi."
Yuugi gave a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his head. "You're welcome, Mahou. I'm glad you like it."
She took it out of the box. "Would you help me put it on?"
Yuugi took the necklace and Mahou turned around and pulled her hair aside so he could put it on.
"There!"
Mahou stood up and found the chain was long enough that it could be easily tucked into her blouse.
"Ah! We're going to be late!" cried Yuugi. "We need to go now!"
"What is that, Jounouchi?" Honda asked.
Jounouchi had a piece of paper taped to his forehead. "You can tell just by looking! It's a talisman! A talisman!"
"Then what's that below?" Honda asked.
Jounouchi had a cross and a string of garlic around his neck. "It happened to Kanekura and Professor Yoshimori! Without a doubt the curse will come for us next!" He held up both hands to show they were full of protection talismans.
Yuugi watched the exchange from his desk a row in front of them.
"No way," said Honda. "How many times must I say it? Curses don't exist. Even if they did, as long as your heart is clean, you have nothing to fear!"
Jounouchi sat down at his desk. "Leave me alone! Dammit."
Anzu walked to her desk a few rows behind them.
"Anzu, good morning!" Yuugi greeted cheerfully.
Anzu sat down without a word.
"Huh?"
Anzu turned to him. A creepy little smile spread across her face. Yuugi blinked, unsettled. Anzu continued to stare at him.
"Oy, Yuugi," said Honda. "Where's Mahou?"
Yuugi took his attention off of Anzu. "Oh, she's with the vice-principal. A senpai told her that he wanted to speak with her."
Jounouchi and Honda frowned.
"About what?" asked Jounouchi.
Yuugi shrugged.
Mahou sat in the vice-principal's office.
"Thank you for coming, Mutou-chan," said the vice-principal.
"Is something wrong, sir?" she asked meekly.
"No, no, nothing is wrong," said the vice-principal. "You have been attending here for several weeks now. We don't get very many transfer students in the middle of the year and you're a special case. I thought today would be a good time to ask how you're finding our school."
"Oh, um . . . I'm not sure what you want me to say . . ." said Mahou.
"How are your classes? Are they easy or difficult?"
"Oh . . . I'm passing . . . At least I think I am with everything . . ."
The vice-principal nodded. "There's a note here saying to are doing exceptionally well with English."
"I'm trying my best," said Mahou.
"There's also a note from the president of the art club about using the art room."
"If this was about moving the canvases, I needed the larger drying rack for mine and the one I moved fit perfectly on the smaller rack. I was careful not to smudge anything," she defended quickly.
"On the contrary, the art club would love to have you," said the vice-principal.
Mahou's eyes widened. "I'm not sure if I'm ready for clubs yet. It's quite a commitment. I still have catching up to do with my regular studies."
"I understand, but you should consider joining a club of some sort. What about your classmates? Any problems with them?"
"No, I . . . I have friends. Any issues with other students seem to resolve themselves," replied Mahou.
"Well if there is a problem, come let me know."
"Yes, sir."
Mahou walked out of the vice-principal's office and went to the bathroom.
She left the stall and stood at the sinks.
I thought for a moment someone had found out my papers.
She turned off the faucet and looked in the mirror. Behind her own reflection was Shaadi.
Mahou spun around. "Why are you here?" She pressed herself against the sink.
"I have some unfinished business with your brother," Shaadi replied. He reached for the key around his neck. "Before, it was unfortunate you grabbed me the moment I entered Yuugi's mind, a feat of timing no one could have predicted. I was unaware such a thing could occur. I wonder what the outcome of our game would have been if you had not been there. I doubt the result would have changed . . . but I cannot have you interfering again. I must test the other Yuugi's true power."
"Please don't do this," Mahou begged.
"I need to draw out the other Yuugi," said Shaadi. "You will help me."
Mahou shook her head. "No . . ."
"You do not have a choice," Shaadi said.
Mahou dashed for the door.
The key touched the back of her head.
Let me see inside your mind!
Shaadi stood in a darkened and cluttered room. A platform was in the middle, an easel to the side. A life-sized drawing figurine sat on the stool at the easel, hands folded in its lap. The canvas was a portrait that was being painted over. The walls were display cases holding fabrics, jewelry, precious stones, and metals. Famous paintings and shelves of books floated around the room. There was a dresser nestled between two cases opposite the figurine and the easel. On top, a single necklace was on display: an oval blue stone with gold flecks in a gold setting and chain.
This is the exact opposite of the other girl, thought Shaadi. The sister's room is dark and gloomy, full of fear and anxiety. It's filled with art and books on the subject . . . a passion that borders on obsession. She has a desire for the sumptuous, but it is locked away . . . unobtainable to her. Yet she treasures what she has.
Shaadi went to the easel. What is this?
The original faces of the portrait were covered over.
Yuugi . . . and their grandfather, perhaps . . . She tries to erase something in her past with them. Hm?
Shaadi kicked something with his foot. It scraped across the floor.
A chain?
On closer inspection he saw the open manacle lay next to the figurine and the figurine had a mark on the ankle where it was worn down from wearing it.
The girl had blood on the same leg . . .
"Hurry up, girl!"
Shaadi spun around to see something in the corner behind the figurine. It was a twisted, horrifying caricature of a human that continued the shout.
"Crying isn't going to help you! No one cares if you're sad! You have food, clothes, a bed . . . I give you nice things, things your parents never gave you. All you have to do is pay me back for them! So paint! That's all you're good for! Even your parents don't love you . . . the only thing you were worth to them was the sum of their debts! And if you don't get back to work right now, I'll break your foot! You don't need that to paint!"
But the creature did not move from its place in the corner.
Why?
"Now it's game time."
Shaadi turned to the platform. The other Yuugi!
It was a larger than life version of him and his crimson eyes were pinning the monstrosity to the corner.
His voice drowns out the one in the corner. She views him stronger than the monster behind her. But does she look upon him with reverence . . . or fear?
Shaadi noticed something poking out from behind the canvas on the easel. What's this? A file? He took it from its hiding place. Opening it, his eyes widened. She is . . . !
He looked around the room again.
Forgive me. It is not out of malice that I do this. Like the other girl, I pity you for being a part of my design. Yet not as a puppet, but as a doll. And perhaps I can give something in return.
Gym class started and the boys stood outside with the teacher.
"All right! Today we'll measure your strength! But first we must prepare the ground!"
The boys groaned.
"Oh, Mutou. Can you bring the white line maker?" the teacher asked.
Yuugi went into the shed to find the white line maker.
"White line maker, white line maker," he muttered, looking around for it. He found it in the back. "There it is!"
Several metal poles fell over and almost hit him.
"That was close!"
Later, Yuugi, Jounouchi, and Honda were walking back to their classroom. Yuugi told them what happened in the shed.
"Man! That sure was close," said Jounouchi. "Be careful."
"Things have to be organized!" Honda added. "I can't overlook this as a beautification member."
They started up the stairs.
A basketball bounced down with such force that it hit Yuugi in the chest and knocked him down the stairs.
"Yuugi! Are you okay?"
Jounouchi and Honda helped him sit up.
"It's no big deal. Just a light wound," said Yuugi.
"You should go to the school infirmary," said Honda.
Yuugi walked to the infirmary by himself. He opened the door. "Is no one here? Sensei?"
Jounouchi and Honda walked to the infirmary.
"I wonder how Yuugi is," said Jounouchi. "Although it didn't seem bad."
"Class is going to start soon," Honda said, worried.
They spotted Miho standing outside of the infirmary.
"Miho-chan! Why are you at the infirmary?" asked Honda. "Are you sick? Hurt? Tell me! If you have anemia you can have all my blood!"
"God, you're depressing," Jounouchi told him, giving him a shove.
"That's not it!" said Miho. "I saw Anzu enter earlier. I was wondering if she was not feeling well."
"Anzu did?" Honda repeated.
"Probably just sunstroke," said Jounouchi.
"Plus she's been acting strangely all day," Miho added. "And I haven't seen Mahou all day."
"Hey! Yuugi!" Jounouchi opened the door to the infirmary. They found Anzu choking Yuugi on the floor. "What are you doing?" He dashed in.
Anzu jumped up. "Show me your true power. I do this so I can finish things with you!" Her voice came out deep and creepy.
"What?"
She then ran out of the infirmary nearly knocking over Miho and Honda.
Jounouchi sat Yuugi up. "What was with Anzu just now? You okay, Yuugi?"
"Somehow," Yuugi moaned.
They began searching the school for Anzu. They met up in a hallway junction.
"See her?" asked Yuugi.
"Nope. Haven't seen her," reported Honda.
"Hey . . . What was with Anzu's voice?" Miho asked.
"That curse!" replied Jounouchi. "That's definitely that Egyptian curse!"
"Wait . . ." said Honda. "If that's true . . . Then one of us . . ."
They stood there for a long moment with the fear of what could happen to them next.
"For now, let's split up and search for Anzu again!" Honda said.
The others agreed and started running.
"Hey! Classes are occurring! Don't run in the corridor!" Honda scolded them, heedless of Shaadi coming up behind him.
Yuugi spotted Anzu at the other end of a hallway and going up the stairs. "Anzu!" Yuugi sprinted after her. He ran up the stairs to the roof. "Anzu!"
Anzu was on the other side of the fence around the roof. She was standing on a plank of wood that was only held up by a few pieces of rope looped through the fence and tied to some Egyptian statuettes.
Yuugi ran out on the roof. "Anzu!" he screamed, trying to get her attention. He stopped when he saw Shaadi on the roof with him.
"I have been pushing you to draw out the other you," said Shaadi, "but it seems you won't appear for me."
"What are you talking about?" asked Yuugi.
"So that I can meet the other Yuugi, I will use another method," said Shaadi
"What are you saying?"
"Listen, Yuugi. That girl is my puppet. At my orders she will do anything."
Downstairs, Jounouchi and Miho met up.
"Find her?" he asked.
"Nope! Not at all!" Miho replied.
Honda came down another hallway.
"Hey. Honda, what about you?" Jounouchi asked.
Honda stared at them blankly and staggered forward, moaning.
"Honda . . . what's wrong?" asked Jounouchi.
Honda lifted up the broom he was holding and charged. Jounouchi and Miho ran away, Honda chasing them and swinging the broom.
On the roof, Shaadi continued to taunt Yuugi. "Well, Yuugi? Be enraged . . . be hateful . . . be saddened! At the boundaries of your feelings . . . the other Yuugi is waiting!"
The Millennium Puzzle began to glow. The sky darkened and the clouds thickened.
Shaadi's eyes widened. Come . . . the other Yuugi.
Yuugi became shrouded in darkness, Puzzle and eyes glowing. The shadows disappeared, revealing the other Yuugi with his hands in his pockets and a furious expression. "Shaadi!" he hissed like an angry serpent.
"So we finally meet, the other Yuugi," said Shaadi.
Yuugi continued to glare. "Anzu . . . how dare you use her in your game!"
"I will finish things with you no matter what," said Shaadi. "Yuugi, if you lose the game . . . you will lose that girl."
Yuugi clicked his tongue angrily.
"I am sure you would prefer this to the alternative," Shaadi went on.
Yuugi frowned. He then noticed someone next to him. "Mahou-san!"
Mahou walked to Shaadi's side and faced Yuugi. Her expression and eyes were blank.
"I had intended to use this girl as another puppet to draw you out," Shaadi said, running his fingers through a lock of her hair. "But she serves her purpose better as a doll."
"Let her go!" demanded Yuugi.
"I will when this game is over. I cannot have her interfering again," said Shaadi. He carefully tucked the piece of hair he had been playing with behind her ear. "Did you know your . . . cousin . . . is terrified of you?"
Yuugi's eyes widened slightly.
"She's witnessed what you do to people who hurt you and your friends. She's watched you drive them mad for their crimes. And she fears . . . what you will do to her when you learn hers!"
"Enough of this!" snapped Yuugi.
Shaadi conceded. "Before I explain the rules . . . let me say one thing. About the Millennium Puzzle . . . You may have thought it a coincidence that you solved the Puzzle . . . but that is wrong. The Millennium Puzzle chose you. It has been waiting 3,000 years. And my family was also chosen by the Millennium Items."
"So . . . don't be telling me we're buddies. I'm not interested in hearing that! Explain the game's rules!" ordered Yuugi, losing his patience.
"Don't be frightened, Yuugi," Shaadi responded calmly.
"What? Frightened?"
"Somewhere in your heart, you are afraid of that power," Shaadi said. "The unknown power of the Millennium Puzzle. That is the weakness of the heart. As proof, look there."
One of the statues crumbled, the rope going slack. Anzu wobbled on the plank as it dipped, one less rope holding it up.
"Anzu!" cried Yuugi.
"Yuugi, didn't you realize the game's already started? Those statues reflect your heart. When you show weakness in your heart, statues will break, one after another," explained Shaadi. "If the remaining three break, you lose the girl. But you have an opportunity to win. Tied to the rope is the Millennium Ankh. And what's holding that is the statue reflecting my heart."
"I see," said Yuugi. "So before my heart statues break . . . if your heart statue breaks first . . ."
"That's right," said Shaadi. "When that happens the Millennium Ankh will go along the rope so that the girl can touch it. If she touches the Millennium Ankh, she will regain her senses and I will have lost. Understand? The one who shows weakness in the heart is the game's loser."
"A game to probe each other's weakness of the heart, eh?"
"So let us begin."
An ominous wind swept around them.
"Let's go, Yuugi! The first ordeal!"
Holes started opening up at Yuugi's feet. They merged to create a large hole. Two glowing eyes looked up at him.
This is . . . ! Yuugi thought.
Jounouchi and Miho continued to run from a possessed Honda.
Shit! Jounouchi thought, looking over his shoulder. We can't let people see Honda like that!
"This way!" he ordered Miho.
Back on the roof, Yuugi stepped back from the glowing eyes. A giant pair of hands shot up from behind him and grabbed his arms. A massive head with a snout joined it, roaring at Yuugi.
"Yuugi, to escape that Amemit you have to clear the ordeal," Shaadi explained. "This game is . . . the Yami Concentration."
Nine tiles with question marks appeared in front of Yuugi, the center one darker than the rest.
"Behind those slates are pairs of the same picture," Shaadi went on.
"Wait a moment! There are nine slates!" Yuugi called out. "There's one too many for Concentration!"
Shaadi chuckled. "That is correct. The middle one is the only one left over. In this game you have to say what that middle slate is. However, for these nine slates you can only turn them over once!"
Yuugi gasped.
"I will tell you the key to this riddle. Those slates are a mirror that reflect the Amemit."
The image behind those ancient slates? Yuugi thought. That's . . .
One of Yuugi's statues began to crack.
"Anzu!" Yuugi cried.
Honda came around the corner and saw Jounouchi in an empty classroom.
"Disappear, you janitor!" Jounouchi yelled.
Honda stumbled in only to receive a face full of the fire extinguisher Miho was holding.
"Honda-kun, you idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!" she screamed. She stopped spraying him.
Jounouchi ran up and punched him in the face. "Forgive me, Honda. Open your eyes!"
Honda stood back up. "That's . . . beautification . . ." he moaned.
"Hey! You still care about that at a time like this?" cried Jounouchi.
Honda slammed into him and pushed him out the open window. Jounouchi grabbed the curtain and dangled.
"This situation ain't no joke!" Jounouchi looked up at the roof. He saw Anzu standing on the plank. "Anzu! Why's she up there?"
The Amemit growled behind Yuugi.
One more time, thought Yuugi. Recall everything. Shaadi said the slates are a mirror that reflects this monster. Mirror . . . Mirrors reflect the face. So . . . since this is Concentration, that means there are four pairs. If these slates are a mirror, then they should reflect this monster. The pairs this monster has . . . as well as the thing it only has one of . . . I've got it! The pairs are ears, eyes, nostrils, hands . . .
"And . . . the singular thing it has is the mouth!" Yuugi yelled.
The tablets flipped over, the center being the mouth. The tablets and monster disappeared.
"Splendid job, Yuugi," Shaadi congratulated. "But the match as only just started. Let me introduce your playmate for the next game."
A blast of smoke swirled up behind Yuugi. It took the form of Jounouchi.
"Jounouchi-kun!"
"I have made that friend from your memory real," said Shaadi. "I have revived your friend from the time when he bullied you."
"What?"
The fake Jounouchi walked over and snatched the Puzzle from Yuugi's neck. The ground around fell way leaving them both trapped in a small area of the roof.
"Let me explain the game's rules," said Shaadi. "You two will take turns rolling that puzzle like a die. Where that puzzle points . . . the opponent must take two steps in that direction. The first one to make the opponent jump off wins. Now, Yuugi. Let me see you smash that terrible memory from your past."
Yuugi looked at the fake Jounouchi. Without a doubt, this Jounouchi is Shaadi's illusion. But what if it really is him under Shaadi's spell? Could it be?
The fake Jounouchi scoffed, looking at the Puzzle. "This is your treasure? Yuugi! Damn it. How can you really treasure something like this when there's a woman present?" he asked.
The words struck something deep in Yuugi. Two statues broke and the plank wobbled.
Yuugi whipped around. Anzu! Damn it . . . Just one more statue.
"Let's get started," said the fake Jounouchi. "I challenge you, Yuugi." He tossed the Puzzle. "The puzzle points that way. Now Yuugi, face the edge and take two steps forward."
Yuugi turned and took two steps toward the edge.
"Now it's your turn, Yuugi."
"I will not roll," said Yuugi. "I don't want to play this game with you, Jounouchi-kun."
"Hn?" Shaadi was confused.
The fake Jounouchi picked up the Puzzle again. "Then you pass, right? My turn again." He rolled. "It's facing the edge again, Yuugi."
Yuugi took the two steps, now at the very edge.
"You've finally reached the edge," said the fake Jounouchi. "Don't tell me you're passing again."
"Yes, pass for me," said Yuugi.
"Have you given up on the game?" Shaadi asked. "Do you admit your defeat, Yuugi?"
"You're wrong, Shaadi," Yuugi said. "I . . . believe . . . in my friend."
"Believe, you say?" asked Shaadi. "Yuugi, you are unable to crush your past. This ordeal traps you because your heart is too believing and weak. Know this, true strength comes from believing only in oneself!" He turned to the fake Jounouchi. "Now! Roll the Puzzle one last time! End the game!"
The fake Jounouchi didn't move.
"What's wrong? Why do you not cast the Puzzle?" called Shaadi.
The fake Jounouchi began to vanish.
Shaadi was shocked. "What? The illusion of the past is disappearing!"
The Puzzle fell on the ground.
Yuugi picked it up. "My friend is no longer as he was in the past," he told Shaadi. "It's no use trying to confuse me with illusions."
The final rope holding Anzu began to fray.
Yuugi noticed. "The rope holding Anzu up!"
The ground reappeared and Yuugi ran for the fence. The plank Anzu was on raised slightly, someone groaning from beneath it. Yuugi reached the fence and looked down to see Jounouchi trying to keep it up.
"Anzu! I'm here now, so don't worry!" Jounouchi called to her.
Yuugi smiled. Jounouchi-kun!
Shaadi stood there watching. Impossible! The children are supporting each other!
Shaadi's statue began to crack.
My heart statue . . .
Yuugi turned to Shaadi. "Shaadi, you do not understand. Do you know where true strength comes from?"
The power in believing in one's friends?
The statue shattered and the Millennium Ankh slid down and touched Anzu's hand.
"Oh . . . where is this?" She looked down at the ground several stories below her. She screamed and dropped to her knees. "What? What's going on?"
"Hurry up and return to the roof!" Jounouchi yelled at her.
Anzu turned around and started crawling.
"Hurry!" Jounouchi yelled again. He felt something grab his leg.
Honda, still covered in fire extinguisher foam, was climbing up.
"Honda!" Jounouchi gasped.
Honda grabbed at Jounouchi's face. Jounouchi was having a hard time holding the plank. It wobbled and Anzu screamed. She started falling back and tried to catch something. But something caught her.
"Anzu!" Yuugi's wide purple eyes were looking down at her.
The plank fell and hit Honda, the Millennium Ankh touching the back of his head. He snapped out of his trance.
Honda screamed and held onto Jounouchi. "Why am I here?"
"Shut up! Don't shake!" Jounouchi yelled at him.
Miho came running across the roof. "Everyone! Are you guys okay?"
Anzu and Yuugi climbed back over the fence.
"H-hey! I can't move!" Jounouchi said, clinging to the edge of window.
"No! I can't die before I become class president!" bawled Honda.
"You'll never make it!" Jounouchi told him. "Relax, I'll win it for you! So let go!"
"You're the one who won't make it!"
The remaining rope snapped and it all fell. The plank and the ropes disappeared, leaving only the Millennium Ankh. A tanned hand reached out and caught it before it reached the ground. Shaadi walked with Mahou to the main gate.
"This time I lost, Yuugi," said Shaadi. "But do not forget. The connection between my family and your fate has not disappeared. And Yuugi . . . you have a mission to draw out the true power of that Millennium Puzzle. We will meet again . . . Yuugi-oh."
They stopped at the gate.
"As for you," Shaadi addressed Mahou. He touched the Ankh to her brow.
Shaadi once more stood in the room of Mahou's soul. He walked over to the platform and placed a small box. He then turned to the figurine at the easel. Behind it, the monster was now chained up and gagged. The chain by the stool was no longer there.
Mahou blinked as Shaadi lowered the Millennium Ankh. "Huh?"
"The other Yuugi won," he said.
"And you're okay?" Mahou asked in surprise.
Shaadi cracked a smile. "I suppose it would come as a surprise that I am still whole. Many Yami Games do not often end like this. Farewell, Mahou-san, and good luck." And with that, Shaadi walked away.
"Did you know your . . . cousin . . . is terrified of you? She's witnessed what you do to people who hurt you and your friends. She's watched you drive them mad for their crimes. And she fears . . . what you will do to her when you learn hers!"
"Kyaaah!" Mahou woke up screaming. She shoved her hands over her mouth and listened. It didn't sound like she woke anybody else up.
Mahou got out of bed and went to her desk. She opened her sketchbook and started drawing. Hours later she sat back and looked at what she drew.
A dark hand was holding a box. Inside was the other Yuugi being held by a monster, nine tiles in front of him. Jounouchi stood to the side holding the Millennium Puzzle, sneering at the other Yuugi. Shaadi watched on with Mahou next to him.
Mahou started to cry. "He knows . . . he told him . . . he knows . . ."
Does he really? Yami only knows Mahou is hiding something. And short of something drastic happening, Mahou isn't about to tell him, or anyone.