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the_goldenpathTitle: Khenet (part 5 in the Colors of Heaven & Hell series)
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters
Characters: Mutou Yuugi & Yami no Yuugi/Atemu
Prompt: # 13, Yellow
Word count: 9.460
Rating: PG
Warnings: shounen ai
Summary: After the events at the National Museum, Yuugi’s thrown into a desperate search for Yami, taking every step necessary to find him. The only person with answers is Ishizu, but she has disappeared as well… with no other option but to travel to Egypt himself, Yuugi gets help from Kaiba, hiding his own motives in plain sight...
Author’s note: This is the fifth installment in a series of fics following the prompts of the Fanfic100 challenge @ LiveJournal, containing a color (red, orange, yellow, green etc...). The colors will be named in either Japanese or Ancient Egyptian (I’m not a native speaker, but I thought it fit the theme). ‘Iwen’ is Ancient Egyptian for ‘colors’. The entire series will contain fluff, drama, angst, some emo, waff, lots of friendship, strong!independent!Yuugi and dark!asshole!Yami (he’ll get better, sort of). Almost everything about the Duel Monsters game in this fic is made up by yours truly. I’m too old to learn the proper rules of the game, so I invoke my artistic license. Made-up first name for Yuugi’s mother: Sumiko. Please read in the designated sequence, starting with part 0 (Colorless). Feedback is, as always, greatly appreciated.
Key : ------------------ = scene change
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Jounouchi straightened himself, a determined expression on his face. “If you’re going to Egypt, so are we. We’re coming along with you.”
Yuugi showed him a grateful smile. He could really use the support of his friends. The thought of Yami, helpless and vulnerable in bed, his soul in an unknown place where he couldn’t reach him, was killing him.
“No. I will go with him.” Jounouchi snapped his head into Kaiba’s direction. Yuugi didn’t comment; he had expected this answer from the tall CEO. “You can stay here to make sure nothing happens to Yami or that friend of yours, Bakura.”
“No way am I going to leave Yuugi with you!” Jounouchi was quick to defend him, but Yuugi raised his hand, tapping his friend on his arm.
“It’s alright, Jounouchi-kun,” he said. “Kaiba-kun is right. He’s the only one coming with me. I’m sorry.”
“What? What do you mean?” Jounouchi said angrily, though his anger wasn’t directed at Yuugi.
“I appreciate your support and every deity knows I need it,” Yuugi explained. “But this is something of an entire different level. We’re both tied to Yami, Kaiba-kun and me. I think we are the key to answer this riddle, somehow. Jounouchi-kun, I need you to make sure nothing happens to Yami or Bakura-kun.”
Jounouchi didn’t look happy at all. “Mokuba and the staff can take care of them! I don’t want you to go alone!”
“I know,” Yuugi said. “I’m so sorry, Jounouchi-kun, but I won’t change my mind. I can only do this… I can only survive this if I know someone is taking care of Yami. Only you can do that. I can’t do what I’m about to do if Yami isn’t safe with you.”
“Then… what are you going to do?” Jounouchi’s voice trembled. “You’re scaring me.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound this ominous.” Yuugi looked at Kaiba who stared back as distant as ever, with an impatient glare in his eyes. Now that he knew which step to take next, he was itching to follow up on it and get it done. Yuugi didn’t want to reflect on how much Kaiba might still be feeling for Yami. It was obvious that the CEO wouldn’t go to any length for someone else. Yami needed their help and every minute, every second they were dawdling here, was literally a waste of time.
“I’ll have the arrangements taken care of,” Kaiba said curtly. “We’ll leave in a few hours. Better say goodbye to your friends, Yuugi.”
“How…” Jounouchi was dumbfounded. “Yuugi, you just can’t go with him!”
“I have to,” Yuugi said and rose from his chair. “Let’s go back to the Game Shop, Jounouchi-kun. We have a lot to talk about.”
----------------------------------------
“You can’t be serious,” Anzu said. She had listened to Yuugi’s explanation, alongside with Honda, and watched him pack a modest bag with clothes, toiletries and his passport. “We’ll go with you!”
Yuugi zipped up the bag. “I’m very sorry, Anzu. I’ll apologize to you again and again, but this is dangerous, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“And it’s okay if something happens to you?” Anzu’s voice was riddled with frustration.
Honda took her by the elbow. “Anzu, he’s leaving his most precious possession behind,” he said, voice low. “He leaves us to take care of what matters to him most. Can’t you see, Anzu? He doesn’t want to get us involved; not because we mean nothing to him, but to protect us from the same danger that happened to Yami.”
Anzu mulled over his words. “I understand,” she said. “I’m sorry, Yuugi. I didn’t want to react so selfishly.”
Yuugi glanced over her head at Honda and Jounouchi. Surprisingly, it was Honda who got the hint and said: “Jounouchi, let’s get something to eat. All this babble is making me hungry!”
“Huh? Why are you even thinking of food in this situation..?”
“Why are you not thinking of food? When are you not thinking of food? I swear, if I had a couple of yen every time…” Honda’s voice trailed off as he dragged Jounouchi out of the room.
Yuugi made a mental note to thank him later. To his right, Anzu sat unmoving on his bed, refusing to make eye-contact. She had probably felt this coming, somehow. Gently, he sat beside her on the bed and took her hand in his. Beautiful, she was so beautiful and elegant. He wanted her to be happy, he wanted to make her happy… but he knew he wasn’t the right person for her, not in that way.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice soft yet confident. “It really wasn’t my intention to scare or hurt you, Anzu. You have always been a wonderful friend, and without your support…. without your support, I’m not sure I’d be the Yuugi I am today.”
“That’s just silly,” she said, a light quiver in her voice. “You underestimate your own strength, Yuugi. You would’ve found your way.”
“I wouldn’t have wanted to find it without you,” he said. “You helped me, you were there for me. You’re always there for me. I… Anzu, I need to tell you something very important.”
“Your most precious possession,” she said and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. “I have really made a fool out of myself, haven’t I?”
“Oh no, no Anzu, don’t ever think that!” He reached for her hair, tucking a few wayward strands behind her ear. She allowed him, but didn’t lean into his touch. “I’m the fool here. I should’ve told you sooner. I… I shouldn’t have given you any false hope that we could’ve ended up together, as a couple.”
“‘Mou hitori no boku’,” she said. “Why did you call him that?”
Of course she had overheard him when Yami fell to the floor at the national museum, Yuugi had screamed so loud in panic and horror. He answered honestly. “I’m not sure how to explain,” he said. “Do you remember the first time I met him?”
She nodded. “I remember. You had dinner with him.”
“Yes. I thought he was a jerk. Arrogant, distant, obnoxious. But like my grandfather said, I could see the pain and hurt behind his behavior. The anger of being abandoned as a kid. Parents gone, no one to take care of him but two bodyguards. Bodyguards! The anger of having to face the world alone and fighting against everything. No, he’s not the warmest or kindest person around, and I’m not exactly sure how deep his feelings run for me…” Or if I stand any chance at all, Yuugi thought. “… but that doesn’t diminish the fact that I haven’t been upfront with you, and for that I offer you my apologies. I shouldn’t have waited to tell you, Anzu. Even if things with Yami don’t work out, I still can’t be your partner. I’m not… wired that way,” he said. Gods, the look on her face. “I wish for you all the love and happiness in the world.”
“It’s your love I want,” Anzu said. Yuugi very carefully used his hand to wipe away her tears.
“You’ll always have my love,” he said. “As a friend, as someone who will stand by you all the way, who will always be there for you… but not in the way of a husband or a lover.”
“Since when did you know?” She brusquely turned away from him, not because she couldn’t stand his touch, but to grab her purse. She opened it and rummaged through it.
“Not that long, actually.” Yuugi watched her pull out a handkerchief. “Since I met Yami… more so, after his return from the Shadow Realm, then I knew for sure. Before, I really wasn’t thinking about my sexuality or feelings for anyone in particular.”
She dabbed with the handkerchief at her face, keeping her head averted. “I need a moment.”
“Take as long as you need,” Yuugi said. He didn’t know what else to say and he didn’t want to upset her any further. He took his bag with him when he left the room, walking down the stairs quietly as his mother and grandfather had already retired for the night. He went into the kitchen.
“I hope you don’t mind we took some… ah, liberties with the content of your fridge,” Jounouchi said.
“I’m sure kaa-san won’t mind,” Yuugi said, amused at the number of empty dishes and bowls on the table. “I’ll leave a note for her.”
“You’re not going to wake her up?”
“No. I don’t like keeping secret from her, but she’d get terribly upset if I told her right now. I have to do this, I’m going to do this, and nobody is going to stop me.”
“We noticed,” Jounouchi said with a sour look on his face.
“Quit giving him such a hard time,” Honda elbowed him again. “Can’t you see the guilt is eating him alive?”
Jounouchi pulled an ugly face. He understood, but that didn’t mean he was happy with the situation. He looked like he wanted to punch someone.
“I shouldn’t keep the driver waiting.” Yuugi slung the bag over his shoulder. The man had been waiting patiently outside in his limo, to take Yuugi back to the Kaiba mansion whenever he was ready.
“Hey, at least let us come along to say goodbye,” Honda said. His voice betrayed his own anxiety.
“Of course.” Yuugi was about to turn around when he heard soft footsteps coming down the stairs. It was Anzu, her face pale and her eyes red and puffy.
“I want to come along too,” she said and it was obvious she wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer. Yuugi simply nodded. He would talk to her again as soon as he’d return from Egypt. She deserved more attention and comfort than this, and it made his heart ache that he was so constricted by time. But Yami took precedence right now; who knew where his soul was, and what horrible battle he was fighting… without another word, they went outside. The driver immediately started the limousine’s engine and drove them to Kaiba’s mansion silently and swiftly.
At the mansion, Isono was waiting for them at the front door. “Kaiba-sama wants to leave right now,” he said. “Please, follow me.”
They walked in single file behind him, but this time they weren’t guided upstairs. Instead they went downstairs, and Yuugi had no idea where they were going. He would’ve preferred to see Yami one more time, but the thought of seeing him with his eyes closed and breathing weakly chilled him to his very core. Perhaps it was for the better not to see him, and focus on the battle at hand. By operating a touchpad, Isono opened doors to a bright-lit room, the size of at least three basketball fields. It was a hangar; the Blue Eyes White Dragon jet was positioned exactly in the middle, its engines already warming up. Kaiba was standing in front of it, one and all impatience, his younger brother Mokuba was next to him. Yuugi’s stomach turned around at the prospect of flying; he had never been on a plane before, let alone a jet. He halted. Anzu embraced him lovingly, her voice still slightly unstable when she wished him good luck.
“Thank you, Anzu,” he said. “I know it sounds weird right now, but I love you.”
“I love you too,” she said. “Come back safe and sound, so you can properly introduce your boyfriend to me.”
He smiled at her. “Thank you so much.”
Jounouchi and Honda awkwardly patted his shoulders, both very unhappy to see him leave.
“Don’t worry,” Jounouchi said, “We’ll take care of Yami. He’ll be safe as a baby in our hands.”
“Thank you so much,” Yuugi repeated. “Without your support, I…”
“Are you done exchanging clichés?” Kaiba called out to him, his voice carrying far in the hangar. “We’re leaving!”
Mokuba looked a little worried. “Big brother…”
“You’re staying here,” Kaiba told him unceremoniously. “Whatever’s going on, I’m not going to expose you to it.”
“But..!” Mokuba’s mouth closed again. He balled his fists, visibly upset. This hadn’t been the first time they had argued about this, or so it seemed. He was just as unhappy as Jounouchi and Honda with the entire situation.
“We’ll stay in touch through the KaibaCorp. network,” Kaiba said. He locked eyes with Yuugi, cold as ever. “We’re leaving now.”
Isono showed Yuugi how to board the jet and helped him with the buckles. His luggage was stored, along with Kaiba’s, in a different compartment. The seating arrangement was for two people only and everything else would cramp up the small cockpit.
“I’ll pilot the jet myself.” Kaiba hopped into the front seat. Smiling more bravely than he actually felt, Yuugi waved at his friends. They waved back until Isono ushered them to a safe distance, away from the jet which engines fully roared to life. Isono operated a small control panel to clear the launch pad. Kaiba was confident in his piloting, pressing buttons and pulling levers. The Blue Eyes White Dragon jet bopped forward, amassing momentum for the launch. Kaiba started the countdown. Yuugi felt like he was going to throw up. Closing his eyes, he forcefully refrained from screaming at the top of his lungs when the jet took off at dazzling speed. He all but drove his nails into the metal armrests of his seat, his knuckles turning white, his chest heaving. It took him a while to calm down and he was grateful for Kaiba not pointing out his exaggerated breathing and his ghostly pale face. No words at all were exchanged during the flight and Yuugi managed to doze off for the hours it took to reach Cairo, Egypt.
--------------------------------
“Prince? Eh…Pharaoh?”
“Yes, Mana?”
The girl held out a goblet. “You’ve been reading for so long! You should take a break.”
Yami accepted the goblet and drank greedily. It was wine, not water; he wasn’t used to alcohol, but this particular wine was fruity and light and not intoxicating. Mana had told him this was a special blend of figs and pomegranate, one of the Prince’s favorites! She had smiled so brightly at him that he didn’t have the heart to tell her that he didn’t remember, that he had no recollection of ever tasting this wine or telling her that he liked it. Mana talked about him as the Prince (or Pharaoh) as if he was an entirely different person, and it was painful and annoying at the same time. Light half. Dark half. It wasn’t true! Ishizu had been talking nonsense. Nobody could split a soul in two! Whoever was behind this game, he or she had access to formidable technology or techniques to make this feel so real, to make all the NPCs interact with fantastic AI.
One thing was very real, though: he had spent hours reading scrolls, and so far he hadn’t been able to find anything that could count as the rules of the game. Maybe the library wasn’t the right way to gather information. Yami had played RPGs before, but as a Pharaoh, as King of the game, he just couldn’t walk out and gather information at the local tavern. He’d have to do with his Priests as main sources of information. He had to know the rules and restrictions of the game. Who had brought him here? How come Ishizu and Kaiba were here, and were they really ‘here’ or were they just NPCs? Was he a NPC to them? Was he the only player? Mahaado and Karim… his loyal bodyguards, his guardians, and ‘here’ they didn’t even know him and were shocked at any kind of personal interaction. He had to find Yuugi. Aibou.
“Thank you Mana, it was delicious.” He still couldn’t believe how everything tasted and felt so real. Whoever had… pulled or inserted him into this RPG, he or she had crafted this world with the greatest love and attention for intricate details.
“The Priests will meet soon for their daily counsel,” she said. “Bo-oring! I wish we could go for a swim or a walk in the garden! Ever since you’re Pharaoh, you don’t have time for anything!”
“Mana, did you witness Bakura’s attack?” He surprised her with the question.
She shook her head. “No, I didn’t. Master told me all about it! Bakura had robbed the late Pharaoh’s tomb, and he was able to summon Diabound!”
Diabound? Yami had extensive knowledge of the Duel Monsters game, but he had never encountered a Diabound in his duels. He had heard of Diabound Kernel, a dark monster with the nasty effect of reducing the ATK of the opponent’s monster, as much as its own ATK points. He frowned. Diabound. Bakura. Had he dueled a Bakura before? He racked his brain, but he simply couldn’t remember. Yami knew why: he hadn’t paid attention to any duelist other than Kaiba and Malik, the holders of the two other God Cards. He simply hadn’t deemed other duelists worthy of his recognition.
“Something the matter?” Mana sat on the corner of the large table, her legs dangling. Her voice jerked him out of his thoughts.
“I am bothered by someone so powerful,” he said.
“But you’re much more powerful!” Mana exclaimed loudly, then remembered she was in a library and she lowered her voice to a mere whisper. “You summoned a God: Obelisk!”
Yami didn’t remember. He had won Obelisk from Kaiba… and now he had summoned the God in this game? Shouldn’t there be some kind of requirement? A tribute?
“Master was so impressed,” Mana continued, oblivious to his confusion. “He said that he’d always known that you were capable of wielding such power. The legendary Pharaoh, the one who can summon Gods!”
Now he was really confused. Wait a minute… legendary Pharaoh? What had Ishizu told him, back in the real world? He was frustrated with himself. He had barely listened to her, assuming everything she said to be total nonsense. She had tried to freak him out with that sob story about her brother and the growing darkness within him, trying to break his concentration and winning streak in the tournament. He had told her to get out, refusing to believe her. He regretted not listening to her; Yami was now convinced Ishizu had said something that would be of great help to him in this world. He’d have to talk to her counterpart; the Priestess might know more.
“Mana, is there anyone called Ishtar in the Palace? Malik Ishtar?”
“Not that I know of,” the girl said and tilted her head. “Do you want me to look for him?”
“Please do. He has lavender eyes and light hair,” Yami described him. If Malik was truly here, he would stand out more than enough. Mana was about to say something, but Mahaado showed up and bowed to Yami.
“Great Pharaoh, your presence is requested for the afternoon counsel.”
“Yes, thank you.” Yami got up from his chair, smoothing out his cape. He grew more confident with every passing hour, much to his own relief. He had much to do and even more to learn, but he was going to survive this strange world, filled with enemies and friends. He followed Mahaado to the council room, his stride firm and determined.
“Great Pharaoh.” The six Priests, standing around an impressive large table, greeted him in choir. He didn’t bother returning the greeting individually, so he simply nodded at them. He sat down at the head of the table. Mahaado send him a look that expressed confusion. Why would he do that? Yami sat up straight, his jaw line tightened. He was going defy anything that would be thrown at him in this world. He was going to win this game, no matter what!
“Great Pharaoh, bandits from the desert are ambushing merchants on their routes and obstructing trade in general,” High Priest Set, Kaiba’s look-alike, announced with the same voice and intonation as his modern day counterpart. “We should increase the guards accompanying the trade caravans. Neighboring countries are upset about our goods not reaching their destination. They are threatening to cancel our treaties.”
“More guards, more guards,” Akunadin grumped. “These ‘bandits’, Great Pharaoh, should be brought down by the fist of a God! Worthless creatures, harassing honest merchants and thwarting our good relationships with other kingdoms and countries!”
“How long is this problem going on?” Yami demanded to know. Akunadin glared at Mahaado. “Why are you looking at him?”
“Great Pharaoh, as captain of the guards, it is my responsibility to divide our manpower and lead them in this battle against thieves and robbers,” Mahaado answered. “I can assure you that I do the best I can, but I cannot assure you that my fellow Priest thinks the same.”
“Is this true, Akunadin?” Yami asked.
The elderly man, his long grey hair covered by the garb he was wearing, didn’t back down. “I’m not upset with how Mahaado handles the guards and his duties as a captain,” he said. “I’m upset with the increasing audacity of the thieves, and how the security of the royal tombs could be so easily breached by this Bakura. He makes a mockery out of everything!”
Yami turned his head towards Mahaado, who deeply bowed. “I will do anything in my power to take care of the problem, Great Pharaoh.”
Before Yami could react, Set took the word. “Bakura is not even the biggest problem. Apart from the trading routes, the Hyksos, Assyrians, Persians and Semites are ready to start a war, coveting our national wealth and treasures. I have send out scouts to spot any military movement. So far, I have not received any news.”
“Four..?” Yami was stupefied. He had to suppress a moment of panic. He hadn’t even been able to learn the rules of this game yet. He was given no time to think! Serious problems were at hand; his instinct had been to focus on Bakura but he couldn’t ignore the rising dilemmas about war and treaties. Set interpreted his expression as disbelief.
“Great Pharaoh, we have an army at our disposal that will fight to the bitter end to defend this land and its population,” he said. “Besides, we have you.” He pointed at the golden bracer on Yami’s wrist. He had assumed it was a bracer, as he was ashamed to admit that he didn’t know what the fairly heavy object was. “With your dia d’iankh, you are able to summon the Gods.”
“It was Obelisk, and only for a brief moment,” Akunadin snorted. This time, the rest of the Priests all looked at him with a disgusted expression.
“Akunadin, it was Obelisk,” Shaadah said, astounded that his fellow Priest could be so dismissive of the God. “He defeated Bakura!”
“Did he?” Akunadin said. “We were washed over by a bright light and when it dispersed, Bakura was gone, but so was Obelisk. Don’t get me wrong, I was - and am - very impressed that our young Pharaoh was able to summon the God in the first place…”
“What is your point?” Yami asked.
Akunadin cleared his throat. “We need to make a point, Great Pharaoh. A solid point. With all due respect to your father, the late Akunamukanon, he was a good ruler, but all he did was avoiding confrontation and creating more room for loose interpretation of the law.”
“You’re advocating war!” Karim said, aghast.
“We have the means and the manpower to fend off any war,” Akunadin retorted. “Why wait until the others attack us?”
“This isn’t what Akunamukanon would’ve wanted,” Karim protested. “He worked so hard to achieve peace!”
“We’re no longer under the rule of Akunamukanon,” Akunadin said. He made a wide, sweeping gesture with his arm. “His son is on the throne now!”
“Our Pharaoh has never advocated war,” Shaadah stepped in again. “He summoned one of the Gods! What do we have to fear?”
“Maybe we should ask him,” Akunadin said, his voice low. Every head in the room turned towards Yami. The silence was both deafening and… deadly. Yami held his breath. They were judging him, he knew it. He had to avoid at any cost that his Priests would deem him weak. This was a game. He didn’t know the rules, but it was a game. These people weren’t real, they were his pawns. He was in need of power, not people.
“Increase the number of guards,” he said. “I want Bakura apprehended by nightfall. I also want updates on the army: how many men, weaponry, armor… everything. Every rank and station at full alert!”
“Great Pharaoh!” Mahaado and Karim gasped. Yami didn’t spare them a single glance. Akunadin had a very content look on his face. “Then what will your punishment of Mahaado be?”
“Mahaado?”
“He’s the captain of the guards. He should’ve paid more attention to the looming threats instead of spending time on improving his heka.”
Another moment of silence. Mahaado inclined his head. “I am ready to accept any and all punishment you wish to bestow upon me, Great Pharaoh.”
“You will report to me in my private quarters,” Yami said. Had his voice always sounded so clipped? “I will allow you to rectify your mistake. The future will tell us if you have adjusted your strategy justly or not.”
Mahaado bowed even deeper. Akunadin looked a bit annoyed for a moment, but recovered so quickly that Yami wasn’t sure if he had seen it right. Thanks to all of his years playing Duel Monsters, Yami had developed quite the poker face. Perhaps Akunadin couldn’t read him as well as he was used to. What kind of Pharaoh had been here just before he, Yami, had arrived? Had he replaced the previous Pharaoh or merged into one? What was he supposed to do? Was the main goal of this game to defeat Bakura?
“The thief will undoubtedly try again, Great Pharaoh,” Akunadin agreed. “He was talking about ‘sins of the father’, but I’m not sure what he’s referring to. Your father was a good ruler, albeit a bit soft. I was apparently wrong about his son. What I said about you earlier, just after you had fainted…”
“You do not have to apologize,” Yami said. “Just as you do not like weak leaders, I do not like hollow excuses.”
Akunadin’s lips turned into a sly grin. “Such aggression, Great Pharaoh. I’m not used to see that from you.”
Yami refused to take the bait. “These issues deserve a more drastic approach, if thieves and robbers are running around the Palace,” he said. “I am not going to sit down and have Bakura break down walls and run into my throne room again. Send out troops to find and capture the thief!”
“But you summoned a God, Great Pharaoh. We’re perfectly safe with you around!”
“Are the Priests not capable of protecting me?” Yami gauged Shaadah’s reaction.
“We were overwhelmed by Bakura’s Diabound,” the bald Priest admitted. “It’s so powerful, it made short work of all the monsters we summoned.”
So the Priests were able to summon monsters as well? Sure enough, they all wore that heavy, golden bracer around their wrist, the dia d’iankh. “Double your efforts,” Yami said. “You are all dismissed.”
“Yes, Great Pharaoh.” The Priests rolled up their papyri, bowed and turned around to leave.
“Great Pharaoh, with your permission, I would like to visit the city,” Set spoke up. “I want to scour the streets for kaa. If Bakura can dispose over such a strong one, there must be others who can, and I want to find them!”
“Very well,” Yami said. The High Priest didn’t move though, and it wasn’t like him to fumble for words. “Something else you want to ask me?”
“That strange word you used to address me, earlier in the throne room… ‘Kaiba’, you said when you saw me. Is there any particular reason why?”
You look the exact same as someone I know in another world. “I was tired,” Yami said curtly. “I did not mean anything with it.”
Set bowed to him and swept out of the large room. Yami still wasn’t alone, though. Guards were all around him. So many people in the same room, and he’d never felt lonelier. He pursed his lips. He had never wallowed in self-pity before, so he wasn’t going to start now. Yami left the room and heard the footsteps of the guards behind him. Strangely enough, it didn’t make him feel protected or safe. If Bakura had already breached the Palace’s security once before, and it had taken a God to defeat him… Yami walked to his private quarters. He praised himself fortunate for being able to memorize the layout so quickly. It gave him more confidence; a Pharaoh doling around the Palace in search for his quarters wouldn’t do his reputation any good. The guards remained standing outside when he entered; not to his surprise, Mahaado was already there. The Priest turned towards him, facial expression neutral and he bowed again.
“I am ready to receive my punishment, Great Pharaoh.”
“Nobody will be punished, Mahaado. Sit down.”
The Priest eyed him a little suspiciously, and Yami couldn’t fault him for it. “I did not want to disappoint Akunadin in his thirst for punishment. You can make up any story you want and complain about how cruel this Pharaoh can be.”
Mahaado didn’t know whether to look relieved or scary. “You act differently, Great Pharaoh. Are you alright?”
“I feel fine,” he lied. “Why should I not be?”
“It is not like you to faint, though I can certainly understand, with all the pressure and tension as of late. It is not like you to act this… violent. With all due respect, Great Pharaoh, but your father would be spinning in his grave if he heard about your latest decisions.”
Yami looked at him with a painful expression. Mahaado was startled, misinterpreted and immediately threw himself at his feet, on his knees. “Great Pharaoh! It was not my intention to criticize you this harshly! I do not doubt you, not for a second! I truly have deserved punishment. If you want to relieve me from my duties, I understand.”
“Sit down, please.” It had never been Yami’s intention to punish Mahaado. He was more worried by Akunadin insisting on punishment in the first place. Why was the man steering towards war? “You are my friend. I would never relieve you from your duties. I need you too much.”
Honest relief washed all over Mahaado. Yami’s head was spinning. He had to stay focused, he had to stay organized.
“What would the Great Pharaoh suggest?” the Priest asked.
“For now, I want you to follow my orders,” Yami said. “Strengthen our national guard and army. Watch the borders.”
“We could also send out ambassadors to our neighboring countries,” Mahaado suggested. “The fact that they are about the declare war, does not mean we should provoke them first. We can send them a couple of gifts and have our diplomats smooth out and strengthen the relationships again.”
A war was the last thing he would like to have on his hands, but Yami refused to believe that everyone could be appeased with gifts and a friendly visit. However, Mahaado’s idea had merit and Yami didn’t want to antagonize him.
“Assemble diplomatic teams at your discretion,” he said. Fatigue hit him hard all of the sudden. It had been an intense day with many impressions, and he wanted time to himself to think. Well, he was the Pharaoh in this game, the most important piece, and it was time to use its perks. “I will retire for the rest of the day,” he said promptly. “Have some food and drink brought up to my quarters and make sure nobody will bother me.”
“As you wish, Great Pharaoh.” Mahaado bowed once more and hurried out of the room to execute the new orders. Yami watched him leave, fruitlessly trying to dispel the feelings of sadness. How cruel was this game creator, to insert characters like Mahaado and Karim, people he had known and cared for in person? And how come the creator knew them, and what they meant to him? Yami shook his head. He was hungry. After something to eat, he would go to bed and rest for the night. Tomorrow everything would look better, right? He wandered through his quarters, as large as a standard family home. The sandy, soft yellow and beige colors were very tranquil and calmed his hypersensitive mind. Yes, calmness was most important right now.
Yami ended up in the bedroom and noticed something grey on a wicker seat. Intrigued, he walked towards it and picked it up. He recognized the garment. I am freezing. Yuugi’s jacket, which he handed to him when he saw he was cold. It was just before that group picture, all Battle City finalists together… Battle City! Yami smiled. His memories from the real world started to come back! What a relief! Yes, the picture… he pressed the garment against him and inhaled the lingering scent. He told himself he could smell Yuugi, ignoring the question of how the garment could’ve made it into this ancient world. Something crinkled in the folds of the jacket. Yami carefully laid out the garment on the bed and checked the pockets.
He found an envelope with something in it. Curiously, he opened it and out fell a small, silver necklace; a delicate chain with something attached to it. Yami picked it up. A cartouche. That was weird. There was nothing inscribed on it. He examined it from both sides, but it was blank. He checked the other pocket and retrieved a piece of paper. Just as he was about to read it, a knock on the door announced the arrival of his dinner. Quickly, Yami threw the cartouche around his neck and without thinking, he tucked it under his cape. With the piece of paper in his hand, he walked back to the dining part of the quarters. Two servants brought in a large tray, loaded with dishes and plates. Now that he smelled the food, Yami realized how hungry he was. After setting the table, the servants retreated and he first ate to his heart’s content. He had put the letter on the corner of the table and when he was polishing off his dessert, delicious juicy grapes, he picked it up again and unfolded it. He could read the hieroglyphs perfectly.
Yami, when you read this, events have been set in motion in an order than cannot be reversed. You will have many enemies to fight, among them another king who will challenge you for your life. Fight off the darkness and the evil, for the sake of your soul and the entire world.
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As soon as the Blue Eyes White Dragon jet landed, Yuugi clumsily climbed out of the cockpit and threw up. Kaiba didn’t comment; he simply looked around the hangar to take stock of the situation. He didn’t look like he’d been intensely piloting for hours; the frown on his face was deeper than usual, though. He checked his watch.
“Isono has booked rooms for us at the Nile Ritz-Carlton hotel,” he said. “Are you done? I want a shower and a couple of hours rest, before we start our search for that Ishizu woman.”
“I’m fine, thank you,” Yuugi said. His stomach was lodged somewhere between his lungs; he hadn’t traveled at such god-awful high speed ever before. His legs felt wobbly. Yes, a shower sounded like heaven to him.
Footsteps alerted them of someone approaching them. A tall, dark-skinned man, clad in loose-fitting pants and a shirt, all but marched towards them. He was bald, safe for a pony-tail on the back of his head, reaching his mid-back. The left side of his face was covered in tattoos. From up close, they looked like scars, or so Yuugi thought. It looked… painful. He had seen this man before: on a picture during the Battle City tournament, together with Ishizu and a young, blond-haired man. Yuugi hadn’t known which one was Malik Ishtar, the infamous owner of a God Card, Ra.
“My name is Rishid Ishtar,” he spoke fluently Japanese with a mild accent, his voice quite light and calm for such a tall, ominous man. Kaiba didn’t bother introducing himself.
“You’re going to take us to Ishizu,” he commanded. Rishid met his gaze head on.
“I will take you to our residence,” he said. “Ishizu will appear when the right moment is there.”
“I want to talk to that woman,” Kaiba said. “She…”
“Kaiba-kun, please,” Yuugi interrupted him. “It’s of no use.”
Kaiba swallowed an unpleasant answer. He stared at the stoic Rishid and conceded. “Fine. Take us to your residence, then.”
“Follow me.” Rishid guided them out of the hangar, away from the airport to a Jeep, parked close to another hangar. He offered to take Yuugi’s bag from him, but it was so lightweight that he could carry it himself, so he politely declined. Kaiba hadn’t brought anything, much to Yuugi’s surprise; Kaiba was Kaiba, yet he suspected the other to be so upset about his former boyfriend that he simply forgot to take anything with him. Kaiba rode shotgun without asking and Yuugi didn’t mind. He crawled onto the backseat and put the seatbelt on, happy to be alone with his own thoughts. It wasn’t like Kaiba and Rishid were talking that much either. Rishid didn’t bother to point out the main tourist attractions, when they passed the pyramids of Gizeh and the Sphinx at just a couple of miles away.
Yuugi was tempted to close his eyes, just for a little while. The heat, the change in climate and culture… he was actually glad that Rishid drove away from the city and into the desert, where it was calmer and cooler. He looked outside the window. Endless sand, endless warm yellow and beige, light brown until the horizon. His eyes absorbed the image, but his heart wasn’t into it. He was thinking of Yami, alone at the Kaiba mansion, surrounded by Jounouchi, Honda and Anzu who couldn’t reach him. It broke his heart to leave him behind, but what else could he do? Transporting Yami in his current condition wasn’t the wisest thing to do.
“We are here.” Rishid halted the car in front of a house. They had entered a very small, modest village; children were still out playing on the streets and halted their activities to curiously look at the pale visitors. Kaiba slammed the door of the car close, his actions brusque and irritated. Rishid went ahead into the house and they both followed him. Inside, it was indeed cool. Yuugi heaved a sigh of relief. “I have prepared rooms for you,” the tall man continued. “Please, go upstairs and choose between the two rooms at the end of the hallway. They both have an adjacent bathroom and are virtually the same. Rest and relax. I will prepare something to eat in the meantime.”
Yuugi thanked him, but Kaiba stalked up the stairs without any acknowledgment. He quickly hobbled after him, but the CEO had already decided on the room on the left, disappeared into it and shut the door close. Yuugi merely shrugged and took the room on the right. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to Kaiba anyway. He had promised Anzu to contact her when they had arrived. He was sure she had meant to talk to him in person, but he wasn’t up for a video chat right now. Instead, he send her a text message about their safe arrival and that he was going to take a shower and a nap. He turned off the sound of his cell phone and dumped his bag on a wooden chair.
The room wasn’t that big, but it held everything he needed, with the bed as the most important piece of furniture. The bathroom was small and the tiled shower stall cramped. Yuugi didn’t care; he undressed himself, jumped into the stall and allowed lukewarm water to wash all over him. The nausea had dissipated and the thought of something to eat didn’t sicken him, but started to appeal to him again. A stack of towels was on the edge of the sink and a light, cotton bathrobe hung from a large hook on the wall. He picked the bathrobe and put it on. Yuugi wondered how long it was going to take before the food was ready. He hoped that Rishid would wake him up and rolled onto his bed. He was asleep the next second.
A gentle tug on his shoulder awoke him. Yuugi blinked and opened his eyes.
“What..?” he asked, disorientated.
“My apologies,” Rishid said. “I think it is for the best if you ate something before returning to sleep. You need your strength.”
“Yes, you’re right,” Yuugi said. “I’ll get dressed. What about Kaiba?”
“I have already awoken him.” Rishid showed a very small smile. “I think he was waiting for me. High-strung and anxious.”
Yuugi nodded. Rishid left the room and Yuugi didn’t waste any time dressing in comfy cotton, light-colored clothes and hurried downstairs. He didn’t need to search for the kitchen, he just had to follow his nose. He entered the large kitchen where Kaiba had already taken a seat at the long table, his arms crossed in front of his chest, looking sour and impatient.
“Did you manage to sleep a little, Kaiba-kun?” he asked.
“No,” he said gruffly and didn’t offer any elaboration. Rishid put two bowls in front of them.
“Molokheyya,” he said. “It is a vegetable soup.” He served it with flatbread. “Please eat, then go back upstairs for more rest.”
“You can’t send me to bed like a two-year old,” Kaiba said.
“It is for your own good.” Rishid didn’t sound commanding, but his voice didn’t allow any room for protest. “You will thank me later for sending you to your bed, Kaiba.”
That shut him up. Grumbling, he picked up his spoon. Yuugi had never tasted soup like this before. It was rich and flavorful, the use of spices and herbs so much different than he was used to. One plate was more than enough and combined with two pieces of the hearty bread, Yuugi was completely full. Rishid busied himself in the kitchen while they ate; not a word was spoken. It was actually a shame, as Yuugi had many questions about the country and its culture, but he instinctively knew this wasn’t the right moment to ask. Kaiba ate his soup and was almost surprised at emptying his bowl as well.
“Do you want more?” Rishid offered. Both declined politely. “Then I suggest you get some rest.”
Yuugi felt much better after having had something to eat. Kaiba looked about to keel over, so he said: “Kaiba-kun, we can’t start our search if you’re at the end of your rope.”
He finally admitted that he was tired. “We can take a bit of rest, yes. For what happened to Yami…” He glared at Yuugi and he wondered if he was blaming him. He probably was, judging from the cold, harsh look in his eyes. Yuugi got up and refused to answer his glare. He was dealing with plenty of guilt already, he didn’t need Kaiba to add to it. He went back to his room, uncaring if Kaiba followed or not.
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He woke up. It wasn’t a sound or anything else that ended his sleep, he was simply done resting. Yuugi got out of bed and fumbled around for his cell phone, checking the time. It was early in the morning, which meant that he had a full night of uninterrupted sleep. He had a couple of missed messages due to the time zone differences and he typed a message back to Anzu. He knew she’d relay everything to Jounouchi and Honda. He also had a text from Mokuba, asking him to keep an eye on his brother. Yuugi texted him back that of course he would, and that Kaiba had eaten and had slept well. He freshened himself up, got dressed and left his room. It was quiet.
No, it was silent. Silent as a grave. The house was cool at this morning hour, but he could see the golden sunlight already peeping through the curtains. The minimal interior decoration didn’t make it feel like a real home, or so Yuugi thought. It had no soul, no warmth to it. He decided to go to the kitchen. No one was there. Perhaps Rishid was still asleep. He had expected Kaiba to be up and running, demanding and giving out orders. The silence and the impersonal interior made for an eerie atmosphere. Yuugi didn’t dare to make himself tea. It could wait. He left the kitchen and went further down the hallway, just to see if he could find Rishid… wait, he heard something. Was that running water? No, but it was the sound of water, definitely.
Yuugi honed in on the sound and silently made his way over, locating the source. A door at the end of the hallway was open, and light spilled softly into the hallway. Flickering light… candles. Yuugi didn’t know what was going on, but his curiosity got the better of him. He went forward and peeked around the door. It was another bedroom, sparsely furnished. Rishid sat next to a bed, talking softly to the person lying in it. He held a bowl in which he dipped a piece of fabric, a cloth, and he used it to dab at the bed-ridden person’s face. The scented candles were placed around the bed in abundance. With the utmost gentle care, Rishid cleaned the person’s face and his voice was soft yet soothing. Yuugi couldn’t see who was in the bed. Was it Ishizu, perhaps? Rishid suddenly put the bowl to the side.
“You can come in,” he said.
Yuugi wished the earth would open and swallow him whole. He had just been caught in spying on his host! He opened the door further and sheepishly entered the bedroom. He bowed deeply to Rishid.
“My apologies,” he said, “there’s no excuse for…”
“You would have found out sooner or later.” Rishid sounded calm, yet defeated. He rose from his chair, swiftly and supple, unblocking Yuugi’s view of the bed. Yuugi’s eyes went wide.
“Malik?” he said, his voice higher than usual. Rishid simply nodded.
“He suffered the same fate as your Yami and the one called Bakura,” he said. “Strange powers took his soul and… transported it to a place we do not know. We are very worried.”
Yuugi stepped a little closer. Malik was lying in the bed, looking fragile and vulnerable. His eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow. It was like someone punched Yuugi in the stomach.
“How long..?” he asked.
“Ever since your Yami was pulled away,” Rishid answered. “We were at the bazaar, doing our daily shopping… and Malik suddenly collapsed on me. I was prepared, so I whisked him away quickly, without too much notice… Ishizu told me to prepare, of course. I brought Malik to this place to take care of him.”
“Rishid-san…” Yuugi didn’t know what to say. It was obvious the man was in tremendous pain. He felt sorry for Malik. He was sure he hadn’t done anything wrong. “It’s because he owned a God Card, isn’t it?”
“I believe so, but I am not sure.” Rishid tucked him in, even though there was nothing he could change about the perfectly arranged sheets. “Kaiba owned one, and he has not fallen prey to this… situation. He is involved somehow, otherwise he would not be here.”
Yuugi didn’t mention that Yami used to be Kaiba’s boyfriend. It was too private to tell. “What’s going to happen now? We wait for Ishizu-san?”
“My sister will probably know what to do,” Rishid said. “Unfortunately, I have no idea when she will return. She wanted to find out more about Bakura, and why he was affected as well.”
“Bakura Ryou is a good person,” Yuugi immediately said. “He’s a classmate of mine.”
“Something must have happened to him,” Rishid answered calmly, “how else would he be involved? Neither I nor my sister can explain the powers at work here, but they are dark and mysterious. And dangerous.”
“I refuse to believe that Bakura-kun has a dark side,” Yuugi said stubbornly.
“Everyone has a dark side, Yuugi,” Rishid said. “Do you think you do not have one? What about your Yami? His name means ‘darkness’, for crying out loud!”
“He only calls himself that because he doesn’t know any better. His memory is spotty and people called him Yami since he was young,” he defended him heatedly. “Yami’s not my dark half. I love him; I wouldn’t fall in love with someone evil!”
“Evil and darkness is not always the same,” Rishid gave back. “Everybody harbors anger, pain, hatred, resentment. I know I do. Nobody is free of darkness. Without darkness there can not be light, without light there can not be darkness. You complete Yami, he completes you.”
“We might be the two halves of a soul… but it’s our soul,” Yuugi said. He remembered how Ishizu had spoken about the Pharaoh as a third person. “Please, Rishid-san, tell me what’s going on.”
“You have seen my face.” Rishid’s voice became even softer. “I did what I had to do to keep the darkness at bay. My own darkness, but mostly Malik’s. I failed. It managed to resurface during Battle City and it attacked Yami, the one who represents the dark half of the Pharaoh. He had no difficulties finding him. The darkness and anger within Yami sang to him, he said, before I managed to subdue him.”
Maybe that was why Ishizu had left Domino City so suddenly. “You have seen him,” Rishid continued. “In that brief time you spend in the Shadow Realm. That was not Malik. That was not my brother.”
“It was a dark entity,” Yuugi said, shivering at the memory. “It wasn’t your fault, Rishid-san.”
“It was. I could not stop the darkness.” He moved away from the bed. “He needs silence, our voices are disrupting him. We shall go to the kitchen.”
Yuugi nodded and allowed Rishid to take care of everything. He didn’t close the door completely, a little bit of light shining through. Yuugi didn’t ask. He was convinced Rishid did everything to make Malik as comfortable as possible. They silently traipsed back to the kitchen where Rishid busied himself with making tea.
“Bakura,” he asked, “is he a friend of yours?”
“I’ve known him since high school,” Yuugi answered. “He was transferred into our class. He belonged to our circle of friends, but we drifted apart, I’m afraid.” He filled Rishid in on the situation at home: how he had dropped out of school to work at the Game Shop, his grandfather’s health problems and consequent surgery, Battle City. Rishid listened while he prepared the tea and the rest of breakfast; halfway during his waterfall of words, Kaiba joined them at the table, not interrupting.
“I do know that one of his main hobbies was collecting figurines,” Yuugi said as he accepted a cup of tea. “He loved to design tabletop RPGs and had invited us to come over, but it never happened.”
“Why not?” Rishid asked sharply.
“It’s… embarrassing,” Yuugi said. “I dropped out of school, Anzu had trouble with Chono-sensei and Jounouchi-kun and Honda-kun never got around to going. He never repeated his invitation. We all disappointed him. I haven’t been a good friend to him. I should’ve gone.”
“I think that surprisingly enough, this Bakura might be the thriving force behind all of this,” Rishid commented.
“Impossible,” Yuugi immediately retorted.
“His dark half,” Rishid stressed once more. “Something must have happened for him to create an ultimate RPG.”
“A game? This is all a game?” Kaiba sounded incredulous. “People end up in a coma because of a game?”
“A shadow game, one like the Pharaoh and his Priests used to play in days long gone,” Rishid elaborated.
“Stop with that bullshit about ancient Pharaohs and stuff! I want this to be over!”
“It is far from being over, Kaiba.” The female voice all made them snap their heads into her direction.
“Ishizu-san!” Yuugi said, relieved. She swept into the kitchen with her usual elegance, her smile a tad warmer when she greeted Yuugi.
“So good to see you, though I wish it was under different circumstances. Kaiba, it is a pleasure to see you too.”
“You brought this mess upon us,” Kaiba bellowed at her. “See to it that you get us out of it!”
“It is not that easy.” She took a cup of tea out of Rishid’s hands. “This ‘mess’ is the result of decisions and events happening, long before the current world was born. With or without Pharaoh, the Darkness will always try to get the upper hand.”
“I’m not here to listen to your bullshit,” Kaiba said. “Where’s Yami?”
“His soul, as well as my brother’s and as your friend’s, is more than probably trapped in a different world, beyond any normal person’s reach. Even though I am not sure about the concept of the world and what exactly is happening, I do believe it is set up as a game.”
“A shadow game?” Yuugi’s voice went up.
“I believe so, yes. Their souls are trapped in a web, with the structure of a game.”
“What kind of game is it? How can we participate? How can we save him?”
“We will leave after you have had breakfast,” Ishizu said. “Eat up. Replenish your strength. Your friends are in need of your help. Kaiba, you too.”
That was the second time someone told the CEO what to do and he obeyed, if only because he knew that protesting would be ineffective.
“Where are we going to, Ishizu-san?” Yuugi asked, between bites of bread.
“The ceremonial tablets at your local museum are copies,” she said. “The originals are at a shrine, only known to our tribe. I will take you to there. They will function as a portal for you to search for your friends.” Her face held a neutral expression. “Find my brother’s dark half,” she said. It wasn’t a question. “Kill him. He will not be able to come back and haunt my brother ever again. I do not believe this is his doing; it is too complicated for him. The only person capable of this is, by process of elimination, Bakura… or there must be someone behind all of this that I do not even know of. Bakura is not a person I have foreseen… I know nothing about him. You need to enter the game as quickly as possible, Yuugi. Only the Gods know what this is doing to Yami. My brother’s dark half is simple-minded, in a way… he will go on a rampage because he does not know any better than death and destruction.”
“What about me?” Kaiba demanded. “I want to enter the game too!”
“I am sorry, Kaiba,” Ishizu said, yet her voice held no empathy in it. “You are plan B.”
The abhorred look on Kaiba’s face was almost comical. He balled his fists. “What?”
“I do not know the kind of game, if it is a game, being played here,” she said, sternly. “It is dangerous enough as it is, and I will not sacrifice people relentlessly. At this moment, we are only sure about Yuugi having a counterpart: Yami. For him, it will be safe to enter the game.”
“That’s impossible,” Kaiba said, flabbergasted. “What maniac is this Bakura, and how did he tear out souls to play a game? And don’t give me that crap about ancient magic again!”
“Eat, Kaiba.” Ishizu sipped her tea. “Many questions will remain unanswered, as I do not have the answers. You will have to trust me.”
Yuugi didn’t need to look at Kaiba’s face to know that was the last thing in the world the CEO was going to do. Grumbling, he started to tear the flatbread in pieces to eat it. Silence once again. Yuugi wasn’t so sure if Ishizu didn’t have the answers. She had to have them, but she chose not to share them. Her eyes rested upon him. He felt bone-chilling cold.
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Previous chapters: 0 | Hikari | Yami | Desher | Murasaki |
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters
Characters: Mutou Yuugi & Yami no Yuugi/Atemu
Prompt: # 13, Yellow
Word count: 9.460
Rating: PG
Warnings: shounen ai
Summary: After the events at the National Museum, Yuugi’s thrown into a desperate search for Yami, taking every step necessary to find him. The only person with answers is Ishizu, but she has disappeared as well… with no other option but to travel to Egypt himself, Yuugi gets help from Kaiba, hiding his own motives in plain sight...
Author’s note: This is the fifth installment in a series of fics following the prompts of the Fanfic100 challenge @ LiveJournal, containing a color (red, orange, yellow, green etc...). The colors will be named in either Japanese or Ancient Egyptian (I’m not a native speaker, but I thought it fit the theme). ‘Iwen’ is Ancient Egyptian for ‘colors’. The entire series will contain fluff, drama, angst, some emo, waff, lots of friendship, strong!independent!Yuugi and dark!asshole!Yami (he’ll get better, sort of). Almost everything about the Duel Monsters game in this fic is made up by yours truly. I’m too old to learn the proper rules of the game, so I invoke my artistic license. Made-up first name for Yuugi’s mother: Sumiko. Please read in the designated sequence, starting with part 0 (Colorless). Feedback is, as always, greatly appreciated.
Key : ------------------ = scene change
Jounouchi straightened himself, a determined expression on his face. “If you’re going to Egypt, so are we. We’re coming along with you.”
Yuugi showed him a grateful smile. He could really use the support of his friends. The thought of Yami, helpless and vulnerable in bed, his soul in an unknown place where he couldn’t reach him, was killing him.
“No. I will go with him.” Jounouchi snapped his head into Kaiba’s direction. Yuugi didn’t comment; he had expected this answer from the tall CEO. “You can stay here to make sure nothing happens to Yami or that friend of yours, Bakura.”
“No way am I going to leave Yuugi with you!” Jounouchi was quick to defend him, but Yuugi raised his hand, tapping his friend on his arm.
“It’s alright, Jounouchi-kun,” he said. “Kaiba-kun is right. He’s the only one coming with me. I’m sorry.”
“What? What do you mean?” Jounouchi said angrily, though his anger wasn’t directed at Yuugi.
“I appreciate your support and every deity knows I need it,” Yuugi explained. “But this is something of an entire different level. We’re both tied to Yami, Kaiba-kun and me. I think we are the key to answer this riddle, somehow. Jounouchi-kun, I need you to make sure nothing happens to Yami or Bakura-kun.”
Jounouchi didn’t look happy at all. “Mokuba and the staff can take care of them! I don’t want you to go alone!”
“I know,” Yuugi said. “I’m so sorry, Jounouchi-kun, but I won’t change my mind. I can only do this… I can only survive this if I know someone is taking care of Yami. Only you can do that. I can’t do what I’m about to do if Yami isn’t safe with you.”
“Then… what are you going to do?” Jounouchi’s voice trembled. “You’re scaring me.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound this ominous.” Yuugi looked at Kaiba who stared back as distant as ever, with an impatient glare in his eyes. Now that he knew which step to take next, he was itching to follow up on it and get it done. Yuugi didn’t want to reflect on how much Kaiba might still be feeling for Yami. It was obvious that the CEO wouldn’t go to any length for someone else. Yami needed their help and every minute, every second they were dawdling here, was literally a waste of time.
“I’ll have the arrangements taken care of,” Kaiba said curtly. “We’ll leave in a few hours. Better say goodbye to your friends, Yuugi.”
“How…” Jounouchi was dumbfounded. “Yuugi, you just can’t go with him!”
“I have to,” Yuugi said and rose from his chair. “Let’s go back to the Game Shop, Jounouchi-kun. We have a lot to talk about.”
“You can’t be serious,” Anzu said. She had listened to Yuugi’s explanation, alongside with Honda, and watched him pack a modest bag with clothes, toiletries and his passport. “We’ll go with you!”
Yuugi zipped up the bag. “I’m very sorry, Anzu. I’ll apologize to you again and again, but this is dangerous, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“And it’s okay if something happens to you?” Anzu’s voice was riddled with frustration.
Honda took her by the elbow. “Anzu, he’s leaving his most precious possession behind,” he said, voice low. “He leaves us to take care of what matters to him most. Can’t you see, Anzu? He doesn’t want to get us involved; not because we mean nothing to him, but to protect us from the same danger that happened to Yami.”
Anzu mulled over his words. “I understand,” she said. “I’m sorry, Yuugi. I didn’t want to react so selfishly.”
Yuugi glanced over her head at Honda and Jounouchi. Surprisingly, it was Honda who got the hint and said: “Jounouchi, let’s get something to eat. All this babble is making me hungry!”
“Huh? Why are you even thinking of food in this situation..?”
“Why are you not thinking of food? When are you not thinking of food? I swear, if I had a couple of yen every time…” Honda’s voice trailed off as he dragged Jounouchi out of the room.
Yuugi made a mental note to thank him later. To his right, Anzu sat unmoving on his bed, refusing to make eye-contact. She had probably felt this coming, somehow. Gently, he sat beside her on the bed and took her hand in his. Beautiful, she was so beautiful and elegant. He wanted her to be happy, he wanted to make her happy… but he knew he wasn’t the right person for her, not in that way.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice soft yet confident. “It really wasn’t my intention to scare or hurt you, Anzu. You have always been a wonderful friend, and without your support…. without your support, I’m not sure I’d be the Yuugi I am today.”
“That’s just silly,” she said, a light quiver in her voice. “You underestimate your own strength, Yuugi. You would’ve found your way.”
“I wouldn’t have wanted to find it without you,” he said. “You helped me, you were there for me. You’re always there for me. I… Anzu, I need to tell you something very important.”
“Your most precious possession,” she said and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. “I have really made a fool out of myself, haven’t I?”
“Oh no, no Anzu, don’t ever think that!” He reached for her hair, tucking a few wayward strands behind her ear. She allowed him, but didn’t lean into his touch. “I’m the fool here. I should’ve told you sooner. I… I shouldn’t have given you any false hope that we could’ve ended up together, as a couple.”
“‘Mou hitori no boku’,” she said. “Why did you call him that?”
Of course she had overheard him when Yami fell to the floor at the national museum, Yuugi had screamed so loud in panic and horror. He answered honestly. “I’m not sure how to explain,” he said. “Do you remember the first time I met him?”
She nodded. “I remember. You had dinner with him.”
“Yes. I thought he was a jerk. Arrogant, distant, obnoxious. But like my grandfather said, I could see the pain and hurt behind his behavior. The anger of being abandoned as a kid. Parents gone, no one to take care of him but two bodyguards. Bodyguards! The anger of having to face the world alone and fighting against everything. No, he’s not the warmest or kindest person around, and I’m not exactly sure how deep his feelings run for me…” Or if I stand any chance at all, Yuugi thought. “… but that doesn’t diminish the fact that I haven’t been upfront with you, and for that I offer you my apologies. I shouldn’t have waited to tell you, Anzu. Even if things with Yami don’t work out, I still can’t be your partner. I’m not… wired that way,” he said. Gods, the look on her face. “I wish for you all the love and happiness in the world.”
“It’s your love I want,” Anzu said. Yuugi very carefully used his hand to wipe away her tears.
“You’ll always have my love,” he said. “As a friend, as someone who will stand by you all the way, who will always be there for you… but not in the way of a husband or a lover.”
“Since when did you know?” She brusquely turned away from him, not because she couldn’t stand his touch, but to grab her purse. She opened it and rummaged through it.
“Not that long, actually.” Yuugi watched her pull out a handkerchief. “Since I met Yami… more so, after his return from the Shadow Realm, then I knew for sure. Before, I really wasn’t thinking about my sexuality or feelings for anyone in particular.”
She dabbed with the handkerchief at her face, keeping her head averted. “I need a moment.”
“Take as long as you need,” Yuugi said. He didn’t know what else to say and he didn’t want to upset her any further. He took his bag with him when he left the room, walking down the stairs quietly as his mother and grandfather had already retired for the night. He went into the kitchen.
“I hope you don’t mind we took some… ah, liberties with the content of your fridge,” Jounouchi said.
“I’m sure kaa-san won’t mind,” Yuugi said, amused at the number of empty dishes and bowls on the table. “I’ll leave a note for her.”
“You’re not going to wake her up?”
“No. I don’t like keeping secret from her, but she’d get terribly upset if I told her right now. I have to do this, I’m going to do this, and nobody is going to stop me.”
“We noticed,” Jounouchi said with a sour look on his face.
“Quit giving him such a hard time,” Honda elbowed him again. “Can’t you see the guilt is eating him alive?”
Jounouchi pulled an ugly face. He understood, but that didn’t mean he was happy with the situation. He looked like he wanted to punch someone.
“I shouldn’t keep the driver waiting.” Yuugi slung the bag over his shoulder. The man had been waiting patiently outside in his limo, to take Yuugi back to the Kaiba mansion whenever he was ready.
“Hey, at least let us come along to say goodbye,” Honda said. His voice betrayed his own anxiety.
“Of course.” Yuugi was about to turn around when he heard soft footsteps coming down the stairs. It was Anzu, her face pale and her eyes red and puffy.
“I want to come along too,” she said and it was obvious she wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer. Yuugi simply nodded. He would talk to her again as soon as he’d return from Egypt. She deserved more attention and comfort than this, and it made his heart ache that he was so constricted by time. But Yami took precedence right now; who knew where his soul was, and what horrible battle he was fighting… without another word, they went outside. The driver immediately started the limousine’s engine and drove them to Kaiba’s mansion silently and swiftly.
At the mansion, Isono was waiting for them at the front door. “Kaiba-sama wants to leave right now,” he said. “Please, follow me.”
They walked in single file behind him, but this time they weren’t guided upstairs. Instead they went downstairs, and Yuugi had no idea where they were going. He would’ve preferred to see Yami one more time, but the thought of seeing him with his eyes closed and breathing weakly chilled him to his very core. Perhaps it was for the better not to see him, and focus on the battle at hand. By operating a touchpad, Isono opened doors to a bright-lit room, the size of at least three basketball fields. It was a hangar; the Blue Eyes White Dragon jet was positioned exactly in the middle, its engines already warming up. Kaiba was standing in front of it, one and all impatience, his younger brother Mokuba was next to him. Yuugi’s stomach turned around at the prospect of flying; he had never been on a plane before, let alone a jet. He halted. Anzu embraced him lovingly, her voice still slightly unstable when she wished him good luck.
“Thank you, Anzu,” he said. “I know it sounds weird right now, but I love you.”
“I love you too,” she said. “Come back safe and sound, so you can properly introduce your boyfriend to me.”
He smiled at her. “Thank you so much.”
Jounouchi and Honda awkwardly patted his shoulders, both very unhappy to see him leave.
“Don’t worry,” Jounouchi said, “We’ll take care of Yami. He’ll be safe as a baby in our hands.”
“Thank you so much,” Yuugi repeated. “Without your support, I…”
“Are you done exchanging clichés?” Kaiba called out to him, his voice carrying far in the hangar. “We’re leaving!”
Mokuba looked a little worried. “Big brother…”
“You’re staying here,” Kaiba told him unceremoniously. “Whatever’s going on, I’m not going to expose you to it.”
“But..!” Mokuba’s mouth closed again. He balled his fists, visibly upset. This hadn’t been the first time they had argued about this, or so it seemed. He was just as unhappy as Jounouchi and Honda with the entire situation.
“We’ll stay in touch through the KaibaCorp. network,” Kaiba said. He locked eyes with Yuugi, cold as ever. “We’re leaving now.”
Isono showed Yuugi how to board the jet and helped him with the buckles. His luggage was stored, along with Kaiba’s, in a different compartment. The seating arrangement was for two people only and everything else would cramp up the small cockpit.
“I’ll pilot the jet myself.” Kaiba hopped into the front seat. Smiling more bravely than he actually felt, Yuugi waved at his friends. They waved back until Isono ushered them to a safe distance, away from the jet which engines fully roared to life. Isono operated a small control panel to clear the launch pad. Kaiba was confident in his piloting, pressing buttons and pulling levers. The Blue Eyes White Dragon jet bopped forward, amassing momentum for the launch. Kaiba started the countdown. Yuugi felt like he was going to throw up. Closing his eyes, he forcefully refrained from screaming at the top of his lungs when the jet took off at dazzling speed. He all but drove his nails into the metal armrests of his seat, his knuckles turning white, his chest heaving. It took him a while to calm down and he was grateful for Kaiba not pointing out his exaggerated breathing and his ghostly pale face. No words at all were exchanged during the flight and Yuugi managed to doze off for the hours it took to reach Cairo, Egypt.
“Prince? Eh…Pharaoh?”
“Yes, Mana?”
The girl held out a goblet. “You’ve been reading for so long! You should take a break.”
Yami accepted the goblet and drank greedily. It was wine, not water; he wasn’t used to alcohol, but this particular wine was fruity and light and not intoxicating. Mana had told him this was a special blend of figs and pomegranate, one of the Prince’s favorites! She had smiled so brightly at him that he didn’t have the heart to tell her that he didn’t remember, that he had no recollection of ever tasting this wine or telling her that he liked it. Mana talked about him as the Prince (or Pharaoh) as if he was an entirely different person, and it was painful and annoying at the same time. Light half. Dark half. It wasn’t true! Ishizu had been talking nonsense. Nobody could split a soul in two! Whoever was behind this game, he or she had access to formidable technology or techniques to make this feel so real, to make all the NPCs interact with fantastic AI.
One thing was very real, though: he had spent hours reading scrolls, and so far he hadn’t been able to find anything that could count as the rules of the game. Maybe the library wasn’t the right way to gather information. Yami had played RPGs before, but as a Pharaoh, as King of the game, he just couldn’t walk out and gather information at the local tavern. He’d have to do with his Priests as main sources of information. He had to know the rules and restrictions of the game. Who had brought him here? How come Ishizu and Kaiba were here, and were they really ‘here’ or were they just NPCs? Was he a NPC to them? Was he the only player? Mahaado and Karim… his loyal bodyguards, his guardians, and ‘here’ they didn’t even know him and were shocked at any kind of personal interaction. He had to find Yuugi. Aibou.
“Thank you Mana, it was delicious.” He still couldn’t believe how everything tasted and felt so real. Whoever had… pulled or inserted him into this RPG, he or she had crafted this world with the greatest love and attention for intricate details.
“The Priests will meet soon for their daily counsel,” she said. “Bo-oring! I wish we could go for a swim or a walk in the garden! Ever since you’re Pharaoh, you don’t have time for anything!”
“Mana, did you witness Bakura’s attack?” He surprised her with the question.
She shook her head. “No, I didn’t. Master told me all about it! Bakura had robbed the late Pharaoh’s tomb, and he was able to summon Diabound!”
Diabound? Yami had extensive knowledge of the Duel Monsters game, but he had never encountered a Diabound in his duels. He had heard of Diabound Kernel, a dark monster with the nasty effect of reducing the ATK of the opponent’s monster, as much as its own ATK points. He frowned. Diabound. Bakura. Had he dueled a Bakura before? He racked his brain, but he simply couldn’t remember. Yami knew why: he hadn’t paid attention to any duelist other than Kaiba and Malik, the holders of the two other God Cards. He simply hadn’t deemed other duelists worthy of his recognition.
“Something the matter?” Mana sat on the corner of the large table, her legs dangling. Her voice jerked him out of his thoughts.
“I am bothered by someone so powerful,” he said.
“But you’re much more powerful!” Mana exclaimed loudly, then remembered she was in a library and she lowered her voice to a mere whisper. “You summoned a God: Obelisk!”
Yami didn’t remember. He had won Obelisk from Kaiba… and now he had summoned the God in this game? Shouldn’t there be some kind of requirement? A tribute?
“Master was so impressed,” Mana continued, oblivious to his confusion. “He said that he’d always known that you were capable of wielding such power. The legendary Pharaoh, the one who can summon Gods!”
Now he was really confused. Wait a minute… legendary Pharaoh? What had Ishizu told him, back in the real world? He was frustrated with himself. He had barely listened to her, assuming everything she said to be total nonsense. She had tried to freak him out with that sob story about her brother and the growing darkness within him, trying to break his concentration and winning streak in the tournament. He had told her to get out, refusing to believe her. He regretted not listening to her; Yami was now convinced Ishizu had said something that would be of great help to him in this world. He’d have to talk to her counterpart; the Priestess might know more.
“Mana, is there anyone called Ishtar in the Palace? Malik Ishtar?”
“Not that I know of,” the girl said and tilted her head. “Do you want me to look for him?”
“Please do. He has lavender eyes and light hair,” Yami described him. If Malik was truly here, he would stand out more than enough. Mana was about to say something, but Mahaado showed up and bowed to Yami.
“Great Pharaoh, your presence is requested for the afternoon counsel.”
“Yes, thank you.” Yami got up from his chair, smoothing out his cape. He grew more confident with every passing hour, much to his own relief. He had much to do and even more to learn, but he was going to survive this strange world, filled with enemies and friends. He followed Mahaado to the council room, his stride firm and determined.
“Great Pharaoh.” The six Priests, standing around an impressive large table, greeted him in choir. He didn’t bother returning the greeting individually, so he simply nodded at them. He sat down at the head of the table. Mahaado send him a look that expressed confusion. Why would he do that? Yami sat up straight, his jaw line tightened. He was going defy anything that would be thrown at him in this world. He was going to win this game, no matter what!
“Great Pharaoh, bandits from the desert are ambushing merchants on their routes and obstructing trade in general,” High Priest Set, Kaiba’s look-alike, announced with the same voice and intonation as his modern day counterpart. “We should increase the guards accompanying the trade caravans. Neighboring countries are upset about our goods not reaching their destination. They are threatening to cancel our treaties.”
“More guards, more guards,” Akunadin grumped. “These ‘bandits’, Great Pharaoh, should be brought down by the fist of a God! Worthless creatures, harassing honest merchants and thwarting our good relationships with other kingdoms and countries!”
“How long is this problem going on?” Yami demanded to know. Akunadin glared at Mahaado. “Why are you looking at him?”
“Great Pharaoh, as captain of the guards, it is my responsibility to divide our manpower and lead them in this battle against thieves and robbers,” Mahaado answered. “I can assure you that I do the best I can, but I cannot assure you that my fellow Priest thinks the same.”
“Is this true, Akunadin?” Yami asked.
The elderly man, his long grey hair covered by the garb he was wearing, didn’t back down. “I’m not upset with how Mahaado handles the guards and his duties as a captain,” he said. “I’m upset with the increasing audacity of the thieves, and how the security of the royal tombs could be so easily breached by this Bakura. He makes a mockery out of everything!”
Yami turned his head towards Mahaado, who deeply bowed. “I will do anything in my power to take care of the problem, Great Pharaoh.”
Before Yami could react, Set took the word. “Bakura is not even the biggest problem. Apart from the trading routes, the Hyksos, Assyrians, Persians and Semites are ready to start a war, coveting our national wealth and treasures. I have send out scouts to spot any military movement. So far, I have not received any news.”
“Four..?” Yami was stupefied. He had to suppress a moment of panic. He hadn’t even been able to learn the rules of this game yet. He was given no time to think! Serious problems were at hand; his instinct had been to focus on Bakura but he couldn’t ignore the rising dilemmas about war and treaties. Set interpreted his expression as disbelief.
“Great Pharaoh, we have an army at our disposal that will fight to the bitter end to defend this land and its population,” he said. “Besides, we have you.” He pointed at the golden bracer on Yami’s wrist. He had assumed it was a bracer, as he was ashamed to admit that he didn’t know what the fairly heavy object was. “With your dia d’iankh, you are able to summon the Gods.”
“It was Obelisk, and only for a brief moment,” Akunadin snorted. This time, the rest of the Priests all looked at him with a disgusted expression.
“Akunadin, it was Obelisk,” Shaadah said, astounded that his fellow Priest could be so dismissive of the God. “He defeated Bakura!”
“Did he?” Akunadin said. “We were washed over by a bright light and when it dispersed, Bakura was gone, but so was Obelisk. Don’t get me wrong, I was - and am - very impressed that our young Pharaoh was able to summon the God in the first place…”
“What is your point?” Yami asked.
Akunadin cleared his throat. “We need to make a point, Great Pharaoh. A solid point. With all due respect to your father, the late Akunamukanon, he was a good ruler, but all he did was avoiding confrontation and creating more room for loose interpretation of the law.”
“You’re advocating war!” Karim said, aghast.
“We have the means and the manpower to fend off any war,” Akunadin retorted. “Why wait until the others attack us?”
“This isn’t what Akunamukanon would’ve wanted,” Karim protested. “He worked so hard to achieve peace!”
“We’re no longer under the rule of Akunamukanon,” Akunadin said. He made a wide, sweeping gesture with his arm. “His son is on the throne now!”
“Our Pharaoh has never advocated war,” Shaadah stepped in again. “He summoned one of the Gods! What do we have to fear?”
“Maybe we should ask him,” Akunadin said, his voice low. Every head in the room turned towards Yami. The silence was both deafening and… deadly. Yami held his breath. They were judging him, he knew it. He had to avoid at any cost that his Priests would deem him weak. This was a game. He didn’t know the rules, but it was a game. These people weren’t real, they were his pawns. He was in need of power, not people.
“Increase the number of guards,” he said. “I want Bakura apprehended by nightfall. I also want updates on the army: how many men, weaponry, armor… everything. Every rank and station at full alert!”
“Great Pharaoh!” Mahaado and Karim gasped. Yami didn’t spare them a single glance. Akunadin had a very content look on his face. “Then what will your punishment of Mahaado be?”
“Mahaado?”
“He’s the captain of the guards. He should’ve paid more attention to the looming threats instead of spending time on improving his heka.”
Another moment of silence. Mahaado inclined his head. “I am ready to accept any and all punishment you wish to bestow upon me, Great Pharaoh.”
“You will report to me in my private quarters,” Yami said. Had his voice always sounded so clipped? “I will allow you to rectify your mistake. The future will tell us if you have adjusted your strategy justly or not.”
Mahaado bowed even deeper. Akunadin looked a bit annoyed for a moment, but recovered so quickly that Yami wasn’t sure if he had seen it right. Thanks to all of his years playing Duel Monsters, Yami had developed quite the poker face. Perhaps Akunadin couldn’t read him as well as he was used to. What kind of Pharaoh had been here just before he, Yami, had arrived? Had he replaced the previous Pharaoh or merged into one? What was he supposed to do? Was the main goal of this game to defeat Bakura?
“The thief will undoubtedly try again, Great Pharaoh,” Akunadin agreed. “He was talking about ‘sins of the father’, but I’m not sure what he’s referring to. Your father was a good ruler, albeit a bit soft. I was apparently wrong about his son. What I said about you earlier, just after you had fainted…”
“You do not have to apologize,” Yami said. “Just as you do not like weak leaders, I do not like hollow excuses.”
Akunadin’s lips turned into a sly grin. “Such aggression, Great Pharaoh. I’m not used to see that from you.”
Yami refused to take the bait. “These issues deserve a more drastic approach, if thieves and robbers are running around the Palace,” he said. “I am not going to sit down and have Bakura break down walls and run into my throne room again. Send out troops to find and capture the thief!”
“But you summoned a God, Great Pharaoh. We’re perfectly safe with you around!”
“Are the Priests not capable of protecting me?” Yami gauged Shaadah’s reaction.
“We were overwhelmed by Bakura’s Diabound,” the bald Priest admitted. “It’s so powerful, it made short work of all the monsters we summoned.”
So the Priests were able to summon monsters as well? Sure enough, they all wore that heavy, golden bracer around their wrist, the dia d’iankh. “Double your efforts,” Yami said. “You are all dismissed.”
“Yes, Great Pharaoh.” The Priests rolled up their papyri, bowed and turned around to leave.
“Great Pharaoh, with your permission, I would like to visit the city,” Set spoke up. “I want to scour the streets for kaa. If Bakura can dispose over such a strong one, there must be others who can, and I want to find them!”
“Very well,” Yami said. The High Priest didn’t move though, and it wasn’t like him to fumble for words. “Something else you want to ask me?”
“That strange word you used to address me, earlier in the throne room… ‘Kaiba’, you said when you saw me. Is there any particular reason why?”
You look the exact same as someone I know in another world. “I was tired,” Yami said curtly. “I did not mean anything with it.”
Set bowed to him and swept out of the large room. Yami still wasn’t alone, though. Guards were all around him. So many people in the same room, and he’d never felt lonelier. He pursed his lips. He had never wallowed in self-pity before, so he wasn’t going to start now. Yami left the room and heard the footsteps of the guards behind him. Strangely enough, it didn’t make him feel protected or safe. If Bakura had already breached the Palace’s security once before, and it had taken a God to defeat him… Yami walked to his private quarters. He praised himself fortunate for being able to memorize the layout so quickly. It gave him more confidence; a Pharaoh doling around the Palace in search for his quarters wouldn’t do his reputation any good. The guards remained standing outside when he entered; not to his surprise, Mahaado was already there. The Priest turned towards him, facial expression neutral and he bowed again.
“I am ready to receive my punishment, Great Pharaoh.”
“Nobody will be punished, Mahaado. Sit down.”
The Priest eyed him a little suspiciously, and Yami couldn’t fault him for it. “I did not want to disappoint Akunadin in his thirst for punishment. You can make up any story you want and complain about how cruel this Pharaoh can be.”
Mahaado didn’t know whether to look relieved or scary. “You act differently, Great Pharaoh. Are you alright?”
“I feel fine,” he lied. “Why should I not be?”
“It is not like you to faint, though I can certainly understand, with all the pressure and tension as of late. It is not like you to act this… violent. With all due respect, Great Pharaoh, but your father would be spinning in his grave if he heard about your latest decisions.”
Yami looked at him with a painful expression. Mahaado was startled, misinterpreted and immediately threw himself at his feet, on his knees. “Great Pharaoh! It was not my intention to criticize you this harshly! I do not doubt you, not for a second! I truly have deserved punishment. If you want to relieve me from my duties, I understand.”
“Sit down, please.” It had never been Yami’s intention to punish Mahaado. He was more worried by Akunadin insisting on punishment in the first place. Why was the man steering towards war? “You are my friend. I would never relieve you from your duties. I need you too much.”
Honest relief washed all over Mahaado. Yami’s head was spinning. He had to stay focused, he had to stay organized.
“What would the Great Pharaoh suggest?” the Priest asked.
“For now, I want you to follow my orders,” Yami said. “Strengthen our national guard and army. Watch the borders.”
“We could also send out ambassadors to our neighboring countries,” Mahaado suggested. “The fact that they are about the declare war, does not mean we should provoke them first. We can send them a couple of gifts and have our diplomats smooth out and strengthen the relationships again.”
A war was the last thing he would like to have on his hands, but Yami refused to believe that everyone could be appeased with gifts and a friendly visit. However, Mahaado’s idea had merit and Yami didn’t want to antagonize him.
“Assemble diplomatic teams at your discretion,” he said. Fatigue hit him hard all of the sudden. It had been an intense day with many impressions, and he wanted time to himself to think. Well, he was the Pharaoh in this game, the most important piece, and it was time to use its perks. “I will retire for the rest of the day,” he said promptly. “Have some food and drink brought up to my quarters and make sure nobody will bother me.”
“As you wish, Great Pharaoh.” Mahaado bowed once more and hurried out of the room to execute the new orders. Yami watched him leave, fruitlessly trying to dispel the feelings of sadness. How cruel was this game creator, to insert characters like Mahaado and Karim, people he had known and cared for in person? And how come the creator knew them, and what they meant to him? Yami shook his head. He was hungry. After something to eat, he would go to bed and rest for the night. Tomorrow everything would look better, right? He wandered through his quarters, as large as a standard family home. The sandy, soft yellow and beige colors were very tranquil and calmed his hypersensitive mind. Yes, calmness was most important right now.
Yami ended up in the bedroom and noticed something grey on a wicker seat. Intrigued, he walked towards it and picked it up. He recognized the garment. I am freezing. Yuugi’s jacket, which he handed to him when he saw he was cold. It was just before that group picture, all Battle City finalists together… Battle City! Yami smiled. His memories from the real world started to come back! What a relief! Yes, the picture… he pressed the garment against him and inhaled the lingering scent. He told himself he could smell Yuugi, ignoring the question of how the garment could’ve made it into this ancient world. Something crinkled in the folds of the jacket. Yami carefully laid out the garment on the bed and checked the pockets.
He found an envelope with something in it. Curiously, he opened it and out fell a small, silver necklace; a delicate chain with something attached to it. Yami picked it up. A cartouche. That was weird. There was nothing inscribed on it. He examined it from both sides, but it was blank. He checked the other pocket and retrieved a piece of paper. Just as he was about to read it, a knock on the door announced the arrival of his dinner. Quickly, Yami threw the cartouche around his neck and without thinking, he tucked it under his cape. With the piece of paper in his hand, he walked back to the dining part of the quarters. Two servants brought in a large tray, loaded with dishes and plates. Now that he smelled the food, Yami realized how hungry he was. After setting the table, the servants retreated and he first ate to his heart’s content. He had put the letter on the corner of the table and when he was polishing off his dessert, delicious juicy grapes, he picked it up again and unfolded it. He could read the hieroglyphs perfectly.
Yami, when you read this, events have been set in motion in an order than cannot be reversed. You will have many enemies to fight, among them another king who will challenge you for your life. Fight off the darkness and the evil, for the sake of your soul and the entire world.
As soon as the Blue Eyes White Dragon jet landed, Yuugi clumsily climbed out of the cockpit and threw up. Kaiba didn’t comment; he simply looked around the hangar to take stock of the situation. He didn’t look like he’d been intensely piloting for hours; the frown on his face was deeper than usual, though. He checked his watch.
“Isono has booked rooms for us at the Nile Ritz-Carlton hotel,” he said. “Are you done? I want a shower and a couple of hours rest, before we start our search for that Ishizu woman.”
“I’m fine, thank you,” Yuugi said. His stomach was lodged somewhere between his lungs; he hadn’t traveled at such god-awful high speed ever before. His legs felt wobbly. Yes, a shower sounded like heaven to him.
Footsteps alerted them of someone approaching them. A tall, dark-skinned man, clad in loose-fitting pants and a shirt, all but marched towards them. He was bald, safe for a pony-tail on the back of his head, reaching his mid-back. The left side of his face was covered in tattoos. From up close, they looked like scars, or so Yuugi thought. It looked… painful. He had seen this man before: on a picture during the Battle City tournament, together with Ishizu and a young, blond-haired man. Yuugi hadn’t known which one was Malik Ishtar, the infamous owner of a God Card, Ra.
“My name is Rishid Ishtar,” he spoke fluently Japanese with a mild accent, his voice quite light and calm for such a tall, ominous man. Kaiba didn’t bother introducing himself.
“You’re going to take us to Ishizu,” he commanded. Rishid met his gaze head on.
“I will take you to our residence,” he said. “Ishizu will appear when the right moment is there.”
“I want to talk to that woman,” Kaiba said. “She…”
“Kaiba-kun, please,” Yuugi interrupted him. “It’s of no use.”
Kaiba swallowed an unpleasant answer. He stared at the stoic Rishid and conceded. “Fine. Take us to your residence, then.”
“Follow me.” Rishid guided them out of the hangar, away from the airport to a Jeep, parked close to another hangar. He offered to take Yuugi’s bag from him, but it was so lightweight that he could carry it himself, so he politely declined. Kaiba hadn’t brought anything, much to Yuugi’s surprise; Kaiba was Kaiba, yet he suspected the other to be so upset about his former boyfriend that he simply forgot to take anything with him. Kaiba rode shotgun without asking and Yuugi didn’t mind. He crawled onto the backseat and put the seatbelt on, happy to be alone with his own thoughts. It wasn’t like Kaiba and Rishid were talking that much either. Rishid didn’t bother to point out the main tourist attractions, when they passed the pyramids of Gizeh and the Sphinx at just a couple of miles away.
Yuugi was tempted to close his eyes, just for a little while. The heat, the change in climate and culture… he was actually glad that Rishid drove away from the city and into the desert, where it was calmer and cooler. He looked outside the window. Endless sand, endless warm yellow and beige, light brown until the horizon. His eyes absorbed the image, but his heart wasn’t into it. He was thinking of Yami, alone at the Kaiba mansion, surrounded by Jounouchi, Honda and Anzu who couldn’t reach him. It broke his heart to leave him behind, but what else could he do? Transporting Yami in his current condition wasn’t the wisest thing to do.
“We are here.” Rishid halted the car in front of a house. They had entered a very small, modest village; children were still out playing on the streets and halted their activities to curiously look at the pale visitors. Kaiba slammed the door of the car close, his actions brusque and irritated. Rishid went ahead into the house and they both followed him. Inside, it was indeed cool. Yuugi heaved a sigh of relief. “I have prepared rooms for you,” the tall man continued. “Please, go upstairs and choose between the two rooms at the end of the hallway. They both have an adjacent bathroom and are virtually the same. Rest and relax. I will prepare something to eat in the meantime.”
Yuugi thanked him, but Kaiba stalked up the stairs without any acknowledgment. He quickly hobbled after him, but the CEO had already decided on the room on the left, disappeared into it and shut the door close. Yuugi merely shrugged and took the room on the right. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to Kaiba anyway. He had promised Anzu to contact her when they had arrived. He was sure she had meant to talk to him in person, but he wasn’t up for a video chat right now. Instead, he send her a text message about their safe arrival and that he was going to take a shower and a nap. He turned off the sound of his cell phone and dumped his bag on a wooden chair.
The room wasn’t that big, but it held everything he needed, with the bed as the most important piece of furniture. The bathroom was small and the tiled shower stall cramped. Yuugi didn’t care; he undressed himself, jumped into the stall and allowed lukewarm water to wash all over him. The nausea had dissipated and the thought of something to eat didn’t sicken him, but started to appeal to him again. A stack of towels was on the edge of the sink and a light, cotton bathrobe hung from a large hook on the wall. He picked the bathrobe and put it on. Yuugi wondered how long it was going to take before the food was ready. He hoped that Rishid would wake him up and rolled onto his bed. He was asleep the next second.
A gentle tug on his shoulder awoke him. Yuugi blinked and opened his eyes.
“What..?” he asked, disorientated.
“My apologies,” Rishid said. “I think it is for the best if you ate something before returning to sleep. You need your strength.”
“Yes, you’re right,” Yuugi said. “I’ll get dressed. What about Kaiba?”
“I have already awoken him.” Rishid showed a very small smile. “I think he was waiting for me. High-strung and anxious.”
Yuugi nodded. Rishid left the room and Yuugi didn’t waste any time dressing in comfy cotton, light-colored clothes and hurried downstairs. He didn’t need to search for the kitchen, he just had to follow his nose. He entered the large kitchen where Kaiba had already taken a seat at the long table, his arms crossed in front of his chest, looking sour and impatient.
“Did you manage to sleep a little, Kaiba-kun?” he asked.
“No,” he said gruffly and didn’t offer any elaboration. Rishid put two bowls in front of them.
“Molokheyya,” he said. “It is a vegetable soup.” He served it with flatbread. “Please eat, then go back upstairs for more rest.”
“You can’t send me to bed like a two-year old,” Kaiba said.
“It is for your own good.” Rishid didn’t sound commanding, but his voice didn’t allow any room for protest. “You will thank me later for sending you to your bed, Kaiba.”
That shut him up. Grumbling, he picked up his spoon. Yuugi had never tasted soup like this before. It was rich and flavorful, the use of spices and herbs so much different than he was used to. One plate was more than enough and combined with two pieces of the hearty bread, Yuugi was completely full. Rishid busied himself in the kitchen while they ate; not a word was spoken. It was actually a shame, as Yuugi had many questions about the country and its culture, but he instinctively knew this wasn’t the right moment to ask. Kaiba ate his soup and was almost surprised at emptying his bowl as well.
“Do you want more?” Rishid offered. Both declined politely. “Then I suggest you get some rest.”
Yuugi felt much better after having had something to eat. Kaiba looked about to keel over, so he said: “Kaiba-kun, we can’t start our search if you’re at the end of your rope.”
He finally admitted that he was tired. “We can take a bit of rest, yes. For what happened to Yami…” He glared at Yuugi and he wondered if he was blaming him. He probably was, judging from the cold, harsh look in his eyes. Yuugi got up and refused to answer his glare. He was dealing with plenty of guilt already, he didn’t need Kaiba to add to it. He went back to his room, uncaring if Kaiba followed or not.
He woke up. It wasn’t a sound or anything else that ended his sleep, he was simply done resting. Yuugi got out of bed and fumbled around for his cell phone, checking the time. It was early in the morning, which meant that he had a full night of uninterrupted sleep. He had a couple of missed messages due to the time zone differences and he typed a message back to Anzu. He knew she’d relay everything to Jounouchi and Honda. He also had a text from Mokuba, asking him to keep an eye on his brother. Yuugi texted him back that of course he would, and that Kaiba had eaten and had slept well. He freshened himself up, got dressed and left his room. It was quiet.
No, it was silent. Silent as a grave. The house was cool at this morning hour, but he could see the golden sunlight already peeping through the curtains. The minimal interior decoration didn’t make it feel like a real home, or so Yuugi thought. It had no soul, no warmth to it. He decided to go to the kitchen. No one was there. Perhaps Rishid was still asleep. He had expected Kaiba to be up and running, demanding and giving out orders. The silence and the impersonal interior made for an eerie atmosphere. Yuugi didn’t dare to make himself tea. It could wait. He left the kitchen and went further down the hallway, just to see if he could find Rishid… wait, he heard something. Was that running water? No, but it was the sound of water, definitely.
Yuugi honed in on the sound and silently made his way over, locating the source. A door at the end of the hallway was open, and light spilled softly into the hallway. Flickering light… candles. Yuugi didn’t know what was going on, but his curiosity got the better of him. He went forward and peeked around the door. It was another bedroom, sparsely furnished. Rishid sat next to a bed, talking softly to the person lying in it. He held a bowl in which he dipped a piece of fabric, a cloth, and he used it to dab at the bed-ridden person’s face. The scented candles were placed around the bed in abundance. With the utmost gentle care, Rishid cleaned the person’s face and his voice was soft yet soothing. Yuugi couldn’t see who was in the bed. Was it Ishizu, perhaps? Rishid suddenly put the bowl to the side.
“You can come in,” he said.
Yuugi wished the earth would open and swallow him whole. He had just been caught in spying on his host! He opened the door further and sheepishly entered the bedroom. He bowed deeply to Rishid.
“My apologies,” he said, “there’s no excuse for…”
“You would have found out sooner or later.” Rishid sounded calm, yet defeated. He rose from his chair, swiftly and supple, unblocking Yuugi’s view of the bed. Yuugi’s eyes went wide.
“Malik?” he said, his voice higher than usual. Rishid simply nodded.
“He suffered the same fate as your Yami and the one called Bakura,” he said. “Strange powers took his soul and… transported it to a place we do not know. We are very worried.”
Yuugi stepped a little closer. Malik was lying in the bed, looking fragile and vulnerable. His eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow. It was like someone punched Yuugi in the stomach.
“How long..?” he asked.
“Ever since your Yami was pulled away,” Rishid answered. “We were at the bazaar, doing our daily shopping… and Malik suddenly collapsed on me. I was prepared, so I whisked him away quickly, without too much notice… Ishizu told me to prepare, of course. I brought Malik to this place to take care of him.”
“Rishid-san…” Yuugi didn’t know what to say. It was obvious the man was in tremendous pain. He felt sorry for Malik. He was sure he hadn’t done anything wrong. “It’s because he owned a God Card, isn’t it?”
“I believe so, but I am not sure.” Rishid tucked him in, even though there was nothing he could change about the perfectly arranged sheets. “Kaiba owned one, and he has not fallen prey to this… situation. He is involved somehow, otherwise he would not be here.”
Yuugi didn’t mention that Yami used to be Kaiba’s boyfriend. It was too private to tell. “What’s going to happen now? We wait for Ishizu-san?”
“My sister will probably know what to do,” Rishid said. “Unfortunately, I have no idea when she will return. She wanted to find out more about Bakura, and why he was affected as well.”
“Bakura Ryou is a good person,” Yuugi immediately said. “He’s a classmate of mine.”
“Something must have happened to him,” Rishid answered calmly, “how else would he be involved? Neither I nor my sister can explain the powers at work here, but they are dark and mysterious. And dangerous.”
“I refuse to believe that Bakura-kun has a dark side,” Yuugi said stubbornly.
“Everyone has a dark side, Yuugi,” Rishid said. “Do you think you do not have one? What about your Yami? His name means ‘darkness’, for crying out loud!”
“He only calls himself that because he doesn’t know any better. His memory is spotty and people called him Yami since he was young,” he defended him heatedly. “Yami’s not my dark half. I love him; I wouldn’t fall in love with someone evil!”
“Evil and darkness is not always the same,” Rishid gave back. “Everybody harbors anger, pain, hatred, resentment. I know I do. Nobody is free of darkness. Without darkness there can not be light, without light there can not be darkness. You complete Yami, he completes you.”
“We might be the two halves of a soul… but it’s our soul,” Yuugi said. He remembered how Ishizu had spoken about the Pharaoh as a third person. “Please, Rishid-san, tell me what’s going on.”
“You have seen my face.” Rishid’s voice became even softer. “I did what I had to do to keep the darkness at bay. My own darkness, but mostly Malik’s. I failed. It managed to resurface during Battle City and it attacked Yami, the one who represents the dark half of the Pharaoh. He had no difficulties finding him. The darkness and anger within Yami sang to him, he said, before I managed to subdue him.”
Maybe that was why Ishizu had left Domino City so suddenly. “You have seen him,” Rishid continued. “In that brief time you spend in the Shadow Realm. That was not Malik. That was not my brother.”
“It was a dark entity,” Yuugi said, shivering at the memory. “It wasn’t your fault, Rishid-san.”
“It was. I could not stop the darkness.” He moved away from the bed. “He needs silence, our voices are disrupting him. We shall go to the kitchen.”
Yuugi nodded and allowed Rishid to take care of everything. He didn’t close the door completely, a little bit of light shining through. Yuugi didn’t ask. He was convinced Rishid did everything to make Malik as comfortable as possible. They silently traipsed back to the kitchen where Rishid busied himself with making tea.
“Bakura,” he asked, “is he a friend of yours?”
“I’ve known him since high school,” Yuugi answered. “He was transferred into our class. He belonged to our circle of friends, but we drifted apart, I’m afraid.” He filled Rishid in on the situation at home: how he had dropped out of school to work at the Game Shop, his grandfather’s health problems and consequent surgery, Battle City. Rishid listened while he prepared the tea and the rest of breakfast; halfway during his waterfall of words, Kaiba joined them at the table, not interrupting.
“I do know that one of his main hobbies was collecting figurines,” Yuugi said as he accepted a cup of tea. “He loved to design tabletop RPGs and had invited us to come over, but it never happened.”
“Why not?” Rishid asked sharply.
“It’s… embarrassing,” Yuugi said. “I dropped out of school, Anzu had trouble with Chono-sensei and Jounouchi-kun and Honda-kun never got around to going. He never repeated his invitation. We all disappointed him. I haven’t been a good friend to him. I should’ve gone.”
“I think that surprisingly enough, this Bakura might be the thriving force behind all of this,” Rishid commented.
“Impossible,” Yuugi immediately retorted.
“His dark half,” Rishid stressed once more. “Something must have happened for him to create an ultimate RPG.”
“A game? This is all a game?” Kaiba sounded incredulous. “People end up in a coma because of a game?”
“A shadow game, one like the Pharaoh and his Priests used to play in days long gone,” Rishid elaborated.
“Stop with that bullshit about ancient Pharaohs and stuff! I want this to be over!”
“It is far from being over, Kaiba.” The female voice all made them snap their heads into her direction.
“Ishizu-san!” Yuugi said, relieved. She swept into the kitchen with her usual elegance, her smile a tad warmer when she greeted Yuugi.
“So good to see you, though I wish it was under different circumstances. Kaiba, it is a pleasure to see you too.”
“You brought this mess upon us,” Kaiba bellowed at her. “See to it that you get us out of it!”
“It is not that easy.” She took a cup of tea out of Rishid’s hands. “This ‘mess’ is the result of decisions and events happening, long before the current world was born. With or without Pharaoh, the Darkness will always try to get the upper hand.”
“I’m not here to listen to your bullshit,” Kaiba said. “Where’s Yami?”
“His soul, as well as my brother’s and as your friend’s, is more than probably trapped in a different world, beyond any normal person’s reach. Even though I am not sure about the concept of the world and what exactly is happening, I do believe it is set up as a game.”
“A shadow game?” Yuugi’s voice went up.
“I believe so, yes. Their souls are trapped in a web, with the structure of a game.”
“What kind of game is it? How can we participate? How can we save him?”
“We will leave after you have had breakfast,” Ishizu said. “Eat up. Replenish your strength. Your friends are in need of your help. Kaiba, you too.”
That was the second time someone told the CEO what to do and he obeyed, if only because he knew that protesting would be ineffective.
“Where are we going to, Ishizu-san?” Yuugi asked, between bites of bread.
“The ceremonial tablets at your local museum are copies,” she said. “The originals are at a shrine, only known to our tribe. I will take you to there. They will function as a portal for you to search for your friends.” Her face held a neutral expression. “Find my brother’s dark half,” she said. It wasn’t a question. “Kill him. He will not be able to come back and haunt my brother ever again. I do not believe this is his doing; it is too complicated for him. The only person capable of this is, by process of elimination, Bakura… or there must be someone behind all of this that I do not even know of. Bakura is not a person I have foreseen… I know nothing about him. You need to enter the game as quickly as possible, Yuugi. Only the Gods know what this is doing to Yami. My brother’s dark half is simple-minded, in a way… he will go on a rampage because he does not know any better than death and destruction.”
“What about me?” Kaiba demanded. “I want to enter the game too!”
“I am sorry, Kaiba,” Ishizu said, yet her voice held no empathy in it. “You are plan B.”
The abhorred look on Kaiba’s face was almost comical. He balled his fists. “What?”
“I do not know the kind of game, if it is a game, being played here,” she said, sternly. “It is dangerous enough as it is, and I will not sacrifice people relentlessly. At this moment, we are only sure about Yuugi having a counterpart: Yami. For him, it will be safe to enter the game.”
“That’s impossible,” Kaiba said, flabbergasted. “What maniac is this Bakura, and how did he tear out souls to play a game? And don’t give me that crap about ancient magic again!”
“Eat, Kaiba.” Ishizu sipped her tea. “Many questions will remain unanswered, as I do not have the answers. You will have to trust me.”
Yuugi didn’t need to look at Kaiba’s face to know that was the last thing in the world the CEO was going to do. Grumbling, he started to tear the flatbread in pieces to eat it. Silence once again. Yuugi wasn’t so sure if Ishizu didn’t have the answers. She had to have them, but she chose not to share them. Her eyes rested upon him. He felt bone-chilling cold.
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