Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Do You Dream of Me? ❯ Threat! ( Chapter 14 )

Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-gi-oh, there would be more Punishment Game goodness.

Ji-chan is what Yugi calls his grandfather. Also, they have school on Saturday in Japan. Oh, and I know you normally use hanged, not hung, for objects, but in this case…

Oh, and check to make sure you read Ch. 13. I think a lot of people missed it due to fanfiction . net being a pain.

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Two months ago, just after the convict held Anzu hostage:

"Yugi! Get down here!"

Yugi thumped down the stairs. "What is it, Ji-chan?" Ji-chan sounded very excited.

Ji-chan held out the paper. "Look at this!"

Yugi took the paper and looked at the article his Ji-chan had excitedly pointed too. "Wow! They found a Pharaoh's tomb in Egypt! And it's full of treasure!" -Yami! Look!-

Sleepy interest.

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"An Egyptian exhibit?" Jou, Anzu and Honda said in chorus.

"Yup! It's opening tomorrow at the Domino City Museum!" Yugi said excitedly.

"That sounds interesting! Let's go!" Anzu said, psyched.

Yugi continued. "The college professor who discovered the Pharaoh's tomb is Ji-chan's friend, Professor Yoshimori. He invited us, so we can get in for free!" He knew Jou had money problems.

"Wow…that's the guy in the newspaper." Anzu said, remembering the article.

Honda frowned. "Didn't they find a mummy?"

"Egypt is such a mystical place…" Anzu mused. "That's where your puzzle's from, isn't it, Yugi?"

"Yup! My good ol' Millennium Puzzle!" Yugi cradled the puzzle in his hands, and then gave it a quick hug. "I'm hoping I can find out some more about it."

"Oh, that's right… Didn't your Ji-chan say the archeologists who found it all died mysterious deaths…?"

Jou and Honda looked at each other. They had? Did Yami…

"That's not fair, Anzu! Yami didn't have anything to do with that! He was a prisoner, and he wasn't even awake enough to know who he was, let alone hurt someone! And he wouldn't hurt anyone innocent ever!" Yugi looked like a hissing fluffy kitten.

"That's just what your Ji-chan told me, Yugi! I'm not saying Yami had anything to do with it!" Anzu backed up, holding her hands in front of her as though to ward him off.

"Yeah, Yugi. Chill." Jou interjected.

Yugi laughed. "Sorry, Anzu."

"It's nothing. So… tomorrow's Sunday. Let's meet at the Museum at 1:00!" Everyone enthusiastically agreed.

The rest of the day, Yugi talked at Yami about the upcoming exhibit. It was sort of a shame. Ever since Yami had decided to talk to Yugi soon, he had been storing all his energy. Yugi could still feel Yami's happiness, but if he wanted to have those little `almost-conversations' that had become such a big part of his life, he had to sort of shake Yami awake. He felt sad if he didn't get to almost-talk to Yami often, but he knew the more he let Yami save up, the sooner Yami would feel it was safe to wake up all the way and talk to Yugi.

And Yugi really wanted to talk to Yami! He was so smart and strong and nice and pretty and and…

Yugi crushed that train of thought. He had wished for friends. It wouldn't be fair to Yami to try to… of course, if Yami fell in love with Yugi… but how would he know it was real love?

Yami needed Yugi to stay free. And Yugi's `light,' his soul, gave Yami pleasure to exist in it. And Yami had no experience as a person. What if he came to believe he loved Yugi merely because he needed and wanted him? What if he said he loved Yugi to please him? What if he later fell in love, real love, with someone else? Yugi could tell how far Yami was prepared to go to make Yugi happy. So, if he ever wanted… he couldn't let Yami know. He had to wait, and maybe someday, once he got Yami to consider him a friend and equal, instead of a divine `Master,' love would bloom.

That was his new wish.

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Anzu ran up to where Yugi and the others were waiting. "Everyone's here!"

Honda winked. "Yo, you bet!"

Mr. Motou interjected, "Actually… my friend was supposed to meet us here… Let's wait a bit longer."

Jou sighed. "Yugi… don't wear your school uniform on the weekends…" `What a clueless guy!'

"…Why not?" Yugi looked up questioningly.

"Motou!" They heard a voice cry out.

Mr. Motou laughed. "Ho ho… here he is." It was the Professor!

"It's been a while! Good to see you!" He said when he got to where they were.

"Thank you for inviting us to your show!" Sugoroku said. He then turned to the others. "Let me introduce you! This is Professor Yoshimori."

The Professor bowed. "Pleased to meet you."

Sugoroku turned to another man who had come up to them. "Who's this…?"

Yoshimori turned to his companion. "Ah, yes! This is the owner of the Museum. He provided the grant for the excavation and is sponsoring the exhibit!"

"Kanekura's the name!" He smiled… but there was something off about it. "Welcome to my Museum!"

He whispered to the Professor. "Yoshimori… ask them about the thing we talked about."

"Oh…s-sure." Yoshimori turned to Sugoroku. "Motou… you told me that your grandson solved the Millennium Puzzle…"

"Ho ho…" Sugoroku chuckled. "I did tell you that, didn't I…" He turned towards Yugi.

`Huh?' Yugi thought.

Yoshimori exclaimed, "So you're Yugi!"

"That's it! The legendary Millennium Puzzle?! You must show it to me!" Kanekura shouted.

Yugi hesitated, but with his Ji-chan looking at him expectantly, he couldn't come up with a good excuse for not handing it over. And what harm could it do?

Kanekura held the Millennium Puzzle up to his face. "T…this is wonderful! Such an important piece of pharaonic history… and it's hanging around your neck!"

"Kanekura makes his living in the art business. He has an eye for antiquities." Yoshimori told Yugi.

-Hear that, Yami? You're really valuable!- This wasn't so bad. The Puzzle was only a few feet away. Like when he took a shower and left the Puzzle outside the shower door, Yami could still stay in Yugi's soulroom instead of having to go back to the Puzzle.

Puzzle. Not me. Dislike Puzzle.

Yugi sighed at Yami's state of mind, but his musings were interrupted by Kanekura.

"Yugi, I beg you! People have got to see this! Let me display it at the show!"

"Whaa!" Yugi was shocked. Not have the Puzzle!? What about Yami?

Kanekura bowed his head. "Please!"

Yugi thought desperately. Perhaps there was a way… "Fine. But just for one day."

"Oh… sure! One day is plenty!" `Heh heh… one day is plenty…"

As Professor Yoshimori led them through the exhibit, Yugi concentrated on strengthening his connection to Yami. It worked! Even thought Kanekura was trailing behind them, Yami could still stay in Yugi's soulroom! He was a little confused about what was going on, but after Yugi reassured him that he did want Yami around even though he wasn't wearing the Puzzle, Yami relaxed and returned to storing up energy for the long-awaited real conversation.

Yugi relaxed enough to join in the conversation about archeology with Professor Yoshimori. Even after Mr. Kanekura left to put the Puzzle on display, Yugi was worried for a bit, but Yami remained where he belonged.

Yoshimori noticed his expression and said sorry about giving Kanekura an opening to convince Yugi to loan him the Puzzle, since he could tell Yugi hadn't wanted to give it up. Yugi told him he was fine.

Yugi trailed behind the group, spending more time looking at the mummy. Looking up, he noticed a strange man next to him. `An Egyptian! He… he's crying!' "Why are you crying?"

The Egyptian claimed he was crying on behalf of the Pharaoh. Yugi noticed the man was carrying a scale. `What an odd man…'

He bent down and patted Yugi on the head. "Heh. You're a nice little boy…" Then the man got up and walked away.

Yugi stared after him. "Little boy!? I'm in high school! What a weird Egyptian!" He frowned.

-Yami… did you notice anything strange about that man?-

? Man?

Yami hadn't noticed the man? `Maybe he was just too asleep… but it's strange…'

Just then Jou called. "Hey! Look! Over there! Yugi's puzzle is on display!"

The Puzzle was in a big glass case all by itself. Kanekura and another man were standing in front of it. The new man looked excited, but Kanekura looked nervous.

The man and Kanekura left and everyone agreed the Puzzle looked really cool on display, except Yami who didn't really care. Anzu took a picture of everyone else in front of the case. Soon after, they all left the Museum.

"That was fun!" Anzu exclaimed.

Yugi agreed. "I wish I could go to Egypt!" -I didn't manage to find out much about you here, but maybe there…-

Master doesn't have to bother.

-But I want too!-

…

Sugoroku thanked Prof. Yoshimori, who invited them all to see more at his lab sometime. He had to leave to go to the University, and Ji-chan had to go to the Game Store, and the others had errands to run, but Yugi decided to wait the half-an-hour until the exhibit closed and he could get the Puzzle back.

He closed his eyes, deciding to talk at Yami while he was waiting. Soon, he would be able to play with Yami! That would be so great!

Ten minutes before 5:00, Yugi felt Yami stiffen in alarm. -What is it?-

Magic near Puzzle!

-Magic? That's not yours? What is it?-

Other Item! Fear.

Yugi threw himself out of his soulroom. He had to get to the puzzle, had to find out what was going on! -Wait a minute…that man! There was an eye on the scale, just like on the Puzzle!-

Scale? Alarm. Didn't know of man.

-You didn't sense him? I thought your spells… you should have sensed him, he was right next to me!-

Alarm!

The puzzle was gone from the case! `Mr. Kanekura must have it…' He ran towards Kanekura's office… only to encounter the Egyptian!

"Excuse me… have you seen Mr. Kanekura? He promised to return my Puzzle… it's shaped like this." He made an upside-down triangle shape with his hands where the Puzzle normally hung.

The Egyptian's eyes widened in shock. Yugi continued nervously. The scales did indeed have an eye similar to the Puzzle… and the key on his chest also seemed similar, though it didn't have an eye…

"Um… why are you looking at me like that?" Yugi said, backing up.

The man seemed to come to a decision. He pointed his key at Yugi, and suddenly Yugi sensed strong magic, as strong as the Puzzle! Yami woke up and sprang out of Yugi's soulroom, hiding Yugi under the blankets with a stern --Stay quiet, Master!-

Yugi felt Yami gather all his reserves and draw heavily on Yugi to shield Yugi's soulroom. And Yugi knew no more.

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Yami tried his hardest to keep the intruder out, but he knew it was doomed. The Millennium Items wouldn't let him fight the power of one of their number. He would just have to do his best. If he could not fight the item, he would have to attack the wielder. He couldn't even shut his Master's door and hide it as he had hoped, though the Millennium Puzzle kept itself closed… for now.

He stood behind that door. He knew the intruder would come in here first, seeking the power. If he tried to enter Master's soulroom, he would die. The Millennium Items held no defensive spells, and the intruder's magic was no match for even the power that Yami had at his disposal currently, which was only a fraction of his and his Master's true strength.

But… setting up those defenses had taken all the power he had, and he did not dare dismantle them until the danger was past. Which meant he had to fight an enemy with not one but two Millennium Items with only his wits and what aid the Puzzle condescended to give him. And why had his spells not alerted him to this one's presence before? Something was… wrong, with this man. He was not what he seemed.

Yami felt an urge to pray. But he didn't know who to pray to.

The door to the Puzzle swung open. The Game was about to begin.

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A/N: There's a little more to the persona shifts then that.

Yes, Jou-sama rocks.

Actually, in the let's find love chapter of the manga, Yami didn't reprogram Anzu's thingy, which meant Anzu's did beep with Yugi's. Of course, that's not what's going to happen in my version.

I've actually hinted at Yami's issues, if you read closely… it's just hard to see how severe they really are from this. This story is going to be about living with them, mostly. A few months isn't going to overwhelm millennia of torture. Although they will be able to work out how to live happily despite them. The Master thing is REALLY significant.

Siiiigh. Yes, I did have to skip major character development in that last chapter, but I had to to be consistent with my plot. In the manga, Jou went off with them and caused all that to come out to protect Yugi. Here, he knows Yugi doesn't need protecting. I could have had Jou refuse alone and get beaten up a very little before Yami's spells alerted him and he teleported over there, but not much more would have had a reason to come out that way. Jou certainly doesn't want to talk about it, and Honda respects his privacy. But once I get the Yami and Yugi situation sorted out, in the whole Serenity thing at Duelist Kingdom I am going to have Jou open up.

And yes, the Puzzle will be an energy source for body-ness. Why would it when it hasn't helped with talking? That will come out during the whole Shadi business.

DarkPhoenix: Um… actually, in the manga, the Blue-Eyes destroyed itself rather than serve Kaiba, without it being compelled to do so by a card. And then it helped Yami defeat him. And none of his monsters defended him. His `real self' was nuts at this point, due to that bastard Gozaburo. I'm actually worried I made him a little too sane and my Kaiba is OOC for this point in his life. But I like Kaiba, and this is my AU, so…