Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Do You Dream of Me? ❯ Chapter 18

Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-gi-oh, we would find out what the hell is up with Shadi!

 

Um… sorry this is late. I accidentally uploaded a story twice, because the site told me the first upload had failed, then took down the duplicate the next day, as soon as I saw I had two copies up. Unfortunately, someone didn't notice this, and the one remaining copy got taken down as a duplicate weeks later. And I was forbidden to post until the eighth. I am very annoyed that it was reported/taken down without anyone checking and seeing there was only one copy up. I am beginning to see why so many people really hate ff . net.

 

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Shadi gasped as his ushebti cracked.

 

Yami looked at him pityingly. “Shadi, you probably won't understand this, but… true strength of the heart can't be gained alone. The power to trust others! This is true strength of the heart!”

 

And Shadi's ushebti shattered. The Millennium Key slid down the ropes to Anzu's hand.

 

She blinked. “Huh? Where…” She looked down.

 

“Yieeeeek!!” She screamed, and dropped to her knees. The sudden shock caused Jou to grunt in protest.

 

“H-hey Anzu! You're too heavy! Get up on the roof!”

 

Anzu looked down and back at him. “Jou? What are you doing there?”

 

“Shaddup! That's what I'd like to know!”

 

Anzu tried to stand up, to get back to the roof. The board shifted alarmingly under her. “I can't move! I'm gonna fall!”

 

“Look you…” Jou stopped when he saw a hand creep up to his feet. It was Yoshimori, still a zombie!

 

“Whee hee…”

 

“Anzu! Hurry up!”

 

“Okay. I'll try!” She turned around and began to crawl up the board.

 

“Don't look down…” Jou encouraged her. “Ggghh!” The zombie Professor had grabbed his leg!

 

Jou tried to hold the board steady, but suddenly it tilted to the side. As Anzu slipped off it, she thought she was a goner, but Yami suddenly appeared and grabbed her hand. He pulled her to the ledge against the fence surrounding the roof.

 

`Good… Anzu's safe…' Jou thought. `Now to do something about this guy!'

 

“Jounouchi-sama!” Yami yelled. “Make the professor touch that ankh-shaped key!”

 

“Huh? O-okay. Is this it?” Jou grabbed the Professor's hand off himself and touched it to the key.

 

“…huh?” Professor Yoshimori said, suddenly awakening.

 

“Professor! Are you back to normal?” Jou asked excitedly.

 

“What? Oh… you're Jounouchi, aren't you?” Yoshimori shook his hand groggily.

 

“Forget it, okay? Just don't look down!”

 

“Don't look…. WHAT?! AAACK! My TEETH!” Jou and Anzu between them had knocked out several.

 

As Jou, Anzu, Yami and the Professor clambered over the fence and onto the roof, Sugoroku walked out onto the roof.

 

“Yo! Gramps! You all right?” Jou asked.

 

“I was just knocked out for a little while…” He looked around. “In any case, looks like everyone is okay!” He followed Anzu's gaze to where Yami had walked up to Shadi.

 

“Yugi… you have passed all of the tests… it is my complete defeat…”

 

Yami looked at him. Shadi seemed sincere… why… there was something… off. Something… familiar. Something that was worrying him.

 

He had a considering look in his eyes. “I used the Millennium Items to show you illusions… illusions summoned from the shadows. And yet, to me, the image of your friends trusting and helping each other, here in this world, seems like an illusion… Somehow, that seems sad…”

 

Master was sad for him. And Yami was too.

 

“Shadi… no one can do anything alone. I'm safe because I have my Master, who rescued me. I won and saved Mazaki-sama because Master's friends helped me. That is a much greater power than that of the Puzzle.”

 

“Really?” Shadi had turned away as Yami spoke. Now, he turned back. Yami's eyes widened. The… the Millennium Symbol had appeared on his forehead. “You think these mortals are stronger than Us? How foolish.”

 

Yami stepped back as everyone present watched, bewildered. He was… afraid. Deathly afraid. But he clenched his fists and spoke. “Why have you possessed Shadi? Did you send him against us?”

 

“Yessss… and he will not be the last. You need to recover your strength, after all. We shall see to it that you have the proper… incentive. He is not the only tool We have. Prepare yourself.” That voice scared the onlookers. Or rather, voices. It seemed as if a multitude was speaking, with a strange and ancient accent.

 

“Wh… why do you want me to be stronger? I… I'll fight you. I…I won't let you use me!” Yami was shaking now. He wanted… he wanted so, so much to run. But… it wouldn't do any good.

 

“Fight us, or fail in the tasks We set you, and your beloved Master dies. How foolish of you, to call him that. We are your Master, lost and forgotten one. Remember that.”

 

“No!” Yami shook his head fiercely. “No! Master beat you. He solved the Puzzle. He freed me!”

 

“Only because We let him. Enjoy your freedom while you have it. We have a task for you, the task We imprisoned your spirit to do. And only if you complete it will We let you die.” The entity that had taken over Shadi smiled cruelly.

 

That was too much for Yami. He fled. Rolled up into a ball in a corner of Yugi's Soulroom and shivered, radiating despair. Yugi took over his body before it fell over.

 

“You… you're the Millennium Items, aren't you?! How… how could you! You know how much you hurt him! Why… why did you torture him, all that time? How long?! How long did he suffer?!”

 

“Approximately three thousand years, Mortal.”

 

“Three thousand…” Yugi breathed, dropping to his knees. “Why?!”

 

“If We hadn't drained his power, he would have escaped. He is stronger than Us. That is why We need him.” The thought seemed to anger them.

 

“Why? What could possibly be worth three thousand years of agony!?” Yugi pleaded.

 

Its eyes narrowed. “Revenge.” It hissed. “And who are you to question Us, Mortal?” It looked cruelly at Yugi, and then raised its stolen hand. Yugi screamed.

 

Yami suddenly lunged up and desperately pushed Yugi out of the body, taking his place. The entity smirked when he took over, and stopped sending the pain a few moments later.

 

Yami panted. He hadn't felt like that since… but he couldn't think of that now. “Please! Don't hurt him! Please!” He begged. “I'll do anything! Just… please don't hurt him!”

 

Yugi was trying to get back control, wanting to yell at the Items for hurting Yami, but if he got them any angrier at him…

 

The Items laughed and laughed, while Yami knelt there, fear and despair visible in every line of his borrowed body.

 

“What… what's going on?” Sugoroku whispered. “That's… that isn't my grandson, is it?”

 

“No, that's Yami.” Jou replied, trying to speak quietly and not attract attention. “He's been looking after Yugi since Yugi solved the Puzzle. He's freaking powerful. Anything that can scare him like this is bad news.”

 

“Yami? Is he some sort of spirit…?” Sugoroku trailed off, remembering a cave and a helping hand from someone who looked like Yugi. He'd found the Puzzle there…

 

Finally, the Item spirits spoke. “Anything? We'll hold you to that. And if you fail, and We are destroyed… your sweet Master will be the first to go, when the seal breaks.”

 

Yami looked up, shocked. The Items… his Master was in danger, from what they wished him to fight?

 

“We will give you a gift, to show Our sincerity. If your `Master' dies, you will be imprisoned again, so it would be best if you left him out of the fighting. So, We will let you use Our power to create yourself a body whenever you wish. It is a small thing, for Us.”

 

“Thank you.” Yami forced out, trying to sound polite and unafraid. He couldn't show weakness! And he daren't offend them any more.

 

A smirk. They knew. “Goodbye. For now.” And Shadi's body vanished.

 

And Yami threw himself into his Master's Soulroom and grabbed his Master and cried. Cried in fear, for himself and his Master. And Yugi bit back his rage at the Items, for doing this to someone so strong, so fearless, and held his Yami, and whispered that he was alright, everything was fine. And swore to himself that he would never, never let Yami be imprisoned again. Never.

 

-I'll protect you, I swear it! I'll get stronger too, and help you, and we'll be together forever! I won't let you be imprisioned again or die! You'll stay with me! I promise, I promise Yami, whatever it takes!-

 

--…Master! Don't, don't anger them like that! They'll hurt you! I can take it if they hurt me, but you being hurt… I can't bear it! I can't! Please, stay safe! -

 

-Don't worry, Yami! As long as you're with me, I'm fine. I'm safe now, see? You saved Anzu and Jou and Ji-chan and the Professor and everyone's just fine. It'll be okay. It'll all be okay. I promise.-

 

--…Promise?—

 

-Yes. I promise.- And Yugi laid Yami's head in his lap and stroked his hair as he finally fell asleep, exhausted by the emotions he had felt.

 

Jou walked up and shook Yugi, but there was no response. They were unreachable by anything except each other. “Man.” He said, to break the silence.

 

“Man.” Anzu agreed. There was… this, this thing that took over that strange man… what had just happened. Why had Professor Yoshimori attacked them, why had she suddenly found herself suspended stories over the ground?

 

“Anzu, Jou. Please tell me what just happened.” Sugoroku looked determined.

 

“Um…” Jou looked at Anzu. “We don't really know.”

 

“Could you tell us what you do know?” Professor Yoshimori asked. That man… had he killed Kanekura? What was going on?

 

“Well… Yami's like the spirit of the Puzzle or something. He was imprisoned in it, and it was apparently torturing him, but then Yugi solved it, and he's really grateful to Yugi. Calls him Master and Yugi-dono. He has magic and stuff. Oh, and he and Yugi can't be awake at the same time, `cause Yami's weak now and has to borrow Yugi's energy to be awake. But he said he was getting stronger. He and Yugi haven't been able to talk so far, so Yugi's really looking forward to when they can. And Yami won't take Yugi over except in emergencies, `cause he doesn't want to steal Yugi's life. And… Yami doesn't remember anything before the Puzzle. Yugi named him Yami.” Jou scratched his head, trying to think of anything else. “An… that's about it. Can you think of anything else, Anzu?”

 

Anzu shrugged.

 

“How do you know about this? And why hasn't Yugi told me?” Sugoroku asked.

 

“Well…” Jou shrugged. “He's showed up to save our asses a couple times, like now. And Yugi didn't tell us until Yami had already shown up, `cause he was afraid we would think he was nuts or something.”

 

“I found out last.” Anzu said.

 

“He's tied to the Puzzle?” Sugoroku walked over to Yugi and tried to shake him awake. Like with Jou, there was no response. Then he began to take the Puzzle from around Yugi's neck. A hand shot up and stopped him.

 

Yugi looked up at his Ji-chan. Yet Sugoroku could feel another presence looking through those eyes as well. “Ji-chan… are you alright?”

 

“I'm fine, Yugi.”

 

“Professor… I'm sorry. I'll have Yami heal you.” Yugi closed his eyes. There was a flash of light, and then he straightened up. Red eyes opened. This… this was not Yugi. Too tall for one thing. Too… weary.

 

“Motou-sama.” The not-Yugi, Yami, bowed. Then he walked over to Professor Yoshimori, who backed up, cautious. “Please, don't be afraid, Yoshimori-sensei. I merely wish to fulfil my Master's request and heal you.”

 

Yoshimori paused, nodded, and stepped forward. Yami nodded in acknowledgement, and multi-colored lightning with a grey outline flowed from his outstretched hand to envelop Yoshimori.

 

Sugoroku and Anzu looked at Jou, who nodded to say this was okay, he'd seen it before. Then, it ended, and Yoshimori opened his mouth to reveal a full set of teeth. The bruises Jou and Anzu had inflicted were gone as well. “Thank you… Yami?”

 

“Yes, the name I have been given is Yami.” The red-eyed stranger in Sugoroku's grandson's body bowed. “But you should thank my Master, not me.” He closed his eyes, there was a glow, and he shrank.

 

When the eyes opened, they were Yugi's purple.

 

He smiled shyly. “Um… I wanted to tell you, Ji-chan, but would you have believed me?”

 

“I'm listening now, Yugi. Please talk to me.”

 

“Sure, Ji-chan.” Yugi's stomach growled. “Um… could I get a bite to eat first?”

 

Sugoroku smiled. This was his grandson. “Burgers sound good?”

 

“Burgers?! Yay!”

 

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You know, it's odd, but Yoshimori never shows up after this in the manga or anime. Wouldn't you want an explanation? He's going to get a bigger part in this.

 

From my understanding of canon, the ghosts of the people who were killed at Kuru Eruna are still around, in the Items. And wouldn't they want revenge on Akunadin and Zork, for killing them? It would explain a lot. If they grabbed Yami to fight him for them, and sent Malik etc. against him to make him get stronger and want his memories back… this is my conspiracy theory. Tell me what you think.

 

And yes, this is an AU, so there are differences from the manga.

 

And I do a minimum of two thousand words a chapter for this.