Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Forgiveness ❯ Alliance ( Chapter 13 )

Disclaimer: It was cool, seeing little Yugi kick ass in the Legendary Heroes Arc. But if I owned it, he wouldn't have stayed out of it after calling Yami.

In the show, Joey is the one who identifies the fairy as an ally, a common video game convention apparently, but this is in a filler arc. In the manga, there's no way Joey would have known the game, since he's really poor, and…

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Joey smiled. That had been easy. All he had to do to beat those zombies had been to play the card Yugi (or was it Yami? He couldn't remember) had guided him to use against Bones.

Yugi had summoned Dark Magician, but had just attacked. Normally, Yugi would have thought up a strategy long before Joey did, but now…

Joey frowned at his thingy. What had Kaiba called the one he used on the island? Duel Disk, right?

Anyway, why hadn't his lifepoints come back up? That was annoying. Good thing it was just a game.

"Joey, why are you standing around? We have to find Mokuba and Yami!" Yugi said impatiently.

"Coming'." Joey paused to snag the card that had appeared when he beat the zombies. The number five and a stack of gold coins. Never turn down money.

Near the edge of the graveyard, he paused. Something had moved!

"What the hell?" It was a little fairy!

Yugi came back and looked. He frowned. It looks a little like a Fairy Guardian… I think it might be a Key Mace, but I'm not sure."

Joey stared. Yugi, not sure about a card? This from the guy who had even heard of Toon World, which had never been released? The guy was out of it.

"Anyway," Yugi said, "It's trying to tell us something. Have you ever played the Legend of Zelda games?"

"Uh… I've played Mario at Tristan's house, and arcade games, but I don't own any consoles. Or a computer." If he had the money and was crazy enough to waste it on that, his dad would just sell it for booze.

"Well, fairies help you. If we follow this one, we might end up where Yami and Mokuba are!"

At that, the fairy flew off. Yugi and Joey ran after. They lost it at the edge of a cliff. Yugi was wondering if it had been a trick when Joey pointed down. There was a city! Yami and the others had to be there!

Joey nudged him and pointed to the way down.

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The trip down to the city was fairly uneventful. A few minor monsters, nothing worth more than one of what Joey had dubbed Gold Cards. So far, Joey was unimpressed with the game.

But he was getting more and more worried about Yugi.

Yugi didn't really think going after Yami was right. He was forcing himself to do it. And it was eating him up inside.

Yeah, Yami had killed the bastard, but the bastard was, well, a bastard. Kaiba had been a complete jerk, but parading his zombie brother out in front of him… sure, Mokuba had poisoned him, Joey reasoned, but even so…

The thing was, Yugi had a rather black-and-white view of the world. Possibly due to his Gramps not letting him watch TV. Sometimes, you just had to kill. You'd think Yugi had grasped this concept. After all, the whole lifepoint thing… dueling was a metaphor for mortal combat.

Yugi ranted on. It was sounding more and more to Joey like he wasn't trying to explain things to Joey, who he still seemed to believe approved, but to himself.

Joey began to think it was a really, really good thing Kaiba had taken the puzzle. If Yugi had killed Yami… who knew what the kid would have done to himself afterwards, if he thought there was no justifiable homicide.

After all, Yugi was actually pretty sheltered. And with his Grandpa gone… it had been a hugely stressful time. The kid didn't know how to deal.

And Joey didn't know how to explain things. Yugi would just call him a traitor if he tried to say Yami had been justified.

He'd just have to get the two of them to talk to each other. That was all he could do. And this was a good place. Yugi couldn't get at the puzzle here. So… where was Yami? He was around here somewhere…

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Yami sat down in a clearing. This was as good a place as any.

He'd used the computers in the room to set up protective spell on Mokuba's pod and the surroundings, but those spells had been keyed to ill intent. His Aibou… Yugi and his friends hadn't had any intent to harm Mokuba or the other person present. So he hadn't realized they were there until Yugi and Joey had already entered the game. And now they were players, and to remove them, possible allies, would be to risk losing. Losing Seto.

But… he didn't know what to do. Aibou… Aibou had… he sobbed into Seto's mental shoulder. But on the outside he remained calm. Waiting.

In a minute, they were there. He kissed Seto goodbye and blocked the link. He didn't want him to hear this.

"You!" Yugi yelled. But he didn't come and attack. He stood back, wary. Expecting Yami to attack him. It almost broke his heart.

"Aibou." He bowed his head.

"How… how dare you call me that! After you possessed me and killed him! Seto, Pegasus… what are you doing with Mokuba?! How many people are you planning to kill! I trusted you! Well, I unleashed you, so I'm going to stop you! I challenge you, you evil spirit!" Yugi… was Yugi trying to hold back tears?

"I would be honored to duel you, Yugi. But not now. Seto is in danger, and I and Mokuba are here to aid him."

Joey frowned. Why were both of them calling Kaiba by his first name? Maybe Yami had been given permission, he had saved Kaiba's and his brother's asses, but why was Yugi…

"What do you mean he's in danger?!" Yugi almost yelled. "What did you do?"

"I did nothing. You remember the board of his company, who allied with Pegasus? They wove a trap for him, and this game is it. To rescue him, the game must be defeated. Mokuba is assisting me, and I hope to enlist Mai, but the game requires a party of at least four in addition to Kaiba. Would you help?"

"Help you!?" Yugi yelled.

Joey held up his hands. "Whoa. Wait a second. Mai is here?"

"Yes, she was hired to test out the game. She is at the stadium in the city outside this forest."

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Well… the plan is for the game to `malfunction,' killing all the players. A `horrible mistake.' I believe Mai was invited to make it less clear Seto was the target."

"They die." Joey saw red.

"Joey!" Yugi said, shocked.

"Yug', some people… you just can't let live."

Yugi looked stricken. He didn't know what to say. That was so wrong, but Yami… he couldn't let him hurt anymore people. But Pegasus had been hurting people too… Grandpa had been fading. If his soul had been gone much longer…

He couldn't…

"Sure, we'll help Moneybags. Right, buddy?"

Yugi looked at Joey questioningly.

Joey bent down and whispered to him. "Well, if he's telling the truth, then we can't let Mai, Kaiba and Mokuba get killed. If he's lying… then we'll know."

Yugi nodded. He turned to Yami. "Okay, we'll help. But no killing."

Yami sighed, ashamed. "I wasn't planning on it." He stood up. "Shall we go? Mokuba is waiting."

Yami led the way. Once the city was in sight however, he was overtaken by Joey, eager to see Mai. He found himself walking next to Yugi, who seemed very uncomfortable.

Yugi kept glancing over at him and looking away. He seemed to be thinking about something.

Yami was distressed that Yugi was unhappy, but on the other hand… did Yugi still have doubts? Was it possible to be reconciled with him? Yugi had a very strong mind: if he decided to close it Yami was doomed, but it seemed Yugi still…

Yugi told himself not to get his hopes up. Yugi had refused to forgive him for almost killing Seto. Now that he actually had killed… this might be the last he would see of his beautiful little one.

He began trying to commit Yugi's profile, every hair on his head, to memory.

"What?! Why are you staring at me?!" Yugi finally said after a few glance-then-glance-away-quickly repetitions.

Yami sighed. "It's just been so long since I've seen you…" `He wouldn't want to hear that I miss him, but…' "I miss you."

"It's only been a few hours." Yugi said through clenched teeth.

Yami sighed, and said with a sad laugh, "Yes, but I didn't exactly get to look at you much."

Yugi remembered how Yami had bowed before him, pleading. His eyes were lost.

Yami's heart ached at the sight. He looked around for Mokuba.

The townspeople kept giving him sympathetic looks. How did the Monsters know?

"Ah," he said. "There's Mokuba." Finally.

Yugi ran forward. "Mokuba! Are you okay?!"

"I was fine until you showed up." Mokuba death-glared Yugi. Yugi took a step back.

"Why…"

"Yami saved my brother, and you made him cry!" Mokuba put his hands on his hips. "You're a big jerk!"

Yugi was even more startled. Not by Mokuba's behavior. He remembered when the kid had been evil. But… Yami had cried? He looked over at Yami, who was looking away.

Mokuba kept glaring. Yugi kept staring at Yami, wheels turning round in his head.

Finally Yami sighed and turned back to Mokuba. "Mokuba, did you find the card we need to cross the desert?"

"Yes." Mokuba said, still glancing at Yugi angrily. "It's the Niwatori. But…" he scuffed his shoes in the dirt. "I didn't find a card of it, and I looked in all the stands."

"It's okay Mokuba, one will turn up." Yami looked around. "Where did Joey go?" He wondered. He had been so distracted by Yugi that he hadn't noticed the boy outpacing them.

They had spent a lot of time wandering around looking for Mokuba… where had Joey got to? He suddenly stopped looking around.

There! On that poster! "The one who can defeat our champion will win the prize Niwatori card."

Why had Mokuba suddenly cried "D'oh!"?

They walked to the Arena, Mokuba keeping between Yami and Yugi and glaring. Yami was happy that Mokuba wished to protect him, but… he wanted to comfort Aibou.

When they were a block away there was cheering, and suddenly Joey was carried out on people's shoulders.

"Hey, Yug'!" He yelled from his perch.

"Joey? What happened?" Yugi yelled.

"Yugi?" They heard a voice in the crowd. Mai ran up to them. Then she stopped and stared. "Two Yugis…" She looked at Yami and said, "So you didn't die?"

Yami smiled sadly. "No. Long story."

"Why is everyone cheering Joey?" Yugi asked.

"Well… Apparently he got lost, and decided to head to a landmark to get found. And saw the sign about the great champion and thought it was me. So, we dueled again and he won, I still can't believe it, and he used Monster Reborn to revive me. So, he got the Niwatori card and now they're throwing him a party." She paused for breath. "This is the best game ever! I am investing some of my millions in buying some of these pod thingies!" She started to go in the direction the crowd had taken Joey. "Come on! There's virtual booze!" She waved her hands in the air. "Party! Party!"

Yami had re-linked with Kaiba for the scene. He looked at Mokuba to show Seto he was alright. Kaiba nudged him. "Oh! Mokuba!"

"Yes?" Mokuba turned.

"Here's your deck. And here." Yami opened a pocket and took out a handful of cards. "Take these."

Mokuba looked at them. "Goblin's Secret Remedy, Red Medicine, Dian Keto the Cure Master…"

"Seto says use them all right now or you are so grounded." Yami smiled.

Mokuba siiighed and threw them all up in the air.

Yami snickered.

Mokuba looked out from under his hair. "Yeah. Laugh."

Between the potions, gold dust, and green leaves covering him, Mokuba needed a shower.

Fortunately, a few seconds one appeared. And another. And another.

"Let me see your life point indicator." Yami said.

Mokuba held out his arm. Yami looked, and smirked. "Seto is marginally less paranoid now."

Mokuba laughed.

Yugi watched.

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I am immune to the eyes. Unlike Yami.

And Beysie, your wish is granted.