Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Lost Identity ❯ The Final Revelation ( Chapter 18 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

az: A lot of darkness.... beware!! And my dear Starlight-Phoenix, sorry if I confused you... but try rereading chapter 15 till now. I've edited them so constantly before... And mind me.... my grammar sucks at description of sensations...

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh manga nor did I own the anime spare the DVDs and my DM deck that I so much treasure until the end of time. If I OWNED Yugioh... I'll be joining the Pop idol contest... Characters and original excerpts from the fic are copyrights of Kazuki Takahashi.

Chapter 18: The Final Revelation

Written by Azzie/Az @ Alienna Azuani @ Yami_Azzie

Yugi's head was getting dizzy as he saw that everything around him twisted and contorted into weird dimensions. During the dizzying aftereffect that ensued, Yugi felt the floor under him vanish as gravity pulled him down; falling into unending abyss. Yugi screamed as the sensation pulled him out of consciousness...

'Wha--', gasped Yugi as he found himself back at the high school corridors. No one was around him. Yugi rubbed his head slightly as he still felt the dizzying throbs of pain on his forehead. He grabbed the edge of a table nearby as he fought to stay upright without falling. A growling sound from somewhere near him caused Yugi to back instinctively away as he stepped on something that caused him to fall again. Yugi moaned in pain as he pulled away the cloth that had tripped him.

'Kore wa--?', he gasped as he realized that he was holding a mantel, the type that he felt all too familiar...

But it was then that he saw that he had some rings, worn on his fingers. Not to mention the golden cufflinks on his arm! Yugi immediately took a quick look on his clothes, and his head...

'Nani---? Why was I'm wearing the pharaoh's attire now!! I'm not the pharaoh anymore!! It has passed since 3000 years ago... why--?', Yugi shrieked as he realized that nobody had come through the corridors.. Even after his screams! And then, he realized that something was missing...

'Sennen Puzzle!!', gasped Yugi as he felt nothing hanging over his neck. Already he was feeling a lot more vulnerable. 'Minna!! Anyone!! Where are you guys!!?', he shouted as his own voice echoed all around him. Panic obviously reared its ugly head. 'Everyone!! Jyounouchi... Anzu!!', he cried again vainly as the situation did not changed.

Yugi fell to his knees as despair clouded his heart...

'Feeling scared without your wittle twi-ngkwet?!!', came a gruff voice behind him. Yugi's heart soared as he recognized the voice. He turned around to find his friends grinning at him. Yugi started to run towards them but something stopped his steps. The way Jyounouchi spoke to him was not friendly, more like taunting...

'Jyounouchi-kun---? Anzu... Honda!! Where did everyone go? Why did you guys left me alone?'

And Yugi received something that he had never expected after two years...

His body was thrown against the rows of lockers as he fell onto the floor in bruises. Yugi brushed his torn and swollen lips as blood trickled to his chin from the cut. A shot of immense pain grew inside his chest as it overpowered the pain he felt on his lips. Shock numbed Yugi's mind right now. How could Jyounouchi... kicked him away like this?!!

'Honda!! Anzu!! I don't understand---', Yugi cried as Honda scoffed at him. 'Why did you addressed me so fondly? And you even... damn!! Do you think you can be equal to Atemu, if you dressed like that? You would never be better than him!! And why did you still exist?! Get off from our shadows!!'

'Honda!! Wha--'

'Why didn't you just die, Yugi?! Why hadn't you go instead of Atemu?! I hate you!! I despised EVERYTHING about your existence!!'

'Anzu--?!!'

Jyounouchi snickered as Yugi received another blow, this time from his back. Pain shot from all over his body as Yugi crouched in a fetal position, receiving the blows and abuse without fighting. An old memory resurfaced from the back of his mind as fear clutched into his heart.

'I'll... just die then... I'm back to being alone...', thought Yugi as his heart grew cold.

Yes... DIE!! Fall into the dark realm where we await your arrival!!

'What--? Who's there?'

/Wake up... Yugi!! Fight it!!/

Gradually, Yugi started to remember himself before this visions came up. A warning shot through his heart like a saber. 'Are these things... happening to me, destined to be when I let go of the sennen items again..? Will my fate be always tied to the realm of darkness?', thought Yugi again as the images of his fellow friends beating him vanished into thin air. Instead, decayed hands from the underworld stretched out towards him to take him away.

Come... come with us!! Let us devour your hollowed soul and savor your destruction...

Yugi closed his eyes in defeat as he waited for the claws to break him apart... but it never came. Yugi opened his eyes to find a blinding light, cutting through the dark illusions and banished the wretched demons. Several forms emerged in front of him as Yugi recognized them...

Dark Magician knelt down before him as he offered his comfort.

'My master... this is all merely illusions to fool you into the depth of despair! Do not let yourself fall into the darkness...', he said as Priest Seto came into view. Yugi blinked in confusion. 'Cousin.., you cannot wait any longer. The shadows are fighting to stay in this world! You have to do it quick!!'

'The 7 sennen items cannot remain in existence any longer!!', said Priestess Isis, this time as Mahado moved away. '...As long as these relics had not be destroyed, your life would be in danger---' Yugi looked at her in surprise as Karim showed himself to him. 'But not to worry...', he said as Shadu nodded at him. 'We will protect your soul from the shadows until then... It is our sole duty for you--'

Yugi nodded as the priests parted to let another one to come in. He choked as the man revealed to be Pharaoh Akunumkanon!

The old pharaoh smiled kindly. 'Be strong, my son... Don't let the shadows swallows you for the second time...', he said as Priest Seto held out his hand to him. 'Come... it's time for you to return to where you belong...', he said as Yugi grabbed his hand...

/...You can do it!! You've passed the ritual before... everything had not end yet for you!!/

/I know... but this time, I won't back away from it.../

/That's good to hear... aibou/

/Haha... funny to hear it coming again from myself.../

/Haah.../

Yugi opened his eyes to find himself in the school's sick bay. Kaiba was all too happy to see him. 'Wha-- happen?', he said groggily as Kaiba helped him up. '--I found you unconscious at the corridors. Sent you here... thankfully nothing's wrong on you but you kept tossing and turning for no reason. The mutt just went out, along with the girl for some fresh air... school's already over today, you know. So... what's really happened to you?'

Yugi rolled his eyes at him after the elaborate explanation before giving out a long sigh. 'I guess... mildly putting it, I was almost got my soul devoured by the darkness...'

Kaiba was taken aback. 'What do you mean--?'

'I had a vision... probably what the future would be for me. But I sure hoped it would never happen.. And not quite, as I've already experienced that sort of future... not so long ago..', said Yugi faintly as he looked up straight at his friend's face. 'Seto, I think we should no longer stall the matter. We must settle this once and for all--!!'

Jyounouchi froze as he almost reached the door...

Kaiba looked at Yugi in disbelief. 'That--!!? Are you sure?', he said as Yugi nodded. 'Do you... want to tell them? Though I don't see why, but they still thought that you to just become out of character over your memory loss...'

Heavens pray fall on him as Jyounouchi fought to stay calm. It's lucky that he had told Anzu to go home before. But thankfully he hadn't made any noise to draw attention to himself. Anger grew inside his heart as he quietly, and speedily left the halls...

Meanwhile, the two friends were still in deep discussion; not noticing any eavesdroppers from outside. 'I don't know... but I'm sure of this decision, Seto. Not only because of your other self was telling me to do so, but the other four too. If not because of them and you, I thought I would never have wakened up from that nightmare!'

Kaiba had nothing to say. 'But... Shadi, he... the other two items were still with him!!', he stuttered as Yugi grabbed his bag from the side table. He took out his puzzle, looking very intact and not broken as the others had thought, along with the sennen scale and ankh. Kaiba was stunned without words. 'He came to me this morning. And I guess, I've finally understood it. Shadi and Shadu was in fact the very same person... I wondered if it was all because of me. My soul trapped inside the Millennium Puzzle... a part of it released to be reborn as me when Shimon, no... my grandfather, found the golden box. Mahado, sealed inside the stone slab and became Dark Magician to continue protecting me... and Shadu? Could he cast a spell on himself so that he would be there when my soul had been freed from the puzzle?'

'Now... now, you were giving me the strange speech again! Ignore all those bad memories, now we had to worry about the present condition!! Then, it's settled? If so, we'll have to start our plans altogether... I'll tell Ishizu, you call on Ryou.'

'Right... and I'll talk to my father about this. It's time to make some drastic measures...', said Yugi as they both grabbed their things and said their goodbyes to the nurse, before hurrying towards their own home. Unknown to Yugi, the troubles had not yet ended for him and that his worst days have just begun...

During the three days after that troubling evening, Jyounouchi had been acting uncanny. Not to mention the trio, as they have started their own plans to work. A lot of paperwork had to be done, and it was hard enough for them to keep the pretence towards their own classmates. But since it was the examination week, no one questioned their seriousness at catching up with all of the work needed to be done.

On the last day of the exams, Jyounouchi finally plucked up his courage and confronted with Yugi...

'Yugi... there's something that I wanted to talk to you about---'

Yugi looked up towards him as he finished stuffing all his books into his bag. 'What-- Jyounouchi?', he said as he followed the lad out of the class, along with his other friends. 'I want you to explain the whole truth to me!! Ever since the last two weeks, I've noticed something strange around you…or rather, I've heard a lot of disturbing things. Yugi, tell me the truth!! Are you hiding something from us?!', said Jyounouchi as Yugi's mood immediately changed from cheerful to serious.

Anzu, along with Honda and Otogi, was puzzled by his sudden outburst. 'Do you really want to know, Jyounouchi-kun? But then... there's a catch on it, if you dare. And I think that you guys want to know too--?', said Yugi as he turned towards his other friends. Anzu and Honda said nothing but Otogi just shrugged. 'I don't care either way... because I trusted you, Yugi. If you think you wanted to tell me about it, you could always call me… would you?', said Otogi as Yugi smiled.

'Of course... Thanks, Otogi-kun.', answered Yugi as Otogi smiled in return. 'Ja... I had to get home early today! I'm returning to America next month so... got to be off packing early--', he said again as he dashed away, leaving the rest of them behind. Yugi took this chance to ask Jyounouchi again. 'Would you accept my challenge, Jyounouchi? If you could defeat me in a duel, I will tell you guys about everything... If not, I will not reveal my secrets. Either way, you cannot change my decisions, whatever it is that you will find out in the end...'

'Duel?!!', gasped Anzu and Honda in surprise. 'Why--? There's no reason--', cried Anzu as Yugi opened his locker and pulled out his Duel Disk. 'Reason?! But oh, my friend... there IS. And it will be much like a small payback... no, it is something that I wanted to end!', said Yugi as he slammed the locker shut.

'So Jyounouchi... accept it or not?', taunted Yugi again.

Jyounouchi had expected this before, so he had come prepared. 'Yes... I accept.'

'But Jyounouchi!! Yugi still--- his memories... he could get hurt!!', gasped Anzu as Yugi shrugged at them. 'I'm okay, Anzu... Jyounouchi had no advantage over me in DM...', scoffed Yugi as he took out his sennen box and puzzle from his bag. The puzzle, he wore again on his neck and the box he opened and took out a DM card. He threw it towards Jyounouchi, who deftly caught it in the air.

'I returned this card to you. For anything, that card had twice helped me... first, during my duel with Seto and second, while I've tried to defend myself from Heishin who was trying to kill me...', said Yugi as the four of them already arrived at the field. Anzu was surprised on hearing this but Honda was because he really doesn't know!! (Hahahaha)

'Yeah, Anzu...! I've had ceased having my memories sealed for whatever reasons before...', said Yugi as he noticed Anzu's surprise.

Jyounouchi looked at the card that Yugi threw at him and sure enough, it was Red Eyes Black Dragon. 'Anyway... I won't use either the God Cards or Demios, so you don't have to worry. And that means, you too cannot use your Legendary Dragon card!'

'Shut up already... let's duel!!', shouted Jyounouchi as Anzu and Honda backed away. Yugi smirked. 'Impatient are you?', said Yugi again as he activated his Duel Disk. Jyounouchi did the same.

'DUEL!!!', exclaimed the two of them as Yugi first summoned his Magnet Warrior Beta on the field...

Yugi glanced towards his own monsters on the field, namely the Silent Swordsman and Big Shield Guardian. He thought of his two face-down trap cards and magic card. And he smirked as he looked at his hand cards and knew that on this turn, he would win. He looked up towards Jyounouchi and his friends.

'I could've just walk away and kept everything from them. But then, would it be fair--? To them...', thought Yugi as Jyounouchi urged him to make a move.

'---or to me?'

Instead, Yugi placed his palm on his deck; signalling his decision of surrendering the duel.

'...You've won. You finally defeated me..', said Yugi as he switched off the Duel Disk system. He hung his head low as Jyounouchi on the opposite side, looked at him in shock. Anzu and Honda, who had been at the sidelines, were also surprised. Jyounouchi stared at him in disbelief.

'Yugi... what's with you today? You can't surrender like that easily!!', he spoke harshly as Seto walked towards Yugi's side. (Yeah, he's been hiding somewhere all the time...^_^) Jyounouchi glared at the uninvited observer. 'You asked for a duel... but you hadn't tried your best on playing!! Who do you think I am, Yugi?! Are you looking down on me?!', he cried as Anzu made a disgruntled noise at him.

'Jyounouchi!! Watch your mouth...! You're being so rough--'

'I didn't act so harsh as--'

'Shut up, Jyounouchi!!', growled Kaiba as he wrapped his arm around Yugi's shoulder. He picked some of Yugi's hand cards as he realized that Yugi could have won over Jyou easily. (Well, I'm lazy to describe the duel...) He sighed. 'Hmm... I guess you really care!! In normal events, you could have done better and WON. So, why didn't you just tell them and be done with it?!', he said as Jyounouchi and the gang stared at the two of them with surprise.

'What... were you guys... talking about..?', gasped Jyounouchi in astonishment. Anzu and Honda retained their silence as they had nothing to say about. Yugi let out a sigh.

'I'm not sure whether I should tell them or not, I mean not just about the lie. Anyway... I'll worry about the same...', he said as the two maintained the pose. Minutes passed, and Yugi started to get irritated. Veins started to pop out off the side of his head.

'Seto~~~!!! How long are you gonna keep holding me like this~~~!! Get off me!!!', He cried as Kaiba let go, albeit mischievously. The brunette grinned. 'I thought you never asked!! You were about to collapse with the tension we're getting into and I thought some non-verbal counseling is needed...^_^..'

Yugi felt a muscle twitching at the side of his mouth. Slowly, he took off his bag and weighing it for good measure. 'Counseling, you said?', snarled Yugi as Jyounouchi-tachi froze at hearing his tone of voice. 'That was nonsense!! I'll get you, SETO!!!!', shouted Yugi as he chased Kaiba around the school yard, slapping the taller lad with his bag. 'Baka~~~ BA---KA~~~ ECHI!!! YAOI-MINDED!!', shouted Yugi over and over as Kaiba laughed maniacally.

Jyounouchi, Anzu and Honda was completely dumbfounded as they saw the two running around, even as Bakura Ryou came in to find out what was the commotion about at the first place. Eventually, the two was exhausted with all of the running and slapping and both just collapsed on the grassy field. Jyounouchi and the crowd crept closer towards them, cautiously as the two gasped for breath.

'You guys---', gasped Jyounouchi as Kaiba nodded at them, looking half-drunk. 'Come on... sit 'round 'ere and all. It's a loooong story we need to blurt out!!', he said as he leaned on Yugi's side and saw Ryou. 'Aah... you came at last, Bakura-kun!! Now we can do a lot to convince them that we're not... playin' 'round...'

Anzu, Jyounouchi and Honda looked at Bakura expectantly. 'What... did Kaiba-kun meant..?', asked Anzu as Bakura glowered at Seto. 'You idiot!! I'm not the one who had issues over not revealing the truth to his friends!!', he chimed as Seto made irritable faces, much to the trio's discomfort. He slapped Yugi's hips very hard. 'Oii, tell them!! It's your problem from the beginning... and don't chicken out after you've made a deal with them...', he hissed as Yugi slapped him back. 'You tell them!! I don't know how to start!! And I'm not chickening!! It's just... awkward...', Yugi hissed back as Seto pinched him.

'You should be the one to tell them, ba---ka!! I'm not the one who is going to die of guilt over not telling them the truth!!', Seto countered as Yugi squealed in pain after he pinched his arm. 'That hurt!! You tell them the first part for me... or I tell them your secret!!', Yugi shot back at him as Seto glared at him. He looked at Bakura, Jyounouchi, Anzu and Honda's astounded looks as he gave up the fight. 'Okay... I'll tell them, you idiot. Give me my rod...', said Kaiba in defeat. (Yugi: Gotcha!!)

Yugi rummaged his bag over some books and sennen items he got from Shadi from yesterday's morning until he pulled out the sennen rod. He passed the ancient relic to him. Seto grabbed it nonchalantly and he stared at the three good friends of Yugi. He sighed at the thought that he had easily let Yugi talked himself out in doing this. 'Alright... This will not hurt you guys. Bakura, stay away from them...', said Kaiba as he cast the rod's magic over them.

Anzu, Jyounouchi and Honda blinked in confusion as Kaiba put down the rod away from them. 'What... what did you do to us?!', gasped Honda as Kaiba smirked at them. 'Remember everything now...?', he said as Jyounouchi gave him a strange look. 'Remember what, Kaiba?!', he barked as Kaiba continued smirking. 'Remember anything about going to Egypt with everyone, say, about two years ago..?', he stated blankly as he continued, '..what did you guys do there?', he said as Jyounouchi showed signs of remembering something.

'We went there to help Atemu finish of his unfinished business... There was a ceremonial ritual where Yugi and him had to duel... and the sennen items---', he drawled as Kaiba purposely waved the rod at his face.

'And what about the sennen items---?', taunted Kaiba as realization struck Anzu and Jyounouchi's mind. 'The rod!!', the two exclaimed as Honda, who still hadn't realize anything gaped at them stupidly. '-and how could you still be having it?! They were supposed to be falling into the abyss under the ruins that time!!', exclaimed the two as Kaiba nodded.

'Brilliant!! It makes it easier for me to tell... this rod here, being with me is because of the same thing that these things---', he pointed to Yugi's bag, where a glint of sennen ankh and scale can be seen, '---and that---', he pointed towards the sennen puzzle that was still hanging over Yugi's neck, '--- and that--', pointing at Ryou's sennen ring,'--and the sennen tauk and the eye... is now staring at you guys!!...'

Honda frowned as he finally understood the matter about the visit to Egypt. '...I don't get it--', he cried as the others said the same. Kaiba shrugged. '..It means, that something or someone... had done something to accidentally bring these items back to us and we didn't realized it until recently…', he said sarcastically as he poked Yugi lightly with his rod. 'And the magic... had also seemed to alter our memories, along with the return of the items… not to mention some people's souls... and whose fault is it?', said Kaiba as he turned his attention towards Yugi, while still poking him gently.

Yugi sighed as he looked up towards his friends for the first time since Kaiba started explaining. 'My father... did it.', said Yugi dully as the trio stared at them in disbelief. Kaiba conveniently removed the bottom cover of the rod and poked the sharp end towards Bakura. 'Bakura... continue...!! Second part...', said Kaiba as Bakura sighed.

The trio turned his glance at him in response as Bakura started explaining. 'Yugi's father... if you don't know already, was an archeologist in Egypt. Coincidentally, his field of work happened to be about finding the tomb of the Pharaoh Akunumkanon at the Valley of the Kings. For your info, that pharaoh happens to be your old friend, Atemu's father...', said Bakura.

Jyounouchi, Honda and Anzu opened their mouths wide at this knowledge as Bakura snickered between his hikari and darker selves. 'Funny, when you relate that Yugi was committing himself with Atemu's destiny while his father was researching Atemu's father at the same time... Such the fate for the reincarnate of the nameless pharaoh...', smirked Bakura as Yugi kicked him hard. Yeah, this is the Yami no Bakura speaking...

'That was not funny!!', Yugi seethed between his teethes as Seto waved his rods menacingly at him. Bakura retaliated. 'Okay!! So the story is, he stumbled over a spell in some of the tablets over there that seemed to be a lost excerpt from the ancient Book of the Moon... and started the spell that brought back the sennen items from the darkness...', said Bakura slowly as Seto grumbled irritably, '...along with Heishin for the ride... not to mention the dark Akunadin...' (Seto: Hmm… very melodious!! Bakura: Oh thanks!! I thought you never noticed…)

'And that's what happened...', the albino ended his explanation as Jyounouchi sighed. 'So, what's so hard about telling us about that?', he said as Seto gathered everyone back up to their feet.

He shoved a hand over Yugi's side. 'Your turn... I told them about the memory wipe, Bakura... the sennen accident. You tell them about the real bad news...', he said as Yugi sighed heavily.

'What is it, Yugi?', said Jyounouchi worriedly as Anzu made nervous gestures. Yugi let it out. 'I'm leaving... Malik and the others had left earlier to settle some things before hand, but me... my father, Seto and Ryou will be going to Egypt afterwards to fix these things up. We've already arranged everything...'

Honda sighed in relief. 'That was the bad news? It's okay... we've done it before; we could do it again now. We'll go with you guys!!', he said as Jyounouchi and Anzu nodded in agreement. Seto frowned at them. 'That was the glitch. You guys are NOT going to join us, ka-peesh?. Coz' I won't be bothered to send you guys home after that.... waste of time and money... After this matter was settled, none of us would be returning to Japan anytime sooner. Yugi and Ryou would remain there, and me and Mokuba would go back to America to oversee my KaibaLand project. And I maybe will do something else after that... another project, I guess...', he said as Yugi flashed him a grateful smile for helping him out with the truth.

Jyounouchi stared at Yugi, Kaiba and Ryou in disbelief. 'What--?!!', he gasped as Anzu and Honda were at lost for words...

[TBC]

az: I'm evil....^=^ And boy.... I do very long chapters these days... (No!! this is ultimately the longest I've ever done!!).... ^_^ And I had done some LoTR inserts on the last chapter edition if anyone wanna know. And to anyone who doesn't know about the Eye of Wedjat or the ceremonial ritual, hehe... that was on the final Yugioh manga.... ^=^