Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Shadowing Glory ❯ Optimism Degeneration ( Chapter 3 )

Shadowing Glory

'Thought'

"Spoken"

Reality (Normal Realm)

Fantasy (Card Realm)

~Dream~

[Shadow Realm]

/Yugi's voice in his head/

//Yami's voice in Yugi's head//

A/N: Ignore any of the following: - lack of clarity, O.O.C.ness and severe weirdness.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------

Part 3 - Optimism Degeneration

P.E. was never Yugi's favourite of lessons. After all, he often found himself at a disadvantage with his small height and petit figure, and his serene, peaceful nature was rather contrasted to some of the other more violent, destructive ones of the other students, rounding it all up as a big shortcoming. But even for him he was doing badly.

Today it had been decided for a mixed team game of hockey out on the playing fields, and Yugi was looking particularly bad.

"He looks like he'll fall down dead any minute now," Joey had whispered with concern to Tristan and Téa as they took up their wooden hockey sticks into their grasps and walked over to the teacher, staring at the lagging, pale, rather fatigued-looking figure slowly making his way behind them, consciously distanced from them all.

"………" was the only thing that came to mind for them, and all they could do was hope that the excitement and participation of the game would awaken their delicate friend.

Yugi silently stopped behind them, and they all turned round and melancholically grimaced when they watched his beautifully sorrowful violet eyes blink pleadingly at them.

'Why do they have to look at me that way?' he questioned himself as he dropped his head and looked at the floor momentarily, afterwards lifting his head up again. " I… feel cold," he muttered as he stared up, off into the distance, 'I feel really, really cold…'

The three friends turned to one another and glared questioningly. What were they meant to do? How were they meant to react? He looked so ill and seemingly submerged in a trance, they all felt so… hopeless. Yugi quickly snapped out of it and turned to face them, weakly smiling. "Sorry," he said, his voice filled with embarrassment.

"No prob, Yug, " Joey replied, rather confusedly.

"Well?" interrupted the P.E. teacher, huffily, "hurry up, get your bibs on and get out onto the pitch. We have a game to get started."

* * * * * *

"Why… did this all happen?" the Celtic Guardian murmured as he slumped to his knees and sighed, resting upon his down-turned sword.

The Mystic Elf clenched her intertwined fingers gently against her chest and stared up at the ever-growing darkness that had just swallowed the Summoned Skull whole, and was pulling the Curse of Dragon in. She then turned to the Dark Magician.

"It just swallows up anything and everything that comes into its path… in a matter of time all of this place and every monster here will soon join what it has already claimed," he spoke, in open thought, "unless we do something, and rather quickly."

Both he and the Celtic Guardian looked at the Mystic Elf, whom had now dropped her head upon her clenched, delicate hands. "Please understand," she said, "I'm trying my hardest, but," she looked up at them quickly, then dropped her gaze once again, "so far it looks hopeless. There doesn't seem to be any answers, and increasingly so the more I try…"

It was the last thing they all wanted to hear, but it had to be said.

Silence ensued.

"… It doesn't meant that we shall stop trying though," the Dark Magician began in response, "…if there's the slightest chance that we can do something, we will do something."

They all looked away as the last of the Curse of Dragon disappeared just as the Summoned Skull had.

"Time's not on our side… c'mon! What are we waiting for? We can't sit around anymore!" the Celtic Guardian rose to his feet and began walking towards the research area, rather hurriedly.

"He's feeling desperate,"

"We all are, are we not?"

The Dark Magician quickly pursued his companion, leaving the Mystic Elf out on her own. She quickly collected up her thoughts then followed the same path as the others.

* * * * * *

"Yes-a! We sure showed your butts!" Joey exclaimed, doing his victory dance with his hockey stick flailing wildly in the air.

Yugi laughed, pulling a face at Téa and Tristan mockingly. Both sighed as they attempted to avoid Joey's flying stick and ignored the mocking on their behalf, as they headed off of the field to put their sticks away and get changed.

"So are we all up for the cinema tonight, everyone?" Téa inquired.

"Sure,"

"Uh-huh."

"I …cant," Yugi said as he twiddled the hockey stick round in his palms, "I have to look after the shop tonight," he sighed, then added, " Sorry guys."

"That sucks..." Joey moaned, kicking up the dirt.

They all continued to drag along, hushed, until Téa made a suggestion. "Hmm… why not have Yami come then? It'll be something nice for him to do," she quickly glanced at Yugi, "unless you object to it?"

"No, I don't object…"

"Well then?"

Yugi sighed, and then looked up at the blue sky. "Give me a minute, I'll ask him…"

/ Yami…? /

// I heard. Thought we were gonna look after the shop together? //

/ I don't wanna leave you out of the fun. You should try it. /

// … How can I leave you? //

/ I can cope, no problem. It'll be fun for you, really. And you can work on your social life. /

// Ha, ha. Real funny. //

/ You gonna then? /

// …Okay… //

"He said 'okay, guys." Yugi informed the others, and folded his arms tightly across his chest, "You'll make sure he has a good time right?"

"Of course,"

"That's good to know…" he stared off, 'So very good…'

* * * * * *

School had been over for quite some time, and Yugi had been alone in the shop for a couple of hours. It had given him time to think… the only problem being his thought trail was fixed upon his Yami. His Yami. He narrowed his unusually dim violet eyes and collapsed over the counter, resting his chin upon his folded arms as he slumped forward and let out a yawn. Soon enough, he began to struggle to keep his eyelids open. They felt so heavy…

~Yet again he found himself in the foggy nastiness, but this time the shadowed Yami was waiting for him. He smirked evilly as he lifted him up by the neck, choking him. Yugi struggled and squirmed as he began to cough and breathe increasingly sparsely. The smirk then disappeared off of the darkened face and changed into a frowning scowl as he threw the youth, causing his back to bounce a couple of times against the floor before his head finally hit it.

Before he could make any further movement, darkness began wrapping tightly round his small figure until it hurt. It still continued to slither higher and higher up his body as the dark Yami strolled closer to him, paralysing him indefinitely.

Yami bent down next to him, and cupped a hand viciously round Yugi's young tender face whilst the darkness squeezed him so tightly he was slowly beginning to suffocate.

He couldn't even cry out for help, all he could do was try to stay alive and let the small crystalline tears continue to roll down his reddened cheeks, onto the cold hand holding him still…~

To Be Continued…