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YD: I decided to update early since I don't want the wrath of my reviews coming down on me… don't hurt me… I cherish you all.
HS: Shut up and start the chapter!
YD: Hah… don't own Yuugiou. Don't hurt me.
Chapter 14, Falling Mask
Yuugi opened his eyes frightfully, half expecting to see Yami hovering over him again. He breathed uneasily, seeing demonic red eyes everywhere he turned. Yami was right; Yuugi would never escape the darkness. He could not escape his shadow.
"Yuugi, what happened?" Ryou's panicked voice cut through Yuugi's thoughts, bringing him back to the present.
"I'm fine, just…" Yuugi gasped. "Ryou, I'm not fine! I—" Yuugi's soul was pulled back and he left his friends wide-eyed and staring.
"It's Yami. No one else can affect him like that."
"If Yami is here then our Darks can't be very far away." Malik pointed out. Ryou sighed.
"We can't run away anymore. It's time to face our shadow. Only then can we ever be free." Ryou and Malik shook hands. "It's been nice know you, Malik."
"Good luck to you, Ry." They nodded and retreated into their respective soul rooms.
"Hello, Bakura."
"Are you trying to run away again?"
"What do you think?" Ryou shot back. He paused. "Oh, nevermind. You don't think, do you?" Those eyes narrowed but Bakura otherwise had to reaction to the jibe.
"Where are you going?"
"Nowhere you would need to know." Bakura stood impatiently.
"From this point on, you're just an annoyance."
"So I haven't been already? That's news to me."
"What makes you think you can talk that way to me?"
"I gave you life."
"No, I'm the one who gave you life. You were nothing until I came along."
"You were locked away until I came along."
Bakura said nothing. Ryou silently gloated over his small victory.
"I tire of this game. You cannot escape me, hikari."
"Once I am rid of you, I can be free." Bakura smirked.
"Don't you get it? You'll never be free." The Thief backhanded Ryou so hard that the Light fell to the floor in agony. Dizzily, Ryou pressed his forehead to the cold floor. "I gave you the chance to come back in one piece. Now, you're just an annoyance." Ryou turned and glared up at his Dark. Shakily, he got to his feet.
"I'm through being weak." Ryou lunged at his Dark angrily. Bakura jumped out of the way. The Light rolled on the floor out of the way of several flying daggers.
Minutes later, Bakura held Ryou against the wall by the throat. Ryou clawed at the Thief's hands, trying to break free to steal a breath.
"This just proves I'm superior, although I did already know that."
"B-bastard, I hate you!" Bakura's grip loosened.
"What?"
"I hate you!" Ryou slipped out of Bakura's slackened grip and found one of his daggers. He blindly threw it in Bakura's general directions. It buried itself hilt-deep right next to Bakura with a sickening thud. Ryou gasped at what he almost did. After everything that had ever happened, he still cared.
Across from him, Bakura sank to the ground. Ryou collapsed as well. Both were exhausted. The first person to stand would be the ultimate victor and the other would be at the mercy of him. Someone just needed to stand.
Bakura refused. A part of him wanted to rip, tear, and kill his hikari until there was nothing left. Another part wanted nothing more than his Light's forgiveness.
"Ryou… I'm sorry, for everything." Bakura curled up and finally let his emotions break through the barrier he put up millenniums ago.
"Bakura, after everything that's happened to me because of you, I still care. I don't want to care anymore. I want the pain to stop."
Slowly, Ryou stood. Bakura closed his eyes, remembering the one remaining on the floor would be at the mercy of the other.
"Open you eyes." Bakura obeyed the voice. He saw the blank, cheerless eyes of his Light. "Game over, Bakura. You have to let go now."
And Bakura let his Light go… but he didn't want to… Silent tears fell from the dark eyes of the ex-tomb robber as Ryou turned to leave.
Ryou was all too aware of the hurt soul behind him. The Light slowly walked up to the door and pulled the handle. Nothing. The door was jammed. The two were stuck in Ryou's soul room.
"Hello, Malik." Crimson-streaked violet shined in the darkness. Marik snapped his fingers sharply. Immediately, the soul room door slammed shut with a resounding thud. Malik suddenly felt quite small, like a mouse about to be pounced on.
"Marik," Malik hissed, "what do you want from me?"
A sigh escaped the lips of Malik's Dark. "I want you Light to shine in the Darkness of my life again."
"I… I don't know what to say." Marik looked down. As much as it surprised him to note, Malik knew it was the first time he ever saw his Dark so… vulnerable. And it scared him. Slowly, Malik backed away from his Dark.
"I know you don't trust me. But I really want you back. I… don't want to go back to the darkness." Malik pressed himself against his soul room door. Just one motion and he would be free. "You can leave, if you really want to. I'm tired of holding you back. If you want to go, I won't stop you anymore."
"Marik…" Against his will to survive, Malik stepped forward and embraced his Dark. It was a stupid thing to do but Marik surprised him again by hugging back as if his life depended on it. Technically, his life did depend on his hikari. If Malik left, Marik would have nothing tying him to sanity and would fall back in the darkness of the Shadow Realm that was still plaguing him.
"I don't want to be alone anymore."
"I'm sorry, Marik. You should've realized that when you still had me around." Malik pushed his other away harshly. "But now I have my own life. And guess what? You're not part of it."
"Hikari…"
"It's too late for apologies, much too late. You lost your chance years ago." Without looking back at Marik's broken look, Malik fled his soul room as quickly as he could. His hand hovered over the door handle.
Malik fell backwards as Marik grabbed him. Never again! No more! Without a thought to Malik's hate-filled protests, Marik dragged him screaming back into the darkness.
Malik gasped hoarsely. "I know you don't trust me." Marik's words rang in his ears, preventing him from leaving his soul room. He bit back a scream of frustration that came out as a growl. The Light turned back towards Marik.
His Dark was watching him silently, sadly. Hatred glowed in Malik's pale-violet eyes. "How can I trust you? After everything you've done to me, how can I trust you?" Malik's words echoed throughout the entire room. Marik bowed his head once again.
"I realized that I haven't been the best person in the world, but I know you can help me."
"If I help you, do you know what will happen right after?" Marik stayed silent. "I'll fall right back into darkness, just like before. After you use me for your own purpose, you'll just abuse again."
"Malik, I give you my word that I will never lay a hand on you without your consent."
"Your word means nothing to me!" Marik bowed his head once again.
"I know that I have acted like a right jerk but I can change. I know I can."
"No." As soon as the word left his mouth, Marik stance changed. He went from stubbornly sad to absolutely devastated. Malik turned his back on his Dark and sighed heavily. The Egyptian walked up to the door, acutely aware of the depressed look Marik was giving him.
Malik tried the door handle. It stuck fast. NO! Malik pulled harder, trying desperately to get out. This had never happened before! Fear welled up inside him. What to do now?
Soon Yuugi was pressed against the wall and nothing but air separated him from his Darkness. Tentatively, Yami stretched out a hand to touch his trembling hikari. Yuugi slapped the hand away before he could touch him.
Crimson eyes grew sad as they looked upon the form of the terrified yet hating hikari. Yami sighed and stepped back, allowing Yuugi to breathe a little easier. The darkness in the room cleared, allowing the two to see each other.
Yami had a look of remorse and disappointment. Yuugi just looked wary and untrusting. Neither wanted to take their eyes of the other. For a long time, the two just watched each other, unmoving.
Then Yami spoke, voice hollow, "I want you to come back to me, Yuugi." His Light said nothing. "I need you in my life."
"To hurt," Yuugi replied plainly.
"I need your Light… please,"
"To use is to abuse, you've proven it."
"What can I do to regain your trust?" Yami pleaded. Yuugi's eyes hardened.
"By getting out of my life and staying out," he hissed harshly. Yami winced and said nothing. "Why should I trust you? You have given me nothing but hurt and more hurt."
"Darkness cannot exist without the Light and Light cannot shine without the Darkness." Yami said softly.
"What light? You killed that too!" Yami faltered and took a step back. Their positions were now switched. Yuugi was slowly advancing with hate in his eyes. Yami's were filled with nothing but sincere regret and self-hatred.
"Yuugi… aibou… please…"
"I'm not your partner." Yuugi snarled, eyes deadly. "You've done nothing to deserve my trust. Why should I go back with you? Do you realize what you're asking of me?"
"Please find it in your heart to forgive me! I can change!"
"You did change… The first time I saw you, I was terrified. But I blindly trusted you. Duelist Kingdom, the Orichalcos, both times you were so close to losing and took a disastrous chance. You almost sacrificed Kaiba and yourself. Both times, I saved you. I was so naïve, believing you could actually help me."
"I'm sorry." Yami lifted his hand and a dagger sparkled. Yuugi's eyes narrowed.
"Are you going to kill me now?" Yami threw the dagger at his Light's feet. It was the same Yuugi used to cut himself over and over again.
"No. I will never hurt you again."
"I may not be able to escape my shadow but when the Light goes out, the Shadow disappear and Darkness reigns unchallenged. Without you, I'll be free to live."
"But the Darkness will consume you!" Fear crept into his voice steadily.
"A small price to pay for getting rid of you," Yuugi's eyes flickered between innocent amethyst and murderous ruby. The Darkness inside him was taking control.
"Yuugi… you can't… please, don't do this. Come back to the Light. Come back to me!"
"Too late." The crimson won out and Yuugi raised his weapon, ready to strike.
"Yuugi, I know you're still in there. Please come back to me. I need you." Silent tears dripped from Yami's glassy eyes.
Fate cried out in joy. Yami had given her a plea for help, exactly the thing she was looking for to save the Balance. Quickly, she sent a purple spark down the lifeline of Yuugi.
The knife dropped from his hand. Yuugi sank to floor, clutching his head in pain. The memories of his past were clawing at him. Images flashed through his mind. The Puzzle reappeared around his neck, completed. Yami tried to reach his hikari but failed. Both stopped struggling and let the soothing black consume them, casting both into the calming land of sleep.
Chaos shrugged indifferently as her sister danced joyously. So Fate had saved the Balance. Big deal.
With each pair of Light and Dark trapped, Fate could easily bring peace to the Balance and stop it from tipping so precariously. It would take some time for the youngest Light to regain complete trust in his Dark. It was unlikely that he would ever regain a speck of trust. But Fate was determined. Even if she was removed from her place, she would bring peace to the Balance.
All three Darks had shed tears of remorse. When the Lights saw, they would've completed step one of the plan. The barriers that the Darks had put up had fallen. Their mask covering their feelings had faded away.
Fate waved her hand and the six teens started falling… falling… falling… In order to get out, they would to help each other.
Step two was now in motion. Everything was going as planned.
To Be Continued
YD: I'm making this much more complicated that I originally planned. But I don't want to end the story! Besides, I'm having too much fun writing this! I don't want to stop.
HS: I might even make this pass the 20 chapter mark. Cool!
YD: I'm also going to start a Holiday story or stories. Till then, ja!
