Contemplations in the Afterlife 07

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters

Genre: Romance, Angst

Description: Despite his love for Seto Kaiba, the Pharaoh Yami Yugi has decided to move on to the afterlife. Now, he feels regret for his decision, and prays for another chance for him and his beloved to be together.

Pairing: Seto Kaiba x Yami Yugi (Prideshipping)

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

Contemplations in the Afterlife
by: scarlet wax petal

Click here to return to Chapter 6. Click here to see the Table of Contents.

After Yugi Mutou solved the Millennium Puzzle, my soul was released. As I had no body to reside in, I stayed in his. It was through him that I was able to have my first human interactions, my first dealings with twenty-first century civilization. My first taste of civilized human knowledge. When my soul was released, I came to learn from the contents of his mind. I learned the various aspects of Japanese culture (since Yugi is a Japanese boy), including the language. I learned how to operate the technology of his world. Most importantly, I learned the rules of the card duels. The spirit of friendship. The Heart of the Cards.

I owed this all to the man whom I had saved from the darkness back then, when I was still trapped in nothingness. The man's name is Sugoroku, and he is Yugi Mutou's grandfather. Apparently, the nothingness that I had been experiencing was the insides of a cold dark tomb hidden somewhere in the sands of the Sahara Desert. It was a tomb unseen by human eyes for thousands of years, until Sugoroku, an archeologist, managed to get past its many traps and find the secret that lay within. One of his companions, a greedy treasure hunter, had tried to kill him using a gun, causing him to almost fall into the dark bottomless pit from which I saved him. It seemed that his companions had either left, gotten lost, or died, as Sugoroku found himself alone afterwards.

Sugoroku took home the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle. It was later solved by his grandson Yugi. Since then, I have been thankful, for I finally learned how it was like to be truly alive.

Chapter 7: Before the Duel

By the time the painful experience had finally passed, Yugi's arms were clinging tightly around my waist, his face pressed hard upon my chest. The task of empathizing with me in my difficult experiences as a spirit of the Puzzle must have been hard for him to bear. Still, I was amazed at his endurance; when we were there, he never seemed to feel that he wanted to quit. And neither did I, amazingly; it must have been the fact that we had been holding hands from start till end that made it much easier. Before, when I relived this experience (against my will), I would force myself into unconsciousness, just so I wouldn't have to go through it again. Now, everything had been easier.

After all, we were in this together. I smiled, silently thanking my hikari for sharing in my pain and my burden.

"We are back, aibou," I whispered, as I gently coaxed his arms from me. "There is no more to fear."

Yugi slowly lifted his face from my chest. I could see his eyes glistening. He cautiously looked around and, when he seemed assured that there was no more danger, let out a sigh of relief. Then he looked up at me, his eyes brimming with tears, silently asking for reassurance. I tried to hush him with a gentle embrace.

"Is that why..." he asked in a shaky voice, "you wanted so much to recover your memories? And go on to the afterlife?"

"Yes, aibou," I said. "I fear that the time may come when I would be left alone, with no way to escape... I do not wish that to happen again."

"I also wish it won't, Yami Yugi. It must have been terrible, so terrible!" He placed his face upon my shoulder and began to sob. I caressed his head, trying to comfort him. "If there was a way I could help," he continued, "then I would do it. And I would do my best!" He pulled away from my shoulder and looked at me straight in the eye. "Let me duel against you, Yami Yugi!"

I was startled by his request, but when I saw the determination in those teary eyes, I couldn't help but smile. I nodded in response. "And I promise it shall be a real duel," I assured him. "I will not be holding back; I will be doing my best, even if I desire for you to win." Slowly, I straightened up. "Then it's about time I go back," I said. "Kaiba and the others must be worried by now."

Kaiba... I felt something inside me stir when I thought about him. Furthermore, I realized that I had mentioned his name instead of what I usually did: mentioning Jou or Anzu or Honda. Yugi must have noticed the slip; he managed an impish smile, and teasingly asked: "So, would you tell Kaiba about how you truly feel for him?"

I was taken aback for a moment, kept glued to where I was. I had been thinking about it the past few days, but I have yet to arrive at an answer. I looked at my hikari; his eyes were eager for my reply. So, I heaved a sigh, closed my eyes and pondered right there. And I knew what I would have to do...

Slowly, I shook my head and mouthed "no." A look of disappointment crossed Yugi's face and, almost yelling, he asked: "Well, why not? This might be your last chance, Yami Yugi. You might as well take it! Tell him how you truly feel!"

"Right now, Kaiba regards me very well, aibou," I said in reply, "and I wish him to regard me well until the end of his life. If I told him I love him, and he comes to resent it, then he would be resenting me until the end of his life -- perhaps, even beyond. I would have no chance to make it up to him, and I'll just come to regret my decision for eternity."

"But Yami Yugi--"

"This time, aibou, I'm not taking any risks. I've already made up my mind."

"You believe in destiny, don't you?"

"What do you mean by that? Well, yes, I do."

"The prophecy of the stone tablet, remember? You and Kaiba are destined to have a future together!"

I smiled. Yugi certainly has a way of seeing things. He's so innocent, so optimistic... "Against each other, you mean," I said in response. "The prophecy of the stone tablet is a prophecy of battle -- a prophecy that has been resolved for some time now. Furthermore, a three-thousand-year-old spirit has no future with a live young man. Spirits have to go to the afterlife once their bodies die and once their missions have been fulfilled. That is the course of nature and destiny."

"Yami Yugi--"

"I have to go," I told him in a firmer voice. "Prepare yourself for the upcoming duel." With that, I went back to the physical world.

I awoke to a strong unpleasant odor beneath my nose. Abruptly, I turned away from the irritating smell.

"Good, he's come to," said a deep masculine voice that made my heart beat faster. "Finally..."

I turned towards the sound. It was Kaiba! He was looking down upon me, examining my face, making sure that I was alright (or so it seemed). And Kaiba's face was mere inches from mine; I could feel his breath, hot and forced, upon my lips. Mustering my willpower, I resisted the urge to pull him closer.

He promptly stood up (much to my disappointment), projecting the same cool confidence that he always had. Anzu, Jou and Honda quickly rushed to my side, uttering frantic "Are you alright?"s and "Thank God you're okay now, Yami Yugi.."s. From behind them, I thought I saw Seto Kaiba's facial expression turn tender, seemingly relieved, for a moment. Was I just seeing things? Or was it for real? I wasn't certain...

Promptly, his face turned back into the seriousness that he always sported. He then playfully bounced a red-and-white pack in his other hand. "Be thankful I have this with me, Yami Yugi, or you might have ended up sniffing the mutt's stinky feet. That would have been nastier, don't you think?" he said with a smirk.

"Why you son of a bitch..." Jou loudly muttered, glaring coldly at Kaiba.

"Correction, mutt. You're the son of a bitch, mutt," Kaiba said in response, putting emphasis on the last two words.

Jou was about to lunge at Kaiba when Anzu went between them and intervened. "Alright, that's enough! We've had enough worries for the day, sheesh."

"Yeah, you've got us really worried, Yami Yugi," said Honda. "What's up with the blackout?"

I sat up, noticing that my feet were resting atop of a pile of blankets. The upper part of my clothing had also been loosened. "Nothing much, really," I replied with a smile. "I must have been tired."

"You sure took a long time to go back," said Anzu.

"Well, thank you for tending to me, my friends... and Kaiba, thank you, too..." I gently said.

Kaiba crossed his arms and looked away. "You ought to have your pals here trained in first aid. Seriously, they were in panic and at a loss a while ago. You really had... everyone worried..." he said, his voice trailing and becoming a little softer at the last few words. I regarded him carefully. I saw him pull a handkerchief from his pocket and -- even with his face looking away -- I was sure I saw him quickly wipe his brow. Had it been so warm? Or was Seto Kaiba so concerned about my condition? (Damn it, I should stop thinking about these questions!) Then again, he had always been concerned; he just never talked about it. But it always showed, as it did now.

"But don't think I was anxious for your sake," he continued, as he let out his trademark chuckle. "The sooner you woke up, the sooner we duel, the sooner I get to defeat you." He took his deck of cards from his pocket. "So now you're awake, let's duel!" he said, as he turned to me, his stance poised fiercely for battle.

"You're always such a jerk, Kaiba," Jou exclaimed, as he lept in front of Kaiba. "Why do you think you would be able defeat Yami Yugi?"

Kaiba smirked. " 'cause I'm good, that's why. And this isn't the business of any mutt. This is between just me and Yami Yugi, so step out of the way."

"Why you..." Jou's fist went for Kaiba's face. The taller duelist coolly stepped out of the way, causing Jou to stumble to the ground.

I stood up and regarded Kaiba. "Sorry, Kaiba, but you're not dueling against me this time."

Kaiba's eyes widened in surprise and fury. "What did you say?" he yelled.

"I've made a promise," I said, "to my other self. He would duel against me."

"Against that shrimp?" he interjected angrily, as he punched a nearby wall with his fist. "Damn it, Yami Yugi! There's no way that kid could possibly beat you! Only I deserve to battle against you! Only I have the capability to defeat you!"

Kaiba was starting to get into my nerves. As he always did. I mustered authority in my voice, but maintained my calm. "That shrimp can and will beat me, Kaiba."

He smirked. "So, you're just gonna give the victory to him? I have regarded you better than that, Yami Yugi. But it seems I have overestimated you."

"You ought to know that whatever the situation, I always do my best," I stated in reply. "And I won't be holding back any punches."

Kaiba crossed his arms and glared at me for a long tense moment. I felt my heart beat faster and my breathing tighten with each second, but I managed to glare back. I was determined to let my hikari duel against me; after all, I had made my promise. Finally, Kaiba looked away, a disappointed grunt escaping his throat. "Fine, have it your way," he said, as he re-pocketed his deck. He rested his back against the wall and proudly crossed his arms. "I'll just be here in case you need someone to beat you." Jou looked at Kaiba and stuck his tongue out, away from the other man's sight.

Thank you, Kaiba, I mouthed. I placed my hands on the Millennium Puzzle. It glowed, and I felt my soul taken from my hikari's body.

Now, I stood before Yugi.

"Thanks to your vessel," said Shadi, "you are able to perform physical feats even outside a body. It would be easier now since you have recovered your memories."

I nodded at my hikari. He nodded back, a look of fierce determination in his eyes.

We shuffled each other's decks, then placed our own decks into our duel disks. We moved away from each other, keeping a good distance for the duel to occur. The atmosphere in the room became more tense by the second, as Yugi and I took our places. Nobody spoke. Everyone held their breaths. This was the duel of destiny.

Hopefully, this would be my last.

"Duel!"

(to be continued)

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