[fic] Coming Forth by Sundown, Chapter 04 - Yugioh, drama/romance, PG-13
Title: Coming Forth by Sundown
Author: Chey (duelist_gurl163)
Chapter: 4/13
Overall rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama/romance
Parings: YamixYugi, JouxMai, and references to YugixAnzu and YamixAnzu
Archive: You're lookin' at it
Warnings: None
Spoilers: Post-series, so many spoilers, including Yami's real name.
Summary: His was a story that ended in light. At the time, nobody realized that ending one story would only cause the beginning of another.
Disclaimer: Yugioh's still not mine.
01 - 02 - 03
---
“Throughout the day, many cities have reported extremely odd behaviors of the residents, ranging from sudden over-friendliness to extreme violent attacks. At least four deaths have been confirmed from such attacks. Gas lines are being checked for leaks and chemical plants have been put under supervision. We are asking everyone to remain calm. You are advised to stay close to home and if you encounter people exhibiting unnatural behavior, do not confront them, call your local police station or this hotline number…”
Jounouchi picked up the remote and put the television on mute. Having exhausted their discussion of the prophesy, they had decided to eat and check the news for any reports that might indicate evil spirits were around. Marik was translating the Arabic for them.
“Looks like those demons have been busy. That man in Domino, people here…this is probably happening all over the world.”
“But you heard the guy, over-friendliness is an effect too.” Anzu pointed out. “Maybe not all the souls that are coming up here are evil. It’s entirely possible that good spirits have come as well, and were forced to possess people. Maybe they’re trying to be nice to make up for what the bad ones are doing. Look at Atemu. Sure, so he at least didn’t have to possess anyone, but he’s probably here because the opening of the underworld made it easier, and he’s not an evil spirit.”
“She’s right.” Yugi agreed. “Good spirits might have come and possessed people too. So if we find a way to make the spirits stop, we’ve got to be careful that we don’t hurt the good ones.”
“Why?” Jounouchi wanted to know. “They’re still possessing people, that’s wrong!”
“What if they didn’t have a choice?” Yugi demanded, touchy on this subject. “Just because Atemu didn’t have any choice but to possess me when I solved the puzzle, that didn’t make him evil, did it?”
“Well…no…but we don’t even know how to get rid of the evil ones, so how do we save the good guys on top of that?”
Everyone shrugged.
Atemu sat, chin in his hand, glumly watching the silent pictures on the TV set. He hadn’t said anything for the last half hour. But now he lifted his head and said, “What happens if we can’t fix this before the Bon Festival ends?”
Everyone shifted nervously. “Well…in legend, the underworld opens up during Obon,” Honda finally said. “It’s supposed to close afterward. So…if it closes…that might mean the spirits will go back on their own.”
“Or it might mean it’ll be even harder to make them go back,” Marik said. “And right now we really should plan for the worst. Let’s assume that when Obon ends, the job becomes even more difficult.”
Yugi glanced at the clock and did some quick math. “It’s already one-thirty in the morning in Japan. We have less than forty-eight hours.”
Another layer of gloom settled over them. Finding a way to make the spirits go back at all was looking like an impossible task. To figure out how to do it within the next two days was even worse.
“Hey, Atemu…if we can’t get the spirits to leave…does that mean you’re stuck here too?” Jounouchi suddenly asked. “I mean, theoretically, it was the opening of the spirit world that made you appear, right? Well, if it closes and the other spirits can’t go back, then what does that mean for you?”
Atemu looked thoughtful. “I hadn’t thought of that…I suppose it’s true.” No one said anything in reply to that. He straightened up, suddenly realizing what they were thinking. “You guys, I don’t want to stay here if some type of evil magic is what’s keeping things that way. I’ve missed you all, but this isn’t my world, and I would never take advantage of something like this for that reason.”
“You’re right.” Jounouchi agreed.
“I knew you’d say something like that.” Yugi said with a smile.
Anzu was still silent, seemingly lost in thought. “Anzu? You’ve been awfully quiet today, are you okay?” Yugi asked.
She looked up. “Eh…yes, I’m fine. Just…thinking about a lot.” I know this isn’t the time…
“You’re sure you’re alright?”
“I am, really. I just…” She paused and then said, very quietly, “Atemu…could I talk to you?”
“Sure.” He replied, looking puzzled.
“Outside?”
“Of course.”
“Don’t go too far, guys.” Mai pointed to the TV, where video was streaming from one of the murder scenes.
“We won’t.” Anzu said as Atemu stood up and followed her out of the room. A few minutes after they left, Mai wondered aloud,
“Wonder what that was all about.”
“I think I know.” Yugi murmured.
“About Atemu staying?” Jounouchi asked.
“More like his resurrection in general. She’s been acting cagey ever since I told her he was back. She fell in love with him a long time ago, and she never told him how she felt before he left. Seeing him again might have awoken that want to tell him, and she probably feels guilty about it.”
“Talk about confusing.” Mai mused. “In love with someone that’s dead.”
“It could be worse.” Said Jounouchi, with a sideways glance at Yugi. “Yugi, aren’t you jealous at all?”
“Huh?” Yugi asked guardedly, giving him a look.
Jounouchi obviously saw the warning look, but barreled on anyway, “You’ve got a crush on Anzu. Weren’t you ever jealous that it was Atemu she liked and not you? Even just a little bit?”
“I suppose.” Yugi admitted. “It seemed a little unfair at first. But I tried not to think about it. Given the choice between me and him, I can’t blame her. I’m nowhere near as cool.” Besides…that old crush is long gone. If I’m jealous of anyone, it’s of her. She’s not afraid to tell him her feelings.
“Oh c’mon, don’t say that.” Honda said. “You’re cool.”
“But not in the way he is. And anyway, I’m not going to hold it against Atemu, alright? It wasn’t his fault. All he did was save her life, and she chose to feel however she felt about him. It’s not like he made her fall in love with him. Atemu doesn’t even feel the same way about Anzu as she feels about him.”
“How do you know?”
“He was my other self! Do you think we never talked about anything?”
“Yeah, about card games and Egypt and stuff like that. I didn’t know you discussed girls too. I mean, I didn’t think you discussed…everyday stuff.”
Yugi frowned. “We discussed whatever we felt like. Now drop it, alright?”
Jounouchi, seeing his expression, wisely stopped talking this time.
- - -
“So…what did you want to talk about?” Atemu asked. They were sitting outside Marik’s house on the front step.
Anzu hesitated. She wasn’t sure where to start. It seemed so pointless, her own worries and feelings, when the world was in danger of being taken over by all the criminals of the underworld, and while Atemu clearly had much larger concerns. She felt so small and insignificant. It was times like these that the smallest personal feelings always reared their heads. And that fact that all along a small part of her mind thought that she’d made a mistake to never tell him before. She’d always thought to herself that if she could go back and do it over, she would tell him. And now here was her chance…and she just had to know. However, finding the right words…that was beyond difficult.
After several long moments, during which Atemu remained silent as he waited, she said, “do you remember that day in Burger World? When that escaped prisoner took me hostage, and you beat him in a Penalty Game?”
He nodded. “Yes, I remember.”
“At the time…I didn’t know who it was that had saved me. It wasn’t till much later that I found out it was Yugi’s “other self”. But you know, Atemu…I fell in love with the person that saved me.”
Atemu blinked, but said nothing.
“For the longest time I was obsessed with trying to figure out who it had been, trying to figure out whose voice matched the one I’d heard. And once I found out it was Yugi’s other self…”
“It must have been uncomfortable.”
“To say the least.” She laughed. “I did some stupid things after that…like that day at the park. I invited Yugi out in hopes of seeing you, and ended up hurting the both of you. It was cruel of me…and I regret it.”
Atemu inclined his head. “It’s alright Anzu. It’s in the past now, and you’re sorry. People make mistakes sometimes. Neither I nor Yugi hold a grudge about it.”
“Thank you.” She paused. “I didn’t want you to leave, during the Ceremonial Battle. I knew your spirit had a place to go back to, I knew you were only a soul here on Earth by the help of someone else and eventually you’d have to leave…but I never wanted to admit it. Everyone had been saying that there was no one who could beat you, but Yugi was so determined to fight you…a small part of me wanted to believe what the others were saying; that no matter what, you would win. Do you think that was wrong? It sounds selfish.”
He shook his head. “No, Anzu, I don’t think it was wrong. People can’t always help the way they feel. I’ve hoped for things before that…I shouldn’t have hoped for. But my heart still had that hope, however much I knew it wasn’t right.” He smiled at her slightly. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
She nodded, and then began again, this time hesitantly, “Atemu…you don’t have to answer this, but do you ever regret losing that duel, or did you plan to? I mean, did you go into it intending to lose?”
He shook his head again. “Anzu, I went into it intending to fight my very hardest to win. To throw it would have been an insult to myself and, even more, to Aib…Yugi. I owed him my very best, otherwise how else would he ever reach his full potential? But I knew from the start that Yugi would win. So, in a way, I guess I was planning to lose.”
“How did you know he’d win?” She asked, curious. “I mean, Yugi’s a great duelist, but…he didn’t have nearly the experience-”
“I just knew.” He looked away. “That day that Yugi and Jounouchi were forced to fight under Marik’s control…after Yugi survived that, and I saw how he saved Jounouchi…that was the moment I knew that one day he’d surpass me. I knew…that Yugi had strength beyond anything I had. And I realized that Yugi will always be stronger without me. So, when the Ceremonial Battle came around, I could just tell…that was going to be it. But I don’t regret my loss for a second. I lost because it was supposed to be that way. Yugi was sending me a message, don’t you remember Ishizu telling you? A revived soul can’t stay forever here on Earth. Yugi was telling me…he was going to be okay without me, and it was my time to go.” He closed his eyes, but not before Anzu saw wetness in them.
Surprised at the sign of emotion, she thought about asking if he was okay, but then realized he didn’t want her to see the tears. She carefully looked away.
“Anzu…you said that you fell in love with the person that saved you,” Atemu began anew, his eyes clear when he re-opened them.
She nodded. “Yes, I…I did.”
He was silent, watching her as if waiting for something. She swallowed. “Atemu…I still have those feelings for that person. For…for you. I’ve always loved you. And I know this is a terrible time, but I’ve always regretted not telling you…and I thought…I just need to know.”
His eyes seemed deep with understanding, but he shook his head. “I’m sorry, Anzu.” His voice was soft, apologetic. “I don’t…”
Deep down, she’d known this answer was coming. “I understand.”
“I never wanted…you know that I wouldn’t want to cause you pain.” He sighed heavily. “And I know…you’re so kind, you’ll tell me it’s okay and you’ll really mean it, but…I know how much unrequited love hurts, so I know you’re not really okay. I’m truly sorry.”
In the midst of the sadness from the inevitable let down, she felt a hint of confusion. “You’ve…felt unrequited love? For someone from this world? Or from Egypt?”
Atemu looked over at her, suddenly regretting what he’d let slip. He considered not answering, but she had just been so open with him and deserved an answer. Choosing his words carefully, he replied, “There is someone…in this world…who means a great deal to me. More…than any other person ever could. However I expect nothing in return, and have no plans to tell them. I don’t want them to know, it would only cause trouble. This isn’t my world.”
She nodded, curious, but didn’t ask for any elaboration.
“I hope…you’ll forgive me.”
“Atemu, there’s nothing to forgive. Deep down I knew you didn’t return my feelings. You were honest, what is there to forgive?”
“Yes, but…”
“You’re my friend. This isn’t changing that. Don’t worry about it, okay?”
He smiled. “Thank you.”
She smiled back. “We’d better go back inside before the others think we’ve been abducted by the spirits.”
“Yes, I suppose.”
“Thank you, Atemu. For listening. And for being honest with me.”
“You’re welcome. And Anzu…thank you…for the same.”
“You’re welcome.”
x-x-x
Notes: I admit, this chapter is mostly my tribute to Anzu, who is unfairly bashed in the majourity of Puzzleshippy fics - and Yugioh fics in general. I think everyone deserves a chance to apologize for any stupid moves they've made, and yet fanfic writers...tend not to allow her that. She and Atemu needed to have a sit-down, and she deserved to be put in a good light, so I just combined them.
Plot points and Puzzleshipping next chapter! ^^
Author: Chey (duelist_gurl163)
Chapter: 4/13
Overall rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama/romance
Parings: YamixYugi, JouxMai, and references to YugixAnzu and YamixAnzu
Archive: You're lookin' at it
Warnings: None
Spoilers: Post-series, so many spoilers, including Yami's real name.
Summary: His was a story that ended in light. At the time, nobody realized that ending one story would only cause the beginning of another.
Disclaimer: Yugioh's still not mine.
01 - 02 - 03
---
“Throughout the day, many cities have reported extremely odd behaviors of the residents, ranging from sudden over-friendliness to extreme violent attacks. At least four deaths have been confirmed from such attacks. Gas lines are being checked for leaks and chemical plants have been put under supervision. We are asking everyone to remain calm. You are advised to stay close to home and if you encounter people exhibiting unnatural behavior, do not confront them, call your local police station or this hotline number…”
Jounouchi picked up the remote and put the television on mute. Having exhausted their discussion of the prophesy, they had decided to eat and check the news for any reports that might indicate evil spirits were around. Marik was translating the Arabic for them.
“Looks like those demons have been busy. That man in Domino, people here…this is probably happening all over the world.”
“But you heard the guy, over-friendliness is an effect too.” Anzu pointed out. “Maybe not all the souls that are coming up here are evil. It’s entirely possible that good spirits have come as well, and were forced to possess people. Maybe they’re trying to be nice to make up for what the bad ones are doing. Look at Atemu. Sure, so he at least didn’t have to possess anyone, but he’s probably here because the opening of the underworld made it easier, and he’s not an evil spirit.”
“She’s right.” Yugi agreed. “Good spirits might have come and possessed people too. So if we find a way to make the spirits stop, we’ve got to be careful that we don’t hurt the good ones.”
“Why?” Jounouchi wanted to know. “They’re still possessing people, that’s wrong!”
“What if they didn’t have a choice?” Yugi demanded, touchy on this subject. “Just because Atemu didn’t have any choice but to possess me when I solved the puzzle, that didn’t make him evil, did it?”
“Well…no…but we don’t even know how to get rid of the evil ones, so how do we save the good guys on top of that?”
Everyone shrugged.
Atemu sat, chin in his hand, glumly watching the silent pictures on the TV set. He hadn’t said anything for the last half hour. But now he lifted his head and said, “What happens if we can’t fix this before the Bon Festival ends?”
Everyone shifted nervously. “Well…in legend, the underworld opens up during Obon,” Honda finally said. “It’s supposed to close afterward. So…if it closes…that might mean the spirits will go back on their own.”
“Or it might mean it’ll be even harder to make them go back,” Marik said. “And right now we really should plan for the worst. Let’s assume that when Obon ends, the job becomes even more difficult.”
Yugi glanced at the clock and did some quick math. “It’s already one-thirty in the morning in Japan. We have less than forty-eight hours.”
Another layer of gloom settled over them. Finding a way to make the spirits go back at all was looking like an impossible task. To figure out how to do it within the next two days was even worse.
“Hey, Atemu…if we can’t get the spirits to leave…does that mean you’re stuck here too?” Jounouchi suddenly asked. “I mean, theoretically, it was the opening of the spirit world that made you appear, right? Well, if it closes and the other spirits can’t go back, then what does that mean for you?”
Atemu looked thoughtful. “I hadn’t thought of that…I suppose it’s true.” No one said anything in reply to that. He straightened up, suddenly realizing what they were thinking. “You guys, I don’t want to stay here if some type of evil magic is what’s keeping things that way. I’ve missed you all, but this isn’t my world, and I would never take advantage of something like this for that reason.”
“You’re right.” Jounouchi agreed.
“I knew you’d say something like that.” Yugi said with a smile.
Anzu was still silent, seemingly lost in thought. “Anzu? You’ve been awfully quiet today, are you okay?” Yugi asked.
She looked up. “Eh…yes, I’m fine. Just…thinking about a lot.” I know this isn’t the time…
“You’re sure you’re alright?”
“I am, really. I just…” She paused and then said, very quietly, “Atemu…could I talk to you?”
“Sure.” He replied, looking puzzled.
“Outside?”
“Of course.”
“Don’t go too far, guys.” Mai pointed to the TV, where video was streaming from one of the murder scenes.
“We won’t.” Anzu said as Atemu stood up and followed her out of the room. A few minutes after they left, Mai wondered aloud,
“Wonder what that was all about.”
“I think I know.” Yugi murmured.
“About Atemu staying?” Jounouchi asked.
“More like his resurrection in general. She’s been acting cagey ever since I told her he was back. She fell in love with him a long time ago, and she never told him how she felt before he left. Seeing him again might have awoken that want to tell him, and she probably feels guilty about it.”
“Talk about confusing.” Mai mused. “In love with someone that’s dead.”
“It could be worse.” Said Jounouchi, with a sideways glance at Yugi. “Yugi, aren’t you jealous at all?”
“Huh?” Yugi asked guardedly, giving him a look.
Jounouchi obviously saw the warning look, but barreled on anyway, “You’ve got a crush on Anzu. Weren’t you ever jealous that it was Atemu she liked and not you? Even just a little bit?”
“I suppose.” Yugi admitted. “It seemed a little unfair at first. But I tried not to think about it. Given the choice between me and him, I can’t blame her. I’m nowhere near as cool.” Besides…that old crush is long gone. If I’m jealous of anyone, it’s of her. She’s not afraid to tell him her feelings.
“Oh c’mon, don’t say that.” Honda said. “You’re cool.”
“But not in the way he is. And anyway, I’m not going to hold it against Atemu, alright? It wasn’t his fault. All he did was save her life, and she chose to feel however she felt about him. It’s not like he made her fall in love with him. Atemu doesn’t even feel the same way about Anzu as she feels about him.”
“How do you know?”
“He was my other self! Do you think we never talked about anything?”
“Yeah, about card games and Egypt and stuff like that. I didn’t know you discussed girls too. I mean, I didn’t think you discussed…everyday stuff.”
Yugi frowned. “We discussed whatever we felt like. Now drop it, alright?”
Jounouchi, seeing his expression, wisely stopped talking this time.
- - -
“So…what did you want to talk about?” Atemu asked. They were sitting outside Marik’s house on the front step.
Anzu hesitated. She wasn’t sure where to start. It seemed so pointless, her own worries and feelings, when the world was in danger of being taken over by all the criminals of the underworld, and while Atemu clearly had much larger concerns. She felt so small and insignificant. It was times like these that the smallest personal feelings always reared their heads. And that fact that all along a small part of her mind thought that she’d made a mistake to never tell him before. She’d always thought to herself that if she could go back and do it over, she would tell him. And now here was her chance…and she just had to know. However, finding the right words…that was beyond difficult.
After several long moments, during which Atemu remained silent as he waited, she said, “do you remember that day in Burger World? When that escaped prisoner took me hostage, and you beat him in a Penalty Game?”
He nodded. “Yes, I remember.”
“At the time…I didn’t know who it was that had saved me. It wasn’t till much later that I found out it was Yugi’s “other self”. But you know, Atemu…I fell in love with the person that saved me.”
Atemu blinked, but said nothing.
“For the longest time I was obsessed with trying to figure out who it had been, trying to figure out whose voice matched the one I’d heard. And once I found out it was Yugi’s other self…”
“It must have been uncomfortable.”
“To say the least.” She laughed. “I did some stupid things after that…like that day at the park. I invited Yugi out in hopes of seeing you, and ended up hurting the both of you. It was cruel of me…and I regret it.”
Atemu inclined his head. “It’s alright Anzu. It’s in the past now, and you’re sorry. People make mistakes sometimes. Neither I nor Yugi hold a grudge about it.”
“Thank you.” She paused. “I didn’t want you to leave, during the Ceremonial Battle. I knew your spirit had a place to go back to, I knew you were only a soul here on Earth by the help of someone else and eventually you’d have to leave…but I never wanted to admit it. Everyone had been saying that there was no one who could beat you, but Yugi was so determined to fight you…a small part of me wanted to believe what the others were saying; that no matter what, you would win. Do you think that was wrong? It sounds selfish.”
He shook his head. “No, Anzu, I don’t think it was wrong. People can’t always help the way they feel. I’ve hoped for things before that…I shouldn’t have hoped for. But my heart still had that hope, however much I knew it wasn’t right.” He smiled at her slightly. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
She nodded, and then began again, this time hesitantly, “Atemu…you don’t have to answer this, but do you ever regret losing that duel, or did you plan to? I mean, did you go into it intending to lose?”
He shook his head again. “Anzu, I went into it intending to fight my very hardest to win. To throw it would have been an insult to myself and, even more, to Aib…Yugi. I owed him my very best, otherwise how else would he ever reach his full potential? But I knew from the start that Yugi would win. So, in a way, I guess I was planning to lose.”
“How did you know he’d win?” She asked, curious. “I mean, Yugi’s a great duelist, but…he didn’t have nearly the experience-”
“I just knew.” He looked away. “That day that Yugi and Jounouchi were forced to fight under Marik’s control…after Yugi survived that, and I saw how he saved Jounouchi…that was the moment I knew that one day he’d surpass me. I knew…that Yugi had strength beyond anything I had. And I realized that Yugi will always be stronger without me. So, when the Ceremonial Battle came around, I could just tell…that was going to be it. But I don’t regret my loss for a second. I lost because it was supposed to be that way. Yugi was sending me a message, don’t you remember Ishizu telling you? A revived soul can’t stay forever here on Earth. Yugi was telling me…he was going to be okay without me, and it was my time to go.” He closed his eyes, but not before Anzu saw wetness in them.
Surprised at the sign of emotion, she thought about asking if he was okay, but then realized he didn’t want her to see the tears. She carefully looked away.
“Anzu…you said that you fell in love with the person that saved you,” Atemu began anew, his eyes clear when he re-opened them.
She nodded. “Yes, I…I did.”
He was silent, watching her as if waiting for something. She swallowed. “Atemu…I still have those feelings for that person. For…for you. I’ve always loved you. And I know this is a terrible time, but I’ve always regretted not telling you…and I thought…I just need to know.”
His eyes seemed deep with understanding, but he shook his head. “I’m sorry, Anzu.” His voice was soft, apologetic. “I don’t…”
Deep down, she’d known this answer was coming. “I understand.”
“I never wanted…you know that I wouldn’t want to cause you pain.” He sighed heavily. “And I know…you’re so kind, you’ll tell me it’s okay and you’ll really mean it, but…I know how much unrequited love hurts, so I know you’re not really okay. I’m truly sorry.”
In the midst of the sadness from the inevitable let down, she felt a hint of confusion. “You’ve…felt unrequited love? For someone from this world? Or from Egypt?”
Atemu looked over at her, suddenly regretting what he’d let slip. He considered not answering, but she had just been so open with him and deserved an answer. Choosing his words carefully, he replied, “There is someone…in this world…who means a great deal to me. More…than any other person ever could. However I expect nothing in return, and have no plans to tell them. I don’t want them to know, it would only cause trouble. This isn’t my world.”
She nodded, curious, but didn’t ask for any elaboration.
“I hope…you’ll forgive me.”
“Atemu, there’s nothing to forgive. Deep down I knew you didn’t return my feelings. You were honest, what is there to forgive?”
“Yes, but…”
“You’re my friend. This isn’t changing that. Don’t worry about it, okay?”
He smiled. “Thank you.”
She smiled back. “We’d better go back inside before the others think we’ve been abducted by the spirits.”
“Yes, I suppose.”
“Thank you, Atemu. For listening. And for being honest with me.”
“You’re welcome. And Anzu…thank you…for the same.”
“You’re welcome.”
x-x-x
Notes: I admit, this chapter is mostly my tribute to Anzu, who is unfairly bashed in the majourity of Puzzleshippy fics - and Yugioh fics in general. I think everyone deserves a chance to apologize for any stupid moves they've made, and yet fanfic writers...tend not to allow her that. She and Atemu needed to have a sit-down, and she deserved to be put in a good light, so I just combined them.
Plot points and Puzzleshipping next chapter! ^^