Chapter 96 - 96

Chapter 96: Chapter 96

"Yugi!"

Letting out a yawn Yugi slowly blinked his eyes before he got up, stretching his limbs to try and return some semblance of flexibility to them. Looking about his room he tried to remember just what was going on but the fog of sleep was keeping him from truly processing just what he was supposed to-

The door to his bedroom flew open and Yugi let out a startled cry as Tea burst in with a smile. He pinwheeled his arms and began to fall back but Tea quickly reached out and grabbed him, dragging him forward... for a moment. Then his own shifting weight caused her to cry out in surprise and she found herself toppling onto his bed, the two of them a mess of limbs as Tea landed on top of him.

"Come now Yugi," a rather familiar voice called out from the doorway, though Yugi couldn't actually see the doorway... or anything else... what with Tea's breasts pressed against his face. "I'm willing to give you a little bit of leeway considering what you've been through but this is pushing it!" Yugi tried to stammer out something but that nearly resulted in him inhaling one of the buttons on Tea's jacket.

"It isn't what it looks like Mr. Muto!" Tea said with a laugh as she pushed herself up... though not getting off of Yugi. Rather she simply shifted so her thighs were pressed against his hips, keeping him from being able to move. And from the way she was smirking he had a feeling she knew just what she was doing, considering how she wiggled her chest just a little, his eyes going down for a moment before snapping back up to her face. A hot blush crept along his face but that only caused both her and the old man in the doorway to laugh at the situation even more.

"I might be old but I remember what THAT is like! So I know it is exactly what it looks like! Now get up the both of you... did you get breakfast Tea?"

"No," she admitted, finally rolling off of Yugi, sitting on the bed and allowing Yugi to slowly get up, though he kept looking away from the door, too embarrassed to make eye contact. "Yuri had to head to City Hall early today so it was either breakfast and take the bus to school or no breakfast but being dropped off here. Honestly surprised she even asked; answer was pretty clear!"

"Well I'll go get the pancakes started then. Yugi, get changed for school... without Tea in there watching!"

Yugi curled up into himself but Tea merely laughed at that even as the footfalls became softer, leaving the two of them alone. "He acts like I haven't seen everything already," she whispered once they were alone.

"Tea!" Yugi hissed, praying that no one had heard her.

That caused her to chuckle. "Come on now, its my duty as your girlfriend to tease you." But she got up all the same, allowing Yugi to finally get out of bed. "Besides, everyone knows... we aren't exactly subtle about it." Yugi nodded at that; they'd recently taken their relationship to the next level and while none of their friends and family said a word he knew that they all understood just what the two were doing when left alone. Tea's sister had even casually left out a box of condoms 'by accident' the last time he had been at Tea's place.

It was still a wild thing for Yugi to even think about. Despite all the changes over the last year him and Tea being together like that was such a strange concept for him. Unreal in many ways. He loved it of course, because he loved her, but honestly he hadn't thought he'd ever work up the courage to go that far with her.

"You are okay though, right? Finally feeling better? We were worried about you last night after... well, all that." She waved her hand about even as Yugi walked over to his desk, seeing his decks laid out waiting for him which made him feel a lot better. "But the doctors said you just needed some rest and you'd be all better."

"Its all a bit fuzzy, I admit," Yugi said with a shake of his head as he began to look through his closet to decide just what he wanted to wear to school; there was a dress code, obviously, but they did allow students to have a bit of freedom when it came to undershirts and the like. "Honestly it's all a blur."

"Well I wish I could forget it," Tea said with a shiver, wrapping her arms around herself. "I don't think I'll ever forgive that bitch for hurting you. If Yuri hadn't been there... that's why she has to go to City Hall now. A lot of questions with the Tournament being canceled and all that because of the attack and she needs to go over things with everyone since she was the only officer on the scene. Doesn't help that it involves someone not from Japan... a whole international incident apparently." Tea quickly added. "Don't worry though! She said it is all going to be handled, no worries! It just means a bit more work to make sure that everything is handled properly, that's all."

"Its fine," Yugi repeated. "I just want to move on." He paused, glancing over his shoulder at Tea. "And speaking of moving on..."

"What?" she said with a flirty smile.

"Tea, come on."

"Maybe I am comfy here." She bounced on the bed a few times.

"My dad could come back any minute."

"And before that I'll get a show." She wiggled on the bed. "Come on, give mama a show!" She reached into her purse and pulled out some yen. "Come on... dance for me! Earn your money!"

"Tea!" Yugi declared with an exasperated laugh.

"Fine fine, be a prude!" Tea said, getting up and head for the door... though she did leave a few yen on his endtable, much to his exasperation. She was almost completely out of the room and Yugi had begun to take off his shirt when Tea suddenly darted back in. He opened his mouth to scold her only for Tea to come over and give him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad you are okay, Yugi."

He smiled at that and watched as she left before looking about his room. It had changed a touch in the last few years, going from the childish haven it had once been to something a bit more... mature. But it still had toys littered about (though now in display cases) though they were a mix of adult-focused action figures and things from his childhood that he couldn't bear to be a part of. There were games too (card games rather than childish ones) including several boxes full of Duel Monster cards that he'd collected over the last few years along with some treasured keepsakes that his dad had given him after a hard day helping in the cardshop. Comics naturally (those... were the same, admittedly). But what was nice was that he had friends now who didn't care about such things. More than that liked him BECAUSE he enjoyed such things, rather than merely tolerated them.

It was an odd feeling. He had long thought that the only way he'd ever get friends would be to change who he was, to better fit into their world. But he'd managed to find people that while different from him embraced those differences rather than pushed him to give them up. They wanted to learn about what he loved and in turn teach him about their own passions. Yugi had grown so much thanks to all of them.

With those pleasant thoughts buzzing in his head Yugi set about getting dress, quickly throwing on his jeans and a black tee that was emblazed with the logo of Johnny Stepps; he'd gotten it from the concert he and Tea had attended a few weeks back. Tugging on his boots and grabbed his wallet before looking over his decks.

'Hmmm... which one to take. Kuribohs? Nah... let's go with this one!' He didn't know if he'd get a chance to duel but he did like having a deck on him, just in case. He snagged the cards and then reached out for... nothing. 'Huh,' he thought with a shake of his head, not for sure why he felt like there was something else he needed. Like something was missing.

"Yugi, pancakes!"

"Get them before Mr. Muto eats them all!"

"Coming dad, coming Tea!" Yugi called out before heading down stairs.

~MC~MC~MC~

"Man, it feels like just yesterday we were going on break from school!" Tristan said, hands resting on the back of his head as the group walked towards their high school. It was a rather nice day out so they were in no true hurry to rush to get inside, other than the normal need to get there before they were tardy. "And now we have to go back!? How is this fair!?"

"We do need to get an education, Tristan," Bakura pointed out with a smile.

"Yeah yeah Mr. Cheerful," Tristan complained though his tone made it clear he wasn't truly upset with their friend. "Can't you just let me sulk in peace?"

"Its going to be fine, Tristan," Yugi assured him.

"I know its going to be fine!" Tristan whined as the foursome stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the traffic to thin out and the light to change. "But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the break! Or wish that it was longer!"

"You did manage to cram a lot in this summer," Tea pointed out, adjusting her backpack. "We hardly saw you."

"Man, it wasn't like that!" Tristan griped.

Tea began to tick points off though. "There was the bowling league, the art class, those three days you spent up in the mountains-"

"You're just jealous that I got a tan!" Tristan said, rolling up his sleep to show off his bronzed skin.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that!" Tea proclaimed as the crossing light finally flicked to white, allowing them to make their way across the street.

"I just wanted to get a few more things done!" Tristan commented. "I want to explore the world, really figure out what I want to do with my life. I mean sure, I have the furniture business to fall back on but my dad said that I should only do that if I am passionate about it." He shot Tea a look. "Unlike some people I don't know what I want to do with my life."

"Sorry, I can't help it if I'm amazing!" Tea said, flipping her hair back with two fingers before doing a little spin.

"Yeah yeah,Footloose, keep breaking!" Tristan teased good naturedly.

"What about you, Yugi?" Bakura asked, slinging an arm around the shorter teen. "What did you do over the break?" Bakura had gone back to England with his family to visit some relatives and thus the walk was the first time he'd gotten a chance to talk with everyone.

"Oh, I competed in some tournaments, you know." He shrugged. "Nothing super interesting."

"I find that hard to believe, Yug!" Tristan declared. "Come on, you must have had something interesting happen to you?"

Tea flashed him a look over his shoulder and Yugi squished his head against his shoulders, not wanting to bring up what he... and Tea... had been up to during the break. So instead he asked, "Anyone hear how Duke is doing? I know he said that he wanted to see about getting Dungeon Dice Monsters off the ground..."

Tristan nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, he said he was excused from attending the first day back... they are treating it as a work study program." They turned another corner and spotted the school up ahead. "Man, I wish I was able to do something like that..."

"Maybe you will, Tristan!" Bakura said cheerfully as they picked up the pace a little; while they had plenty of time they didn't want to take any risks that they'd be late. "You never know what might happen!"

"That's true," Tristan said as they made it to the front steps of their high school just as a car pulled up. "Hey Joey!"

"Tristan!" Joey called out before turning back to the car he'd gotten out of. "Hey dad, I'll see you tonight, okay?"

"Have a good day. Love you Joey."

"Love you too, dad," Joey said, waving goodbye to his old man before heading up to join his friends.

"No 'I love you' for us?" Tristan teased.

"Lay off man!" Joey said though there was no real heat to his words.

"I think its sweet, Joey," Bakura stated.

"Me too," Yugi added.

Tristan held up his hands. "Come on guys, I was just kidding!" The teens all laughed as they headed towards their homeroom for that year. "So, you hear anything about our new teacher?"

"Just that he came highly recommended," Tea said. "Yuri did some looking into him... apparently he's some genius that the school was desperate to get hired."

"So a nerd," Joey joked as he took his seat. "Probably has thick glasses that he's always tryin' ta push up his nose and pens in his pockets."

"You're right about the glasses part," a tall blond man said as he entered the classroom with a smirk. He was wearing a dress shirt and a cord blazer, brown shoes squeaking slightly as he made his way towards his desk. "But the pen part?"

Joey nearly fell from his chair at the sudden arrival, Tristan snickering and saying, "Nice way to make a good first impression, Joey."

"Aw man!" Joey whined, slamming his head against his desk.

"Its fine," their teacher said, waving off Joey's concern. "It was only 10 years ago I was sitting where you were." He set down his briefcase and moved to the board. "Now, we have about 10 minutes before the bell rings so feel free to do whatever you want... within reason!" He shook his head as he began to write out some information on the chalk board. "I've learned the hard way to be careful with how I word things..."

Bakura cleared his throat. "Excuse me Mister...uh..."

"Chaos," the man said, turning back to look at the teens. "Mr. Chaos."

"Mr. Chaos, sir," Bakura continued, "but can I ask how an American ended up teaching in Japan?"

"Well-"

"Edwin!" The class all turned as a gorgeous blonde woman hurried in, a brown sack clutched in her hand. She was nearly as tall as Mr. Choas but what truly got everyone's attention was how her belly stuck out, straining the shirt she was wearing. "I was only KIDDING when I said I could eat your lunch too!"

That caused their teacher to laugh again. "I never know with you, Mai," he commented, giving her a peck on the cheek. "Hormones and all that..." Realizing they had witnesses Mr. Chaos turned to his class, gesturing towards the blond. "Well, not quite how I thought I'd be introducing myself but I'm Edwin Chaos, your homeroom teacher. And this is Mai Valentine, the new economics teacher."

Everyone was quiet for a moment before Tristan said, "An orb with an eye on it that a mage wears to replace their lost one... and lets them read someone's mind?"

"Very good!" Mr. Chaos proclaimed. "A ring."

Bakura spoke up, smiling as he said, "Oh, its not going to be one you wear on your finger. It's a large ring and it has the ability to open portals to different worlds, allowing you to travel there or to bring stuff out!"

"Love it!" Mr. Chaos said even as Yugi began to shift with unease. "A Rod."

"Grants the user the ability to control minds," Joey suggested.

Mr. Chaos pointed at him. "Nothing about what I said is connected to the word Rod-" Joey deflated slightly, "-which makes that all the better! You'd have to explain WHY the Rod works like that but nothing says it CAN'T work like that!" Joey beamed at the praise. "A necklace."

Yugi pressed his lips together at that even as Seto made a comment about how it could deal with memories, reasoning that necklaces were usually given as gifts and thus were linked to good memories for the user. He... he didn't know why but the entire conversation...

"A puzzle," Mr. Chaos said.

"What?" Yugi said suddenly.

"Oh, do you have an answer?" Mr. Chaos asked, looking to the teen. "Alright... what could a Puzzle do?"

"I... I don't..."

"Take your time. Think about it." Mr Chaos stared at him intently. "What... could a puzzle do?"

Yugi dropped his eyes to his desk. He knew he should say something... anything. It didn't matter what he said because it was just a creative writing class. He could declare that the puzzle unleashed fire or let the user fly. And yet that felt wrong. Just blurting it all out didn't work for him at all and it was bugging him to no end that he couldn't put to words-

The bell rang and Mr. Chaos shrugged. "Well, that's it for today. No homework this time but I want you to begin thinking about how you can get creative in explaining how something could do something it normally couldn't do. I'll see you next time."

Yugi, though he couldn't explain why, hurried out of the classroom as quickly as he could.

"You okay, man?" Joey asked, catching up to him as Yugi hurried through the hallway. "You were looking pretty pale in there."

"I'm fine," Yugi said, wincing at how that sounded to his own ears.

"Don't worry about freezin' up in there. Heh, you know I do that all the time!" Joey wrapped an arm around Yugi's shoulders. "Soemtimes I wish I was short as you, pal, that way I could hide behind someone when they are lookin' ta ask me a question!"

That made Yugi chuckle. "Yeah and it would be nice to be as tall as you so I could actually reach things on the top shelf!"

"Aw, don't be like that!" Joey declared. "That's why ya got me around!" He looked around before nodding towards a stairwell. "Come on, let's duck away for a bit. We can always clean up later."

Yugi considered that before nodding; even though he had just talk to Joey the day before it felt like forever since it had just been the two of them hanging out. "I'm sorry we haven't been able to just... you know..."

"Man, don't say another word!" Joey declared as they climbed up the steps, going up one flight and then another. "I get it, I really do. You and Tea got somethin' special... glad ya finally wised up to that!" When Yugi let out a cry of protest Joey laughed. "Come on... I was worried you would only have one date with her a month and only hold hands. Good ta know my little pal can make Tea happy... if ya know what I mean."

"JOEY!" Yugi exclaimed, scandalized by... well, the truth.

"Oh calm down, it ain't that big of deal! I'm happy for ya!" Joey opened the door and Yugi looked out as they stepped onto the school roof, all of Domino laid out before them. The sun was beginning to set already, turning the sky into shades of orange and purple. "I'm glad ya met that Seto guy too. He seems like a good egg... ya deserve ta have all the friends in the world, Yugi."

"You're my friend, Joey," Yugi pressed.

"And I'll always be your friend." Joey motioned for him to sit down next to him, the two dangling their legs off the side of the building. Yugi wasn't scared of falling though; he knew that Joey would grab him. So the two of them just stared out at the setting sun, enjoying the evening air. "You and me, Yug. You and me. There ain't nothin' that can take us down if we got each other's backs."

"You're right, Joey," Yugi said. "If you are ever in trouble you know that I will be right there to help you."

That though made Joey laugh. "What trouble? My dad finally is clean, my grades are up, and I got my friends. You have your dad and Tea and all of us. We're set!"

Yugi nodded. "Yeah... yeah, you're right Joey."

"It is a good life we live, Yug," Joey said after a moment, looking out over Domino.

"The best. May it never change."

"And may it never change us."

~MC~MC~MC~

The Pharaoh stumbled back, patting himself. Something was... wrong. Different. Something...

...missing.

"Yugi," he whispered before narrowing his eyes, glaring at Ishizu. "What have you done?"

Ishizu gave a casual shrug. "The child is safe. Tucked away in his room like all little ones should be, kept out of harm's way and things they should not be a part of."

"Yugi!" Tea cried out, rushing forward only for the Pharaoh to stop her. "What did she do?"

"She locked him within the Millennium Puzzle," the Pharaoh growled, eyes narrowed. He had realized rather quickly just what Ishizu had done... the one place that she could have taken Yugi.

"How?!" she exclaimed, staring at the ancient artifact. "How could she even do that?"

Ishizu merely stared them down with a condescending look. "The Millennium Items hold powers your feeble mind can never understand. They have existed longer than your entire bloodline. The powers they hold are greater than you can ever imagine. Is that enough proof that you should not meddle with those that hold them? That your bumbling about in these matters is a risk not only to yourself but to all others?"

The Pharaoh took a step forward. "Release him."

"No," Ishizu said coldly. "I do what I must."

"Release him!" the Pharaoh roared, taking a step forward, his patience at an utter end when it came to the woman before him. She had lied to him. Aided those that sought to defeat him. And now had actively worked to harm his partner. "You claim to serve the Pharaoh?" He jabbed his finger towards the ground. "I am the Pharaoh and I command you to release my partner!"

Ishizu smiled at that. "You are right... you are the Pharaoh. I am glad that at long last you have remembered that." But she made no other move, merely staring him down. "I serve you, Pharaoh... I protect you from all. Including yourself. Yugi Muto has blinded you. Made you weak. Look at how you have claimed a wisp of your old strength just now with him gone. Does that no prove that he has held you back? Made you worry about his foolish mortal concerns? The only way you will be able to stand against the dangers that come is to be rid of such weakness. You nearly lost this duel because he forced you to retreat-"

"He gave me the time needed to deal with the sight of my father, Ishizu. He fought when I couldn't! It was I who was weak, not him!"

"His weakness, his human emotions, made you feel such things."

The Pharaoh stared at her for a long moment, trying to wrap his head around just what she was implying. It... it was madness. "You are human too, Ishizu. Do not make it sound like you are not!"

"I am human," she agreed, never raising her voice even in the face of his rage. "I am a weak thing. Same as all those gathered here. But you, my Pharaoh, must be stronger. You must rise above us all. And you will never be able to do so when you have that weight pulling you down. By removing Yugi Muto I have given you what you need: he is safe, his soul kept someplace where it can not be used against you, but also where it can not cause you harm. You can save the world no longer hindered with fears that he will came to harm... I grant you that weakness, but only that one. This is the best way." She smiled gently and patted his hand like he was a child who had made some outlandish claim. "You will thank me."

The Pharaoh snatched his hand away like her touch was fire and acid.

"You bitch!" Tea shouted only for Ishizu to turn her gaze towards her.

"If you are so eager to join him..."

But the Pharaoh put himself in front of Tea, forcing her to keep her distance. "I will save Yugi."

She shook her head like a parent dealing with a stubborn child. "I told you, he is safe. You would only risk him by doing so. Far better for you to focus on the tournament."

"I will save him," he repeated. He stared her down, making her look right back at him. "And I will save this world, Ishizu. From all threats... those that you see... and those you are blind too. Know though that while I will protect humanity...I won't save you."

The Pharaoh got to enjoy the brief moment of confusion on Ishizu's face right before Gleipnir wrapped around her, locking her in place. The Tombkeeper tried to turn towards her attacker only for the whip to glow, cutting into her skin and causing her to hiss in pain as it began to dig and burn her flesh.

"Pharaoh," Edwin said with a nod, eyes BLAZING gold and black. He marched towards Ishizu, Gleipnir's Cord held tight in his grip. Behind him Renard was cracking his knuckles, Yuri's features were thunderous, and Mai... well, it was hard to tell if it was her or Selene who was in control.

"Endymion, interfering-"

Edwin flicked his wrist and Ishizu grit her teeth even as she fell to her knees, the whip glowing all the more harshly as it tightened around her.

There was a flash and suddenly Troy's holographic form was by Ishizu, smirking as he whispered. "He never raised his voice... that was the worst think. The fury of the Chaos Lord. And now you are going to discover why. Why this man, who had fought with gods and demons, has stayed his hand for so long against you: he was being kind."

Edwin, for his part, merely stared down at her, the light of the sun making his glasses shine so she couldn't actually see his eyes. "I think its time we sat down with our little cryptic friend... and had a CHAT."

"...lead the way," the Pharaoh said.

Ishizu struggled as Edwin began to drag her along the ground, not even allowing her the dignity of being able to rise. "I will not break, Endymion."

Edwin though stopped, looking over his shoulder at her. "Look into the past, Ishizu... just how many dead men made those their last words to me?" Renard grabbed her by the back of the neck, lifting her to her feet finally, but Ishizu wasn't able to enjoy that as Renard began squeezing right where her throat met her skull, forcing her to march while the rest of their friends gathered around the Pharaoh.

"I am sorry..." he whispered. "This is-"

"Ishizu's fault," Tristan snapped. "Not yours and we'll get Yugi back."

'We will,' the Pharaoh thought, cradling the Millennium Puzzle close. 'Wherever she has placed you, my friend... know that we are coming for you, We WILL save you!'

Dreams are real.

But they are made of viewpoints, of images, of memories and puns and lost hopes. Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes...

...and forgot.

-The Sandman