Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Blue Ice ❯ Numb ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: Plain and simple. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh

A/N: Hello, and welcome to chapter three of Blue Ice. I hope it will be worth the wait. One more chapter will follow, and yes, it will have a lemon between Yuugi and Yami. I will also thank my reviewers in that chapter. So for now, please enjoy!

Blue Ice

By Ocean

Chapter Three: Numb

Yami deftly maneuvered by a group of small children who had decided it was more enjoyable to simply stand in the middle of the ice rather than skate on it. He ignored the teenagers that stumbled beside him, the couples that cuddled behind him, and the professional skaters rehearsing in front of him. His eyes didn't see the blue tinted ice beneath him, having long ago memorized the exact length and shape of the rink. His aura alerted him to the presence of every body around him, so there was no need for his eyes to see.

Yami increased his pace along the ice, the added pressure he applied to his blades allowing them to have better traction on the slick surface. His thoughts reverted to the previous night as he followed the bend of the rink, changing his direction blindly as did the rest of the skaters, much like a flock of birds flying lazily over a mountain. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, but did not succeed in pulling his lips into the recognizable curve of a smile.

Yuugi's passion had not been unexpected, rather a needed and anticipated embrace for a tired soul in need of comfort. The heat that radiated from the lithe body did wonders as it penetrated the icy chill in Yami's core and burned away the coldness that had resided there for far too long. Even the cry of the angry souls that Yami had banished could not overpower the marvel of the taste and sound and fragrance and touch of his Yuugi.

Yami's brows creased lightly as thoughts of the previous night continued to unfurl. He knew his hikari had been just as disappointed, if not more so, with the outcome of the evening. They had barely made it home from the rink; Yami setting Yuugi on his lap for the ride, petting and stroking and sliding his hands along the smooth body and in many places were they did not belong. Yuugi did nothing to aid the situation as he had leaned back into Yami's touch, barely keeping his attention on the road as he shifted his body so he could be in continuos contact with his Yami's hands.

It was not meant to be that night. The soul of the guard that had threatened Yuugi that evening was as irate and persistent as any that Yami had encountered. It screamed and pulled and tore at Yami's mind relentlessly, to the point that no action Yami took would silence it. He had tried to stifle the voice, tried to surrounded it in the imposing shroud of the Shadows, tried to ignore the pain in his head as the soul rallied others to protest violently against their banishment.

Yuugi had done his best to comfort Yami, laying him down on the couch in the darkness and placing his head in his lap, leaning over his body and petting him continuously in an effort to coax his body into relaxation so that Yami's mind could be freed of its anguish. Several hours passed before Yami's body ceased its shivers and the cold sweat on his brow evaporated, leaving Yami to fall into a light and uneasy sleep. Unknowingly he had clutched Yuugi's hand to his face, finding comfort in the softness and warmth of his fingers, but at the same time not allowing Yuugi to shift into a more comfortable position for the duration of the evening, providing him with an extremely stiff neck in the morning.

A slight scowl formed on Yami's face as the cool air of the ice flowed gently around him, tickling his skin. He had been having difficulty suppressing the voices as of late, unable to ignore them as thoroughly as he had in the past. They had amused him once; he had been intrigued at how the personalities were so resilient, so eager to persist in their existence that they would attach themselves to him in a final and desperate attempt of survival. He had not minded them then, had not minded the attention and company they had provided as he roamed the endless void of his prison.

But he wasn't in his prison anymore, and now the voices did nothing more than serve as a reminder, as Yuugi had said. Echoes of memories he no longer wanted, of deeds that held no relevance for him other than the fact that with them he had protected Yuugi.

Yami considered that thought for a moment, spinning as he avoided a flailing arm sent in his direction. Yuugi. He had required much protection when Yami had first met him, fate deciding that he was the one strong enough to stand by Yami's side and assist him as he fought to save the world. That protection had required much of Yami, forcing him to utilize the Shadows often, as those who posed a threat to his hikari were often supernatural in nature.

Perhaps that was the reason the voices were becoming more insistent, louder and stronger and more demanding of retribution against their fate. Yami had claimed many souls in the name of Yuugi in a short amount of time. Times were more peaceful now, the dangers not as powerful or as numerous, the enemies mortal, their punishment quick. There was a word for how things stood now, for the mostly peaceful times that surrounded the once active and powerful pharaoh.

Idle.

Idleness was a menace, serving no purpose other than to elicit boredom and a chance for minds to wander without restraint or supervision. A time for dust to collect, for eyelids to grow heavy, for memories to resurface, for long lost voices to rediscover their strength and speak out. Yes, this is what had happened to him. This was the reason for the sudden potency of the voices.

Yami could hear them now simply because there was nothing else for him to do.

Yami's pace increased again at this realization, a slight urgency building within him as he recklessly passed the other skaters on the ice. This was not good. The Shadows did not like being idle, did not like having nothing to do other than 'being.' It was a very dangerous position to be in. The small release they recieved when Yami would utilize their power when he shattered the soul of the one threatening Yuugi was insufficient, inadequate, and wholly unsatisfying. They were use to far grandeur actions. The summoning of night, the destruction of a city, the torturing of a mortal soul. But the simple protection of a single child was a waste of their potential.

A sneer momentarily appeared on Yami's face as he heard the faintest whisper in the back of his mind. The Shadows were the ones behind his conflict. They had not resented his control over them when he had used them for grand purposes, but now that he had no such desire to use them in similar ventures they were growing restless, longing for the release the pharaoh denied them. Yami was unwilling to give them the freedom they wanted so desperately. If he were to release them, let them have their fun, they would not discriminate as they annihilated the city. The Shadows would not hurt him, of course, for he and the Shadows were one.

But they held no such distinction for Yuugi. To them, he was nothing more than another mortal for which they could amuse themselves. Even Yami's amazing power would not be able to protect Yuugi indefinitely, and the Shadows were a relentless force that felt no hunger or thirst or fatigue. Eventually, they would kill him, and there would be nothing Yami could do to stop them. Except, perhaps, to seal himself and the Shadows away again. But that would serve no purpose, as now the Shadows knew how to escape their prison, and Yami was certain the Yuugi would release them if it meant having him by his side.

Another, and still another voice joined the whispers in the back of his mind, and Yami shook his head roughly to try and regain control of his thoughts. The sudden action threw him off balance, a vivid example of just how much he was affected by them, and he collided with a young man, about twenty years of age, and sent them both colliding into the side wall of the rink.

Yami gripped the wall tightly, the sudden jarring actually aiding him in suppressing the whispers in his mind as his attention was brought to an abrupt focus. He vaguely heard a terse voice shouting at him, but he ignored it, unconcerned with what the man was saying.

"Hey! What the hell did you think you were doing?!" the man shouted, his anger rapidly increasing as the drug that flowed through his blood continued to adversely influence his thoughts. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"

Yami continued to ignore him, slowly straightening himself until he was standing on his skates again, unaided by the wall. His brows were creased lightly in thought as he tried to reason out how he had lost control. His senses should have told him there was someone near him. He should not have collided with that man, nor should he have lost his balance after having done so. The accident should not have happened, for so many reasons.

Yami turned away from the man, feeling no need to apologize to him, barely even registering his presence. It appeared that his reflexes were not all that they should be, and he needed to determine why immediately. The whispers returned, and Yami involuntarily growled at them as they grated on his extremely raw nerves.

It was at this point that a young woman, her eyes bloodshot and dilated as the same drug pumped through her veins as in her boyfriend's, appeared in front of him, halting his departure. Yami blinked slowly at her, his irritation growing steadily as the whispers in his mind progressed to muffled voices.

"Look buddy," she said, a little too quickly, a little too high pitched. "You owe my man an apology. You could have killed him!" Her face twisted into a frown as Yami did not react to her outlandish claim. "What kind of monster are you that you don't even care that you hurt someone?!" she shouted in disbelief.

Monster...

Yami's eyes widened at the sharpness of the word that originated from within his mind. The voices were growing bolder. They no longer feared the threat of his reprimand for the simple fact that he could do nothing against them, and now they knew. They were only echoes. Echoes he couldn't shut out, sounds that he could not block from his ears since they were born from within. But this...

Devil, that is what you are...

This had never happened before. The strength behind the words had never been present before. They had always been weak, meek, afraid, skittish. But now they were so bold, so forceful, so...

Eyes of blood, for that is what you are drenched in...

Loud.

They were so damn loud.

Yami flinched as he felt a hand on his arm. The voices had so distracted him that he had forgotten where he was or the incident he was involved in just moments before. He felt a cold, sharp, stinging sensation in his arm, on the underside of his elbow. He jerked away, grabbing onto the wrist that held the syringe and snapping it backwards, easily breaking the fragile bones, but not before a good portion of the drug inside the syringe had been injected directly into his vein.

"Fuck!" the man yelled as he cradled his broken wrist, the syringe in his hand falling to the ice. His girlfriend screamed as she made her way over to him and pulled him away from Yami as quickly as she was able. "What the hell was that for?! I was just trying to lighten you up! You are too fucking tense!"

Yami glared at him in response, his crimson eyes boring into that of the man that had had the nerve to touch him, the man sweating profusely, not from the pain in his wrist, but from the murderous look in Yami's eyes and the drug coursing through him. Yami ground his teeth together, his lips pulling back in a snarl as he slowly glided towards the man, his bitterness at the voices forgotten as the more recent memory of the small pain in his arm directed his anger towards the man that had inflicted the discomfort.

The woman screamed loudly for someone to help her and her boyfriend, that there was a dangerous man who had attacked them first and would surely kill them if no one came to their aid. Only a few listened to her erratic screams, some altering their paths on the ice to surround Yami and try to keep him from the couple, others skating to the rink's exit so they could catch the attention of one of the security guards.

Yami ignored all of them, his anger burning his skin as sweat appeared on his brow. He wobbled a bit on his skates, coming to a slow stop as confusion lovingly wrapped itself around his mind. He blinked extremely slowly, anxiety settling on him as his vision lost its sharpness and the colors of the other skaters bled together into one giant, moving, swirling mass. His breathing increased on its own accord, becoming rapid and shallow, his lungs unable to pull enough oxygen from the air to support his body.

He felt like he was suffocating and burning alive and freezing to death all at once. He couldn't keep his thoughts in order, couldn't keep them stable enough for him to latch onto them and hold them in place so he could pull himself from the chasm he was sinking in to. All sounds became muffled chatter, all smells became harsh and obtrusive, all lights were suddenly too bright, too illuminating of all that he was trying to hide, all he wanted to keep hidden from his aibou. His secrets were being exposed. He couldn't let that happen.

As Yami's mind fell under the influence of the drug, the rapid beating of his heart propelling the drug even further into his system, the tenuous hold he had over the Shadows began to shake. As his thoughts randomized, and he found he no longer had the capacity to find his link with Yuugi, the one person he trusted to help him as he slid out of control, his hold over the Shadows disintegrated as the drug acted like acid on the metaphorical bounds Yami had erected around the magics.

A strangled cry made its way passed Yami's parched lips, his final protest against the Shadows plea to be released. He had his arms crossed over his face, his hands fisted as he tried to block the light, to turn his thoughts inward and not loose his control over the Shadows. His body trembled with his efforts, and those that had gathered around him thought nothing more than perhaps he was a disturbed individual, frightened or restless with the attention he was receiving.

The syringe on the ice went unnoticed as all eyes were focussed on the man with the unusually gorgeous hair and skintight clothing. On the man who shook with an unseen force that looked to tear his body apart. On the man whose body was covered with sweat, even though his skin would have felt as cold as ice to anyone who got close enough to touch.

On the man who, with a final gasp, lost his battle and in doing so, sealed the fate of all around him.

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Jou reached for the basket on the table between him and Yuugi, distractedly grabbing a french fry and bringing it to his mouth, chewing on it as he tried to think of a graceful way to speak his mind. Earlier that morning he had summoned the courage to call Yuugi, inviting him back to the mall so they could discuss... decide... try to work out the differences between them.

Yuugi had hesitantly accepted the invitation, his mind still troubled with the torment Yami had suffered during the night. Surprisingly enough, it had been Yami who had encouraged Yuugi to talk to Jou. He wanted to return to the ice rink anyway, and insisted that Yuugi remain close to him for the day, so even though Yuugi would be spending time with Jou, it was an adequate solution in his opinion. So Yuugi had immediately agreed.

And here they sat. At the same table as the day before, the same time of day, the same tension between them. Both friends had spoken barely a word to the other, simply exchanging casual pleasantries, Yuugi insisting that he pay for their fries and drinks. There had been little interaction between them for half an hour.

"Jou?" Yuugi asked quietly, peeking at his friend from beneath the hair that had fallen in front of his eyes as he tilted his head to look over the railing to the floors of the mall below. Jou turned his attention to Yuugi, apprehension evident in his gaze. "I want to thank you. You know, for inviting me here. For taking the initiative."

A smile graced Jou's lips, relief flooding through him as he listened to Yuugi's kind words. Perhaps this was going to be easier than he had thought, now that he and Yuugi had had a night to consider their positions. He had been afraid that Yuugi would not be open to him, would be unwilling to listen. Although a bit of that fear remained, he was feeling far more comfortable with his best friend, feeling as he should feel around the one person who's company he most enjoyed.

"Yur welcome, Yug," Jou replied honestly. "Ya know your frien'ship's impor'an' ta me. It jus' eats me up inside when you an' I fight."

"Yeah, me too." Yuugi shifted in his seat so he could face Jou more directly. He brought his hands in front of him on the table, clasping his fingers together as his features drew together somberly. "But we need to decide on this."

Jou swallowed. "... Now?" he asked tentatively, his nervousness causing his hands to twitch when Yuugi nodded his head once, the seriousness in his eyes piercing straight to his core. "Bu' I don' ge' it. Did sumthin' happen las' nigh' that made dis a life or death decision tha' has ta be made now?"

"Yes, Jou," Yuugi said quietly. "Something did happen last night. And this has always been an important matter to me. My life has taken a turn, Jou. A turn for the better." He paused for a moment, the weight of his next words causing them to stick in his throat. "I need to know if you are willing to accept me and my choices. If you are willing to be a part of my life, despite what you think of Yami."

Jou clenched his jaw, his eyes darkening as he heard the hidden implications in Yuugi's words. So their relationship had progressed last night, gone to the next level, no doubt thanks in part to the argument he and Yuugi had. In trying to convince Yuugi of how horribly wrong Yami was for him, he had only succeeded in driving Yuugi straight to the one he had wanted all along. He cursed himself, trying to hide the pain he felt by masking it with anger at Yami and Yuugi and himself.

Yuugi's brows furrowed as he watched Jou's face solidify into a mask of contempt. There was bitterness in his eyes, a snarl waiting on his lips, a stiffness in his body that all but screamed the emotions he was feeling inside. Yuugi was honestly confused by this reaction, having expected Jou to be anxious about having to make such a decision so quickly, but not expecting the anger and pain and resentment and...

Yuugi's eyes widened as he detected another emotion he had never even considered Jou would feel. He blinked, the realization of his discovery shaking what he thought was a solid foundation of knowledge. He stood slowly, holding Jou's intense gaze as he moved around the table and stood next to his friend.

"Jou?" Yuugi asked softly. Jou averted his gaze, taking a deep breath and releasing it harshly, unknowingly confirming Yuugi's suspicions. "Jou..." Yuugi said more forcefully when Jou refused to look at him.

"What?" Jou snapped, his unease at having Yuugi so close to him, starring at him with those large, knowing eyes, causing unwanted reactions in his body and unwelcome thoughts in his mind.

Yuugi sighed as he watched his best friend fidget in his chair. Jou only acted like this when something he had desperately wanted to keep secret became known, and he felt trapped and exposed and vulnerable, three emotions he hated with a passion. Jou slouched in his chair, crossing his arms stiffly across his chest as he tried to hide his inner turmoil. This was something Yuugi was never supposed to know, one of the many reasons Jou hated Yami so fervently.

"Look at me, Jou." Jou refused, pursing his lips as he absolutely refused to look at Yuugi. "Katsuya." Jou closed his eyes as Yuugi spoke his name, one of the few times he had ever addressed him in the intimate fashion, for it was rare that anyone ever called Jou by his given name. He knew he was defeated, knew that he would not be able to fight against the soothing tone of Yuugi's voice, or the concern held within.

"Wha' do ya wan' ta know, Yug?" Jou asked quietly, almost too quietly for Yuugi to hear, considering he kept his eyes closed and head turned away.

Yuugi tilted his head to the side as he heard the defeated tones of Jou's voice, a very foreign addition to the usually confident, friendly, and free voice. He had no idea he had hurt Jou so deeply. He studied his tense form as he searched through his memories, trying to look for any indications he may have overlooked or unwittingly ignored. After a few moments, he nodded once to himself, coming to another realization.

"For how long, Jou?" Yuugi asked. Jou shrugged his shoulders, finding it difficult to answer. "A week? A month?" Yuugi prompted.

"Eva since he came, okay?" Jou said, his voice more defensive than he had intended.

Yuugi's body relaxed as Jou answered his question. "I had a suspicion," he said. He raised one leg and placed it next to Jou's side on his chair, his foot brushing against Jou's hip, an arm resting on his knee as he leaned forward, watching Jou's reaction intently. Jou turned wide and startled eyes to Yuugi, his mouth falling open as he realized that with very little effort Yuugi could straddle his waist and bring them within kissing distance.

"Wha... wh-wha' are ya doin'?" Jou managed to squeak as Yuugi continued to stare at him intently, seemingly unaware of the position he had put the two of them in. Jou couldn't help but think how much Yuugi looked like Yami at this moment, the cool air of confidence and authority circling Yuugi in tantalizing waves.

"What are you feeling right now, Jou?" Yuugi asked, his voice calm, low, and steady. He had to know, and he knew of no other way to test Jou's true feelings for him.

"Confused mos'ly," Jou said quickly, the words jumping from his mouth. His breathing picked up a notch as Yuugi raised a regal eyebrow at his answer.

"Nothing else?" Yuugi inquired.

"Well..." Jou began, swallowing as he tried to find his voice. "Nervous. Hot, scorchin' almos'. Bu' mos'ly..."

"Mostly...?" Yuugi encouraged.

"Uncomfor'ble."

Yuugi's eyes narrowed, and for a moment Jou thought he had said something to offend him. Yuugi leaned forward again, stopping just as his and Jou's noses touched, not once blinking, not once taking his eyes from Jou's. "Are you sure?"

Jou gulped, disbelief encompassing him at Yuugi's forwardness. "Yeah, I'm shure. Neva fel' more uncomfor'ble in my life."

Yuugi immediately pulled away at the response, walking around the table and back to his chair, sitting down slowly as he reached out for his drink and took a sip. Jou blinked several times in confusion, his mouth still hanging open as he tried to figure out what had just happened. Unable to formulate a satisfactory answer, Jou finally asked the one person who could explain.

"Wha' da hell jus' happened?" Jou asked.

Yuugi took another sip from his drink before setting the cup down on the table and leaning back in his chair. "You just proved something to me," Yuugi explained, folding his hands in his lap as he looked contentedly at Jou. "You don't love me Jou. At least, not in the way you think you do."

Jou's temper flared at the conviction of Yuugi's statement. "Now where do ya ge' off sayin' that?" he demanded. "Youz can' tell me how I feel!"

"Yes I can, Jou," Yuugi said calmly, anticipating Jou's outburst. "I'm not saying this to hurt you." He paused as Jou scoffed at the remark. "I'm saying this because I don't think you realize what you are doing."

"Enligh'en me den, oh Wise One," Jou mocked.

"You told me that you didn't realize your feelings for me until I found Yami, right?" Jou nodded his head curtly. "Up until that time, you were my best friend, my only friend for a while, and the most important person in my life next to Jichan. You were use to me depending on you, coming to you when I was in trouble and when I just needed a friendly ear. You were use to my worship of you."

Jou's gaze softened for a moment, honest surprise sparkling in his eyes. "Youz worshiped me?"

A slight blush graced Yuugi's cheeks as he modestly lowered his eyes, a small smile coming to his lips. "Yeah, I did. Though that wasn't something I ever thought I would tell you." Yuugi raised his eyes to Jou again. "You were so different from me. You have no idea how it felt to have someone you see as strong and confident welcome you into his life and accept you as his friend. The feeling is truly amazing."

Some of Jou's anger faded away with Yuugi's admission, his thoughts clearing, his willingness to listen to Yuugi strengthening. "So wha' does all this have ta do wit how I feel abou' youz?"

"Don't you see, Jou?" Yuugi asked, no accusation present in his tone. "You're upset because I no longer come to you as I once did. You are jealous that Yami has almost my full attention. You have misinterpreted your feelings of jealousy as those of love, and you tried to mask your feelings behind anger because anger is an easier emotion to explain."

Jou thought about Yuugi's explanation, turning the words over in his mind. It was true that he was jealous of Yami, jealous of the love and adoration and attention and affection he recieved from Yuugi with seemingly little effort. Could his jealousy have evoked such powerful emotions if he simply felt love for Yuugi in the sense of a friend? He had never been in love before he thought he had fallen in love with Yuugi, so he had no experience on which to compare his emotions.

"How can youz be so shure?" Jou asked quietly. "How can youz define my feelings when I can' even figure ou' wha's going on inside my head?"

Yuugi's eyes softened as he straightened himself in his chair, resting his arms on the table as he smiled at Jou, even though his friend was looking at the floor. "Because I have been in love, Jou. I am in love. I understand how it feels. And of all the emotions I have felt in regards to Yami, 'uncomfortable' has never been one of them."

Jou lowered his head into his hands, sighing deeply as he pressed his palms against his eyes. "I'm no' so shure it's tha' simple, Yuugi. I'm so confused righ' now I don' even know wha' day of the week it is."

Jou waited for the witty remark he was certain Yuugi would give, concern creasing his brows as his friend did not offer any words of comfort. He peaked from between his fingers, his eyebrow raising in question as he saw the anxiety on Yuugi's face. Yuugi's violet eyes were distant, slightly dulled, and narrowed in concentration, a sure sign that he had turned his attention inwards and towards the link that he and Yami shared.

"Yug?" Jou ventured, unsure what could have alerted Yuugi so.

"Yami?" Yuugi whispered, his head turning slowly to the side as Jou's inquiry went unnoticed. Yuugi stood from his chair, walking over to the rail beside the table with slow, hesitant steps. The unease of his posture alerted Jou that something was horribly wrong as Yuugi gripped the edge of the rail tightly, leaning over its edge, his head tilted in the direction of the ice rink.

Yuugi suddenly let out a loud gasp, his body lurching forward as his eyes clenched at the intense violation in his mind. Jou leapt from his chair and grabbed Yuugi's waist in time to keep his friend from plunging the three stories to the floor below. With a grunt of effort, he pulled Yuugi back to the table, sitting him in his chair as Yuugi hung his head, gasping for air as his fingers kneaded into Jou's shirt.

"Yug! Hey, Yug! Wha' is it? Wha' happened?" Jou asked urgently, trying to draw Yuugi from whatever it was that had gripped him.

"Numb," Yuugi said, his voice shaky as he clenched his eyes even more tightly. "It's all... it's just numb..." There was urgency in his voice, an underlying panic that threatened to consume him if he faltered even once.

"You're no' makin' any sense, Yug," Jou said as he shook Yuugi lightly, trying to get his attention.

Yuugi's eyes snapped open, and in one fluid motion he freed himself from Jou's hold and jumped from his chair, running faster than he ever had down the aisle. He had to find him, had to help him before he was beyond his reach, before he lost him...

Jou got to his feet and ran after Yuugi, his long legs barely able to keep up with his shorter friend who moved with all the speed and grace of a cougar as he maneuvered through the crowds that littered the mall. He heard a few screams up ahead, a few gasps, a few shouts, a few wails as he and Yuugi made their way towards the stairs, Yuugi taking the steps five at a time in his haste to reach the first floor. Jou had to resort to sliding down the banister to keep up with him, hitting a few people on his way down and yelling his apologies over his shoulder.

There was no doubt in his mind now where they were headed, and with all the screaming and frantic cries, he had no doubt as to whom was the cause of whatever had happened at the ice rink.

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It cannot be thought as amusing, and yet those not present to witness the horror will chuckle to themselves as they think of the huddled masses that pause in their daily routine in order to observe the suffering of others. It happens on the streets, on the freeways, every car accident, every shooting in a deserted alley marked by yellow police tape that acts more as an advertisement than a warning. It was happening now, at a local mall with a newly built ice rink.

Perhaps the fascination was born of a morbid desire to see death; to see it for one's self in order to affirm that it indeed existed, indeed was real and not some elaborate hoax concocted by the world's best poets and writers. To see it in its purest form, not as inviting and beautiful, but rather harsh and cold and callous and eternal.

There was a cacophony of voices, some whispers of awe, others shrieks of horror, and still others cries of those who had witnessed the death of a close friend. Yuugi pushed his way through the crowd that had accumulated along the glass enclosure of the ice rink, forcing his way through as he used his diminutive size to his advantage, squeezing between the bodies that buzzed with the earnest intensity of a bee hive. He was finally able to make it to the double doors that separated the rink from the mall, but his progress was halted by a very large and very stressed security guard.

"People, please!" the guard shouted as he tried to push the crowd away from the doors and keep them clear for the emergency personnel. "You must stay back! Believe me, you don't want to go in there."

Yuugi ignored the man's pleas as he tried to move around him, trying to shove his way into the room that jailed his Yami. The guard roughly took hold of his arm and pulled him away from the door, his displeasure at being ignored evident as he glared at Yuugi. Yuugi was unimpressed and unaffected by the stern look, giving one of his own as his urgency to get to Yami heightened.

"I must get in there," Yuugi snapped as he pulled his arm free of the guard's grasp.

"Weren't you listening to a word I said?" the guard asked. "I can't let you in there. Whatever happened is still going on. If you go in there you might die, and I will not have that on my conscience."

"You don't have a choice, because I am going in there and you cannot stop me."

The guard was about to retort when something in Yuugi's gaze stopped him. He could see how determined the young man was, how set he was to enter the death trap. There was an enraged look in his eyes, their deep violet color highlighted by swirling tendrils of a darker hue, making his eyes appear as if they too where alive and anxious to enter the rink.

Hesitating a moment, unsure why the young man intimidated him so, the guard cleared his voice before speaking again. "I... I am the authority here, and I say you cannot enter. Trust me, child, it is for your own good."

Yuugi walked up to the guard and stood stiffly, giving the man one last chance to step aside and let him pass. His eyes narrowed as he heard a strangled cry, a sound he was certain no one else could hear, as Yami continued his struggles against the overwhelming force of the Shadows. He was calling for him, pleading with him as much as he was able to save him from the abyss that was surrounding him.

The guard swallowed as Yuugi growled, his impatience at this man's ignorance boiling over. "I will not," Yuugi began as he quickly reached forward and grabbed the guard's wrist, turning so his back was facing the guard and his arm was over his shoulder. "... Loose him," he continued as he reached his foot back, hooking it around the ankle of the guard. "... Because of your ignorance!" Yuugi shouted as he suddenly shifted his weight forward, the position he had put himself in allowing him to easily pull the guard's weight over his shoulder, tossing the guard onto his back on the floor. Yuugi had the sense of mind to release the guard's arm before he landed, preventing himself from dislocating the guard's shoulder, though he did severely twist his wrist.

Once the guard was on the floor Yuugi rushed for the doors, roughly shoving them open and running into the enclosure. Jou followed him, stopping long enough to kneel beside the guard and make sure he was all right. Though his face bore no shock at his friend's action, inside Jou was confused and surprised and slightly scarred at the uncharacteristic violence Yuugi had displayed. It was so unlike Yuugi to physically lash out, preferring to hold his anger or displeasure inside until he was in the safety of his Yami's presence, where the pharaoh would then aid Yuugi with the release of his emotions.

Jou wrapped his arm beneath the guard's shoulders, helping the man stand as he tried to get his feet under him. The guard nodded his thanks absently, still in a state of mild shock at having been thrown unexpectedly and by a man nearly half his size. He shook his head, blinking his eyes as his senses returned.

"H-Hey! Wait! Get back here!" the guard shouted after Yuugi. He tried to pursue him, but was held back by a surprisingly strong force. He turned his head to look at Jou, his confusion quite evident. "What are you doing?"

"The righ' thing fur once," Jou said quietly. He kept his firm grip on the guard's arm, ensuring that he could not get away and interrupt Yuugi's attempt to save his Yami. The guard's brows creased in agitation as he reached for the club on his belt. "Wha' are ya, dumb or sumthin'?" Jou asked sourly. "Are ya really gonna try an' stop the one person who can pu' an end ta this mess?"

The guard stared at Jou for a few moments before the raucous crowd once again drew his attention, his mind dismissing Yuugi in favor of pushing the huddled masses away from the rink. Jou let him go, content with the fact that he had bought Yuugi some time. His best friend's reaction to the obstacle that had stood in the form of a security guard between him and his Yami was all that Jou needed to see.

Regardless of his feelings, regardless if Yuugi had been correct in his assumption that Jou had merely confused jealousy for love, he saw whom it was that Yuugi was devoted to. Who it was that Yuugi was willing to abandon his peaceful nature and lash out for at any threat that dared to reach towards what Yuugi so ardently claimed as his own.

Jou sighed as he took up a post by the doors, praying to whatever deity was out there that Yuugi would survive his choice.

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To be concluded...