Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Echoes of Forgotten Times ❯ Staying True ( Chapter 17 )

Echoes of Forgotten Times
Written by Shukumei no Kagi
Notes: Please Read and Review. Burning and Yazi.... The answer to that riddle is the letter E. I love figuring out riddles!
Warning: Yaoi, sorta deathfic

Chapter Seventeen ~ Staying True
~
Consciousness slammed into him hard, buffeting him with an unexpected vengeance of returning sensations. One minute there was nothing, then the next, feelings were crashing in on him. He bit lightly at his lip as the exact first thing he noticed beyond the jumble was an ache pounding through his mind. It filled his attention with an agony that shot through each thought passing in his head.

It hurt his head to think! That much at least was clear to him though not much else was. The teen just didn't know what he was supposed to do at this instant. What he did was try to remember anything from before his waking here. Only he encountered a gray fog darkening everything to a blank slate, leaving nothing else there, not even a memory of who he was!

He paused at the realization that he didn't remember much of anything. It was so confusing as he rested there, becoming aware momentarily just as fabric rustled next to his prone form. He promptly wondered who might be that close, especially since he couldn't think of anyone who might be nearby. That unknown presence distracted him fully from his lack of memories, startling him into finally opening his violet eyes wide with curiousity to see who was there. The light around him wasn't really all that bright but he was unprepared for the fierce glows that surrounded him. He gasped softly in surprise as his eyes stung with pain and, for an instant, the teen was blinded by the pale lights.

Blinking slowly, the teen tried intently to focus upon who was by him as he spoke. "Hi! I'm really glad..." The sound echoed too loudly for him, right into his pain racked head, rebounding enough to have him trailing off as the stinging ache became too serious for him to focus. His sight clearing now finally even as the hurt glinted in his eyes while his thoughts faltered for the moment. Only his vision was ringed by a threatening darkness that didn't keep him from seeking out the person who was there, his expression brightening as his gaze found her hesitating there. "To see you!" He finished different from what he'd originally intended, but the teen thought those words fit better now that he could see. "I was worried and I'm not sure what happened. Do you know?" He asked curiously, blinking in confusion for he saw a stunned look to the girl's hazel eyes.

For one thing he didn't see how his question could cause such a reaction. Especially when she managed to speak, stuttering out a startled murmur. "Y...Yugi?" The inquiry surprising him for he had no idea who this Yugi was. He looked around slightly without taking his gaze fully off of her as he peered about, his wide questioning gaze passing over the dulled stone walls as he searched the area for the person she'd been talking to, only to have his eyes quickly finding the bars of his cage without seeing anyone else there that she could have been addressing.

Am I Yugi? The teen wondered even as the girl was shaking her head, continuing her comment as if there hadn't been any pause. "How are you feeling?!" The sound of her speaking in a steadier tone of voice caught his attention, bring his violet eyes to look at her again. The open cage door beyond her only vaguely being noticed by the teen as his gaze fell worriedly on her nervous features and he wondered what was so out of place. Well whatever it was, the now named Yugi definitely didn't want to be the reason she was worrying so much!

"My head hurts is all, please don't worry. I don't think it's anything too bad." He responded hurriedly in want to soothe the concern, though he did pout again as he noted the ache that continued on in his head. The unending sensation rather like the gray fog which was filtering in throughout the gaps of his memory, filling in as the only things he knew. Yugi quickly softened his expression with a gentle smile, shifting uncomfortably even then, still on the floor, as his only answer was a silence for the girl. He could only watch restlessly as her hazel eyes locked on him, studying him without speaking a word. The quiet testing him, leaving him uneasy as in his worry, the teen instinctively raised his hand to his chest. The silence too much for him to be able to ignore the puzzlement over whether she'd really been talking to him before.

Had he been wrong? He thought questioningly as he trailed his fingers against a rather smooth material. His fingers traveling over the heated silkiness almost without noticing the motion. It was merely the warming of his finger tips which made him realize that he was tracing something upon the robe. The motion seemed nearly too familiar though Yugi didn't remember anything like the odd pattern his probing fingers kept repeating.

Only there was nothing there. Yet there was a flicker of gold suddenly planting itself briefly into his head. It was the merest image of gold, nothing more, but the teen paused the movement of his finger for the memory confused him even more. What had that been?! He wondered with his eyes widening in surprise, leaving his mind to grasp at the flicker of gold lurking there. Though he only found the memory to be fading from his thoughts, the void allowing a strange sensation to creep in to replace the golden object. Yugi suddened was weighed down under a certainty that something was missing from around his neck. He blinked slowly, totally not able to figure out where that feeling had came from in his muddled thoughts.

Quietly he tried to focus on the girl, part of him hoping that she might explain it to him. His violet eyes swiftly filling with surprise as they landing on her once more. She wasn't paying attention to him anymore, Yugi noted softly as his features turned questioning. Though he could guess where his slightly down turned gaze was focused, he followed her glance anyway to the motion his hands were making. He blinked in wonder about what was so interesting about his fingers.

This wasn't making any sense, he lamented softly in a sorrow of sorts. He couldn't even begin to guess about whether this was because she hadn't meant that he was Yugi at all. Could that be what was wrong? He wondered before hurrying to smooth things over in case that was what was the trouble. "That is, if you meant I'm Yugi. I can't seem to remember much of anything...oh!" The teen gasped in surprise with his words cut short as the girl jerked sharply backwards, her back running solidly into the door of the cell. That reminded him about the opening presented to him as he tried to sit up to check on her, realizing idly as he did that he really didn't have any interest in leaving the cage. It felt to Yugi like he was supposed to be here, yet he sent a pleading glance to the door since there was a sense of wrongness about being here that he couldn't really understand.

He should be there, yet he shouldn't? Yugi bowed his head though he brought his gaze back to peering up at the girl. He was so confused by all of this! "Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?" He queried worriedly while grasping at the cloth of his robes with one hand, reaching out with the other toward her in hopes of comforting the panicking girl.

At his movement however she just recoiled more and he stopped in surprise, not understanding why she would be reacting like that to him. Yugi was fairly certain he couldn't seem all that frightening, could he? "Are you thinking I'm going to hurt you?" He questioned while still paused reaching out to her, not moving from his frozen pose. He just beamed a tired smile to her, trying his hardest to look friendly though the motion had the ache in his head reminding him of it's presence even as a little more darkness crept into the edges of his vision. "You don't really have to think that." He said with a kind nod in want to comfort her nerves so she wouldn't flee and leave him all alone. "I won't hurt anyone! I don't want to hurt anyone." He vowed, out of concern as she suddenly shivered harshly.

She just trembled, still watching him, as far as he could tell. For a moment her mouth moved without making a sound as his questioning violet eyes remained watchful. She shut her mouth again and the teen heard her swallow hard before she finally managed to make a noise. "Y...y...you d...don't remember?" The girl stuttered out with little tears glistening in her eyes, then the teen gasped as she didn't wait for an answer but instead sharply shook her head. "No...no!" She breathed in denial before ducking back out of the cage.

"I'm sorry! You don't have to go, do you?" Yugi burst out, startling himself with the sudden frantic want for her to not go. The strength of his longing having an emptiness tickling the back of his mind. He didn't know why, he just knew that he didn't want to be left alone with no idea about what was going on. "Please don't!" He implored while scrambling hurriedly to his feet, thinking to try and calm her but a blackness flashed across his vision, arresting his movement as conscious thoughts blurred in pain. Specks of tears glittered in the corners of his eyes as his body weakened suddenly from the abrupt movement and he was left shaking fiercely as his legs simply couldn't hold him any longer.

Yugi gasped in shock as his legs gave away to send him falling back to the hard floor. Dazed, he could only sit there for a second with his vision still darkened too much for him to know what was going on. But he didn't think he could risk waiting to see, the girl could be gone by then... Right? "I would like to know, only everything from before is so foggy. Can't you stay and help?" The teen pleaded with a nervous tear slipping from his eyes as he made the appeal to the girl. He could feel the slight moisture run down his cheek and Yugi blinked, trying to clear out both the darkness and the tears so he could see.

"Please." He added with some hope momentarily that maybe she might listen. That single word was met by the sound of the cell slamming shut, with the lock clicking closed sounding softly into the following silence. His ears caught the noise only to have it echoed loudly with the hurt in his head. Yugi bit at his lip with his eyes shining brightly with the pain even as he almost passed out from the surging pain in his head.

The teen clutched at his robes with a soft whimper. His delicate complaint almost had him missing the lack of noise that fell over his senses, though he was trying to keep away the pressing unconsciousness that seemed imminent. Yugi shut his eyes tightly with another tear slipping down his face for his head really did hurt. Even the darkness was lingering at the borders of his mind in threat of pulling him back into darkness he didn't want to go back to. Especially when there was a gray fog covering his mind, clouding out everything but a flicker of gold and...and... something else too...

"Foggy?" He heard the girl questioning him about that. Her single word drew his mind off the thoughts and he forced his eyes open hopefully that he might have reached her. He was disappointed to find that his vision was nearly too blurry to see how her gaze locked on him at the moment.

As it was, he just nodded in answer, unable to do more than give her a sheepish smile as he felt so very foolish over how he had forgotten such things that just had to be important. They had to be something he should remember, right? He pondered slowly, uncertain even as his features were alive with this confusion. His hand returned to it's preoccupation of tracing the pattern on the material as he worried that maybe there was something he really should remember. He was certain there was something that should be there that would explain why his fingers wouldn't leave that spot alone... He just didn't know what!

"Yes, it's something like that I think. I don't get it, but I know that there was something before now..." Yugi trailed off with a frustration, his confusion quite clear in his features with the cute pout he gave. And he paused, he didn't know why exactly but that expression seemed so familiar though he didn't remember it. "I just don't really know what." He noted nervously as he finished the explanation, the words giving him a clear sense of something being amiss and he clutched at where the gold thing should have been.

There should have been something there, he knew, however his hands closed on nothing but air.

What was going on? He wondered about that as he floundered in his mind, the thick gray cloud insisting in closing out everything that he could try to think of. Wanting to find anything which could be lost there, this wish kept him trying to grasp around blindly with mental fingers, which only closed on fog time and time again. However Yugi's mind did find one other thing besides the vision of gold that had continued popping into his head. "Well there is one thing I can think of besides gold." He commented hopefully as he beamed lightly to the girl. "I know of something about 'Stand not, tread not.' But that's it." He said in thoughtful curiosity, his features radiant with interest until the girl started in response, looking sharply up from his hands toward his face. The teen was startled by that reaction, and his expression dropped away with surprise replacing it even as he was being answered.

"It's 'Stand not, tread not. Others know where, more and more. For lest not bared. Follow not.'" She spoke that single phrase more calmly to him than anyything else she'd said before. Yugi noted the only pause she gave was after she'd finished, though that phrase she'd said... The words echoed loudly into his head, not leaving him alone until his mind grasped the statement, finding the words seeming so proper!

But hurting grew! He bit at his lip, trying not to make pained noises about his thoughts, which had the ache in his head increasing. The darkness in his vision thickening, pulling him deeper toward blackness. He shook himself in an attempt to stay awake. "That sounds familiar!" Yugi said with a smile, beaming gratitude toward the girl in spite of the fact that the darkness was trying to close in and cut off his sight.

Only Yugi refused to let it all slip away. Not yet, he refused to, especially as the girl shook her head again. "I would think it should! One of those down here just told us yesterday of it." She murmured softly.

He didn't know why, he didn't even have any reason for him to be so certain about this but a part of him was sure about what a 'yesterday' was. "That's not that long ago!" He cheerily answered, pleased to know a bit more than he had when waking. Only his joy was interrupted as the girl flinched.

Yugi blinked, noticing as her nervousness was returning, only he did see any cause for it to be coming back. They were just talking! He thought with a faint sadness, he knew perfectly well that it wasn't like he'd hurt her. The teen couldn't even reach her anymore, but the fact that she was troubled had him worrying enough that the tugging blackness of unconsciousness receded a breath. He had to know what was wrong.

"Are you okay? You didn't look so well there for a moment, is there any way I can help?" Yugi questioned with his worry about her wellbeing taking the forefront, even shining visibly from his features.

"You're the one that doesn't remember anything." She murmured quietly and Yugi flinched at the heaviness in her words. A little louder and she would have been snapping those words at him. He just wanted to make sure that she was okay! Only her reply wasn't quite what he'd been expecting and recognizing that caused another ache, this one having a hurt look covering his features and echoing deeply from his violet eyes as he pursed his lips. The girl grimaced as his expression grew, then she quickly spun away from him. "I'm sorry." She mumbled with the words just tumbling out hurriedly, her tone thick with a sadness that had the sound causing Yugi to start, dejected by how unhappy she seemed. There was no way he wanted her to be like that, yet he wondered what could have caused her to feel that despairing.

There was a want in him to say something to cheer her up, only before he could speak, she glided away from his cell. Slowly, for just a second, and then she sped up, fleeing swiftly and leaving the teen behind. Yugi could only watch her go in confused silence, not really getting what had happened. After all one moment they had been talking and the next.... It made no sense and his thoughts stopped there, for without anything to focus his attention on at that instant, it left the darkness tugging on his mind too heavily. He wanted to hang on but he couldn't, everything was slipping away. Though he did manage to stay awake long enough to see the girl slip into the cell next to his.

But she looked so far away, he noted with a vague interest even as his vision was darkening, leaving him powerless under the weight. He found he couldn't even keep his eyes open and Yugi shut his innocent violet eyes carefully, slowly laying down before his eyelids had even fully closed. His limbs grew more leaden with weight as he settled in upon the cold stone without noticing the uncomfortable hardness of the floor. To him there was only a warmth folding around himself, though Yugi didn't think much about it. It was just a warm cozy sensation, he figured while the teen preferred to consider the discussion he'd had with the girl. There hadn't been that much to happen, but the gold flickered in his mind unbidden, along with the riddle as his thoughts slipped to other things.

"'Stand not, tread not. Others know where, more and more. For lest not bared. Follow not.'" He murmured softly, if cluelessly. That riddle made no sense. However, whatever the meaning was, Yugi decided silently to himself that he would, in someway, follow what had been said. 'Stand not, tread not. Others know where, more and more. For lest not bared. Follow not.' What else would there be for him to do anyway? He didn't know what was going on, or why he was here... He shook his head weakly, too tired to make more of a gesture than that.

I will be myself, he promised and with that in mind, the teen let himself be drawn down into darkness. Everything that had just happened slowly fell away as Yugi resigned himself to follow whatever choices he would make in the future.

And something else was there in his mind as unconsciousness loomed. Curiously, Yugi wondered what it might be, even as blackness took over.

Only Yugi found quite quickly that it wasn't quite blackness, or at least not the unawareness that he'd been expecting. Instead he was drifting all alone, longing for company, as this emptiness of being just didn't feel right! He didn't want to be like this with a growing solitude about him, one which he would have preferred to go away. Each moment which passed had the emptiness growing in him. It ate away at his strength as he hung there, leaving him waning in the nothingness. He clung to his strength, using it to swing around frantically with his wide open violet eyes seeking something or anyone to make things better as he turned. But there was only darkness as far as his eyes could see.

Yugi didn't want to be there! The thought that someone might be near enough to hear him occurred to him and he couldn't just ignore it. He wanted to hear something over the silence that filled the space and after taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth to the blankness, thinking to cry out for somebody to hear. Only no sound came from his mouth, the words he'd tried to speak were swallowed into silence without making a noise.

What is going on? I don't like it here, he thought plaintively to himself as he turned again to look for anyone. Anyone at all who might help. Only his circle suddenly halted despite the fact he saw nothing there that could have stopped his turning. This wasn't right, it couldn't be since he certainly hadn't met a wall with his last look around. However Yugi tried to twist away from the wall, only he found that he couldn't move. Though that didn't last long. He'd just had time to be stunned at his fixed state before there was a blinding flash of color that left him reeling backwards, no longer frozen in place.

The movement carried him into an odd weighlessness, one in which he tried desperately to move. The teen simply wanted to get back to solid ground, yet his limbs just flailed about, useless in this state. Let me back to standing, let me back, he thought nervously as he clutched at the air as he found the idea of being unmoving in midair frightening for some unknown reason.

'This is him? He's mine? I can't tell.' A voice murmured in his memories without warning suddenly. The mere whisper having him freezing in surprise while the words were sifting about in his head, the words settling into places in his memory before Yugi could fathom what he'd just heard. He just grew more confused about what was going on and blinking, trying to clear his vision but he was still too blinded by the colors to see who was talking. Though he heard someone answering the first speaker. 'Yes he is, Asyikin. He's definitely your baby.'

Most of that didn't mean much to Yugi, but the name struck a cord. He drew his hands back to rest against him as the name echoed hollowly around him, even though none of those statements had been spoken aloud. Asyikin? He wondered as he just knew that he'd heard that before. But where? He questioned, wanting to know more....

He opened his eyes, thinking to see the people who had been talking still gathered around him. Yugi instead started in surprise as he found himself curled up in the shadows, his gaze being filled with the sight of one woman with a finger placed to her lips. 'You shouldn't be out here. What if something had happened to you? You can't be out here.' She spoke from behind her hands, her voice seeming a lot like the first person who'd spoken. That couldn't be right, he thought in dazed surprise as he stared with wide violet eyes, especially since there had been more than one person here before!

Then the teen was being pulled to his feet, the movement startling Yugi. He certainly hadn't been expecting to be pulled along like this! Yet the woman was half-tugging him down a crowded street, the dwellings around him seeming so familiar as he was led past a couple to the door of another. This place... The teen hesitated at the thought, wanting to be sure about what he was feeling but part of him truly did feel as if this place was home.

Home? Then how come he hadn't remembered it before? Yugi wondered that to himself, barely having the time to realize that before the scene flickered. The sights around him suddenly hazing together and he started in shock. I don't get this...what is this, he questioned while watching the shifting scene.

The grip on his arm was released as the jumbling scene continued. The area around him just suddenly solidified when the teen was turned free to be pushed along in a crowd. What? He barely had time to wonder before stumbling, nearly knocked over as people brushed past his boiling hot form without seeming to notice him.

Yugi struggled to keep his footing, desperately not wanting to fall but there was also a part of him that wanted for the person who'd been holding his hand before to grab hold again. 'Please, stop it, I can't stay up this way and I don't want to be stepped on.' He pleaded though his soft words weren't heeded and the teen started as he realized that he hadn't opened his mouth. Yet he knew he'd heard himself speak. No matter how little good that had been, his feet were still being pushed out from under him, again and again until once when he couldn't recover, Yugi went tumbling, his heart lurching nervously as the world tilted around him. Then the scene suddenly scattered as some wares caught his eye and a vendor reached out to keep him from falling onto one of the baskets.

But he never hit the ground, by the time he was nearing contact with the stone the scene was already morphing to something else. The images shifting before his eyes, imprinting the thoughts into his memory as his overwhelmed mind identified what was going on there.

The marketplace, when his mother had bundled him up in hot robes. His mother? Yugi blinked slowly, trying to understand what was going on around him as another image enfolded him, having the teen finding himself lying on his bed staring up at the ceiling of the dwelling. This is when, when... He trailed off though his mind kept grasping for what was happening now. But there had to be something here, right? Curiosity flared at the question and the teen ever so slowly sat up, thinking to find out what was going on even as a wandering thought crept into his head. What had woken him? He was sure there was something. Though Yugi didn't remember having been asleep before this, hadn't he been in a cell?

Yugi shook his head, trying to clear out the confusion which was now present in his mind. It didn't really work and all he could do was swing his little feet out of his bed, the turning bringing his gaze to land questioningly on the tiny sandals beside the bed. They're more for a littler kid than I am, he noted with more confusion shining clearly in his gaze. So when was this happening? The teen tried as hard as he could but couldn't quite grasp the memory, the idea was kept beyond his reach. No matter how much he tried to remember what was happening here, he only found a gray fog.

And then the scene changed again, clearing the fog which had been clouding his thoughts and letting him recall what had happened. The clattering knives in the kitchen where his mother had fallen, damaging her leg almost too much for her to keep walking. The accident leaving her limping, just like in the scene forming in front of him.

Slowly he blinked blankly, various emotions playing over his features as more memories were called up at the sight of his mother limping toward him. His violet gaze slipped from her angered features to examine how her hands were clamped around a golden object.

Gold?! Yugi started in shock as he felt like he knew that object. The thought having something gold flashing in his head suddenly as a weight began to settle around his neck. The presence having a solid comfort forming in his mind even as another dread took hold just before his mother was speaking.

'Just leave.' She snapped harshly as she limped over to Yugi unsteadily. The teen started in surprise as he hadn't been expecting that, but he felt a pressure on his lip as he bit worriedly down. He just knew that she couldn't manage that for herself and he couldn't leave her just like that! He couldn't, she needed help and he moved forward to help her but she brushed him off without saying anything. She took hold of a leather cord and hung the golden object around Yugi's neck. 'And keep that safe, let no one get their hands on it.' Her command echoed into his head coldly before the rest of what had happened shot through his head as he heard those words she'd spoken.

But he didn't pay that much attention, his eyes just widening as other things rattled around disturbingly in his thoughts.

This was the night that...that she'd died! Yugi's eyes widened as he remembered standing at the corner, watching her body being moved away, and in the faint light being able to see her throat slit from one side to the other, her head hanging with only part still attached. It was happening again? Yugi sobbed suddenly, knowing he was unable to let that happen a second time...she couldn't be torn from him again! He couldn't take it, not like that, he wasn't ready to be on his own! He frantically opened his mouth but the scene started, changing and with it swallowing away his chance to warn her about what was coming. "Mother, please be careful! You'll be hurt if you stay, I don't want to lose you again!" He choked out desperately, hoping that perhaps she might have heard the warning.

Only everything continued around him without pausing. The scenes shifting, showing other things that fell into place within his mind. He could identify each of them, including Bakt as he ran into the white haired man. Fear surged in him, the teen silently told himself not to go along with the guy but there was also a trust of the man and he fell in step with Bakt. But then that faded too, leaving him banging on the door of the large dwelling to no avail. He gave up slowly with a sigh, turning to see that the girl was there...

"I believe you! Though...I don't know who everyone is." He said, now wondering why Bakare hadn't told him about all this. A lot of things didn't make sense really, but he did know that Khenemet had to be telling the truth. That, and he was hopeful that he might be able to get to know who everyone is.

"I don't know everyone, sorry. But I'm Khenemet...Bakare's daughter." Khenemet spoke calmly just before things changed again for Yugi, the shifting scenes running together once more for the teen with a pain soon rushing through him. His back shattering under the force of something erupting from his skin. He cried out loudly as the pain rushed through him with a surprising suddenness, the ache encompassing him as the sensations rippled through him. His back was nearly screaming it's pain into his head, his skin being torn open more by whatever was breaking loose from his body and he was pushed upward from the stone to make space.

And in that moment Yugi gasped, his features tenderly wrinkling in confusion as his mind was weighed down under the assault of memories so fully that even the pain faded away into nothing. Everything just rushed in, pushing back the gray fog which had been invading his memories. Though the teen found that it didn't vanish entirely. Though for the moment he just grasped at the thoughts, remembering everything that had happened. The jumbled mess of memories having him clutching for comfort and his hands dug into the pleasant warmth that was surrounding him.

It didn't do enough... Just barely enough comfort to bring the flooding thoughts to an end and he whimpered softly in want of keeping everything straight in his head. "Okay, okay..." He breathed with moisture running down his cheeks waking him fully from his dreams. "I remember, please stop reminding me so much." He mumbled though the tears kept spilling.

Yugi opened his eyes hurriedly, burying his face into the blanket which was warming him. For a moment he didn't know what to think, he could only lay there shivering as memories rolled over him. Some of them were good but others hurt, stinging him severely like the pain that had rippled through him earlier.

Gently he tugged at the covers, trying to pull them closer to his sweet features. But the gesture drew a pang of pain running though his back and he hestitantly tugged at the covers again to cling to the warmth. Only he wrinkled his nose as he didn't like that hurt which struck his back once again with that second tug of his covers. That just wasn't supposed to be, he noted as he bit at his lip, not quite certain if he really wanted to see what was going on. He shivered nervously but still pulled back, cracking his violet eyes open once more, now to find his gaze greeting mere flares of red and white feathers.

What's this? He wondered without having a clue about what the feathers were doing there or why they were pulling like that. The thoughts having him being more curious about what was going on, enough so that he sat up. He let go of the feathers as he moved so he wouldn't pull on them more. Leaving the red and white softness behind, he brought his hands up to rub the sleep from his eyes. Once he'd cleared away the exhaustion he lowered his arms from his vision and turned his head to look at the feathers. Not quite knowing what to expect, Yugi wasn't prepared for what he saw and his gaze widened in surprise as the feathers slipped free of his grasp. He felt them quite surely spread out their wingspan to give him more room to glance about.

They had moved, he realized with his wide, stunned, eyes gaping down at where the feathers had been laying a moment before. His mind very slowly beginning to function, his thoughts wondering gently in disbelief about the feathers. Had he really just spread a pair of wings? Yugi blinked toward the wall without reacting for a moment, without being able to fathom the possibility that there were wings now folding up behind himself. Even though he really did feel like there were.

It couldn't be, could it? Yugi wondered in silent awe for a moment before snapping out of his shocked stupor as his questioning gaze was still pinned to the wall. He could hear his own heavy breathing as he turned, finally needing to know for sure about the wings and his wandering gaze passed over the bars of the cell momentarily, letting him remember clearly that he'd been locked in here. But he was more inquisitive about what was on his back, at least until he was peering over his shoulder. The teen's bright, curious eyes finding the first curve of his wings quickly, he let his eyes trail down over the feathers as he followed the shape of the wing downward. His search ending as his gaze landed upon where the wings were attached...right to his back!

Yugi gasped with his eyes widening, awe shining from the depths of the violet coloration as he fully accepted what he was seeing...

I really do have wings! Yugi exclaimed to himself both in awe and shock before he went scrambling to his feet. Real wings like Khenemet does! He added even as he brought his hands up, grasping eagerly for the soft wings. In his shock he wanted to feel the warm feathers, he might have accepted what he was seeing but he wanted to make sure that this was real! He did have wings!

He had no idea that his movement had been noticed by someone else.


To Be Continued

A/N: Review please!