Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The Shadow of the Past; The Light of the Future ❯ Story Confession ( Chapter 18 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Bakura: *opens gift* Nice a dagger!

Marik: I got a straight jacket.

Atem: *holds up a locket and kisses Yugi* Thank you Aibou. “Talking”

Yugi: *blushes* You're welcome.

Ryou: *opens his gift and quickly closes the box**blushes*

Malik: What did your yami get you this year?

Oi! I don't want to hear it!

Joey: What the hell?! *holds up collar and leash* What am I gonna do wit dis?!

Seto: Where it during the holidays.

Joey: When hell freezes over!

*sighs* Well, I hope everyone had a great time! And remember…

Everyone: Happy Holidays!

“Talking”

`Thinking'

~Place/Time~

-??? POV-

`la la la' - song(s)

^Flashback^

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Everyone is searching for a new world

To achieve that overflowing dream

Jumping over the horizon

Not knowing what's beyond there

We've been running

Jumping into hope, only to forget courage

Being swept away by the crowd

We lost something important

Yes! Yes!

I slaugh with a frown

That was the best smile I could make now

The mask overflowed with tears

And over the soggy mask

I once again hide myself with a new mask

I continue to walk along the flat battle field

Unable to wrap and struggling, yeah!

At a far cape, the dream

Waits patiently

Even with a clumsy search

I can probably arrive there

Yes! Yes!

I always turn my gaze away

The unseen heart invited

Me to run away

But at night I look up to the stars

Looking through binoculars

Searching for my place

I continue along the balanced battle field

Grabbing onto an unwithering flower, yeah!

The far cape, I'm

Beginning to her near even if I lose my way

The waves will probably tell me

Searching for a new world, hesitation and

Confusion, I probably knew it

If I don't stand and step out

There's something I can't obtain

Everyone is searching for a new world

To achieve that overflowing dream

Jumping over the horizon

Aiming for the cape of hope.

Yes! Yes!

Ch. 18: Story Confession

~Modern Day: Domino~

Atem was on the roof top of his apartment sleeping when a light gust of wind came in. He opened his eyes slowly to see a clear blue sky. He sighed as he felt something hard on his cheat and lifted the object up to see the Millennium Puzzle. `How long has it been now?' He thought as he stared at the item. `Five days…? Feels like five months… Damn it…' He let out another sigh as he sat up to stare at the ocean that was a mile off, but his mind was focused on something else entirely. `It's bad enough that I have visions, but feeling it as well?' He remembered seeing a vision where Yugi stopped breathing because she saw a man that looked like his father. He didn't know until the Pharaoh gave her CPR, or the `kiss-of-life', is when he could feel her lips and felt his breathing patterns change. He woke up when he saw that she was okay. `Just now, I had a vision of `him' about to kiss her!' He thought angrily, only to feel somewhat confused. `What's wrong with me?' He ran his fingers through his hair. His cell went off and he picked up to see that it was Lisa and answered. “Hey Lisa.”

“Hey Atem! What's up?” Lisa said.

“Nothing much.”

“You're suppose to say sky damn it!”

He chuckled. “Sorry about that.”

“Don't worry about it!”

“So, how's it going?”

“Oh… yeah know… My mom's busy and my little sister's craz- Damn it! I told you to stop that! I'm going to take that away!”

He heard a little girl wailing.

“I'm not going to fall for that! NO! Don't make me tell Mom!” The girl's wailing stopped. “Now… stay here and watch… uh… here!”

He heard ruffling sounds before she talked again.

“Sorry about that.”

“Don't worry about it.”

“So… anything new?”

He sighed. “One of the priests died.”

“Which one?”

“The one who is the Dark Magician.”

“Damn…”

“He's also happens to be the Pharaoh me's best friend.”

“Ah damn! That just sucks ass! Shit!”

“You always have a way with words.”

“Well what did you expect damn it!”

He rolled his eyes.

“Anything good happen?”

“Not at the moment… except that Yugi is happy and well…”

“Yeah… I remember meeting her for the first time. Damn she was so goddamn nice and has some kick ass friends to hang with!”

He chuckled. “Glad you warmed up with us so quickly.”

“Why wouldn't I? You guys are damn crazy!”

“So true.”

“How are you coping now a days? Since ya got that Millennium Puzzle-thingy…”

He looked at the said item. “Hard to tell…”

“Hard to tell my ass! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“That's what I'm trying to figure out…”

“Okay! Enough with the sappy depressed crap! I've tried to be nice damn it! And everyone is trying so damn hard to make sure you don't come falling down like bird shit! Now spill damn it!”

He blinked when she said this. “If I tell you, will you keep it from the others?”

“Of course damn it!”

He sighed as he stood up. “You know that Yugi and I have been together for a long time… and… ever since she… disappeared… I… have been having so many emotions, most of which I don't even recognize.” He sighed again. “I feel like falling apart and I want to run away, but I can't… I can't abandon her… I can't leave Yugi! Not like before…”

“What the hell are you talking about? And what's all this `like before' crap?”

“It started in freshmen year, I lost my father from an unknown illness and I stayed with Yugi for three weeks. During those weeks, Yugi never left my side, nor I with hers. We slept in the same bed together like kids, even though it just seems wrong now that we're in high school.”

“Yeah… it kinda does. Especially when you keep hearing about teenagers having sex and all that crap.”

“Well, to me, it felt comforting… Just knowing she's there… That's when I felt different…”

“Different?”

“For along time, she was like a little sister to me.” He chuckled dryly. “I even have a huge portrait of me, my father, her and her grandfather. We looked like a family…” He sighed. “But ever since my father died and staying with Yugi those three weeks, I began to notice things about her that I haven't seen before. Like the way she moves when she's walking or running, or the way she looks when she talks. The way she smiles, when she cries, her laugh, even when we're doing homework.” He leaned back against the wired fence. “There's so many things that I noticed for the first time that it started to scare me. So, after three weeks, I moved back to my apartment and started to clean to get my mind off of her, then it went into homework, then studying… soon I momentarily forgotten about her. But when I went back to school, it was raining that day, and I saw her, waiting for me at the gates, without an umbrella. When she saw that it was me, she smiled and ran up to me. She asked how I was and I stood there. As rude as it was, I didn't answer her question and asked her why she was standing out there alone. She responded that she called only a day ago and thought that I was on the rooftop… but I was really studying.”

“What's so bad about that?”

He sighed and responded. “Because that day, she was alone in the shop while Grandpa Mouto was out with a friend. And I would usually come over and make sure that she was okay and all that. And when he came back, thinking that she called and I was over to visit and expected me there, she lied that I was sick and had to stay home. It was completely unlike me to leave Yugi alone and when I went home from school, I played the messages and found out she left five messages asking how I was doing and if it was okay for her to visit and the last message was that she'll wait for me at the school gates. I felt as though I abandoned her by completely ignoring her, especially the last message when the unpredictable storm hit.” He remembered how bad the storm was and yet she smiled when she sawed him. “She had a nasty cold for a few days and I never left her side ever again. That is, until I successfully had an interview with Pro. Hopkins and had a job going back and forth…” He fell silent as he remembered the last time he saw her… how he felt so strange and scared that he will never see her.

“You're in love.”

That was news to him. “What?!”

“If some jerk tried to hit on Yugi, and tried to make the first move on her, what would you do?”

“Kick the son of a bitch's ass of course.”

“Then you love her.”

“But-“

“Don't you `but' me! All of us know you love her!”

“But-“

“What the hell did I tell you?! Don't you give me that kind of crap! The reason you don't see it is because you're too blind to see it!”

“But-“

“GODDAMN IT ATEM!! Have you ever once thought about Valentine's Day? When you look at her, when you talk to her, the times you sleep over at each other's places even after middle school? And in the same bed?!”

He did slightly blush upon hearing that.

“And you two always hang out together.”

“Not all the-“

“The movies, the park, the theme park, school… scratch that… the cemetery of all places!”

“Don't forget the beach.”

“Thanks… Look my point is that you love her and that's why you have those strange emotions.”

“Why do I have them now? Answer me that.”

“Because you're so damn used to have Yugi being around that those feelings are hardly noticeable.”

“Is it love?”

“If it isn't, then I don't know what is! Damn it! I told you not to do that! Don't you… Hey! Sto-“

Hears sounds of broken pottery.

“Goddamn it! Hey! Get back here you little bitch!”

He thought this was a good time to hang up and leaned against the wired fence. `Love…' The word itself kept ringing in his mind like an annoying broken record. Then he called Joey, since he could trust her with his thoughts.

“Yo.” Joey answered.

“It's me, Atem.”

“Hey man, how's it goin'?”

“Not too well.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“That's why I called.”

“Alright then, shoot.”

He took a deep breath and explained everything that he told Lisa within three minutes before panting.

Joey was silent for a moment before she spoke. “Sounds like you've finally realized something that was right there the whole time.”

“What do you think it is though?”

“… Love.” Joey said, simply put.

“But-“

“Atem… I felt the same way every time we see Seto in all our crazy adventures together. And I can tell you that you're hopelessly in love and there's no turning back on it.”

Atem stayed silent for a moment before saying goodbye and hung up. He looked at his cell for a moment and pondered for a while before walking down the stairs from the rooftop and headed to the one place where he could start thinking about his feeling… the cemetery. He stood in front of his parent's graves as he remembered that rainy day, years ago.

^Flashback: Atem's POV^

I was only a kid then. My mother was being buried and my father was silently crying. I stood there holding my father's hand when I looked back and, amazingly, I saw a girl, just meters away from where I stood. I let go of my father's hand and walked towards her. I went up to her and I saw her for the very first time and held out my hand… which she hesitantly took.

After seeing the game shop and waiting a week until going to school, I saw her again. She was in the back of the classroom, but I notice her the moment I stepped into that classroom. At recess, I learned her ugly truth about Anzu and I punched her, which was unlike me, but I felt so annoyed and I wanted her to shut the hell up. I got a long lecture about it when Father found out, but Yugi trusted me that day and it still there even now. Elementary and middle school was like that with us, we were always together. Valentine's Day and St. White's Day was the same as well. I would get all the chocolates, cards and ribbons and I would share my chocolates with her and play with her hair with the ribbons, and I would secretly burn the cards in the fire place. No matter where we went, we were always side by side. That bond hasn't change even after entering our first year of high school and over coming my father's death, not to mention our first adventure. Even through the tense, dangerous, and sometimes strange time, she stood by me, even when we have friends that have our backs, we would save each other any time of day.

^End of Flashback^

I looked at my surroundings to find out that I absent mindedly walked into the game shop.

“Atem?” Grandpa Mouto said. “Are you alright? I've called your name a few times.”

“Y-Yeah… Just thinking…” I said as I looked at the shelves of so many games.

“Well, since you're here, would you mind doing a few things for me?”

“Of course.”

“Would you mind cleaning the house? These old bones are finally catching up to me.”

“You?” I said as I crossed my arms. “No! That can't be! You're far too young to have problems like that!”

He laughed. “It's true! I'm not as young as I used to be!”

I smiled and headed upstairs. “I'll get to work then!” I said.

While I cleaned the bathroom, I remembered the fun we had with the hand soap we used to clean it with. When I entered her room, it brought so many memories. We played games, do homework, slept over, and just hang out and talked. As I cleaned her room, I accidentally knocked over some of her books. As I picked up her books, I noticed that there was a package addressed to me. After placing the books to the side, I wondered if I could open it or not. `I'll decide after I cleaned the shop.' I thought as I placed the package on her bed.

~3 hours later~

`That took forever.' I thought as I entered her room and laid down on the carpet. I was in the basement for two long hours, dusting and getting the cobwebs off. `Now, what did I come up here for again?' I got up and saw the package and remembered what I came up for. I stared at it for a few minutes wondering whether to open it or not.

“I see you found Yugi's gift.” Grandpa Mouto said with a smile. “If Yugi were here, she would want you to open it.”

I stared at him for a moment before looking back at the gift.

“Oh, I think I have a customer waiting for me.” He said and left.

`I didn't hear the shop bell…' I thought but shrugged it off and decided to open it. `I don't think she'll mind if I opened it.' I blinked when I saw a sketch book and opened it to see a title. `Dream?! This is what Yugi was working on!' I flipped through and saw she made a manga and flipped back to the front and started to read.

#~Story~#

Once upon a time, in the land where dreams were created, there lived a small princess. The small princess was always happy and enjoyed her kingdom and the dream villagers that came around. But, as happy as she was, she was very lonely. She had often asked the dream villagers if they will play with her, and each time they will tell her to wait and walk away, leaving her there.

One day, she went out for a walk until she found a forest. She went up to the forest, but could not see what's beyond the darkness tat the forest possesses. “Hello?!” She called and waited for a response. “Hello?! Is there anyone there?!”

“Who are you?” There was another voice within the dark forest.

“I'm the Princess of Dreamland.” She responded. “And who are you?”

The other walked out from behind the tree. “I'm the Prince from the world known as Reality…”

“Reality? What's that?”

The Prince was a little hesitant. “It's hard to explain.” He said.

The Princess looked confused then had an idea. “Would you like to play with me?” She asked.

The Prince was curious and stepped out. “What are we playing?” He asked.

“Whatever it is you like to do!” She said and thus formed a friendship.

For years they would have fun together and enjoyed their companies. But one day, years later, she grew from a small girl to a young woman and she walked to the usual meeting spot, but felt strange. She had felt strange for sometime, but every time she would try to ignore it, it grew stronger. When the Prince appeared, she noticed how much he changed. The sweet adorable boy she knew, grew to be a handsome and kind young man. When she was about to greet him, he held onto her and cried. She didn't know what to do, she never seen him like this. “Prince? Prince? What's wrong?” She asked, very worried. But her response was the other holding her tightly. She stayed silent until he stopped crying. “What's wrong Prince?” She asked. “Why are you crying?”

“My father passed on…”

“I don't understand.” She said.

“My father's gone! I have no on else who'll understand me!”

“I'll understand.” She said, on the verge of crying as well.

He looked up at her and was about to say something when he heard people calling him from the forest. “I have to go.” He said as he walked back into the forest.

“Prince! Will you come back?!”

“He looked back and smiled. “Of course.”

Weeks passed and he hadn't come back and she grew concerned. One day she walked back only to pass by a small puddle. She heard his voice from the puddle and looked back to see him. She called out but found out that she was looking at the Reality that the other mentioned so much. She saw the tired look of his face as he barked orders at the others around him. “What's going on?” She asked herself when he ordered everyone to leave him be and went to bed. She ran towards the forest where he started to walk out. She was about to greet him as usual, but he mentioned her to sit down and sat down next to her and laid his head on her lap. She knew he was exhausted and let him rest.

Two days passed before be woke up and talked to her. He told her that he became a king now and apologized for not seeing her for a long time.

All she could do was forgive him and they played together for a day before her had to leave once again.

This pattern continued with some short, some long visits. The more he left, the more she longed for him to stay, but knew she couldn't do that. She would go to the puddle to see what he does and usually see a tired looking ruler known as her friend. This continued for two more years then, while she was waiting, she fell asleep under a tree and had a note in her hand.

When he came out of the forest, he looked around and saw her and went up to greet her, but she didn't move. He grew very concerned and saw the note and opened it.

`My dearest friend…

Forgive me for what I'm about to say, but… I feel as though I need to tell you this while I have the courage to do so. For as long as I can remember, you were by my side and I could never be so happier then you being here for all these years. But now I have a confession to make and I hope it doesn't change our friendship. But… I love you, I have been for so long but I was afraid to tell you in person. Even if you don't feel the same, and I'll understand if you never speak to me again, but… I want us to still talk and laugh and cry together just like when we were little.

Princess of Dreams'

The story ended with the note and there was a small mention of `to be continued' at the corner.

#~End of Story~#

I didn't know what to say or think at the moment as I re-read the letter a few times. `This story...' I finally thought. `It's a small part of Yugi's life in a story and…' I looked at the characters and saw that the Prince/King almost looked like me and the Princess almost looked like Yugi, only the hair style and eye color were different. I started to cry and cried for a good damn hour. When I was reduced to sniffing, I realized the one thing that was so obvious that if it were a black mombo, I would've been dead years ago. I was in love with Yugi and I was too stupid to notice it in the first place. “Oh Yugi…” I said. “I'm so sorry… so sorry…” I kept saying that until I fell asleep with the book in my grasp.

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Feeling sad and lonely

Cause I can't find you

Call your telephone

Ad there's never no answer

Said you love me

Kissed me

We were in heaven

Said I'm sorry

Love you, want you forever

Every night I look at the sky

Call your name

And wonder where you are

Every night I look at the sky

Baby, miss you

Won't you come back