Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Two In A Million ❯ The Dragon Temple ( Chapter 1 )

"The dream always ends the same. There are two dragons, one golden and one bright red. Between them is some sort of key, only it does not look like a key." He blocked out the distractions, the bumps in the road, the chattering of the other high school students, as he concentrated on his dream. "They seem to be circling each other in a fight, dance, or maybe a mating ritual; I don't know much about dragons." He could still see them, the red larger than the gold. "All of a sudden, the red one swallows the key, and the gold one changes colors. Then I wake up." He left out the other part, how the beginning was always different, and how they took place in feudal Japan. Through his dreams, he was being introduced to a wide variety of people, and he was starting to become attached to them. That was the strangest part of all, and the thing he could never reveal to his friend. "What do you think, Jounouchi-kun?"

He received no answer, and after a moment he wondered what he could possibly thinking about. When he looked over, he realized Jounouchi had not heard a word of what he said. His arms were crossed, he was leaning against the bus window, and Yuugi could have sworn he heard him snoring ever so slightly. At first he was angry, but he quickly relaxed. He would have talked to Anzu about his dream, but she and Honda were on the other bus.

The scenery outside the city was beautiful; the dark green forest sped past them in splendid color. He had never heard of the particular temple they were going to before, but they were getting out of school for the day. Meanwhile, he would just have to be alone with his dreams.

Jounouchi mumbled something incoherently in his sleep, and Yuugi smiled at him. If only the dreams weren't so hauntingly familiar.

The fire was burning low, and the Guardian was feeling drowsy. Several hours ago, they had been attacked by someone seeking the key, and the Dragons had risked their lives to save them. The raiders had attacked at sundown, a grievous mistake for the dragon of the west is most easily called at that time. The Dragon showed no mercy, and neither did his Companion.

Still, despite all that, the Dragon of the West had been badly injured. The healing priests had told the Guardian if he woke before sunrise, he would stand a chance, but if he did not, he was most likely going to die. And now sunrise was becoming dangerously close; he could feel the dragon pulsating in his blood, yet the Dragon of the West had yet to stir. The Guardian was so worried about him. A black miniature dragon with red eyes was lying on the pillow beside the Dragon's head. On the Guardian's shoulder was a miniature golden dragon with violet eyes. He watched the fallen Dragon with sparkling eyes, bobbing its head as it chirped softly.

"I know, Mahaado. I'm worried about him as well." Not only would the death of the Dragon place the temple in hiatus for seven months, and put them all under stress in search for a new Dragon, but his own sense of personal loss would be devastating. The golden dragon on his shoulder nuzzled his cheek. "Katsuya."

Sunrise. He could feel the dragon's heart beating with his own. Somewhere in the east, the dragon roared, a loud and powerful cry that welcomed the day. However, the Dragon refused to welcome Katsuya's death. Not yet, he was still so young. He would gladly forsake the position of Guardian to see Katsuya live for just a bit longer. He closed his eyes, asking for his Companion to be forgiving. If he could only hear his voice just one more time.

He held the other Dragon's limp hand close to him, tuning his body in with his companion's. He could see the edge of the world through the dragon's eyes, the beginning of time. Could feel the dragon's blood pulsating through his body. For a moment, he was one with Companion, and the dragon knew his thoughts, his darkest desires.

"Yuki." The weak whispering of his name brought him back to himself, to the temple, and to the Dragon's side. The Dragon was awake, his eyes were dull and only halfway open, but he was awake. The Dragon of the West would live to fight another day. Yuki gently placed his hand down, smiling at the other Dragon. "Did you stay with me all night?" He sounded so weak, but at least there was a chance that he would live.

The Guardian nodded once as a single tear rolled free. "We were worried about you." The miniature dragon on the wounded boy's shoulder cooed and rubbed his face against the Dragon. He reached up and weakly patted the lizard on the back of the head. "Even Mahaado stayed up with him."

"Thank you. Yuki, I'm glad you're the Dragon of the East." Yuki blushed as he wiped his tears away with the back of his hand.

Yuugi half-smiled as Jounouchi gave a particular loud snore that he knew would have embarrassed him if he knew about it. It did seem to wake the blonde up, however. He turned to Yuugi perplexed, blinking several times as he regained full use of his senses. "Uh, Yuugi, why are you looking at me like that?"

Yuugi shook his head. "It's nothing, but you were supposed to be listening to me about my dream." Honestly, what good was he as a best friend if he couldn't stay awake for five minutes? He knew it was not Jounouchi's fault; his friend did not seem to sleep very well, but it still hurt…

"Sorry, Yuugi." He didn't offer any explanation, just his apology. At least he was not trying to make up some lame excuse. "Are those dreams really bothering you that much?" So he actually did care if he remembered the dreams were the source of his discomfort. But he was supposed to be listening to him about the dreams in the first place. "Yuugi, I'm sure that they are just dreams."

He wished he could be so sure. Too many odd things had been going on in his life for him to pass them off as ordinary dreams. He would love to have ordinary dreams about the woman of his dreams. Of course, the closest thing he ever got anymore was the Lady Azuka. "Jounouchi-kun, do you know anything about this temple we're going to?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Only that it has something to do with dragons," he said nonchalantly with a shrug. Yuugi's attention was immediately captive. They were going to a temple involving dragons, and Jounouchi did not think it was weird he had been having strange dreams recently involving dragons. It seemed to be more than an odd coincidence to him. "Hey, maybe you were having those dreams because you were so excited about this trip," Jounouchi said teasingly as he elbowed him in the side. Yes, because he was thrilled about going to a musty old temple to be led around by a dirty old man who would have spent the entire time hitting on his female classmates. That was his idea of a great time. Not.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Dragon of the South sat on the edge of the pond, watching the lily pads float on by. A dragonfly buzzed past her ear, landing on one of the flowers. She was on the edge of the wooden dock, her feet barely touching the water, and her hands folded delicately in her lap. She could see her reflection in the clear, still water; aqua eyes stared sadly back at her, framed by her ebony hair. She sighed; the death of the Dragon of the West had been a heavy blow for them all. After the seven months of mourning had passed, they would have to immediately find and train a new Dragon which would prove to be a difficult task without the aid of a former Dragon of the West.

Not only would training a new Dragon be arduous, she was deeply troubled about the Guardian's mental and emotional state. He had been close with Katsuya, so his death would be devastating enough, but to have been betrayed by him at the same time. At least, he believed he had been betrayed. She was having difficulties believing Katsuya could ever harbor traitorous intentions towards Yuki. However, all she had to go on was Lady Azuka's word which she was not quite sure could be completely trusted.

The reflection of the Dragon of the North appeared in the water next to hers. His stern ice blue eyes matched the scales of his Companion perfectly, but now they were full of compassion. "Aishizu." His voice was hoarse and tired. She couldn't blame him; after calming his brother, he had spent all his time in an attempt to comfort Yuki.

"Seto." He sat down cross-legged next to her, folding his arms across his chest and closing his eyes. He looked so tired; she highly doubted he had gotten any sleep. She had barely managed; she was so worried about Yuki and Serena. "How is Yuki?"

"Finally asleep." She was grateful; sleep might help the young Dragon immensely. "Lady Azuka has wanted to see him, but we have decided to refuse her admittance." She could not understand why. The Guardian's fiancée may be able to help soothe his grief. She could never seem to keep her thoughts hidden from the Dragon of the North. "She does not long to comfort him. She wishes to persuade him to keep their original marriage date."

"But that is six weeks from now," she protested. The mourning period would not be over yet. Despite being a traitor, Katsuya had been a damned good Dragon in life, and he deserved the proper respect due to any Dragon. Seto nodded. "That is disrespectful to the ideals of this temple. All Dragon's must be paid the proper respect in death." The Guardian was not exempt from the mourning period. When her brother had died, Yuki's birthday celebration had to be postponed for several months. The death of Katsuya should be no different.

"That is precisely what I told her." He turned the other way, unfolding his legs and dangling his feet in the water. "She would not listen to me; fortunately, I did not let her in."

Good, Yuki did not need that grief and pressure at the moment. He was suffering enough at the moment. She would have to be kept away from him until he had regained some composure. "I pray somehow this will all turn out alright," she whispered.

"So do I," he told her earnestly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Oi, Yuugi, check out our tour guide," Jounouchi said as soon as they stepped off the bus. Yuugi assumed he was talking about the young woman standing outside the gates of the temple wearing light blue pants and a white shirt. Her long dark hair was pulled back by a white ribbon, and her sea green eyes stared disdainfully down at them. She looked pissed off to Yuugi. "She's hot." Yeah, if the evil death glare turned you on. Yuugi personally liked his women to give him a chance. She looked like she would kill one of them sooner than date them.

"Welcome, Domino High School. I am Ayame, the Dragon of the North." Now that drew Yuugi's attention to the young tour guide. In his dreams, the Dragon of the North was the Lord Seto. Was this girl really a Dragon like she claimed to be? If so, what was the connection between this temple and the strange dreams he had been having recently? There had to be some connection. Was this the same temple he had been seeing during the night? He looked around; he really did not see anything familiar, but modernization would have had to occurred between the time in which his dreams took place and the present date. "Follow me."

Jounouchi seemed a bit too eager to follow her; whatever happened to Mai anyway? Yuugi tried to stay close to Jounouchi's side, wanting to make sure he did not pounce on their tour guide. He noticed the other boys were paying no attention to her; they were too busy laughing and joking with each other. Yuugi wasn't exactly in a joking mood.

"Komoku." Yuugi instantly became alert, looking around for the source of the voice. The tour guide was explaining the historical structure of the temple, and it certainly hadn't been one of his other classmates. Besides, the voice had definitely been male. In fact, it had almost sounded like…

"Jounouchi-kun, did you say something?"

"No, why?" He could tell his friend was concerned about him. He probably thought he was going crazy. But he wasn't; he knew he wasn't. He had definitely heard someone who had sounded like Jounouchi. Feeling very discouraged, he looked away, down a passageway to the left. And froze upon seeing the bronze statue of a dragon he had seen far too often in his dreams. "Komoku!" The statue looked like it could come to life at any moment. The ruby eyes glistened at him in disdain. It was almost as if the dragon had come right out of his dreams. He felt hollow, standing there before the dragon of the west, felt as if he had no past, no future. "Yuugi, are you okay?" Jounouchi grabbed his lower arm. It felt so cold, and Yuugi instinctively pulled away from him. He felt so strange, like he was no longer a part of the world. "Yuugi?"

"Komoku spoke to him." They both turned to the girl, their tour guide, though the group was no longer with her. "I had my brother take over the tour when I realized we were missing someone." Ayame stepped forward and walked past them to place her hand on the dragon's nose. She looked over her shoulder. "Yuugi, you were gone for half an hour. Jounouchi was worried about you."

He couldn't believe it. He had just left the group a moment ago, and Jounouchi had been with him the entire time. Hadn't he? Yuugi looked up at his taller friend for confirmation. "It's true. I was all over this temple looking for you." So what exactly had happened to him? Maybe he really was letting his imagination carry him away. It just seemed so strange that that the temple actually did exist.

"This is the shrine to Komoku, the guardian dragon of the west," Ayame told them. Yuugi looked in awe at the rest of the room, the gold leaf, the hundreds of names engraved into the wall. "Every morning the Dragon of the West came in here to pray. All their names have been carved into the wall." She paused and seemed saddened for a moment. "All except one."

"Katsuya," Yuugi said softly. Of course his name would not be placed on the wall; they had wanted to delete his name from history. Yet somehow he knew; somehow he remembered. Ayame was giving him a cold, hard stare which made him flinch.

"Do you want something?" Crap, he had nearly forgotten that Jounouchi's name was also Katsuya. He had been so wrapped up in the strange dreams he had been having, that Katsuya was the only one he could think of. Had he been neglecting his best friend? For a memory that may not have even existed?

"Nothing, Jounouchi-kun. Sorry," he said hastily, blushing fiercely. Ayame was still giving him an odd, skeptical look, almost as if she didn't believe him. "Where is everybody else at?"

"They're at lunch." She pointed down the hall. "Right down there and to the right. You really should join them." A good piece of advice. He was fairly hungry, and besides, Anzu and Honda would be wondering where they were since they had all agreed to meet up for lunch. "Good luck, Yuugi."

How much did Ayame know about what he was going through? He knew she knew the name of the stricken Dragon. That was why she had been giving him that strange look. She had to know something about his dreams. He bowed his head in thanks to her as they walked out the room together. "Yuugi, don't do that again. This place gives me a bad feeling." The blonde boy wrapped his arms around himself. "And the chills."

Yuugi smiled up at his friend. "Jounouchi-kun, you don't think there are ghosts in here, do you?" he teased. Of course, he was beginning to believe it himself. However, that didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun with his friend's fears.

Before they had taken five more steps, something transparently white floated past them. Jounouchi jumped behind Yuugi, placing his hands on the smaller boy's shoulders. They followed the mist, well Yuugi did and Jounouchi slunk along behind him. He followed the mist back to the shrine of Komoku, where Ayame no longer was, but to where Katsuya, dressed in the garb of the Dragon of the West knelt in front of the statue. The mist swirled around him, and Yuugi cautiously made his way to the side of the room, leaving Jounouchi in the door.

"Komoku," the Dragon began, his deep voice resounding in Yuugi's ears. "I pledge my life to you, this temple, and the Guardian of the Key." The Dragon's hands were clasped in front of him, his head was bowed, and his eyes were closed. "Most importantly, I pledge myself to Yuki, from now," he opened his eyes and lifted them to the image of the dragon; Yuugi was sure of it now, it was the same boy who had betrayed Yuki in his dreams, "until eternity."

The image faded from before them, leaving behind a very puzzled Yuugi and a freaked out Jounouchi. In that vision, the boy had seemed so sincere in proclaiming his fealty. How could he have possibly betrayed the Guardian of the past? What if Jounouchi was exactly the same way?

He looked over at his friend in suspicious fear; he almost looked as confused as he felt, but he knew it was for a totally different reason. Could Jounouchi ever possibly betray him?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Aishizu had just been heading out the west side of the temple to reach the stables when she was forced to take a small detour. She could sense that someone was within the confines of the shrine to the dragon of the west, Komoku. Who she found was the last person she expected to see within the next few days. "Yuki, what on earth are you doing in here?" she asked, kneeling down to the seated Guardian. "Seto told me you were asleep." She added with concern, "You should be asleep."

"I can't sleep," he told her. He clutched the sash in his hand closer to his chest. "I can't seem to make any sense of it."

She recognized the sash he was holding in his hands, and her eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Yuki." She reached over and wrapped her arms around his shoulder. It hurt her to see him full of so much pain and confliction. If he could not resolve his own emotions, she feared for his sanity and for the safety of the temple.

"I just don't understand why," he sobbed into her shoulder. She didn't understand either. Were the gods playing some horrible joke upon them all or were they only punishing Yuki for some crime she was unaware of?

He sat before the serpentine image of Tamon, the dragon of the north, deep in meditation. Only one thing filled his mind, the question of Katsuya's betrayal. Aishizu seemed convinced he hadn't. What she, as a woman, did not understand was that the hearts of men were weak. Given the proper motivation, they would betray almost anything to achieve their goals. Even those they had sworn to protect. Those they were meant to become one with. Perhaps the temptation of the Key had been too much for Katsuya to resist.

And yet, he wanted to believe Aishizu. He wanted to believe love and devotion were enough to keep someone away from other temptation. He wanted to believe in her. In the way he had not been able to believe in her brother. He lowered his head in shame, closing his eyes against the tears that threatened to come. "Taman, I do not know who I am to believe."

"Believe in me; believe in your Guardian, the Dragon of the East, the Bringer of Live." He glared over his shoulder as the Lady Azuka entered the room. She was most definitely the last person in the world who he wanted to see. He had barely been able to keep her away from Yuki earlier, and what she had told him was heresy. He was not in the mood to listen to her for any longer. "He could have saved him, you know. From my arrow. It was the perfect time. Yet he knew he was a traitor, and so he burned him alive."

The Dragon of the North rose and turned to face her. "He only burned him because you ordered the guards to."

"Which just goes to show you who he loved more," she retorted sharply.

"He has always loved Katsuya more, and he always will," he said harshly. "Remember that on your wedding night, my lady."

"You say I speak heresy," she said, fixating her glare upon him, "but what you imply is more insidious than all the things I have ever said combined." Let her think what she wanted. He had only told her the truth of the matter. The Guardian would never be able to love her as much as he had loved the Dragon of the West. Not now, not after she had demanded the Dragon's death. "Besides, I don't even know why you are defending him. You never once liked him."

He scowled at her. It was true; he had never been particularly fond of the Dragon. "My personal feelings do not matter. The future of this temple is at stake." If Yuki never managed to pull himself out of his slump, there would never be another Guardian. And without a Guardian, the structure of the temple would collapse.

"Then let me go to him," she pleaded, taking a step forward and placing her hand on his arm. He pulled away from her. "You know he has always had a crush on me."

He was becoming impatient and angry with her; she did simply not understand what she had done. Perhaps it would have been better for them all if she had just let Katsuya run off with the Sacred Key. "The crush he has had on you is not comparable to the feelings he has for the Dragon of the West. You should know that, Lady Azuka. You have studied the ancient scriptures." There was always a deep connection between opposing Dragons; that much could not be denied. Whether or not Yuki had any other connection with Katsuya was not his concern. The bond between opposing Dragons would be strong enough, especially between the East and the West, Life and Death. Especially when they had seemed to share a connection on a much more personal level. Greater than what Yuki had had with the previous Dragon of the West.

"What do you suggest we do?" she asked, leveling him with a cold, hard stare.

"I suggest you pray, Lady Azuka. Pray that you have not brought about the destruction of us all."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Yuugi! Jounouchi!" Anzu called, waving to them from her and Honda's spot at a table across the room. With a grin, Yuugi made his way across the room, inching his way in between the benches. He sat down across from Anzu, and Jounouchi sat down next to him. "What took you two so long?" she asked as they were settling themselves at the table.

"Jounouchi-kun got distracted by our tour guide," Yuugi told them with a grin. Which was true, his best friend had been oddly distracted by their tour guide. Anzu gave him an odd look and instantly dropped that particular subject.

"Who knew a musty old temple could be so romantic?" Anzu said dreamily with a sigh. Yuugi was nervous; if Jounouchi had found a hot girl, was it possible Anzu had found a hot guy and had fallen for him? That would be devastating. He absentmindedly reached for a piece of bread, hoping Anzu would not explain why the temple was so appealing. "The story of the Lady Azuka and Guardian Yuki is so wonderfully inspiring."

Yuugi choked on the piece of bread he was chewing on, causing Anzu to snap out of her dreamy trance and Jounouchi to pound him on the back. "Nani?" he choked out after he had regained some of his composure. Now he knew the dreams and the visit to the temple were more than just coincidence.

However, Anzu misconstrued his reaction to believe he knew nothing about whom she was talking about. "Uh, did your tour guide not tell you about that story?"

He didn't know if he should jest agree with her or tell her the truth. The truth would make her think he was slightly insane. "Sorry, that story must have slipped my mind." Yuugi looked over his shoulder at Ayame while Jounouchi went googley-eyed. She was standing next to a young man he did not recognize by name, but a quick glance at his outfit revealed he was the current Dragon of the South. "Yuugi, Jounouchi, I would like to introduce you to my beloved older brother, Setsuna, the Dragon of the South.

Yuugi could see the family resemblance now; they had the same dark hair, but his eyes, his eyes were the same as… Yuugi shook his head; it wasn't good to be thinking thoughts like that. "Nice to meet you, Yuugi, Jounouchi," he said reaching out to energetically shake their hands at the same time.

"Yuugi, would you like me to tell you the short version of Azuka and Yuki's story?" Did he? It would be a good way to see exactly how well his dreams fit with the history of the temple. Did he really want to know? He nodded once, hesitantly. "Yuki is the name given to the last Guardian of the temple; the one who was betrayed by the one whose name was forever stricken from these sacred grounds. When the traitorous Dragon of the West attempted to steal the Sacred Key, the Lady Azuka, the Guardian's fiancée was the one to find and confront him. The Guardian was normally kind and gentle and was willing to grant the Dragon clemency, should he resign from his position; however, when he heard of the awful way his lady had been treated, he ordered for the Dragon to be burned alive." That did not sound like his dreams at all, especially in the ones where the Dragon's death lay.

"Why did the unnamed Dragon steal the Key in the first place?" Jounouchi asked. Yuugi really wished he hadn't; he was not quite sure he wanted to know. Certainly not if the unnamed Dragon was the same boy in his dreams, the same one they had seen swearing his fealty in front of the statue of Komoku. Not if it really had been Katsuya.

"Because the dragon had always hated and always envied Yuki," Ayame stated calmly. "His sister was blind, he was forced to serve the temple, and he had never gotten along with the Dragon of he North at the time." So it really had been Katsuya. Yuugi lowered his head as Ayame continued her narrative. "Yuki had everything: power, innocence, peace of mind, and love. The Dragon wanted those things for himself. So he stole the Sacred Key and plotted to use it to kill Yuki."

"That's not true!" Yuugi protested. There was no way it could be true; every fiber in his being denied the truth of her words. His friends and Setsuna were staring at him in stunned silence at this sudden outburst. Okay, so maybe that was not his best idea, but he refused to believe what Ayame said was true.

"Believe what you would like, Yuugi, but exactly how do you plan to argue with history?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She had sat with him for what seemed like hours while he sobbed into her shoulder. This was what he needed and what the Lady Azuka should have been giving him instead of planning on pestering him with talk about their wedding. The entire situation angered the Dragon of the South greatly; she admired Katsuya even to respect him now even in light of his death. Seto was not helping matters much. Though he was observing the seven months of mourning, it was merely out of respect for tradition, not because he admired the Dragon as a person or even as a Dragon. He used to say Katsuya was a horrible Dragon because his magical abilities were a bit lacking. He still managed to get the ob done and brought death to those that threatened the temple if not in the traditional manner.

Yuki had been silent for quite some time, and she thought perhaps he had finally gone to sleep when he lifted his head. "I want to see Serena."

Her eyes widened in fear. Serena was the former Dragon's younger sister, and she had been very attached to her brother in life. She was not part of the temple; she would not understand. "My lord, the girl is very distraught. I do no think this to be a wise idea."

"Please, take me to her. I have to apologize to her." Wonderful, now he was making her involved. Still, she knew if she didn't go with him now, he would go by himself later which could prove to be detrimental to his life.

So, she consented to go with him, leading the way down the corridors of the temple. Though Serena was not part of the temple, she and her caretaker lived within the confines. Once Katsuya had explained the situation to Yuki, the Guardian had graciously agreed to give her permanent residence within the temple and even appointed her a caretaker.

She entered the room first, glancing at Miya, who was seated next to the fire, making dinner, and Serena who was sitting on a couch on the far side of the room. Serena was normally a sweet-natured girl, but when she got angry… Hopefully Miya would be able to control her. Serena turned her face towards them as they entered the room, but she would not know who it was until they spoke.

Yuki stepped forward, still clutching the same black sash in his left hand. "Serena…" Now that he was confronted with the sweet innocent sister of the boy he had killed, he didn't know what to say.

"Yuki." Aishizu could tell by the subtle change in the girl's posture that the Guardian was not a welcome guest at the moment. Miya nodded at her and Aishizu understood she was ready to intervene should the girl get out of hand.

"Serena, I am so sorry," he told her honestly as the tears began to fall down his face again. She had lost just as much as he had.

"Why did you do it?" she asked angrily, standing up. He had known this confrontation was coming. He knew she would not easily forgive him. "Why did you kill him? You know he would never betray you!" Each word ripped through his heart. Subconsciously, he was aware of Miya standing up and attempting to comfort the girl. Yet all he could see was Serena trying to force her way past the guards at her brother's death, and the burning body of the Dragon of the West. She was right; he never would have believed Katsuya was capable of betraying him, but all proof pointed to he had. "He loved you!"

He couldn't bear listening to her accusations any more. He turned and fled from the room, ignoring Aishizu's calls after him. He ran all the way outside the temple gates, to the fields beyond, all the way to an old genki tree high upon the hill where he promptly collapsed, pulling his knees to his chest and sobbing into the,. Serena's words had been harsh, but they had all been true, which made it even more difficult for him to bear. He only lifted his head when something insistently began pressing against him.

"Red Eyes," he sobbed. The little black dragon stared curiously up at him, nuzzling his hand at odd intervals. His wings were folded against his body, and the tail rested listlessly on the ground, sure signs of its own sadness. "Red Eyes, don't you blame me as well?" The miniature dragon shoos its head. "Mahaado does," he said as more tears filled his eyes. "He left me. I haven't seen him since I murdered Katsuya." He couldn't bring himself to say since Katsuya died; after all, it was his fault the Dragon of the West was no longer with them. In more ways than one. "So I lost my two best friends within an hour."

Red Eyes placed his front legs on Yuki's arm, stretching his neck up to nuzzle the side of Yuki's face. With a sob, the Guardian pulled the dragon into his lap, wrapping his arms around the small creature. And the black dragon wrapped its neck around the human's, cooing softly in his ear.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Thanks for walking me home, Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi said as they stepped inside the door. Of course, it hadn't really been necessary, but it was nice to know somebody was concerned about him. He probably just did not want another episode like the one at the temple. However, he was not feeling the same way he had felt at the temple. Now he just felt drained and really, really tired.

"Yuugi, are you going to be okay?" He was going to be fine. He just needed to get some rest hopefully without the interference of the dreams. "Maybe I should stay for a while."

He really didn't want to cause Jounouchi any problems. He had put him through enough grief for one day. But seeing as how his grandfather wasn't anywhere to be found, having Jounouchi around for a bit wouldn't be such a bad thing. At least he wouldn't have to be alone should the dreams haunt. "Okay." But he was feeling so sleepy; he didn't know how long he was going to be able to stay up for Jounouchi's entertainment.

He sat down on the living room couch and was only vaguely aware of Jounouchi sitting down next to him. "Don't worry, Yuugi. As long as I'm here, nothing will happen to you." He wished he could be so sure. But friendships could be broken; even the strongest vows could be forsaken. You could most easily by betrayed by those you trusted most. Those who swore they cared about you.

"Oi, Yuki, can I speak to you?"

The Guardian of the Key slowly opened his eyes, lifting them to the statue of Jikoku he was kneeling before. The golden statue with its inset turquoise eyes stood regally in front of him with its head raised to the sky. The Dragon was new, but that was no reason for him to plead ignorance of one of the most basic rules of the temple. The Dragon of the West was not permitted within the confines of the shrine of Jikoku during the hours he was most connected with his companion. His presence could flaw the perfect connection. Besides, he should be spending this time praying to Komoku. "Katsuya, you should not be here," he warned the other Dragon.

By all rights, he should call the guards. They were still not sure the Dragon could be trusted; after all, he had spent the first month there teasing Yuki whenever he got the chance. "Please, I just wanted to thank you." Still kneeling, the Guardian turned around to face the Dragon. He looked nervous and was holding something behind his back. Yuki immediately feared it was another trick. "For staying with me the night I was injured." The dragon was avoiding his gaze now, and Yuki thought he could see him trembling slightly. The Bringer of Death was afraid of him, but why? "I have something I wanted to give to you." Yuki looked at him expectantly, waiting for something horrible to happen to him. "Close your eyes."

He wanted him to close his eyes in his presence? After all the Dragon had put him through? Yet he could still feel the pain he had felt when he was certain the Dragon was going to die. So, against his better judgment, he closed his eyes.

He heard the other Dragon move and was aware that he came over to kneel in front of him. His breath quickened as he felt the Dragon's hand come up to softly brush his temple, yet he managed to keep his eyes closed instead of checking to see what he was doing. He could feel the Dragon reaching around to tie something silken around his head. At least he hadn't blindfolded him; it felt like he had placed some sort of headband around him. He opened his eyes as the Dragon pulled away from him, staring directly into the Dragon's honest, brown eyes. "Goodbye, Yuki."

He turned and ran out of the room before Yuki even had the chance to ask him what it was the other Dragon had given him. He rose and walked over to the mirror. He was right, the other Dragon had placed a black sash in his hair; the one end embroidered with a golden symbol for Life. Mahaado flitted over, inspecting his new accessory as Yuki turned towards the door. He was never going to understand that boy.

Yuugi slowly opened his eyes, cursing all that was holy for giving the dreams to him again. As his vision focused, he realized his friend was also asleep and that he was looking up at him from a very strange angle. He eventually came to the conclusion he had fallen over into Jounouchi's lap when he had fallen asleep. Which mean Jounouchi had fallen asleep almost directly after him. As he sat up, he heard his grandfather opening the door. "Yuugi, I'm home! How was your trip?"

Yuugi groaned as he climbed off the couch, going to meet his grandfather before his yelling woke his friend up. "Fine. Jounouchi-kun's asleep on the couch," he said, hoping his grandfather would be kind and speak in quieter ones. He was still half asleep himself.

"Okay. Perhaps we should let him stay there." Yuugi nodded; that was exactly what he had been thinking. He didn't know why his friend had fallen asleep, but he seemed to be doing it at odd intervals anymore.

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