Yami's Day Out
He ran over to his closet and pulled two five inch long wristbands made of many thin bands of gold from inside. They looked like something a pharaoh would have worn. He slipped them onto his wrists and then reached back into the closet to retrieve a large neckband of the same type. He snapped it on, and then looked at himself in the mirror, imagining Yami in his place. The bands gave him a royal and elegant look that suited a pharaoh. He smiled at his reflection. Today was going to be a day for just plain fun. Yugi, Tea, Tristan, Joey, Serenity, and Mai were to meet downstairs and they were going to leave to go wherever they felt like. However Yugi had other plans.
Yugi ran downstairs to meet everyone sitting on the couches in the Moto living quarters. Yugi�s Grandpa had let them in when he opened the shop.
�Hey, Yug�!� Joey called as Yugi entered the room.
�Morning Joey!� Yugi smiled.
Tea looked him over. �You look cool. You actually look a lot like Yami in that outfit. I don�t know why, though.�
Yugi scratched the back of his head. �It�s funny that you should mention Yami.� Yugi studied his black shoes as he began. �Well... I�ve noticed that Yami�s been kind of down lately. He�s been having nightmares almost every night. I think they�re of his past. And from his disturbance, they�re not happy memories. You guys see me all the time, and I was wondering if you�d mind if Yami went with you guys instead of me.�
Tea seemed to almost brighten. �I sure wouldn�t mind, but are you sure you don�t want to come?�
�Yeah. Yami needs this more than I do.� Yugi smiled reassuringly.
�I hate to break up this little powwow, but would you mind clueing us in?� All heads turned to look at Mai, who had spoken. She and Serenity were staring at them, severely confused. �Who is Yami, and does his personality have anything to do with the fact that his name means �darkness�?�
Joey turned to Mai and his sister. �Well, I don�t really get it either, but I will try to explain it to you.� It took about five minutes for Joey to recount the tale of Yami and Yugi.
Needless to say, Mai and Serenity were quite skeptical. �So what you are telling us is that this guy lives in that triangle around Yugi�s neck?� Mai wondered, an odd tone in her voice.
�Yes. As far as we can tell, he�s the soul of the Pharaoh, uh... I think it was Bel Um Fa.� Joey scratched his head.
�Hey!� Serenity exclaimed. �I remember hearing about him in World Civ. class! He was the most powerful as well as the most mysterious Pharaohs of all Egypt. He was the gentlest, kindest, and most prosperous Pharaoh ever. Next to nothing is actually known about him at all. No one�s ever found his tomb.�
Mai looked at her, raising an eyebrow. �All that and he�s in a piece of jewelry?�
�Yeah. He dwells inside of Yugi.� Joey explained.
Mai looked at him. She stared hard at his brown eyes. He was telling the truth. At least the truth known to him. �Well, then let�s see him. Wait... if he�s inside Yugi, how do we see him?�
Yugi looked over at her and Serenity. �Oh, he takes over my body. However, he doesn�t know I�m pulling him out, so he�s gonna be a bit surprised.� He laughed a bit.
Serenity leaned foreward a bit as Yugi closed his eyes to return to his own soul room. He spoke softly and a bit slowly. �Like it or not, Oniisan, this is where you take over.�
Serenity and Mai watched as a quick, slight change came over Yugi. He grew about a head taller, matching Tea�s height, and his facial features sharpened, making him look older.
Yami slowly opened his eyes. Yugi was calling. �What is it, Aibou? Why are you calling this early? I was still aslee-.� Yami trailed off, realizing he was in the body. �Wait! Yugi! What do you think you�re doing? Get back out here!� he called to the golden triangle around his neck. Mai and Serenity noticed that his voice was much richer and deeper than Yugi�s. He straightened, realizing it was no use arguing with Yugi. He wasn�t coming back out. He waved to the group. �Hello.�
Serenity got up and examined him closely. Yami took a step back as she got in his face, studying his ancient, dark, amber eyes, different from Yugi�s young, bright, violet eyes. She circled him once and Yami took another step back. Serenity had always been fascinated by history, but she had never got to meet a piece of it. She had been especially intrigued by the story of this Pharaoh, and now she got to meet him in person. Yami looked a bit nervous.
�What are you doing?� he asked her simply.
�You�re Pharaoh Bel Um Fa?� she wondered doubtfully.
�I-I guess I was at one time, I don�t remember much of anything from my past. Why are you staring at me like that?� he wondered, uncomfortable under her slate gaze.
�I�ve heard just about everything there is to know about you, which isn�t a lot, and somehow, I imagined you... I don�t know... different. You look much too modern for a Pharaoh.� She said, circling him once more.
�Do you honestly think I�d walk around in those Pharaoh clothes in modern day Japan?� he wondered, raising an eyebrow at her.
�Why not?� she wondered, completing a third circle.
Yami grabbed her chin, stopping her movement, and gently forced her to look at him. �Wrong time, wrong country. Sorry to disappoint you.� he sighed. �Do you mind if we change the subject? I�m not to fond of this particular topic.�
Silence fell over the room as Serenity once again began circling the Pharaoh. Finally Tea broke the silence. �Well, come on! We�re going to miss our movie if we don�t go right now.� The others nodded and all got up to leave, except Serenity that continued to circle Yami like a hawk.
Yami finally grabbed her shoulder and looked at her. �Listen, what�s your name?�
�Serenity Wheeler.�
�Serenity, would you mind not doing that? You're making me dizzy, and you�re scaring me.� He said, smiling sarcastically.
�Oh, fine.� She followed her brother out the door, but Yami remained in the house and collapsed on the couch. He sat still until Tea ran in and grabbed his wrist.
�Come on, Yami! Let�s go!�
�Go where?!� he asked, not getting up.
�We�re going out for a day on the town. Let�s go!� she smile broadly.
�We?� he asked, narrowing his eyes to a slightly annoyed look.
�Yes, we. Yugi pulled you out, because he was originally going to do this, but he thought you needed it more.� Tea tugged on his strong arm, which didn�t move.
�I�d rather not.� He said quietly.
�I�d rather ya did. Now come on!� she pulled harder at his wrists.
�Look, I really don�t want to go anywhere.� He sighed.
�And I�m really done talking about this. You�re coming, Yami, and that�s final.� Tea teased him slightly. �Either you come willingly or I have Tristan come in and get you.�
�What�s so scary about that?� he wondered, placing his weight firmly on the couch so she couldn�t pull him off.
Tea immediately let go and walked toward the door, calling Tristan�s name. Soon, Tristan walked in, a goofy grin on his face. �What are you doing?� Yami wondered as Tristan walked up right in front of him.
Tristan bent over and grabbed Yami by the waist. Yami squirmed violently. Tristan stepped back, letting go of Yami, and Tea peeked over the couch, laughing quietly. �I think someone is ticklish.� She smiled slyly. �TICKLE ATTACK!!�
With that shouted, Tristan and Tea assaulted Yami�s stomach with tickling. Yami squirmed horribly, but to no avail. �St-stop it!� he managed through fits of laughter.
�Say your coming, and we�ll stop!� Tea yelled over Yami�s loud laughter.
�No!� Yami laughed.
�If you don�t say yes, we�re going to take off your shoes.� Tristan threatened.
�OKAY! OKAY!! I�LL COME, JUST STOOOOP!� Yami hollered.
Tea and Tristan abandoned their positions and revealed that everyone had been watching. Serenity and Mai were staring while Joey was on the floor laughing. Yami wiped a tear from his eye and stood up. �Oh, shut up, Joey.� He growled playfully.
Yami, Tea, Tristan, Joey, Mai and Serenity walked slowly out of the Movie Theater. They had just seen some type of horror movie, which escaped Yami�s reasoning, and Tea had spent most of the movie latched onto Yami�s arm. He rubbed his bruised arm and looked at Tea.
�I don�t see a point to doing anything of that sort again, and I assure you I won�t.� He laughed lightly.
�Do what?� Joey looked over his shoulder at the boy.
�Watch these movie things of yours. They don�t make sense. You just sit there and watch a bunch of people kill each other. I honestly don�t see a point in sitting that long either.� Yami waved his hand.
�Oh Yami, Yami, Yami.� Tea tisked. �When will you ever learn?�
�Learn what?! You people need to learn the importance of a good game of Sennen.� He stated professionally.
This time, Joey got in Yami�s face and examined his eyes closely. Yami sighed. �Is there some gene in your family that makes Wheelers want to get in people�s face, or is it just you two?� he growled lightly.
Joey continued to stare. After a few minutes of silence he said three words. �He ain�t human.�
�What do you mean �he ain�t human�?� Yami wondered defensively.
�There�s no way you could be completely human and not like to watch a movie!� he cried, swinging his arms around. He then knocked on Yami�s head as if knocking on a door. �Helloooo? Anyone home?�
Yami gave no response. He stared at a girl that had just crossed behind Tea. She had long brown hair with a bleached blond lock of hair falling to the left side. On her wrists she wore two golden manacles. Something clicked in the back of his mind and he knew he had to find out who she was. �Kelah.� He whispered before taking off in the direction the girl had disappeared in. He turned a corner, and she was gone. He looked around, but found himself staring at a dead end alleyway. He looked around as his friends caught up with him.
�Yami? What�s up? Why�d you take off like that?� Tristan wondered.
�I thought I saw someone I recognized which is odd for me since I really don�t know anyone here.� Yami answered slowly.
Tea grabbed his arm and dragged him to the store that they were next to. It was a CD store. Yami didn�t know what a CD was, but he�d go with it. They all flooded in and Tea showed him how a CD player worked and then put a set of headphones for sampling the music over his ears. He listened to the quiet thump of the beat, listening by a song by a group called Evenescence or something. It had a soft melody and Yami thoroughly enjoyed this type of music. However, things are not what they appear. Joey and Tristan snuck up next to him and turned the volume almost all the way up as the song turned from a sweet melody to a heavy metal song. Yami screamed and threw the headphones off, panting heavily. They had drawn a lot of attention, but they were no longer the vortex of attention soon, as people went back to their business. Yami threw the death glare of all death glares at them before storming out.
Tea growled at Joey and Tristan who were recovering from the look of death from Yami. The man could be downright scary if he wanted to. If looks could kill, they�d be dead and buried yesterday. Tea grabbed Joey by the collar, something she had never done to someone in her entire life. She looked at him square in the eye and spoke low and dangerously. �I thought we were trying to help him relax! Do something like that again and I will personally be sure that you have an accident on the way home.� She growled. Her eyes flashed to Tristan. �The same goes for you. Knock it off.� She let go of Joey and followed the rest as they left. Tristan and Joey sat in silence for a few minutes before Tristan spoke.
�I think I�ll go hang my head and be silent for the rest of the day, won�t you join me?� he said in a whimpering voice.
�Talk about a threat. Jeeze!� the two finally got up and followed the rest of the crowd to a familiar pizza place.
�Try some, Yami.� Tea prodded, taking a bite of pizza.
Yami stared uncertainly at the concoction that they called pizza. He had never eaten the stuff in his life, but Yugi said it was really good. He cautiously picked up a thin slice and sniffed it disapprovingly. Didn�t smell appetizing. But, oh well. He lifted the floppy thing to his mouth and bit down on the end, savoring the taste slightly. The others watched apprehensively. Yami looked at their expecting faces and had to stifle a gag. Yugi loved this stuff, but that didn�t mean Yami did. He finished chewing and reached for his water that was sitting beside the Mountain Dew, or whatever, that Tea had ordered for him. He gulped down a large amount of the soothing liquid before looking back at the group.
�Well, what�dya think?� Tea wondered excitedly.
Yami smiled painfully. �Uhh... it�s taste is... ... ... unique� he finally sighed.
Tea�s face drooped, not to an expression of disappointment, but rather she threw him an I-can-see-through-your-lie-like-water-so-you-might-as-well-give-up-now look. �Ya hate it, don�t ya?� she wondered in a monotone voice.
�Uh... yeah.� He smiled weakly again.
�Well, try the bread sticks or Mountain Dew! I�ll bet you like those!� Serenity suggested.
Yami looked uncertainly at the bread sticks. He had had a bad enough experience with pizza, and he wasn�t sure if he wanted his mouth to suffer the same thing twice in one day. But he figured he had disappointed everyone already with his hate of the pizza, so he might as well try a bite. He picked up one and looked uncertainly at it. After stalling by taking in the full essence of its being, he finally lifted it to his mouth and took a bite. He found a slight pleasure in its spicy taste and found that it was actually quite good. He smiled and finished the small bread stick before facing the rest of the group. �Now, those, I like.� He smiled again.
Serenity smiled back. Tea prodded him to his drink. �You have got to like Mountain Dew. It�s awesome! Try it.�
Mountain Dew? What�s wrong with the dew that�s on sea level? Why does it have to be from the mountain? Yami thought. The modern times made no sense to him, but sense he was stuck here he�d have to go with it. He sniffed the greenish liquid, that didn�t look too appetizing, but he had liked the bread stick, so maybe he�d like this, too. He didn�t get a real strong scent from it, so... he lifted this �straw� thing to his lips and took a few sips. He liked this too. He found the tingling sensation that it left in his mouth intriguing and liked the way it tickled his tongue. He smiled that the group. �It�s good. I like it.�
The group seemed satisfied and ate the rest of the meal while laughing and generally having a good time. At one point, Yami swore he saw the girl that disappeared into the alleyway, but when he looked back, she was gone. He didn�t say anything, but it bugged him in the back of his mind until they paid the bill and left.
Yami stared up at the huge thing that Tea, Mai and Serenity called �the mall�. Whatever that was. Whatever it was, it sure got some strong reactions. Mai, Tea, and Serenity were excited beyond belief, while Joey and Tristan looked mortified. They sat down in the middle of the parking lot and refused to move.
�Come on! You�re going to get hit!� Serenity tried to reason with the two dense teens.
�It�ll be a heck of a lot less painful than going in there with you three!� Joey exclaimed.
Yami raised an eyebrow. �What will they get hit with? Do people throw things at them?�
Tea sighed. Yami didn�t really know anything about modern day Japan, or modern day anything for that matter. �No, Yami. People don�t throw things. They will get hit by a car!� she pointed to a sandy-colored Toyota.
�Oh I see.� He turned to Joey and Tristan. �It can�t be that bad, now can it?�
Joey and Tristan looked at him as if he had two heads. �You�re not serious, are you?� Joey asked, no doubt in awe of his bravery.
�You really don�t know the terrors of this place, do you?� Tristan almost looked sorry for the spirit.
�I guess not, no. But how bad could it be?� Yami turned to the huge building. Tea grabbed his arm and smiled sweetly, causing Yami to blush.
�Thanks, Yami.�
Yami shrugged as Mai and Serenity hauled Joey and Tristan inside.
�Oooooooo! Try this one, Yami!� �This would look soooo good on you, Joey.� �Tristan, hold this up for me, please?� �Yami, would you mind carrying this, and those, and these, and that?� �Tristan, hang on to these, please.� �Joey, will you be our model?� �Oh! So cute!� �Hot, Yami!� �Alright! Lookin� good!�
After an hour of this, the girls still showed no sign of giving in to fatgiue. Yami had been shoved into so many dressing rooms, he lost count of how many stores they had been to. However, in at least three of them, Yami had sworn that he had seen the girl from his dreams. He hadn�t had much time to think about it after being shoved here, and jerked there. He set the ten bags he was carrying down, and slumped onto a bench, followed by Joey and Tristan.
�No, let�s go there first. No wait, here.� Tea pointed out two accessory stores.
�Wait, there�s a sale there.� Serenity looked at a third store.
�I agree with Serenity.� Mai put in.
�Alright! Let�s go there!� Tea agreed. They turned to see the boys lazing on the bench. �Come on guys!�
Yami sighed and closed his eyes. �Maybe you�re tired.�
Joey joined in. �Yeah, we could go do something else if you want to.�
Tea smiled at the other two, then down at the exhausted boys. She seated herself next to Yami and patted his shoulder. �Alright. You�ve had enough torture for one day. Let�s go everyone.�
�If I ever hear the word �sale� again, I�m gonna barf.� Joey groaned. The six were riding in two cabs on their way back to the game shop to drop off the purchased items.
Yami sighed. He, Joey, and Tristan were in one cab, and the three girls were in the other. So, did we learn an important lesson today? Yugi�s mind voice invaded Yami�s thoughts.
Yes we did.
What did we learn?
We learned to never use �Tea� and �mall� in the same sentence, nor do we let ourselves be in the same place as both of them.
Very good!
Yami rolled his eyes as they slowed to a stop and unloaded while Tristan paid the driver.
Duke Devilin greeted Yami and company as they entered his enormous game shop. Duke was being very kind to allow them free access to the games that the game shop had to offer. However, his hospitable attitude disappeared the minute he saw Tristan. A glaring war ensued between the two of them. Yami waved a hand in each of their faces, which rendered no reaction. So he and the other four retreated to play some games.
Yami looked around the large game shop. This was supposedly the Turtle Shop�s competition. No competition in Yami�s eyes. This shop was blaring with the newest games and all flashy and everything. Yami preferred the original basic games that the Turtle Shop was notorious for. They would always be the top sellers of the original simple games that amused Yami so much. His eyes darted to a girl that caught his eye. It was the same girl he had seen many times before, that day, but also the girl from his dreams! He raced after her, but by the time he reached where she had been, she was no where to be found. Tea grabbed his arm, and pulled him into the games area.
Tea slipped two quarters into the slot of a pinball machine, and pushed Yami up to it. He played for a while, and actually did very well, enjoying the game. But after a while, it got boring, as did all the other games they had been playing in the forty-five minute time they had been there. Finally, they headed toward the exit, where they had left the glaring duo. They met an odd sight.
Duke now had a green butterfly net on his head, and both combatants were armed with a toilet bowl scrubber. Yami gave them a thoroughly freaked out look. �I don�t even wanna know.� He stated simply. Joey preceded to pick up a stiff board Tristan and carry him out where they headed to the last stop they would have time for that day.
Tea grabbed Yami by the wrist and pulled him toward the arcade. �Do you remember this place, Yami?� she wondered.
�I remember it. This is where we met Johnny Steps.� He answered, narrowing his eyes.
The six entered the game shop and Tristan separated from the rest while Mai and Serenity disappeared in a different direction. Joey, Tea, and Yami stayed put. Yami wasn�t sure he liked this place. His sensitive eardrums rattled at all the noise. �Tea!� he yelled over the noise of a nearby shooting game.
�Yeah?� she turned to him as she and Joey were about to walk off.
�I think I�ll wait outside.� He called, smiling.
Tea smiled playfully. �Aww, come on! Let�s go!� she once again grabbed his arm, poking him in the stomach to weaken him, and pulled him toward the game Joey was standing by. It was some kind of shooting game where you used guns to shoot enemy spaceships and play against an opponent.
Joey picked up one of the blue guns and handed the other one to Yami. �Here! Play me! I love this game!�
Yami looked a the blue gun in his hand. Weren�t there things like these in that horror movie we saw? People used them to kill other people. Joey, what are you thinking, playing around with these things? He looked at Joey, a bit suspicious.
Joey noticed the look. He didn�t know what it was for, but he figured that he might as well explain the game to him. �Look, you use that gun to try and shoot the little green spaceships and try to get more than me. Ok? Ok, ready? Game start!� Joey dropped a quarter into each side and began. Yami was losing badly. Joey�s score was soaring while Yami�s remained at zero. �Come on, Yami! Not even beginners lose this badly! Try a bit harder!� No response came. �Hey! Yami, I�ll go a bit easier on you if you�ll try a bi- YAMI!�
Joey had been talking to himself. Yami was still closely examining the gun. �Yami!� Yami snapped to attention. �Come on! Use that to shoot those green dots!�
Shoot? Yami held up the gun and aimed it at the screen. He just stood there as dots upon dots passed him by. After about thirty seconds he said, �Nothing�s happening.�
Joey and Tea facevaulted. Joey stood and showed him the trigger. Yami pulled it many times, hitting nothing. Finally, one of the green dots exploded and Yami dropped the gun in shock. Joey looked at him strangely. �What�s wrong?�
Yami stared at the gun hanging from the wire that connected it to the game. �That thing is alive!� he cried.
Joey and Tea sweatdropped. Joey picked up the fallen gun and handed it back to the ancient ruler. �No! The gun shakes to let you know that you�ve hit something. Now, go!�
Joey entered two more quarters and they began again, trying to get to the goal number of destroyed ships first. Joey was getting excited, while Yami looked quite bored. He had one hand holding the gun, the other was in his pocket, a lazy expression on his face. About halfway through, Yami driopped the gun and started to walk away. Joey noticed. �Hey! What are you doing?!�
�I�m bored. I�m gonna go do something else.� He said.
�But the game�s not over!� Joey complained.
�Believe me, it is over.� He said turning toward the exit.
Tea slapped her forehead, along with Joey. �Stick to Pinball, Yami.�
Yami gave her a look, but then darted toward the exit as he once again saw the familiar dream girl. He stopped as he lost her in the crowd again. This is driving me up a wall!
�So, Yami, what did you think of today?� Serenity wondered, smiling.
�I had fun, thank you.� Yami smiled.
�You�re welcome! So what was your favorite part?� Joey asked.
�Favorite part of what?� the boy wondered.
�Of today, of course!� Joey cried.
�I wouldn�t know. I haven�t been here.� Joey looked at him and was staring into the violet eyes of Yugi rather than the amber eyes of Yami.
�Oh, hey, Yugi!� Tea smiled brightly.
Yugi returned it. �Hey. How did he like it?�
�He said he had fun. Which is good, right?� Mai answered.
"Yeah! I needed him to relax a bit. I don�t like it when he�s tense like that.� Yugi smiled again.
�Well, no one likes to see a tense friend.� Joey agreed. Yugi gave no response. When they looked around, Yugi was nowhere to be seen.
�Yugi? Where�dya go?� Tristan called.
�TEA! JOEY! TRIS-!� Yugi�s voice was cut off as if someone had choked the words out of him. The five ran back to the alleyway they had just passed. They looked down the dark alley to see a rather large thug holding Yugi off the ground by the collar of his shirt. The thug had unkempt black hair and Yugi tried to disappear in front of his black eyes. He smiled evilly.
Joey was about to attack when Yugi stopped him. �Joey! Don�t! He�s got a knife!�
Joey stopped, but not happily. �But, Yugi, I can�t just stand here and do noth-!�
�Joey, please! Stay awa-!� Yugi�s voice was once again cut off by the thug choking him. The thug got in his face and growled deeply.
�I want the Pharaoh! Get him out now!� he yelled in his face.
Yugi shook his head. �You can�t have him! Get away from me!� The millennium puzzle around Yugi�s neck glowed gently, unnoticed by the thug. Yami was trying to take over.
No, Yami! He�s after you! I need to keep him from getting at you!
No, Aibou. This is my fight. You need not involve yourself. Let me out!
Yami please. Stay where you are. I couldn�t stand to lose my older brother.
And I can�t stand to see my little brother get hurt. Let me out so that I can fend him off! I can do this! I know I can! I won�t get killed, I promise!
Yugi sighed, and returned to his own soul room, surrendering the physical body to the Pharaoh. However, Yami didn�t come out. He remained in the puzzle. At least, that�s what Yugi thought happened. Yami was forced out of the puzzle, and into the real world as the spirit that he was, a translucent ghost. He was thrown from Yugi toward the group of spectators. Yami hit the hard ground in front of Tea. She ran over to him and tried to touch his shoulder, but her hand went right through the hologram. Yami shivered as her hand passed through him, but then returned his attention to the thug holding Yugi.
�Yami? Are you alright?� she wondered, drawing the thug�s attention. He didn�t seem to see Yami, and turned back to the violet eyed boy he was holding.
�If you don�t bring the Pharaoh out right now, I�ll drag him out!� he drew back his fist for a hard punch, and Yugi braced himself.
Yami picked himself up off the ground, and hurled himself at the two, thrusting his spirit into the body, causing Yugi�s to retreat to safety. The punch landed just as Yami took over, taking the blow for his little double. Yami flew to the back of the short alley, slammed into the brick wall at the back, and fell limply to the ground, holding his badly bruised cheek.
�Yami!� Tea would have charged in if Joey had not stopped her with his arm. Serenity looked at Yami, who was struggling to get up, his head, and the rest of his body in severe pain from the contact with that brick wall. He still didn�t seem to be the Pharaoh she had imagined him to be. She continued to watch the Pharaoh as he once again picked himself off the ground to glare at the thug.
The look on his face made every one in the watching group think differently of the spirit. His amber eyes were narrowed at the thug, and his voice was low and dangerous. His presence dripped with confidence and anger, not the innocent teenager that they had taken around that day. He began to speak in a harsh, cold, reprimanding voice, one that sent shivers down each of their spines. �How dare you trespass in my soul!!� Mai and Serenity looked at him in shock. Serenity noticed that he was beginning to gain the regal and commanding air of the Pharaoh she had heard so much about. �You�ll pay for your crimes. You will not get away with harming Ototo.�
Yami held up an open hand and closed his eyes. Tea raised an eyebrow, but Joey beat her to asking the question that she had on her mind. �What is he doing?�
�I don�t know. I was going to ask you.� Tea answered quietly.
Yami�s hand glowed and lit up the attacker�s dark face. Yami�s eyes widened and his hate for the man grew to sky limit. He didn�t know why, but he seemed familiar and Yami wanted to kill him, rather than just knock him out. But Yami restrained and powered up for an attack that would simply knock him out for a few hours. He finally let the energy loose and attacked, screaming his own battle cry. �Mind Crush!!�
The thug braced himself for impact, but nothing happened. The attack had no effect. Yami looked at the thug. It-it didn�t work?! The thug smiled sinisterly and raced foreward, gripping the pharaoh by the neck and squeezing hard.
�You think your tricks can still effect me, Pharaoh?� he boomed, picking him off the ground. Yami grabbed the attacker�s wrist and attempted to pry his hand from his neck to allow some air-flow, but none came. He continued to struggle as his lungs craved more and more oxygen, but not receiving it. He began to lose consciousness and he felt lightheaded as more time passed. Just as he was about to give in to sleep, the bully�s arm went limp, and he crumpled to the ground, dropping the man. Yami collapsed to his hands and knees, sucking in large amounts of air to fill his empty lungs. He looked weakly up at Joey who had knocked the man out.
�Thanks, Joey.� He managed to get out as he attempted to get to his feet. The rest of the group was at his side at an instant, and Serenity rushed foreward and allowed him to lean on her as he attempted to stand on his weak legs.
�No problem. Who was that guy?� he wondered.
�I can�t... remember.� He said slowly. �An enemy for sure, but he seemed more than that.�
�An enemy?� Tristan echoed.
�Yes, but I can�t remember why.� Yami felt his legs give out and he fell foreward, losing consciousness, and pulling Yugi into the body. Yugi caught himself just as he was about to hit the ground, panting heavily.
�What happened?� he wondered meekly.
�Yugi?� Serenity asked, helping him to his feet.
�It�s me. Yami passed out. We need to get him home.� Yugi answered, strength returning to his small body as he straightened.
�Are you okay? You took some hard hits.� Tea looked him over, a concerned look in her eye.
�I�m fine. Yami pretty much absorbed all the pain and hits to himself. He�s the one you need to worry about. Not me. Now let�s go!� Before anyone could react, Yugi was racing toward the game shop.