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The Tabletop Experiment - Choose Ur Own Adventure	By : yosakazure Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 8395 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! and no profit has been made or will be made.

Chapter List
- 49
- 50
- 51
"You won't kill Atem. You can't! I know very little about the puzzle. If he dies, there's no way you'll be able to get the information that you want," Yugi reasoned.
Yami Malik scowled but from another anger it might've looked like a pout. "Maybe I won't kill him, but he will be seriously maimed and it will be all your fault. Would you be able to live with that, little Yugi?"
"You're going to hurt us anyway if you ever find out how to get the puzzle to work. I don't see why I should be your entertainment until then!"
"BECAUSE YOU'RE MINE!!" the unstable man roared. "I will get what I want out of you either way. I'm offering you a chance to comply to make things easier on ONE of you. When you think about it, I don't even have to do THAT! You've caught me in a good mood. It would be wise if you didn't waste it," he sneered.
"I won't comply to you! I will never stop fighting and neither will Atem!" Yugi yelled back simply because he was alarmed at Malik's yelling before he even thought it over.
"Then fight, Yugi. Fight all you want. But you'll never get to see your precious pharaoh. The two of you stay separated until further notice!" The bony Egyptian stood and brushed himself off before looking over at the pathetic state of Yugi. The small teen was filthy, hadn't eaten in maybe two days, and had bruises all over his wrists and legs. No doubt whoever handled Yugi before Malik got to him didn't exactly handle their merchandise with care. "Ugh, you're disgusting. I prefer my prey clean before I butcher it so the two of you will be given a couple of days to recover. After that, we're going to have some fun."
Yugi sat up, wincing as he does so. He opened his mouth to say something but his vision blurred from the effort of holding himself upright. He had little to no energy after what he's already been through. Despite being unconscious half the time, he feels like he hasn't really had a chance to rest at all. His eyes drooped and his clutched his head with one hand as he felt a searing pain behind his eyeballs. He barely registered Malik's laughter as he exited the room and his mind reeled from everything that was happening. He had a chance to prevent Atem from getting hurt and he shoved it away. Was it pride? Fear? He felt terrible that he had a chance to keep his partner from suffering all because he was afraid. If only he could take it back...if only...
Poor Yugi didn't get to finish that thought as he felt his body get heavier and heavier. His vision blurred more as he noticed Malik left the door wide open. He could just walk out now; he had to try! He moved to try and crawl his way out of there. His body trembled with the effort of moving one limb in front of the other and he could feel himself getting lower and lower to the ground as his body started to give out. He hadn't gotten halfway there before two figures in the doorway told him that Malik was just teasing him. His head fell and he closed his eyes in defeat and that was all he remembered before his body fell the rest of the way to the floor and he slipped into unconsciousness.
When he woke next, he found himself in a twin-sized bed beneath clean white sheets, wearing gray pajamas, and a tube in his hand feeding him fluids. He blinked several times and looked around. Was he dreaming? The room he was felt like a dorm room. It didn't have any windows, but it did have carpeting, albeit cheap carpeting at that. It was furnished with a twin-sized bed that he was occupying, a small table and chair, and a short bookshelf. The thing was, it all seemed to be bolted down to the floor, including the chair. From what he could see from where he was lying, he also had his own bathroom. It was small, but at least it had a shower and sink. A beeping next to him caught his attention and he turned to see a heart rate monitor was on. His eyes traced the wires back to his own body and he looked down to see that the sensors were taped to his chest underneath his pajamas. He also had a clip on his finger that was attached to the machine. This was starting to freak him out, especially when he looked down at the tube pumping clear liquid into him. He couldn't have been rescued and brought to the hospital. This place didn't resemble any hospital he'd ever been too. Not to mention, there was a heavy steel door with a small barred window near the top. What kind of hospital would have prison doors for their guests?
Malik did say he liked his prey clean but he didn't expect something like this. His body does smell like he's been cleaned. He doesn't see any grime from yesterday and his hair felt like it had been washed. Yugi wasn't sure how to feel about this. He was torn between feeling grateful and pissed off. Being nursed back to health by your worst enemy only so he'd be healthy before Malik had his way with him was just so...Hell, he didn't know what it was. His head hurts. He looked over at the bag of clear fluid being fed into his bloodstream and it seemed safe. It looked like a bag of saline used to treat dehydration. In any case, he didn't want to be here anymore. He needed to find Atem! With a newfound determination, he kicked off the sheets and yanked the sensors off his finger and his chest. After that, he detached the tube from his hand and made a run for the door. His legs wobbled at first, but he kept himself from falling and reached for the door handle. Suddenly the machine behind him started beeping REALLY loudly and an alarm started going off as the vitals displayed on it all dropped to zero as the machine was no longer attached to Yugi. The noise startled Yugi and he yanked on the handle. Of course it was locked. He should've expected this. In frustration he pounded on the door with his fists and screamed over the alarms, "LET ME OUT OF HERE!!!"
The door swung open suddenly and two figures dressed in purple robes with their faces hidden lifted him by the arms and dragged him flailing back to the bed. One of them turned the machine off briefly and the other pinned Yugi back down to stuff him back under the sheets. "Let me go!" Yugi shouted as he was pinned. His still weak body couldn't put up much a fight as the hunter kept him pinned so the other one could attach the sensors back to his body.
"Stop fighting us," said a calm female voice.
Yugi looked up and saw that both of them were female. Wait, he was just lifted up like he was nothing by a couple of women? Wow, he hated being small. "No! Let me go! Where's Atem; the guy who looks like me? Please, don't keep me here!"
"Be quiet!" said the other in a much harsher tone. "The other one is still sleeping. Master says you're not allowed to leave this room and you're not to see the pharaoh. You're to stay here until you are better. Your body has been through a lot and you need to eat. So you can either cooperate and eat quietly or be put to sleep and we stick a feeding tube down your throat. Which will it be?"
Okay, this lady was really scary. "I-I'll eat," Yugi promised. The huntress stared at him for a long moment before letting him sit up. Just then, another huntress came in with a tray stacked with dry toast and porridge and set it in Yugi's lap. The teen would've killed for a burger right now but he probably couldn't stomach it. Still the ever polite one, he thanked the three out of habit and nibbled on his toast before deciding to just dip it in the porridge and eat it that way. Only when he ran out of toast did he use the spoon provided to him and the three watched him the whole time he was eating to make sure he ate every bite. As soon as he was finished, it was all wisked away and the third huntress left. The soft-voiced huntress took his hand and inserted a new needle and tube into Yugi so he can continue to get fluids, much to his dismay.
"You need to absorb the rest of this bag before you're hydrated enough," she explained. "You also need to take it easy. We took a blood test and found you were given a lot of strange drugs to knock you out over the last few days and some other things that we haven't been able to identify. If you exert yourself too much before they're out of your system you could overwork your heart and you'll pass out again. With some rest and three square meals a day, you should be healthy again in no time."
"Obviously he can walk, so why not put the cordless sensors on him so he can use the facilities without setting off the alarm again," suggested the other, her voice now sounding only slightly annoyed.
"Oh, good idea!" said the other. She then took the wired sensors off of Yugi, making the machine beep a little before she turned it off to rework everything so that it responded to cordless sensors that she stuck to Yugi's body with stickers. She also removed the clip from Yugi's finger and attached another black one that didn't have a cord.
"If you must move around before the IV drip is done, the stand has wheels so you can drag it with you," explained the other.
The two fussed over Yugi for a couple more minutes before leaving him alone and again locked the door behind them, neither of them noticed Yugi kicking off the sheets and grabbing the IV drip to run after them in an attempt to exit with them. The poor guy was nowhere near fast enough and the door slammed closed in his face. Enraged he started banging on it with his fists, demanding he be allowed to see Atem or at least tell him where his is. The huntresses just kept walking away until Yugi could no longer hear their footsteps. He pounded on the metal over and over, taking all of his frustrations out on it as he screamed at it and abused it. Eventually his screams died down to mutters and he fell to his knees with his fists pressed against the door whose shiny surface was now covered in his hand prints. From there he began to cry softly as he worried for his friend and feared what was in store for them.
% % %
Atem was in a very similar situation. He woke up to find himself attached to beeping contractions but unlike Yugi, his wrists and ankles were tied down to the bed with leather straps. When he arrived here, he found himself in a tiled room just as Yugi had but he attacked Malik as soon as he entered the room. Malik was too quick for him, though, and rammed his fist into Atem's abdomen, hitting him in just the right place to knock him out. In hindsight, attacking Malik without letting him speak first probably wasn't the wisest thing to do but Atem was so sick of not knowing where he was that he just wanted to punch the first person he saw. What woke him up from his slumber was a bunch of loud beeping noises nearby and two cloaked figures running down the hall towards it. He wondered if Yugi might have had something to do with it. He could sense his partner nearby but there was something keeping him from connecting to their link, like some kind of dark interference that was no doubt Malik's doing. Maybe if the two were just a little closer they'd have better luck but after a couple of minutes exerting all of his mental energy into reaching Yugi he found it was pointless to keep trying.
Like Yugi, two huntresses came in to feed him but they did it by hand, no doubt having been warned to not untie him while sharp objects were within reach, namely the needles in his hand. He reluctantly ate as he was starving but he glared at the wall the entire time. He asked how he was supposed to go to the bathroom and they told him he'd be allowed to move around freely once he didn't need the IV drip anymore. After that, he was told about everything that happened between Yugi and Malik and hearing about his partner's ordeal made him want to vomit. He couldn't blame Yugi for turning down the deal. He was no doubt terrified after what happened with that creature. Atem himself didn't know what he would have done. He'd do anything to protect Yugi, sure, but to submit to Malik wouldn't do either of them any favors. Atem would disobey Malik every chance he got anyway and Yugi would still end up getting hurt, had things been reversed. This was probably for the best anyway. He didn't think he could stay locked up in this room by himself knowing that Yugi was being forced to do sexual favors for his sake. He'd drive himself mad with guilt knowing that he was safe and sound in exchange for Yugi's suffering. While it was true Yugi was going to suffer anyway, at least he wouldn't be the only one.
The huntresses explained to Atem that he needed to take things slow because just like Yugi, he had numerous drugs in his system. This shined light on a few things, like why his head still hurt even after all this time. It would also explain how the two of them kept going down so easily. At their best, the two of them can take a fair number of hits and bounce right back and their stamina was actually something to admire. But ever since they woke up on that table the both of them felt progressively worse and worse and not just from hunger. It was probably thanks to their awesome stamina that the two had any fight left in them at all up to this point.
Suddenly he heard banging in the distance as it echoed through the halls and in between the thuds he heard familiar shouting. He could hear Yugi! "YUGI!!!!" he shouted. "CAN YOU HEAR ME!!??!"
The huntresses told him to shut up but now that Atem heard Yugi's voice, he couldn't possibly hold still. The pharaoh thrashed against his restraints with a newfound strength fueled by his desire to see Yugi. The bed rattled and nearly took the screws out of the floor as Atem tugged and yanked at his limbs, shouting for Yugi the whole time. He yelled for him so hard that his face turned red and little veins appeared in his neck. The monitor with his vitals started going crazy and started beeping loudly as the numbers got higher and higher. Unable to silence him, one of the huntresses ran to Atem's IV drip and stuck a syringe inside, emptying its contents into the bag and effectively sending it quickly through the pharaoh's bloodstream. Atem's body slowed and he felt he could no longer control his limbs. It only took a few more seconds before he was dead to the world again.
% % %
Yugi looked up from where he was sitting on the floor in front of the door. He coudld've sworn he heard Atem's voice! He struggled to his feet and pressed his ear against the door. He could hear him!! Atem was okay! Tears of relief flood his eyes and he couldn't help but laugh with joy. Malik might've closed their link but he sure couldn't keep them from shouting at each other. In fact, it was kind of funny that the two tried to use their mind link first before resorted to simply calling out each other's names. That was kind of backwards now that he thought about it. He called for Atem back, but he could no longer hear him. He tried until he was hoarse but he heard no more signs of Atem's presence. He bet the huntresses knocked him out or something like they threatened to do to HIM. He felt sad again but was relieved that Atem clearly had some fight left in him. If Atem wasn't giving up, neither would he!
But first...he needed to get back to the bed. He couldn't stand anymore and this carpet was terrible to sit on. He made his way back to the twin bed and collapsed onto it, being mindful of his IV drip before allowing himself to sleep, this time of his own free will.
. . .
Yugi slept most of the first day, only waking when his IV drip was empty and to be fed. Once the needle was out of his hand he thought that would be the end of the beepy machine but they insisted on keeping the censors on him in case something were to go wrong during his "detox period". By day two, he could finally walk normally and he took the opportunity to take a very very long shower. He must've been in there for at least two hours and he spent the whole time scrubbing himself until his skin was red. He felt so filthy from being touched by so many disgusting people. Never before had he ever felt so objectified. These past few days he's been treated like nothing by a piece of meat by everybody except Atem whom he longed for dearly. Only when the hot water stopped coming did he finally get out and inspect his body in the mirror. He had a lot of unexplained bruises and marks on his wrists. His ankles weren't in too bad of shape but his arms were still sore from the table and from being strung up for auction.
After a few moments of staring at the mirror, he started redressing into the pajamas that he was provided with. He was given his normal clothes back, but as he spent most of his time in bed, he thought it'd be more comfortable to stick to his pajamas. Not to mention, Malik could come at any time and if there was going to be any blood shed or whatever, he didn't want any of it to be on the only set of clothes he had. He could already imagine Malik coming in and trying to dice him up with the hidden dagger in that rod of his. The thought made him shudder and the machine in the bedroom gave a warning beep at the change of his heart rate. "Oh shut up," he scolded.
The annoying beep-a-tron was right, though. He shouldn't get himself too worked up, especially now that he had time to recover. He needed to get well and use it to his advantage when it came time to see Malik again. He did wish he could at least talk to his partner to come up with some plan of action but that seems impossible. Unless...maybe he could find a way to pass a message along through the huntresses. Of course they would never do it willingly as they were very adament about not letting the two of them communicate in any way, shape, or form. Suddenly he was struck with an idea. Atem can sense intent. In fact, thanks to the puzzle they both can. It may not seem like a very cool residual power compared to sensing the future or actually reading minds but Atem has shown Yugi how useful it can be. For instance, if they notice somebody suspicious they simply had to sense what their intentions were and see if the suspicious person intended to do them harm or not. But it was something that required quite a bit of control when they're using the puzzle while doing it because sometimes their range can go overboard when say they're in a crowded place and then they sense where everybody intended to shop. When they're on their way to school, they sort of switch it off so that they don't have to deal with sensory overload on the city bus. Not to mention they haven't really had a reason to use it anyway as things were quite peaceful and dare we say normal for the two with Bakura and the rest of the items gone. Maybe if they hadn't left their guard down they wouldn't have been captured in the first place. But anyway, what if Yugi planted a message in the huntresses' heads simply by asking them to send a message and then telling them what it is? Right away they'd say no, but the quieter one might consider it for a moment and that moment would be all that Atem needed to sense what the message was. And if he knew the pharaoh, the guy was probably working overtime on sensing around for information. It's a brilliant plan! He clapped his hands together, satisifed with what his wonderful brain had come up with and practically skipped back to his bed.
As he laid down he started to think about what sort of message he would ask to be delivered. It couldn't be too long and it couldn't be too suspicious, but it needed to say a lot. He really needed this to work because if it doesn't, he knows that Atem will probably resort to yelling again and they would probably silence him in some shape or form and they certainly don't want that. They can't collaborate if they're unconscious...Wait...yes they can!! Their connection is strongest when they are asleep as the mind is free from distraction and the brain is more active when asleep. Sure, Malik may be disrupting everything with the rod but even Malik has to sleep SOMETIME. The interference caused by the Egyptian's shadow magic should be weakest when he's asleep and therefore would be the best time for Yugi and Atem to establish their connection. BUT it'd be impossible to do this if they were put to sleep by means of drugs because that sort of sleep is dreamless and since the brain didn't induce the sleep on its own, its not prepared to do its usual sleeping functions so it simply doesn't dream or anything like that. In fact, you could say the drugs put them in a temporary comatose state. They're put to sleep quickly and wake up in what feels like a few seconds when it could've been hours. Simply put, neither of them have any hope of communicating if they keep getting drugged like they have been. So he has to make sure that Atem doesn't do anything that would cause their captors to knock him out again. Aha! He knew the perfect message. Hopefully Atem will get it and catch on. He began to feel excited and the stupid machine started beeping again as Yugi's heart beat faster. The duelist groaned and swat at the beeping box. "Could you be any louder? I don't think the whole world heard you." Yeah, he was talking to a heart machine but who could really blame him? He didn't realize how much a heart monitor could invade one's privacy. If he were to daydream and his heart would go aflutter, the machine would alert everybody about it. His bodily functions needed to learn to keep quiet.
. . .
Later that evening, dinner was served to Yugi first. It consisted of a warm beef stew and crackers. It was surprisingly very rich and filling. He could barely finish the whole bowl. Once he was done and the huntresses were clearing his dishes, he finally plucked up the courage to execute his plan. "Excuse me, miss? I was wondering...could you tell Atem not to scream so loudly anymore and that some of us are trying to sleep?" he asked sweetly, giving her the full-blown chibi eyes.
"No!" the two huntresses said in unison. "Lights out in thirty minutes," the stern one warned before they both left the room and locked the door behind them. Yugi's heart raced as he anticipated the huntresses going to Atem's room. He prayed that he would sense the message and hurried to his bed so he could fall asleep as soon as possible. This may take a little while, though, as his heart was beating fast with excitement and the machine had started beeping again.
Meanwhile Atem has been going nuts. He's been so angry that his blood pressure refused to go down so his machine has been beeping constantly. At one point he got out of bed and tried to pick it up and throw it against the wall but he found it was bolted to the floor like everything else. So he just kicked it and ended up stubbing his big toe. He was untied when he was left alone but every time the huntresses came to give him food they were accompanied by two bulkier hunters that would pin him down and tie him up so he could be spoon fed. He supposed Malik was wise not to trust him with utensils of any kind. Atem had to admit he thought about snatching some of those syringes and stabbing the hunters in the eyeballs but again, he was always tied up. For some reason he's been given a lot of injections that the huntresses claimed were antibiotics. Apparently he had an infection from getting hit with an unsterilized needle at one point but it was treatable. Atem himself hadn't noticed any outward signs but they said they found it in his bloodwork when doing secondary tests and had he not had these antibiotics he would've broke into a fever, developed a skin rash, get chills and sweats, and eventually he could have died. When he asked why Malik would go through all the trouble of giving him treatment they simply said that Malik wouldn't want to catch anything from Atem if he decided to bathe in his blood. This explanation made much more sense to Atem so he let it go. However he was getting sick of having needles in his arm. He knows the huntresses keep putting it in the same area on purpose to piss him off.
He rubbed his sore arm absently and stewed in his thoughts for a little bit before the huntresses and their hunter entourage arrived. He didn't bother putting up a fight this time when they tied his wrists and ankles down. It didn't seem worth it this time. Instead he chose to peek into their minds to see if he can sense their intentions in case they wanted to try any funny business this time. As he searched their minds, praying that he wasn't going to get any injections right now, he came across something in the smaller huntress's mind. There was something she was intending NOT to do. What did she not want to do that was so important that it was prominant in her mind? He concentrated a little harder and found the answer...and a very peculiar one at that. She was intending to not tell him that Yugi said not to scream loudly anymore and that somebody's trying to sleep. He blinked several times. What was that all about...? The huntress interrupted his thoughts for a moment to feed him some stew which he just ate automatically, not really paying attention as the wheels in his head turned. So Yugi DID hear him screaming. Well that's good. But why would he ask the huntress's to deliver a message when he knows that they wouldn't do it for--Wait! They DID deliver the message! Yugi knew that he would be using his senses. Clever aibou!
But what does the message mean? He kept eating mechanically as he mulled it over. Trying to sleep...? What happens when people are asleep? AHA! Atem tried not to let his triumph show on his face in front of his captors, but rest assured, the pharaoh was gleeing on the inside. Of course, it was all so simple! He was just too busy trying to fight his way out instead of cooling off and thinking about what he COULD do instead of what he couldn't do. His behavior the past couple of days hasn't really been like him at all. He felt a little embarrassed for losing his cool but he could always count on Yugi to pick up the pieces and present a solution when he himself ran out of ideas. So tonight when everybody's asleep he'll try to reach out to Yugi. The huntress stopped feeding him and he looked up, not realizing he had been grinning for a couple of seconds and it made him look suspicious. "...The stew is delicious," he said simply and that seemed to appease everybody in the room. Finally meal time was over and he was untied. Full and eager to sleep, Atem laid back and made himself comfortable. A few minutes later the lights had gone out and he focused all of his efforts into reaching Yugi while his body slipped into slumber.
The lights had gone out for Yugi, too, but he was already sound asleep. His face looked serene and his breathing was slow and even but his mind was frantically at work. His mind woken up in his soul room which was brightly lit and filled with toys that were scattered all over the floor. He took a second to gather his bearings and noticed something was slightly off. A lot of the toys were shoved off into one corner. It was odd because this place has always been messy and although there were a lot of toys in here, he's never seen them piled up in a corner like that. Well now was not the time to decode the inner workings of his soul room. He needed to find Atem!
He jumped over a bunch of toys and opened the metal door. Beyond this door used to be a hallway with Atem's soul room on the other side. But since they were separated and didn't share the same mind and body anymore, it was no longer there. Normally a soul room doesn't even have a door. But Yugi had a neighbor so the two of them did have doors. Yugi's was always open but Atem's was closed except for when Yugi needed him. So one would think that since they were separated that Yugi would no longer have a door. But his still remained because of the connection that the two shared. And although Atem's soul isn't as close to his as it used to be, he could still see him. Beyond the door was no longer a hallway, but a vast expanse of clouds that served as the plane that keeps him and Atem connected. As the connection he was trying to establish was somewhat weak, there weren't many clouds to support his footing but he moved forward anyway. Should he fall, he would wake up and he'd have to try all over again. As he progressed there were more and more clouds to walk on that better supported his weight. Encouraged, he started calling for his partner. "Atem!! Are you there??"
Atem had awoken in his own soul room. Normally it'd be a congested maze that resembled an M.C. Escher painting as his mind was a shattered mess that was kept within the puzzle. However since he's regained his memories it's changed drastically. As a defense, his mind could turn into a maze at will. But when it's just him, it resembled an Egyptian temple. Shadi had caught a glimpse of this room once but back then it was cold, dark, and foreboding and looked to be in disrepair as the paintings on the walls were worn and faded. But now it was warm and bright and the walls and columns look brand new. The colors of the hieroglyphics on the walls were bright and vivid as if they were freshly painted. Unlike Yugi's soul room which was small and cozy, his was still quite large and had many doorways but they were in neat rows and were actually accessible by staircases that were draped with beautiful fabrics. At the end of the main chamber of course stood a tall golden thrown piled with silk cushions and surrounded by colorful woven mats that not only served as decoration but depicted stories and lore that have been passed down in his culture for generations. He often wondered why his soul room was so large but he considered that perhaps it was because of how long he has lived and how much has happened to him in his 3,000+ years of existence. He didn't really mind. In fact he was quite happy to see this change because now it truly felt like it was his room...a place for his soul to live and not a cold tomb for him to sleep. No longer did his own mind feel like a lonely and unfamiliar prison. Now it was truly his, a true representation of who he was before he had forgotten and of who he is as a complete person today.
The former pharaoh walked to the door that lead to the mental bridge that connected him and Yugi. Outside his soul room it looked dark and the clouds didn't look very stable. But with a little extra concentration the clouds started bunching up together to give him a firmer ground to walk on and so then he began walking quickly. Then he started running. As he ran he found it strange that it was taking him so long to reach Yugi as it usually doesn't take them long to "travel" to see each other; like perhaps a few steps. Malik's interference must really have kept them far apart. Finally he heard Yugi's voice and started calling back to him, "AIBOU!! I'm over here!!"
Both were overjoyed to hear each other and ran faster and faster. Their hearts lifted at the sound of each other's voice and strengthened their connection as their desire to see each other fueled their efforts. Finally they were within 10 feet of each other, then five, then two, and then they were in each other's arms, clutching each other tightly. The darkness around them started clearing up and the area between their soul rooms grew smaller and smaller until they were within a few steps of each other again. The two of them held onto each other for what felt like a very long time, both whispering and babbling of how they missed each other and how worried they were. They pulled part to face each other, pressing their foreheads together affectionately. Both fell quiet after a few moments as they tried to compose themselves, their faces mirroring each other as tears welled up in their eyes and slowly fell down their cheeks. They couldn't find any words right now as they were both feeling each other's pain. They put so much effort into seeing each other that neither could hold back their emotional floodgates. Even Atem who kept his fears and pain hidden from Yugi could no longer keep them from leaking through their connection. Besides, this connection wouldn't hold for very long if the both of them wasted energy trying to hold things back. Words didn't need to be said right now anyway as they held hands and pressed their bodies, their souls, as close together as they possibly could. Now that their hearts were touching again, neither never wanted to be separated. But the reality was that this only a temporary visit and a rare chance at that so they can't waste any more time. They pulled away a bit to talk, but kept their hands clasped together.
"Your plan was brilliant, aibou. I was really impressed with your ingenuity," Atem complimented.
Yugi blushed and wiped the tears from his eyes. "I'm so glad it worked. I was going crazy. But we need to think of a plan. Both of us are almost fully recovered and then who knows what Malik has in store for us. But I don't know what we can do."
"You need to be brave, Yugi. I have a feeling he's going to pressure you into doing what he wants in exchange for my safety. But whatever you do, don't allow yourself to submit to him. I will be fine. Just have faith in me. Together we will figure something out but whatever you do, don't give up."
Yugi bit his lower lip. Atem must've heard all about the deal he botched with Malik. "I-I...I'm so sorry. I could've kept you from getting hurt...you could've found a way out..."
"Don't worry about that. You made the right choice. I..." he sighed deeply as if to keep from crying again, "I couldn't live with knowing that you surrendered your pride and dignity for my sake. Malik would've done his best to shatter your beautiful spirit and I would rather die than let you fall to him." He sniffed loudly and realized he was babbling so he quieted down.
Yugi reached up and cupped Atem's cheeks, his eyes filling with tears again, "You're always thinking of me first. I love you so much...thank you...for everything. I promise I'll stay strong for both of us. He can break our bodies, but he won't break us or our bond. As long as we have each other, we'll keep getting back up to fight again. We've faced many hardships but nobody has been able to truly break us and Malik certainly won't be the one to do so."
Atem nodded. "Right. Well said. But back to the problem at hand," he reminded.
"Right. First we need to figure out where the puzzle is."
"It's hard to say. I've been doing my best to get some information but from what I have gathered, Malik keeps it in his study when he's working there and when he's not, he has it stored in different rooms every day. I guess the hunters rotate the locations."
"That sounds like it will be nearly impossible to find! In any case, we'd have to find a way out of our rooms first. Any ideas?" Yugi asked.
"Many, but none seem plausible at the moment," replied Atem. Suddenly the clear dark blue sky around them started shifting around and turning a purple color as if the fabric of space around them was wrinkling and being dyed. "Our time might be up. I sense Malik coming nearer..."
"That must be on your end, because I don't sense him that close," Yugi said, looking about nervously.
Just then the sky around them started rumbling and beneath them the bridge of clouds holding them up had started to disappear bit by bit. Instinctly, Yugi clung harder to Atem and concentrated harder to fight off Malik's dark presence. "Stay with me a little longer!" he begged Atem.
Atem held on to Yugi, but it was more of a comforting embrace rather than a clinging one. "I have to wake up. I know he's close. I don't want to be sleeping while he's in the same room as I," he explained.
Yugi nodded but he didn't have much of a chance to let go because suddenly Atem was yanked out of his arms and back through the door of his soul room. Yugi hadn't quite expected that and worried something was wrong. He called out for Atem's name and ran through what little clouds were left but the door was gone and soon so were the clouds and he fell through the dark. A lurch in his stomach from the fall woke him up and he was greeted by the loud beeping of his heart monitor. His heart was pounding as he worried about Atem and he kicked his sheets off to run to the door and listen for any signs that he was in trouble but all he heard were the footsteps of the huntresses as they came to check on him.
% % %
Atem, meanwhile, had been rudely awakened by two hunters in his room yanking him out of bed by his arms. He growled at how roughly they were handling him and looked up to see Malik in the room whom he glared at viciously.
"I'm sorry, pharaoh, did I wake you?" the dark soul sneered. "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd pay you a visit. So how have my hunters been treating you? I trust you've been well taken care of. My apologies for not being a very entertaining host. It's been quite rude of me. But don't worry, I've made plenty of time for you, tonight." As he said this, the grin on his face got wider and wider as if he could barely contain himself. His grin grew so wide he looked like he was preparing to take a big bite out of Atem's face.
Atem said nothing. But then the hunters forced his arms behind his back and handcuffed his wrists together and then his ankles. He tried to wriggle away from them but they held him tight so he looked back up to glare at the Egyptian, wordlessly asking the meaning of this. To be perfectly honest, he didn't like the idea of being handcuffed when he was still in his pajamas. He felt too vulnerable for his liking.
"It's so weird seeing you like this, your highness. I daresay you look adorable when you're not covered in leather. Helpless, in fact..." he cackled and turned to exit the room, the hunters following him and dragging Atem along.
Soon they had arrived at the room Atem found himself in when they first arrived. The tiles felt cold on his bare feet and slightly damp as if it had been cleaned recently. Hanging from the ceiling was one bright light that shined down on a wooden stool in the center of the room. Other than that, the room was fairly dark. The hunters dragged Atem to the center of the room and sat him down on the stool that wasn't as high as a bar stool, per say, but high enough that his toes would have dangled a couple of inches above the floor. To sit comfortably he had to rest his feet on the wooden bar that connected the legs. The stool also had a back which he leaned against when he was lifted into the thing.
"Are you comfortable, pharaoh? Good. Now you're going to answer some questions for me," the shadow being said while looming in the darkness, with what little light there was glinting on the end of his rod.
. . .
Yugi in the meantime had found himself getting strapped to the bed. He wasn't fighting back or anything but he was told he needed to be tied up for what was going to happen to him next. A metal box that looked like a radio receiver was placed next to his bed and a set of heavy duty headphones were plugged into it. These headphones were then adjusted and attached to his head. "What is all of this?" the duelist asked but if the huntress had answered, he didn't hear her because suddenly he could hear Atem's voice:
"I'm not telling you anything."
But then there was Malik's voice:
"But you don't even know what I'm going to ask you~"
Yugi blinked. Why would Malik want him to listen in on Atem's interrogation?
"I have a good idea. And my answer is no," Atem said defiantly.
Suddenly there was a SMACK and a grunt from Atem that made Yugi jump. Good gods, Malik was going to hurt Atem and make him listen!!
. . .
The left side of Atem's face felt hot with pain as he recovered from the slap he received from Malik. It was a warning and definitely a sign of things to come. But no matter what, he wasn't going to give in. Instead he continued to glare at his captor.
"Now, you shriveled up mummy, tell me why the puzzle won't obey me!" Malik demanded.
Atem quirked an eyebrow in curiosity, "What have you been trying to do with it?"
"None of your business!" he shouted and punched Atem in the gut. "I'm asking the questions here."
Atem grunted and coughed as he felt the wind get knocked out of him. "Ugh..."
"Perhaps it doesn't yet recognize me as its master. Perhaps I should kill the both of you and see what happens from there!" Malik threatened.
"It wouldn't do you any good," Atem spoke up. "You know as well as I do that it doesn't work that way. One must be chosen or tested by the items in order for them to yield their power."
"I know that, but the puzzle won't even test me! It just sits there like a golden brick!" Malik snarled in frustration and bonked Atem on the head with his rod just for the hell of it.
Atem blinked several times to rid himself of the stars in his eyes.
"Let's try something else. What are the true powers of the puzzle?" Malik asked, spinning the rod around like a baton while he walked circles around Atem.
"You already know them. Why do you need me to tell you?" Atem growled.
Malik spun around and punched Atem in the kidney, earning a loud yelp of pain from the pharaoh. "Don't sass me, pharaoh! Of course I know all about the power of unity and the power to aid the kings. But there has to be more to it! What makes it so special from the other items?? There must be more than some lousy friendshippy shit!"
Atem chuckled, despite the pain it gave him to do so. "I'm afraid that's it. Unity is the power of the puzzle," he said simply.
Malik looked like he was going to hit Atem again but stopped partially through. "The power of the kings...unity...the power to lead. Hmph...with my rod, I have the power to control minds and a vast army of them at that. But it's not 100% guaranteed that my influence will last for long. With the puzzle, you're guaranteed to have others follow you and serve your every need. Yes...I see it now. It's not just friendship, it's like the complete control and dominance of fate. Even Kaiba answers your silent call conveniently whenever you need him. That's very interesting. Same with Rishid (Odion). If he hadn't shown up at the right time, your soul would've been lost like mine!"
Atem thinks Malik might be oversimplifying things but he lets him continue.
"It doesn't just AID kings," Malik continued. "It MAKES the king. When we studied this in the scriptures, I didn't think it was that literal!" He cackled madly but then stopped, folding his arms and tapping the rod against his hip in thought. "You said they had to be chosen...But if I recall, your father simply passed the puzzle down to you before he died. Then you sealed your soul in it and shattered it before it was given to Priest seth who then placed it in your tomb. There aren't many examples to go from, Pharaoh. The way I see it, you either have to give the puzzle away willingly to your heir or you die and the puzzle chooses its next owner on its own. So how about this..."
Malik paused and kicked the stool back, causing both it and Atem to hit the ground hard. Atem gasped in surprise when he hit the floor and looked up to see Malik hovering over him, his face inches away from his threateningly, "You willingly hand over the puzzle, and I won't kill little Yugi~"
Atem's eyes shone with fear briefly. The puzzle wasn't his to give away, really. The puzzle technically belonged to both he and Yugi. If anything, Yugi was his successor so it really belonged more to him. Malik might've stolen the puzzle from Atem, but the puzzle still has another chosen owner even if Atem was no longer around. Unless both of them were out of the picture, the puzzle still has ties to them. And even then, the puzzle probably still wouldn't choose Malik because Malik's family is to SERVE the kings, not be kings. Atem hissed, "It wouldn't work. You'll never succeed because you aren't worthy and you never will be."
"I AM WORTHY!!!" Malik shrieked and kicked Atem in the side so hard that he rolled out of the stool. The poor pharaoh struggled to get to his hands and knees as his sides screamed with pain. The dark being had had it with questions. Now he was angry and he wasn't going to be satisfied until he vented. His pupils shrunk as he stepped into the light to grab the stool and then casually walked over to the kneeling pharaoh where he slammed the back of the stool into his back, sending him back down to the ground. Atem had been hit so hard that the spit and wind got knocked out of him and he coughed hard as his stunned body struggled to crawl away but he was hit again, this time even harder. The third time, he was hit so hard that the cheap wooden stool broke into pieces.
Atem growled in pain, unable to rest his upper body on his hands as they were still handcuffed behind him. He didn't notice it before, but his fingers had been hit by the stool as well and were curled up defensively as they ached. Malik wasn't done yet, though. He was just getting started. He saw the broken chair legs and his face started stretching in unnatural directions as he came up with the evilest of ideas. He grabbed on chair leg and then grabbed Atem by the hair and lifted him to his feet.
"AAGH!!" Atem cried out as he was lifted and then his body was shoved against the wall. It was dark over here, so he couldn't see what was going on.
. . .
Yugi had tears streaming down his face as he listened to Atem's pained cries. He had given up fighting against his bonds a few minutes ago and could only listen as he tried to make sense of what was going on. He heard something that sounded like wood breaking and then another cry from Atem as there was a thud against a wall. What was Malik doing to him?!
But then there was muttering from Malik that he couldn't make out and then A HIDEOUSLY LOUD SCREAM from Atem who sounded like his body was being ripped apart. He heard Atem panting and the clinking of handcuffs as he struggled to get away from Malik and Yugi sobbed harder as his heart raced in his chest. "STOP IT!! DON'T HURT HIM ANYMORE!!!" he screamed as loud as he could in the off chance that Malik could hear him. But nothing answered except Malik's cackling in his ears as he heard repeated grunts and cries of pain from Atem.
. . .
Atem panted hard as he laid on the ground. His pajama bottoms were pulled partially down and a broken chair leg was sticking out of his ass as he was partially impaled with the rounded end of it. A few inches of it were coated in his blood as he was sodomized with it and now Malik had gotten bored of it and stood back to laugh at his handiwork. Tears stung at Atem's eyes but he dare not let them show as he kept his face turned away. But then he heard Malik's footsteps shift and he turned his head to see Malik with his back turned to him. Atem had enough of this!! With a cry of pain, he yanked the piece of wood out of his own rectum and pulled his legs up to bring his handcuffed wrists in front of him. The movement caused him a lot of pain but he didn't care. He then ran over to Malik and started stabbing at him with the sharp end of the broken chair leg. He hit him several times in the back before Malik roared in pain and spun around to roundhouse kick Atem in the side and send him to the ground again.
Atem's vision blurred as pain wracked his entire body. He wasn't sure how many more of these hits his body could take. He saw Malik's blood dripping from his robe and onto the floor but the man was still standing and he was smiling in fact. Atem stared in disbelief as the maniac didn't seem affected at all; if anything he looked amused. "I've been reborn from the shadows, pharaoh. You can hit me all you like and it won't make a damn bit of difference. Physical harm means nothing to me. AHAHAHA!! You've amused me enough for the night. So I'll let you go back to your room," he practically giggled before he crouched down in front of Atem. "You look hideous," he sneered and his rod started glowing. Atem instinctly tried to crawl away but he felt something strange in his ass, like he had maggots in there or something. As strange as it felt, he noticed the pain he felt back there was starting to go away and eventually the heavy bleeding stopped. Malik healed him??
This angered Atem and he straightened up, leaning against the wall for support. "I don't need your help!" he snapped.
Malik only laughed and turned to leave. "I can't have you dying of infection before I'm done with you!" he explained as he left. At his departure, two hunters arrived and grabbed Atem by his arms to take him to bed and treat his injuries.
. . .
Yugi was finally relieved of the headphones and untied. He sighed with relief knowing that Atem was okay but that was horrible to listen to. What would Malik do next?
% % %
The next few days were hell for both duelists. Malik had made a habit of coming unannounced into Yugi's room in the middle of the night, tying him to the bed, and raping him while making Atem listen over a headset just like he had Yugi do. The first time was naturally horrifying and Atem couldn't sleep for two days after hearing it. Malik would demand answers from Yugi or command him to cry out for Atem to save him so that the pharaoh would yield to his questioning, but Yugi simply refused. After the second nightly session, Yugi stopped making noise at all which infuriated Malik to no end. His advances became rougher and rougher and while he wasn't as brutal to Yugi as he was with Atem and the chair leg, he still gave him many bruises and bite marks, even ripping flesh off his shoulder once when he felt like having a snack, or at least that's what his explanation was at the time.
When Malik wasn't torturing poor Yugi, he was spending the days toying with the puzzle, "working", or locking himself and Atem into a room and beating the crap out of the still proud pharaoh. After about a week and a half, it was clear that Malik was becoming impatient. He wasn't even giving the two any time to recover between sessions like he had before and he was at his limit with Atem. His beatings have escalated to other torture techniques, including hanging him by his hair from the ceiling, his big toes, and even hanging him from the ceiling while simultaneously attaching his nipples to his ankles so that if he even struggled he'd be in even more pain. Like Yugi, Atem had long given up on reasoning with the man and simply remained as silent as possible; not responding to any inquiries whatsoever. Both duelists still cried out in pain occassionally; they were only human after all. But even their cries of pain didn't satiate the psychotic man for more than a few minutes.
Like before, Yugi would be forced to listen to the torture sessions, his face stained with tears for the majority of each session. Eventually he ran out of tears and learned to listen to Malik for any signs of him slipping, any weakness at all. Tonight was no exception, though it was certainly going to be a tough one to sit through.
Tonight, Malik had strung meat hooks through Atem's skin over his shoulder blade area, his arms, and his legs and has him currently suspended from the ceiling. The whole time, the pharaoh had put himself in a sort of meditative state, reminding himself that some teenagers do this for FUN so there's no reason he shouldn't be able to tolerate this...even if it did feel like he was going to pass out at any minute. He was so deep in meditation that he could barely hear Malik's questions. Will this freak ever give up? Suddenly the freak was all in his face and startling Atem slightly. "I said if you don't start answering me, I will kill you tonight and your former vessel will be at my mercy. Is that what you want?!?" he roared in his face.
Atem let out a sound that resembled something between a sigh and a laugh, which alarmed Yugi a little bit as he listened through the headphones.
"Even without me, Yugi is strong. He wouldn't give in to you. In fact, if I weren't around for him to worry about, he probably would have found a way out already. But maybe you already know that and that's why you're using our safety against each other. You strike one of us down and the other will just get stronger. You're at a stalemate..." Atem grinned. He was mocking the crazed Egyptian and he didn't care how much he pushed his buttons. The man will get sloppy if he's angered enough. They always do.
"Is that what you really think?" Malik sneered and picked up a baseball bat from his table of torture instruments. "Then I suppose you both have to die. And I think I'll start with you!" he grinned before swinging the bat across Atem's skull which resulted in a sickening crack. It was hard to tell if the noise came from Atem's skull or from the wood splintering in the bat, but all Yugi knew was that it didn't sound good. After that, he heard a dull thud which came from the pharaoh's body hitting the ground after his body swung so hard from the meat hooks that the cheap ropes snapped and some of the hooks even tore from his skin, resulting in him falling in a bloody heap. After that, Yugi shook all over as he realized he couldn't sense Atem's presence at all...not even a little bit. He started breathing hard as he panicked, his heart rate making the machine go crazy. However nobody would be able to hear the damn monitor because Yugi started screaming in despair as he feared the worst for his friend. "ATEEEEEEEEEEEEM!!!!!!!!!!!!! ATEEEEEEEM!!! SAY SOMETHING!!!!" he cried, begging and pleading for any sign of life through the headphones but if there was any, he couldn't hear it because the huntresses have come to remove his headphones and left Yugi tied up as he continued flailing and screaming.
Eventually Yugi couldn't scream anymore and he struggled to sleep through his sobs. He told himself that maybe there was a chance he could communicate to Atem like before if his partner's simply unconscious. He had the tiniest hope that maybe the pharaoh was still halfway okay and that maybe Malik just staged all the noise to make him THINK Atem was was dead so he can trick Yugi into giving him information. Well if that's the case, Malik certainly isn't going to get it. Yugi held onto this tiny hope and eventually calms his breathing. However just before he falls asleep he feels another presence in his mind...like something else was occupying it. And just before he drifted into unconsciousness, a sad smile formed on his face.
% % %
For two days Yugi heard nothing from Malik or any of the Huntresses. In fact, they have taken him off the beep-a-tron after Yugi's heart rate picked up and remained constant. This apparently means that he has recovered and wasn't in any danger of randomly passing out anymore. All they did was feed him and leave him alone. Something seemed odd to the Huntresses, though, because Yugi wasn't even asking any questions. He just sat on his bed with his knees pulled up to his chest and seemed to stare off into space when he wasn't eating. The softer spoken Huntress voiced a worry that perhaps he's finally snapped and wouldn't be any further use to Malik so both Huntresses went to report Yugi's behavior right away.
On the third day, the huntresses returned to find Yugi dressed in his own clothes for once, but still sitting on the bed. The soft-voiced one spoke up, "We've been given orders to take you to see the pharaoh."
Yugi looked up just as he was approached by the two and had his hands handcuffed behind his back. He didn't fight them and allowed them to lead him through the halls, his gait a little sluggish and his face blank as if he were a zombie. They ended up leading him to what looked like a genuine hospital room and a high security one at that which required a key card to even get in and what Yugi saw in there nearly shattered his heart into a million tiny pieces. There he was...his precious partner lying all bandaged up and unconscious in a hospital bed with an almost comical amount of bandages wrapped around his head. Yugi could see blood seeping through the dressings on his forehead and his arms and legs. What disturbed him the most was the amount of tubes that were tied to him and the fact that he had oxygen being pumped into him. "I-is he..." Yugi stuttered, his throat choking up with tears as he couldn't bring himself to finish his question.
The stern-voiced Huntress answered, "He's in a coma and currently on life support. Master has agreed to keep him on life support in the chances that he might wake up IF you cooperate."
Yugi walked towards his partner, and the huntresses almost stopped him but they paused when they saw him merely nuzzle his face into Atem's mess of hair and cry silently. All was silent for a few moments, save for the sounds of the machines as Yugi leaned against his unconscious partner, still bound in handcuffs and therefore unable to actually touch him like he's longed for these past couple of weeks. But of course, the silence was interrupted as the door opened up and Malik entered and Yugi straightened up and instinctly stood himself between Malik and Atem, shielding his unconscious partner from view with his body.
"Aw, how sweet. But I'm sure this isn't the reunion you had in mind," Malik mocked. "But don't worry. He'll be safe. I trust my servants have explained my conditions."
"They have," Yugi replied coldly.
"And your answer?"
"What do you want me to do?" Yugi asked quietly, daring to stare into Malik's seemingly pupil-less eyes with his amethyst ones that have darkened over the past two weeks.
Malik snorted. "What do you think?" he suddenly reached into his robe and pulled out the puzzle, brandishing it in front of Yugi while holding it by the chain. "I want you to make the puzzle yield to me. TELL ME HOW TO DO IT!"
Yugi took a deep breath and twin tears escaped his eyes as he choked out his answer. "The puzzle serves the one who can pass its ultimate test. One must first assemble the puzzle but even then it may not yield its power because it will put the solver through a mind maze if it finds the person undeserving. So even if you can find a way to solve it, the puzzle will do what it can to stop you if it feels you are unfit. That's all I know."
"Oh is that so? Well then..." Malik cackled and then suddenly slammed the puzzle against the tiled wall, shattering it into pieces. He then picked them up and slammed them down on a table. "Here's what you're going to do. I'm going to uncuff you and you are going to put the puzzle back together except for two pieces. I will then put those pieces in myself and claim the puzzle for my own. I'm more than capable of handling the maze for two pieces, I'm sure. And once I'm done, you can keep your precious pharaoh on life support. I can't guarantee he'll live, but you don't really have a choice in the matter."
Yugi gulped and stared down at the glinting pieces of his puzzle. As they sparkled at him, he wasn't even sure he'd be able to do it but he nodded and allowed the huntresses to uncuff him before he sat in a chair and got to work. He had to be quick and solve the puzzle before Malik grabs it from him. He really had to be sneaky about these last few pieces. While his fingers worked, he remembered the first time he solved it and how he made a wish on the puzzle for friends. The second time he wished to be reunited with his partner before the fire consumed him. This time he wished that his partner would wake up. He prayed on the power of the puzzle that his partner will be alright. He wished for the power to protect them both and help them escape. With each piece, he poured his heart and soul into his wish and the puzzle seemed to reciprocate his feelings. It felt warm in his hands as each one clicked into place and Yugi's heart pounded as he felt both he and the puzzle were anticipating what was about to come. Finally it came down to the last four pieces. Yugi took a deep breath and inserted the fourth to last piece and Malik didn't seem to notice yet but just as he looked over to see Yugi's progress, a loud beeping from Atem's heart monitor distracted everybody in the room for a split second, which was ample time for Yugi to slide one of the last three pieces in. Unfortunately, Malik turned around in time to see Yugi with the last two pieces and he snatched both them and the nearly completed puzzle away from him. "Thank you very much, little Yugi. Turns out you're good for something after all. But not to worry. Even after I get everythign I want, I'll still find some use for you," he sneered with glee very apparent in his voice as he slipped the rod into his belt loop and began sliding the second to last piece of the puzzle into place. As it clicked, he suddenly felt something invade his mind. His sight was being obscured by a complicated maze whose cold depths he could feel in the very core of his soul and it threatened to tear him apart with the despair of being lost. Blindly he fumbled to push the last piece of the puzzle into place, but it wouldn't click. No matter how he twisted the piece around, it just wouldn't fit. He roared in frustration as he tried to fight off the maze taking over his mind while simultaneously trying to ram the last piece of the puzzle into place but it was apparent he was about to be bested.
Yugi stood and watched as Malik's body seemed to crack into several randomly shaped blocks that began twisting and turning and eventually unraveling, revealing a dark void where Malik's soul should be. Soon his body puzzle broke into even more small pieces until he looked like a giant jenga pile that collapsed onto the floor, essentially shattering Malik's entire being so that nothing was left and leaving the puzzle and its last piece on the floor and the rod nowhere to be found. Yugi hurried over and grabbed the puzzle before the huntresses could get to it and clicked the last piece into its proper place without any trouble. By the time the huntresses realized what had happened and turned back around, it was too late. The puzzle was already glowing wildly in Yugi's hands and Yugi's hair was blown back as the sennen appeared on his forehead. But there was something else too...
A deep voice from Yugi broke the eerie silence as the huntresses stared at him, "Get out of here now. Anybody who dares get in our way will be eliminated on the spot. Am I clear?"
The huntresses recognized that voice and one look at Yugi's hardened face told them that this was no longer Yugi that they were staring at, but the pharaoh in Yugi's body. The soft-voiced huntress spoke up, "You have been in there the whole time?"
Angered, the stern-voiced one shouted, "YOU PLANNED THIS!! YOU SON OF A BITCH! You may be standing there now, but Master has at least achieved in putting you back where you started! You'll rot in there and you'll never get another chance at the gates of paradise!"
"Are you going to leave or not?" Atem replied darkly.
The huntresses stared at him for a few more seconds before they left the room to spread the word of their master's demise. Atem turned and looked at his body and Yugi took back over, placing the puzzle around the battered Atem's neck. "I made a wish...to bring you back. You don't deserve to suffer inside the puzzle again. We might've been a little greedy when we requested that you live a life of your own since you were cheated out of your previous one, but I don't think fate would be as cruel as to...as to..." Yugi sniffled, unable to finish his thought.
Atem appeared next to Yugi in his ethereal form and spoke softly, "If I don't wake up, I only have two options. I can stay with you in the puzzle...or I can die with my body and see you again in paradise."
Yugi felt a dam burst in his chest and shouted, "NEITHER OF THOSE SOUND GOOD AT ALL! Yes, I want you to be with me, but...you wouldn't be any better off than you were before and I don't want to lose you right now either! You have to try to wake up. The puzzle will grant our wish. I know it will!"
Atem nodded but looked to Yugi solemnly. "I'll try. But remember, you still have to get out of here soon. Those other hunters will be here and you will be trapped if I'm not here to help you. So if I don't wake up in ten minutes, I want you to pull the life support, grab the puzzle, and go. Leave me here."
"I can't just let you die! Brain injuries take time--"
"We don't have time. As you said, if the puzzle grants your wish, it shouldn't be a problem. But I mean it. TEN MINUTES. Please...I love you...but neither of us will be happy if I have to share a body with you again. Maybe we will be relieved for a while...but it won't last. When it comes down to it, you need a life of your own. Even if I'm not there to share it with you, you deserve to be your own person."
"You can't expect me to let you die...please don't make me...I can't do that again..." Yugi sobbed.
"You can, and you will. Please, aibou...do it for me. Please?" Atem begged.
Finally Yugi nodded and gulped back his tears. "Fine. Ten minutes. Now get in there and hurry up. Like you said, we don't have much time."
Atem nodded and smiled before disappearing to attempt to rejoin his body. As soon as he was gone, Yugi kept his eyes peeled for any sign of Atem waking up. The minutes crawled by.
First two.
Then four.
Yugi began to unwrap the bandages from Atem's head. If this was going to be the last time he sees him, he wanted to see his face uncovered.
Seven...
. . .
Two minutes left and Yugi's heart felt like it was going to explode in his chest. Would he really be able to pull Atem's plug if he didn't wake up in the next two minutes?
Suddenly the puzzle started glowing again. It was soft at first and then it grew brighter and brighter. The purple bruise on Atem's forehead started clearing up and disappearing. Atem's fingers began to twitch and suddenly he was gasping arount the tubes in his mouth!
"Omigod, Atem!!!" Yugi jumped for joy and hurried to remove the tubes from Atem's mouth carefully and unclip everything else from his body. The former pharaoh gasped as his throat was sore from having that thing in there and from having it so unprofessionally pulled out.
"Y-Yugi..." he gasped quietly.
"Yes, Atem? What is it?" Yugi sniffled as he held Atem's battered hand.
"D-don't ever be a doctor. *cough*"
Yugi giggled through his tears. "Well I'm sorry, but you scared away the medical staff. Does anything else hurt?"
"Everything hurts, but I think my major wounds are healing. My head is sore, but my thoughts are clear."
"Well then let's get the hell out of here," Yugi answered before yanking the IVs out of Atem and lifting him into a wheelchair that was conveniently in the room, earning a few yelps from the pharaoh.
"EASY! Agh. I'm still tender!"
"Again, I'm sorry, but we have to be quick, like you said," Yugi apologized before wheeling him through the halls and looking for any exit signs.
Eventually they found an elevator, which they took to the ground floor after discovering that they were in a third basement or something like that and found another door that exited to the outside world. Turns out that Malik's little fortress had been built into a hillside not too far from the docks of Domino City. As one might guess, Yugi ran like mad to the local hospital. During the little journey, the puzzle had acted like a travel-sized life support for Atem and healed him little by little and even gave Yugi the energy to keep going despite how battered he himself was. By the time they got there, both only had to be treated for nonlife-threatening injuries and were recognized by the locals who have seen their faces on fliers for what must've been nearly a month. So it wasn't long before the were reunited with their family and friends who had immediately rushed to the hospital to see them. Both put on brave faces but kept their ordeal mostly to themselves, only revealing enough to the doctors to get proper testing for any diseases or whatever that they might have contracted. Thankfully both were given clean bills of health if you don't count the severe mental and bodily scarring.
It was another week before they were allowed home and it was clear to their loved ones that the twin duelists weren't exactly the same. It was going to take a lot more time for them to return to their usual selves...if ever. In the meantime, the two were more stuck at the hip than usual. Though the two shared a room and each had their separate beds, they had become so protective of each other that one would eventually crawl into the other's bed so the two never slept alone. They tried their best to return to normalcy but they just felt safer as long as they were as close together as possible while they slept.
The road to full recovery was going to be long, but neither are alone and nor will they ever be again.
- 49
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The Tabletop Experiment - Choose Ur Own Adventure