Wow! Fics are just dying off like little fruit flies today, aren't they?

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Yugi ran up to the local ancient weapons store. According to the yellow pages, this store had its own forge. It wasn't open on Saturdays, but that was all for the best—this way, Yugi wouldn't have to worry about a greedy blacksmith trying to take the sword away from him.

He snuck around to the back and reluctantly broke a window with the hilt of the sword. He scrambled inside the building, cutting his face accidentally on a shard of glass. There were many weapons here, and molds. But what he was looking for was the gigantic furnace in the back of the shop.

Yugi examined it closely. First, he opened up the large iron door. Then he turned on the oven to its maximum setting. He waited a while for the fire to heat up. The sword was heavy in his hands.

He had carried it for a good twenty minutes now, yet he had felt none of the usual effects. Why could that be? Kaiba and Atem had felt it at almost the moment they first held it. Mokuba had felt it after he had just seen it from a distance. Was Yugi somehow immune to its power?

"You don't want to do this, Yugi," a familiar voice said warningly. Atem walked into the room, carrying one of the shop's swords. He looked mad. His eyes were all red and dark, and his skin was sickly pale. His hair was even more out of order than usual. And the expression on his face—it sent chills down Yugi's spine. It was the look of possession, of uncontrollable desire, lust that would drive him to do anything to obtain his prize "You won't have an opportunity to put the sword in the fire before I kill you."

Yugi gripped the sword and inched toward the blistering flames. "You don't want to do this either," Yugi replied. "I have to save you from the sword. I have to destroy it!"

The door burst open, and Kaiba walked in. Mokuba was trailing behind him. They cornered Yugi, forming a half-circle like a pack of wolves around him and the sword. "Give it to me, Yugi," Atem said. "Give it to me and you will live."

"Give it to me!" Mokuba yelled.

"Hand it over, Yugi," Kaiba commanded.

Yugi backed up until he couldn't back up anymore. The three men were coming closer and closer, and the fire was getting hotter and hotter. "I have to destroy it!" Yugi yelled desperately. He tossed it into the furnace as the others lunged to him and he sunk to the floor.

He heard screams of outrage and despair. Yugi shut his eyes and covered his ears. A strong hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him to his feet. "What did you do?" Atem demanded. "What did you…?" His eyes glazed over, and he passed out. Mokuba and Kaiba collapsed next to him.

Yugi breathed shakily. Tears dripped down his cheeks, and he began to sob. It was over. It was finally, truly over. The sword was destroyed. Yugi had destroyed the sword and saved his friends. It was finished.

"Yugi, I'm so very sorry," Atem said for the thousandth time. "I can't believe that I actually threatened to kill you."

"It's all right. It wasn't really you," Yugi replied. "I'm just glad it's over…" He rested his head against the back of the couch. "I felt so lonely when you were the bad guy. But there's still something I don't understand. Why did it affect you and not me?"

Atem sighed. "The sword told me many lies, Yugi," he admitted. "Lies that I was naïve enough to trust. It told me that I would be given enough power to rule as I once did. It told me that, with the sword, I would be able to spread peace throughout my kingdom and govern my people with a wise hand." Atem sighed. "I was so foolish. I'm sorry."

"It's okay!" Yugi said. "Maybe… Maybe that's why it was called the Sword of Destiny. It promised its owner what their heart desired, what they wanted their destiny to be. I guess that I wasn't affected because I already have everything I want."

Atem looked down in shame. "Atem, it's not a bad thing that you want to bring peace to the world," Yugi said softly. "And it makes sense that you would want to rule. You were raised your entire life to be pharaoh, and you were only able to be a pharaoh for a couple of weeks. Don't blame yourself. You thought that what you were doing was for the best."

Atem paused. "Yugi, what day is it today?" he asked.

"Oh, Sunday, I think," Yugi said dismissively.

"What date?"

Yugi stopped. "Merry Christmas, Atem," he said quietly. "I almost forgot."

"Merry Christmas, Yugi," Atem replied. "I didn't get your present, Yugi. I was your Secret Santa this year."

Yugi looked at him and laughed. "I didn't get your present either," he said. "I was your Secret Santa too." Atem chuckled.

"Why don't we just have some of your Christmas cookies and watch a few movies?" Atem offered.

Yugi smiled. "Sounds good to me."