Time Seal

An LLS production

Things certainly did not become peaceful after he left, Yuugi supposed. Following Anzu to America was simultaneously the best and worst thing that had ever happened to him. For one, he had apparently left Yuugi Mutou, once perfectly normal Japanese student, with a weird gift.

Yuugi was still undecided if it was a gift or a curse.

The first indicator that something was wrong, that the Duel Monsters did not just go away, was when the Black Magician followed him to New York, New York. His room-mate had freaked out at the sight of the six-foot-eight magician (who knew that the ancient world produced such beanpoles?) glaring at him the moment the stoned guy tried to remove his hand from Yuugi's trunk-case.

Of course, the large white wolf on top of the case explained the college student's hesitance to make any sudden moves.

Yuugi didn't even have any idea of the situation, having just entered the room a few seconds earlier.

"You can let go of him now," the tri-coloured haired teen sighed, and his soon-to-be-ex room-mate scarpered as if hounds were after him. "Mahaado?"

"Little master," the tall magician and the wolf nodded to him.

"Is everything okay on... the other side?" Death was not the end, Yuugi had often told himself. Death was when you meet everyone you've missed, when you find everyone you've met in life again. If he repeated it enough, he could almost convince himself that he did not disappear into a big empty nothing and that Yuugi wasn't going to see him ever again. No, the other side was not the end, so he convinced himself.

"Yes, yes, fine," Mahaado had replied, almost absent-mindedly as the magician took in the new surroundings. "A far cry from your usual surroundings, little master."

"It's temporary," Yuugi defended. "I thought that everything would be over when the Doorway was sealed. When... he passed on." Almost a year had passed and the name would not pass his lips at all.

Mahaado, luckily, caught the inflection. "Magic is never over. You fade into obscurity, ad no longer take centre stage, but it follows you. It takes you and never let you go, little master. We are always with you, even when you do not wish us. Even Master, he... awaits you."

Yuugi was not the Duel King for nothing, picking up on the magician's hesitance immediately. "What are you not telling me?"

The magician sighed wearily. "It's... not my story to tell, little master. The secrets of the dead cannot be told to the living, save that they wait for you."

"I don't think I've aged, Mahaado," Yuugi looked down as his shod feet and small hands and delicate fingers. "What's happening, exactly?"

"A disaster happened," the magician could only reply vaguely. "We will follow you, inheritor of the Pharaoh, as your own contingent does."

"I'll give it all up–" Yuugi had barely finished before the magician dissolved into smoke.

Mahaado the Black Magician continued to visit him throughout the years, even keeping up news between the lights, but news of the child of darkness never passed the wily magician's lips. Always, Mahaado never said more than the bare basics, always keeping his silence.

It would be a year later, after much effort and even help from Kaiba in cornering Mahaado, that Yuugi learnt that Mahaado was under geas.

Ryou hefted the wooden sword in his hand. True, it was technically just a block of light wood, but it was the shape that mattered, after all. He looked over his costume; blue kimono, loose and tied with a white belt with a dark cloak thrown over it, his white hair now held up into straight spikes that jutted from his head at a ninety-degree angle. The only thing missing for Ryou to play as Nurarihyon, master of all demons, this Halloween, was a troop of a hundred demons.

Thankfully, Ryou did have a troop of a hundred demons.

Sighing, the white-haired young man stepped out of the house, remembering to lock up well and keep his keys. Doctor Bakura having died in an expedition in Egypt when a tomb caved in, Ryou Bakura was now emancipated and living off a sizeable inheritance. According to his deed, he lived alone.

In a sense, he did; the other residents of the small apartment technically did not take up space.

"Let's go," Ryou softly murmured, walking freely out to the streets.

Every mortal being on this plane would have sensed the sheer cold that followed this ethereal young man, dressed up as the master of all demons for trick o' treat this night. Every being capable of Sight would have gasped at the sheer scale of monsters that followed him, skeletal knights and horses and earthbound spirits and forgotten shades of souls and right beside the young head of the group hovered a spectre of a spirit so terrifying and powerful its very stare could and did pierce a mortal's very soul.

Each time, the young man paused for trick o' treat; each time, the occupants of the house, or just another person passing him, complied. There is a sense, buried deep, deep down, that crossing this person in any way was dangerous.

Ryou Bakura hummed happily to himself as he turned down a dark alley. Now, you have heard the stories never to turn down a dark alley, for you never know who you would meet in there.

That did not quite apply to Ryou Bakura.

Ryou Bakura soon found himself slammed against concrete wall by some unknown man, reeking of sweat and the sharp tang of alcohol and something acrid Ryou could not name. "Trick o' treating, are you?" the man sneered. "Well, the trick's on you! Hand over your cash!"

A sharp hand landed on the drunk's hand and he whirled around, meeting eyes with a sharp glare set in blue skin. Adrenaline chased away the taint of the vine as the drunk comprehended not only the monster holding him, but also the contingent of headless knights and spirits and generally every horror monster known to hide in the darkness. The eyes of giant rats gleamed in the shadows at him, chattering, as demons cracked their knuckles and drooled in anticipation. Blades, claws and teeth gleamed in what little light there was in this alley.

The blue-skinned one, who seemed to lead them all, took the white-haired boy away and guided their master onwards.

"I'm okay," the soft voice of the one who was protected said, echoing down the alleyway. "Don't hurt him. Please, Dark Necrofia."

In Dark Necrofia's arms, the doll clacked its teeth as the last thing the hapless victim saw was the monsters coming for him.

The screams of one who knows he is damned echoed there for weeks.

Ishizu Ishtar was woken by another scream. Marik had been suffering nightmares, ever since the Pharaoh banished the darkness in his heart and saved him before finally passing on. Despite the Tomb Keepers' duty finally being over, life went on for the family in their home in Luxor. Officially, Marik was the family head, but Ishizu was the real power in the household. No matter what the Islamic majority social trends were in Egypt, Ishizu had always ran things. That had been clear from the start.

Again, another scream echoed as the older woman exited her room to check on the younger Ishtar. Interpol had thankfully never found evidence behind Marik's involvement in Ghouls, thanks the gods for Rishido being intelligent enough to assist in covering Marik's tracks. However, even Rishido, capable as he was, could not save Marik from the nightmares.

Ishizu opened the door to a stunning sight.

Exposure to the Millennium Tauk had granted the female Ishtar a degree of Sight, enough to See truly without going insane. The same could not be said for Marik; Marik could see everything, save for the future; that was still her forte. Nevertheless, both siblings could See in present, the spirits and demons of the present not escaping them. If it were any other, they would have seen only the dark-skinned blond thrashing about in his bed, writhing in his sleep.

Ishizu was afraid to move, as she saw the lilac-skinned teal-haired being hold Marik down. A humanoid slime was dabbing at his face, the smooth features creased into a frown, still deeply asleep. All around Marik were monsters, not from the deck that the other Marik had used, still locked away in the Ishtar vault, but the deck that Marik had been building, despite the dearth of Duel Monsters players in Egypt. Ishizu could recognise Vampire Lady, and Humanoid Slime, and even the tiny Revival Jam, but their very presence here confused her. Were not the monsters all sealed away when the doorway closed already?

"How is the master?" a baritone murmured amongst the huddle of monsters, as the Vampire Lord showed itself.

"Waking," the Lady answered, never noticing the dark-skinned Egyptian woman in the doorway.

Master. They called him master.

Still in a daze, Ishizu stumbled out of the room, walking quickly to the hall where the family contact book lay. She flipped the pages to the last part, looking for the single entry; Yuugi Mutou.

The whole time, the monsters never noticed her as Marik opened his eyes. "I've got to be dreaming."

"This has got to stop," Yuugi finally stated. Three Duellists were in the Kame Game Shop, which had closed for today. Around Ryou flitted the smaller Fiends, Marik had a small entourage of Zombies and Fiends, and in the Shop itself, tiny monsters flitted about.

"I don't know," Ryou softly said as the Candle of Fate on the table handed him a cup of tea. "I don't mind putting up with monsters in my house, even if they're a legacy of... him."

"I'm thinking of leaving Egypt permanently," Marik bluntly replied. "I'm just afraid of what might happen. The flight from Egypt to Domino was harrowing enough with these," he waved to the Zombies lolling about, the Vampire Lord and Lady in the midst of an entourage, "But they behaved themselves. The only thing is that none of them would tell me if this has anything to do with... him."

"Me too," Ryou sighed. "Dark Necrofia wouldn't say anything, and the others either can't talk, or are too afraid of Necrofia to talk. I even asked for an escort to find a Fiend who would talk."

"And?" the other two leaned in.

"The Dark Ruler Ha Des went on his knees and kowtowed," Ryou sighed. "After that, every other Monster wouldn't say anything, or couldn't."

"If they won't tell us, maybe they'll tell another Duellist who can see spirits," Yuugi mused. "The thing is, who?"

"Sorry I can't be a help," KaibaCorp's newest Duellist and Security help, Rafael Eatos, apologetically looked at the three Duellists. "My monsters haven't said anything at all, which is worrying. Maybe Kaiba or Hunter would have a few answers."

"Hunter?" Yuugi enquired.

"Diana Hunter," Rafael replied. "Fantastic memory. Six months and going in KaibaCorp already, but she runs the American branch. Duels as well."

"Is she a part of the Gathering?" Yuugi asked. Sugoroku Mutou had died in his sleep after an injury from an attempted hit on the World Championships with a Jigen Bakudan, something that showed that the Shadow Magic was well and alive and still lethal, and advancing all the while. In response, Kaiba, still upset at his brother almost getting injured then, had marshalled other like-minded Duellists together to fight back. Duellists did not condone the abuse of their favourite game like this, and fought back under the banner they shared. Of course, it had to be done well, enough to slip through law enforcement, which was why Kaiba had hunted down old hands at Duel Monsters espionage, the Musketeers of DOMA, from across Europe. The Duellist Gathering was thusly born.

"Second rank, codename Endymion," Rafael affirmed. "Just don't mind what you see when you walk into the Boss's office..."

"How bad can it...?" the question died on Marik lips as the three beheld Kaiba's office. Or rather, the large white dragon curled around the CEO.

Blink. Rub eyes. Blink. Dragon was still there.

Then angry footsteps as Jounochi charged in. "Kaiba! Your holograms are malfunctioning!"

Blink. The blond shut up.

As the CEO continued to type on his laptop, behind him and the full-length window flew the Red Eyes Black Dragon. The Blue Eyes White Dragon lifted its head and lazily growled at its dark counterpart.

The typing stopped. "Just in time," Seto Kaiba growled. "Mutou. Explain."

Kaiba, suspiciously, took the 'I don't know' better than Yuugi expected him to. As all of them discussed what to do, Yuugi could see why as Kaiba petted the Blue Eyes, Kisara. The peace between Kaiba and his dragon was something Yuugi found himself envying, to be whole and at peace.

How can one be whole, if they were missing a whole half their soul?

Yuugi knew that it could never change, even if the outcome was otherwise.

It was like the saying: a bird and a fish may fall in love, but where would they live?

Unsurprisingly, Kaiba, aside from his own self, had a number of Duellists capable of entering the Realm without immediately dying. Unlike the hikari, these Duellists had the luxury of conversing with their monsters freely. None of them could produce any information outside of 'The Lords do not allow it'.

In the end, Kaiba himself entered the Realm. The CEO soon exited, followed by all three Blue Eyes and looking the worst for wear.

Kaiba gave Yuugi a single flat look and a single word: "Yami."

Everyone knew a light's pet name for its dark when they heard it.

It took a while more before Kaiba could relate what had happened; the Darkness had three new agents. Three with Darkness so strong there could be no difference between them and it.

"Damn it all," Kaiba muttered. Denial had given way to a weary acceptance, in the face of a real Blue Eyes White Dragon that Kaiba had reportedly fed his enemies to. However, even Kaiba had limits to his acceptance.

Rafael had gone and returned soon enough, looking thoroughly baffled. He had taken one look at Yuugi, one at Ryou and one and Marik, and muttered: "How can people mistake them for you?"

Unsurprisingly, he holed himself up for a whole week after that.

The kidnapping had been relatively peaceful; the mage certainly did not want to harm the vessel of world-destroying power, merely seeking to destroy everything. Yuugi did not struggle, but did not help either, taking up passive resistance against them. Even the sight of the ritual knives did not terrify him; the lack of scars where he had taken a box cutter to his wrists long ago had faded quickly, and hanging had done nothing but embarrass him. Sleeping pills had resulted in disturbing dreams with him that always led to his waking up, perfectly conscious and perhaps sticky as well, and the broken leg and pain he had gotten from bungee-jumping without a bungee had healed too quickly for him to bleed out anyway.

Plus, Yuugi always felt guilty after all those attempts, for he in passing dreams always seemed disappointed when Yuugi tried to off himself, and the hikari so did not want to disappoint his yami.

And then, as he was unconscious from being knocked out, the call came.

Miw-sher ~!

There was a start of confusion. M-mou hitori no boku?

Aibou! The darkness was so relieved as it wrapped itself around that feeling and reeled it in close to itself. Yuugi longed for nothing more than for this to be real rather than a dream, or to never wake. It has been so long. The fact that you are here means that they have released you from whatever prison they held you captive in.

Wh-what happened? Yuugi had sent to the dark presence. The last thing I remembered was how bitter the water was, then I fell asleep … I was kidnapped! Oh by the gods, Joey must be pissed! And Kaiba ready to chew nails–

There is no time to waste, my light, the darkness broke in. I have not recovered all my strength yet enough to truly involve myself. The little I can do would be for us to switch places.

S-switch?

It would be like when we had the Puzzle and switched places. The only difference would be that your soul would be held in stasis, which frankly is no different from when in the Puzzle.

When? How? Could they never touch in his whole lifetime?

I suggest we get out of this first before we catch up on what happened, aibou. Your life is in danger from a necromancer who seeks to summon me.

Oh. Well, I assume you have a plan?

The general workings of one. Our body is in what those of the Shadows call the convoluted Ways in the Shadow Realm, which trail within the realm of Fae. The same realm the Celtic Guardian used to dwell in, in fact, but later. Time passes differently here than from the human world; it is actually quite intelligent, since it would mean that they would drop below any detection until it became too late for the wizard and the thief to track us down.

Bakura's here? It was official; he was dreaming.

Yes. Ryou is safe for now, do not worry. In fact, I daresay that Ryou's about the safest he can be right now.

That's not very reassuring …

Bakura has a change of heart, my light. Now, as joking as that was, let us carry out this plan, shall we? We share an interest in keeping you alive, after all.

But, mou hitori no boku –

Hush, aibou. Trust the darkness, we have a plan.

We?

Me, Bakura and the lunatic. But enough talk. Time runs and waits for none. However, understand that it is in our best interests if the three of you remain alive until tomorrow. Let me take over now, aibou, and sleep. Sleep the sleep of the spirits as your darkness descends.

Wha –?

Darkness claimed Yuugi, and for the first time in years he slept the sleep of the truly at peace.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Ryou yelped.

Bakura gave his former host a look. "Stop pinching yourself."

"It's not a dream..." the white-haired young man murmured. "I'm stuck with my horror of a yami and this time you're real. This is a nightmare."

Bakura looked at the petite light, and then at the monsters hanging around the house like some parody of the Addams Family. "Well, it's not far off."

"You did this!" Ryou half-yelled at him, standing up from the couch in the apartment Ryou now, apparently, shared with Yami Bakura. "You sicced them on me in the first place!"

"It's your choice to throw them out," Bakura shrugged. "But you didn't, did you? They still hang around and protect you, right?"

"When by protect, you mean drove out every single person that came to rent a room, yes!" Ryou protested, picking the deck full of Fiends and thrusting it at Bakura. "So take them and get out of my life, please!"

An high 'eep' sound escaped as the white-haired dark leaned over and took the deck, resting it on the table and grabbing Ryou's wrist.

"You see, my dear hikari," Bakura purred, kissing the inside of the smooth wrist. "I own you for the rest of your life. Give up."

The breath from Ryou's lips was stolen as brown met russet.

"Hi, hikari! Hi, hikari's sister! Hi, bastard!"

There were times when Ishizu Ishtar felt like slamming her head into a wall, something not befitting a lady of her class. The other Marik, or Malik, as he called himself, was perfectly civil, for a given value of civil, towards her, and overly friendly towards Marik. Rishido was the only one of their family insulted on a regular basis. But then, who could decipher the result of hatred and psychopathy?

Ishizu had immediately arranged for the pair to leave Egypt after forging Malik's papers. Malik's numerous murders and insanity might be brought to the doorstep of the Ishtars, and there was only so much magic and money could cover up. That was fine with her; Malik needed a good long stretch in prison to cure him, in her opinion. No, it was Malik's overly friendly advances and Marik's receptiveness to them that made her nervous. Egypt was no bastion for LGBT rights* and Malik's presence might bring the courts down on their door. Even worse, Marik could be implicated as accessory, and even despite all the trouble, he was still her little brother.

But the issue was how to make sure it escapes Malik...

"Why are we going to Domino again?" Marik had asked her innocently as she saw them off at the airport.

Ishizu was truly stumped as to how to respond. Malik had immediately jumped in. "Why, hikari, it's like a honeymoon!"

Marik choked and turned slightly pink. Ishizu breathed a sigh of relief at the other's blunt nature.

As the wild-haired dark passed her, she caught a whisper:

"You owe me now."

The Ishtar matriarch twitched.

"If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up," Yuugi stated as he finally sank into a chair in the kitchen.

"I am right here, solid, and more or less alive," Yami analysed. "No, I don't believe it's a dream."

"But... how?" Yuugi choked. "They wouldn't tell me anything. Nothing at all. I couldn't receive any news of you, not from Mahaado, not from Mana, not from anyone! I couldn't even ask why I've stopped ageing! Why?"

At the last bit, Yami had turned to regard his light with a critical eye. Sharp crimson soon softened as they met amethyst. "When we defeated the Dark One, we simultaneously earned the enmity of Chaos in the form of Set. In a fit of pique, the god struck your names from the books of Death."

"... books of Death?" Yuugi blinked.

"A list of everyone who would ever die," Yami clarified. "Once a name is struck, it can never be rewritten. Hence, your current state of being trapped in time. Once I found out, I couldn't let your wander the centuries alone. Bakura, in his own way, was sympathetic, and so was Malik. Three years of research and manipulating circumstances later, and... here we are."

"So, on the off chance that I would be lonely, you came back from death?" Yuugi finally asked.

"You would not do any less for me," Yami sincerely replied.

"But..." Yuugi sighed. "Yami, we're talking about reviving yourself. Are there going to be consequences from this?"

"We'll be stuck together forever," Yami considered after a while, and Yuugi sensed the consideration, the intent, from the dark. "I daresay that we'll be bored of each other soon enough."

Yuugi could sense the wariness, the dangerous jealousy, the sorrow radiating from the dark at that. "I missed you."

The negative feelings were gone, replaced with happiness.

"I did, too," Yami whispered. "I missed you so much I wanted to reincarnate to see you again, but half a soul cannot leave. I waited for you in the fields of Aaru until Siamun told me to see when you were coming. Once I found out that you were never coming, I came for you."

Even closer, their faces wandered. "Things will end one day, that is the inevitable. But when it all ends, when we pass together, we walk through the doorway together. That sounds like an agreeable end, no?"

"That... sounds perfect." Yuugi didn't have much idea of romance, but Yami's sincerity won out.

"But between now, and the end, there is a long stretch that we have together," Yami smirked, the confident, insane smirk of the Game King.

"A fish and a bird may fall in love, but where would they live?" Yuugi found himself quoting.

"Where sky and sea and shore meets," Yami whispered in reply as he descended.

"I hope you know what you are doing," The Pharaoh Aknamkanon sadly told his son.

"I do, father," Atem replied as he packed what little he could not leave. "Enjoy your time in the eternal fields."

"I am proud to call you my son," the former king whispered as he pulled his son into a last embrace. "Even if you have been adopted into the waters of Nu**."

"As I am to call you my father," he dutifully answered as they parted and he left for the only place he could call home now.

*Egypt has no specific laws against homosexuality, but other laws might apply. Also keeping in mind that Egypt is an Islamic majority country, and the social stigma could end badly.

**AKA the Shadow Realm. I figure that shadows would be considered as the primordial chaos, in Egyptian mythology.