Chapter 14

Mahaado knew that it was irrational of him to do this, but he’d always been good at illusions, and right now, the illusion was perfect. Besides, guilt was excellent to levy with… he dispelled it as he walked inside the castle.

“You’re tricking him? You tricked me?” Mana asked incredulously. “You weren’t sick at all?”

“Of course I’m sick, just not physically.” Mahaado smirked. “I’m heart-sick, soul-sick, but these don’t affect my battling abilities. I still attack and defend and play my traps and magic spells as I’ve promised to…”

“Except you just tore up his card of you.”

“He can get another.”

“Oh, I know that, but it won’t be the same!”
“Then I hope he realizes that.”

It wasn’t as if an incident like this would stop Yami from dueling, and even though he had the three God Cards nothing had happened…. Yet. So he continued to participate in tournaments – he got himself a new Black Magician card, true, but every time he played it, he felt a part of himself die more. The new card was just… there. It had no expression, no emotion, and it was just a hologram.

That hurt.

It was the worst after a duel with Weevil, when he shuffled his deck- his Black Magician on the field had taken out the Insect Queen with the aid of a few magic and trap cards, but…

Using those combinations made him feel ill. It reminded him of Mahaado every time he played duel monsters and played a magic or trap card, and he was violently sick after several duels in a row.

This could not go on.

Yuugi wasn’t speaking to Anzu – he seemed to have gotten the gist of her seducing Yami and wasn’t pleased, since Yami had confided in Yuugi – he was surprised his former partner had listened, but Yuugi could tell Yami hadn’t been lying.

Now, though, the Light watched the Dark waste away day after day and wondered…

“Is this what you wanted, Mahaado? Do you want him to die?” Yuugi shouted at the uncaring sky. “I thought you loved him, damn you! Can’t you see what you’ve done to him?”

Of course, there was no response.

Yami cried himself to sleep, although blankets were a poor substitute for … well, everything. He had been too afraid to enter the Shadow Realm, fearing that he might find… well, it mattered not, but…

What did he have to lose now?

He opened the portal and found himself standing before the Castle of Dark Illusions. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door and entered. There was again no response, but he had been expecting that.

He walked down the halls, pausing before Mahaado’s suite, before he screwed up his courage and walked inside. To his surprise, he found his Black Magician quite alive and looking rather healthy, although the fact that he seemed to be crying his heart out didn’t seem to help matters much.

Yami took a deep breath and snuck closer, finally able to make out some words.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t good enough for you. I’m sorry I ever fell in love with you. I hope you’re happy with her, I hate her, but if she makes you happy, if you truly love her, I can… handle it…”

“Mahaado…”

Mahaado didn’t look up. “Mana, go away. You can come back when you’ve mastered the Mirror Wall spell.”

“Mahaado!”

The shout didn’t help either. Yami took a deep breath and then released it again, before he grabbed Mahaado’s shoulders, forcing him to look. “Mahaado!”

“P-Pharaoh!”
Yami grabbed Mahaado’s arm before the monster could either pull another vanishing trick or force the mask of composure onto his face again. “No.”

“Pharaoh?”

“Stop calling me that! I hate how you hurt yourself just to try and keep me happy in some misguided attempt to serve! I love you, damn it! I never wanted Anzu! She raped me for all intents and purposes! And yet, you… I never got the chance to tell you how it really happened! I don’t want you to die and I don’t want you to leave! I love you, you foolish, foolish Magician of mine, what do I have to do to prove it?”

Mahaado quailed a little under Yami’s fury, but shook his head. “Nothing.”

“What?”

“I love you, Pharaoh. I can never stop loving you. No matter how much you may hurt me, no matter… I will always love you.”

“Mahaado…” Yami sighed and pressed his lips against his monster’s, almost pleading, yearning for a chance at redemption, for foolish choices made and kept. < Please, believe me… I… > and before either of them knew what was happening, they had been swept up into a vortex of brilliant light.

Memory…

“Anzu! What are you doing?”

“You love me, Yami. I love you. There’s nothing wrong with this.”

“I…I can’t…”

“You can and you will. Trust me.”

“This isn’t right! I can’t- why can’t I move? What… what have you done to me?”

“Well, well… looks like Shadow Powers aren’t any good against modern day drugs. Now come on.”

“No…”

There were still tears in his eyes when the drug overrode his inhibitions and she moved towards him.

Yami and Mahaado broke out of the memory, both looking seriously disgusted, for probably the same reason.

“I’ll kill her!”

Yami smiled. “Go ahead.”

That stopped Mahaado short. “You… you really won’t interfere, Pharaoh?”

“No. Consider it a payment in my trust fund.”

The Magician gave his Master a half-smile. “Pharaoh, thank you.” Two minutes later, he was back, and looking extremely pleased, although his hands were bloody.

Yami was waiting for him. He was… rather interestingly laid out, as well. Mahaado blinked at the candles and wondered how on earth Yami had time to set this up. And… the clothing, or lack thereof, was interesting too. And…

“Pharaoh?”

“Mahaado.” Yami whispered, locking eyes with his monster. “I want you to…” The rest did not need to be said.

“But I cannot! If I do, then from now on, you will be…”

“I care not. Let me love you this way…. Trust me, Mahaado. Trust me.”

Mahaado froze, but gave a resolute nod. If this were the way it had to be from now on for their relationship to work, he would do it.

He closed his eyes and began chanting the words to the ancient ritual, hearing his Pharaoh cry out beneath him as he completed their union, and their lives meshed once again. It was the way things were meant to be, after all.

Mine.

END FIC

Completed 10/16/05

Blah, not that good of an ending but I don’t know how to continue it. I’m not good with this stuff. *Hides*