Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! = not mine.
Author's Notes: Wow! 8 reviews already! I never expected this to be so good. Thank you sooooooooooooo much everyone! And a special thanks to Mutou Yasu, Yugi no Yami, Sozuki and Tjay Motou for adding me their favorites list. That really means a lot to me. ^_^ (I checked too, just to be sure. If you added me and I didn't name you, please let me know so I can correct it. ^_^) *hands out tissues* I never expected this to make people cry either. Anyhoo, here's chapter two for all of you to enjoy!
Story Summary: Yugi loves Yami, but feels that his darker part doesn't love him in return. After a rather intense argument, Yami, out of love and protection for his Hikari, seals himself in the Millennium Puzzle and scatters the pieces all over the place. Heartbroken, Yugi realizes he must find all the pieces again if he's ever to forgive his yami, but weird things begin to happen.
One Thousand Pieces
By: Frozen Moon
Chapter TwoOne Piece, One Option
Anzu's P.O.V.
The air is filled with the scent of flowers as I stepped outside. Another day for school. Joy. But hey, I get to see the guys, so it's not all that bad. I see some of my fellow classmates chatting amongst themselves as they walked down the street. They looked really cheerful too. I remember when Yugi was that cheerful about two weeks ago.
It was surprising too. As soon as I met up with him at his house, he pounced on my back, declaring his victory over Yami as I walked him to school, piggyback style. Jounouchi and Honda laughed at the sight, but that was before I kicked them in the shins. Yugi giggled wildly, it was the happiest time he ever had. I also noticed he was concentrating on his schoolwork much more than he was when Yami haunted his thoughts.
Speaking of Yugi, there's his house. And Grandpa's sweeping up as always, preparing to open the shop. "Good morning, Mr. Mutoh!" I call out, waving to him. He smiled warmly in return.
"Good morning, Anzu."
"How are you?"
"Same old, same old. Yourself?"
"I'm quite alright. Where's Yugi?"
"I'm not sure. He wasn't here when I came down, so he must have left early today." OK, that's strange. I don't recall Yugi saying he had an early class or anything, so why isn't he here?
"He probably left early to catch the guys. I'll see you later!" I wave to Yugi's grandpa and ran on ahead. It's not like him to run off like that without any notice. I can only hope no one attacked him. That was one thing I did like about Yami—he was always there to protect Yugi whenever we couldn't. But that's all in the past. It's not like the pharaoh will be coming back any time soon.
I have noticed Yami following us the past week, cloaked in shadows the entire time. I guess even in anger, he still feels obligated to protect Yugi, he is his Hikari after all. I kept my mouth shut because I didn't want to ruin Yugi's good spirit. He would probably be angry with me too and I don't want that. Still, a day doesn't go by without me asking myself, "Is keeping this a secret from Yugi the right thing?"
Jounouchi's P.O.V.
Yay! My turn to talk! I'm sure you noticed how happy Yugi has been the past week or two. He was so happy, it was beginning to become annoying after a while. I can understand his sense of freedom from Yami, but after the first five days of him jumping around, carrying on about how cruel Yami was, and laughing at every little thing, it was like enough already! We get the point! Then again, I'm sure I was annoying when I won all that money to save my sister and knew she was going to be alright. I guess I can compare to Yugi's sense of heroism.
Anzu did mention to me something about seeing Yami hidden in shadows. I personally think she's hallucinating. She did have a crush on him for a while until Yugi told her how he felt about the pharaoh. I guess she misses the guy. I kinda do too, but I'm not gonna tell Yugi that. He'll bite my head off.
I didn't want him to be miserable again, not after all he went through. It took me a while, but I noticed how deep in despair he was over Yami. It's not everyday you see Yugi Mutoh wear his jacket inside out and backwards and not care. I knew something was wrong then and talked to Anzu about it. She told me everything from there.
Well, Honda and I are at the school, waiting for Anzu and Yugi to show up. Honda and I got here rather early, thanks to his motorcycle, so now I've gotta find something to keep me occupied until they arrive. I reach into my pockets for something, anything!
Let's see here…some string, some spare change, my deck, my wallet, a pen, a balloon…balloon? That gives me an idea!
Honda's P.O.V.
Uh oh. Jounouchi's got that look in his eyes again. He's plotting something, something with a balloon he's holding. Well, whatever he has in mind, it'll never work. His plans are always stupid. He grabs my arm, dragging me down the hall. "What are you doing?" I ask him, his grin growing wider with each step.
"You'll see." He eyes a water fountain nearby and races to it. "Honda, come here!" I shrug and walk over to him, then he asks me to hold down the button. I watch as he giggles, filling up the balloon.
"What are you plotting with that?"
"We'll wait until Anzu and Yugi arrive and then, wham!" I swear, if this were one of those anime shows, I'd have a huge sweat drop right now.
"This has got to be the dumbest idea I've ever seen you concoct."
"Relax, it'll be fun!" Jou replied, tossing the water balloon in his hand. "The looks on their faces will be priceless."
"Anzu will have your hide!"
"I'm just gonna aim at their feet. They'll only be relatively dry." Jou then gripped my shoulder. "To the roof!"
Jounouchi's P.O.V.
Hee hee hee…I can't wait to see the look on their faces. I know Anzu will be ticked, even if it's just her feet wet, but I know Yugi will laugh and brush it off like it's no big deal. And when Yugi blows something off, so does Anzu, so it's all good.
Eventually, we reach the stairs, and proceed to climb them. This is gonna be great! Thankfully the school's not so high, or else my poor little legs would be exhausted after the climb. Ah, finally! I open the door quickly and proceed to dash out to the edge and wait for the two to show up.
Suddenly, something catches my eye, and it looks like a little puff of blue. What the heck is that? Cautiously, I step over to it, now recognizing little yellow stars on the puff of blue. Among that puff was a star of black and red. Wait, a minute…star of black and red? "Yugi!"
Honda's P.O.V.
Oh my God! It can't be him! Jou tossed the water balloon back at me, then ran to the kid, lifting him up. It is Yugi, in his blue pajamas with yellow stars on it. His little fist is closed over something, which Jou proceeded to pry open. In his fist looks like a piece of his Millennium Puzzle, but why just a piece? Where the hell is the rest of it?!
"Honda, give me your cell phone!" Jou demands over and over again. Quickly, I pull out my phone, still holding onto the balloon, and hand it to him. While he dialed away on the phone, I could only watch Yugi lay there motionless. There's no bruises or cuts or anything, which I sigh in relief for. I don't know why he's up here like this, but it doesn't look like he was attacked.
Jou looked like he was about to go into shock any minute. "Anzu! Get over here right now! Something's wrong with Yugi!" he shouted into the phone. "I don't know! He's in his pajamas on the roof of the school! Look, Honda and I are worried too, so get here as fast as you can!" With that, he hung up, then knelt down to Yugi, shaking him. "Yugi! Wake up! It's me! Jounouchi!"
Yugi didn't respond. He didn't even flinch or anything. If Jou kept shaking him like that, he was gonna give him a concussion. I knew of a better way to wake him up, and if it doesn't work, then may lightning strike me. I toss the water balloon onto Yugi's chest, causing it to burst and splatter water all over him. Yugi's eyes flew open as his body writhed from the impact. Of course, Jou had to use cold water. "Yugi! Are you alright?! Speak up!"
Yugi's P.O.V.
I feel cold and wet, and Jounouchi was shouting into my face. "Yugi! Are you alright?! Speak up!"
"Y-Yami…"
"What happened? What are you doing here?" I close my eyes, the images of Yami vanishing within the puzzle, then the puzzle shattering kept coming back to me. It had to be dream. Yes, that's it! A dream! No way could that happen! Yami would never do anything like that! I know he wouldn't!
I feel something in my hand and I see gold—a piece of the Millennium Puzzle. No… No! It didn't happen! Yami!
"Yugi! Answer me!"
"Yami…where's Yami?" I then noticed Jounouchi looking at me strangely.
"Yami?" I grab Jou's shoulders.
"Please, Jou! Tell me! Where's Yami?!" I can feel my eyes water, but I don't care. I bury my face in his chest. "Where is he? What's happened to Yami?" I keep asking him, hoping for an answer different from what my mind is telling me.
"What's gotten into you? Why are you crying about him?"
"Where's Yami?!"
Meanwhile, at Jou's house…
Shizuka's P.O.V.
Oh dear. Looks like big brother forgot his lunch again. This must have been the third time this week. Ever since he told me about Yugi telling off Yami, he's been too overjoyed too, but it's not like him to miss out on food. Oh well, I'll just drop it off at his school.
I take a look at the clock on the wall. 7:50 A.M. That leaves only ten minutes until his first class starts, and it's about a five-minute walk from here. I grab the lunch and head out the door, locking it behind me.
Hmm…it smells like flowers outside—daises to be precise. I love daises, but that's because my brother used to pick them for me all the time before we were split up. I remember when we used to write to each other secretly. He would always enclose a daisy with the letter, so I wouldn't forget him. How could I? He's so sweet.
Speaking of which, his school's up ahead! And I just saw Anzu walk through the door too. Now to find big brother. I walk near the school pond and gaze at my reflection for a second. Oops. My hair's frizzy. I smooth it out, using the pond as a mirror. I don't want everyone to think that Jounouchi has a sloppy sister. It'd hurt him. Well, that should do it.
Hold on a second. I can see something in the water. Something…golden. Well, the pond's not that deep, so I step into it softly, approaching the golden thing. I take it into my hand and pull it out, washing it of any dirt or residue. It's really pretty. It looks like a puzzle piece.
Puzzle piece? This looks like a part of the puzzle that Jounouchi's friend Yugi wears all the time. He's probably looking for it now, and I know those two stick like glue, so I'll give big brother his lunch and Yugi his puzzle piece. I step out of the water before I notice the piece glowing in my hand.
Yami's P.O.V.
What is this? Power is leaving me, but why? Could it be that Yugi has found the pieces? Impossible! I scattered them away from him! But it was a small amount of power. How could anyone get a hold of this darkness, this power? I don't understand.
However, I can sense something—fragile. Now I can smell something. Daises?
Jounouchi's P.O.V.
Well, if it's about time Anzu showed up! What the hell took her so long?! For all we know, Yugi's life is hanging by a thread! She quickly took him in her arms and he continued to cry on her shoulder. But he still kept crying Yami's name. Why won't he tell us what happened?
"Yugi, relax. You're safe. You can tell us," I hear Anzu tell him, slowly rubbing his back, which caused his trembling to cease. "That's it. Calm down."
"Anzu… Yami…Yami is…"
"Spill it out already!" I reply. Anzu and Honda look at me like I'm crazy, but he needs to tell us what's wrong if we're to help him. I don't care if I sound harsh, it's the truth. Yugi pushed himself away from her as he stood up, facing the three of us.
Normal P.O.V.
Yugi wiped his tears away. "Yami…Yami's…gone."
Jounouchi began tapping his foot. "Yes, Yugi, we already knew that. He's been gone for two weeks now!"
"No! He's really gone!" The small boy held out his puzzle piece. "This is all that's left of him!" His hand began to tremble once more. "This is all… I'll never see him again… Right before my eyes…" He continued to mutter to himself when Honda leaned towards Jou and Anzu.
"So what can you make out of this?"
"I don't know. It sounds like he ran into Yami, but then something happened," Anzu replied. "Honestly, I think this is the best we can get out of him for now. He's still scared stiff."
"There you are!" The three turned to face a young girl with long chestnut hair. "Big brother, you left your lunch again."
"Shizuka!" Jounouchi exclaimed, beaming. His little sister stepped towards him and handed him the bag. "I'm such a dope. You didn't have to come all the way here just to do that. I might as well starve for being so dense."
"I take care of my big brother, just as you've taken care of me," she replied, smiling. "Oh! By the way, I have something of Yugi's." She then held out her hand, a small golden puzzle piece glittering in her hand. "It's a part of his puzzle."
Yugi raised his eyes, tears flowing from them. "Yami?" He turned to the girl, then stared at her hand. "Yami?"
Shizuka's head lowered, her eyes hidden behind her chestnut hair. Yugi then stared at the ground, but then gasped at her shadow. Instead of the figure forming a girl with a flowing mane of hair, it was of a boy with star-shaped hair. Suddenly, a symbol of an eye appeared on the forehead of the shadow very briefly before it vanished within the shadows. "Yami!"
Yugi's P.O.V.
I know I saw Yami! I just know it! No one else bears the eye of Ra besides him—well, maybe Malik's yami, but that's a long story I don't feel like getting into. But I know it was him, even though it was Shizuka's shadow. I reach out to her. "Yami!"
Shizuka stepped away from me, pulling back her hand holding the puzzle piece, which looks like it's one of corner pieces if I recall correctly. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Yami! I saw him!" I go to touch her hand, but she pulled it back as if my touch stung her. "Shizuka… Where is Yami?"
"Yugi, she's not going to know that," Jounouchi said, stepping to his sister's side. "It's alright, sis. Yugi's going through a tough time right now, so you don't have to be alarmed by his behavior." I watched as his sister wrapped her arms around him, standing behind him.
"Keep him away from me." I just caught a glimpse of her eyes. There was a tint of ruby in them—just like Yami.
"Yami! Answer me!"
"Yugi, what's wrong with you?" Anzu asked, grabbing my shoulders.
"That's not Shizuka! It's Yami! I know it is!"
"Stop talking like that! You're hallucinating!"
"Yami!" I try to shake off Anzu, but she keeps grabbing me and holding me back. But I know it's him. I'm not hallucinating! I know what I saw! Finally, I was able to wriggle away from Anzy and I darted towards Shizuka. "Yami!"
Just then, I saw Shizuka shove her brother to the ground. In one hand, the puzzle piece, and in the other, a deck of cards, with the Flame Swordsman on top—Jounouchi's deck. She held out the deck as if in defense. But what would she be defending herself for?
"Get away from me Yugi!"
"Shizuka, stop! What's wrong with you?!" Honda asked.
"I told you, it's not Shizuka!" I cried before she took off down the stairs.
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Well, that's interesting, eh? Don't worry, everything will be explained the next chapter. Any questions or the like, let me know in the review. K? ^_^