(A/N: Moien! I've been feeling heartaches lately, with the end of Doctor Who on my Netflix and knowing in the back of my head that the Pharaoh must eventually pass on, so I wrote this little crack tribute. Heavily inspired by the fanfic that got me back into Yu-Gi-Oh in the first place, 'Weep Not For The Memories' by TheGirlInTheMentalHospital. Borrowed some of the lyrics and the melody of 'Tick Tock Goes The Clock' from Doctor Who.
So weep not for the memories, for there are greater ones to be made.)
How had this happened? It was the end of the line for me, all because of a tribute box? Some guy was going to kill me over a heart shaped box?
"Don't just stand there! Open the box!" he demanded, pressing the barrel of the pistol against my head. I squeaked as my life flashed before my eyes.
All my life, all I wanted to do was to be happy. Unfortunately, fate had decided to take that away from me by having my idol pass on.
I thought of Yami. I missed him so much, and his absence had caused me to become a shell of the girl I once was. It was pathetic, really. In my grief, I had purchased a heart shaped box and filled it with photos of him. I even gave it some... special qualities. Apparently, said qualities were going to get me killed today, on the most romantic day of the year.
I was going to die on Valentine's Day.
Finally mustering the courage to speak, I gave a warning.
"I don't know what you want with my box, but I can assure you that it's not here."
"Don't mess with me! You know very well what's in that box. Now open it, or you die!" he shouted, loading the gun.
I gulped. "Very well. But you should know that the box has a very precise lock on it. If you interrupt me during the ritual that deactivates the lock, it will reset itself and I will have to start over."
"Whatever, just make it quick." the man huffed.
I felt the box rattle violently, to my surprise. Pushing it aside as imagination, I sat on the ground and began to trace my fingers over the rim. Tears dripped from my eyes as I sang the hymn.
"Tick Tock goes the clock,
And what then shall we play?
Tick Tock goes the clock,
Now Yami's passed away?
Tick Tock goes the clock,
And what then shall I see?
Tick Tock, until the day
That you shall comfort me."
My tears were now full on waterworks. The box rattled more violently with each tear that landed on it. My breath was so irregular that I could barely sing the rest.
"Tick Tock goes the clock,
And all the years they fly,
Tick Tock, and all too soon,
You and I must die.
Tick Tock goes the clock,
We mourn the alter ego,
Tick Tock goes the clock,
All this for the Pharaoh.
Tick Tock goes the clock,
He helped him through the woes,
Tick Tock goes the clock,
'Till Yugi beat the Pharaoh."
It was then that I noticed the box's glowing and shaking. My face burnt with the heat of a thousand suns. Something was about to happen. Slowly, I finished the requiem.
"Pharaoh, brave and good,
He turned to say goodbye,
But I was grief stricken,
Because he had to die.
Tick Tock goes the clock,
He helped me through my sorrows,
Tick Tock, and in return,
A requiem for my Pharaoh."
I undid the latches and removed the cover. A column of yellow light erupted from the box so bright that the ISS would have been blind not to have seen it. Both my attacker and I were blown against the wall.
"What the-" the man shouted. A shadowy figure that I thought I would never see again slowly made itself known. First the fiery red eyes, then gravity defying spikes, and finally a slender frame stepped away from the beam of light. The proper color was restored to his person, and I became awestruck, scared, and overjoyed all at once.
"Who in hell are you?" the man demanded. He reached for the pistol, but discovered that it wasn't there.
"Who are you to terrorize this little girl? On Valentine's Day, of all days? The Doors of Darkness have opened." Yami declared.
At that line, I realized that something wasn't quite right. This wasn't the Yami that I remembered. Instead of the familiar violet that soothed me so, his eyes and trim were an edgy crimson. The tone in his voice was one of malevolance, not concern, or even anger.
I had messed up big time. I had summoned the Yami from Season Zero.
I didn't care what happened to me at this point. I was not about to unleash a 5,000 year old spirit on anyone. Yami raised his hand, but I ran in front of him, arms spread.
"No! I won't let this happen! There will be no minds crushed, and no Penalty Games inflicted today! He may have tried to kill me, but there are better ways to handle it!" I shouted.
Yami looked at me with shock. It must have been unusual to have a girl who had almost been killed to be protecting her assaulter, especially with her own sanity on the line.
"Give me the pistol." I demanded. He lowered his hand and gave me the gun. I put it in my coat pocket and pulled out a cell phone, dialing 911. While I told the police everything that happened, I eyed the man and Yami, making sure neither pulled any funny stuff. The police finally came and took the man away, leaving just Yami and myself in the street.
I picked up the memory box. Its red foil was peeling, and the latches were getting rusty. Inside was a necklace and a fading photo of his face that I treasured with my life. I turned to meet this face.
His eyes and trim had changed to the inviting violet I loved, and his expression was now one of concern.
"Why are you crying?" he asked. At that moment, I lost all sense of dignity and pretty much glomped him, letting loose all the emotion that I had bottled up since his death.
"I-I thought that I would never see you again!" I wept. I could feel him rubbing my back in circles.
"Shh... It's alright. You're going to be fine." he cooed. We stood there for a long time, and I felt the happiest I had been in a long time. All of my pain seemed to melt away.
After what seemed like forever, he finally parted from my grasp.
"I wish I could stay longer, but this form has limitations." he said. I knew what he was getting at.
"I understand. You belong in the afterlife." I said. I reached into the box and grabbed the necklace.
"But before you go, take this, to remember me by."
The necklace was an alternating pattern of blue and yellow glass beads, with a key charm in the middle. He took the necklace and slipped it over his hair, the beads rattling as it fell into place below the leather choker.
The box began to light up again, but this time it was a softer glow. I placed it on the ground, and Yami stepped towards it. But before he stepped in, he turned back to me.
"Remember, young one. I will always be right here, no matter what." He pointed to where my heart was.
With that, he disappeared into the glow, which shut off after he left.
"Right here..." I muttered, grasping the purple, black, and yellow glass beaded necklace that hugged my chest. I put the box back together, but I noticed something new.
In the corner of the heart, there was a card. A first series spell called 'Monster Reborn'.
Ƴăᶆί
I never saw Yami again. But I knew that he was there with me, just as he is with all his viewers.
So weep not for Yami, for he lives on within us.
Tick Tock goes the clock,
He gave all he could give,
Tick Tock goes the clock,
For our Pharaoh still lives.
(A/N: Wow. That was sad. I'm sorry if this killed your Valentine's Day spirit.)