Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!.

Hi guys. I'm back. Again.

Over The Edge

Téa awoke with a start, and she had no idea what had awoken her. Often it was a bad dream, or a nosebleed, or sometimes even sensing an earthquake before it occurs. But it was different this time. Something was tugging at her heart desperately, frantically… urgently. As if something required her immediate attention. But what?

The young dancer knew to trust her instincts, as they had been proven right before; and so she stood from the couch and blanket she was sleeping on, and surveyed Professor Hawkins' trailer for anything amiss. It was completely silent in the trailer, save for Joey's light snoring. Light was limited, as it was possibly well into the early morning hours; it took her groggy, sleepy eyes a minute or so to notice another empty couch immediately across from her.

The couch that the Pharaoh was sleeping on. Or, as she last saw him, sitting on with a blank stare at the coffee table separating them. She wasn't sure if she had seen him attempt sleep at all before she went to bed. The fact of his absence threw a sharp pang of fear in her heart. Where did he run off to? His state of mind was not stable enough to justify him wandering around, alone. He was at his most vulnerable, there was no doubt.

Pulling on a thin cotton sweater over her pajamas, Téa found her flip flops by the door and carefully pulled it open, slowly enough so that the squeaking wasn't enough to stir the others. It was much chillier than Téa expected, and she considered re-entering the trailer to look for thicker outerwear. But the nagging within her was most persistent, and she continued onward.

"Pharaoh?" she whispered into the night. If someone were out there, she belatedly realized, they would have likely not heard her. But she still didn't want to awaken the trailer's inhabitants. She ventured forth, into the wasteland, not having a clue where to start looking for him. The crickets chirped loudly and in large numbers. She glanced behind the trailer – Rebecca's horse, Copernicus, was still asleep. So if he didn't go on horseback, anywhere the Pharaoh had gone would be walking distance, she hoped.

Just past her view of Copernicus, Téa spotted a small desert trail leading into an opening in the hills. Upon closer inspection, she could make out faint indents in the sand, looking as if a small pair of boots had walked this path. She followed the trail, the sand invading her flip flops with every step. Her heart's distress persisted, worrying for the dark spirit.

The few days prior were days that no one would soon, if ever, forget. Though Téa did not see Yami's duel with Raphael with her own eyes, being told of the events through the sad, drained and hoarse voice of the broken pharaoh was enough to send her heart into a puddle of sorrow and grief – not just for her childhood friend whose soul was captured by the enemy, but also for the strong, confident man she came to know, diminished to a hollow shell of everything she adored of him.

For the rest of the week, up until she had last laid eyes on him before she gave away to her exhaustion, he was, frankly, a vegetable. He reminded her of when her grandmother suffered from Alzheimer's, which then caused a depression so severe that she was forever lost to the world. She died in her sleep, having not said a word to anyone for weeks.

Yami was lost to the world. And it was her intention to guide him back. She refused to accept losing him as she had lost her grandmother. He would not be a vegetable – he would not die a mute.

There it was. The opening of a vastly deep ravine. And Yami stood there, at the very edge of the very top of the highest cliff, looking down solemnly at the rocks below. The slight desert breeze teased his tall, spiky hair and olive-drab-colored sweater. His hands sat in his pockets.

Not wanting to startle him, as she was afraid to cause him to fall, Téa roughly sifted through the sand and rocks with her sandal, causing a rustling sound just loud enough to get his attention. He only half-turned his head, his eyes half-closed. In the dim moonlight, Téa could barely make out dried tear tracks on his face.

"You shouldn't have come here," Yami simply said. He turned his gaze back to the bottom of the cliff.

"I know," Téa admitted, "but neither should've you. It's cold out, and you need rest."

Silence. Not even the crickets could chirp away the dense, chilling stillness. Téa wondered if she'd ever get a response from him. In fact, it was the first time she had heard a word from him in almost half a week. She climbed the small dune that led her close to his standing place, and her ankles instantly became weak at the sight before her.

The side of the chasm was not only tall, but steep – they were easily hundreds of feet high. And the Pharaoh was standing disconcertingly close to the edge, teasing danger with his toes, without a hint of fear or proper caution.

"Yami, please come back to the trailer," Téa softly pleaded him, "I don't want you to get sick. And I certainly don't want you to fall."

Again, the time from when she spoke to when he responded felt like a lifetime and a half. Yami kept his eyes below him and beyond his feet, staring at the floor of the ravine.

"It's a long way down," he said wistfully.

Téa quickly realized that, in order to perhaps coax him back with her, she'd just have to play along to his own tune, whatever it was. "Yeah, reeeaaallly long way. I'm pretty sure no one would live through that."

"Wouldn't they?" Téa was startled by his instant response, though he wasn't making much sense to her. She could only stare at him inquisitively, waiting for an elaboration.

Instead of a verbal reply, Yami then stepped from his standing place onto slightly safer ground and picked up a fair-sized rock in his hand, about the size of a bowling ball. He returned to the edge of the cliff, and held it over the edge. He let it slowly roll off his hand into the depths below, with an oddly blank expression on his watchful face. He followed the rock with his eyes, and his face tensed a bit as the rock hit a rather sharp edge off the fissure, and split in two as it continued its path downward.

"I guess you're right."

With Yami so close to the edge again, Téa's anxiety returned to full height, and she was done playing games. "Pharaoh, what exactly are you getting at? Nothing you've said has made any sense, and you're really starting to scare me…"

He turned around to fully face her this time, and Téa was shocked from the hurt in his eyes. But yet, there was something else – a determined gleam that seemed out of place. "Isn't it obvious by now, Téa? What I intend to do, isn't it clear to you?"

A tumultuous wave of dread washed over her and stunned her from head to toe. Her heart lurched violently. The truth was that she knew, now. She didn't want to believe or accept it. She didn't even want to consider the possibility that that was the thing on his mind. "Yami… you're not possibly thinking of…" – her voice cracked from the sobs entering her throat – "jumping?"

What scared her even further was the small smile that slowly crept onto his face. It was not a happy smile, or a devious one, either. It was not even a sad, fake smile. It was a genuine smile of relief in that she finally realized his intention without him simply telling her so, and in his dysfunctional mind he rationalized that she somehow understood his motive. It was nearly impossible for him to imagine anyone else's perspective but his own.

Téa shook her head, over and over again, tears not waiting to spill out freely from her eyes. Her body was shaking, but she did not notice the cold. Her face felt warm from her sudden emotional shift. "No. No. You can't do this. You can't."

"But I can, and I must. Téa, until you commit a crime so heinous as mine, when you inadvertently sacrifice the soul of the person who means the most to you in the world, just because you were overcome with lust and greed for power, you will never understand." His smile was gone, and he avoided her eyes. "Over the last few days I've never been able to get that moment out of my head, when Yugi pushed me out of the Seal so that his soul could be captured instead of mine, when I was the one who abused my Monsters.

"I'm going to be forever haunted by this event, Téa. It will never go away. All I want to do is to end the pain."

"And just give up?!" Téa could no longer contain the storm of emotions inside her. "Pharaoh, the group needs you! Yugi needs you! You can't just… just… disappear!"

Yami stood calmly in the face of her outburst, only closing his eyes and exhaling sharply before speaking. "It's for the best, Téa, and you must believe me on this. I am no longer useful to the group, or to Yugi, both of which you claim to 'need' me. I am repentant for my wrongdoings, but it is not enough. I am a detriment to all those around me.

And to think, I had once called myself a 'king'. No just king would do what I've done. It is clear that this is my true destiny… it all ends here."

There it was – a flash in his eyes that Téa had caught just in the nick of time before it vanished. She knew she saw it. It was a neon green light that flickered in his eyes for about half a second before returning to his normal amethyst. Without even thinking, she immediately stepped closer to the Pharaoh until she was directly before him, placing a hand on the side of his neck. His skin was dry and chilled to the touch, and his pulse was running rampant.

"Pharaoh… you've hardly been making sense at all, and now I know why… you're being controlled by that… thing… that freaky seal."

"The Seal of Orichalcos," Yami answered softly, not making a move to remove her hand. "I know that the Seal is wicked, but the darkness it breeds inside of me is only the darkness that was always there. It feeds on it, and grows more powerful and influential. It is something that has really been a part of me since the beginning of time."

Téa shook her head again. "No, I don't believe that. You are a good, just man. And I'm sure you were a good, just king. Don't let Raphael's words in like that."

He smiled morosely at her. "Whether or not this is by the Seal's influence, or even Raphael's influence… it is still my choice. And I am determined to follow through with it."

Téa fought viciously against the urge to slap him. "Stop it, stop it! Stop this, Yami. This isn't you at all! The Seal is corrupting your mind… it's trying to drive you to suicide! Don't you see that?" Her eyes cried valiantly with her desperate pleas, and both her hands found themselves gripping his shoulders in a vice hold. "Snap out of it… or you're going to die!"

After long, tense moments of vacant staring, giving Téa mere seconds to believe she had perhaps gotten through to him, Yami removed her hands from his shoulders and turned away from her. He began walking towards the edge again. "Téa… I am truly sorry."

As he approached the edge of the cliff, the dark spirit was surprised by the lack of objections coming from Téa, who stood there and wept softly as she watched him bring himself closer to the end of his mortal life. One more step, and…

"Wait!" He halted in his progress, his forward foot nearly half off the margin of solid ground and the other about to send him over. His heart beat frantically in his chest as his other foot stepped backwards and allowed his weight to bring him back to safety.

"If you've made up your mind… and you're going to go through with this," she began, between trembling sobs, "then please do one thing for me before you go."

Within seconds Yami was before her, holding her hands. "Anything. I will do anything you ask, as long as you allow me to make my choice with no further objections thereafter."

Téa hesitantly nodded.

"Then what is it that I may do for you, Téa?"

Téa looked long and hard into his eyes again, seeing the glimmer of green, the sign of evil dwelling in his heart that was reflecting in his eyes, his longing to cease his suffering. It was all there. She could see it for herself. "Pharaoh… I want you to kiss me."

It was silent again. Yami surely did not expect that sort of response from her. "Is that your wish upon me, Téa? For me to kiss you? Are… you sure?"

She nodded fervently. "I do. Not only that, but I want you to kiss me with all the love that is still in your heart. Any love that you can muster. Anything and everything you can."

No matter how absurd the request may have been to Yami's ears, his heart simply disallowed him to refuse, for reasons unknown to him. With that, Yami's hands traveled slowly up her arms and cupped her face delicately. He brought it closer to his own face, closing his eyes and placing his lips on hers.

For a few seconds, the desert was completely silent aside from the smacking lips between the two kissers by the edge of the mesa. Wet, soft flesh exchanged a few moments of the purest intimacy. Passion was driven up from the Pharaoh's core like water being hastily drawn from a well. He was certain the darkness had hidden it from him, to inhibit any feeling of light or love that could threaten the dark's hold on him.

But if he knew Téa, he knew that her request wasn't random, frivolous, or self-indulgent; it had significance. She knew what she was doing – she was drawing the light to the forefront of his soul, to battle the overcoming darkness that had manifested in his heart. She knew this was a battle she wanted to fight, and was determined to win.

She knew something that could save him – that the most powerful source of light, is love.

As much as Téa would've loved to simply enjoy this tender exchange with the person she secretly admired, the purpose of her kiss easily overshadowed any such desire. She felt the Pharaoh's lips' movement slowing to a stop, his forehead leaning against hers. He breathed heavily, eyes closed.

Just as she adjusted her neck to reconnect her lips, Yami drew a sharp breath, his entire body convulsing in pain. He shrunk to the ground, crying like a wounded animal, clutching his hair tightly. His perspiring face contorted from an internal struggle, one of extreme turmoil that resided within.

The battle for control had begun – the darkness from the Seal, and the pure light of the love she had shown him.

Téa could only helplessly watch him writhe in misery and scream horrifically into the night, not knowing at all what she could do to help him, or if anything she did would worsen his suffering. It seemed that if the darkness couldn't achieve persuading him to destroy himself, it would tear him apart with its own agonizing claws of death. Either way, the Seal would end him, and his soul would be harvested for the destruction of the human race. If the Seal got a hold of Yami's soul, mankind would stand no chance.

Suddenly, the commotion ceased, and Yami's body lied still on the ground. The worst of fears swelled in Téa's mind as she ran to him. He lied in a half-fetal position, with his arms tucked in himself and his legs more spread out. She gently rolled him on his back, cautiously avoiding causing him more pain. To her relief, Téa could see the rise and fall of his chest. He was still alive, at the very least. There was no telling at that moment if the darkness or light had won. But he was still with her, for the present moment.

"Ya-Yami?"

To her dismay, her call was only met with closed eyes, without a stir from any part of his body. His breathing was jagged and uneven, as if he were still hurting from the struggle. She could think of nothing to do but kneel over him, holding his clammy face with her trembling hand. Her other hand found its way to his, which she firmly squeezed in desperation. "Please, wake up. Please… don't leave me."

Still, Téa received no response, from him or the hand that she clenched in her lap. She glanced up into the black sky; she began to wonder if the Seal would show up at any minute to claim the fruits of its victory – to absorb his soul and leave a lifeless corpse for her to drag back to her friends.

"Pharaoh… stay with me…"

The lump in her throat finally released the tears from her eyes, as the young dancer felt the devastation of what she was seeing; the evidence of her beloved's ill fate. Her love wasn't enough to stop him from being conquered by the shadows. She leaned over the motionless pharaoh once more, and planted a chaste kiss upon his forehead.

The sun's rays were barely peeking over the mountaintops when the Pharaoh finally opened his eyes. He was lying on his back, blinking up at the orange sunrise sky. The events that led him there were not clear enough to be recollected yet, but his body's fatigue was the most intense he had ever felt, and it permitted him no strength to move anything but his head. He also felt a light pressure on his right shoulder, and as he looked he came to discover a brunette head lying against him. His mind was still dazed, but it only took a few seconds for him to realize it was Téa, asleep, beside him.

Téa's hands hugged her arms tightly in her thin pink sweater, her legs tucked in and her knee touching his waist. Head to toe she was littered with sand, and Yami quickly noticed that he was, too. Though he still couldn't quite place the occurrence from the night before, he feared for her safety and prayed she wasn't hurt from whatever had transpired. For allowing it to happen, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. As if he needed more things to be guilty for…

"Téa," whispered the Pharaoh. His throat flared up at once, a consequence of his distressed screams. His voice came out raspy and weak. "Téa, wake up."

He heard a small groan. And before he could even blink, Téa snapped into an awakened upright position, as if she were caught asleep in class. She hastily rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stared at him, astonished.

"You… you're alive!" Téa slung her arms around the immobilized Pharaoh's neck, startling him and sending his heart on a sprint. She wept into his shoulder, her own shoulders heaving and trembling. She was still ferociously cold, but it didn't matter. At least, for the time being, the light had won.

Téa released him slowly, still shaking uncontrollably. Their eyes locked together – a collision of royal blue and violet – and the incidents that brought them there regained their clarity in his memory almost all at once.

He remembered the feeling of despair, the absentminded wandering through the desert. He remembered his ankles feeling weak as he dangerously teetered himself to and from the edge of the cliff, playing with the idea in his head to just… end it. To accept that this was as far in his quest as he'd meant to go. The Seal's power had festered within him, and cooed at him until he began to adhere to its influences. He saw the Seal of Orichalcos before him, floating over the fall into the ravine. The Seal itself faced him, while a neon glowing platform beneath it extended to just a step away from his feet.

I have the soul of your charge, Pharaoh. Yugi is gone forever, waiting to be consumed by the beast.

Yami let the tears fall, not bothering to wipe them away.

And it is by your doing that Yugi is mine, now. It seems that your usefulness on this planet has expired. The Seal has brought out the darkness within you.

Again and again, the velvety voice of the shadows sang to the Pharaoh the evil words that slowly drowned his mind and heart in anguish and self-hatred. Yami continued to listen and allowed his resolve to be torn away. His eyes continued to cry helplessly.

I offer you this. Step on the Seal, and I will end your suffering. You will be no longer of this world, and therefore you can no longer hurt it with your evil ways.

Offer yourself up to me, and you will endure no more pain. The darkness inside you will not harm another human being. No more shall be sacrificed on your behalf, like Yugi's was.

It all made disturbingly perfect sense to him. Yami should've known that the darkness resided in him all this time! What was the purpose for fighting to save a world of which he would only hurt in the end? What was he doing here? No… he no longer wished to be here. The voice in his head was right. He could only cause destruction, now. Everyone, even including Yugi, would be better off without him. In just one bad move, Yami went from being a hopeful savior of the world and a beacon of hope for the survival of mankind – to a pathetic, power-hungry piece of waste.

Do not let the girl lead you away from your fate.

Yami shook his head, perplexed. What girl?

A faint scuffling of dirt and rocks entered his ears, and he knew it could be no one else.

The next thing Yami remembered was dropping a rock into the depths below. To Téa, it was the open ravine of a large, but finite distance to the bottom. To the Pharaoh, it was into oblivion, with no end in sight, but instead a never-ending descent into a bottomless pit of infinite darkness. As Téa saw the rock split in two, Yami watched as the rock, as a whole piece, fell into the shadows until it was too small to see from where he was.

Téa argued with him, pleaded with him. Anytime Yami would begin to rethink his decision, to question or doubt his influence, the Seal would burn inside him. It reminded him of who (or what) had the power here, like a master training his dog with a shock collar. His head ached fiercely while Téa was standing before him, as the Seal perceived her as a threat of interference.

When he could finally take no more, Yami nearly placed his right foot onto the Seal when Téa called him back. Though the piercing pain in his head intensified, an invisible force stopped his foot from ever making contact with the Seal. Tried as he might, each attempt failed.

And there was a break – in her sparkling eyes was a moment, a flash of hope, and a brief interruption of the darkness's cold caresses. He was freer than he had ever been, just for a minute. As he held Téa's face in his hands, the former king discovered a feeling he was no longer familiar with – warmth. It was a tingly, heavy sensation that enveloped his entire being. It was all things lovely, holy, and pure. It was the goodness that still existed in the world. It was happiness.

Had he really been ensnared in the cold clutches of darkness for so long, he had forgotten what warmth felt like? Was he really that detached from the living world around him?

It would not last long, however. Yami was still a slave to the Seal, and the Seal would never relinquish a slave.

The pain that followed was unlike something any mortal could ever feel. It was unimaginable... unbearable. The Pharaoh was certain his breathing had stopped when the blows hit him. It was as if the small dark entity within him grew razor-sharp talons and was maliciously trying to tear its way out of him. From head to toe, Yami felt nothing but white-hot fire. His head was certainly going to explode from the overwhelming pressure. All he could do was lie down and scream. He had to scream until the searing pain went away, or until he died. Because that feeling that Téa restored in him, he knew was worth fighting for. Her love brought him back to the reality that he was ripped from. Most importantly, it revived strength within him.

You will obey me, dark king! Your soul is mine, and you will surrender!

Pain was all he could comprehend. Perhaps he would get used to it, just as he did with the coldness…

Finally, his mortal body could take no more, and his mind fell away to unconsciousness. The burning sensations dissolved, and he felt nothing at all. His weariness immediately overtook him. The last thing he felt were teardrops on his neck.

"Pharaoh!"

Yami was forcefully brought back into the present. His startled rapid blinking broke the trance of their eye contact. His exhaustion was overshadowed by the trauma of his exchanges with the Seal, what he had almost done… and the agony…

"Sorry… I was just… unfortunately reliving it all," he admitted, his voice still very hoarse.

Téa's sandy hand lightly squeezed his shoulder. "Well, you don't need to anymore. You've beaten the darkness. You didn't let it win over you. And that's why you're still here!"

"And you… Téa… are you hurt?" She shook her head.

"Téa… as much as I would love to tell you that I have defeated the darkness inside me, I am afraid I cannot say it with confidence that I'm right. I have a long way to go if I hope to ever be able to control it, and eventually rid myself of it altogether.

"But you helped me. No… Téa, you saved me. If it weren't for you, I would not be here.

"And not only that… but you stayed and protected me, at the risk of your own health, all throughout the night. You never gave up on me. For all that you've done for me, I cannot thank you enough."

The grimness in her eyes melted away to that of relief and joy. Her delightful smile hugged him in the warmest way possible. "I had to. But I'm glad that I could help! What're friends for, right?"

"Friends?" Yami's mouth twisted into a small smirk. "You know, Téa, after last night's events, I'm not sure that we could call each other 'friends' any longer."

He was met with a bewildered stare and a pair of rosy cheeks.

"You know… we can talk about this later. We need to get you back to camp."

The Pharaoh's smirk returned. "I don't have nearly enough strength to get myself anywhere at the moment. And unless you feel like carrying me half a mile through the sand, we have plenty of time to talk."

Téa felt as if her face couldn't possibly flush redder than it was. Her ears even felt warm. Despite the catastrophe that took place, her feelings for him were strong as ever… and the fact that she was able to share a kiss with him, even under the circumstances, helped her none with controlling her crush. Then again, neither did him using what little strength he had to grasp her hand in his.

"Téa… you possess a power that's bigger and greater than the both of us. When you kissed me, when you were as determined as you were that you could bring me back from the darkness… your purity and your light… that was inevitably what won the battle. As far as I'm concerned, if it weren't for you, I would've easily lost. But it's because of you that I still have a fighting chance.

"I don't know what it is that I feel for you, but it is strong and passionate. I can say with certainty that there has been no other person I've felt this for. I just know that I think you're extraordinarily special and I admire you greatly."

All the young dancer could think to do at the moment was let the tears fall. She could not remember a time she had felt this sort of bliss – to hear it flow from his mouth so fluidly, and with the voice she knew as his and only his. In fact, she had never been more in love with him, she was certain. Especially as his hand held hers even tighter as his strength returned.

"You're too kind," she giggled softly. "I've admired you, also. I'm not sure if you knew that. But I've held you in high esteem for a long time… in fact, I'm not sure if you remember the countless times you've rescued me. Back when no one really knew about you…"

He smiled. "But you did."

Téa nodded. "For the longest time, I only knew your voice. I knew you were the one who saved me each time, but I couldn't put a face to the voice. And it frustrated me… because I wanted to thank you for all the times you saved me."

"I would do no less. But it appears that now you're the savior."

She shied away, her face warming up again. "I guess I did something useful this time."

After a minute or so of a suspended awkward silence, Yami slowly pushed himself up from his horizontal position. With Téa's help, he was able to sit on his knees. With some exasperated breathing, he was able to meet her eyes again. "I think I'm finding my strength again."

She flashed him an elated smile. "That's gre-!"

His moves were swift, intercepting her response with a gentle kiss. Tingly feelings spread from her head to her toes, and her heart flipped merrily. It was brief and sweet – he kept their faces close as they felt each other's breaths brush against their mouths. His half-lidded gaze emitted passion and trust. Despite the chilly air, Téa felt as if she could melt.

"THERE you are!"

A loud, shrill voice pierced through the intimate exchange, followed by the recognizable sounds of a horse galloping. Yami's and Téa's faces parted quickly as Rebecca Hawkins pulled Copernicus to a stop in front of them.

"Geez, what are you two doing here? Everyone is worried sick about you guys!"

As the three treaded back to the trailer – Téa and the Pharaoh on the horse and the young blonde teen pulling the reins on foot – Rebecca broke the silence. "So, what were you two doing out by the cliffs so early in the morning? And what happened to the Pharaoh?"

Yami and Téa exchanged glances, wondering for a moment whether or not she needed to know about it for the time being. Before either of them could offer an answer, Rebecca scoffed in disgust. "You know what… nevermind. I don't want to know. But next time, leave a note, would you?"

The pair on the horse fought back their laughs as they trotted through the desert. As Yami poorly hid his chortling, Téa could see the light in his eyes again – the eyes she loved, and the light she sought to revive. Perhaps, together, they could win this fight.

THE END