Heart of the Duel: A Yu-Gi-Oh Fanfiction

19: Trapped

"Yugi no!" Kira shouted desperately. "Wake up, Yugi! Wake up!"

Pegasus chuckled behind her. "One down."

Kira gently laid Yugi down, his head in her lap. "Yugi please!" She reached out. 'Yugi! Yami? Someone?'

'Yugi?' Yami's voice sounded. 'I can no longer feel the presence of his young mind.'

"No!" Kira whimpered, tears flowing down her cheeks.

'No!' Yami sounded distraught. 'He can't be gone!'

"Forget him. The boy was too weak. It takes a person of true fortitude to cope with the harsh unrealities of the Shadow Realm. Face it. Yugi is gone, and it's just you two and me now," Pegasus told her from across the arena.

A sob escaped Kira's lips and tears dripped off her cheeks and onto the Millineum Puzzle. Suddenly the familiar white light shined brightly and on her lap, Yugi's body phased into Yami.

"Kira," Yami said as his eyes opened and set on her.

"Yami..." she whimpered. "Where is he? Where did he go?"

"I don't know!" he told her, sitting up and getting to his feet. With one swift motion, he pulled her up alongside him. "Our best chance of bringing him back is getting out of here! I have to win this duel!" Then he turned to Pegasus his eyes darkening as he faced the evil man. "You used your underhanded tactics to overwhelm Yugi's mind! You will pay for what you did!"

"So, I take it, from this emotional outburst, that you are having a difficult time acknowledging the fact that you failed in your self appointed duty to protect your little dueling protege. Whoever you are, perhaps Yugi would have been better off without your interference, hm?"

"Why you little-!" Kira shouted and tried to race around the podium towards Pegasus.

"Kira no!" Yami shouted and grabbed her arm just before she went out of reach. "Stop! It's too dangerous. He's trying to get under my skin!"

"He's not going to stop!" Kira seethed, slamming her fist on the podium. The light around her pulsed with the action, surprising Yami slightly. "He's not going to stop!" It was almost as if her eyes were getting brighter as they filled with rage.

Yami pulled her back by his side and turned back to Pegasus. "Be silent! For what you have done, I will show you no mercy." His words dripped with a darkness Kira had never heard, causing part of her to shrink back in awe. Yet she stood still by his side, fixing her glare on Pegasus.

The man nodded, unphased. "Then let the game continue. It's your turn. You no longer have Yugi to help you. Once more, your mind is an open book to me. The card you drew is winged dragon and guardian of the fortress, a weak monster."

'Pegasus read my mind, so now he knows all the cards in my hand.' Yami thought to Kira. 'The only one he doesn't know is the one Yugi left on the field. Did you look?'

'I did not.' Kira's eyes flashed knowingly. 'I wasn't sure if Pegasus could read my mind, but I know Yugi wouldn't have played it unless there was hope.'

'I have no way of knowing if that's a card that could tip the duel in my favor.' Yami frowned and then spoke up. "I play winged dragon in defense mode!" The dragon screeched as it flew over their heads and landed in front of them, shielding them from Relinquished. "It's your move!"

"Destroying your defense monster won't affect your life points, but I'll do it just for fun," said Pegasus. "Relinquished, destroy the winged dragon." Yami gasped, pulling Kira behind him and shielding her from the purple blast that broke his monster into shards. "Ah, that was fun. Now the card of your final defeat. Your time's run out." A new clock monster dropped into the arena as Pegasus played the card.