#i kind of want to draw yugi again

[erregiulydraws]

*thinks about vol 19’s sleeve illustration*

*thinks about vol 19’s sleeve illustration*

*thinks abo

Bonus:

[ectoplasmer]

i'm supposed to be sleeping but i'm busy sobbing into my hands over ryou for like the fifth time already this week

[donut251155]

The "Yugi twins situation" is NOT incestuous

I'll just analyze stuff people used to "prove" the opposite of this, as someone with a close (PLATONIC!!!) relationship with a sibling

I'll just get straight to the point

This scene is NOT incestuous. They hadn't seen each other for DECADES, it makes sense that Tsukasa reached out to touch Amane - usually if you can't believe you're seeing someone you reach for their face, no? And he just moved his head up (+ the つ (translated as "rub" could just be his hand moving and could be a translation error. Like the "ah…" from Amane, he says "つー" (Tsu) which would've probably been him calling out for Tsukasa)

Also Amane was blushing because he WAS ABOUT TO FUCKING CRY??? IT'S NORMAL TO GET RED WHEN YOU CRY??? That's basic knowledge I fear

He'd seen his brother after AGES, AFTER HE KILLED HIM. I WOULD'VE HAVE CRIED TOO IF I WERE HIM Y'ALL HE'S CRUSHED BY GUILT, GRIEF AND IS HAPPY TO SEE HIS BROTHER AGAIN

I also think that if the scene was supposed to have some incestuous undertones, Tsukasa wouldn't have moved his thumb back.

Someone said this

I believe it doesn't have incestuous undertones for three reasons:

1. He had a dreamy and hopeful face in both cases. Usually, when characters dream of doing anything, even eating a cake or something like that, the artist adds blush to make the desire stronger. Tsukasa's desires were just having fun with his brother at a festival, something COMPLETELY PLATONIC, and knowing that his brother genuinely cares about him (another COMPLETELY PLATONIC thing driven by a sense of insecurity that he got because of how grumpy Amane was while sick. He wanted to hear his brother say "I love you" (PLATONICALLY) for the last time. It's less ambiguous in the Italian version because it's "Amane, tu mi vuoi bene?" which can only be seen as platonic (voler bene is platonic, amare romantic))

2. He looks cuter blushing. He's a child, children are supposed to be cute. He looks depressed without the blush in the first image 💀💀

See? He's cuter with the blush

3. He blushes for like 90% of the time. It makes him cuter, more childlike, he's FOUR YEARS OLD. The blush disappears when the drawing is too small for it to be added, when he's supposed to be confused, scary/creepy or serious.

This part fucking hell. Y'all do not know how four year olds think, do you?? Let me enlighten you

To the four year old Tsukasa, you either love or hate someone. No in between. He isn't talking about romantic love, he's talking about caring about someone, usually deeply. He means the platonic kind of love, it's all he knows. Nene reacted that way because she's 15, to her "love" is the romantic kind of love and she's in love with Hanako, same with Kou - they're teenagers who learnt that romantic and platonic love are different. Tsukasa doesn't know. He loves Amane in a platonic, brotherly way and thinks Nene loves his brother in the same exact way, like every other 4 year old would've assumed

(I reached the max of images :(( I meant the part where Tsukasa asks Nene if she loves Amane and says they're the same after she says she does, her mistaking it as romantic love and him taking it as platonic. Mb guys I'm new to Tumblr)

For the pose where the early manga showed us how Amane supposedly killed Tsukasa: it's not suggestive in any way. It just looks like Amane pushed Tsukasa down, stabbed him and that his knees gave out after he noticed he actually did what he did because of the wave of guilt and grief he felt (he even dropped the knife)

That's all I can think of atm :D

If you have any questions about this, ask ahead and I'll answer them!! I'm ready to answer

And sorry if I sounded a bit pissed off, but I am. I'm so sick of people misunderstanding sibling love lolol if you ship them go fuck yourself and do not talk to me, do not even breathe the same air as me I hate you and you're a disappointment to humanity

[kathairoette]

Various Yugi, Yami, and puzzleship headcanons because one I'm too busy to draw much, and two I wanted to write a little something for myself, just for fun. And you get to see them too (• 3 •) :

Yami’s transition from vengeful vigilante to kind-hearted yet prideful pharaoh was rocky to say the least. Not understanding and not quite willing to accept Yuugi’s kindness, most of his attempts to understand his newfound life was filled with stone-cold faces, confused stares, and offended petulance. But Yuugi is equally stubborn in helping his new friend acclimatize to being human again, so he does his best to teach him, even if not everything he does is successful.

Yami, despite loving Yuugi, doesn’t worship the ground his partner walks on. Instead he sees a person who’s gone through hardship, being lonely and bullied, and still somehow smiling at the end of it, and it amazes him as much as it confuses him. He’s unsure how to proceed with a person who seems so contradictory. Though with time, he recognizes Yuugi's inner strength and resolves to help Yuugi see what he himself saw in his partner.

Yuugi will never admit it, but whenever he gets the chance to become “the strong one” and help Yami out for a change, it gives him a heady feeling that rivals anything he’s felt before. For once, he gets to protect others, something he never gets to do, and plus, he’s protecting the one person who protects everyone else. He, the tiny and small Yuugi Mutou, protecting Yami no Yuugi, the hero! He finally gets the chance to be “the lead” almost, and it brings him greater joy than any other. Ofc he doesn't flaunt it, but it's definitely something he feels and to a degree feels ashamed about. Though he lets himself be arrogant, just a teeny tiny bit.

To Yami though, Yuugi becomes very vigilant and constant in looking out for him, something he does appreciate exclusively from Yuugi when he can no longer stand on his own. 

In terms of love, the spirit only knows it in theory. He loves his partner, he cares for his friends, he loves his home of Egypt, and he loves his priests and his people. But the kind of love where two people love each other, is less foreign and more of unsure territory for him. He recognizes it’s a love that goes beyond what he’s felt for anyone else, but doesn’t know how to approach it. Much less appreciate it. 

Yuugi meanwhile, understands love very well. He’s yearned for it for years, and finally feels it for Yami, his partner and dear spirit. He hides it of course, the world is more important than his feelings, but when it’s all over and he gets the chance to act on them, his desperate heart won’t let him be so selfless. He enjoys and revels in teaching Yami the many ways one could love, as to him, it shows just how much he loves Yami in turn. But he’s equally patient about it, taking it step by step. Sometimes, he’s so gentle that Yami gets impatient, but Yami’s equally weak to his partner’s tenderness, especially when it’s geared towards him. 

Their relationship isn’t fueled by something as small as one’s appearance, nor did it ever start from it. But when those moments come, Yuugi can feel his breath be stolen by Yami’s visage, or Yami blinking when he sees how the light refracts in Yuugi’s eyes. Still, they appreciate each other’s appearance and take full advantage to do so, especially when having separate bodies. They appreciate them as they entirely are, and not for singular details. 

Yuugi likes squeezing Yami’s butt. There isn’t much there, but whatever he gets, he gropes. Yami’s since then no longer bothered to scold him, only giving him a mild glare and blush whenever he does it. Though he always somehow knows when to smack Yuugi’s hand away when they’re out in public events. 

Neither are comfortable to sleep on because they’re quite lanky, even if Yami came back in Atem’s body (trust me, if he really is all muscle then those are rocks dude, not pillows) So instead Yugi and Yami both like taking a pillow and just putting it on themselves so the other can sleep on them. 

Atem, when alive, was a well-meaning king. A little spoiled, since he was such a golden boy, but overall, a good-natured king. He often listens out to his people, gets into quarrels with Seth because of his seemingly soft nature, and tries to be equal in his sense of judgement. But it never changes the fact that he was a young king, and there was much he had left to learn by the time Kul Elna’s history was revealed. These lessons unfortunately, he would never know, not until 3000 years later. 

When Yami/Atem comes back, he doesn’t come back fully human. Being locked in an ancient artifact with the remnants of darkness incarnate changes you. So while he looks human, he still holds control over the shadows and is as much of their slave as he was their master. The only difference is that the shadows don’t scream anymore, and are more or less docile unless Yami riles them up. And they don’t hurt him anymore, so that’s pretty good too. 

[nanabansama]

who was talking to nene in chapter 101? The one who asked her what she thought would happen with the play because of the accident. Do we know what they were talking about yet? I thought it was tsukasa because he appears randomly in 102, but looking at the hand I'm not sure.

The hand was also drawn feminine and did not look at all like how AidaIro draws any of the boy's hands. Honestly it looked like nene's hand.

Oooh, this is a fun time to bring this up again! Your comment about the hand looking like Nene's made me think of doppelgangers. Like what happened in the recent After-school Hanako-kun chapter.

Veeery interesting... And as you say, the hand that taps Nene's shoulder is feminine. When compared to Nene's, it's not all that far off, either...

I have no doubt that the apparition here takes on the form of a girl! But even though I just brought this up myself, I have my doubts about them taking Nene's form... there just isn't much to support this idea, y'know? Nene has pretty generic girly hands. And I personally don't think the new After-School is anything more than a bit of fun. I think AidaIro wouldn't want to ruin the surprise of there being a whole other Nene in a little spin-off chapter, do you?

Some kind of Evil Yashiro would be so fun to see though!! So I wouldn't complain. ♡

Out of curiosity, I also decided to poke around the internet for some urban legends told in schools (school mysteries) and I couldn't find anything that quite matched the encounter Nene had. There were mysterious hands with no visible owner, sure, but tales involving those seem to have them coming out of swimming pools or toilets and grabbing people. But maybe I just overlooked one, who knows!

Anyway, I have no idea who they were or what they were talking about. (∀｀*ゞ) Sorry....

They're clearly talking about the play, though! It's just that what they're saying is so vague, it could mean anything. Basically, what this whole interaction is supposed to do is give us and Nene apprehension about the school play. The word "accident" just sends shivers down your spine, doesn't it!? Makes you wonder what accident happened prior, and how it concerns us in the present day...

But how does this apparition know, and when did this other accident occur? It's hard to say, but considering we haven't seen the play put on in 1968 yet, I have my suspicions it happened in that one. Not only was it also a performance of The Wizard of Oz, but our favorite local troublemaker Tsukasa Yugi had a hand in its production.

Curious, right? That Tsukasa helped prepare the play, but is content to just wait here with Amane? This isn't just Tsukasa being attached to Amane either, mind you... Amane didn't help. Amane cut class. When Tsukasa was helping his class prepare, he did not cut class with him. Maybe it doesn't mean anything, and Tsukasa was just having fun doing arts and crafts and what-not, but there's decent reason to believe that Tsukasa could have sabotaged the play somehow.

Remember, Tsukasa during this period in time has already been proven to have destructive tendencies. He wanted to destroy the Big Clock.

It's not completely out of the question!

This all still doesn't answer who the hand is, of course, but perhaps if the accident the hand is talking about is related to the 1968 production, then the hand has some relation to Tsukasa...? A former classmate, perhaps? Or maybe it's just some nobody ghost that lurked around the Closed Auditorium. Hard to say.

Anyway, that was a whole lotta talking to basically say nothing, huh? But I hope this helped get your brain juices flowing! And I really hope this apparition comes back, too. We desperately need more female characters in the cast, especially after the tragedy of Sumire-chan... (RIP...)

[laquilasse]

I'm so super glad you're into Yugioh now!! I've loved your art forever and seeing you draw the Kaiba bros is a dream come true, you draw them so well! I'm curious though, do you have any ships??

I’m glad you’re liking the yugioh stuff!!! Kaiba bros were meant for me I swear lmao. And in terms of ships, not particularly? To me yugioh is a show about siblings. Seto and Mokuba (and Noa). Ishizu Marik and Odion. Trinity and Joey. And I know not everyone sees it this way but I also see Yugi and Atem as like… siblings isn’t entirely the right word even though I think their interactions give SOOO much older and younger brother energy. But more like they’re two halves of the same soul that were separated and then grew in different ways if that makes sense. But regardless their interactions are more familial to me than anything (though I realize that’s not everyone’s take). (This is also just me playing in the space but I loooooove the idea of Seto and Kisara having the same kind of deal. They’re part of the same soul but her soul is sealed in a stone tablet, and even then she found her way back. Then Kaiba pulls out his 3 blue eyes and it’s like ✌️😜 me n the girliepoos!!!)

The only thing I could say for ships personally is that I’m living in an au in my head where Atem refuses the afterlife and gets to stay in a body of his own, and him and Kaiba have a thing. And then at some point there’s a failed marriage proposal Pride and Prejudice style where kaiba’s like “I am SICK I am ILL I can’t stop thinking about you, I’ve tried, I can’t, it makes me so fucking pissed that I’m obsessed with some broke dweeb that was living in the brain of the dweeb in chief, so just MARRY ME.” And Atem just kind of looks at him like uh huh….ok….and….you thought this phrasing would make me say yes. Well I can’t say I’m surprised that you are once again back on your bullshit.

I also think it’s very funny if Kaiba and Ishizu have a thing specifically because my friend sent me a manga panel of Ishizu saying she was prepared to die if she couldn’t save her younger brother and kaiba’s like “holy shit she’s just like me fr….” But again that exists in a mind palace where Ishizu and Atem are like. Friends with benefits who are both dating Kaiba and he schedules quarterly reviews with both of them wrt The Relationship. So all the shippy stuff to me is purely for comedic effect essentially. Also if all disagreements between the three of them are handled immediately with a duel and smartass comments which I think would be particularly fun to see with Ishizu, because it’s a crime we only got to see her duel once (though she did make Kaiba sweat which was so real of her). I also think that Kaiba deserves to be smacked in the mouth but I like mean people so I wouldn’t want anyone to do it—EXCEPT Ishizu because of all the shit he talked about Marik (even though he was yami Marik at the time). He knows the rules about messing with younger siblings so if she smacks him in the mouth he had it coming.

Anyways tl;dr - all of this to say that the ships aren’t too serious to me, it’s the family relationships that really hooked me on yugioh!!!

[millenniumdueled]

"It's no use, you've already lost!" Weevil Underwood snickers as the Other Yugi draws for his turn. "This foolish king doesn't know when to give up!"

The Other Yugi shoots a glare in the insect Duelist's direction over the card he's just drawn. He summons Breaker, the Magical Warrior in attack mode. Though its attack points initially read 1600, they immediately raise to 1900.

Weevil grins. He activates a trap card, Infestation, that lowers the attack of every monster on both their fields by 100, and inflicts that loss as damage to the owner's lifepoints. Yugi's drop to 500, Weevil's to 3800.

"Oh that's right, I said I'd tell you how to save your partner after this duel, didn't I? But you're going to lose when you end your turn and Poison Butterfy saps your last 500 points!!! What a shame, the look on your face would've been priceless!"

Other Yugi doesn't flinch this time. This pest has been trying to burrow under his skin the entire Duel, he won't let him crawl inside now. He stares his enemy down with abhorrence in his eyes.

But Weevil doesn't stop talking.

"It's killing me not to say it!! Okay, you know what! This Duel is decided, and it's not like your butch little girlfriend over there can save him without you!!"

"Hey!! Come over here and say that to my face, you worm!" shouts Téa from her place on the next traincar down.

"Calm down already, I'm trying to be nice!" Weevil snaps. "Little Yugi's soul is sealed inside a card, and I know where to find it~"

"Why would I believe a lying pest like you anyway?" the Other Yugi hisses.

"Because~~~ My new employer trusted me to win so much--" as he speaks, Weevil reaches his free hand into the pocket of his shorts. After a few agonizing moments, he holds up a Duel Monsters card, reversed, showing Yugi only the back. "--he gave it to me!! Thought I might need a hostage to get your fighting spirit up again, oh Nameless Pharaoh ! Hyuk hyuk hyuk!"

Time seems to stop, even as the scenery rushes past the speeding train.

Other Yugi's eyes go wide.

His heart skips a beat.

Could it be...?

No.

It's more of Weevil's psychological warfare.

Just more taunting.

But could it be...?

Would Doma have really just handed him Yugi's soul?

That was ridiculous--

But it was always the Pharaoh they really wanted--

So could it be--

"You're about to join him anyway, but the least I can do is let you hold onto your precious little partner while I crush you. Come and get him~~" Weevil waves the card back and forth, tauntingly.

Absently, possessed by desperate desire to see his other half again, Other Yugi takes a step forward.

"Yugi, what are you doing?!" Téa gasps.

Weevil laughs. "Wow, it's that easy?! We're in the middle of a Duel! You can come get him but you're gonna forfeit if you do, you know~~!!!! Hyuk hyuk hyuk!!"

Other Yugi stops dead in his tracks, but his eyes stay wide. Téa's voice behind him feels far away. Everything feels far away

His eyes fix on that card.

His chest feels tight, and his pulse pounds in his ears.

It's just another trick, right?

Is it really Yugi...?

He steps back.

"That's what I thought. Well! Since you don't want it, let's get back to the game!" As he speaks, Weevil takes the card between both hands. "No more distractions~"

The cardstock tears easily, straight down the middle.

And Other Yugi's heart stops.

His stomach drops, the blood freezes in his veins.

An agonized scream tears from his throat. The cards in his hand bend as he clenches around them, bringing one fist to his head, the other to his chest.

Weevil just laughs as he lets the two halves go flying off in the rushing wind.

It takes him a few seconds to regain himself, to drops his hands and raise his head. But when he does, it isn't sorrow on Other Yugi's face anymore as he stares down his enemy.

His breaths come as ragged growls, his body shaking with rage. There's murder in his violet red eyes.

"Holy shit, you should see yourself right now. Seriously! You look like some kind of wild animal, hyuk hyuk hyuk!!! That's no face for a king! And over a useless Pillroach, too!"

"What?!" Other Yugi roars.

"Do you seriously think I'd just rip up a card like that? Yugi's soul??? That would be the most valuable card on Earth!!!!! You really are a stupid king, maybe that's why they really erased your name."

"You're the fucking worst!!!" Téa shouts.

"It was a joke! Not my fault you guys are so sensitive!"

But Other Yugi is still shaking with wild rage. "I'll kill you, you bug!" he snaps.

Weevil's laughter stops.

Yugi activates Breaker the Magical Warrior's effect, destroying the Insect Barrier that's been preventing him from attacking. That effect costs Breaker its attack upgrade, dropping it down to 1500. Then, he can attack again with the very Poison Butterfly that Weevil had given him, destroying the only monster protecting the Insect Duelist. Then he attacks again, sending Breaker directly at Weevil's lifepoints.

As the dust clears, Weevil smirks. "That's it? You don't have any monsters left to attack, and Poison Butterfly's effect will drain you out....!!!" He giggles gleefully. "So I still win!!"

"I didn't say 'turn end'," Other Yugi growls.

Weevil steps back. "Now you're bullshitting!!" he cries.

Other Yugi activities a spell called Berserker Soul. He has to discard his entire hand, but that's just fine.

This is the last turn, anyway.

Berserker Soul's effect lets him keep drawing and discarding from his deck, attacking with a monster on his field whose attack is 1500 or less every time, until he draws a non-monster card.

And Breaker's attack sits at 1500 now.

The Pharaoh draws, and Queen's Knight is promptly discarded. Breaker attacks, dropping Weevil's lifepoints from 2200 to a measly 700.

Yugi draws again.

Gazelle the Mythical Beast.

Weevil's lifepoints drop to 0.

But the Pharaoh isn't done. He draws again. Big Shield Gardna goes into the graveyard, Breaker attacks, and Weevil screams.

The Seal of Orichalcos makes every attack real, inflicting pain beyond any solid vision hologram.

But Other Yugi isn't done.

Alpha, the Magnet Warrior.

Weevil screams again.

Yugi draws again, Dark Magician Girl.

Weevil screams.

And Yugi draws again, another monster.

Another monster.

Another monster.

Another--

Finally, Téa's seen enough. This isn't the Yugi she knows. This isnt the Other Yugi she knows, either. She's seen his Shadow Games, she's seen him at his cruelist before. She was there, though blindfolded, when this same man set an escaped convict on fire to save her. She knows what he's capable of.

But this?

This gruesome overkill, this feedback loop of violence he's caught in now?

This isn't him.

"Yugi stop, you already won!!!!!!" she screams. Despite the wind of the speeding train, she jumps across to the car where Yugi and Weevil duel grabbing her friend's hand as the Seal of Orichalcos shrinks in on Weevil.

"Let me go!!" Other Yugi cries.

"You already won! His lifepoints are zero! It's over, please!!! You're spiraling!" Téa begs.

The look in the Pharaoh's eyes is wild as he tries to catch his breath. He's panting, shaking.

Across the field, Weevil is already on his knees, the Seal already faded.

As stillness falls, Other Yugi is able to pull away from his friend's grip. He charges across the traincar to shake a lifeless Weevil by his shoulders. "I won. You promised, so tell me! Where's my Partner!!" Tears stream down his face as Other Yugi begs. "Tell me where my Partner is!!! You promised!!!! Answer me!!!"

Téa's heart breaks. "He... He's gone.. You know that--"

The Pharaoh screams again, shaking Weevil's lifeless body harder. "Weevil!!!!!!" he cries. "Where is my Partner?!?!?! Where is he!!!!!!!"

"Yugi stop!!!!"

Finally, the Other Yugi lets go of his enemy. He falls back onto his own knees, staring helplessly at his own hands.

No.

These aren't his knees.

These aren't his hands.

Téa comes closer, putting a nervous hand on his trembling shoulder. But what can she say...?

As she searches for the words, the runaway train cuts her off with a sharp, loud whine as it rounds a bend. A sound like an explosion splits the air as the brakes give way.

It's all she can do to scream his name again as the traincar, with Yugi, Téa, and Weevil's lifeless body atop, go careening off a cliff.

[twisted-art-wounders]

YGO AU: Breaking the Seal 15

Chapter 15 Traverse

After freeing Yugi from mind control the group meet up with Kaiba and discover more about Doma, but it looks like Raphael has decided to make a move that will push Yami into a trap.

Mai managed to make it to the security office only to be met with a complex computer system she had no idea of how to operate. Luckily at that point Duke had shown up to offer his help and after some tinkering he managed to get the doors to unlock just as Raphael and Valon had left. With the gates open Rex and Weevil managed to make it into the building as well. Joey had made his way back down to the center of the lobby looking defeated and exhausted, he didn't want to look up at anyone especially Yugi.

Yami Yugi had gone up to him and offered a hand only for Joey to turn away again in shame.

“Joey...” Yami said.

“I failed. They got away! I let you down Yugi...” Joey clenched his fists in anger. “I swear...I'll make them pay.”

Joey then felt a hand touch his own, he looked down to see the normal Yugi was in charge again a small and meek smile across his lips. His eyes were a muted purple even more so then before, Yugi just embraced Joey and held him tightly. Joey returned the embrace bending down a bit to fully hold onto him trying to fight back some tears in the corners of his eyes.

Just then Duke and Mai appeared in the lobby together; Mai was impressed with Duke's coding skills, he attributed it to his love of incorporating technology into his games. Thus why he was working with Pegasus on a new project, but he needed to keep it secret for now. As they made their way back to the group Mai was happy to see Yugi and Joey in an embrace and assumed only something good had to have happened, since both of them seemed to have kept their souls but once she approached she did feel an awkwardness in the air, so she asked.

“Guys, what happened?”

Yugi was about to speak but as his lips parted to speak nothing came out form his mouth, it was like he was muted. He quickly covered his mouth and held his throat in shock and fear, he looked up at Joey again trying to speak but nothing came out. Everyone looked down at him surprised by his silence it was like he was a mime.

“Yugi? What's wrong? Why arrant you saying anything?” Tea asked only for Yugi look down and hold his throat.

Joey's eyes widened as he realized it first “Y-You can't talk anymore...can you?” he said bending down a bit and took Yugi's shoulders looking at him sorrowfully.

Yugi could only nod as the bright light from his puzzle glowed again and he swapped places with the other Yugi. He looked up at Joey with a mournful expression on his face he bit his lower lip before speaking.

“It's getting worse...” was all he could say before Kaiba and Mokuba entered the building drawing everyone's attention away to their presence.

After everyone explained about why they were all present at Industrial Illusions to each other; Kaiba wanting to find the real Pegasus after he duelled an an imposter on behalf of DOMA, while Yugi and gang were invited by Pegasus only for him to have gotten his soul captured before their arrival by DOMA. Leaving out the part of it being Yugi himself who'd done so, a thought that made Yugi's stomach turn in shame. Yami Yugi figured Pegasus would have made some kind of arrangement for them if he already knew there was a chance he'd be captured, Duke then remembered there was one door that didn't unlock for him even after he unlocked every door in the building.

Duke had lead the way and the whole grouped followed, Rex and Weevil were upset by the fact they went unnoticed by them. But decided to take advantage of that fact in order to sneak in and hunt for rare cards that may be hidden in that room, so they quietly followed behind them. Using the special key card Yugi was given by Pegasus granted them access to his private room; it was filled with statues modelled after all of his Toon monsters something Kaiba despised greatly.

Soon they were greeted by a talking hologram of Pegasus a visual message of sorts left behind in his absence. The hologram went on to explain that his company had been taken over by an organization called DOMA, a secret society that has worked in the shadows for thousands of years pulling the strings and leading humanity. From an empire's ride and fall, the rise of the arts in the Renaissance, funding the Age of Discovery, to leading revolutions and pushing the Industrial Revolution forward, they had their hands in everything. Anyone who knows the truth about them has always vanished without a trace much like himself now.

Once again DOMA is making a move to meddle in history using Duel Monsters to do so but this time it was far more evil then before. Yugi listened intently from deep within his soul he remembered what the man Gurimo had said that night they duelled, about sacrificing souls to awaken the God of the Orichalcos this must be what their up to! The hologram then told Yami Yugi he had made a special card for him and hid it somewhere in this room, he wanted to give it to him in person but with his capture it would be impossible. Looking around the room Yami noticed Pot of Greed and deduced it had nothing to do with 'Toon World' so it must be in there. Tristan had picked it up and pulled out the card only to find it was blank.

Kaiba dismissed the card as useless but Yami knew here was more to the card then meets the eye; with one final plea from the hologram begging Yami to save the duel monsters and only he could complete this task as the chosen one. The hologram then vanished leaving Joey confused about why a secret society was after Yugi's soul while Kaiba mulled it over in his head for a while he finally remembered something his step father had taught him about DOMA and that was never to mess with them. Kaiba told Yami Yugi to just stay out of it since there was nothing he could do to stop them, but Yami was insistent that they couldn't just sit there and do nothing and that they did have the power to stop them but only if they work together.

He then pulled out his Timeaus card and presented it to Kaiba who shockingly did the same with his card Critas, finally Joey joined them showing off his Hermos card. With all three Legendary Dragon cards together they started to glow intensely. They could all feel the power coursing through their cards embedded with the power that could stop DOMA. Mai watched as she saw all three of the powerful cards in their hands and couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of their “chosen” status as duelists once more, the doubt in her own powers started to resurface in her heart again but she kept it to herself.

“We may be able to defeat Doma if we work together. That is what the cards are telling us! It's our destiny to defeat them!”

Kaiba merely hissed under his breath “Again with this 'Destiny' bull shit. I make my own path Yugi!”

Yami growled “You're still denying this Kaiba? Why can't you see we need your help!”

Kaiba glared down at Yugi putting the card back in his deck “I don't take orders form you! I'll take DOMA down on my own! You can keep playing your little occult games if you want but I live in the <i>real</i> world!”

Kaiba turned and headed for the exit but not before calling back to his brother “Come on, Mokuba. We're done here.”

Mokuba followed after his brother leaving everyone else in the room to watch them exit. No one was all that surprised by his reaction it was typical Kaiba fashion after all. Joey commented on how they didn't need his help and thanks to Hermos he'd have all the power he needed o help him save Yugi. Everyone was happy to see Joey was starting to get his spirit back, but now they had a new problem, they had no idea what to do now.

They needed to find DOMA so they could get Yugi's soul back but without any leads they were stuck. That's when Yami remembered Professor Hawkin's was doing research and he didn't live too far away form here so he would be their best bet. Just then they heard Kaiba's jet power up and fly off before any of them could flag him down and ask for a ride. But Mai reminded them she still had means of transport so she would take them to him which they all agreed to but it might be tight since now they had Duke as well.

But he explained he too had his own car and carry any extra luggage with him. Rex and Weevil both chimed in about being left behind which got Tristan to ask them exactly why they were here in the first place, to which they had no answer for.

“I thought they were with you...that's what they told me.” Duke shot a glare at the two who jumped in surprise.

“Yeah, they're not riding with me, you brought them here they're <i>your</i> responsibility.” Mai flipped her hair before heading out of the room.

Joey and other's followed after her leaving Duke to roll his eyes and wave the two other duelists to follow him. Both Rex and Weevil weren't too happy with the fact that everyone saw their presence as an inconvenience and grumbled to each other about 'getting no respect around here' before leaving with everyone else.

As the group made it back to the lobby Joey stopped dig into his deck pulling out a card before turning to Yugi and presenting it to him, it was Dark Magician.

“Here Yug, this belongs to you.” Joey smiled “He really pulled my iron outta the fire!”

Yami smiled and took the card form him looking at it with a proud smile before looking back up to Joey.

“Yes. This card is an incredible partner in battle and I'm glad it was able to help you, Joey.”

Everyone had stopped and watched the exchange happen, which brought up the question of just how it happened in the first place. Yami Yugi never explained it to them back during the duel after all and it was just a huge coincidence Joey drew it at all.

“That reminds me...how on earth did it end up in your deck in the first place Joey?” Tea looked back asking.

Joey blinked since he did think about during the duel and had his theory but really it all boiled down to one thing. “Pure luck on my part.” he shrugged.

“Wow should take you to Vegas one day.” Mai grinned.

“You may end up broke if you do that.” Tristan joked making Joey fume a bit.

“I don't think it was luck Joey...it was fate that guided this card to you. And you drew it just when you needed it, you welded it quite well I'd say.” Yami smiled up to Joey before placing the card back in his deck.

Joey chuckled and winked “Only cause I've seen you use it a million times! But magic is more you're thing Yug, I'll stick to warriors thanks!”

Once they were outside they sorted out a few things to make it easier for them all to fit into Mai's Jeep; she insisted Yugi ride in the front but he explained Tea would be a much better navigator and he felt fine sitting in the back. She shrugged her shoulders and allowed him to do so, not that she minded having Tea's company at all but she just wanted to make sure he was alright.

That's when Tristan finally decided to ask about what she had hidden under the tarp in the trailer she was towing. She grinned and pulled it up a little to reveal a hot red sporty motorcycle, everyone was a agst to see it especially Joey who proclaimed

“You can ride a motorcycle!?”

Mai chuckled and put the tarp back down securing it “I told you I'm a woman of many talents and skills. Maybe if you're good I let you watch me ride it.”

Joey pouted a bit as Tristan and Yami entered the Jeep; Tristan commenting on it's make and model and how much he enjoyed these kinds of motorcycles, Mai was impressed with his knowledge about motorcycles. He told her he'd been trying to teach all his friends how to ride bikes like him but only Tea was really good; Joey had trouble keeping straight while Yugi had a hard time trying to keep balance since his height was very limiting to what he could ride and Tristan didn't have a bike small enough for him to practice on properly.

Mai chuckled a bit at that, she knew Yugi was small and it was awkward for him to do many things but something was just too funny thinking about him trying to ride a bike much too big for him that made her giggle. Tea was enjoying her time in the front seat again but her thoughts still fell onto Yugi and how he was feeling. She looked back in the car's mirror and saw Yami Yugi looking out of the window his mind was not there at all.

Inside Yugi's mind Yami decided to check in on his partner and see how he was feeling;

//Yugi? Are you feeling alright?//

Yugi looked down but answered //I'm...fine.//

Yami knew it was a lie //Partner, it's just us...tell me what's wrong.//

Yugi paused for a moment before lamenting //I'm scared other me...I took Pegasus's soul! I thought I was having a dream but then it turns out it was real! I did that to him! I hurt him!//

Yugi's hands were shaking as he continued //They made me duel Joey! I- I thought I was dueling the evil Marik! And I almost took his soul too!//

Yugi started to tear up and looked at Yami. //I almost killed my best friend...//

//It wasn't your fault Yugi, they tricked you! You had no idea what they were doing to you. Don't blame yourself.//

//What happens next time huh? If they use my soul like this again? What happens if next time I can't tell the difference!? What if they make me fight someone else!// Yugi's tears welled up more as he looked down at his hands before looking away from Yami.

//What if they make us fight each other? What if <i>we</i> have to fight?//

Yami paused watching Yugi; his eyes were wavering he didn't like to- no he didn't <i>want</i> to think about that scenario, having to fight his partner? How could he even imagine that...he sighed and gave Yugi a light smile taking his chin between his fingers and lifting his head up so they could look each other in the eyes...Yugi's muted purple-nearly grey eyes...lacking the life they once held.

He finally answered. //You don't need to worry about that because I will get your soul back to you before they can do such a thing. //

His words danced in Yugi's mind now; he knew the other Yugi had this special charm about him, this charisma that naturally made people gravitate towards him. This is what made Yugi trust him, why he felt he <i>should</i> trust him no matter what. But inside he still felt the weight doubt pressing down on his heart... he could feel it in his voice somehow he knew Yami was hiding his true feelings from him...just like he was.

Yugi gave the other Yugi a smile now and nodded.

//Yup! I know I can always count on you, Other Me.//

--

Meanwhile in Duke's car he held onto the extra luggage in the back seat, while Rex and Weevil sat in the trunk angerly. But they both commented on how that strange card had made Yugi much stronger and if they followed them maybe they could find away to get their hands on this same card to become unstoppable.

As they all made their way down the road, way up top on a mountain of rocks in the dessert Valon and Raphael stood with their bikes beside them. Raph had just finished bandaging Valon's arm, it was going to be hard for him to ride his bike in his condition so they called for an air lift from Alister and we're awaiting his arrival.

Valon was furious; he didn't want to leave like that turning tail form Wheeler and the Pharaoh but thanks to his injury it was for the best.

“I don't get it the brat had that duel won why'd he back out?”

“We underestimated his connection to Wheeler...Yugi's friends are an asset to him and something we didn't calculate for.”

Valon got up slowly trying to keep himself stable, the fall still hurt and while trying to walk he felt a bit unbalanced, luckily Raphael was there to lend a hand in keeping him stable which was always appreciated.

“Not to mention they got another dragon free...”

“All three dragons have now been released by their chosen duellist...” Raphael looked out over the horizon line while Valon clenched his fists in anger.

“I'll take Wheeler down next time! No more excuses he's dead!” Valon hissed.

“Take it easy we should focus on the Pharaoh, once we have him the rest wont matter anyway.”

Raphael looked down at Valon who looked back to him and asked.

“You want to go after him so soon? How do we draw him out?”

He nodded “He's vulnerable at the moment since he must be worried about his vessel. Besides I know where they're going and I've made arrangements for them...” Raphael grinned looking into the sky as a black helicopter made it's way towards them Alister at the wheel of course, the taller man waving him down to their location.

--

At the same time Professor Hawkin's was in his laboratory going over his research on what he discovered recently in the Atlantic Ocean. Rebecca had gone to the store to gather groceries for their diner that night. As she rode up on her horse Billy she saw a black helicopter descend and land in front of her grandfather's home, a few people wearing helmets dressed in all black ran into the house and took Professor Hawkins into the helicopter before taking off to the sky. Rebecca attempted to chance after them on horse back only for the house to explode behind her sending her and Billy flying into the ground. As she watched the helicopter take off a single card floated down and landed in front of her she read the words on the back before crying out for her grandfather while behind her everything burnt to the ground.

It was a few hours later and night had come when Mai and Duke had pulled up the smouldering ashes of what once was Professor Hawkin's home; Yami got out of the truck and looked around at the mess before him he called out for the Professor and his granddaughter. Everyone else exited the the vehicles as well looking around at the devastation as well. Suddenly Rebecca appeared once she confirmed these visitors were friends.

“Yu-Yugi?” she said timidly

Yami looked over to her and called out her name again “Rebecca! Are you alright?”

Rebecca could only start to cry as she ran over and hugged Yugi tightly “My Grandpa! Yugi they took him! They took my Grandpa!” she wailed in sorrow.

Everyone watched as the two hugged each other, Yami bought her close and returned her hug trying to comfort her while still feeling slightly awkward for it.

“It's going to be okay Rebecca, whoever took him we'll get him back...”

Later they all gathered in the small RV owned by the Professor for long road trips to dig sites; Tea had just turned off the kettle that had began to whisile she was pouring out a cup of tea to give Rebecca. They had all listened to her story about the helicopter that came down and took her grandfather away before their home was blown up, all his research and work gone up in flames in a matter of moments. The question as to why the Professor was targeted came up and the only explanation they agreed upon was it was the work of DOMA. As Pegasus's hologram had stated earlier that day anyone who tried to investigate DOMA always ended up missing...

With no real ideas coming to mind they all decided it was best to just eat, and hopefully come up with plan by the morning after some rest. Duke volunteered to help with the cooking along with Tristan and Tea, Mai told the group since she drove she was excused form cooking so she let herself out to off load her bike and hopefully into a change clothes.

“Uh Rebecca right?” Mai addressed the younger blonde girl who nodded at her before she continued “By any chance you wouldn't happen to have a shower in this RV do you?” Mai asked as polightly as she could.

“Oh yes! It's over there” she pointed now the back of the RV “help yourself- Miss...” Rebecca tried to to be just as polight to the new stranger.

“Mai, You can call me Mai” She gave a wink with a gentle smile.

Rebecca smiled back and nodded to her.

--

Back at DOMA's HQ the Swordsmen had arrived and made there way down to Dartz's office to give him an update on their mission and to drop Valon off for treatment. Dartz had just left the temple and entered the office building using his mirror portal, he left the office and confronted his three employees in the hallway. Hands behind his back he approached them with an unamused expression on his face, all three stopped and half bowed to him.

“Master Dartz, We've returned.” Raphael spoke up first.

“I can see that. So I take it your missions didn't go as well as I'd hoped?” Dartz's words cut through each of them making them all look in any direction except straight ahead, making eye contact with Dartz when he held that tone was difficult to say the least.

“We all ran into slight problems, sir...” Alister spoke next trying to keep the shame from building up in his chest, he really hated to admit his failure.

“Yes, all three dragons have been released and are in the hands of your targets...this will make gathering their souls rather difficult for you.” Dartz kept his tone low but his disappointment was ever present.

“Well boss ya see we was gonna get the souls! it's just-”

Valon had to bite his tongue to keep himself form arguing with Dartz about what happened at Industrial Illusions earlier, he could see form his expression he wasn't in the mood to hear a word form them.

So Raphael needed to step in.

“I have a plan, Master. We only returned to drop Valon off first he obtained an injury and needs treatment. But Alister and I will be on our way to confront the Nameless Pharaoh and I will return with his soul, Master. ”

Dartz eyed Raphael with a cold glare that seemed to pierce right into his heart, like a snake starting down it's prey keeping it still until it would strike. Finally Dartz closed his eyes and gently smiled walking over to Alister he held out his hand and gestured for him to 'give him' something.

At first Alister wasn't sure what he wanted but then it hit him, the stone he had form the night before, he quickly pulled it out and handed it back to Dartz who placed his hand back behind his back and turned from them.

“Very well...be on your way then.” He dismissed the other two with a wave of his free hand; the blonde and red headed man bowed again before turning and walking down the hall together entering the elevator to gain access o the roof.

While inside the tight elevator they could feel the sense of relief wash over both of them, escaping Dartz's presence when he was in that kind of mood always felt like rain after a hot muggy day. Good to cool down from the heat but you still have the lingering presence of something uncomfortable in the air.

“I hope you know what you're doing, Dartz's is already in a mood.” Alister spoke to the blonde man beside him. “You can't fail.”

Raphael nodded “Trust me what I have planned will guarantee a victory for DOMA.”

Alister knew Raphael was a man of his word and knew he would succeed no matter what, so to finally to break the tension in the small space he asked

“So... how did he actually hurt himself?” He was talking about Valon.

“Filtering with a blonde.” Raphael answered quickly making Alister roll his eyes in annoyance.

“Figures.”

This left Valon alone with Dartz; Valon was already uncomfortable with the thought of being alone with this man. From his demonstration earlier he knew not to mess around with Dartz, like he felt before something ancient and powerful seemed to sleep inside this man. And while Valon did love a good fight one thing he kept to heart was never to mess with anyone crazier then himself, and Dartz had an aura of crazy he didn't vibe with in the slightest.

Dartz approached Valon with a gingerly smile and held out his hand to him now.

“I'll need that stone back.”

Valon nodded quickly and dug into his pocket feeling around for a moment before pulling out the stone and handing it back to Dartz.

“Sorry boss but uhhh field test didn't go as well as we hoped...” Valon looked up then down then back to Dartz who examined the stone before placing it back into his front breast pocket next the one he retrieved form Alister earlier.

“Well that is the very definition of a field test Valon. It helps us to find and test variables we may have missed. And how to better improve our tactics...”

Dartz placed a hand on Valon's non injured shoulder. It sent a chill up Valon's spine with just how unworldly Dartz's aura always felt. His hand was cold to the touch, which was odd you'd think since he was inside his hands would be warmer. Val was sweating a bit as he could feel his predator like glare rip into the back of his head, judging him like a price of meat. It was like Dartz wasn't really human at all...

After what felt to Valon like an eternity Dartz smiled and released his hold with a small pat on the shoulder.

“Head to medial office and have that arm looked at, I don't want you out of commission long you know. We have work to do...”

Valon grinned nervously and nodded quickly “Y-You got it sir!”

He gave a quick salute then headed down the hallway happy to get some distance form his boss, happy to be away from that encounter with his soul still intact. Now his mind drifted to the medical bay and the cute nurse who always helped patch him up after his rougher missions. He couldn't help but blush at the thought of her taking care of him again.

Once he was out of sight Dartz's expression changed back to a bit of a scowl before he re-entered his office shutting the door behind him. He walked back to the head of the long table and sat at the front chair turning around to face the wall.

Closing his eyes he thought to himself “So...his 'friendship' his bonds are that strong...but it can still be broken. Just like any bond there are 'weak links' And right now I need to sever one very annoying link... ”

Dartz pulled the stones out from his pocket and they began to glow, he grinned and he watched them hmm with energy.

“There is still doubt in his heart about the Pharaoh...Time to let it manifest.”

--

Mai sat in the back of her Jeep's flatbed after a much needed shower and a change of clothes; a pair of shorts and a oversized t-shirt along with keeping her hair tied up in a pony tail. She sat bare foot looking over at the RV were everyone else was inside serving their meal, it's not like she didn't want to join them it's just sometimes she felt the need to be on her own. And after today's events she really needed a bit of down time, but still she could hear them all inside talking eating and arguing and some part of her wanted to be a part of it...but something was holding her back.

She laid back and looked up at the sky, there wasn't a cloud for miles just endless blue with the faint twinkles of stars far away. Mai closed her eyes and couldn't help but think about what Valon had said to her, about being afraid to lose... deep down she knew it was true. She was afraid to lose again, afraid to go back to that horrible place...She clenched her fists a bit as the memory played back in her mind, she bit her lip trying not to scream.

“Yo! Mai!” a voice shouted

She yelped sitting up quickly looking around for the source of the voice only to see Joey standing in front of her with 2 plates of food in his hand and under his arm two cans of soda.

“Wheeler express delivery service! Please give me a positive review on-” He grinned widely before he finally noticed her reaction and tilted his head. “Uhh... you okay?”

Mai sighed in relief before changing her expression into and annoyed one “Don't scare me like that you doofus!”

“Hey I was just bringing ya some dinner! Chill out will ya!” Joey huffed presenting the plate to her.

“Oh right...” she shyly accepted the meal form him along with the soda can, she crossed her legs now and placed the plate in her lap before resting her drink by her side.

Joey watched her get comfortable before he asked “So...you want some company or -”

“It's a free country, but if you chew while you talk you're outta here.” Mai winked taking the fork into her hand.

“I assure you I'm a fine eater!”Joey grinned before sitting down next to her, he pulled out his own fork and started to eat.

As they ate and watched the RV they started to talk.

“So you work food delivery? I thought you were still in high school how can you-” Mai asked before Joey cut in.

“I get special permission from the school to work so I can pay my school fees and other things...my old man isn't the most reliable care giver you know.”

Mai didn't know that, but she knew how it felt to have to look after yourself like that it wasn't easy...especially at a young age.

“I get it, gotta look out for yourself somehow. I was working on cruise ships after I got out of school, made pretty good money but just not fulfilling you know?”

“That's when you turned to Duel Monsters right?”

She nodded “Gave me some form of power in my life...felt like for once I finally had some control...” Mai looked down at her half eaten plate of food, she pushed some of the noodles around now. “but now...I feel like I barely have it anymore.”

Joey took a sip off his soda before her looked at her and asked “Whatdda mean?”

Mai paused for a bit; she was so used to keeping things inside never showing her true emotions, it's so easy for people to take advantage of you when you do. But around Joey...after everything they'd gone through...might be time to finally let something out.

“That goggle headed guy asked me to join DOMA...and I considered it.”

Joey nearly choked on his drink as he yelled out “Mai! Why would you wanna join these world ending monsters!?”

Mai glowed and glared at him “I said I <i>considered</i>it I wasn't planing on joining them! God clean out your ears!” She huffed before looking down at her food again.

“He promised me that card...the Seal of Orichalcos would make me powerful...powerful enough to control even God cards...It made me think back to Battle City when I duelled the evil Marik....and how I could have won if I had just be able to play Ra!” Mai gripped her fork and grit her teeth a bit.

Joey watched her, he did feel empathy towards her if he'd been able to stay conscious long enough during his duel with Yami Marik he would have saved Mai sooner and won Ra away from Yami Marik in the process... He bit his lip feeling a tinge of gilt at his own actions.

“Now all I can think about is being sent to that horrible nightmare world if I ever lose again! I just...I'm just so scared to lose now!” Mai had tears forming in her eyes she scrubbed them away quickly and tried to force a smile.

“Look at me...I can't believe I've become so weak...” she sniffled out.

“You're not weak, Mai. We're all afraid to lose.” Joey told her bluntly making her chuckle half heatedly and throw her head back leaning further back in the flat bed.

“Thanks for trying to make me feel better but-” She was cut off now as Joey looked at her with a serious expression.

“You don't think I'm scared of losing? Hell I was <i>just</i> in a duel were I could have lost my soul! Every time you duel you face the fact you could fail and trust me I've failed more times then I could count! But that cannot be your only reason to duel Mai.”

She was confused by his words... so she asked “What is the point in playing this game if it isn't to win? We put so much of ourselves into dueling. So when you duel you're putting your own life- your own reputation- your pride on the line!” Mai glared at him and crossed her arms waiting for an answer.

“Yeah you do and what do you have if you lose all that huh? Duelists are always so up in their own ass about their 'pride' this and their 'pride' that But all it does is make you blind to what really matters in life! ”

Mai rolled her eyes since she knew what was coming next “God don't tell me the 'friendship' thing again...”

“Mai I was gonna lose to Yugi in that duel!” Joey said bluntly making Mai stop and stare at him in disbelief.

“The only reason we both survived that duel and one during Battle City was because of our friendship! Our connection to each other! It was strong enough to over come whatever evil was controlling him.”

“...Mai dueling can be about pride and if that's what you duel for then that's up to you, but I don't duel just to win. I do it to test myself and see how far I can go! If I lose then I lose but at the end of the day I'm still Joey Wheeler; Student at Domino High, Older brother of Serenity, Best Friend to Yugi. And as long as I have those things with me I'm gonna keep dueling because it's fun! Once it stops being fun then I'm done.” Joey smiled at her making Mai blink and blush.

She never really thought about it before; outside of money and power what else was she dueling for? What could she honestly say would be worth fighting for in her life? She paused for a moment before turning to Joey and smiling.

“You just got it all figured out huh?”

Joey shrugged “Eh for the most part.”

His answer made her chuckle again and she could feel the heaviness in her heart start to lighten a bit as they both looked up at they stars together. //I wish I had the answer...// she wondered before she heard the sound of the RV door open and for Yami Yugi and Rebecca to exit the camper and walk off together.

Joey and Mai both watched then looked at each other wondering where the two were off to...

--

While Rex and Weevil sifted through the endless ruins of the burnt laboratory hoping to find some rare cards the Professor may have had hidden in his home. They quickly hid once they heard Yami and Rebecca stop in front of the burnt shell of the Professor's home. Rebecca had asked Yami to come with her outside after they'd finished eating dinner. Yami's heart was heavy as he looked at the chard remains behind them, he turned his attention to Rebecca now and asked

“What did you wish to talk about?”

“Uhmm Pharaoh-Yugi? Can I speak to my Yugi please?” Rebecca blushed looking up at Yami pleading.

Yami blinked then looked away a bit “Rebecca...Yugi can't speak to you right now...but if you wish I can transcribe what he says to you-”

“No!” Rebecca said bluntly making Yami jump a bit before she corrected her volume and manner to be calmer and softer.

“No, I mean I know he can't physically talk to me right now...” She rubbed her hands a bit looking down but then lifted her head up again.

“But I just...I just need his presence right now...” She finished with a small sigh in her voice.

Yami looked down at her with a soft smile, he gave a quick nod with a wink and with a flash of light Yami and Yugi traded places again. As Yugi took over his grey eyes fell on Rebecca, he had a weak smile on his face just before he lost power in his legs and started to fall down. Rebecca quickly caught him and helped him to stand up again.

“Yugi!” she yelled.

Yugi mouthed a 'thank you' to her his eyes half lidded and his skin looking more grey then before, this shocked Rebecca since just moments ago he looked healthy... then again that was the Pharaoh not Yugi.

“Oh Yugi...you look awful! What's happening to you?”

Yugi wanted to speak but he knew no words would come out if he did then he got an idea, he dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He typed away at it before showing her the message on his screen.

<i>-It's a long story, but I'll be fine. I'm more worried about you! I'm so sorry for what happened to your home and grandpa! I promise I'll get him back for you!-</i>

Rebecca read then shook her head with a small smile “It's not you're fault Yugi...and I know you'll get my Grandpa back...I believe in you.” She smiled wider to him.

Yugi smiled too but then he noticed she looked down again and dug into her own pocket now pulling out a card and presenting it to him.

“Yugi, the guys who took my grandpa left this behind...I didn't say anything earlier because I wasn't sure what to do...”

Yugi read the card;

<i> //Nameless Pharaoh, Meet me at Death Valley at sunrise alone, if you want the Professor to be set free. -Raphael of DOMA.// </i>

Yugi gripped the card a bit before he typed at his phone again.

<i>-Where is Death Valley?-</i>

Rebecca pointed over the horizon “Death Valley? It's over that way, about an hour away form here if you drive.”

<i>-Rebecca, I'm going to go face him on my own, please don't tell the other's okay?-</i>

Yugi gave her a strong but firm look, at first she wanted to argue but she gave in quickly saying

“Okay...just please be careful...”

Yugi nodded to her and both looked towards the horizon together, unnoticed by them Rex and Weevil had eavesdropped on just enough of their conversion to know Yugi was going to face DOMA and it would be the chance they needed to gain the power they wanted. They both chuckled silently thinking about how they would follow him into the den of death only to come out on top over him.

[2n2n]

Any theories on what the next chapter will be like? Do you think they would find out about Amane or will Aida Iro show us just a little of Amane's past again?

I don't really do 'next chapter' theories! Iro-sensei often has a very unconventional and unpredictable way of going about things moment to moment, after all....

Let's look at Picture Perfect. I could have hypothesized broad concepts like...

-tackling the concept of 'fantasy' or 'ideal'; this tying into Nene-chan's life, being a ghost VS living -escapism not as something pleasures, but a form of self-rejection and defeatism, for Hanako -Amane-kun definitely being Hanako, and becoming a temporary antagonist -Amane-kun not being a sincere or earnest representation of what Hanako wants, or is.

I couldn't have ever predicted....

-anything about Shijima-san, a new character with a new history -Tsukasa and Hanako actively working together-- unprecedented! -Tsukasa actively helping Nene-chan escape this world (little to imagine of his feelings or interactions with her at this point!!!) -it not being necessary to kill Amane to escape (would have sooner thought killing him was thematically appropriate when considering 'accepting' a ghost); the existence of a random other way out -everything with the paint brush and Shijima-san's splitting identity taking so many forms.... including the gap between living and rumor Shijima-san (even after learning about shijima-san, who could have possibly anticipated how warm & charming living Mei-chan was, how much she'd like Nene-chan? Even after meeting Shijima-san, we couldn't have predicted what she was like alive.)

This goes for any arc, really. Who could have imagined new conduits for understanding kaii history in the form of Sumire and Hakubo? The entirety of the Far Shore arc is the reveal of these two's story, and the continuation of the manga's themes furthered therein....

Instead of chapter-to-chapter, I like to focus on themes or story beats we can more broadly anticipate or figure might be coming, based purely on what is waiting to be revealed or what was set-up just before in the previous arc. What I think is...

-Nene-chan will NEED to learn about the Yugi's past in order to understand what was 'changed' to remove 'Hanako-kun' from the timeline. That could involve talking to Tsukasa, who she just spent the last couple chapters hanging out with. Aida-sensei has been drawing them interacting a lot in general... so, maybe we should anticipate more Tsukasa and Nene-chan, given that they coexist in this school right now. Tsukasa is an entity that answers questions... Nene-chan has questions! She had just dwelled on Tsukasa's curious loneliness before the trial...

-Aoi seems to pause on Akane! I think Akane using 'Ao-chan' could stir her memory to recall her past. Maybe not so soon, though? I'm also not sure what Aoi would really feel about Akane choosing to not explain everything to her... she does resent lying a lot... she could be underhanded in this situation or only perform having no memory...

-Teru recently had his character development with Kou after the Far Shore, opening up to him, just before this arc beginning. Maybe Teru's broad conflict would be whether he wants this 'ideal' timeline with Aoi, or his history with his little brother. I personally think Teru values his family above ALL else, so I don't think he's really invested in this Aoi thing. That said we've never explored his Aoi thing seriously at all, so who knows if we finally will? It feels like 'the time' to either address it as serious or as unserious!

-we will surely learn what the absolutes of Amane's personality and decisions are. Just what kind of determination does Amane have, for the Clockkeepers to have made their earnest attempt to destroy Tsukasa, and for him to have successfully preserved some form of Tsukasa anyway? What is it that makes Amane exert so much power over Tsukasa, no matter the situation he's in, no matter what is stacked against him?

DISTRACTING DELUSIONS CORNER:

-AHHNNNGGGG G GG I WANT NENE-CHAN TO BECOME TSUKASA-KUN'S KANNAGI IN ORDER TO WORK WITH HIM!! TO GAIN THE POWER TO PEEL YORISHIRO AGAIN!!! !! !! ! ! ! pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase it would be hot and thought provoking............................................

[bakawitch]

Since my last one already got answered, I wanna know about close&open instead, if you let me :p

No worries, this is the one I'm actually focusing on writing the most at the moment

So this is a very gemshippy fic, sprinkled with some puzzle and fadeshipping on the side. (Surprise, surprise, I ship that, too.)

So the plot for this is basically Yugi asks Ryou for help to commune with Atem, but the spell gets interrupted and does something completely else. Namely, opening a gateway to the darkness and dumping a bunch of evil spirits tainted by the millennium ring on Domino, including our favourite thief, our favourite relapsed murder gremlin and our favourite body hijacker. Only problem is that they're all basically yokai now and are all given way too much power for unstable spirits.

The fic mostly follows Ryou and Bakura after they end up living in the same apartment again. Bakura somehow actually ends up finding an honest job at a convenience store at a train station (hence the title) and starts paying actual rent. They work through their issues, have fun little ghost adventures, and fight the spirits of random historical figures that all owned the Ring at some point. And yeah, they also end up in the same bed.

Also, Bakura ends up kind of getting adopted by a father figure into a familiar community.

I started drawing this thing from a scene in the fic, but I ended up hating because of many reasons (mainly that I made Bakura look to neat, thanks brain autopilot)

(Fun fact, Miho is the only one who speaks like that in the whole fic, she's the only one who uses honorific for some reason, I decided would be funny when I was sleep deprived)

Now behold! The only thing I have saved on my phone for this fic! An unedited dialogue between Ryou and Bakura:

"What's this?"

"Money."

"I- I see that. I meant what it is for."

"Rent. Didn't you read the envelope?"

"I did, but," "Why?"

"You said you'd prefer money over the souls of the innocent."

"Where did you get it from?"

"From work? I got paid yesterday."

"You did."

"Yes."

"Is that it, or did you want something else?"

"I'm not taking this."

"Why not?"

"You stole it, right? Payday just means an exceptionally good day for thieves, doesn't it?"

"I did not steal anything."

"Well, I don't -"

"Don't believe me?"

"You told me to find work, so I did."

"You told me to pay rent with money, so I did."

"What else do you want from me?"

[thelunarfairy]

Hii again1!!1 xd Goodnight, since I'm typing this at night.. And we have the same timezones so- Uhh Good morning? You'll probably read it tomorrow... It's midnight rn so-- alrr i'll get to the point now...

I said this before in one of my posts, but I wanted to hear ur thoughts about it so- (if u want to talk about it ofc xd)

About the hand that appears misteriously in chapter 101... I've been thinking about chapter 106 and while reading your last post about it...

"A voice beckons from the darkness" (What chapter is this, by the way? I completely forgot about it- I just stole that image from your last post lol)

"But whatever you do, you mustn't respond."

Those 2 phrases parallels those 2 panels so much- I don't know if it's just a coincidence or really something to take in, but it's just something that I noticed while reading your post xd

The hand that appears to Kou reminds me of the Twins' hand to be completely honest (fingers that seems a lil' bit more larger than the others), while the hand that appears to Nene reminds me of hers (delicate fingers) xD But then again, just like u said; it might just be Aida's style of drawing the girls' and boys' hands.

Ohwell-

Have a good night, afternoon, or day! <3

Hello again :DDD how are you? hahaha you got it right I only read it this morning

"A voice beckons from the darkness, but whatever you do, you mustn't respond."

Wow you made an amazing association here, I really liked this because it makes total sense! The hand appeared out of complete nothingness and disappeared in the same way. Yashiro answered her and this voice came bringing a bad omen (even the title of chapter 101 is called an omen, this is the chapter in which the hand appears), an accident that happened and which apparently could happen again.

If this was the consequence of her responding (the accident) then it could happen again. I've been thinking about what kind of accident it would be. In the other post I talked about the big clock that broke, but I stopped to think about something today.

I thought about the possibility of this accident being directly related to the twins' deaths, but it didn't seem to make much sense.

Apparently, the twins were 12 years old at the time of the flashback festival, as they are in the first year of middle school (in Japan the first year class is made up of 12 year old students) but Yugi doesn't live long enough to the next festival as they die at the age of 13, shortly after July 22nd before the summer holidays. Amane does not kill Tsukasa anywhere near the school festival. So this could rule out the hypothesis

But what if this accident was responsible for making Amane decide to kill Tsukasa? The festival is directly linked to the twins and Tsukasa told Nene that he would show her more about Amane when he reappeared to her. So he will show it to her during the festival because it is related to Amane's past.

Have you ever thought how crazy it would be if Tsukasa was ordering Amane to fix the clock just to show Nene about Hanako's past? XD (just a joke)

Now I have this in my head, is the accident related to the motivation or the death of the twins? (there are thousands of other hypotheses, omg) hahahaha

Yes the mysterious hand resembles Amane's when she pokes Yashiro, but it later resembles a girl's in the second panel, so it remains mysterious.

Note. The chapter where Hanako's hand appears before Amane tries to make Kou faint is 50

I hope you liked it, thanks for the ask! ;)

[bastetwastaken]

A lovely little prompt for a very kind individual @inlovewithatem which is short and sweet and hopefully the right amount of comfort ^.^

Thank you friend for your help last month, it was so appreciated and life saving. I hope life is treating you well and that this prompt makes you smile <3

Setting is technically the Double Exposure universe (cause I can't put those boys down) But you could read it outside of that too, there's not too many fic specific references <3

...........

Yugi wasn’t sure what woke him but something did. 

He cleared his throat and sighed softly, it took him a while to remember where he was, the sheets around him weren’t his own but his confusion passed when he remembered that he was staying in a hotel with Atem. 

A very lavish hotel which he wasn't quite used to the idea of yet, but still. 

He rolled over to face Atem, refusing to open his eyes in an attempt to hold onto sleep for just a little longer. 

He reached out to pull his boyfriend closer to him but his hand found only empty sheets. 

With a frown he opened his eyes only to confirm that Atem wasn't next to him. He glanced at the clock on the other side of the room, it was early in the morning. 

He supposed that wasn't too out of the ordinary though, he'd probably just got up to use the bathroom or something. 

He closed his eyes once more and slipped effortlessly back into sleep. 

….

His eyes opened again. The first thing he noticed was that Atem still wasn't there. He glanced at the clock. He'd been asleep for another hour since he last woke up. 

Something wasn’t right.

He pushed himself up, blinking away the last remnants of sleep as he listened for signs of his boyfriend. The hotel room they were in was a large suite but still, he should be able to work out where Atem was. 

Nothing obvious presented itself so he decided it was best to get up and go look for him. He slipped on the first piece of clothing he found which happened to be Atems shirt but it fit him just fine. 

Slowly he opened the bedroom door which led into the main area of the suite. He found Atem sitting on the large sofa in the middle of the room, the TV quietly playing a movie Atem loved. 

The glow of the screen illuminated his boyfriend's face and Yugi knew immediately that he’d been up for a long time. He looked so tired. 

Atems eyes drifted from the screen over to him and a small smile which didn’t reach his eyes worked its way onto his face.

“Hey.” Atem said quietly.  

“Hey.” He smiled softly as he leaned against the doorframe. “How long have you been awake?” 

Atems eyes didn’t move from the TV but he shrugged as he said “About two hours.” 

“Oh, Tem.” He sighed, walking into the room and joining his boyfriend on the sofa, pulling his legs up under him in an attempt to stay warm. “Why didn’t you wake me?” 

“I didn’t want to bother you.” Atem said softly, still not looking at him. 

“You’ll never bother me.” He said softly, reaching out to place his hand over one of Atems. “Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah.” Atems answer was quick, too quick. Yugi knew him better than that. “I just couldn’t sleep.” 

Atems hand turned to hold his properly, but he knew there was something his boyfriend wasn’t saying. Not that it was uncommon for Atem to be this way with him, he’d always tried to hide his true feelings…his pain, from him after all. 

“Okay.” He said, shifting to lean against Atems side, head on his shoulder, knowing that contact always calmed him. The hand on his tightened and Atems head tipped to rest against his. “I’m here. You don’t have to talk, but I’m here.” 

Atem hummed and that was enough for him to know that he’d heard him and taken in what he’d said at least. He knew Atem, he knew that eventually he’d open up but until then he just needed to be patient. 

He could feel his eyes closing again, sleep trying to draw him back in but he fought to stay awake for Atem. 

“I had a nightmare.” Atem said quietly after a moment of silence. “I hated it, so I decided to stay awake instead cause then I don’t have to deal with it.” 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” He asked, squeezing Atems hand reassuringly. 

“I…” Atem hesitated for a moment then he sighed and moved so his head was no longer resting against Yugis. “It was so stupid.” 

“Maybe, but the way it made you feel still matters.” He said, sitting up and turning to Atem, still holding his hand. “Your feelings aren’t stupid.” 

“It’s been years.” Atem said quietly and instantly he knew what he was referring to. He nodded. “So why do I still think about it?” 

He smiled sadly and shuffled a little closer, releasing Atems hand but only to pull him into a tight embrace, to give Atem the chance to bury his face against his neck and hide the way his eyes filled with tears and his lip quivered. 

It was what Atem did. What he always had done. 

“Because.” He whispered. “She was such an important part of your life.” 

Atem nodded against him but said nothing.��

“I know how you feel.” He continued. “Like the pain will never go away, like you’ll never be whole again…I know I still feel that way sometimes.” 

“I’m so sorry you know how it feels.” Atem said softly, pushing himself up to look at him, and he hated the pain he saw in those beautiful eyes. He wished he could take it all from him. 

“I know it’s not easy.” He said with a small smile. “But you’re doing so well.” He moved to rest a hand against Atems cheek. “You really are, and these feelings will come up every now and then, that’s just the nature of grief, but you can handle it I promise. And if you ever feel like you can’t, I’ll be right here to help you.” 

Atem closed his eyes tight and Yugi knew he was trying not to cry. He felt his own eyes sting with tears at the sight but that passed when Atem opened his eyes again and smiled at him. 

“Thank you.” Atem breathed out. “And you too…I’m here for you no matter what.” 

“I know.” He said with a gentle smile. “But right now, I need you to answer a question for me.” 

“Yeah?” Atem laughed quietly and the sound made him smile. 

“What do you need?” He asked softly.

Atem looked at him for a moment with a small smile on his face, then he leaned forward, a hand came to hold Yugis against his face. 

“I need you to kiss me until I stop overthinking.” Atem said quietly. 

“I can certainly help you with that.” He said, laughing as he pulled Atem closer and pressed their lips together softly. 

.......

If you haven't read it and are interested, or have read it and want to re-read it, you can find my fic Double Exposure here. I've also written so many other fics for this universe too which you'll be able to find through my Ao3.

[theblueskyphoenix]

Been wanting to do this for awhile and finally today was the day. I've seen others do wardrobes for their OCs through out the series of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters and I really wanted to do that for Lotus. Especially with the Ghost AU in mind. Plus, doubles as her wardrobe for Our Game Now. So, win win for both timelines. Anyways, let's get onto details. ✪ Puzzle Guardian - Her outfit she would have throughout the entire series. For those not in the know, Lotus in the Ghost AU lives inside the Millennium Puzzle. She isn't trapped in their like Atem is and can leave as she pleases but usually is wandering around the rooms. She tends to the place and provides a secondary defense system for unwanted guests. She also is a voice of comfort and reason for Atem and Yugi. Helping them in their journey and keeping them on the right path. So when in there, she'll appear like this. She'll also be seen in this outfit as well outside the puzzle but not very often since it would stick out. ✪ Domino High School Uniform - Pretty self explanatory. In the Ghost AU she only wears this when she's at the school to stand out less. (XD Our Game Now she is actually a student.) ✪ Duelist Kingdom - Kind of a modern version of her Puzzle Guardian outfit to a degree. Or least the outfit has the same color palette. Very comfy and easy to move in. Especially with traveling around the island. Perfect for camping. ✪ Battle City - The outfit I usually draw her in for Our Game Now and her favorite outfit. In the Ghost AU Yugi helped her design the outfit by looking up clothes online for her to mimic. She does duel here and there but she stays out of the tournament. She's there to support Atem and Yugi after all. Not get in the way. ✪ Doma Arc - Probably her most simple outfit. Comfy for travel and keeping warm. (Also the color scheme is a nod to a certain dragon from that arc. ;) ) ✪ Kaiba Corp Grand Prix - Her most casual of the outfits since the whole time she actually got to relax for a bit. No world ending threats just a moment of normal and cheering on the boys. ✪ Millennium World - In the memory world she is returned to her clothes she used to wear back when she was alive during Atem's reign. Her guardian outfit would stand out too much so it was back to her old clothes as a means of not drawing attention to herself. (Especially from Zorc. She's been good about hiding herself up until this point and she did not want to blow it.) During the whole arc she does her best to be discreet and help the others and when the ceremonial duel comes to an end, she's there waiting for Atem on the other side of the door with everyone else to welcome him to the after life, happy to finally be reunited with her king foreverr. And that's about it. =) Very happy with how all this came out. I'd love to do something like this again with another character but we'll see. In the mean time I hope you enjoy. (And I'll see about posting an official bio for Lotus at some point with her Ghost AU version.)

[amyyythestarry]

YUGI TWINS HCS!!

( All photos from Pinterest )

On their 12th birthday their parents got them keychains for their keys, because they were growing up and they thought they should have keys to their house. Amane got a rocket ship keychain and Tsukasa got a beetle.

Amane likes vanilla flavored cake because it’s simple and Tsukasa likes chocolate because it’s flavorful. But both of them don’t like birthday cakes that much so they have donuts.

Amane autistic a** just likes plain sweet donuts.

Tsukasa audhd a** likes flavorful things ( Sometimes, but more often than Amane ).

When Mitsuba figures out what a birthday is he asks Tsukasa what’s his birthday, it takes a while for Tsukasa to remember but he answers.

Then Mitsuba, Sakura and Natsuhiko plan a  little surprise birthday party.

They keep Tsukasa busy enough to stay out of the broadcasting room for a two days so they can get everything set up.

Then on his birthday he comes to the broadcasting room, turns on the lights and,

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY TSUKASA!” 

It’s not so loud, even though it’s the Broadcast club and a lot of Mokkes because Sakura doesn’t think Tsukasa likes loud out of control and sudden noises so it’s at regular volume.

Tsukasa stares blankly at everything for a few minutes, the decorations, little pile of presents in the corner and table with food and donuts.

They start to doubt if he likes it or not until he finally says something.

“What is all of this..?” - Tsu

“It’s your birthday, isn’t it?” - Mitsu

They say it’s his small birthday party they set up, and he still doesn’t react any way, but subtly shocked.

“…. Do you like it?” - Saku

It’s takes a few minutes, longer than expected for Tsu to look around again. But then he mumbles, “I like it..”

“But.. Why..??” - Tsu

“Because it’s your b-day.” - Natsu

“Yeah, when was the last time you even celebrated?” - Some rando Mokke

Tsu shrugs because that’s too many years to count.

Then they just have a good time, and Tsu has a good time which is great.

Saku gives him a short beetle locket necklace, that reminds him too much of the beetle keychain he once had

Mitsu gives him a promise bracelet to match with his.

Natsuhiko gives him a sketchbook, because i’d be better to stop drawing on the walls.

And the Mokke give him boxes of candy.

Plus they all give him a matching friendship pocket charm. Tsu puts the charm in his locket.

Would Tsu be lying if he said he wasn’t internally emotional and felt like crying?

Hanako also has a surprise party, but since the bathroom isn’t as big it’s just decorated and they hang out as usual while giving him his presents.

He’s also really really shocked but rolls with it.

Nene gives him a starfish necklace. It’s a fish, and she loves fish and marine animals, but he likes stars and space stuff so it’s perfect! 

Kou gave him a book about astrology and crystals that he thinks he would like ( He kind of doubted it a little but was relieved when Hanako was so happy )

And Aoi gave him a matching heart necklace

Hanako almost cries.

Also, matching Toilet Squad locket necklaces

Nene and Aoi have the heart, Kou has the circle, and Hanako has the star.

PLUS! Tsukasa got Hanako a present! Because why wouldn’t he give his dear twin brother a present?

He gives him a box with a plain donut ( Like how their mom used to make them ) and has a self-made matching bracelet and note. 

“Dear Amane, just wanted to wish you a happy birthday this year. You must have been lonely the last few years, or not? I was. Doesn’t matter now! Happy Birthday big brother. I love you.

The tears he was holding in finally slipped. But he quickly wiped them away.

He felt too sick to eat the donut, but he’d feel even more guilty to not eat it. So he did. And put the bracelet in his pocket.

He would feel way too guilty about not giving Tsu a present back, because that is literally the least he can do, so he got him a card saying happy birthday back.

Tsu was overjoyed but also very melancholic.

For their birthday they used to always make donuts with their mom and dad. The special ingredient being cinnamon and vanilla abstract.

Every birthday their dad gives them a new toy to add to their playroom.

On their 7th birthday Mr. Yugi tricked Tsu into thinking he was getting a koala plushie ( He hates Koalas bc they beat him up ).

The twins always sneak some birthday food into their mouths before their birthday. ( Sometimes without their mom or dad knowing )

But half of the time it’s always Amane’s idea.

“Hey Tsu, want to eat the birthday food?”

Tsu always agrees.

Criminal big bro, convincing little bro to engage in committing crimes.

When they both died Hanako never thought about their birthday ever again.

HAPPY BDAY HANAKO AND TSUKASA!

✩︎★︎

[mywaywardcupcake]

For the fandom asks!!

4, 14, 15, 19, 22 (for any character), 23, and 24 (again, any character!!

4. Is there a popular pairing you don't necessarily dislike but aren't too invested in?

Not really. I mean there's plenty of ships that I don't really supply any content for, including like I would say the big 3 but it's more because I don't really think of then often....I guess that's technically the exact definition...

14. Is there a character or ship you were so sure you would never write/draw but now you've changed your mind?

I mean, I think the majority of things I've made are pretty much all wish or Jou, so this is a bit harder to think of. I will say going by who I liked when I was younger, maybe Ryuzaki/shrimp? I have ideas I want to do with them, but when I was younger I don't think I would have ever thought about them?

15. Have you noticed your style change over time?

Yes! Absolutely. I mean it's still developing but I have at least seen an improvement!

The first is from like 2019? Maybe 2020? Then, like the most recent two and even from those I'm noticing a difference from that middle one until now. My style is still developing as I use references a lot, and I always feel like it keeps shifting depending on the reference I choose? I definitely feel like I've gotten more confident in my lineart and how I do that!

19. What's your favourite thing about [fandom] (the people in it, not the media you're all enjoying together)?

I love this fandom so much. I love that, for the most part, people are so kind and encouraging of each other (at least with the ones I've been interacting with)! We can all be a bit silly, but it's so much fun.

22. Give us a headcanon for [Shizuka]

I headcanon her as having diabetes. I saw someone post one time that whole thing about Jou asking Yugi if he needed insulin. When someone is shaky, like insulin wouldn't be great because when you're shaky, it's usually due to low blood sugar, and insulin would lower it further. Anyway in the post it was talking about how Jou seemed to have an understanding of it but was a bit off and what if it's because Shizuka had it and he had some understanding of it when he was younger. Anyway, I kind of latched onto that idea, especially with her having health conditions that we don't really get to learn about.

23. Has your favourite character/ship changed over time?

Answered here!

24. What's your favourite thing about [Honda]?

His loyalty and love for others. Boy is for real a ride or die for the ones he loves and cares about. He would go to the ends of the Earth for Jou. And he was so concerned (or jealous) about Jou's new friendship. I also love how he tried so hard to come off as this stoic cool guy, but he is a big, loveable goofball who is into romance. Absolutely adore him!

[nanabansama]

"Of Course!"

Hello, followers! Today I wanted to take another look at this scene, because I personally find it fascinating.

Obviously, you might immediately be saying... "hey! Why are you using that screenshot!? That's a mistranslation!"

To which I would say... m'yeah kinda.

Actually, this scene has perplexed a few people, including myself. The issue being Tsukasa's later line, seen here:

Which is... absolutely mind-boggling! To reach this conclusion truly makes Tsukasa one of the most sensitive babies in the manga.

But... I think he actually has a point!

But I wanted to examine this phrase: "Of course"...

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Some are quick to point out that Amane doesn't actually say the word "love" in Japanese. And I do think that has relevancy. "Of Course" is not "I Love You", and there's an important distinction between the two!

You may remember that I once analyzed his line in Japanese, 「あたりまえじゃん！」 as being similar to "duh." "Draw your own conclusions, Tsukasa!" But I actually want to go back on that a little.

Much like "of course," the phrase あたりまえ is used to emphasize that something is true. So true that you don't even have to think about it. There's no befuddlement here: the answer is obvious, and Amane does love Tsukasa.

...but the question really is, WHY does he love him?

I don't think Amane, age 4, has put any thought into this at all. (I mean just look at him, with his stupid round little eyes and his gaping mouth... he has thought about nothing ever in his life. He is 4.)

Tsukasa is Amane's younger brother. Tsukasa is Amane's family member. These are both things people are supposed to "love." You are born into this world, loved by your mother, and you are to love her back. I believe Amane's reply to Tsukasa encompasses this idea.

There is no grand reason for loving Tsukasa here. There is no easy admittance of love, there is no speech listing out what he likes about Tsukasa. There is just inevitability: an older brother would love his younger brother, there is no other "course" you can take.

And, well... considering the circumstances of the Yugi family, I think you could see why an idea like that doesn't hold much weight.

I realize I might be describing Amane like some kind of unfeeling 4-year-old monster here, but that is not the case!!! I think he does truly love Tsukasa, but I think this line from him lacks any real weight. It’s a vapid confirmation. “Why is the sky blue?” “I dunno, it’s just blue!!”

And I do not fault him for that, need I remind you again that he is 4?

I think Amane found his reply to Tsukasa satisfactory to himself. I think he thought it was silly to even imagine he wouldn't like Tsukasa, but this love is ultimately a shallow one. He hasn't poured enough water into the love bathtub yet. He is splishing around in a shallow love kiddy pool.

(It goes without saying, I think, that he has since matured, and is now drowning in a love ocean.)

While 4-year-old Amane's love hadn't matured, though, I think Tsukasa's had. His love was more developed love than Amane's at that point, and I think learning that Amane didn't feel the same really hurt.

Do I think “hate” is dramatic? Maybe. But when his older brother pushed him on the floor a few days before, and essentially said he didn’t care about Tsukasa, how can you really blame him?

In the end, maybe Tsukasa is still a sensitive baby, but I think he's got a very mature definition of love! Who knew the guy who later force-feeds Mitsuba a chicken heart would be such a softie...?

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Anyways, thanks for reading!

This is just one way to interpret the scene, and maybe I'm wrong, but I like the message this interpretation of the events sends. It's a very deep thing to define different kinds of "love", and I think it makes Tsukasa look a little more reasonable to look at things from this perspective.