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The Gods had granted Yugi with the greatest blessing.
Sacrifice after sacrifice after sacrifice left his heart more tender than before, but what truly had shredded it wasn’t the torture of the shadow games, it wasn’t even the loss of his very soul for those few days in the seal. No. It was the final sacrifice that had hung over him from the very moment he first contacted the spirit of the millennium puzzle. One where destiny couldn’t be rewritten. Wouldn’t be fair to rewrite.
Not even when he could see the matching pain in his other—Atem’s eyes.
But a year later, after putting another evil to rest, he got his blessing. Only to barely have enough time to bask in it with final exams and graduation on the horizon.
Such was the life of Yugi Mutou. Never quite able to reap his rewards.
He shivered as the wind whipped around him now that he was far from the shield of tall buildings. Maybe a trip to the beach in early spring wasn’t his greatest decision.
Glancing over to his companion however, he met a warmth that rivaled the sun. Atem’s wine-coloured eyes sparkled like Yugi had never seen before, his smile stretched wide as opposed to his usual subtle smirk. Pure, unhidden joy even as he trembled against the wind. Yugi’s heart rattled in his chest. Only made worse when Atem caught his gaze out of the corner of his eye.
“Shouldn’t I have been surprising you,” Atem asked, a little breathless.
Yugi gave a wobbly smile. “You were enough of a surprise.” He bit his lip. “It’s nothing fancy but…um…And I know we only came down here like once or twice…but I thought it would be nice to just…you know…visit places we’ve been now that you…”
“Quite the romantic choice.”
Red prickled across his cheeks in blotchy patches. He really hadn’t thought this through. Maybe he should have just gone with the arcade like his original plan. But Tea had said it was graduation, it should be special. And like a fool he ignored the mischievous spark in her eye.
“Sorry,” Atem chuckled, but it came out tight. He coughed awkwardly. “I shouldn’t tease like that. Though…it would make a good place to bring Tea.”
Yugi didn’t have to look over to know Atem was staring and smirking. A year ago, it would have only made his blush worse, but now, it drained all the colour from his face.
“Partner?”
Yugi had gotten good at brushing things off. Even before the puzzle, he picked up the habit. Once the memory gaps started, he began his mastery of this art of evasion. But there was always one person he couldn’t possibly hide from. He’d try though.
Ignoring his companion’s eyes, he leaned down, slipping off his shoes and socks. The sand felt damp and cool under his feet. He let the cold numb his buzzing nerves as he dipped his toes into the gentle waves.
“Did…Did I say something wrong?” Atem asked after a lapse of silent watching. He sounded almost…small. Yugi’s stomach twisted.
“No!” he said, all too loudly. “No. I just…” He meant the eyes of his reflection. Sharper now than they had been a year ago. “It’s been a year, Atem. A lot can…change. We’re getting older, reality is setting in…”
“Yugi…”
“A couple months after you left, I tried to confess to her. Because maybe…If I focused on my feelings for her instead of…” the confession still clogged up his throat, digging its nails into the wall. He swallowed thickly, washing it all away. “Anyway. It’s not like I didn’t notice before. It didn’t take me long to realize it was you she liked, but…still. I took a chance. We tried one date and…”
“And?”
“It didn’t work out. It was too soon for both of us and…It wouldn’t last anyway with her leaving for America.”
Atem’s eyes narrowed, but he kept any thought or protest to himself. He turned back to the waves instead. Those words could not stay completely hidden for long though, quickly leaking out into a heavy tension in the air.
Yugi swirled the water with his foot, eventually splashing his companion just slightly. A wordless invitation. Atem shivered but leaned down to slip off his sneakers. Well. Yugi’s sneakers. Because again, Yugi had been busy and shopping was still on the to-do list.
“It’s strange,” Atem admitted after a moment.
Yugi cocked his head.
“It’s so quiet.”
“Yeah…I’m still not used to it.”
“I miss it. The background buzz of your emotions. I…I could even hear your heartbeat if I listened carefully.”
“It sure was easier back then.”
Atem nodded. He mimicked Yugi from earlier, swirling the water with his foot. But his movement was more rapid, antsy. Yugi didn’t need a mental link to know the emotions running through Atem’s body.
Cautiously, with twitching fingers, he reached out, taking Atem’s hand in his. Atem tensed.
“S-Sorry,” Yugi stuttered. He went to pull his hand away only for Atem to tighten around it. Still stiff, still staring ahead with wide eyes, but grip tight as if Yugi would disappear. He stepped just a bit closer, letting their shoulders brush.
“There…There was another reason too…why Tea and I didn’t work out.”
“Is that so…”
“Hey,” Yugi whispered, tugging at their conjoined hands. “Look at me?”
Atem slowly turned towards him, revealing his slightly red cheeks. Yugi couldn’t help but smile. Here was the confident, cunning, former King of Games, all powerful Pharaoh looking at him like a schoolboy with his first crush. It would be adorable if he didn’t look like he was about to pass out.
“Is…Is it normal for my heart to be beating this fast?” Atem asked, breathless once more
It was Yugi’s turn to smirk. “Hmm…I better check.” As pleasant as it was to be the confident one for once, Yugi was still ever so gentle as he placed his hand on Atem’s chest. He could feel the heart just below the skin, the way it fluttered. Atem’s heart. Atem had a heart. And it was beating for him. A burning stabbed behind Yugi’s eyes.
“Partner?”
“I can feel it. It’s…It’s…”
“What?”
“It’s amazing. You’re alive.”
Atem chuckled. “I thought we already went over this.”
“But I can feel it. I can feel your heart. I…I can feel you.”
Yugi felt like he was going to burst as reality finally crashed into him like the waves against his lower legs. Atem’s arms found his waist before the swaying became too much. He was still a little stiff, but a small smile had started to worm its way onto his face. Instinctively, Yugi gripped at his shoulders.
Inches away from each other, it would be so easy to kiss him.
“I think the tide is coming in,” Atem whispered.
“Still, plenty of beach to watch the rest of the sunset. Unless you’d rather go home?”
Atem casted his gaze back to the horizon, and though that glow never quite left his eye, it shone brighter now. “Just a little longer.”
Though the urge to kiss Atem hadn’t left him, Yugi pulled away and collected their shoes. They had time now. There was no need to rush. Instead, he extended his hand. “How about a…romantic stroll along the beach?”
Atem’s breath hitched.
“Or just a regular stroll,” Yugi added quickly. “Whatever you want.”
Atem grasped his hand again, stopping the wall of rambling from building up. “Shall we?” Atem offered
Hand-in-hand, they made their way down the shore. While Atem looked at the sunset, Yugi found awe in something else. Two sets a footprints, trailing behind them.
I’m sure many of us are familiar with the similarities the Yu-boys have to their adjacent protagonists, some very much so (Yugo/Yusei) and some not quite so much (Yuto/Yuma). But the Yuri Duel Links event has got me thinking… they’re really leaning into the similarities Yuri has with Judai.
He’s always had a fair amount of parallels. There’s the obvious “they both went to a duel academia,” but there’s also the fact that they’ve both had major hands in carrying out mass genocides (jeez), or that they both underwent soul fusions with other character(s), or Judai and Yuri being the only characters to use Super Poly (except that one flunky in Zexal who randomly had it in his hand for one shot…) showing how Yuri is carrying on Judai/GX’s legacy as the Fusion counterpart (and 1/4th of another Supreme King)
OR, most relevant here, their focus on having fun above all else.
Yuri’s constant insistence that he’s here to have fun (which was a part of his character in the show, but it’s focused on much more in the event) and showing no interest in any “obligations” he may have outside of having fun (like apologizing or trying to repair any of the damage he’s done. You go girl give us nothing.)
It’s all very much akin to a pre-season 3 Judai who had little to no sense of responsibility and was almost solely motivated to duel (even when he really shouldn’t have been) by his desire to have fun. And while Yuri’s idea of fun is a little more sadistic than Judai’s (a little more like Yubel, even?) the point is the same.
This line that Yuri says is what got me thinking deeper about this, because I remembered Judai says a near-identical one. (Apologies for the crusty png.)
Obviously they’re not going through the exact same development here. Judai’s arc is about being carefree to a dangerous extent, then swinging to the opposite extreme when he is suddenly saddled with very heavy burdens, and ultimately finding balance between the two: regaining his love of dueling while also bearing a sense of responsibility. Yuri’s arc (if you can call it that, it’s the beginning of one certainly) seems to be a more straightforward “discovering there are things that are fun and also do not come at the expense of other people’s lives” type deal, with a little bit of learning who the hell you’re supposed to be now that you aren’t part of a military school dictatorship or Zarc/Yuya’s soul amalgam sprinkled in. He’s discovering new toys! Everyone clap for him please.
Though it’s not just that fun things don’t have to come at the expense of others… but that it’s MORE fun when they don’t. And that’s the real step forward that Yuri makes in the event. Which honestly fits and doesn’t feel forced, which is something I was concerned about. That boy is a little cockroach! Let him crawl around and make people scream like he always does. Just… maybe some of those screams are of other people having fun too. Maybe. Someone should probably still make sure they're okay, though.
I've been meaning to make a follow up to this ever since I noticed this fun new parallel and here I am finally doing it... There's some outfit similarities between Haou and Yuri and, being the noticer that I am, I must notice them.
They both have a red cape (Yuri's has the not-quite-sleeves on them, referencing Yuya, who himself is referencing Yami... it's references all the way down). They both have those gem-looking things holding said cape (Haou's is more on the chest but he also has them on the shoulders). Yuri's... straps? Harness? Decorative thing? Is a gold accent too. And lastly, they both have that long coat/secondary cape beneath their first cape (because you can never have too many capes). They're kind of inversions of each other, even, with Haou's being M-shaped and Yuri's more W-shaped. You can maybe even say something about them both having bladed duel disks, but that's a bit weaker.
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but in all seriousness, I love how before we really get it laid out to us how Joey/Jonouchi attributes his growth and improvement to Yugi we get it reflected in their pets.
Anyway, happy birthday to my favourite of all favourite characters, my first comfort character, one of the protagonists of the first anime that I ever got really into watching it to the end (and one of the first animes I ever watched), and a character from my first gay ship which led me into fandom spaces for the first time.
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