The Gods had granted Yugi with the greatest blessing.Β
Sacrifice after sacrifice after sacrifice left his heart more tender than before, but what truly had shredded it wasnβt the torture of the shadow games, it wasnβt 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 couldnβt be rewritten. Wouldnβt beΒ fairΒ to rewrite.Β
Not even when he could see the matching pain in his otherβAtemβsΒ eyes.Β
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.Β
Such was the life of Yugi Mutou. Never quite able to reap his rewards.Β
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 wasnβt his greatest decision.Β
Glancing over to his companion however, he met a warmth that rivaled the sun. Atemβs 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. Yugiβs heart rattled in his chest. Only made worse when Atem caught his gaze out of the corner of his eye.Β
βShouldnβt I have been surprising you,β Atem asked, a little breathless.
Yugi gave a wobbly smile. βYou were enough of a surprise.β He bit his lip. βItβs nothing fancy butβ¦umβ¦And I know we only came down here like once or twiceβ¦but I thought it would be nice to justβ¦you knowβ¦visit places weβve been now that youβ¦β
βQuite the romantic choice.β
Red prickled across his cheeks in blotchy patches. He really hadnβt 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.Β
βSorry,β Atem chuckled, but it came out tight. He coughed awkwardly. βI shouldnβt tease like that. Thoughβ¦it would make a good place to bring Tea.β
Yugi didnβt 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.
βPartner?β
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 couldnβt possibly hide from. Heβd try though.Β
Ignoring his companionβs 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.Β
βDidβ¦Did I say something wrong?β Atem asked after a lapse of silent watching. He sounded almostβ¦small. Yugiβs stomach twisted.Β
βNo!β he said, all too loudly. βNo. I justβ¦β He meant the eyes of his reflection. Sharper now than they had been a year ago. βItβs been a year, Atem. A lot canβ¦change. Weβre getting older, reality is setting inβ¦β
βYugiβ¦β
βA couple months after you left, I tried to confess to her. Because maybeβ¦If I focused on my feelings for her instead ofβ¦β the confession still clogged up his throat, digging its nails into the wall. He swallowed thickly, washing it all away. βAnyway. Itβs not like I didnβt notice before. It didnβt take me long to realize it wasΒ youΒ she liked, butβ¦still. I took a chance. We tried one date andβ¦β
βAnd?β
βIt didnβt work out. It was too soon for both of us andβ¦It wouldnβt last anyway with her leaving for America.β
Atemβs 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.Β
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. Yugiβs sneakers. Because again, Yugi had been busy and shopping was still on the to-do list.Β
βItβs strange,β Atem admitted after a moment.Β
Yugi cocked his head.Β
βItβs so quiet.β
βYeahβ¦Iβm still not used to it.βΒ
βI miss it. The background buzz of your emotions. Iβ¦I could even hear your heartbeat if I listened carefully.β
βIt sure was easier back then.β
Atem nodded. He mimicked Yugi from earlier, swirling the water with his foot. But his movement was more rapid, antsy. Yugi didnβt need a mental link to know the emotions running through Atemβs body.
Cautiously, with twitching fingers, he reached out, taking Atemβs hand in his. Atem tensed.Β
βS-Sorry,β 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.Β
βThereβ¦There was another reason tooβ¦why Tea and I didnβt work out.βΒ
βIs that soβ¦β
βHey,β Yugi whispered, tugging at their conjoined hands. βLook at me?β
Atem slowly turned towards him, revealing his slightly red cheeks. Yugi couldnβt 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 didnβt look like he was about to pass out.Β
βIsβ¦Is it normal for my heart to be beating this fast?β Atem asked, breathless once more
It was Yugiβs turn to smirk. βHmmβ¦I better check.β As pleasant as it was to be the confident one for once, Yugi was still ever so gentle as he placed his hand on Atemβs chest. He could feel the heart just below the skin, the way it fluttered.Β AtemβsΒ heart. Atem had aΒ heart. And it was beating forΒ him. A burning stabbed behind Yugiβs eyes.Β
βPartner?β
βI can feel it. Itβsβ¦Itβsβ¦β
βWhat?β
βItβsΒ amazing. YouβreΒ alive.β
Atem chuckled. βI thought we already went over this.β
βBut I canΒ feelΒ it. I can feel your heart. Iβ¦I can feel you.βΒ
Yugi felt like he was going to burst as reality finally crashed into him like the waves against his lower legs. Atemβs 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.Β
Inches away from each other, it would be so easy to kiss him.Β
βI think the tide is coming in,β Atem whispered.Β
βStill, plenty of beach to watch the rest of the sunset. Unless youβd rather go home?β
Atem casted his gaze back to the horizon, and though that glow never quite left his eye, it shone brighter now. βJust a little longer.β
Though the urge to kiss Atem hadnβt left him, Yugi pulled away and collected their shoes. They had time now. There was no need to rush. Instead, he extended his hand. βHow about aβ¦romantic stroll along the beach?β
Atemβs breath hitched.Β
βOr just a regular stroll,β Yugi added quickly. βWhatever you want.β
Atem grasped his hand again, stopping the wall of rambling from building up. βShall we?β Atem offeredΒ
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.Β
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Iβm 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 thinkingβ¦ theyβre really leaning into the similarities Yuri has with Judai.
Heβs always had a fair amount of parallels. Thereβs the obvious βthey both went to a duel academia,β but thereβs also the fact that theyβve 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 shotβ¦) showing how Yuri is carrying on Judai/GXβs legacy as the Fusion counterpart (and 1/4th of another Supreme King)
OR, most relevant here, their focus on having fun above all else.
Yuriβs constant insistence that heβs here to have fun (which was a part of his character in the show, but itβs focused on much more in the event) and showing no interest in any βobligationsβ he may have outside of having fun (like apologizing or trying to repair any of the damage heβs done. You go girl give us nothing.)
Itβs 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 shouldnβt have been) by his desire to have fun. And while Yuriβs idea of fun is a little more sadistic than Judaiβs (a little more like Yubel, even?) the point is the same.Β
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 theyβre not going through the exact same development here. Judaiβs 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. Yuriβs arc (if you can call it that, itβs the beginning of one certainly) seems to be a more straightforward βdiscovering there are things that are fun and also do not come at the expense of other peopleβs livesβ type deal, with a little bit of learning who the hell youβre supposed to be now that you arenβt part of a military school dictatorship or Zarc/Yuyaβs soul amalgam sprinkled in. Heβs discovering new toys! Everyone clap for him please.
Though itβs not just that fun things donβt have to come at the expense of othersβ¦ but that itβs MORE fun when they donβt. And thatβs the real step forward that Yuri makes in the event. Which honestly fits and doesnβt 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. Justβ¦ 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.
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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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