him, caressing his shoulders and back.
On a sudden impulse, Seto ran over to Atemu and was startled by the black shadow, which then moved away from the Pharaoh. A hiss could be heard from him and Atemu got up again to help Seth.Seto stopped the shadow from getting too close to Atemu. He crept around Seto, who always blocked his way to the young king.
"Hey, Kaiba! What's the matter with you?", Joey yelled. His rival's behavior struck him as Spanish. But it was the same with the others. They couldn't understand why Seto ran to Atemu when he couldn't see him ...
Just as Atemu and Seth defeated Zork and brought peace back to Egypt, the surroundings became blurred again.
Seto was able to take a look at Seth, who held the now lifeless Pharaoh in his arms and apparently also shed a few tears.
Then everything was black and the group left the room.
"Kaiba. What were you doing there?", Yugi wanted to know.
"Nothing."
"Don't lie! I think you are slowly going nuts!"
A cold look from Seto immediately silenced the dog.
If the others couldn't see this suspicious shadow, there was no point in explaining his reaction to them.He just couldn't let that shadow stay with Atemu.
It didn't seem to do him any good, on the contrary ...
But he couldn't explain what that had to do with Yami's disappearance.
As if someone wanted to give him an answer, a millennium eye lit up on one of the numerous doors.
As if stung by the tarantula, Joey almost jumped into little Yugi's arms and cried out loud in shock. Seto could only roll his eyes and the others didn't know what to say either.
So they just walked into the room expecting to land back in Egypt, but they were disappointed. Everything in this room was black. Not the smallest light source could be made out. The five people ran into the darkness and looked around when suddenly a voice could be heard.
"Welcome…"
They whirled around and saw Atemu. The darkness covered his body from the shoulder, but it was clearly him.His skin shimmered bronze and the tiara glistened on his forehead.
But something was wrong with him.
The smile on his face was cold and frosty, as were his eyes.
They were so cold that even Seto had never seen it before.
Yugi took a step back while the others approached him cheerfully.
Seto also noticed that it wasn't Atemu and held the others back.
"Wait."
Tea, Tristan and Joey stopped and looked at Seto and Yugi, who wisely stayed away from Atemu.
"Yugi, what is it?"
Yugi's face was frightened. The other three were taken aback by this fact.
"The the…"
Seto finished the sentence for the little one.
"It's not Yami."
His gaze was fixed on the alleged pharaoh.
"I beg your pardon? Who else should it be? He looks just like him and he sounds just like him. Of course it's Yami."
The false pharaoh giggled.
Yugi hid a bit behind Seto.An ice-cold look met the still giggling.
"Who are you? And what did you do with Pharaoh?"
"Oh, oh, oh ... I didn't do anything to him."
A cold smile reappeared on the stranger's face.
"Do not lie!"
Seto got louder.
"Who are…?"
Suddenly a light dawned on the young company boss.
"YOU! It was you!"
The other's grins widened and Yugi and the others didn't understand anything anymore.
"Have you finally noticed it now, priest?"
He literally spat out the last word.
"Where is he? How did you manage to kidnap him?"
"I did not kidnap him. He came to me voluntarily."
The darkness disappeared, revealing the lower part of the false Atemu as well.
"Yami!", Yugi shouted when he saw him.
He crouched next to the throne on which his double sat and hid his face in the other's lap. His hands clenched his white clothes and he was shaking like a leaf. It made a downright pathetic picture that shocked all friends present."Yami ..."
Yugi had to control herself not to cry.
"What about him?" Asked Joey, shocked. "Kaiba, what about him ?!"
"I dont know!"
Seto was angry. He never wanted to see Yami like that. So broken and helpless ...
The fake Atemu giggled.
"I can tell you what's going on. You drove him back into my arms.
You have placed him on an invisible pharaoh's throne and distanced yourself from him. You always rely on Yami to have an answer to all questions in life and do not notice that you are excluding and overwhelming him. And that's why he fled. To me."
"You are…"
"Yes?"
Seto's hands began to shake.
"Lonliness?"
"The candidate receives 100 points."
So that meant the false Atemu was a personification of Yami's loneliness?
Nourished and strengthened for thousands of years ...
"What please? Yami wasn't lonely! We were always there!", Joey complained loudly.
Yugi looked at his Yami.
"Yami ... Yami ... look at me, please ..."Yami didn't move.
"I think you didn't understand me.
You placed him on a pedestal that was too high, from which he could not reach you and became lonely. That's why he came to me. The only one who has never left him. "
Seto's anger rose.
He wanted old Yami back!
"That is not true!"
While the others slowly saw the light, Seto tried to save something.
"You're right about that. Both then and now there was someone who always drove me away.
YOU.
But it's too late now. He's mine."
"Yami! Look at me!"
Again the Pharaoh did not move.
"Kaiba, what's going on here?"
Yugi sounded incredibly desperate and the first tears flowed down his cheeks.
"When we were in Egypt, I saw a shadow near Atemu every time. With each new scene it darkened and took on the shape of a human. I noticed that it was always there unless Seth was with him . "
False Atemu snorted.
"That's true.Seth always drove me out ... "
"When I went to Atemu earlier, I only did it to ..."
He pointed to the wrong Atemu.
"... to drive out. Otherwise Pharaoh would not have got up and Egypt would have been lost.
Release him! Right away!"
"No. He came to me. I won't let him go anymore."
He put a hand on Yami's chin and lifted his face. On this occasion Seto and the others saw the dull crystals that had once shone so, of which nothing was now but a dull shine in the amethyst eyes. You were frightened. This sight broke Yugi for good and he began to sob.
"Yami ......"
The fake Atemu leaned over and breathed a kiss on Yami's forehead. Then he let go of him again and Yami's head sank back onto his lap.
Seto was at a loss. How should you help Yami if you couldn't reach him?
He feared that he would not have much time left to free the Pharaoh from the clutches of this beast.After a flash of inspiration, the young duelist crouched down and looked at Yami.
"Yami. Look at me. Please."
His voice was soft and warm.
And to everyone's surprise, Yami actually turned his head in Seto's direction.
The blue-eyed man crouched on the floor so that he was on a level with the smaller one, so that he would not have to look down at him.
"I'm sorry. I really didn't want this to happen."
Yami didn't reply.
"I noticed that you were not doing well, but ... I didn't know what to do. Your cry for help didn't reach me. Now I know what I should have done, but it's too late. You know, I'm not used to someone coming to me not to be alone. I now know that I shouldn't have turned you down like Seth never turned you down. I would like to make it up to you, but I can only do that if you let me too. "
Yami's double listened skeptically to Seto's speech.
"You do not believe it yourself.For you he's nothing more than a good rival who keeps you on your toes a little so that you don't fall asleep from boredom during a duel.
Don't listen to him, Yami.
Remember how he always treated you. He never had a kind word for you. Stay with me. I will never leave you alone. "
"NO!" Yugi suddenly shouted.
"Yami, please come home ... I'm sorry that I didn't notice that you were feeling bad, but please ... Come home ... I promise you that I will take more care of you ... Please ..."
The little one's sobs filled the darkness.
"You see. Yugi doesn't want to lose you and neither does the others."
Seto immediately got approval from everyone.
"Come home. Please."
"Yami, stay here.
You know I've never let you down In contrast to each of them, I was ... "
He pointed to Seto.
"…always there for you.
After all, you are my Pharaoh, my everything. "
He raised his hand, which had been resting next to Yami's head, and gently stroked the weeping man's black hair.The Pharaoh snuggled closer to his double and turned his head away again.
"Yami ... please ... come home ..."
Yugi cried uncontrollably and countless tears ran down his cheeks.
Seto's expression hardened briefly.
No!
You couldn't lose Yami!
He couldn't lose Yami !!
"Yami, please ...
Please look at me, "he begged the smaller one formally.
Again the person addressed turned his face in Seto's direction.
"None of us want to lose you, Yami.
We want you to go home with us.
We want to make up for what we have neglected and done wrong, but we can only do that if you let us too. "
Everyone in the room knew that they were only talking about themselves, even though they used the pronoun "we".
"Yami ... let me be your high priest."
The still trembling Pharaoh looked into Seto's kind, gentle eyes. Then he looked at Yugi and then at the others.
When Seto slowly held out his hand, he raised his and held it out to him."Pharaoh, don't!"
Yami's double panicked.
When Seto got up and walked over to them, all he could do was back away as far as he could.
Yami's hand trembled violently as Seto cupped it with his cold fingers. Then the false Atemu with a loud scream and the darkness disappeared with him. A strong light emitted from their hands and immediately afterwards they all found themselves in Yugi's living room. When Yugi looked around and realized that, he took a deep breath. Then he turned to Seto. Then he began to sob loudly when he saw that Seto was holding a