Chapter 16: - TIME Trials
Yugi was considering running away. When Li had told him last night that 'Pegasus', the American who had put all of his family into a coma because he'd thought that they had a Millennium Item was coming after him next, he'd seriously considered it. He'd even waited until Joey had fallen asleep and packed a bag, ready to leave so his friends and family would be safe.
He had been all ready to leave when Yami had pointed out that if he left there would be nothing to stop Pegasus attacking his family anyway. It would be easy to lure him back by threatening them, or even just attacking outright.
That didn't mean the thought wasn't still running around his head. In fact the bag he'd packed last night was still packed, in case it proved safer for his family for him to leave.
"Got your keys, Yuge?" Joey asked as they stepped onto the porch, giving him a small smile, well aware that Yugi was on edge but oblivious to Yugi's back up plan.
Yugi nodded and pulled his house keys out of his school bag, only to freeze as Yami called to him.
'Yugi wait.' Yami sounded concerned as Yugi noticed the door was ajar. The boy froze momentarily and then relinquished control to Yami, who pushed his way into the house.
"Mutou-San?" Joey called as he followed Yami in, looking around, confused as to why anyone would be around at this time of day considering that Yugi's mother didn't normally get off of work until much later.
A woman's scream answered him.
"Okaasan!" Yami yelled as he shot into the living room, only to get blasted backwards into the wall behind him by a wave of shadows, slamming his head against it hard, causing him to crumple in a heap at the bottom of the wall, still conscious, but only just.
"Yuge!" Joey yelped, getting between Yami and the cloaked figure who was stood in the living, holding the limp form of Yugi's mother. The figure tossed Kaiya aside and stalked towards them.
"J...Joey, run!" Yugi managed to stagger into control, his body just about moving under his command better than it had under the command of the concussed Pharaoh, but not by much.
"Yugi...?"
"What did you do to Mutou-San!" Joey demanded, shaking his head at Yugi, only to cry out when the cloaked figure's left eye glowed with a bright golden light and a sphere of light emerged from Joey's chest and sank into the card the stranger was holding. Joey's body hit the floor as the stranger moved towards his real prey.
"N...no!" Yugi shook his head, as the man seized him by the collar and pulled him to his feet, the Shadows starting weaving around the pair of them. Yugi's world spun as his head ached and pain coursed through him, the same 'sickness' that had struck him in previous Shadow Games hitting him now. The man's eye started glowing again as Yugi struggled to escape, desperately calling Yami, trying to bring him around, needing the Pharaoh's help.
"Yugi."
"I'm surprised the Puzzle picked such a weak holder," The man sniggered as Yugi shook his head, trying to clear some of the dizziness and only succeeded in making himself feel sicker, "But no matter, the Puzzle will be mine soon enough..." The man dropped him as the game pieces set themselves up and Yugi hit the floor hard, "Let's..."
"YUGI!"
Yugi started awake, sitting bolt upright and gasping for breath just momentarily before falling back onto his pillow, his hand touching the Puzzle, which he'd fallen asleep wearing, as he realised that he'd been dreaming. He closed his eyes, trying to control the fear that still coursed through him, not wanting to worry Yami.
"That must have been one hell of a nightmare." Joey told him from where he was stood, halfway over to Yugi's bed, concern obvious, "The Puzzle was reacting like mad."
Yugi sat up slowly, nodding as he did so and shaking slightly as he watched his friend, confirming with his own eyes that it had just been a dream and that Joey was alright.
"Y...Yami?" Yugi sent over the link as he headed downstairs, still in his pyjamas, needing to see his mother was okay for himself.
'It was just a nightmare Aibou.' Yami informed him, sounding both worried and frustrated, 'I would have broken it when you cried out for me, but you'd blocked me out. I couldn't get into your mind...'
Yami trailed off as Yugi caught sight of his mother, concern returning as the boy darted across the kitchen and hugged his mother tightly, tears flowing down his cheeks.
"Yugi?" Kaiya hugged him back, "What's the matter?"
"He had a nightmare." Joey informed her, having followed Yugi downstairs and sounding worried, "Looked pretty bad to me."
Kaiya nodded, tightening her grip on her son, "It's alright, Yugi." She murmured, rubbing his back, "Everything's alright."
"Yami?" Yugi called after a few minutes, as his tears dried out.
'Yes, Aibou?' Yami asked softly, concern overriding his frustration.
"Sorry..."
'For what?' Yami asked, confused.
"I should have realised it was just a dream, especially considering it's a Sunday today..." Yugi replied as he pulled away from Kaiya and sat down at the table, settling for watching his mother flit around as she made breakfast. "I'm sorry I scared you..."
'Sometimes dreams feel so real that it's hard to distinguish dream from reality.' Yami sighed, 'But next time you're that scared, try listening for my voice. I promise even if you've blocked me out I'll find some way to reach you, okay?'
"Thank you."
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"I don't remember this being part of the plan." Joey half complained as he helped Sakura clean the dishes and Tomoyo and Yugi finished cleaning the kitchen.
"I did say you lot should go have the picnic without me." Sakura did point out as Kero flew the last of the dry dishes from Sakura's hands to the cupboard, "But Toya did cover all my chores yesterday afternoon and he did promise Yukito-San he'd take him out somewhere. I think it's Yukito-San's way of getting my brother to take a day off of work."
"Like we'd leave you behind on such a nice day." Tomoyo waved it off with a chuckle, "We don't mind, right guys?" She asked the other two, trying to poke Yugi into joining the conversation.
Yugi, however, just shook his head. His thoughts were still on the nightmare he'd had and even as he spent time with his friends he was feeling guiltier and guiltier about risking their safety by sticking around.
"Of course not." Joey shook his head with a grin he didn't feel, especially since he'd found Yugi's backpack, ready packed, and confronted him about it.
It wasn't comforting knowing that your best line of defence against the other Item holders was thinking of making a break for it, even if it was because he wanted to protect them. He'd told Yugi he'd stay out of the way, but he had to admit that the stunt he'd pulled in Yugi's dream was something he would do in that situation.
Of course they hadn't told the girls about it. Sakura and Tomoyo had enough to worry about as it was, what with Sakura having a rival for the Clow Cards, they didn't need this piled on them as well.
"Sakura..." Yugi called, speaking up for the first time in over an hour as they started, very carefully, dusting the shelves in Kinomoto-Sensei's office, as he picked up a piece of card, "I think this is yours." He said as he handed it to her.
"WOOD." Kero cheered, "I wondered where she'd show up."
Sakura examined the picture on the card, which was of a woman with leaves for hair, "WOOD?"
"She's really peaceful." Kero explained as Sakura wrote her name on it, "She likes nothing more than to grow trees and relax in the sun. We're lucky she didn't get wet though, or worse, run into RAIN, otherwise there would have been a huge mess."
"Why?"
"She'd have just kept growing and growing." Kero chuckled, "It's quite possible that the house would have been overrun."
"Definitely lucky then," Sakura agreed, "If I'd made a mess in here, Dad would have been furious!"
They finished up in the office and finally headed out for their picnic, heading into Penguin Park and settling down by the playground, watching as parents took the day off to bring their children out for a picnic or to play with their friends.
It was here that Yugi finally started relaxing, unable to stay so het up while Joey was pulling stunts like hanging upside down off of the monkey bars while attempting to eat ice cream and successfully getting it up his nose.
Right up until Tea walked past.
Yugi was halfway to his feet to go and talk to her when Li's words echoed in his head. Pegasus knew where he was now and anyone who Yugi kept close would be in danger...
"Yugi?" Tomoyo asked as Yugi sat down again heavily and watched Tea go by.
"You remember what Li told me last night?" Yugi asked.
Tomoyo nodded understandingly. She'd been sharing everything that had happened with her bodyguards, some of whom believed it, some of whom were playing along to 'keep the Boss's daughter happy' and they had been rather worried when she'd told them about the threat Pegasus posed.
They had gone out of their way to find out as much as they could about the man overnight. In another couple of days Tomoyo reckoned that she would have some helpful information for her friends. She just hoped that that was fast enough.
"You should talk to her though. I mean Bakura's not with us."
Yugi gave a light sigh at that reminder. When he'd invited Bakura along the white haired boy had bowed out, claiming that he was doing things with his parents today but if Yugi remembered rightly Bakura's father was in Egypt on a dig, not that he'd known Bakura's father was an Egyptologist like his Grandfather, and Bakura's mother had passed away a year or so before Bakura had moved to Tomoeda.
"Hey! Gard..."
The skies, which had been cloud free a moment ago, opened up and Joey's call was lost in the sound of children screaming in protest as everyone got soaked. The gang packed up quickly and dove under the King Penguin slide, which had been one of Sakura's favourite hiding places for years.
Joey looked around as he realised that he and the girls were surrounded by children who had followed them but they seemed to be missing someone.
"Hey. Where's Yugi?"
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"Hi Tea." Yugi, who had taken cover from the rain by diving under the shelf on the climbing frame, found himself face to face with Tea, who looked less than amused.
"Mutou-San." She nodded back.
Yami sensed the hurt that that simple, polite greeting had caused his aibou and growled, causing Yugi to quickly hide his feelings from the Pharaoh.
"How're you?"
"I'm fine." Tea replied, "How's your training going with Bakura?"
"I thought it was going well, but..." Yugi shook his head, wondering if he'd done something wrong to make Bakura avoid them.
"A problem?" Tea asked, sounding concerned before remembering she was mad that the boy she was talking to.
"I don't think so." Yugi replied thoughtfully, seeing no reason not to talk to her about it. "At least I hope not..."
"You're too nice for your own good, Yugi." Tea informed him, "You're going to get hurt some day if you're not careful."
"I promised..."
"I know you did and if you broke it you wouldn't be you, but I just want you to be careful, alright?" Yugi nodded at Tea's words.
"Tea... " Yugi hesitated for a moment, then made up his mind. She needed to be warned even if she stopped talking to him. "You need to be careful too. Li told the guy who attacked his family about me and I'm worried..." He trailed off when he saw the look on Tea's face, which was an odd combination of fear for herself and concern for him.
Without saying another word she left the shelter, unsure what to say or do and knowing that it wouldn't matter what she did, Yugi would still get into trouble. It wasn't that she was still mad at him. She was just frightened, both for him and of him, and until she settled the latter she wasn't going to be able to hang around with him.
Yugi darted out into the rain after her but she was faster than him and it wasn't long before she moved out of sight.
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"You sure you're alright, Yuge?" Joey asked for the fifth time in the last hour, "I mean..."
Yugi sighed. He was aware that he'd been skittish all day, but it was understandable. It didn't help his mental state that he hadn't slept properly, "I'm fine." He told his friend, "Just tired is all."
Joey nodded, understanding as he climbed into bed. "Good night Yuge."
"Night Joey." Yugi clicked off the light and tried to meditate, only to fall asleep before he could get too far.
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"J...Joey, run!" Yugi managed to stagger into control, his body just about moving under his command better than it had under the command of the concussed Pharaoh, but not by much.
"What did you do to Mutou-San!" Joey demanded, shaking his head at Yugi, only to cry out when the figure's eye glowed with a bright golden light and collapse.
"N...no!" Yugi shook his head, trying to force himself to his feet.
'Aibou! Wake up!'
He almost made it to safety this time. Only the fact he stumbled allowed the man's hands to wrap around his throat but once they were there his captor pinned him against the wall. Yugi choked as his assailant's grip cut off any chance he had of drawing breath. He struggled though as the Shadows closed in around them, unwilling to just give up and relieved to hear Yami's voice, as the Pharaoh had promised, even as fear coursed through him and the man's eye started glowing again.
"YAMI! HELP!"
The Pharaoh wrenched control away from his partner in the dream and Yugi started awake in real life, shaking his head as he did so, trying to clear it.
"Damn, Yuge, two mornings in a row?" Joey complained, having been woken up by the glowing Puzzle again, "What're you eating before bed? They say cheese gives you nightmares..."
Yugi just shrugged, shaking slightly. "Sorry."
"Come on, we'll check on Mutou-San then we'll get ready for school." Joey shrugged, pulling Yugi out of the bedroom and downstairs to the kitchen were, instead of preparing their bentos for the day, Kaiya was preparing a large breakfast.
"Everything alright boys?" She asked, confused when a pale looking Yugi and a confused Joey stood in the doorway.
"Yugi just had another nightmare and..."
"Another one?" Kaiya asked, coming straight over to hug her son, "Why didn't you tell me about the first one."
"We did but..." Joey trailed off as a confused Yugi hugged his mother back. "What time are you off to work?"
"Work?" Kaiya chuckled, "It's a Sunday!"
"No, yesterday was Sunday." Joey frowned as Yugi pulled away from his mother and gave her a concerned look.
"No, yesterday was Saturday remember? I had awful trouble getting you up for school."
"But we went to the park for a picnic yesterday."
"I thought you were doing that this afternoon. All the sandwiches are in the fridge." Kaiya gestured towards the fridge.
Yami, who'd appeared in spirit form in the kitchen when Yugi's concern had spiked about his mother, watched as Yugi checked the fridge only to find the sandwiches for the picnic still there.
"There's something weird going on here." Yugi said, "We had the picnic yesterday and yet the sandwiches are in the fridge again today."
"You sure you didn't dream the picnic?"
"Yes." Yugi nodded, shuddering slightly at the memory of his dream and wondering what was going on, "Joey, call Sakura would..." He cut off as the phone went off.
Joey didn't need to phone Sakura, she'd already called them, wondering if they were having the same issue. Apparently Tomoyo had phoned to check if their plans were still on.
"Yes we're having the same problem." Joey nodded, though Sakura couldn't see him, "Mutou-San doesn't remember and Yugi had the same nightmare he had yesterday."
Yugi gave Joey a shocked look and Joey mouthed back 'guessing'. Yugi nodded and Joey continued his conversation.
"Sure we can meet up. See you in half an hour? Okay. Bye." He put the phone down and turned to speak to Yugi.
"I heard." Yugi nodded, before turning to look at his mother, "Guess we'll have to eat fast."
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"The TIME?"
"That's right." Kero nodded, watching as the same parents that had brought their children to the park yesterday, brought their children again today except... "It can rewind time by a whole day and it would explain why Mutou-San and Tomoyo don't remember yesterday at all." Kero looked at Joey, "It does say something interesting about you though."
"Me?"
"Only people with magic are supposed to be able to tell when TIME resets events."
"Oh no." Joey shook his head hard, "I'm not a mage."
"You have to have some sort of magic otherwise you wouldn't remember yesterday...today at all." Kero replied in a matter of fact way, "We just don't know what kind yet. Toya has to be magical too."
Sakura paused, her eyes widening for a moment, then she nodded, "He asked me to thank you all for helping with the chores yesterday..."
"So how do we stop the card?" Yami interrupted, making a note to apologise to Joey later, and borrowing control since Yugi still seemed understandably stunned from the events of the last couple of days. The Pharaoh was, honestly, a little ticked off that it was a Clow Card that had forced Yugi back into the nightmare which, this time around, Yugi had shared with him after waking.
Sakura shrugged a little helplessly and looked at Kero, who looked a little unsure himself.
"TIME's powers work better the higher he is." The gathered group turned to look at the speaker, only to find Li was walking over to them, "And he'd have headed for the biggest clock," Li continued as he sat down, nodding to Yami as he did so, surprising the Pharaoh, who glowered at the boy once the moment had passed, still furious at the kid for giving Yugi up to Pegasus but holding back because Yugi didn't want anyone hurt because of him, "So if you know somewhere like that we could probably capture it now, before it has a chance to reset time again."
"There's the old clock tower." Sakura said thoughtfully as Kero looked Joey over, "It's one of the highest points in Tomoeda. We don't have many skyscrapers around, especially ones with clocks on, but that might count."
"Yugi!"
"Go ahead." Yami growled at them as he spotted either Ryou or Ba-Khu-Ra heading their way and suspecting it was the latter, "I'll meet you there."
"You sure?" Joey asked, concerned.
"I'm sure, just go."
Joey nodded and ushered the others away, leaving Yami behind to deal with the Thief King.
"Is he going to be alright?" Sakura worried as she looked back over her shoulder to see Yami and Bakura talking.
"He'll be fine." Joey waved it off, more concerned about getting the TIME card sealed so Yugi didn't have the same nightmare again tonight, or was it last night...? "What kinds of magic are there?" He asked Sakura and Li curiously as they made their way to the clock tower, wondering if he could work out what magic he had an whether it would be useful to his friends.
"There's lots of different kinds." Li replied, feeling much more confident away from the Item holders. He was, after all, the most experienced magic user in the group and the only one who had any idea of how to deal with TIME. "There are tests to determine what kind someone has, but I only know how to do the ones that test for an elemental alignment, my family..." Li trailed off, his thoughts and feelings plain on his face.
"Li..."
"I'm fine!" Li interrupted Sakura's concerned murmur and stomped off ahead, leaving the pair behind.
Joey watched him go, unsure how he felt about the kid. One on hand he'd sold Yugi out to someone who had attacked his family and put them in comas, on the other Joey could kind of see why someone in Li's situation would risk it. He had no love for his father, and he was incredibly ticked off at his mother for leaving him behind, but he'd do anything, anything for his little sister, Serenity.
He just hoped that he wouldn't ever have to make the choice.
They finally caught up with Li at the base of the clock tower, only to find that they couldn't get into the building. The clock tower had been closed off for renovations and there were builders going in and out constantly.
By the time Yami had caught up with them they'd been there fifteen minutes and it was becoming obvious that they weren't getting in until the builders went home for the day. At least through the front door.
"If you use FLY, I should be able to hide you." Yami told Sakura, looking up at the tower's highest spire, considering how much magic it would take to get her up there, "TIME shouldn't see you and neither should anyone else."
Sakura nodded and the group darted around a corner out of sight of everyone. Sakura summoned FLY, her staff gaining wings as Joey covered the corner, making sure no one came this way, a problem that was solved when the Puzzle glowed and she disappeared from view.
"Whoa!" Joey yelped, shocked, as he stared at the spot Sakura had been just moments before.
"What?" Sakura's voice floated out of thin air.
"Sakura?" Joey looked around, "Where are you?"
"Here." Joey jumped a mile as Sakura swept past him, "I'll be back..."
Sakura kind of enjoyed making Joey jump a mile and leaving Li in the dust, fully aware that there was no way Yami would trust Li enough to do this for him.
She hadn't failed to notice that Yugi had been quieter today then he had yesterday, right up unto the point Yami had taken over, and the Pharaoh had been off all day too, easier to irritate, shorter with his friends...
She assumed that it was because of Li's revelation last night. If she'd been in their shoes, she'd be frightened too... in fact, she was. The fact that at any moment Yugi and anyone who was hanging around his house could be attacked was a scary thought, though, she supposed, not today.
And not tomorrow if she didn't capture The TIME.
As she swept above the rooftops, invisible to everyone below her, she turned her attention to the huge clock. The wings on her staff beat hard as she continued to gain altitude. She reached the top and prepared to fly in when an old man appeared in the window she intended to use with an hourglass in his hands.
Sakura let out a sharp gasp as he turned to look at her, a small amused smile on his face.
Then he flipped the hourglass over and everything seemed to go in reverse.
Sakura passed out as the events of the day flowed backwards at high speed, images, sounds, tastes and feelings coming with them.
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"Why didn't that work?" Sakura asked as the group gathered at the base of the clock tower for round two, "I thought TIME couldn't see me."
"See you no, sense you however..." Li sighed.
"And you didn't think to tell us that yesterday?" Joey growled, glaring at Li.
"I thought his magic," He gestured to Yami, "Would mask Kinomoto-San's magic. Apparently not."
"Why didn't it?" Joey asked Yami, confused since normally, unless Yugi was very careful, his Shadows normally swamped Sakura's magic.
"It's a balancing act." Yami sighed, "Covering Sakura's trail enough that she can't be seen, even to the magical eye and making it too difficult to use her magic. I can try it again."
"Unless we can protect someone from TIME's effects it doesn't really matter." Li growled.
"Protect?" Sakura asked, an idea hitting her, "Would SHIELD work?"
"You wouldn't be able to use it in midair." Kero piped up, "You'd need to use your staff to use SHIELD."
"Up the stairs then?" Sakura asked.
"Have to be." Li nodded, "I'm coming with you." He paused and looked at Yami, "Even if you won't shield me."
"I don't shield you, you're going to give the game away." Yami scowled, pausing when Yugi nudged at him. 'Aibou?'
"We should help Li too..."
'I don't trust him.'
"I know." Yugi acknowledged, "But if we don't he'll go anyway and then we'll have to go through today all over again."
Yami let out a soft growl as he turned his attention back to Li, "If I shield you, you'd better not try anything."
"Look Mutou, I want to be stuck in this time loop about as much as you do." Li told the Pharaoh, "So we need to work together."
"Fine." Yami nodded and once again focused his magic. "Now go." He told the two who were completely invisible.
Li and Sakura darted into the building, dodging around the builders and racing up the stairs, their feet pounding up the stairs as they tried to reach the top quickly...
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"It's only a dream. It's only a dream..." Yugi repeated in his mind as the dream went around for the fourth time.
Yami went flying through the doorway, crashing into the wall which simply moulded to fit his shape and then bounced back like it was made of jelly, causing the Pharaoh to stagger as it pushed him back on his feet.
Even before he'd gotten himself steady, he'd raised a hand and blasted their attacker off of his feet, sending him tumbling over the sofa.
"What did you do to Okaasan?" Yami growled as he darted around the sofa, only to find the man was missing, then shock coursed through him as someone grabbed his shoulder and pulled, leaving his spirit form behind, shocked by his sudden loss of control and with a feeling like the rug had been pulled out from under his feet.
"Yammmph!"
The Pharaoh wheeled around at Yugi's cry to find his aibou in the clutches of their attacker, who had one hand clamped over Yugi's mouth and a knife held to the boy's throat.
"Yami...?" Yami snarled at the tremor in Yugi's mental 'voice' and the fear that coursed over the link.
"Let him go." Joey demanded, unmoving, afraid of what the guy might do if he tried anything.
"Yami!"
"There's more than one way to claim a Millennium Item," The man sniggered as terrified tears rolled down Yugi's cheeks, "And if the Pharaoh doesn't want to play my game..."
"Yami," Yugi whimpered as the knife dug in slightly, drawing blood where it pierced the skin, "Please, please help me..."
Yami took a step forward, sensing Yugi's pain and unable to just stand there and watch the death of the light that had saved him from five thousand years in the dark...
"YAMI, WAKE UP!"At Yugi's roar and helped along by the mental equivalent to a bucket of cold water, Yami started awake, only to find himself in Yugi's Soul Room.
"Aibou?" Yami asked, confused, as he looked around, relief coursing through him when his eyes fell on his unharmed aibou, "Are you alright?"
"You were having a nightmare. You fell into it when you tried to wake me up." Yugi hesitated momentarily then, "There was something in here..." Yugi glanced around the room, "You woke up once I scared it away..."
Yami scowled as he looked around the room, trying to spot 'it', whatever 'it' was. "What was...?"
"Some kind of butterfly with purple and black wings. It was glowing too. An odd blue colour."
Yami scowled as he looked around Yugi's room again, checking to see if he could spot the butterfly only to find he had no clue where it had gone.
"Yami?" Yugi asked, looking around curiously, "Where are we?"
Yami paused as it hit him that Yugi had never been here before. When Shadi had invaded their Soul Rooms, he had pulled Yugi straight into the maze that made up his room without giving him a chance to even look through his door. In fact other than the brief meeting when he'd gotten his aibou to hide, this was the first time that they'd met properly, soul to soul. That it had come about because of someone else's spell was unfortunate, but it was something Yami had desired for a long time.
"This is your Soul Room." Yami explained, "It's a representation of your very essence."
Yugi nodded, looking around and blushing, embarrassed at all the toys, games and cuddly toys that were lying around, but didn't get a chance to say anything as Joey's voice echoed down the corridor, causing Yugi to jump.
"Yuge?"
Yugi chuckled slightly as he trembled, "Joey's shaking me."
"You should see what he wants." Yami nodded, understanding, "Do you mind if I stay here? I might be able to find that 'butterfly'."
"You don't think it's a real butterfly."
"Aibou," Yami said patiently, "This is your Soul Room, it CAN'T be a real butterfly. If you didn't call it here, it can't stay here. It could be dangerous."
"It's a butterfly." Yugi gave his guardian an odd look.
"Just... please?" Yami asked. When Yugi nodded he relaxed slightly, "You should go and see what Joey wants."
Yugi nodded and darted out into the hall, following its path until he stepped into the light that led to his own body and opened his real eyes.
"Yuge, hey." Joey looked concerned, "You alright? You were tossing and turning in your sleep again..."
"I'm okay." Yugi nodded, sitting up just in time to see the butterfly from his Soul Room flutter out of the shut window, through the glass. He scrambled out of bed and darted across to the window but it had gotten out of sight before he had a chance to look out of it.
"Yami. I just saw that butterfly again. I don't think..."
'Get dressed quickly.' Yami's tone told Yugi a lot, 'We need to speak to Sakura.'
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"I don't know, but it wasn't a Clow Card." Kero sighed. "If it was a blue winged butterfly, I'd say it was The DREAM. She can cause dreams but not only was it a purple butterfly but it was causing nightmares. DREAM doesn't do that. Forevisions maybe, if you have magic, but not nightmares."
Yami scowled but nodded, having hoped that was the answer. He didn't like this creature's ability to get into his aibou's Soul Room like that and he'd hoped that the butterfly had been a Clow Card so it could be caught and stop tormenting his aibou.
His next port of call was obvious. "In that case I'm going to speak to Ba-Khu-Ra." Yami growled.
"Not now, Yami." Kero shook his head, "It won't matter if you stop Bakura before we manage to catch time, because it won't stop last night's nightmare, the spell would already be in motion. We should stop TIME first, then we can go visit Ba-Khu-Ra."
"Kero's right Yami." Yugi spoke up, "I can take another night of nightmares as long as we get out of this timeloop. I don't want to go through another Sunday." Yugi let out a soft laugh, "Not till next week at least."
Yami let out a soft snort. He would rather stop the nightmares, he could do without another nightmare like the one he'd had last night and he was sick of getting blasted into a wall in Yugi's nightmare, though the spongy wall had been a good plan by his aibou. However he could see Yugi's point. It wasn't like he particularly fancied going through the same Sunday for a fifth time.
On the upside they'd technically had a week off of school.
"Fine." Yami sighed, "We can catch TIME first. One question." He turned to Sakura, "Did you pick WOOD up out of your father's study?"
Sakura blanched.
"No and Toya's supposed to be washing the floor today."
The entire group broke and ran for the Kinomoto household, inside of which a tree was growing.
"So... anyone fancy a reset?" Joey asked jokingly, earning himself a despairing look from his friends, "What? I was joking."
An hour later a rather less amused Joey was left helping Toya clean up the mess while Sakura, Li and Yami headed for the clock tower, the WOOD card safely tucked away in Sakura's deck of Clow Cards with her name on it.
"Plan?" Sakura asked as she looked up at the clock tower.
"Diversions." Yami explained, "Li and I can cause some and while he's focusing on us, you can get behind him, using SHIELD to protect yourself from TIME's effects and catch him."
"But what happens to you guys?"
"You succeed, I get to go squash Ba-Khu-Ra. You fail, I get to try to squish that butterfly, either way..." Yami shrugged.
"If you're sure..." Sakura looked hesitant, concern for the others obvious.
"Go." Yami cast his spell and Sakura vanished. A moment later they heard the rush of wings as she swept past on FLY.
"Our turn." Li nodded to Yami, still wary of him but more willing to accept Yugi after the boy had saved his life.
Yami nodded and the pair of them darted into the stairwell, Yami's spell covering their footsteps and their passing until they got past the builders and the Pharaoh let the spell fall. There wasn't much point, after all, being the distraction unless you were distracting and Yami's first stunt, the moment he sensed Sakura touch the floor at the top of the tower was raise barriers around the windows, preventing TIME's escape.
Li's first move was quite impressive too. TIME, who was distracted by Yami's wards, ran smack into Li's summoned lightning, which stunned TIME for a few moments.
Weakened but not done it turned the hourglass in its hands and time started its journey backwards, causing Yami to let out a frustrated growl only to spot Sakura in the midst of a bubble that didn't seem to be affected by TIME's power.
"Return to the guise you were meant to be!" Sakura bellowed over the noise, "Clow Card!"
Even as TIME dissolved into mist the roaring passage of time stopped, leaving the boys where they had been before TIME had attempted to send them backwards, the card appearing to have trouble making up its mind who to go to and finally settling on Yami, who chuckled slightly and handed it over to Sakura.
"I would suggest that you keep that one well away from me." Yami glowered at the card in Sakura's hand, wondering if it had thought that it could make up with him by going to him rather than one of the others.
"Of course, Yami." Sakura nodded, having been half-afraid considering Yami's mood today that he was going to wreak the card rather than let them capture it.
"Now if you'll excuse me," The Pharaoh growled as he headed for the exit, "I have a Tomb Robber to talk to."
Sakura and Li watched him go, the latter letting out a relieved sigh as he vanished downstairs.
"Is he always like that?" Li practically demanded, annoyed that TIME had gone to Yami rather than him.
"No." Sakura shook her head, "I've never seen him like this before. I think the nightmares are hitting him hard..."
"Maybe we should follow him." Kero suggested.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea." Li shook his head, having no great urge to get in the middle of a Shadow Mage verses Shadow Mage argument.
"I'm going." Sakura told him, heading for the exit before anyone else could say anything and Kero darted after her.
"Sakura, wait up!"