Why Duel Monsters Became a Hit (Part 2)

DIMENSION: MANGA (The One That Saves the Day)

Afterlife

Atem moved through the forbidden sands with several guards insisting on following, including Sugoroku. Satiah left through the sands of the afterlife and ended up in a card. She saw the Dark Magician, she had claimed to see him. She had been holding a child at the time of her death. He had taken it as lying, now that he'd experienced the truth. But if she had found a way to leave the afterlife?

"Your Majesty, being at the edges of the sand is how you punish people. Please, let's go back where it is safe."

There was more to it. There had to be more, and Atem was finding out what. As he walked, he noticed the millennium puzzle around his neck had started to shine. He took it back from Yuugi's world so it would trouble him no more. It was acting like the millennium ring, trying to lead him somewhere. ///Atem: What are you reacting to?/// He followed his feelings and changed directions in the sands.

Until he found something. Something he couldn't believe existed out there. "How?" The millennium tablet with a place for the seven millennium items. Inside of it, was six of the items, with one of them a crushed Ankh. Barely held together. "Between this world and the next." He noticed something else beside it. "Mahado." Mahado next to the Dark Magician tablet. He had not seen Mahado since he was welcomed and walked into the afterlife. "What are you doing here?"

"I have been placed here. I've been forbidden to leave," he explained. "You are here about the woman who disappeared with a child."

"Yes." Mahado didn't want to waste time, so Atem wouldn't. "What happened to Satiah?"

Mahado gestured toward the stone. "She found the Ankh on the ground next to the Millennium stone. She inserted it. There she remains in the living world, waiting."

But, hadn't she gone on? "I sent her away from the card."

"She resides in Anzu Mazaki. Waiting."

What? ///Atem: She's been hiding in Anzu this whole time? Why didn't she say something? Wait. Why would she want to?/// "She is sharing Anzu the way I shared Yuugi." Hmph. Atem noticed a few god worshipping stones and then a secondary summoning stone. Second summoning stone? "What was that?"

"Dark Magician Girl," Mahado answered. "Mana had been brought to your empire. She was forbidden to leave like me, but then she simply left, and the chiseled Dark Magician Girl disappeared."

"I'm sorry." He had been stuck there, alone. "Mahado. What will happen if I insert the millennium puzzle into there? This came from the living world." He took it from Yuugi.

"The afterlife will have the choice it should," Mahado said.

Choice?

"You do not have to take this journey though, Master," Mahado warned him. "Your role in the living world is over. It's not ordained nor is it destiny that you have to do this. Horakhty visited before I was left here. Horakhty recommended against it. However, other gods wanted you to be aware of this option." Mahado. Looked so alone. "Your decision?"

Atem bent to the ground. ///Atem: I can feel how right this is to do. The darkness, eliminating it from the eternity of everyone. It would probably enable Mahado to leave as well. Yet, I almost tremble. I can sense that this will not be the same journey and Horakhty is against it./// He felt Grandpa's hand on his shoulder.

"Go with your gut," he urged him.

"My power down there on Earth," Atem reasoned. "Last time, I could not even contain it. My body shines like the sun, energy flowing through. In this form, I would never be able to stay with Yuugi." He would kill his body to stay in it for long. Atem craved more information. This was so little. No one would send him down into Yuugi's body just to destroy it. But, there was nothing else said. No guarantees.

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Japan

"Hold that side and I'll hold this side. Sorry, it's rolling." Yuugi taped a classic old poster of the Black Luster Soldier up on the Kame Game Shop wall. It hadn't been there for some time, but it didn't feel right not to hang one back up.

Anzu was helping to hold it. She was doing her best to help as much as possible with everything. Yuugi knew she was going to feel a huge sense of needing to repay him back for everything. She didn't really have to do a thing though. Just, having her back there again. It made his heart feel so much lighter. "There we go, that's better." He flipped the tape and looked at it. "Just like it should be."

"It looks great," Anzu agreed.

"What do you think, Destiny?" Yuugi looked at her cat Destiny who jumped up to the counter. "Boy, Grandpa would have never let you do that." He picked her up and put her back down. Anzu loved Destiny, but it seemed like the attachment was also to Satiah. Something Anzu did to bring them closer together. "Unless there is a hot new game coming out, there usually isn't much traffic. Sometimes just a couple of customers a day." Even having a hot game didn't mean they would be crawling in customers.

"Okay," Anzu said. "I just stay behind the counter and wait to see if anyone comes like your grandfather did."

"Pretty much. Don't worry if you have slow weeks either." Every week was a slow week. "I'll pay you the same. No worries." There wasn't. Yuugi had a lot more money than she probably realized. By Kaiba Corp investing in his game, and him investing with Mokuba directly? "Are you sure you don't mind sharing the space with me?" That was what was making him feel like a heel.

"I need to learn the business and no one knows games like you do, Yuugi," she said. "I don't mind."

Sharing a house with Anzu Mazaki. What were the chances of that ever happening? Had he told his younger self ever that was in his future, he would have blown up. The crush he used to have. Might kind of still have. Maybe. "It would make it easier to get started right away."

"Honestly, I'm the one who should be thanking you a thousand times over," Anzu said, bowing her head lightly. "You shouldn't have to move back over to here when you have a different house now. It's because of the potential people who might be after me, isn't it?"

Not just that. "Partly," Yuugi said. "The new system should really help things out though. It's connected to my phone. You can see inside of any room at any time. Within reason though, I'd never misuse it." He showed her his phone. "It shouldn't be long either. Jounouchi almost has this wrapped up." Umm? ///Yuugi: Add something else Yuugi! She moved all the way here, don't make it on a whim.///