Currents- Chapter Ten

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Yugi sighed, feeling the blade dig closer to his skin. A few inches more, and it would split it. Great job Mutou. You’ve really outdone yourself with this situation.

He barely had cause for celebration; Atem seemed to have his human memory back, at least somewhat, and it didn’t take Yugi long to work out he was an Armesian soldier of some sort. A fine situation indeed.

“What are you waiting for? Finish him off! We can’t afford to let him live!” Mana shouted, fluttering around beside Atem.

Atem seemed to ignore her, staring down at Yugi instead. He seemed… curious, almost? But there was also anger in his eyes, and his mouth was twisting in frustration. But why was he frustrated? Yugi raised an eyebrow, conveying his confusion.

Atem stared at him for a moment longer before his shoulders sagged, and he let out a ragged sigh. “I can’t, Mana.” He said, moving the blade away from Yugi’s throat.

“Why not?”

Atem held out a hand for Yugi, and Yugi brushed it aside, standing on his own. He stared down at Atem, making it obvious he wasn’t accepting anything from Atem anytime soon.

“Because,” Atem said, standing as well. “He’s my commanding officer. It’s my job to protect him, not hurt him.”

“What do you mean commanding officer? He’s with the Empire.” Mana stressed, jabbing a finger at Yugi.

“Well this is awkward.” Yugi said, coughing into his hand. He ran his fingers over his throat, shaking slightly from the near-death sensation. Adrenaline raced through his body, and he felt excited to fight somehow, burn the energy off.

“I wouldn’t trust him Atem,” Mana continued, seemingly ignoring Yugi. “He’s a General! You know this guy has done bad shit.”

“I know,” Atem admitted, keeping his hands up. “But killing him wouldn’t work. I can’t let him die, and I don’t want to hurt you, Mana. Don’t make me choose; I can’t fight my programming.”

“If you could listen to yourself.” Mana shook her head, hand reaching into her bag. “We need some crowd control.” She pulled out a gun, pointing it at Yugi.

Yugi saw the side of the gun, the engraved letters that shined across the sleek surface. Letters he himself had carved into there himself. “That’s… You little- that’s my gun!” Yugi yelled, whipping out his other pistol and pointing it straight back at Mana.

He didn’t waste time, squeezing down on the trigger, only to have his arm thrusted upwards during the process, the bullet shooting skyward harmlessly. He glared at Mana, only to find it was Atem’s hand gripping his arm, eyes boring into his.

“You just tried to shoot me!” Mana squeaked, the pistol in her hand beginning to shake.

“And I’ll do it again,” Yugi snarled. “Atem, let me go.”

“Don’t do this sir.” Atem said. Yugi coolly kept his gaze on Atem, watching the android. Atem’s eyes were silently pleading with him, his mouth drawn into a thin line.

“That’s my gun. She has no right to wield it.” Yugi argued, jerking his head in Mana’s direction.

“I found it! I’ve had it for months, if you really wanted it you shouldn’t have lost it so easily!” Mana tipped her nose up, and Yugi saw red.

“How dare you.” He snarled, smashing the handle against Atem’s fingers. The android hissed, his grip loosening, and Yugi shook his arm free. He moved to point the gun at Mana again, and she flinched.

Yugi had seconds to react, ducking down right before Mana fired the gun, the bullet sailing past into the darkness.

“No Mana!” Atem lunged forward, smacking the gun out of her hand. “Stop fighting, please!”

Yugi paused, the ‘please’ catching him. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t blast her head off for having my gun.”

Atem turned to him, eyes serious. “Because she’s my best friend.”

Yugi froze, the sincerity in Atem’s tone like a slap to his face. He lowered the gun, shaking his head to clear his mind. He flicked the safety back on, sliding the pistol into his pocket. He held up his hands in a symbol of peace, and Atem’s shoulders slackened.

“Thank you.” He nodded, and Yugi just groaned, rolling his eyes.

“Fine, but I’m going to need some answers, and quick. But first,” he held his hand out. “My gun. Now.”

Atem looked at the weapon on the ground, scooping it up before handing it to Yugi.

“Thank you.” Yugi sighed, feeling the familiar handle grip nestled under his fingers. “Now, I trust you suddenly performing mutiny was a result of your memories returning?”

“Yes, I… remember who I am, now.” Atem turned his hands palms up, staring down at them.

“And who is that, Atem?” Yugi pressed.

“I’m… not sure, to be honest,” his brows scrunched up, and he jerked his head to stare at the ground instead. “It’s hard to tell. Everything isn’t in place yet. I just have… events, and moments, out of order, trying to slot together. I can remember who I was, and what I did, but… most of it is hazy.”

“Of course, nothing is ever easy.” Yugi muttered, sighing. He glanced over Atem, eyes narrowing when he noticed the way one of his hands sat. “What’s wrong with your hand?”

Atem gave him a strange look, raising it up for Yugi to see better. It looked like something had crushed the tops of the knuckles and joints, some kind of hard material. Yugi frowned; he had a good idea what could make those marks.

“Shit, did I do that?” He bit his lip, gently taking Atem’s hand in his own to inspect it.

“You didn’t notice?” Atem asked, his voice even.

“No, I…” he sighed, looking up into Atem’s eyes. “Do you remember what I told you the day Gozaburo made us spar?”

Atem’s eyes softened, and he nodded. “You have trouble controlling your emotions.”

“You say it so easily,” Yugi sighed. “But you’re right. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“It’s fine, sir.” Atem muttered, looking away. That reaction alone told Yugi it was anything but fine.

“I think we have some antiseptic back at the outpost. Let’s return, and I’ll fix this.” Yugi said, then paused. “You don’t need to call me ‘sir’ anymore, Atem. Just Mutou is fine.”

“Even in the presence of others?”

“Yeah. Unless the other generals are around, although I’d rather not have to deal with Dartz nor Gozaburo anytime soon.”

“Wait wait,” Mana pipped up, scrambling in front of Yugi to halt him. “Outpost? Where exactly are you going? Atem and I can’t go to some Empire base! I’m not handing myself over just to be shot dead!”

“Well Atem’s not going to be shot. Not when he works for me.” Yugi said smugly, relishing in the shocked expression passing over Mana’s face.

She turned to Atem, eyes pleading. “You… please don’t tell me you’re… with the Empire now, Atem? What…”

“It’s complicated,” Atem sighed, rubbing his forehead. “And hard to explain. It might be easier to do back at the current base. I also need to… recharge.”

“You said you were fine.” Yugi butted in, narrowing his eyes in disapproval.

“I don’t want to make a big deal about it.”

“It will become a big deal if you collapse at a crucial time from lack of energy.”

“I understand,” Atem said, “but it’s hard to think straight right now… all my memories are trying to slot back into the forefront of my mind, and my programming is… trying to fight it.”

Yugi sighed, biting his lip. This could get bad very fast. We need to find a way to keep the two sides of his brain sated. “I’ll give Yusei a call back at the outpost. He might have something useful to say.”

“That would be appreciated, sir-”

“Mutou.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. But don’t make a habit of lying to me Atem. If something’s wrong, tell me and be upfront.”

“Understood, Mutou.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I don’t like this.” Mana said.

“So you’ve said. Five times already.” Yugi muttered.

“You’d feel the same, if you were in my situation.”

“Maybe, but I’m not, so suck it up.” Yugi grunted. Mana fell silent after that, and they were able to make the trek out of the canyon and back to the slight hill the outpost sat on.

Yugi stopped just outside the door, turning back to face Atem and Mana, both looking up at him expectantly.

“Okay, Atem, go back to sleep where you were before we left, and Mana, you can… sit next to him I guess.” He shrugged, walking away. “I have to wake Anzu and give her the rundown of what’s happened.”

“Oh don’t worry, I have a good idea.” Anzu said, appearing in the doorway.

Yugi winced, giving her a smile. “Anzu, hey, certainly have a story to tell you.”

Anzu shot him a glare, her gaze raking through all three of them. “Yugi Mutou, you have exactly ten seconds to explain this before I kick your ass.”

“Ten seconds is an awfully short amount of time-”

“Ten.”

“Anzu you’re not serious.”

“Nine.”

“Hey!” Yugi held up his hands in surrender. “Look you can kick my ass afterwards, but for now, it’s hard to explain things with you pressuring me with that timer.”

Anzu glared at him, crossing her arms matter-of-factly. “Fine, but you better start explaining mister.”

“Okay, but outside here,” Yugi motioned to Atem and Mana. “You two go inside and wait for me. Don’t try to escape off anywhere; if I hear any broken windows you’ll have a bullet in your head.” He said, addressing Mana directly. She puffed up her cheeks, but nodded sullenly.

Atem took her arm gently, nudging her inside and past Yugi and Anzu. Anzu closed the door behind them, immediately shooting Yugi a harsh glare.

“All right, Mutou, spill it.”

“You know, with the way you treat me anyone would think you were the general, not me.” He grumbled.

“Someone has to push the guy around who pushes everyone else around. Everyone’s got a set of strings, as they say.”

“Who says that? I’ve never heard anyone use that analogy before.”

“It’s not important, stop avoiding the main focus here, mister,” Anzu waggled a finger in his face, forcing him to pull back. “Who is that girl? And why were you both walking around at night alone? You better have taken your pistol; I know Ryou gave it to you.”

“He did, but that’s not all.” Yugi reached into his pockets, producing both his guns. Anzu’s eyes widened in shock.

“Is that your second pistol? But… I thought you lost it.”

“I did. But the girl in there- Mana, her name is- had it. Guess it was lying around on one of the old battlefields, and she scooped it up.”

“Okay, it’s somewhat worrying to see it again, but let’s not get distracted here. Who is Mana?”

“Some Armes citizen, I assume,” Yugi shrugged. “Although with the way she wielded my gun, I’d think she might have been a soldier. She was a little shaky though, lacked the discipline of a trained sol-”

“Are you trying to tell me she drew that gun against you?”

“It’s nothing to worry about Anzu. You know I can handle myself.”

“That’s not the point Yugi. Why did you bring her back- and not tied up at all, mind you- to our outpost? She knows our location now. There’s only three of us, and we might all be well trained, but against an army even you and wonder boy weapon of war can’t beat everyone.” Anzu stressed, dragging a hand down her face.

“Relax, Anzu. I don’t think she will be a problem. She’s here for Atem-”

“Him? Why? Does Armes know about our weapon and want to steal him? Rewrite his programming?”

“No, she’s… his best friend.” Yugi sighed, reaching into his back pocket. He pulled out a fresh, shiny packet of cigarettes and lighter, not missing the way Anzu narrowed her eyes at him visibly in the darkness.

“Don’t start, Mazaki. I’m just having one.”

“You don’t need it.”

“After all this bullshit?” Yugi laughed, flicking the lighter. “I think I need more than one, but for the sake of your hairline, I’ll keep it to the single.”

“Fine,” Anzu grunted. “But what do you mean this girl is his best friend? Did she know Atem in the past?”

“Seems like it,” Yugi put the lighter away, taking a long drag of the cigarette. “He seems to know her too.”

“He does? His memory is coming back then?”

“Yeah.”

Anzu paused, staring out into the darkness while Yugi focused on the stick between his fingers, the small flicker of light in the tobacco burning.

“This could be bad, if he’s from Armes. Dartz has done some pretty fucked up things in the past, but kidnapping soldiers from the other side and turning them against their friends and family? That’s fucked up Yugi.”

“I know. But what’s done is done. We can’t change him back.”

“So what happens now then? What does this mean for us?”

Yugi finished his cigarette, crushing out the bud against the side of the building. “For now, we’ll just play it by ear. I have questions I need answers for, and we might need to return to base to sort this out. I think we already know what happened here that sparked Pegasus’s interest.”

“All right. I’m going back to sleep then. You should too; I doubt you’ve slept at all tonight.”

“This morning I think you mean,” Yugi said, staring out at the distant brightening of the sky. “Dawn will be soon.”

“That just makes my point all the stronger Mutou.” Anzu placed a hand over his shoulder, squeezing lightly. “Get some sleep, Yugi.”

“I don’t think I could even if I tried,” Yugi sighed. “You might as well go if you can. I have a lot to think about.”

“All right, but I’m watching you dammit.” Anzu said before heading back inside.

“Someone’s got to.” He said to himself, smiling.

He whipped out the packet of cigarettes again once Anzu was gone, plucking another one out to light it. He took a moment to stare at the flame of the lighter, waving it gently in front of him. Sorry Anzu, but I need more than one tonight.

The door creaked open behind him, and he glanced behind him, snapping the lighter shut. Atem walked up to him, crossing his arms to stare out into the bleak darkness.

“So that was your other gun?” He asked, not turning away.

“Was, I lost it ages ago.”

“It’s back now though isn’t it?”

“That might not be a good thing.” Yugi said, taking a long drag of his cigarette.

“You seemed determined to have it back, though.”

“You’re awfully vocal suddenly,” Yugi observed, side glancing Atem. “Does this whole situation not dawn on you to be rather serious?”

“I don’t doubt the severity of our situation,” Atem confided, shifting on his feet. “But right now it is rather hard to think. The two parts of my brain are in a mess trying to sort themselves out, and I find trying to ponder the issue causes a massive headache I don’t have the time to deal with.”

“You speak awfully formal. Would it be rude of me to ask what your past life was like?”

“I suppose that’s what you’ve been wondering all this time, isn’t it?” Atem smirked, and Yugi frowned. He didn’t like been so easy to read, and Atem- this Atem, the human Atem- made him seem like an open book.

Yugi prolonged his answer, taking a rather long drag and an even longer time to exhale, looking away momentarily, pretending to be interested in some shape barely visible in the darkness, probably a bush.

“I admit, I’ve been curious. You can’t blame me for that.”

“I don’t,” Atem said, “but you’ve seemed rather laid back over this. I would be expecting questions immediately, but you’ve barely asked me anything.” He arched an eyebrow.

“I’ve had a lot on my mind, same as you.” Yugi grunted, pressing the cigarette to his mouth again.

“That’s not good for you, you know.”

“I know.”

“So why smoke it then?”

“I’d rather this than some other form of relief.”

“Relief from what?”

Yugi went silent, using his cigarette to cover his mouth. Atem frowned at him, but Yugi ignored it, choosing to feint obliviousness.

“You’re not going to tell me, are you?” Atem spoke up, and Yugi chuckled.

“You catch on quick.”

“It’s part of the job.” Atem shrugged, his hands shifting into his pockets. “Why do you have trouble sleeping?”

“Aren’t I supposed to be the one asking all the questions about you?” Yugi smirked, and Atem dipped his head.

“That is true, si- Mutou. But, I must admit, I have been just as curious as you, as you have been about my past. Who were you, before all this?”

“I’m sure it would be a riveting tale to listen to,” Yugi snorted, “but I’m not in the mood to discuss my past. I don’t think I’m ready to share that just yet.”

“Understood, sir.” Atem replied. Yugi gave him a side glance, and Atem coughed awkwardly.

“Sorry. It’s hard to shake the habit; it’s in my programming.”

“It’s fine. If it makes you more comfortable, then you can still do it. I fear I’ve been trying to rush you into this, poking at your brain and trying to jar your memory back. I must admit, I’ve been… rather morbidly curious about this whole process. I’m sure you know this kind of thing has never been done before. Attempted, perhaps, but never… committed to.”

“I had considered it, after you had Doctor Fudo install the emotion chip.”

“Ah, yes. How is that going in this mess?”

“I think it’s helping settle my memories,” Atem said. “It makes it easier to think, and slows down the demand from my system.”

Yugi hummed, taking one last breath of his cigarette before crushing it out against the wall, right next to where the other mark was from his previous one. He noticed the muted colours on the wall were much more visible now, and he turned around, the lazy shades of yellow reaching up into the dark night, breathing life into it.

Yugi felt he had wasted enough time. He turned back to the outpost. “I have to call Ryou and let him know we’ll be heading back soon.”

“Back to the base? Mana won’t like that.”

“She’ll have to deal. I’m afraid I can’t let her go scrambling back to Armes and tattle about our position. If the base gets too much attention, I’ll be forced to report activity to Gozaburo, and we don’t want him to get involved.”

“She won’t tell; not if I ask her not to.”

“It’s a risk I can’t take, Atem,” Yugi sighed, turning to the other. “Please understand, I still have a job to do, and as a general of the Domino Empire, I can’t afford to turn a blind eye to potential dangers to my country.”

“I do understand,” Atem’s voice softened. “I’ll talk to her about it.”

“Good. We better get the mechs ready then. We have a lot of work to do.”