Chapter Text
Ugh… What happened? Yuugi could barely see much of anything in front of him. It's like a thick fog, except completely dark. Not Yami’s soul room at all. He would know the difference. He couldn’t move at all either, but before he could start struggling, he began to hear whispering. It was low enough that his hearing couldn’t pick up any of the words, but the tone sounded like that of a child. What’s a child doing here?
“Hello? Anyone there?” At least he can speak in this place.
Instead of answering, the voice seemed to grow smaller. The whispering began to fade, prompting Yuugi to nearly call out again, but was stopped by a familiar voice.
“Aibou! Aibou, can you hear me?” Yami? “Come on little one, wake up!” He sounded worried...
“Open your eyes, Yuugi!”
Yuugi woke with a startled look, eyes quickly squinting at light that is shining down on him. He raised an arm to shield his face, allowing his eyes to adjust enough that they wouldn’t start to water. Blinking once, then a second time, he was barely given a chance to look around his surroundings before a youthful face with red, wide eyes and a starfish hair design was in front of him, frown firmly set on a pair of lips. Or rather, the individual was hanging upside down in front of the young man. Since Yuugi was lying down, he couldn’t flinch back, but violet eyes did manage to widen to show his surprise.
“Oh, thank Ra that you’re alright! I have been trying to wake you for a while now. I thought you were well and truly hurt.”
Yami seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, looking down upon Yuugi a little longer before he pulled his transparent form back a couple steps and out of the light. If he was back any farther he would well and truly be able to blend into the black walls that were around them. His dark jacket and pants weren’t exactly helping him either, making the pharaoh look a lot more see-through than he should be.
Yuugi sat up and answered in a mumble with, “Good thing I’m not.” He kind of imagined he would be hurt too. How far did he fall anyways?
The game champion eventually climbed onto his two feet and glanced down to see what he had fallen upon. Not hard ground, but apparently a small field of bright yellow flowers. Crouching down, the young man smiled while brushing his fingers along the tops of the petals. He will say that it’s quite strange these little plants would save him, but he’s been through weirder scenarios. Flowers protecting his long fall is just something to add to his growing list.
Standing up once more, he glanced towards the hole above him and his dark half. “That’s quite a fall,” he murmured, brows beginning to furrow. Yami spared the hole a look as well, but it soon disappeared as he slowly circled the edge of the field of flowers, looking distracted. This eventually claimed the boy’s attention, wondering why the taller individual was acting in such a way. He watched him stop and stare off at some spot, prompting Yuugi to try and find where his eyes headed to. Is he seeing something? However, he found nothing as he glanced around the small room—or whatever this little area was, really.
Clearing his throat, Yami began speaking as he tore his eyes to his lighter half. “There seems to be a hallway off to our right. It might lead us the way out of here.” Yuugi smiled at that news, stepping his way out of the field and sunlight to walk towards where he was told the hallway was. His partner followed shortly behind him, sparing a brief look to the yellow field before his eyes moved back ahead.
The walk didn’t take very long, at the end there being a large archway. It seemed ancient but stable. Yuugi absorbed the way it looked before passing through. However, he soon stopped in shock when about a third of the way in, eyes staring at a small figure within the room. What in the world..?
“Howdy!” A talking…flower?
The flower appeared to take in Yuugi’s appearance, wide smile still in place. When Yuugi refused to respond right away, the creature piped up in an overly ecstatic voice. “I’m Flowey! Flowey the Flower!”
“Um… I’m Yuugi,” the teen offered with a little waver in his voice. Yami had arrived beside his partner, staring at the grinning and talking flower with obvious suspicion.
“Well howdy then, Yuugi!”
“… I don’t like it,” Yami supplied with a frown.
Yuugi missed his dark half’s comment when “Flowey” began again.
“Hm… You seem new to the Underground, don’tcha?”
“Underground?” Yuugi questioned, which stopped the flower from launching into more speech when presented the inquiry.
“Yeah, the Underground! You’ve not heard of it?” At Yuugi’s head shake, the flower’s grin seemed even brighter now. “Guess little ol’ me will have to do in telling you how things work here, then!”
Yami stepped close to Yuugi, eyes glaring in Flowey’s direction. “Careful aibou, I don’t like this...”
“Ready? Here we go!”
Yuugi flinched as he was jolted, something being projected from his body. His eyes widened, taking in the fact that a green heart was floating in front of his chest. Not a normal heart, but one with a cartoon appearance. “Yami...” His darker half’s response is cut off by Flowey’s sudden explanation.
“See that heart? That is your SOUL. The very culmination of your being! Your soul starts off weak, but can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV. What does LV stand for?”
Yami didn’t attempt to say anything until the flower stopped. He was annoyed to the point he wished to kick the measly thing out of the ground and off into the blackness. Once it was silent, if only for a short period, he glanced from the corner of his eyes at Yuugi. “I don’t think anything good will come from this. You have to let me take control.”
Yuugi didn’t quite share the same sentiment, though. This flower looked harmless enough. It has a face and voice, but in the end it is only a plant.
“Yami, what could be so bad about the situation? He won’t try to harm us,” he whispered. What would be the end goal anyhow, if this flower wishes to attack? He could just be someone that purely wants to help those that get lost.
Yami groans, looking a little put out that his lighter half wasn’t understanding. Whatever this flower is, it isn’t just a plant. A thing that is sentient in such a way is very much the same as any one of their duel monsters…or even just an animal in general. Most of them have a wide range of power and the ability to attack.
Flowey’s voice was the same cheerful tone as ever as he decided to answer his own question when Yuugi chose not to. “Why LOVE of course!”
Yami refused to listen to the flower any longer as he carried on talking. Annoyed, he let the words skitter over his head until he heard, as well as saw something interesting that made him more firmly resolved on his thoughts towards the flower. Above them were what Flowey began to call “friendliness pellets”. They put the pharaoh on edge, but Yuugi barely looked afraid. As they begun to rain down, Yuugi allowed himself to stay put, to accept them with a curious smile, but suddenly he’s thrust out of his own body by his dark half. Maneuvering to the side with quick reflexes, the heart color flickered between green and yellow.
Flowey’s expression twitched when he saw the boy completely undamaged. He didn’t even notice the flickering with how busy he was trying to remain composed. “Hey buddy, you missed them. Let’s try again.”
He rained more “friendliness pellets” down upon the individual, who continued to dodge them. Flowey’s expression cracked just slightly, like a nervous twitch.
“Are you serious? Completely brain dead here?” The flower hurried his words enough that he slipped in his speech while pushing more at him, calling them “bullets”, then corrected himself afterwards.
Yami stayed put after the pellets stopped, letting himself be pushed out of control by Yuugi, who swiftly and mentally berated him for doing such a thing. Flowey had attempted to do a nice thing for them! His mental ranting stopped when he caught sight of the little flower in front of them. Rather, his appearance did.
Flowey’s face was contorted into a devilish smile, sharp teeth showing themselves on all rows. He also had white, pinprick pupils instead of the full on black, oval ones he had moments ago. “You know what’s going on here, don’t you?” he claimed. His voice was no longer cheery and upbeat, but full of malice.
Yuugi couldn’t quite understand what the flower was talking about. He gave Yami a side glance before looking back to Flowey once more. “I-I don’t understand-“
“You just wanted to see me suffer!” Flowey spat, keeping his contorted face present as his voice wavered upon another tone. He barely gave Yuugi time to react before he surrounded him with the white “bullets” he slipped into calling a mere minute ago.
“Die!” He let out a resounding, echoing laugh while grinning manically, watching the star-haired boy.
Yuugi moved backwards, then forwards, whirling all around in a desperate attempt to find a way out of this. He was too panicked to hear Yami trying to reason with him to take control. He snapped out of it when he felt the faintest brush against his mind, prompting him to give Yami attention, even if he wanted to panic more at the progression of the pellets as they steadily got closer.
Let me take care of this, aibou, Yami pressed, sparing a brief look around them.
He wanted to refuse, but the pellets were almost right upon them and there seemed no way out. Would his partner find one he cannot? He’s done so before.
When the pellets were mere inches away, suddenly they disappeared. Amethyst and crimson orbs wide, they both stared at Flowey, expression sporting parted lips turned into a frown and narrowed, black eyes. He seemed just as surprised as them.
A ball of flame was produced from their surroundings and shot straight at Flowey. The plant was knocked off to the side and into the darkness. He did not surface, leading Yami to believe that the flower had been bested.
Stumbling back, Yuugi stared at the spot that the flame had appeared from, visibly on edge. If Flowey had so easily been pushed aside by that, then what of himself? Yami..
He felt his dark half’s presence behind him at the ready as the shadowy figure revealed themselves, stepping forward. What the..
“What a horrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth,” the creature proclaimed. It’s…some animal? A talking goat?
Wearing a dress, Yami supplied, not sure at all how to react to this development.
“Ah, do not be afraid, my child.” They seemed to think Yuugi’s expression was one of fear, not shock. “I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins.”
That still doesn’t explain the dress, but at least now he knows who this creature is.
“I walk by here every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human in a long time to have come along.”
So others have come by. Would they still be around somewhere? Yuugi pondered this.
Likely so.
“Oh, I almost forgot. What would your name be, my child?” Toriel asked in a polite manner. Her mannerisms remind Yuugi and Yami so much of Shadi. Her aura was so clear and motherly to Yami that she didn’t feel like much of a threat.
“Um..” You can tell her your name. I don’t see her bringing any harm, his partner offered as aid. If Yami can trust her easily enough, then Yuugi can try. “My name is Yuugi, ma’am.”
“Oh no, you don’t have to call me ma’am, my chi—I mean, Yuugi dear. Toriel will be okay.” She smoothed out the front of her dress with a smile. “I will lead you through the catacombs.”
The dark pharaoh couldn’t stop himself from freezing up. Did she just say catacombs? He didn’t have long to think on it as Toriel had quickly turned around and started walking to an arched doorway far in front of them. Yuugi followed her after tucking his little heart away, which tugged Yami along.
Yuugi stopped when he saw something blinking in front of a pair of rising stairs that led through another archway. He touched the flickering, star-like object and smiled at what he was presented with.
“Seeing Toriel wait for you at the entrance to the Ruins fills you with KINDNESS.”
Yami was shown something different when he soon appeared beside his host.
“Knowing that Flowey got what he deserved fills you with JUSTICE."