( video. )

[dualer]

[ by this point, now that they know about it, people might be starting to pick up on the differences between the two yuugis - and the one sitting in front of the camera right now is all angles, sharp-eyed and rigid. his hair is different. he holds himself more proudly. he also seems to be, despite his serious expression, kind of awkward, and he spends a while drumming his fingers on the desk, clearly unsure of what to say. ]

... Everyone got out of Kaiba's Death-T alright. [ starting was apparently the hardest part, because he shifts and continues, now in a strong and confident voice with no hesitation: ] Grandpa is home from the hospital already, and Honda-kun wasn't hurt after we lost him, thanks to Kaiba's little brother. I won the final game, and everything is back to normal. [ a small smirk. ] Well, aside from this latest virus, I guess. But it seems that I'm not affected, and I'm glad for that.

[ he picks up a piece of paper and stares at it for a moment, frowning. ] My partner... wanted me to say this, instead of him. He also wants me to introduce myself to the people of the community. I don't see much point in it, but... [ he puts the paper down and stares, dead serious, into the camera. ] I'm Yuugi Mutou. I am the presence that lives inside of Yuugi's heart. I believe my partner calls me his "other self", so if you want to call me the "other Yuugi", I don't mind. If we haven't already met, it's a pleasure. Any friends of Yuugi's are also friends of mine.

... [ he sighs, eyebrows furrowing. ] I'd like to switch back to my partner now, so that he can talk to you all again after the Death-T incident, but according to this [ waving the piece of paper ] he wants me to be the one to talk. I can't lie to him, which means I'll have to do my best with this. My partner recommended asking a question, and so I've been trying to think of one...

After our duel at the end of Death-T, I shattered Kaiba's heart completely. I broke it so that he can rebuild it himself and be free of the darkness that had consumed him. I can't say for sure that he'll recover; but while he may have done terrible things to my friends and family, I truly respect him as an opponent, and I hope that he finds his way out of the darkness to face me again. He deserves that second chance.

... What I wanted to ask was how the rest of you feel about second chances like that. Do you think that everyone is deserving of them? No one? Or only those who you can see are worthy of it?

Comments

[anothersoul]

Pardon me for not answering your question but I'm curious...what do you mean that you shattered his heart?

[dualer]

Hm... I call it his "heart", but it might be more accurate to say his "mind" or his "soul". With the state he's in now, it's going to be a while before he's capable of anything again.

[anothersoul]

Was that the best course of action?

[hardworks]

What do you mean you shattered his heart!?

[ WHAT IS THIS BUSINESS. She just got over the fact that there are magical girls (reluctantly accepting anyway), what is this business about Death-T's (was it a kind of t-shirt?) and shattering hearts!? Aren't hearts squishy anyway!? What is this?! At least she can answer the last couple of questions though. ]

I think everyone deserves a second chance as long as they show intent to change, though.

[dualer]

Sometimes an intent like that has to be forced upon a person, if they don't know any better.

[ psa: don't win the other yuugi's respect if you are a bad person. just don't do it. he will fuck you up and think that it's a good thing. ]

What I mean by his "heart" would probably make more sense if I called it his "soul", instead. He's going to be recovering for a while, and it's possible not to survive it. But if he's strong and he can find his way out of the darkness I broke, he'll pull through.

[hardworks]

[ Not his heart, but his soul.. ]

Isn't that somehow worse..?

[stillneedawish]

Ah--! Yuugi-san... [ her face shows a pleased kind of relief at first - so this means that the note system has been working, right? ] It's nice to meet you again.

Ah, but, hmm... I think that everyone deserves a second chance to try and change. Especially if it's obvious that they regret what they did, or that it wasn't completely their fault that they became the way they did... I think that, well, sometimes it's just that people need a little help to get back to where they should be. Not... not always, maybe, but maybe a lot of the time. Um.

... what do you mean that you... shattered his heart? I - that sounds horrible, are you sure he'll be able to get better from that...!?

[dualer]

Madoka-san. [ he smiles genuinely at the sight of her, much brighter than his usual smirks. ] I have you to thank for this! Without you, my partner and I would never have been able to reach an understanding as soon as we did.

It's not certain; the effect it has on him will probably leave him lifeless for a while. But I have faith in Kaiba's strength. I think that he has the will to piece his heart back together. [ he hums. ] It's just as you said, in fact. Sometimes, people need a little help to get back to where they should be. I've given him the help he needs to get started, and the rest relies on him.

[stillneedawish]

A-ah--! W-well, I don't know about that... but um, I'm glad that I could help you and Yuugi-kun, even if it was just a little. I know he was really worried about everything, so... I'm glad that things are going so well between you. I really am!

I-- oh... [ it sounds as though he's thought about this, but even so... then again, she has a feeling that the old Yuugi-san, the one from before Yuugi-kun talked to him, would probably just have-- ]

What... can I ask what would have happened to him, if you hadn't done that?

[seasaltzombie]

Wait - you did what to this guy?

[dualer]

I broke apart his heart, so that he can put the pieces back together with his own strength, free of the darkness that had overcome him. It's not pleasant, and it's possible for it to kill a weaker-minded person, but it had to be done.

[seasaltzombie]

But you can't even know if he'd be able to do something like that on his own. I mean - breaking someone's heart apart, that's-- ... he might never wake up again. Not without help, anyway.

[ mnnr. this is so Not Okay. but... ]

... what was that you were saying about the Darkness, anyway? That's why you did it, right?

[aquaticrush]

Hello, Mutou-san!

Um... are you sure that that's the right thing to do?

[dualer]

I know that it seems cruel, Retasu-san, but it's what had to be done. And if Kaiba is as strong as I think he is, he'll be better for his suffering when he comes to face me again.

[aquaticrush]

I hope it works the way you say it will.

[oceanicbreak]

I can't say that I agree with your methods, but your intent...Anyone can change, as long as they take that chance and want to. Kaiba might have had a lot of darkness in him, but it's something he might have been better working his way out of with a friend to help him.

[dualer]

I'll extend that hand of friendship to him, but I think that the one to help him to recover from this will be his little brother.

[oceanicbreak]

You might be right. It sounds like he wanted to change a lot earlier.

[Video]

[unknownrival]

It's nice to meet you. Properly, I think. I spoke to you during the zombie event, didn't I?

Are there crimes that are unforgivable and people who've committed them who don't deserve a second chance? I don't know. I think there are people I could not forgive, myself, [and here he coughs and it sounds suspiciously like 'Zouken'] but that doesn't mean they don't deserve the opportunity.

[dualer]

You did. It's nice to meet you too, Ryudo-san.

I see. [ he isn't ashamed by his own way of dealing with things, of course, but - ] You're much more merciful than I am. If someone wrongs me or my friends and they're not worthy of a second chance in my opinion, I'll deal with them myself.

[unknownrival]

Ah, see, I'm not nearly capable of dealing with everyone who commits unforgivable wrongs. I can't tell how much of what I say is 'mercy' as it should be for a monk, or 'pragmatism' as it is for a weak person in a world made of powerful people.

[precursorstone_gun_nest]

Huh. [Jak is weighing "second chance" against the fact that the way other people are talking it sounds like he put this guy in a coma.] I don't know... Usually I'd say it depends on how likely they are to use the second chance right. I've had to take down some people without second chances, but I really don't think any of them would have taken it. Most of them were probably too crazy to see it, anyway.

Am I just not meeting all the guys with split personalities until now, or what? I'm kind of glad the other me doesn't have much of a personality. Having a bunch of snarling in my head would get old fast.

[dualer]

Sometimes a person like that has to be pushed down the right path.

[ he's not sure how he feels about this situation being called a "split personality". on one hand, yes, he and yuugi are the same, and it's for the better if people don't try to separate them too much. on the other hand... ] I wouldn't call it a split personality. I was brought to him by the powers of the Millennium Puzzle, after all, and I think of us more like two halves of a whole.

video;

[selene]

[ Oh.. welp, that's a lot to respond to at once. Usagi even has to stare for a bit, as if she's trying to tell the differences between this Yuugi and the other one, but then she figures she should at least start to answer-- ]

Um-- calling you both Yuugi-kun or just calling you "other Yuugi-kun" would be rude, so.. let's call you Yuu-kun instead, okay?! It's like a nickname! [ She nods to herself. At least she easily gets along with people so she's acting.. just like usually, really. ]

But.. I really think you did the right thing in that case. I think everyone deserves a second chance, no matter what! Usually the bad things people do are born from their pain and suffering, so.. if there's some way to change that around, they can become good just like everyone else, I'm sure of it!

[dualer]

Yuu-kun?

[ n-nickname... he's not so sure about that, but it seems like she's pretty set on it, so he won't try to dissuade her - especially if she's doing it out of consideration, even if it is misplaced. it's just... going to take some getting used to. and his partner will probably laugh at him. ]

Ah... That's what I want to believe, too. Even if he might never become someone kind like my partner, Kaiba is strong enough to pull himself out of the darkness. He's the kind of person I'd respect as a rival.