Genie of the Puzzle

26: Going back on his promise

Yami leaned against the railing of the deck on the palace room, provided for his stay.
"Sultan?" He said to himself, thinking it over.
"They want me to be Sultan...?"

He had everything he wanted. He was rich now, so...what was bugging him?

The genie appeared from the puzzle that sat on his bed. "Huzzah! Hail, the conquering hero~!" She turned into a one woman band and played several instruments, but came to a stop when Yami just walked away.
"Rude."

She approached him again, this time using her fingers like a camera and "filmed" him. "Yami, you just won the heart of the Prince, what are you going to do next?"

Yami just looked at her, not liking like his cocky, confident self. He was glum and a little agitated, so he just walked away again.

The genie scratched her chin in confusion. Wasn't this what he wanted?

After Yami flopped face first into the bed, the genie sat beside him with the script labeled "The Genie of the Puzzle" and wore some reading glasses and whispered, "Your line is, 'I'm going to free the genie.'"

No it's not-

"Hush it." The genie said to the author and gestured for Yami to speak. "Anytime, now. No pressure."

"Genie..." Yami began to feel guilt for once. "I can't."

"Sure you can!" She tried to cheer him up. She grabbed his face and moved his mouth with her hands."You just gotta say, 'Geeniee, Ie weesh yew weere free'!"

"I'm serious!" He exclaimed and pushed her away, getting up and starting to pace. Her expression turned a bit more glum, and Yami said, "Look, I'm sorry, I really am, but they want to make me sultan-!"
He huffed. "No, they want to make 'Prince' Yami sultan."

To the genie, he softened his voice and sighed. "Without you, I'm just Yami."

The genie attempted to cheer him up. "But Yami, you've won! Isn't this what you wanted?"

"I won because of you!" He yelled, getting angry a pointing a finger at her. "The only reason anyone thinks I'm anything at all is because of you!"
He paced some more. "What if they find out I'm not actually a prince?"

Then he stopped and quietly said, with eyes wide, "What if Yugi finds out...?" After a moment, he realized something terrible.
"...I'd lose him..."

"Genie, I can't keep this up on my own." With a frown, Yami told her, "I can't wish you free."

The genie felt bad for Yami, but couldn't help but feel like she had been kicked in the stomach. After all, he did say he'd free her from her shackles of...genie-ism.

So, sarcastically, she said, "Oh, hey, I understand. After all," she scoffed, and began to shrink back into the puzzle by a little swirl of blue magical stuff.
"You've lied to everyone else, hey, I was beginning to feel left out."

Yami bit his lip when he saw her so small and yet so angry.

"Now if you'll excuse me..." She spit her words like poison. "Master." And she disappeared into the puzzle.

"Genie, hey, I'm sorry-"

A little tongue came from the eye of the puzzle, blowing a raspberry at his face.

"Well, fine!" Yami angrily took a pillow and slammed it over the puzzle and yelled, "Just...stay in there!!!"

He looked to the window, spotting Joey the elephant and the magic carpet watching them through the window.
Yami spat, "What are you looking at!?"

Offended, they left the window while Yami tried to call out for them. But, he was left alone in the room with an angry genie and a lot of guilt.

"Great." He sighed, burying his face in his hands and rubbing his temples. "The genie's probably right; I should..." He tried to get the words out. "...tell...Yugi...the...truth..."

He groaned. "That's gonna be fun. It's the right thing to do, after all..." He threw his hands in the air and said, "Yay...protagonist stuff!"

"Yami? Oh, Yami? Can you come here?"

Yami raised an eyebrow. "You're not Yugi."

"Yes." Not-Marik and totally-Yugi said. "Yes I am."

"No, you're not. You're voice doesn't do the thing."

"The thing?"

"Yes. The cracky-teenage voice thing. You know, not too much teen...but not too little."

Not-Marik and totally-Yugi then said, "Uh...super special awesome."

"Oh. Hey, Yugi." Yami stood up. "Where are you?"

"Out in the menagerie. Hurry!"

"Okay, I'm coming."
Yami walked away from the room and down the stairs, past the flamingos in their pools. "Here goes nothing..."

Marik (and not Yugi...OMG) balanced himself on the stilts and hid amongst the flamingos, even in his parrot suit.
You fool! Don't you know that Marik Sebastian Ishtar III is wonderful with impersonations, and has fooled you completely!?

He kicked off his stilts once Yami had left, and he sped into the direction of the room. He searched the bedsheets and pillows until he finally had the puzzle in his clutches.
He kissed it and smiled. "Florence will be happy to see you!"

In his best Bakura impression (which was his own voice, but hoarse), he said, "Excellent work, Marik!"

"Awh~! Go on!" Marik smiled at the thought.

"No, really! On a scale of one to ten, you are an eleven!"

"Bakura, stop it! I'm embarrassed! You're making me blush!"
He walked away with the puzzle in his hands, flapping his "wings" vigorously, like he could actually fly with them or something.

I guess the genie's a little...BLUE!!! Ok ok I'll stop....when I'm DEAD.