Hiya! This double post is brought to you by Christopher Columbus, a wonderful person who sailed the ocean blue in 1492 and brought us Americans a nice holiday.
Yu-Gi-Oh! © Kazuki Takahashi
"Useless child," Atem spat, sitting casually in his throne as he looked down at the quivering, pale boy at his feet. "I thought you would have realized long ago that I neither needed nor wanted you."
"I'm sorry, please," Yugi begged, tears running down his face. "Let me go, I won't come back, I promise."
"Your word is worth less than the ground beneath the peasants' feet!" Atem roared, standing up and walking angrily toward Yugi. "I should kill you now and be rid of you, but my mercy does not allow me such rights." Yugi pulled himself across the floor with his hands, nervous to be so close to Atem.
"You're weak. You're pathetic! Everyone you loved has suffered because of you! Your parents are dead because of you! Your grandfather's soul was taken because of you! Joey, Tea, and Tristan were all possessed and used as toys because of you! You made me suffer as well. You stuffed me back into this human form, denying me my place in the afterlife because of your selfishness! Go back to the orphanage, Yugi, no one wants you," Atem growled. "No one ever did, remember? No one ever wanted the sniveling shrimp hiding from the adults in the back of the room. You had to wait the longest for a family while you watched all your 'friends' find homes of their own. Worthless, self-centered boy! You don't deserve any of us!"
Yugi was too afraid, too ashamed to cry. He huddled in the corner of the palace, hugging his knees and shaking. "You can't even stand up to me," Atem said, and pulled Yugi to his feet by his wrist. "For once in your life, have a spine!" He delivered a vicious backhand to Yugi's left cheek, and Yugi fell to the ground with the force of it.
"Leave, and never come back," said Atem as he regained his throne. "For my mercy will suffer you no longer."
Atem cracked open his eyes and looked over at the bed across from him. It was early, even before dawn, but Yugi was out of bed. He glanced over at the clock and saw that it was three-thirty in the morning.
Atem lifted himself from the soft, warm covers and stepped out into the hallway. The light was on in the kitchen, which meant that Yugi was probably in there, for whatever reason.
Yugi was stirring hot chocolate in a pot, his brow creased with distress and his eyes puffy and red. At the sound of the door opening, he turned around, surprised. "Atem, what are you doing up?" he asked. His voice was distorted by suppressed emotion.
"I was about to ask you the same thing," Atem replied, sitting down at the kitchen table. Yugi took out two cups for the hot chocolate and poured an equal amount into both of them. He had made too much for himself, anyway. "Thanks," Atem said, taking his mug.
Yugi sat down in the chair and slowly sipped his chocolate. "Well?" Atem asked finally after long moments of silence. "Are you going explain your insomnia or not?"
"It's nothing… it's silly," Yugi mumbled. "I'm fine, I just couldn't sleep, that's all."
"Really?" Atem asked skeptically. Yugi looked up at him, frowning as he saw that his façade wasn't working. "Yugi, whatever's got you up at this hour has to be serious. The last time you woke up at three-thirty, the world was ending."
Yugi frowned. "You promise you won't make fun of me?" Atem nodded. "I… I had a bad dream." Yugi looked embarrassed when he had said it. "Yeah, I know, it's childish, it shouldn't have bothered me that much."
"Nonsense, Yugi," said Atem. "I find that when I have had a bad dream, hot chocolate and company is a lot better than trying to go back to sleep right after."
"When was the last time you had a bad dream?" Yugi said gloomily. "I bet they don't faze you a bit."
"Well, it was about five thousand years ago, and the hot chocolate was actually beer, but I don't think that really matters, does it? The point is that I understand."
Yugi smiled a bit and took another sip of his drink. "Did you… want to talk about it?" Atem offered. "It helps." Yugi looked up at Atem, the face that had been so angry in his dream. That same face was smiling at him now.
"We… I mean, you and I were… having a conversation," Yugi began. "In my dream."
Atem contemplated what to do with this information. "Was it so horrible?" he asked.
"Please don't be offended, but you were… you weren't really yourself," Yugi said. "Y-you were different… mean."
For a moment, Yugi thought that Atem really would be angry at him. But Atem just shrugged. "I could understand how that could be frightening," Atem said. "I remember when we dueled against each other for the first time, in Death Valley. The thought that you were angry at me or disappointed in me was more than I could bear."
"I don't really think you could ever be like that. You know that, right?" Yugi asked.
"Of course," Atem replied lightly. "You see, doesn't it feel better to get that off your chest?" Yugi nodded, and they finished the last of their hot chocolate.
Yugi rubbed his eyes when they were done and yawned. "I'll, uh, clean this up in the morning. I think I want to go back to bed."
Then Atem noticed something strange. "Yugi, what happened to your face?" he asked.
"My…?"
"Your face, Yugi," Atem repeated, and brushed his finger against Yugi's left cheek. Yugi winced; it burned like fire when Atem touched it. "What happened?"
Yugi sat in shock and gently grazed his contusion. "I… don't know…"
Yugi was subdued this morning, just as he had been for the past week. Atem had asked if it was bad dreams again, but Yugi always said no. Atem began to get even more concerned as Yugi began to limp around the house and wear heavier and heavier clothing. Nearly every moment of the day he had a dazed look on his face, like he was daydreaming constantly. Atem didn't know what to make of it.
Atem walked into the living room where Yugi was sitting idly on the couch. "Hey, Yugi," Atem said. Yugi didn't look up. "Did you want to play Duel Monsters today? You may be the King of Games for now, but I might have gotten a few new strategies since the last time we dueled."
Yugi still didn't look up, and Atem walked up behind him and touched him on the shoulder. Yugi cried out and clutched the place where Atem had put his hand. "Yugi, was it is, what's wrong?" Atem asked quickly.
Yugi's breathing became steadier and he let go of his shoulder. "Nothing. I'm fine. I just… I spaced, I didn't know you were in the room."
"That seems to be happening a lot lately," Atem noticed. "Are you sure you're alright, Yugi? You've been acting stranger and stranger for the last few days."
"I told you, I'm fine!" Yugi exclaimed. "So… so don't worry about me. You wanted something?"
"Yes…" Atem said, looking at Yugi curiously. Yugi fidgeted under his gaze. "I wanted to know if you wished to play a round of Duel Monsters."
"Actually, I'm going to pass," Yugi said, turning away from Atem.
Atem raised his eyebrows. "What, too busy?"
Yugi frowned. "I'm not in the mood right now. Maybe another time," he said softly.
Atem got up and left, but he resolved to figure out whatever was going on with Yugi and figure it out soon.
