Summary: Post-Series. To Yugi, the world seems to be against him and he feels he has nothing left to live for. However, after being in an accident, he finds himself haunted by the ghosts of his past. Follow Yugi through his struggle to find himself again and cope with his depression and loss. Will these 'ghosts' help him piece himself back together again? Or will he crumble and fall to the bottomless pit of darkness he dug himself?
Dedication: To my best and closest friend Yumi (xxShadowxWriterxx) who's been going through a lot lately and for anyone who has gone/is going through the struggle of pain and loss.
Warnings: Mentioned of suicide and language.
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THANK YOU AND ENJOY!
Cold. That was all that Yugi could feel now, that chilling numbing sensation spreading to every part of his body. His fingers twitched as his hands lay limp at his sides, stained red. He inhaled shallowly, feeling that slight burn in his chest as his lungs fought to expel oxygen against his fractured ribs.
Sounds were distorted, seeming to grow further and further with each passing second he laid in the middle of the road. Around him, a large crowd of people gathered, gasping and sobbing in shock at the bloodied, mangled body in the road surrounded by a puddle of blood and shattered glass. In the distance, the sounds of sirens were heard, growing closer and closer as Yugi began to sink further and further into darkness.
Pain. That was all he felt for the past three months but now, that seemed to be a fleeting thing as all feeling left him. This was for the better, right? He had no one left in the world anymore; it was just him.
Alone.
Broken.
Lost.
What was there left living for anymore? Then again, Yugi had been dead for a months now. He was a walking corpse simply surviving, forgetting how to live. He was empty. Why keep trying to survive when you're already dead?
Everything that happened to him in his lifetime seemed to come rushing back to him all at once as memories played out in his head, flickering across his heavy eyelids like clips from a movie.
Slowly, his lips gave a subtle twitch as they curved up into a small, weak smile. It wasn't one of triumph, nor was it one of happiness. Just simply a smile; the last thing Yugi would ever do in this life. And then shadows clouded his vision as his body went completely limp, all feeling leaving him as his muscles relaxed and breathing turned into quick, shallow gasps. His ears picked up on the murmurs of people around him, cars honking, sirens blaring-and then they all blended together, turning distorted until they began to drown out, replaced with the beating of his weakening heart.
And then his eyes fell closed and his head lolled to the side, a calm smile still lingering upon his face.
Dark violet eyes fluttered open at the sound of cars honking. Yugi blinked again and found himself staring up at the wide sky, painted with a pinkish purple hue that blended with a vibrant orange and deep blue. A frown settled in on his soft, cherubic features as he propped himself up with his elbow, his eyes scanning his whereabouts. Slowly, he rose to his feet and the creases on his forehead deepened as he realized he was standing on top of a building. He scooted closer to the edge and peered over the rail before shuffling back to glance over his shoulder to find the sun just beginning to rise in the horizon, peaking out from the large buildings and skyscrapers of Domino City.
He gripped onto the straps of his backpack sitting snugly on his hunched shoulders as he peered across the distance, taking in the landscape of the city. A gentle breeze blew by as he closed his eyes, taking in the calmness the atmosphere offered.
Suddenly, the scuffle of heavy footsteps caused him to break out of his tranquil state and Yugi turned his head to stare at the intruder. His eyes visibly widened as a familiar brunette with deep sapphire eyes stared at him; those scrutinizing eyes sweeping him over, lips pulled back into a slight frown.
"You're a lot shorter than I thought. And those skinny little chicken legs must not be good for much."
Yugi opened his mouth to speak but his eyes landed on a name tag displayed on the man's black shirt, half hidden by the white trench coat he wore. Yugi frowned, blanking on a name though he knew he knew the name, for some reason his mind refusing to remember.
The man pulled back the trench coat to reveal the full name tag which read 'Resentment' in thick, red letters.
'Resentment', Yugi mouthed before finally managing to speak, "I-is that really your name?"
'Resentment' scoffed, "I don't know, you tell me. You're the one making the labels, not me. Seems like you've been doing that a lot lately."
What? Yugi looked around and suddenly he noticed name tag stickers plastered everywhere: Ground, rail, vent.
"What's the deal with you making labels anyway? You think just because you do it, you'll chase away all the demons running around in your head. Oh, and look," The man crossed his arms and nodded at Yugi's chest, "Looks like you even created a label for yourself."
Yugi glanced down at himself and gasped when he realized Resentment's words to be true. However, his brows furrowed when his name tag turned up blank, there was nothing written on it. "I don't-I don't understand."
"It's obvious, don't you think? You're a nobody. That's who you are. You. Are. Nothing."
Yugi winced as every punctuated word stabbed at his heart like a knife. Nothing...a nobody. Is that who I really am? He snapped his head up as 'Resentment' gave a snort.
"You're quite pathetic, you know that? Look at you, you're a coward. And you know what they say, there's only one way out for cowards like you." 'Resentment' glanced over his shoulder, Yugi following his gaze; his eyes widening when it dawned on him that he was referring for him to jump.
Yugi quickly shook his head and stepped away from the edge to which 'Resentment' just chuckled. "Of course, too pathetic to live and too much of a wimp to jump. What's up with you anyway? Why so sad, Runt? You got a whole life ahead of you and yet you waste it away doing this? I say again, fucking pathetic."
"I-I've been through a lot, I-I lost my grandpa, m-my parents, m-my friend-"
"Oh, boo-hoo!" 'Resentment' sneered, "Aren't you a special snowflake? You think you're the only one who's experienced hardships? You think you're the only one who's suffered through loss? Newsflash, kid, people go through that shit every day. Do you see them wallowing in their grief like you? If they did, there would be a whole lot more bodies falling from buildings or hanging from ropes."
Yugi's face flushed bright crimson as he clenches his fists tight, his nails biting into his palms as he fought to keep his tears at bay, though he wasn't sure if he was upset because what 'Resentment' said had offended him or because what he said was true.
"I-I'm sorry…" He managed, his voice catching in his throat.
"Are you really? Sounds to me you're just fishing for pity now. You're so weak, it sickens me. You are just as what your name tag says, you are nothing. And nothings like you tend to disappear…"
Yugi diverted his gaze for a moment and suddenly Resentment's voice was behind him, "You know, it's probably for the better that I take this. You won't need it anyway if you're a nobody."
A weight was lifted off Yugi's shoulders as 'Resentment' removed his backpack. Yugi spun around to see 'Resentment' dangling his bag on his fingertips. "H-hey, what are you doing? That's mine!"
"Hey, I'm simply making your job as a nobody a whole lot easier. Besides, you don't deserve what's in this bag."
Yugi moved to lunged for the bag but 'Resentment' was much too fast and tossed it in the air as a blurred figure snatched it up and made a run for it, leaving Yugi and 'Resentment' behind.
"HEY!" Yugi called out and broke into a run but not before 'Resentment' stuck his foot out, tripping him, causing Yugi to stumble and scrape his palms and knees against the hard concrete of the roof. He quickly picked himself up and resumed his pursuit of the thief, ignoring Resentment's taunting laughter coming from behind him. He ran to the fire-escape door leading back into the building and yanked it open, running inside-
Only to find himself bursting out into a long corridor, decorated with lockers against the walls and various posters and flyers. He came up to a display case and squinted at the trophies inside, the names unable to process in his head but able to make out the school name: Domino High.
His high school?
Though his memories seemed to be shot, something in the back of his mind told him this was true. He once went to this school, some years ago possibly? His head snapped up as he heard footsteps padding down the hall and he caught a glance of the thief as they rounded the corner.
Yugi wasted no time and sprinted after him, "Hey, wait! Stop!"
However, his protests were futile as the figure continued to run, Yugi following after them. He burst through the entrance doors of the school and found himself in the middle of the courtyard, the figure quite the distance away. Nevertheless, Yugi continued to run.
That is until his foot caught on something and he ended up tumbling to the ground, landing with a soft thud on the grass. He groaned and shakily pushed himself up to his hands on knees to see what he'd tripped on and jerked back when he saw a hand wrapped firmly around his ankle. He followed the arm attached to the hand, to the body hidden underneath a large light blue blanket.
"Ah, so you didn't have the guts to jump, did you?"
Yugi said nothing as a figure crawled out from the blanket. He blinked as he took in the appearance of the Albino male in front of him with unruly hair that stuck up like bat wings. A shudder ran down his spine as he gazed into those dull, dark brown eyes of the male. Again, he knew this person yet had no name and immediately searched for the name tag finding it to read; 'Pessimism'.
"N-no, I didn't jump." Yugi finally answered, his voice wavering a bit as he did.
"It matters little to me. It's not like it makes a difference anyway. Can't fight the inevitable."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"Everything dies, Kid. Including you. It may be tomorrow, it may be years from now. One day, you will simply cease to exist. But," 'Pessimism' looked over him with a deadpan expression before giving a heavy sigh, "It seems you're already half way there, you've stripped your name away, forgotten who you are."
Yugi gulped and pulled himself to his feet, "I-I have to go."
However, just before he could make his escape, a cold hand wrapped around his ankle once more and he lowered his head down to stare at the man. "Stay. Lie here with me and forget everything. Become the nothing you already made yourself to be. Escape the world and its cruelty."
"N-no!" Yugi jerked back as if being burned and stepped away, "I'm sorry, I can't stay!"
Pessimism's hazy smile soon dropped from his face as Yugi slowly began to back away, "What?"
"I-I have to go!"
Yugi turned and ran without looking back. He ran until he came up to another building he'd seen the figure run in to. He ran inside-
Finding himself standing in the middle of a dark, damp warehouse with the single stream of sunlight coming in from the hole in the roof. He panted and looked around, his body stiffening when he heard soft whistling coming from all around him, echoing off the walls. His eyes frantically searched the darkness, looking for the source of the noise until he heard footsteps behind him and quickly spun around to meet a pair of glazed lavender eyes. He staggered backwards as the figure moved towards him with a golden rod in hand and menacing smile on his face.
Yugi's gaze landed on the name tag and his breathing nearly ceased; 'Violence'. The tanned man had platinum blonde hair that stuck up every which way, which seemed to go quite well with his 'psychotic' ensemble. "V-violence."
"Ah, yes! That's me! I see you've managed to escape 'Resentment' and 'Pessimism', but you may not be so lucky with me." The male smirked.
"S-stay away from me!"
Yugi ducked just in time as the metal rod was swung over his head, just barely missing him. He then spun on his heels and ran, running with all his might, desperately trying to lose the psychotic male chasing after him. "Where you going, Runt? Come on, it'll only take second! You'll be out like a light! Isn't that what you want? Don't you want to disappear?"
Yugi said nothing but found himself shaking his head as he continued to run, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead and neck, drenching his shirt. His lungs were on fire with all the running he'd been doing but he wasn't about to stop now. Not before he found the thief that stole his bag, not before he got rid of that nagging feeling tugging at the back of his mind, telling him to push on.
And so, he gripped onto the handles of the double doors leading to God-knows-where and yanked them open and stopped when he saw he was in the middle of dueling arena. However, there was no time to stand around and take in his surroundings but before he could venture onward, he was suddenly surrounded by 'Resentment' and 'Pessimism', with 'Violence' coming out from the shadows. He glanced between the three figures as they circled around him, trapping him.
"Still alive I see. Nice job, Pess." 'Resentment' rolled his eyes.
"You're the one who couldn't get him to jump."
"Oh, there are other ways to make the Little Runt disappear." 'Violence' reassured them as he grinned, his smile nearly splitting his face in half.
Yugi stood defensively, trembling and on the brink of tears. He struggled to keep his tears to himself as he tried to keep all foes in his line of sight in case any of them decided to lash out or attack. "L-leave me alone. Please…" He pleaded.
"Aww, is the little Nameless Freak gonna cry?" 'Resentment' taunted.
"Crying is for the weak." 'Pessimism' chimed in.
"I-I am not weak."
The foes drew closer and their voices were starting to blend into one in Yugi's head, growing in volume, enhancing his dread and fear.
"Give up, kid. Go to sleep. You're nearly there." 'Pessimism' smirked.
"Here," 'Violence' held the sharpened rod out with that wide grin still plastered on his face, "Do it. End it now. The world doesn't need Nobodys like you!"
Their collective voices grew to overwhelming volumes. Violently trembling, hands clenches into fists as he pressed them to his face, eyes shut tight, Yugi finally snapped. With a growl, he lifted his head up and glared fiercely at the foes.
"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP! That is enough! I am not afraid of any of you!"
The three foes stopped, their jaws dropped as Yugi finally lashed out. He turned to 'Resentment' first, "YOU! I don't give a shit of what you say! This is my life, not yours! And I am DONE listening to you!" He then turned to 'Pessimism' and jabbed a finger at his chest, "You, grow fucking spine! Stop moping around, waiting for the world to end! YOU are pathetic! And, you!" Yugi spun around to shove the rod back at 'Violence' "Put that shit away before someone gets hurt!"
His chest heaved up and down as the stared down the three figures as they stood in eerie silence until the loud clanking of the metal rod hitting the ground broke the stillness. "Get away from me! My thoughts are mine! This is my life and you do not control me! NOW LEAVE!"
The foes stared at Yugi for a moment but just as those words left his mouth, they all ceased to exist and Yugi found himself alone again, a single spotlight shining down on him. He breathed heavily and looked down at his trembling hands, yet he did not feel that same fear he once felt. Now, he felt powerful. "Who's the coward now?" He whispered, jaw clenched.
"You finally did it."
Yugi turned and saw a clone version of himself, though this man was just a few inches taller, leaner, and had eyes the shade of sparkling rubies. His presence alone was dominating but Yugi felt no fear in this man's presence, not like he had with the others. His eyes swept over the figure and landed on his backpack, a sigh of relief escaping from his lips. "I'll be taking that back now." He reached out and snatched the backpack away from the man.
Curiosity got the best of him and he unzipped his bag, determined to find just what had been stolen from him that he desired so much to save. A frown graced his features when he found a gold box tucked away in his bag. He took out the box and opened the lid, revealing his old deck of Duel Monsters cards. "My deck? And this box…why did you steal it?"
"Everyone has something that makes them happy. Before that, there was a puzzle, a deck of playing cards, a toy...these things that once brought you joy. They marked what was once your treasure, your innocence. That deck, that's the reason for both your happiness and pain. But you let pain take the reigns for a while, though it seems you've managed to banish those dark thoughts of yours."
Yugi remained silent as he looked up at the identical and very familiar man and saw the name tag just peaking out from the man's jacket though he could not read what was written. "Who...are you?"
The man smiled and unbuckled the jacket, revealing the name; 'Courage'. "Looks like you finally found me."
"Courage…" Yugi shook his head, "That is your label but that is not your name…"
"No, but neither is the title you've given yourself."
Yugi looked down at his blank name tag for a moment before glancing back up at the man with a wondrous look, "I know you. You once meant something to me, too. This deck, this box, they were once connected to you. They-you made me happy. Not just you, but others, too. Others who've helped me construct this deck."
The man just smiled and nodded.
"I-I…"
"You are not a Nobody. And you are more than just a Nothing."
"I-I'm Yugi. I am...I've been hurt, I've gone through so many things, so many losses, so many hardships...I wanted to give up. Until I found you…" Yugi's eyes widened, "Y-Yami…"
A grin broke out on the once Pharaoh's face, the name tag he once wore disappearing along with the numerous name tags that were posted all around. Yugi looked down at his own and smiled when he saw something written on it; 'Yugi'. No fake labels, just his name. just him. And then that, too, disappeared.
"Yami!" He smiled brightly and closed the distance between them, flinging his arms around his former partner and friend and sighed in relief when a strong pair of arms wrapped around him.
"Life has been hard on you since my departure, hasn't it? I am so sorry for everything that's happened to you, Aibou."
"I-I was so scared, Yami, so lost, so broken. I-I didn't want to go on anymore. I just couldn't...but you...I found you. You're my courage. That's what you've always been."
"And I always will be. I'm always with you, Yugi. Right in here," Yami pulled away to placed his palm against Yugi's chest, right above his heart. "Don't give up this fight just yet, Aibou. Not when you still have so much left to fight for."
"I know now. I know. Thank you...Yami…"
Yugi closed his eyes and rested his head on Yami's chest, relishing in the warmth, the life flooding back into his veins. He held on tight as Yami leaned down to whisper into his ear one last time, "Remember, I'm always with you."
Yugi was jerked back violently, pain enveloping his entire body though he bared with the pain that spread from his spine down his legs. He grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut before opening them, blinking the haze away.
"Yugi!"
Yugi looked to his side and saw his three friends standing by his bedside, wearing worried expressions on their faces, "Ryou? Marik? Jou?"
"Oh, Yugi! You're alright!" Ryou hugged him, mindful of the cast on his arms and the various stitches all over his body.
"Y-yeah, I'm alright."
"You gave us quite the scare, buddy! You were out for a month!" Jou exclaimed, on the brink of tears. "We were scared out of our wits when he heard you'd been stuck by a car! What the hell happened?!"
Yugi bit his lip, "I guess I wasn't paying attention."
"Well, next time before careful, okay? We don't want to lose you. "Marik grabbed his free, unbandaged hand, which he gave a gently squeeze.
"Listen, Yuge, I know you've been through a lot lately ever since the Pharaoh left and your gramps died but we're still here, ya know? You still have us."
Yugi smiled, "I know. I guess I just needed to find the courage within myself…" He lifted a hand to touch his chest, ignoring the bewildered looks of his friends.
"So...are you going to be okay, Yugi? You know, there are are people that can help-" Ryou started.
"No." Yugi shook his head, "I'll be fine."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Because I found courage, because I have you guys, I'll be alright. Everything will be just fine."
The smile continued to linger on Yugi's face as his friends slowly nodded in agreement. Yes, everything was going to be okay.
Just in case you guys didn't know...
Resentment - Seto Kaiba
Pessimism - Yami Bakura
Violence- Yami Marik
And obviously since I mentioned it... Courage - Yami/Atem