THE DESCENT OF LOST SOULS
Chapter One: Introspection
Note to the Reader:
This chapter explores drinking and depression.
Flashback - Two weeks before the present.
Yugi's Point of View
There were two more weeks left before school started again.
Jonouchi and I were having so much fun in England. Staying with Emrys for almost a week now, we toured some of the country's famous landmarks and other places worth sightseeing. I wish that the rest of the gang were here to see these sights, too...
Since we left Domino City after Emrys' accident, everything that Jonouchi and I have been doing was on the spur of the moment. I did not even expect to go to England, but I was sure glad that we did.
The three of us really needed the break, especially Jonouchi.
I have not seen Jonouchi this happy for a long time. As much as I knew that Kaiba would raise hell once they saw each other at the hospital, I still asked Jonouchi to come with me to the United States.
Jonouchi's father had been drinking more often lately. As tough as Jonouchi was, the gang and I were worried about him. I guess the only thing that we could do was to be there for him, especially during times wherein his Dad was more drunk than usual.
As to Emrys, she was still recuperating from her accident. Although she kept mum about Yoshiko, we knew how much her friend's betrayal and death had hurt her. I still could not believe that Yoshiko tried to kill her for power.
Speaking of power, this was another topic that bothered Emrys. Only three people knew about her hidden gifts: Emrys, my other self, and me. My other self and I called her powers a gift while she called it a curse.
During our entire stay, however, Emrys put her worries aside and chose to have fun with us while it lasted.
Throughout our time together, we were just three normal teenagers having fun in England. If you put aside the occasional requests for our autographs, the innocent questions from some strangers, and two incidents wherein paparazzi took photos, the days we hung out together went smoothly with most people giving us our privacy.
My other self and I had an agreement that we would switch at night so that he could spend time with her. We switched after Jonouchi turned in for the evening. Even though I stayed in my soul room with the door closed, I could feel how happy he was whenever they are together.
I guess that we could finally move on after the incident in the United States. However, just as my other self stated, many dangers still loomed ahead. Whatever that might be, I believe that our bond would be strong enough to withstand anything that came our way.
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Flashback - One-and-a-half weeks before the present.
Emrys' Point of View
It had been a long time since I lived the life of a normal sixteen-year-old. I was so glad that Yugi and Jonouchi came back with me in England. I was happy and thankful that Jii-san let Yugi stay for a couple of weeks.
I could not help but wonder, though, if Jonouchi's Dad was okay with all of this.
There were a lot of matters in my mind lately: Yoshiko's treachery and death, Mom and Dad's upcoming birthday, and my archeological trip to search for clues and answers. If it were not for Jonouchi and Yugi being here with me right now, I would have a harder time sorting everything out. My moods crashed in its lowest whenever Mom and Dad's birthday came close. Yes, it had been easier to accept that they have been gone for each passing year. Nonetheless, it still hurt and I miss them very much.
With everything I have been going through, how could you not love being friends with Yugi and Jonouchi? Although they were complete opposites, each offered a wholesome but different perspective in life. Jonouchi had this hilarious but truthful view about everything he saw. As to Yugi, his innocence and lightheartedness gave joy and hope to everyone he was with. They were pleasantly surprised whenever people recognized them and asked for their autograph. Why would people not do so? The Duelist Kingdom and Battle City tournaments caused a big stir here in Europe, especially in England. To dueling aficionados - especially for kids who idolized the dueling greats - Jonouchi, Kaiba, and especially Yugi were their heroes.
I wished that everyone else were here to join us. Meeting and knowing all of them slowly changed the way I saw life. Friends like them were hard to find. For the first time in many years since Mom and Dad died, I finally felt that I belonged somewhere.
The best part of their visit was that I could spend more time with Yugi's other self. We whiled some hours in the music room and fiddled with the grand piano. I just discovered that he had an ear for music since he picked up the notes through hearing them a few times on the piano.
And yes, we also dueled against each other. He truly deserved to be called the King of Games. Each time that we dueled, he brought the intensity up another notch. No matter how much I increased my game, he was always a step ahead of me.
Every time we were together, I wished that those moments would never end. However, once we turned in for the evening and retired in our respective bedrooms, my nightmares came back to haunt me.
I never talked about Yoshiko since we left the United States. I also never told them about the same dream I kept having every night.
In the middle of the night, I bolted out of bed sweating and gasping for breath. At times, the dream felt so real that I stared at my hands for any traces of blood. After confirming that I did not have any blood on my hands, I ended up lying awake in bed.
In my dream, I held Yoshiko by the neck as her feet hung from the ground. I saw how her eyes widened in horror, especially after I ripped her heart out from her chest. I remembered how I threw her body to the ground, as if it were trash.
God, I could still smell the fear and the blood. My dreams became more vivid as each evening passed by.
Why did I see such horror every night? Was my mind playing tricks on me? Am I going crazy?
Did I kill Yoshiko? If I did not kill her, why did I keep having the same dream? If I did kill her, why could I not remember it?
Every night, I went downstairs to the private bar and poured a glass of brandy from the decanter. I really wanted to sleep, especially since my body begged for it. I let time pass by as I sipped brandy and stared at the fireplace, trying to find that part of me that remained unsettled. This was my nightly ritual for the past two weeks as the entire household slept...a ritual that I have resumed after nearly two years of curbing from it.
God, I wanted to cry, scream, kick, punch, or whatever needed to be done to get this feeling off my system. I could not even describe how I feel right now or what had been bothering me these past weeks. Hell, the therapist - if I ever had one - would have a bloody grand time with me.
This evening was supposed to be uneventful as I sipped brandy from my glass and waited for dawn to finally come.
Well, almost uneventful...
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Same timeframe as Emrys.
Jonouchi's Point of View
I rubbed my eyes as I marched downstairs into the kitchen to grab a glass of milk. On my way to the kitchen, I passed by the parlor.
Someone was there. Who could it be?
Oh, well, first things first. I would go to the kitchen first. Afterwards, I would head to the parlor.
I almost drank from the milk bottle – a bad habit of mine. Hmmm... Let me grab a glass from this cupboard. Good thing that I remembered that I am not home.
Home….
I shook my head in disbelief whenever I heard or thought about that word. The last time I believed in such a concept was years ago - the day before Mom left with Shizuka. I was still hurt that Mom left me behind, but I could not blame her for doing so. Dad's drinking was already out of hand during that time and now, it got worse.
The last episode between Dad and me was too close for comfort. As much as I hated being ignored and neglected, I just could not leave Dad like that. After all, he was still my father no matter how neglectful he was whenever he got drunk.
I loved my father, but I resented him whenever he got drunk. Yes, there were times that I wanted to punch him so that he would notice me. Shortly thereafter, I felt guilty for even thinking about hitting my own father.
However, I liked these past few weeks away from him. Being with my friends helped me forget all the troubles that I had at home.
Speaking of friends, I need to fill this glass again and see who is out there at the parlor.
Wait a minute - is that who I think it is? Yeah - it is Emrys.
Is there liquor in that glass of hers? It looks as if something is bothering her. She has been thinking a lot since we left the United States. I have to find out. Maybe I can help...
"Do you mind if I join you?" I asked as I rubbed my eye with one hand and held a glass of milk with the other.
"Sure." Emrys then motioned me to join her in the closest seat.
I sat there for a few minutes as Emrys stared at the fireplace and sipped the contents of her glass.
I looked at the crystal glass in Emrys' hand. After confirming that there was hard liquor in her glass, I then observed her. She did not make faces whenever she drank from her glass. Judging by her relaxed casualness, I knew that she was used to drinking liquor.
Did she not know what this could do to a person?
Emrys sprung a lot of surprises on everyone lately. I always thought that someone who had everything lived a perfect and peaceful life. The sight of her drinking just made me shudder inside.
Every time I saw someone drink alone in silence, I kept remembering my Dad. God, if I could not make Dad stop drinking then maybe I could save her from this.
"You're still up. Couldn't sleep?" I inquired, just to break the ice between us.
Deeply sighing, she then took another sip from the glass and then replied, "I slept a little but had trouble going back to sleep. How about you? Why are you up?"
"I got thirsty and hungry. My stomach growled so loud that it woke me up."
While gazing at me, Emrys chuckled. However, her tone became serious as she pointed at the brandy glass, "I'm sorry if this bothers you."
Now that I had the opening I needed, I asked, "Do you drink often?"
Moments of silence transpired between us before she responded, "I haven't touched a drink for three years. I just felt like taking a sip tonight."
How the hell was I going to tell her to stop drinking? Well, here goes...
"My Dad gets drunk very often. I just don't want you to get in trouble. There are too many good things in your life to just simply throw away because of alcohol. You also have friends who care about you, too."
Emrys then looked at me and then said, "Your father didn't care much about anything but drinking, does he? For someone who's going through that, you handle everything well."
That one was a curveball. Boy, she really got me there. Where did that come from? It must be the liquor talking.
"Yeah, he does…." I then gazed at the fireplace and remembered the many times my Dad drank himself blind. My eyes misted as I recalled the years of neglect. I made it a point to show everyone how tough I was. In reality, I was a big softie especially when it came to Shizuka and those who I cared for.
Friendship became my salvation. The first one who saw through my act was Honda. No matter how much I shoved him away, he was mostly there to encourage me.
A couple of years later, Yugi showed me the true meaning of strength even though Honda and I relentlessly bullied him before becoming close friends. After that, my circle of friendship became larger, stronger, and more authentic. As much as I have grown wiser these past few years, I still had a lot to learn as a person and as a duelist.
God, I just realized that I have been silent for a good ten minutes.
Emrys was still there, though, staring at the fireplace like I was earlier.
No wonder she was sitting here by herself. There was a relaxing feeling that sat within as one gazed into the fire. Anyone could easily lose focus just by staring at that fireplace as the logs burned. It was such a perfect escape for someone who wanted to lose the entire burden in the world. It was so easy to imagine and wish that every single piece of problem was burning along with the logs.
Where was I before I zoned out again? Ah, yes! Dad neglecting me, and she complimenting me for handling everything well.
"I wasn't like this before. If it weren't for the friendship I had with the gang and especially my sister, things would have gone differently for me."
"I'm glad to hear that," she remarked as she took another thought-filled sip from her glass. After briefly pausing, she faced me and said, "I really thank you for helping me in the United States, and for coming out here with Yugi. I haven't had this much fun for as long as I could remember."
I smiled. "What are friends for? You and Yugi did the same thing when all of us were in trouble. You're part of the gang now, and will always be."
Afterwards, I felt a yawn creep over me. As much as I did not want to leave her, I respected that she wanted to be alone in the first place. I gulped down the last of the milk from my glass. "I'm turning back in. Are you going to be okay by yourself?"
"I'm going back to bed very soon. I'm just going to finish this," she replied while pointing at her glass. "I'll see you in a couple of hours."
"A couple of hours?" I then chuckled after I confirmed the time. It was three in the morning. No wonder I was still sleepy. "Oh, yeah. I didn't realize it's already morning."
"Good night, Jonouchi. Sleep well," she quietly said with a soft smile.
After saying goodnight and giving her an amiable pat on the shoulder, I went upstairs and back to bed. I hoped that our talk reminded her that she had friends that she could depend and lean on as well as a good future to look forward to.
End of Chapter One
Normal Disclaimer
Yu-Gi-Oh is the copyrighted property of Kazuki Takahashi. Alexandra Emrys, Yoshiko, Detective Garson, other original characters, and this fan fiction are the properties of the author. This fan fiction is written for entertainment purposes only, thereby releasing the author from any and all liabilities.
