Author's Notes: (Just a couple of things before I start the story.)
First of all, the title has little to nothing to do with the actually stories. It's more of a reference to the titles of the chapters. If you read the chapter titles (with the exception of this first chapter/prolog), you'll see that they actually make up a really silly poem.
Disclaimer: This poem is not mine, nor could I ever come up with something so silly. I honestly suck at poetry.
The poem's called the 'Backwards Rhyme' and it's an American folk tale, meaning that no one actually knows who came up with it and it was passed around by word of mouth long before it was written down. I had to memorize the poem in fifth grade, and I've just never forgotten it. It wasn't my intention to title the chapters after lines from the poem; it just came to me, so I figured I ought to explain it.
Secondly, but still on the subject of the poem, The last chapter's title is an edited form of the line from the poem. The original poem is as follows:
One bright day in the middle of the night,
Two dead boys got up to fight,
Back to back they faced each other,
Drew their swords and shot each other.
Deaf policeman heard this noise,
Came and got the two dead boys.
If you do not believe this lie is true,
Ask the blind man; he saw it too.
In order to get the relevance of the poem to the chapters, consider the two dead boys to represent Mokuba and Seto, Marik is the deaf policeman and Joey is the blind man. I feel that these positions are really actually ironic and relative to their actually position/actions in the story. You'll see.
Third of all, this is my first (mostly) shonen-ai/yaoi fic. Nothing explicit but loads of kissing and implied sex. Major pairings are as follows: Yami/Yugi, Marik/Malik, Bakura/Ryou, Seto/Joey. There will also be light (as in one scene/mention) Marik/Yami, Bakura/Marik, Malik/Ryou and Devlin/Joey content.
And lastly, I do understand that Malik and Marik are different in personality, but I'm not sure I have the right names for them (I think I've got it right way round… but I'm still a little shaky). Anyway. Malik = Hikari. Marik = Yami. So you know. Review if I've totally screw it.
Well, Enjoy! -EVIL L33T
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Prologue: Backwards Mind
"No! Stop! Please! It hurts! Oh, Christ!" The teenager pleaded with the man, as the man tugged on the teenager's arm harder. The boy could feel his wrist bones pressing together and the pressure was making him weak at the knees. "SWEET FUCK! JE~SUS!"
"Listen, you brat." The man growled as he pulled the boy's arm further up his back. There was a sickening crack and the man released the boy's arm. Clutching his broken wrist, the boy looked up at the man with tears in his eyes. The tears ran down the boy's face and hit the ground. "You're pathetic. You're no good for anything. All this time I've wasted on you. Five years. FIVE! And what do I have for it? Nothing but a whiny, stupid brat! A crybaby, who can't get a get decent grade. What a waste. You hear that boy? WASTE!"
"Sorry. So sorry. Do better… better… better." The boy sobbed, as the man glared down at him.
"You're useless. What have I always told you, huh?"
"Never cry."
"And?"
"Never waste anything." The boy whispered.
"And what do we do with waste?"
"Get… Oh God!" Sobbing in pain and panic, the boy tried to run, but the man grabbed him and walked him down the hall.
"We get rid of it." The man finished, as the boy looked down at the stairs. "I'm going to kill you."
Whimpering, the boy's body went limp as he fainted. Holding the boy by his collar, the man grinned and threw the boy into the air, grinning as the boy tumbled and fell down three flights of stairs. He listened as the boy's bones cracked and snapped, their frail structure collapsing on each step. Picking up his coat, the man shrugged and went to get some lunch.
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"I'm afraid this is about your brother, Noa. He's dead."
"I know."
"You do?"
"I saw it coming."
"But it was an accident."
"Is anything really an accident?"
"I don't wonder about God, son. Not my place and all."
"But, if God were close enough to touch… would that change anything? If I saw God, would I know fate? If I spoke with Him, could I change a destiny?"
"Sometimes I wonder if you're really fourteen. You'll, of course, be given the rest of the day off."
"No need."
"Your brother dies and you'll return to class?"
"Everyone dies. Everything has a time and a place. Should I take the day off because seasons change? Thank you."
"Se-" Click. "-to. Never mind."
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"Why'd he leave?"
"Weakness."
"Oh." Silence. "Why did that box disappear?"
"Because he was cremated."
"What's that?"
"When they burn something. It's a form of disposal."
"Oh."
"Oi! Come here boy. Not you. Just you."
Creak. Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle. Creak. Click.
"What do you want?"
"Why so cold?"
"I don't associate with murders."
"Say what you want, boy, but you've got no proof."
"I don't need proof for it to be the truth."
"Perhaps, but it's only the truth if it's widely accepted. To the winner goes the spoils… and history. And guess what, son."
"You won?"
"Good." Pause. "Don't look at me like that; emotionless. At least your brother had the balls to glare."
"I'm not him. I'm me."
"Tell me about it. You might last longer."
"Going through us like tissues, aren't you."
"Rather crude way to think of it."
"I hate you. You can't break me like Noa."
"I'll break you exactly like I broke Noa."
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"What are you doing?"
"Going--Stop that!--outside."
"To do what?"
"Burn all these pictures. I told you to stop that."
"Oh fine. Why you gonna burn that stuff? Hey, that's Noa! These are all Noa."
"I know." Silence. Click. Click. Click. "Damn lighter." Click. Clung-Whoosh! "There."
"Hey! Why are you…? No!"
"Let it burn." Crackle. Drip. Sizzle. "I hate him."
"Why?!"
"Because he's a coward. He's just a fucking coward, you understand! A coward! Wha-such a damn… coward."
"…Are you crying?"
"No. No." Wipe. Sniff. Blush. Sniff. "Hey, do something for me?"
"What?"
"Don't be like Noa. Promise me?"
