Demon's Curse
Written by silvergoldragon and TheMysteriousBlanketThief
Chapter 1: Camping Trip"Yugi? Ryou? Malik?" a voice called out from a pale-skinned male with tri-colored hair and two-toned eyes holding a flashlight in his hand that was blinking in and out. "Fudge pie... Should have brought fresh batteries for this stupid thing." The male complained smacking the light as he continued to walk in the direction of the stream hopefully.
'Where are those three boys? I only told them to get the four canteens filled it doesn't take half an hour to gather water.' The male thought, before tripping on a branch and falling to the soft earth still damp from the light rain that morning and getting a face full of mud and leaves. Picking himself up the male grumbled then froze when he heard dried twigs snapping and deep voice talking picking up light near the stream.
'A fire this close to the stream? Something doesn't feel right about this… just like this morning when Atemu was asked to leave the country on his day off.' the male thought, straining to hear what was happening by the stream as he got low and snuck to some bushes that would give him some cover.
What the male saw made his heart stop when he caught the sight of the three boys he was looking out for gagged and tied up to a tree with some noticeable bruises. 'This… This can't be happening…' the male thought, as his mind started to rewind to this morning.
Morning 7:30 am: Mutou household
-ring ring ring-
"Hello, Mutou House. Yugi speaking… one minute Ishizu. Let me get Atemu up from his 'warm burrow in the bed.' Atemu! Pick up the phone. It's Ishizu!" Yugi called up, the small pale skinned and amethyst eyed youth heard a thump and a groan coming from upstairs.
He grinned, knowing that it was his brother waking up. 'That takes care of me having to get a face full of pillow this morning. I hope we can still do the camping trip this weekend. We have been planning it for months.' Yugi thought in worry, hearing a shout upstairs from his brother. Curious, Yugi braved the stairs to listen to what was going on.
"Ishizu, I can't, I just can't. Today was supposed to be my day off; along with the weekend for the camping trip with my brother and his friends. I can't just get up and fly on the next plane to Egypt and ditch my brother here alone all weekend." The baritone voice of Yugi's older brother said into the phone as the teen spied his taller and tanned doppelganger clad in sleep pants holding the phone between his ear and shoulder while trying to brush out his wild tri-colored hair the male Mutous were so famous for along with the shortness gene.
Yugi pursed his lips thinking then got an idea 'I wonder if Yami wouldn't mind supervising our trip so that Atemu can go to Egypt since I know Ishizu is too busy to go.' Rushing to his room, Yugi grabbed his phone and speed dialed a very familiar number that he had in his phone.
"Hello, Yami Sennen speaking." A light baritone voice spoke through the line making Yugi smile.
"Hi Yami, it's Yugi. I have a favor to ask if you don't mind," Yugi spoke to his brother's longtime friend.
"What do you need Yugi? Did something happen to you or one of the Hikaris again?" Yami's voice asked in concern.
Yugi smiled at the title, knowing that it suited the trio perfectly. They looked like more innocent versions of their older brothers. Yami was the first to dub their little band 'Hikaris.' The reason Yami asked if something happened to one of them is that Yugi and Ryou were targeted by bullies and Malik would attack them for picking on him or Ryou.
"No, no nothing like that Yami. Atemu just got called by Ishizu and has to leave the country on the first plane to Egypt for the museum. He won't be home until the day after the annual camping trip is over. I was wondering if you would mind coming in Atemu's place and hang out with me, Ryou, and Malik for the weekend at the camping grounds." Yugi said spinning in his chair until someone cleared their throat making Yugi freeze and twist towards the door where Atemu was leaning against the door jam with a raised brow, his finger tapping the biceps of his folded arms. Atemu then held out his hand for the phone, making Yugi mentally groan as he handed the phone over to Atemu.
"I would love to Yugi. I'm not busy this weekend. You guys are the closest thing I have to family, and I would never leave my family hanging like that," Yami responded as Atemu listened to the other male, a wry smile on his face.
It was no secret that Atemu had a sort of crush on his friend but wished Yami were a girl after that dare from Akefia months ago. Poor Yami was forced to wear a dress and makeup for an entire day.
"Yami, its Atemu. I knew Yugi was going to call someone, but i didn't think it would be you. Thank you for agreeing to this. I know with your jobs and stuff you don't get much time to hang out with us anymore." Atemu said into the phone while Yugi secretly smirked.
He and his friends have been trying to get Yami and Atemu to date, but so far the thing keeps them apart was the whole same-sex thing and how people are being threatened with being treated less like humans because they fell in love with the same sex.
"As I said before, Atemu, I don't mind. I'll be there in an hour to pick up the Hikaris. I have a tent, a first aid kit, and air mattresses. All they need to bring will be clothes, flashlights, food, and fishing rod. Also, no tech other than their radios and a satellite phone. I'll see you at the house, but you better not miss your flight Atemu. Remember last time you did and Ishizu found out?" Yami asked making a bit of color show on Atemu's cheeks.
"I thought we agreed to never speak of that again."
"We agreed to never say it in front of our friends never did we agree to never say it in private, Temmy." Yami shot back before hanging up as Atemu sighed chuckling lightly.
"I hope you're ready for this trip Yugi because Yami just added a few conditions to the trip," Atemu said chuckling as Yugi puffed his cheeks to pout cutely.
1 Hour later:
- Knock knock knock-
A pale skinned male stood outside dressed in jeans and a navy blue coat with hiking boots on his feet, his tri-colored hair tied into a low spiky ponytail, leaving his blond bangs free around his face. The door opened to show the elder Mutou brother as Atemu let the pale male inside.
"Yugi is on his way down, Yami. I'll see you two when I get back Monday." Atemu said having showered and changed into some khaki colored clothes with a black duffle bag on his shoulder. "Ryou and Malik are on their way over. They're going to be putting their bikes in the back shed for the weekend. Please make sure that they leave any sugary stuff here. Yugi is still grounded from sweets after the sleepover he had last month. I still can't forget that image." Atemu explained to Yami who nodded along with the paranoid and overprotective nature Atemu had to the three boys especially Yugi. Said teen came bounding down the stairs to hear the last part of Atemu's rambling speech, getting comfortable on the couch.
Yugi pouted, "It wasn't my fault that Malik dared me to eat the entire bag of pixie sticks for my birthday sleepover."
"But did you have to run around the front yard in your boxers?"
"I am not going to be held accountable for any action caused by a sugar high," Yugi countered. "Besides, you were supposed to be checking bags for candy before you left us unattended."
At this Yami made a point to step in.
"Yugi your brother has a lot more to do than just making sure there is no sugar in the house. Tell me do you have a job or something that helps bring in money?" Yami asked raising a brow at the teen.
Yugi bit his lip and shook his head 'no' looking up at his older brother, "I'm sorry, Atemu. I forgot that you had been busy with work and trying to raise me on your own. I keep forgetting that Grandpa's gone and that he's not going to be coming back."
'They need this push. If I can help Yugi be responsible over this weekend, he will be better off than i was when i was his age and in the foster system.' Yami thought, looking at the two brothers with a soft smile on his face, remembering the elder Muto from pictures but having never met the kind-hearted man. Solomon Mutou had been raising the boys on his own after the death of their parents when Yugi was twenty months old. Atemu had just had his ninth birthday. He passed away while on an assignment for the museum when Atemu was eighteen and Yugi was eleven. Yami had just moved to Domino and had barely gotten to know Atemu, Yugi, and their friends.
A crash outside broke the peaceful moment. Yugi rushed to the window and looked outside. It turned out that Malik had deliberately jumped off of his bicycle and let it crash into the trash can. Ryou coasted to a stop next to said teen and shook his head in annoyance. Yugi grinned at his two best friends before rushing to get outside.
"Woah there! Yugi, where are your bags? I am not carrying them to the car. You will have to do that or leave with only the clothes on your back and the stuff in your pockets because once you're out that door, it's either the car or picking up the trash." Yami said sternly.
Yugi looked at Malik, "you crashed it, you clean it!"
He headed back to his room to grab his bags. He had a sneaking suspicion that both of the older males were going to be going through everything. He paused to slide his false book into a plastic bag with a couple of others. He hoped to get it past the pair to get five bucks from Akefia for the task.
He zipped up the bag and met everyone else in the living room for a quick double check on supplies.
"Yugi when did you start reading the encyclopedia?" Yami asked raising a brow at the odd choice of book in Yugi's bag, not to mention each boy had identical copies of the book.
Yugi tried to keep a straight face while he answered. "School project. We asked for extra credit work for History class, and Mr. Harper said that we could do a group project on…"
"Kenya," Malik blurted out.
Ryou facepalmed when he glanced at the books. "If that is true why are the initials T.K.A. written on the spines?" Yami asked opening Yugi's bag and taking out the book shaking it as it let out a sound before opening it revealing some candy packets, the handheld Gameboy, and a bet note on the book cover.
-Get this past the Pharaoh and the Prince(ss), and I'll give you five bucks. Akefia-
A tick mark was seen on Yami's forehead at the nickname Akefia gave him. "School project, my butt. More like prank project. One of these days I'm going to hit that Tomb Robber where the sun don't shine very, very hard," Yami growled out lowly.
Atemu checked the other books and discovered that Malik had tried to slip several packets of Pop Rocks, bubble gum, a bag of pixie sticks, and a slingshot past him. Ryou was a little more sensible in trying to get his book on edible plants past someone... likely his older and more irresponsible brother, Akefia Bakura.
The 'contraband' was locked in a drawer while the book on plants was returned to Ryou.
"Ryou gets to ride front with me. You two are in the back seat," Yami said with a stern look.
Malik looked miserable, "But he listens to classical music! I don't want to listen to that for three hours!"
Ryou looked at the discs he held, smiling softly. He had made a special CD containing all their favorite songs. "Well, I suppose I could leave Bach here and only take Beethoven. I'm sure I might have something you like."
"I love Ryou's music, please don't bring the piano guy," Malik said pleadingly.
Yami chuckled at this "So you three know the rules; no tech once we leave the car on the campgrounds. Yugi that includes playing games on the sat phone. It's only for emergencies." Yami said before grabbing Atemu's bag and pushing the taller male out by the shoulders.
"Come on Atemu; you're going to be late. We don't want another Ishizu tornado on our tail, do we?" Yami asked. "Boys grab your stuff and put it in the car. Then lock up the bikes in the shed out back." Yami ordered while marching Atemu to his car.
Yugi offered to put the bikes in the shed since it was his 'clubhouse' and he had the only key… as far as he knew. Taking care of his friends' bikes, Yugi slipped in through the back door in hopes of getting a snack from the kitchen. Atemu met him in there, waiting by the fruit bowl.
"And what do you think you're doing Yugi?" Atemu asked picking up and apple from the fruit bowl.
"I thought Yami dragged you to the car already?" Yugi squeaked out.
"He did, but I needed to call Ishizu to make sure that she was going to have someone meet me at the airport when I get there. I don't feel like waiting for hours for someone to pick me up," Atemu replied, handing him the apple. "Besides, I know you and your addiction to sweets. I swear that Grandpa's laughing at this wherever he may be since he knew that I would end up being like a parent to you someday."
Yugi smiled sadly as he took the apple, "He always said that it was his job to spoil me and yours to keep me in line."
"Yep. Now come on, before you make me late for my plane," Atemu said grabbing Yugi by the wrist and heading out the front door with Yugi stumbling behind him.