Thanks for checking my book out, it is the first I have written in several years. This is an AU of Yu-gi-oh! Vrains in which our protagonist's rescue is a failure. Definitely Yusaku centric with heavy emotional tones. I'm giving a mild Trigger Warning for suicidal thoughts and prolonged canon level child torture just to be safe. Any OOC actions I would like to consider as a product of a difference in situation from canon. I hope you will enjoy it!

xxx

When Yusaku woke up it wasn't to chirping birds and morning light. It was more like the floor was shifting and his stomach wanted to make an appearance on said floor. Trying to pull his hands under him didn't go as planned either, if his face smacking into his forearm was any indication. Yusaku dragged his head into an upright position in hopes of finding something familiar. Finally cracking open his crusty eyes - he instantly regretted it. Only slate gray walls stood towering in front of him. Tears welled up in his eyes as he tried to pull together a strong, cohesive thought. How had he gotten here? Where was he? His parents? Tears poured over onto his cheeks. For a time he wept with shaking sobs, laying against the concrete floor. Even with his fluffy jacket the chill inevitably crept into his bones. He wanted someone to comfort him and tell him what was going on. When Yusaku ran out of tears and was exhausted, he was at least granted part of that wish.

The robotic voice was startling and had the young boy popping up onto his knees before his weight shifted him onto his backside.

"Yusaku Fujiki, welcome to your new home." The voice did not pause at an immediate sound of confusion produced by the little boy's lips. "This is the beginning of the glorious new Hanoi project. Your participation was specially chosen. You should be honored."

There was a moment of silence before the noise exploded out of him. "What? No! Haoi? I want to go home! Take me home!" Yusaku yelled swaying to his feet, sleeves rubbing against the dry tears that were starting to itch. Searching around him he saw no door. Only a pair of (goggles? Glasses? He had never seen anything like it) sitting on the floor. Terror and sadness curled up in the pit of his stomach. He felt sick as he stumbled over to the wall. He frantically looked for anything that wasn't a blank flat surface.

His voice quavered. "I want my parents… please? Let me go home?"

The voice moved on as if it could have expected this or didn't care. "Hanoi," he corrected. "And I won't go into detail, because it really doesn't matter for you. Just know that everything in your new life depends strictly on dueling. Your only goal should be to become as strong as possible. For this reason your whole future will be determined from whether you win your duels or not!" The voice paused as if reining in its excitement. "If needed you may ask for a one-time explanation of how to play. The rest will be up to you to learn."

At this point Yusaku slid down on his knees facing the wall. Numb and so many other emotion whirled in him to the point he had felt like passing out. He wasn't prepared to ever deal with this type of situation, who would have been? He breathed harshly until he remembered words that skidded across his mind.

"It's okay to be scared. But you will only ever remain afraid until you take the first step forward into the unknown. Don't be a prisoner to your fears, Yusaku!"

Who had said that to him? He couldn't think clearly but it was true, he couldn't just remain clutching the wall like a lifeline. He had to do everything in his power to survive, to escape.

Yusaku had started learning how to play and duel monsters a couple of months after his fourth birthday but he hadn't really showed much serious interest until his fifth birthday had come around. So while he was kinda familiar with how things went he agreed to the voice.

"Okay, teach me…" Anything not to be left alone in this place.

It was probably (Yusaku was just guessing here, it's not like he has a clock.) the second day when Yusuku got angry. He'd had all the time in the world to cry and be lonely and now he was hungry, needed to use the toilet, and realizing that he wasn't going anywhere soon. Yelling at the silent room for the last twenty minutes hadn't been working and he was refusing to touch the strange contraption lying on the floor. No matter how curious he was about the 'VRDG', (Virtual Reality Duel Gazer - or duel goggles as he is calling them in his head, because they didn't need some fancy name to make him want to break them any more than he already does.) he had been hoping they would find him lacking motivation and let him go.

Yusaku had been holding out pretty well for a not usually stubborn child. But his stomach was hurting and he was starting to consider praying that a toilet would magically appear for him to use.

"Would it hurt to let me out of here to at least pee?!" His frustration was really making it hard to focus on anything else. Eyeing those damn goggles once more he knew what he had to do. Groaning and grinding his lip in his teeth he cautiously crossed over to the tech. The voice had explained that he had to ask for something and then duel to receive it. He hadn't thought they would be so serious, but it was becoming evident they wouldn't listen otherwise.

Clutching the gear in hands he spoke up, " I want to go to the bathroom and eat something." Pulling on the headset he dragged in a surprise breath when his vision waived for a second and he saw a duel field materialize before him.

Yusaku barely scraped a win out. 100 Hp left and lucky to have draw and be able to use a quick-play spell on the very last turn. It hadn't been pretty but it had earned him a bucket (that came from the floor if he had been watching) that he had been about to refuse for all of two seconds before he couldn't wait anymore, walking away from it in disgust and not connecting the dots that it appeared out of nowhere. He felt like he was starving at this point and was about to comment when a section slid open in the top of the wall and out came a flying tray. He would have been scared if he wasn't so tired and worried about falling over. Yusaku trudged over to the tray as it rested down upon the floor. A cup of water, something that looked like porridge with solid pieces floating in it and hard bread roll.

"At least it's hot…" he wanted to investigate the opening that had shut but he couldn't resist food in front of his clenching stomach. He sat down and grabbed the bread and bit down. He scrunched his nose as he had to wiggle and clamp his teeth to get it to tear. "But still awful." Yusuke grabbed the hot bowl intending to drink it, but it hurt to hold for too long. Spying a fork and spoon lying in a cloth he instead ate it with utensils. He stuffed the fork into his jacket and left everything else on the tray as he retreated to the other side of the room for a nap. Dueling in such a condition had taken just about everything out of him. His eyes closed without his permission.

When Yusaku woke up the tray was still there. As if refusing to leave without all of its pieces. Pulling himself to his feet and dragging his hand along the wall he traced the room and looked for anymore openings. Even the wall he knew opened looked flat and unblemished. Getting angry Yusaku gabbed the plastic fork from before from his pocket and snapped it in half. Throwing it back at the tray hoping it would move. As if pleased to be reunited with all of its friends the tray quicked lifted out of his small reach and back through the disappearing gap. At least Yusuke could confirm the hole was there but as soon as it sealed it once more vanished. Realizing he had lost his fork and protection he groaned and tugged off his jacket. He threw it on the floor and curled up on it, trying to think about home.

Day three was an eye opener in a literal sense. The blaring constant light was starting to really grate on his nerves. He never knew the time and was having trouble resting. He missed his parents and friends, and contact and voices and why was everything so damn quiet in here?! Yusaku hadn't noticed until then and now it was kinda freaking him out. The only thing he had heard since yesterday was himself and sound effects during the duel. He hummed briefly before stopping, he should have had the water cup when he had the chance. He barely weighed his choices before he was up and retrieving the device he would have to rely on. Stating his wish for water and pulling the goggles on he relaxed as noise once more was registered.

Yusaku screamed, he was sure he was dying, melting, ears ringing, not breathing, did he mention dying? Every nerve was on fire and pain, pain, pain, and then it stopped. Only really it didn't but he wasn't being electrified anymore. Gasping hurt, breathing hurt, he was getting the impression that he was shaking but not really feeling anything but aftershocks right now. He had known it could be a possibility, the robotic voice had skittered over the fact that losing could cause pain. But he hadn't fully believed it or understood the consequences until he had lost.

If yesterday had been a lucky win, today had been its karmic rebalance. He had missed a small flip effect because it hadn't originally been set face down due to a special summon. Tears and pitiful gulping sounds were the only thing coming from his curled, tight body. He didn't want to go through that again, he didn't want to be here for this stupid 'project'. His wanted his mom to hold him against her chest and rub his back while his dad held him steady by the shoulder and told him to be strong, how to fix whatever his problem was. He got neither of those things as he finally fell into a fitful sleep knowing they wouldn't be letting him go.