Play Your Part, Yami
Chapter 1
Deepest Darkness
It had been just a routine evening. I had not been doing anything more than regular patrolling to keep an eye on anyone trying anything on the gang's territory. The biggest problem was that one rival gang, the Golden Eye. Rumours had it that they had been increasing their activities, so the Boss had told everyone to increase patrols. It was extremely important that we held onto our territory, especially with the project we currently had going on.
Still, despite the constant tension in the air inside the city, there was nothing out of ordinary going on that evening. I had not been expecting anything to happen, or to run into anyone suspicious. That was probably why I was completely unprepared for it when I spotted a human figure in the slight darkness left between a pair of streetlights.
There were not supposed to be anyone around this part of the city. There was nothing in this vicinity except abandoned buildings that had been claimed by the gang. The buildings mostly consisted of apartment buildings that were too old and damaged to be inhabitable. There was also an old garage within the cluster of buildings, the place that held one of our bases of operations. That was why I was so worried to find someone wandering the neighbourhood. If the person ended up belonging to our rival gang or would contact the police, it could jeopardise our operation and cost us one of our most productive stations.
Silently I started to approach the figure, keeping myself out of the glare of the streetlights. As I neared on the shadowy person, I started to make out some of the wanderer's features. The broad shoulders and muscled chest gave away the other's sex to be male and the tall figure looked even larger with the way his hair rose high up in spikes.
All tension left me when I came to the conclusion that the guy was nothing more than some punk would-be-rocker who had simply wandered too far away from one of the clubs. There were a few close by and the idiot was apparently too drunk to know that his house was not this way. I supposed it should not take too long to lead the guy out of the vicinity.
I was only a few meters away from the man when I finally realized that he did not seem like the average drunk. His posture was far too good for him to be completely intoxicated. I slipped my hand to my belt, checking that I had my knife at ready if I ended up needing it. Only once I was certain that I was armed, I walked the rest of the distance to reach the man. The other had his back to me, so I assumed he had not noticed me yet, and I reached out to grasp his shoulder.
My fingers might have touched the other before I fell, but later on I could not be too sure. It might as well have been that the blow landed to the back of my head before my hand had made it halfway. The one thing I am certain of and can remember clearly is that I was trying to grab the loiterer when a sharp pain struck at my head. And when I woke up the pain exploded into a burning ache.
A groan passed my lips as I opened my eyes to see nothing but darkness. I immediately knew that I was not in the same place where I had lost my consciousness, since such impenetrable darkness could not be found on the streets where there was always even a small source of light. Not to mention I felt the hardness of a wooden chair supporting my body in a sitting position and the tight grip of rope on my wrists kept me from moving my arms.
"I would suggest you don't fight the bindings," a voice spoke out from the darkness and I jumped before trying to peer into the direction it had come from. I naturally saw nothing and the voice continued: "It's a long way down if something breaks." And with those words I realized that there was neither ground nor floor underneath my feet, like the chair had been suspended on air. I rocked a bit experimentally and the whole contraption rocked with me. I immediately stopped moving.
"What the hell is this?" I snapped at the person in front of me. "What's the big idea?"
"We want information", the voice spoke out calmly, coldly. "You're going to provide it for us."
The snort that came out of me was a natural reaction to such a ridiculous assumption.
"I don't think so", I said. There was no way I would betray my gang. I would never get away with it.
The person hidden I shadows laughed. It was more than a snort; it was a deep chuckle, as if the person was actually amused. Another laugh came from a bit to the left as well, this one having a high pitch of near hysteria to it. I wondered what joke I was missing out on.
"You sound as if you have a choice on the matter", a new voice spoke with the same pitch the second laugh had had. He laughed again. "You don't, really."
"What is your name?" the first voice asked and I shook my head before snapping: "I'm not answering any of your questions."
Silence followed my statement. Then there was a click and a lamp was turned off. It was a table lamp set on top of a table that was hanging in the air between my chair and the one in front of me. There was a young man sitting in that chair, physically lithe but with the most frightening deep red eyes I had ever seen. I glanced around to see that the light of the lamp did not show me the floor or how high up I was. I also saw the other person. He was the same person I had approached on the street before I had been knocked unconscious. His wild platinum blond hair was matched almost perfectly by the other person's multi-colored hair that was styled in the same way, only in a slightly more orderly manner. I was certain these two were partners in what they did, the way their physical structure seemed to complete each other and how they seemed very similar in the barely-there lighting.
"Do you know who we are?" the blond asked and I made the mistake of looking right into his murky blue eyes. It was like looking right into the sea; the eyes were deep and were completely devoid of light. The eyes were also just as cold. Still, the person did not look familiar. Neither did his red-eyed partner. I would remember if I had ever run into a pair like them.
"Me", the red-eyed one spoke and I turned my attention back to him. The crimson eyes were trained on me intensely as the other leaned a bit closer and spoke quietly, almost in a whisper: "I am known as the Game Master."
Game Master. He was known as the Ultimate Gambler who betted on lives. It was a big claim, to take that name and actually use it. It would actually be a stupid move to make, if the real Game Master was ever to find out. I did not think there was anyone stupid enough to try it.
"Still not convinced to talk?" the Game Master murmured softly, a smirk coming to his lips. "Then I guess you aren't much use." The other leaned back in his chair, seemingly not worried about it falling. "But, anyone can make for an opponent of the game is simple enough." He paused. "So let's play."
"What's the game?" I asked suspiciously. The real Game Master always played specific types of games. I wondered if this impostor would go so far…
"Twenty one", the crimson-eyed youth answered and I noticed he was playing with a deck of cards that I did not even see him take out. "Marik will be the dealer." So that was what the bigger guy was doing up here. "You win and you can go and we won't follow." The cards were handed over to the platinum blond, who began shuffling them with vigour in my clear sight. "You lose and…well, I'm sure the penalty game will be more than enough."
"Penalty game?" I queried as I watched 'Marik' shuffle the cards so more.
"One loss, one rope will be cut", the Game Master murmured. "Two losses and two ropes will be cut." I shot a quick look at the red-eyed man, who did not look like he was joking the slightest. From the corner of my eye I saw Marik place the card deck on the table and the Game Master spoke his next words to his partner. "Tie me up, Marik." He smirked at my incredulous look as Marik did as he was told. "I will fall before all the ropes are cut if I'm not attached to the chair." The crimson eyes shone with a dangerous glint. "We will both have the same chances to get out of this."
Those words and the conviction behind them made me wonder for the first time if this perhaps was the real Game Master. But, there was no telling that Marik would really drop his partner to his death. I shot a look at the face of the person in question and noted the manic grin on the other's face.
"Would you kill your partner?" I asked him and Marik looked at me in surprise before chuckling and answering easily: "If he's stupid enough to bet his life, then hell yeah." He smirked and settled properly into his own seat, one much properly hung up than mine or the Game Master's. "Ready?"
"Ready", the Game Master replied and I mumbled an agreeing reply. "You go first", I told the Game Master, who actually looked surprised before his smirk settled onto his face again. But I knew I had caught him off guard. It was a small victory.
"Hit me, Marik", the Game Master told the platinum blonde. The other followed the instructions and slapped a Queen onto the table. The Game Master looked at it once before speaking: "Hit me again." A King.
Before I even had a chance to realize that I had won the first round, Marik had already cut one of the four ropes holding the Game Master up and the other dropped a bit sideways. And yet the other smirked as he spoke to me: "Your turn."
I steeled my expression before speaking out to the dealer: "Hit me." A card landed on the table. I noticed that the cards the Game Master had played were removed from the deck and I was relieved. That meant a little less of a chance to get a too high card. My card was a nine. "Hit me." A Queen. Twenty one. I smirked as Marik cut another one of the Game Master's ropes and the other's chair tilted forward. "Your turn." This was going to be an easy win.
"Hit me", and Marik did. A three was revealed. "Hit me." Five. "Hit me." A Jack. "Hold it." The Game Master had nineteen.
"Hit me." An eight. "Hit me." A six. "Hit me." A five. "Hit me." I felt sweat run down my neck and hoped I could scratch at the itch that had developed on my nose as I contemplated if I should chance another draw. "Hold it." No use risking it now, I was on even ground with the Game Master. I shot my opponent a look and he smirked. He still smirked despite his weak position against me.
During the next round Marik dealt me a seven, a two and a ten. That made my number nineteen and I decided to let it stay that way.
The Game Master got a King and a six. He was even with me and I thought he was going to leave it at that. But then he smirked at me, that frightening smirk of his, and told Marik to hit him again. A two. Twenty one, and Marik cut the first of my ropes. That also started me off feeling really nervous as it became obvious that Marik was not the only insane one in the duo.
The Game Master' next cards turned out to be an Ace, a King and a four. Together they made eighteen. I got a Queen and a five and I realized that under or over, I would lose, and I risked it. A ten. And my second rope was severed.
"What do you say we kick things up a notch?" the Game Master spoke then and I looked over at him and that accursed smirk I was starting to believe was a symptom of whatever disease his brain had. "We're evened out now. We could quit it with this one round. Two ropes at the price of one win."
It was a frightening suggestion, but not as frightening as the pair's company. I would risk it all at one single draw if it meant getting away from these two lunatics sooner. And so I swallowed, even as my throat felt swollen, and nodded.
"You go first", I managed to throw in and again a peek of surprise broke out of the mess of insanity. Even Marik shot me a look. And that told me that I really did want to let the other go first. That would stop the Game Master from drawing a suicidal move like the one in their would-be-draw. "One draw, smaller card wins." The Game Master paused, but then finally nodded. He gave Marik a meaningful glance. The other drew him a Queen, the last one left in the deck.
"You know", I spoke out, feeling a smirk coming to my own lips. "Since you're about to fall to your death soon, I might as well tell you a few things I'm sure you're curious about." I chuckled briefly. "My boss calls me Bone Eater, because I'm the one who offs all the people he doesn't like. I'm in charge of interrogation and execution. I know all the points in the human body that can kill a person off quickly, and what injuries create the maximum pain without being lethal." I turned to Marik. "Does that answer the question of who I am? Hit me." Nothing sort of a King could make me lose, and there was one of those left in the deck. This game was as good as won.
Marik threw the card onto the table and I felt my breath catch. What the hell was that card doing in the deck?
"Joker, fourteen. You lose, Bone Eater", the Game Master murmured smugly and I found my mouth going dry. Marik flipped out his knife and cut one of my remaining two ropes.
"Wait!" I shouted out and the platinum blond actually paused. "You heard who I am! I can tell you everything you want to know about our operation! You want to know what the abandoned garage is used for? We tune bikes there!"
"Interesting…" the Game Master murmured and now I knew for sure he was the real thing. "What on earth for?"
"We need money if we're going to start on big operations!" I hurried to explain. "So we've been stealing bikes and exchanging the parts so that they won't be recognized."
A sound came from Marik, one filled with contempt and the Game Master's face also held a patronizing look.
"Pitiful", the Game Master spoke with disgust. "The only thing worse is you."
The words took a moment to register. By the time they did Marik was already slicing my last remaining rope.
"NO!" I bellowed desperately. "I told you what you wanted to know! You can't do this!"
"You forget, Bone Eater", the Game Master spoke softly. "Your information was never a part of the game." The crimson eyes regarded him in boredom. "You are the loser, you were the moment we begun." The lips turned back into a smirk and I knew then that they were not going to let me go. "Penalty time."
A movement from Marik and I was falling into the darkness, screaming all the while before I hit the floor.
&
"Weak minded, that Bone Eater", Yami murmured as he kicked the wooden chair that still held the gangster in question. The other had passed out from terror when the last of his ropes had been cut, never finding out that the supposed 'drop' was only about three meters.
"Pathetic", Marik snarled as Yami started to make his way out of the hall they had been using. "Oh, man, the idiot actually soiled himself!" Marik's voice carried from the darkness and Yami rolled his eyes.
"Let's get going, Marik", he told the other. "Someone might have heard the scream."
"Right, right", Marik murmured and the reason Yami even heard the grumble was because Marik had appeared beside him almost immediately after Yami had told him to get moving. "What's go you so bothered?"
"It's nothing", Yami answered easily, a well rehearsed reply whenever the platinum blond queried about his thoughts. He did not think his companion would understand, not these new ideas he had been having. He could not help but want to let go of this way of living. Of terrorizing others for the sake of nothing more than being feared.
There had to be more to life. There had to be something better, sweeter and brighter. A life in the sun would be so much more beautiful than these nights of horror, so much more humane.
To be continued…
Author's Notes: What the hell is this shit? Oh, sorry. I just…I can't believe I actually wrote a CARD GAME into one of my stories. And it was in an AU story no less. I'm so sorry.
Also, you might have figured this out already but I will still say it: this chapter is set before the rest of the series. It's a sneak peek at Yami's life before he moved to Domino.