A/N's are now at the bottom. See you there.
Warning: Small amount of bondage. Just a quick word or two.
M I N D - G A M E S
Written by FriendofFoes
Dedicated to Onyx_Moonz
Chapter One: Meet Yugi
"Today's the day. I can feel it."
A small boy sat on a small, worn out mattress, huddled over a mysterious object. It had been some time since he has started that puzzle – a couple months in fact – and he still was stuck. The golden piece were scattered on the ratted and holey blue blanket. The room around him didn't look much better. Beaten down desk, mismatched paint, floors so rough it could be used as sandpaper – the room was barren beside a small desk and the equally small mattress. The young boy, though his clothes looked worn and faded, still looked as enthusiastic as ever. His eyes shone like precious gems, his skin whiter than snow, his hair softer than down feathers with three different colors –red, yellow, and black. Such a child looked out of place.
A piece of the puzzle popped out.
"Ugg!" He leaned his head into one of his hands while holding the puzzle in the other. "Why isn't this working?" He stared at the puzzle for a moment longer before picking up another piece. "Maybe…."
The piece slid in perfectly.
"Alright!" Yugi smiled, "Just a few more and…."
A loud bang echoed though the two story house.
"Shit…" Yugi quickly gathered the pieces of his puzzle and placed them back into the box. Then, he shoved the puzzle and the large unfinished piece under his pillow for safe keeping. He was amazed the day he found it. His father didn't let him have many toys, so finding one was amazing – let alone in his own room. Still, he felt a connection with the mystic box and felt as if things we're going to get better….
Then the news came that his grandpa had passed away… a freak hit-and run. Apparently, he was on his was to visit the night of the thunderstorm and was hit by an old woman who also died. Yugi was devastated and thought to get rid of the puzzle. Sadly, he started to play with it in his grief. That night, he put together five random pieces. He made a promise to himself in the wee hours of the night. He would complete the puzzle for his grandpa. It was absolutely illogical, but his grandfather had taught him love the little things in life.
He found it calming to think of the strategies that came with putting his puzzle together. Even if his father said that it would kill him.
If his father ever found out about the puzzle, he would be dead.
Yugi quickly adjusted himself on the bed to make it look like he was resting, feeling the bump of the puzzle under him. His door opened and in walked a lady who looked in her early thirties. Her black hair hung down to below her shoulders and she stood almost six foot, towering about the little boy.
"Your father has been calling you. He is very angry."
Yugi tensed up. "I've been resting."
"That's still no excuse. You need to apologize."
"But mom-"
"No." She placed her hands on her hips, "You need to see your father now…"
Yugi sat up and looked his mother in the eyes. "But he'll hurt me," He whispered.
"It's nothing less than you deserve." She pointed down the hallway, "Now."
Yugi stared at her for one more moment, pleading that she would let him go down by himself. But her face didn't change. He slowly got up, walked out of the room and proceeded down the hallway. Now, he was scared of his father, and rightfully so. First, he was much taller than Yugi – two feet to be exact as he stood six foot nine. But the main reason he was scared was because his father expected him to be a perfect child. Not one single sound to be uttered from his mouth, not one silly idea to be made up – nothing to make him a trouble child. From an early age, he'd been taught not to question his father. Questions lead to ideas. Ideas lead to thoughts. Thoughts killed. Of course, Yugi wasn't perfect at this – he occasionally messed up on the place setting at dinner, made a sound at the wrong time, caught daydreaming. Because of it, his father had taken up giving punishment. At first, it had been a spanking, how inadequate it might have been. The last time he was punished, his father led him down to the basement…
He never knew his father had a thing for bondage, and he never wanted to see it again…
As he approached the landing above the living room, the décor started to get fancier and cleaner. Crown molding graced the wall of the beautiful house. It was apparent that the owners loved to renovate and show off. Yugi quickly moved to the edge of the stairs, hoping he father wasn't there.
"Yugi."
Yugi looked down to see his father sitting on the leather sofa, dressed in a nice t-shirt and jeans. He looked nice for his age, around his-mid thirties. His slicked back black hair glistened back while his face was perfectly shaved of all facial hair. The man was calm… or so Yugi hoped.
"Yugi, Yugi, Yugi… " His head shook slowly back and forth as he chuckled. It sounded like a madman. "Where have you been? I've been calling you…"
But you and mom just came back from a date, didn't you? "Yes father, " Yugi bent down at the waist in a bow. "I am sorry, I got distracted…"
"By what?" His father sharply cut in, eyes flashing to Yugi. "You haven't been playing any games, have you?"
Yugi froze for a millisecond before standing straight up. "No, father. Just personal thoughts. Nothing –"
"Bad?" His father finished, standing up. "Ahh… Yugi, come here…" Yugi proceeded to walk the rest of the stairs and directly to his father, who placed his hands on Yugi's shoulders. Yugi peered up at his father, feeling smaller and smaller by the second as his father's height became apparent. "You still haven't learned. Thinking is forbidden in this house. It only leads to death and destruction. Thoughts kill, knowledge is pain. Look at all the terrible things that happened in this world – Tiananmen Square, the American Civil War, the invention of the nuclear bomb."
Yugi bit his lip. "But what are those things, father? You've mentioned them before... haven't you?"
His father glared down at him, "You do not need to know. What did I just tell you? Knowledge is pain! To know these is to know loss…"The grip on his shoulders tightened to the point that Yugi's fingers started to feel numb. "So… You have been thinking…."
"No, Father! I haven't! Please!" Yugi protested loudly, but his father wouldn't hear anything more. He shoved Yugi to the side, causing him to trip and ram headfirst into a solid wood bookshelf. A cry of pain escaped Yugi's lips as his head collided with the wood. Pain shot up his forehead as his vision blurred momentarily. He collapsed face down on the light tan carpet. This was nothing new – in fact, it was to be expected. He had done wrong and instead of telling the truth, he had lied to his father. He deserved everything his father gave him.
A clapping noise was heard above him. He whimpered and looked up to his father, who was keeping a thin straight face.
"I believe we need to pay a visit to the basement."
Eyes widened in panic, violet gems filled with fear. His breath quickened as he felt his father's hands once again on his shoulders, dragging him away from the still teetering bookshelf to a locked door hidden in the shadows. The sound of the deadbolt unlocking echoed in Yugi's ears. It set his senses into overdrive, his limbs locked, and his mind – as unfortunate as it was –became sharper.
A waste of his fine talents…
No sooner had the deadbolt opened did Yugi start to feel time slip through his fingers. His world seemed to play in fast forward as his father dragged him down the stairs. It all seemed to slow when his father tied one of his hands on one of the wooden stakes in the floor about five feet high. His father also proceeded to shackle his feet to two more small post two feet away, placing Yugi in a bent position. He kept his head down, not wanting to cause more punishment for himself. He didn't need to see what the room looked like. He'd been down here many times before, he'd seen the layout. Last year on his birthday was the first day that he had seen his father's work. This was built for him and his reckless behavior -thinking, not listening, not doing what was expected of him, and trying to escape his home.
His father started talking to him. "I don't see why you do this Yugi. I wanted to celebrate this wonderful day with you. But instead… I have to punish you." He slipped one sleeve of Yugi's free arm and pulled it from his back. His back was revealed, showing off pale white skin marred with yellow and black bruises, scabs, and multiple red angry cuts.
Yugi was tempted to look up, but he knew there would be nothing different. A few feet from the bottom of the stairs was a wall full of simple tools – a hammer, screwdriver, stuff like that. Across the room however was a medium size wardrobe closet, filled with objects bought for his personal punishment. Yugi never expected his father to be into bondage. Yugi hoped that his mother wasn't into it – he'd never see a scar on her body - so he could only assume that he use him as an outlet.
Click.
Perhaps father would be kind today?...
Click. Click.
Maybe he'd just use the paddle…?
Step.
He didn't like when he got out the whip or the clips... they made his body sore…
Step.
But wasn't that the whole point of the punishment…?
Silence.
Then why did he feel like he was living a lie –
Yugi's head was pulled up, his hair pulled up so his eyes could meet that of his father above him.
"You will learn, Yugi. One day, I will not have to use these on you. But until then, you will take the punishment you deserve and you will take it like a man."
The man shoved Yugi's head down quickly.
"You wish to learn? To gain knowledge? Fine."
Yugi tensed.
"Start learning."
The sound of screaming carried deep into the night.
Three reviews... I couldn't believe it. Three people liked this story enough to review - and I got four alerts! Thank you to crymson , hellomaru, and PhantomBrat for being my first reviewers. I hope to gain more - the more reviews I get at a single time, the faster I write at college.
As for update schedules, I am at college full time everyday except weekends. I have up to chapter three completed and chapter four is being written. Not typed, written. I write these in my spare time at college and type them at night during my English coursework. I give a tentative date for the next chapter on my profile. I will post sometime either before that day or the day after, depending on what my math and science teachers give me.
Author's note will now be down here (since everyone wants to get to the good stuff first).
Also, I am starting to look for a Beta reader. I'm still debating if I want one, but it seems like a good idea... If your interested, PM me. I usually check my mobile for reviews and PM's.
Enough of my mindless ranting. Please review and I'll starting working on typing next chapter.
