K: Good lord, it's been a while. Sorry I always take so long to update. Inspiration just seems to come and go like that.

ANYWAY, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer:

I don't own the Yu-Gi-Oh characters. I'm just borrowing them. It's not like they're using them anymore, anyway. XP

Dedications:

Anime WarriorSkye

VD

Strega

Hikarigirl18

Kyo lover with little sanity

Dragonlady222

Merodi no Yami (Assuming you're not dead or avoiding me for some reason)

Wuteverdude (From Devart. Thanks for being my only comment. XD)

Echoing-Radiance (Also from Devart.)

The Apparition

Encounter IV: Malevolence

I woke up. The bright sunlight burned cheerily into my retinas, causing me to hiss in pain and annoyance as I shielded my eyes and struggled to sit up. Once the spots stopped obscuring my vision, I noticed I was tucked snugly in my bed—quite an improvement in comparison to the cold tile floor I had been lying on before, assuming my memory was correct.

As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, Grandpa emerged from the hall holding an assortment of bandages and an ice pack, a worried look on his face. He lifted his head, his eyes lighting up upon finding me awake, and hurried to my bedside, dumping his load onto the comforter.

"You're awake! Oh, thank goodness… And here I was worried you might have a concussion or something…" He breathed, so relieved that all his thoughts came rushing out in one giant, incoherent mess. "I didn't really know what to do after I found you, so I just decided to get you in bed and do what I could before calling Doctor Mills, which I was just about to do…" He closed his eyes and sighed, willing himself to calm down, and turned to face me. "Are you okay? What happened, Yuugi?"

Not quite sure how to tell him I'd fainted after seeing some strange message in the mirror, I said the first thing that came to mind. "I'm not really sure. I guess I just slipped when I was getting out of the shower, that's all…" Upon hearing my explanation, he threw up his arms, proclaiming, "See! I knew I should have gotten you a bath mat!"

He gave me a reproachful look. "And you said you didn't see the point in getting one… Well, I bet you've changed your mind after all this, now, haven't you?" Shaking his head, he fished the ice pack out of the pile, wrapping it up in a small towel and handing it to me. "Here—put this on your head. It'll keep the swelling down. I know at least that much…" I took it, gingerly placing it on the large bump that was beginning to form on my forehead. I grinned at him sheepishly, muttering a small 'thanks,' then groaned as I recalled what day it was. "What is it, Yuugi?"

"I just remembered I have a calculus midterm today…"

Grandpa rolled his eyes, no doubt reminiscing about the other times I had been sick and refused to stay home because of class. "What time does the class start? I'll take you there, but you're coming home as soon as you finish, understood?"

I sighed, dreading the test but knowing I couldn't afford to miss it. "Yes, Grandpa…"

"So, how did it go?" I shrugged, climbing into the beat up old Civic and closing the door behind me. "I did my best. The bump on my head didn't really help, but I think I did well enough to get at least a solid C." Grandpa shook his head, pulling out of the parking lot and turning in the direction of the highway. "A 'C,' huh? Well, I suppose I can't complain—I never took it."

He patted my shoulder, then gave it a soft squeeze. "Just as long as you pass, okay?"

I nodded, slouching further in my seat and kicking off my shoes, resting my frozen toes on the heater. "Okay." We arrived at the game shop soon enough, trudging up the slick cement walkway and shivering in the cold climate. I shuffled from foot to foot as I waited for Grandpa to fish the keys out of his pocket, warming my hands with white clouds of breath. Once inside, I dashed through the door that separated our apartment from the shop and into the kitchen area, shedding my hoodie and tossing it onto the small, round table. Rubbing my hands up and down on my arms, I filled a kettle with water and set it on the stove, then went to the cupboard and retrieved two mugs, setting them on the counter.

Grandpa came in just as I placed two unwrapped tea bags into their respective mugs, looking me up and down as I turned to face him. "Weren't you supposed to be injured?" I rubbed the back of my head, embarrassed, and smiled up at him. "Well, yeah… But I wanted to thank you for taking me to class… I mean, you had to close the shop and everything…"

Leaning back on the counter, I slid my fingertips over the bump on my forehead. "Besides, I'm feeling a lot better. The swelling's gone down a lot, too. I might even be able to help you with the shop later if you want me to." Grandpa smiled, shaking his head, and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Now, don't you go and worry about things like that. You just make sure you take it easy, alright?"

He picked up the steaming kettle, pouring the water into the mugs and handing one to me. "Just this one mug, and then you'd better get your butt back to bed, you hear?" I laughed, bouncing my tea bag up and down to help it steep. "Yes, Grandpa." I woke up again around seven. Grandpa was still busy with the shop, so I decided to fix dinner myself, thinking he'd appreciate the gesture after a long day. While rummaging through the cupboard in search of a jar of pasta sauce, I thought back to the mysterious note, wondering who in the world this 'Omote' was and why the ghost was after him. It was obvious he had somehow mistaken me for this guy, and it angered me to think that all of the suffering I had endured was due to a simple case of mistaken identity.

I filled a small pot with water and noodles, setting it on the stove to boil, and absentmindedly brainstormed any other explanations for the odd name. Maybe it was some weird pet name he made up for me… Creep…

I frowned, going over the rest of the message. 'I found you?' What on earth did he mean by that? Didn't he find me a long time ago? Or did he mean after I moved to Domino? I sighed, shaking my head. I just couldn't see why he'd be so fascinated with me in the first place. And if 'Omote' is his nickname for me, where the hell did he come up with it? It was certainly a far cry from 'Yuugi.'

I prodded the meat sauce I had made, staring at it solemnly as Grandpa finished helping the last customers of the night and closed up shop. At least the entity had chosen to leave me alone for the rest of the day. Maybe he decided to give me a break after I fainted this morning… I snorted, carefully lifting the pot of cooked pasta and pouring it out into a strainer in the sink. Nah, that didn't sound very likely.

I drained the water from the noodles, pausing to yawn widely before placing the pasta in a large bowl and setting it on the table. It seemed that even though I'd slept a great deal, the constant state of terror I was in had quickly drained all of my energy. Rubbing my eyes, I finished making dinner and flopped drowsily into my seat, waiting for Grandpa to join me. He came through the door a few minutes later, lifting his nose and inhaling deeply of the aroma of freshly made meat sauce.

"Mmm… That smells wonderful! It's just what we need after such a rough day…right, Yuugi?" He pulled up a chair, helping himself to the large bowl in front of us, and I followed suit, taking a modest helping and eating it slowly, barely awake. As I chased a particularly elusive noodle around my plate, I hoped that I would be able to sleep tonight. The next day was as cold as ever, though slightly more tolerable with the knowledge that I didn't have class to worry about. I spent the morning as I did every Sunday—sleeping in and having brunch around eleven thirty. Grandpa was busy running the shop, so I took it upon myself to go to the store and get groceries for the week.

I dressed warmly, deciding to go with something a little more 'me' than I would wear usually—a black turtleneck, dark blue jeans, a cream colored jacket, and a soft brown scarf—and after putting on my usual red sneakers, I waved Grandpa goodbye and headed off to the supermarket. I walked the four blocks it took to get to the Mitsukoshi marketplace, glancing at the various stores along the way. The streets were more crowded than usual, as the shopping season would soon be upon us, and everywhere I looked, brightly colored signs hung in the windows, advertising holiday sales and drawing customers in left and right. I had just passed through a particularly thick crowd hovering around a clothing store when I saw something that caught my eye. Adjusting my scarf, I stepped toward the small building, taking in the beautiful insignia on the sign above me. It was a simple design—three soft curves connected in the middle, with a small red orb in between each line—but there was something about it that made me feel at peace. I was startled out of my musings when a young woman approached me with a smile. "Welcome to Rakuen. Today we're offering a free session on finding your spirit guide. Would you care to join us?"

I blinked, unsure of whether to take her up on the offer, then shrugged and smiled back. "Sure. What have I got to lose?"

The woman's eyes grew bright, and she nodded enthusiastically. "Good, good! It's a very relaxing experience, I assure you!"

She bowed, then gestured to the store's entrance. "This way, please."

She led me to a large room with a tatami floor and an assortment of cushions arranged in a circle, instructing me to choose a seat and wait patiently until the class began. I removed my shoes, placing them at the door among the others, and nestled myself on a fluffy gray cushion across from the entryway. A few people nodded politely at me as I did so—mostly teenage girls and one or two young women—and I listened to them chat about movies and fashion until the instructor arrived.

She was a very majestic woman, an air of mystery surrounding her and making it so that her mere presence was enough to cease all conversations and turn everyone's attention to her. She looked to be in her mid-forties, but she still had the same whimsical nature that young people are known to have, and it showed in the light, breathy way she greeted us. "Welcome, my brothers and sisters… Thank you for joining us today." She seated herself in the middle of the circle, folding her legs in the western fashion and looking around the room with her large, painted eyes. "As you know, for today's lesson we will attempt to contact our spirit guides—a rich and very rewarding experience. To do so, however, will require much concentration, but if you allow your body to relax and clear your mind, every one of you should be able to gaze upon your spirit with your inner eye."

She smiled knowingly at a few of the girls, who I guessed were regulars at this sort of thing, then cleared her throat and closed her eyes. "Now, if you would all follow me, please." We all closed our eyes, concentrating on the sound of the woman's voice. "Take deep, calming breaths. Empty your mind of all unnecessary things, delving deep within yourself, and expand your senses." I frowned, wondering what exactly she meant for us to do, but followed her instructions to the best of my ability, shutting out the rest of the world and reaching down into the dark, inky depths of nonexistence. I found myself floating in a black abyss, unable to see much of anything at all, and, curious, I called out to my 'spirit guide' to see if anything was there. I was greeted with silence, unable to hear even the instructor's voice, and sighed in frustration. Maybe I wasn't doing it right…

All of the sudden, I was roughly jerked back into reality, nearly falling over onto the tatami mat floor. I blinked up at the woman standing before me, wondering what was going on, and why she had such a stern look on her face. Wait- did she push me?

She frowned down at me, no longer the whimsical, good-natured instructor from before, and demanded that I leave. Puzzled, I asked her what was wrong, though it only made her more furious.

"Look around you! You're scaring everyone!" She exclaimed, gesturing around the room.

I did, surprised to find that the people who had smiled at me before were now seated as far from me as possible, avoiding my gaze. But… why on earth would anyone be afraid of me?

I turned my attention back to the instructor, who had begun addressing me again. "See? Now please, leave, and take your spirit with you!"

Shaken, I rose and left the room, stopping only to put on my shoes by the entryway. Just as I finished tying my laces, I heard someone cough nervously behind me and spun around to look at them, finding the young woman who had talked to me on the street. She was shaking, her face pale, and when I rose and stepped toward her she shrank back as if burned.

"D-don't come any closer!" She took a moment to collect herself, taking a deep breath and continuing in a small, hesitant voice.

"I- I just thought you should know that you were talking while you were meditating… N-not loudly, of course… more like muttering under your breath…" She swallowed, turning her eyes to the ground. "Y-you were speaking in a strange language, and the air around you started to feel really heavy…" She paused, uncertain of whether to continue. After a little while, she whispered, "Then I heard a- a dark voice… in my head… He was saying things like 'foolish mortals' and 'you could never understand my power.'"

She jumped, her eyes wide, and stumbled backwards, hiding behind the counter in the lobby. "Y-you'd better leave… He... he's…"

She gave a frightened squeak, then disappeared behind a curtain and into the back rooms. A shiver ran up my spine, and I willed myself to stay calm. 'Foolish mortals,' huh? Well, that seemed like something he'd say… Shaking my head, I tried my best to ignore the feeling of being watched and stepped out onto the crowded street.