Chapter 4: Waking Nightmare

SATOSHI'S P.O.V.

"Satoshi? Where the hell are we this time?" Kaiba asked as I looked around to see we were in a hallway.

I looked at Kaiba and said, "I think were in the main building."

Kaiba cursed under his breath and said, "Wake from a bad dream, and find myself in another... Dammit!"

I looked down the hall and said, "This path wasn't here last time..."

He nodded and said, "We jumped spaces again, didn't we?"

I nodded and said, "More than likely. Come on let's see where this new hall goes."

"This way Satoshi..."

I heard a voice directing us toward a certain hall.

Kaiba gasped and said, "It knows you..."

The voice continued, "Please, take care of Naomi and Yugi. They are on the verge of snapping..."

I said, "...Who's there? Who's speaking to me?"

The voice remained quite.

"I could swear that sounded like...Seiko..."

Kaiba sighed and said, "Just keep moving, we'll find them."

We began walking and quickly found a stairwell with a pink cell phone at the bottom of the steps.

I gasp and said, "That's Naomi's phone. She must be near by!"

It began ringing.

I picked it up and open it.

It was already on speaker phone and a unfamiliar voice spoke, "Help me... help me..."

Then the voice changed and it said, "Naomi? Are you there?! Answer me! Please!"

I said, "That's Naomi's mother..."

She cried out, "Naomi! Please, just let me hear your voice! Please... Just say something! I'm your mom, Naomi! God, please... don't let anything have happened to her!"

Then the voice changed again and it said, "Yugi! Answer me...Please..."

Kaiba whispered out, "That's Yugi's grandfather... but why is he calling your friends phone?"

I heard him cry out, "Please be alright... Please...I can't live without you... Yugi..."

The voice was back to it's original state and continued to say over and over, "Help me... help me... help me... help me..."

I slammed it closed and threw it against the wall.

Kaiba yelled, "What the hell?! This place needs to cut the crap already."

I nodded and said, "But I can't just leave it, though."

I picked it back up and turned it off.

We then walked up the stairs to find we're back at the restrooms.

Kaiba looked at the area and said, "Why bring us back here? What so important?"

"Well, it was tough, you know?"

Kaiba looked at me and said, "Anyone you know?"

I nodded and said, "Seiko... She must be in the girl's room and if Joey is right, so is Naomi and Yugi."

We ran into the restroom and then Naomi's voice said, "I was certainly was surprised!"

We walked in further and I hear a male's voice I didn't recognize, that said, "Naomi? Why don't you come over more often? I don't see my cousin that often you know."

Their conversations continued as we walked in the two stalls nearest to us has blood stains in front of them.

Kaiba whispered, "I have a bad feeling about this, Satoshi..."

I then asked, "Is anyone there?"

The voices stopped and utter silence filled the room.

We turned to walk toward the exit, when I heard the noise of someone choking on something.

We ran back to the stalls and the two doors were wide open.

Naomi and the boy I assumed to be Yugi, were both dangling from nooses held up by nothing.

I yelled, "Naomi!"

Kaiba yelled, "Yugi! You dumb ass! What the hell do you two think you're doing?!"

They were struggling to get free gasping for air...

God, they're going to die if we don't do something!

I yelled, "Kaiba, you handle Yugi! I save Naomi!"

He nodded and we dove into action.

I got underneath her and lifted her up, loosing the grip of the rope.

She gasped for air.

Thank God, she breathing.

I yelled, "Stay with me, Naomi! I'm going to loosen that rope!"

While still supporting her on my shoulders, with her upper body drooping between the back wall of the the bathroom and my head, I reached behind me and fiddled with the knots at the base of the noose.

Somehow or another, I managed to loosen the ropes grip.

Against all odds, it seems that Naomi would live and I thank God for that.

She was past out and she drooped on my shoulders.

Kaiba came out with Yugi hanging over his.

Kaiba took a deep breath and said, "It' was difficult, but he'll live that for certain. Now the real question is why the hell was he fucking hanging himself in the first place?!"

I sighed and said, "Let's set them down somewhere and wait till they wake up. Then we can have our answers."

KAIBA'S P.O.V.

They began to stir with hacks and coughs for air.

Satoshi said, "Easy now, breathe nice and easy..."

The girl, who I now know to be Naomi said up slowly and said, "S...Satoshi?"

Yugi looked at me and said, "K-Kaiba..? What going on?"

Satoshi looked at the two and asked, "Are you two all right? You guys had really scared us there for a minute..."

Their eyes were damping with tears and they let out a small sobs.

I said, "What's wrong? Are you two in pain?"

Naomi hugged Satoshi and said, "Dumb ass... Get here sooner next time."

I looked at Yugi and asked, "What the hell happened to you two?!"

Yugi looked at his hands and said, "I'm not quite sure, one moment we're sitting in the stairwell, and then nothing..."

Satoshi looked at them in shock and said, "You don't remember..."

Naomi nodded and said, "I was checking on Yugi's bandages, Seiko did a good job wrapping them, just not thick enough though..."

Satoshi nodded and said, "Shinohara? I think we heard her voice a little bit ago. Any idea where she went?"

Yugi stood up and said sadly, "Follow us..."

We followed them back up the stairs and back into the girl's restroom.

The final stall creaked open, revealing a girl dangling from a noose all the life completely drained from her.

Satoshi gasped and said, "S-Seiko..."

Naomi and Yugi nodded tears welling in their eyes.

He yelled, "That's impossible...We heard her voice... She spoke to us, just a few minutes ago!"

I shook my head and said, "This place is a hell... A freaking hell..."

Yugi looked at me and said, "Can you help us get her down. We couldn't before..."

I nodded and said, "I'd... feel bad leaving her like that..."

We gently untied the knots and carefully carried her body down the stairs.

We set her in a corner and Naomi closed her un-seeing eyes.

Yugi looked down and said, "Joey and Seiko, we fought with them before we parted ways. We were filled with an unnatural rage and we took that rage and used it on those two. Our best friends... And the next time I saw her... Seiko was already dead... I still have no idea where Joey is..."

Naomi nodded and said, "It might have been our fault. We said some horrible things to them... And we can't even apologize anymore..."

I looked at them and said, "It's all right... It's not your guys' fault."

I took a deep breath and said, "You two do realize that... you also... tried to hang yourselves, right?"

Yugi and Naomi stared in horror.

Yugi muttered out, "W-We did...?...That's... not possible... But there is... a stinging pain...around my entire neck... Did we really...?"

Satoshi looked at them and said, "So you don't remember..."

They both sat in horror of what we had just told them.

Satoshi looked down at Seiko and said, "I'm sure it was the the same for Seiko. I don't think she knew what she was doing. No matter how upset she was... she would never... She wasn't the type to give up... on anything... much less kill herself over it..."

Naomi nodded and said, "You... You're right. She wouldn't do that! Actually there was this spirit who came and talked to us. A girl about the same age as us."

Yugi nodded and said, "She said that anyone who's been touched by the curse of this school will have their mind taken over... and go crazy." I

looked down and said, "Their mind... taken over?"

God, if Yugi, could subcome to nearly killing himself... What could be said for any of us?

Satoshi looked at them and said, "It sounds like we need to hurry up and find the others, then get out of here."

Naomi nodded and said, "Yeah... That brings up something else, though. That girl spirit also said that this school was its own version of closed space and that Yugi and I were the only living beings present. So how did you two get here?"

Satoshi looked around and said, "Now that you mention it... there is a different feeling in the air than there was before."

The words that Naho and Joey said, echoed in my mind. "Now go. Go to the one who occupies your thoughts... though you probably won't make it in time...Ahahahahaha! Ahahahahaha! Ahahahaha!"

"Save them... if you can..."

Did they know this would happen?

Satoshi looked at them and said, "Come to think of it, we were also approached by the spirit of a high school girl..."

Yugi gawked at me and said, "So now will you be more open minded Kaiba?"

I hissed out and said, "I met ghost today, but I won't believe a word without proof, Yugi."

Satoshi continued, "Anyways, shortly afterward, we lost consciousness, and woke up not far from here."

Yugi looked down and said, "I'm not sure, but it sounds like you guys somehow made the leap from one closed space to another."

I sighed and said, "Well that's great, but in the mean time, our siblings are missing, and we have no idea where they are right now."

Satoshi jumped up and said, "Yuka! Dear God... I hope she's alright..."

I said, "We should start searching."

Satoshi knelt down to Seiko and said, "Shinohara... I'm sorry. I wish we could take you with us... but it doesn't seem like that's possible anymore. Please, forgive me."

We all stood up and walked down the hallway, leaving Seiko's body behind us.

Yugi gave a small sob as we walked away.

These people only met us moments ago and yet...

I feel the pain of their loss as if I actually knew her.

Seiko... If you can hear me... I'm sorry... I'm so very sorry...

YUGI'S P.O.V.

We walked down the halls and then all of a sudden Naomi fell down and coughed for air.

I looked down and said, "Naomi?! Are you alright?!"

She took a deep breath and said, "Sorry. I suddenly... got really dizzy... and tripped over my own feet..."

She whispered out, "... And now everything's... turning... white..."

She closed her eyes and laid flat. I yelled, "Naomi!"

Kaiba looked at her and said, "Looks like she's lost consciousness. We need to take her somewhere to rest. Wasn't there a nurse's office or something around here...?"

I yelled, "No! We can't go in there...Not ever..."

Satoshi and Kaiba looked at me in shock.

I said, "Something attacked us in there... Nearly killed us... If we didn't escape when we did... We would have been dead by now..."

Satoshi said, "Yugi, I know that it's scary and..."

I yelled, "And nothing! I'm not letting my cousin be vulnerable to that again!"

Kaiba looked at me and said, "Cousin? Your related to her?"

I nodded and said, "My Dad's sister, is Naomi's mother. She the only cousin I've ever had, and I won't let it attack her again..."

Kaiba looked at me and said, "She needs to rest. How about if it begins to look bad, we grab her and go. Sound good?"

I looked up and said, "Fine. But if she get's hurt, it's your head."

He nodded and we walked down the hall towards the infirmary.

We walked into the room and sat her down on the bed.

I looked through the cabinets once more and found some more rubbing alcohol and some real bandages.

I looked at my hands that still ached with pain from the cuts I had substantiated.

I slowly took of the bandages revealing the deep cuts into my hands.

Kaiba looked at me and said, "Dam! What the hell happened to your hands Yugi?!"

I looked at the door and said, "Remember how a spirit trapped us in here? Well when we tried to escape, it covered the door in human hair. I was trying to pull it off, but it was as sharp as knives, cutting through my skin like it was nothing. Luckily we had a bottle of rubbing alcohol and some matches. We burned through the hair and made it out alive..."

Satoshi sighed and said, "Sounds horrible."

I nodded and began opening up the bottle of rubbing alcohol.

I sighed and said, "This is going to hurt..."

I poured the liquid over my hands rinsing off the blood and allowing it to seep into my cuts.

I cringed with pain as it settled into my wounds.

I tried to pick up the bandages only to find my hands could barely move.

Satoshi picked up the bandages and began wrapping my hands.

I smiled and said, "Thanks."

He nodded and said, "Your hands look terrible and after just cleaning them out like that, your hands must be in serious pain."

I nodded and said, "Yeah... I guess so...I can barely move them..."

Naomi began to stir as Satoshi finished wrapping my hands.

Kaiba looked at her and said, "Her breathing seems normal. I believe she'll be okay."

Satoshi nodded and said, "She needs to rest but..."

Kaiba nodded and said, "We need to find Yuka and Mokuba."

I looked at them and said, "Can you wait till she wakes up?"

Kaiba shook his head and said, "We been separated from them too long, we need to find them but like I said she needs rest and your in no shape to help right now. "

I glared at him and said, "So you intend on leaving us here..."

Satoshi shook his head and said, "No, we're going to stay fairly close by and look until, Naomi wakes up. I promise we'll be right back."

I sighed and said, "Be careful. Okay?"

They nodded and walked into the hall.

SATOSHI'S P.O.V.

We walked down the stairs and Kaiba said, "The walk way was just down the stair and to the right. We should check there first."

I nodded and we continued down the stair well.

We finally made it down and...

I muttered out, "It's... not here..."

Kaiba slammed his fist on the wall and said, "Why... Why is there a wall here...?"

I yelled, "There was a whole other building... What the hell is going on?!"

Kaiba yelled, "Mokuba... MOKUBA!"

I screamed out, "Why must you torment us like this?!"

MOKUBA'S P.O.V.

"So Kizami, what are your little siblings like?" Yuka asked with a smile.

Kizami looked up as we walked and said, "My little brother is quite intelligent for his age and kind of keeps me in check. Now, my little sister she is sweet and kind, always trying to brighten up my day, with that cute smile she has."

I smiled and said, "They must really think highly of you."

He nodded and said, "They once told me that they felt safer with me around. "

"So there you two are!"

I looked ahead and saw Bakura and Morishige, all bloody and holding metal rods in one hand and in the other their cellphones.

Bakura smiled and said, "We told you to come here."

We both hid behind Kizami in fear.

Kizami looked at us and asked, "Are they acquaintances of yours?"

Yuka looked up and said, "Please help us..."

I yelled, "They've gone crazy! They were taking pictures of dead bodies..."

Kizami nodded and said, "I see, so that's why you two were running earlier."

Morishige looked at Kizami and asked, "Who the hell are you?"

Bakura laughed and said, "I bet he want's to join Mayu and Serenity inside our cellphones as well!"

I whispered out, "S-Serenity... She's dead..."

Bakura laughed and said, "Splattered against the wall near the infirmary..."

The two laugh insanely and Morishige yells, "That's wonderful! Three more to join them!"

Kizami looked at us and said, "Mokuba. Yuka. You two stay here."

Kizami threw his jacket to the floor and charged toward the two.

What's he doing?! They're going to kill him! They're going to...

Kizami pulled out a large knife from his boot and stabbed it into Morishige's neck causing the blood to spray out like a sprinkler.

Bakura tried to attack him from behind only to have Kizami pull his knife out of Morishige and plant it in between Bakura's eyes.

Morishige still gasped for air as he choked on his own blood, while Bakura just lied there, with blank empty eyes. He was already dead...

Yuka and I shook with fear as even more blood filled the floor, and in the center of it all stood Kizami.

His clothes were covered in a thick layer of blood and a smile stretched across his face.

Kizami smiled and said, "Don't worry, you Big Brother will protect you. After all you're my precious little sister and my sweet little brother."

I stared in horror at what he was saying.

He picked up their phones and said, "I'll do just as you two wished for."

He took pictures of both of them and tossed their phones back.

He looked at us and said, "Mokuba. Yuka. You two can't escape from here..."

I grabbed hold of Yuka's hand firmly and took a step back.

Kizami stepped forward and said, "Everyone will definitely die. That's why..."

He smiled and said, "Until our final moments, we will be siblings."

We gasped and stepped further back.

This guy's insane! I can't believe we trusted him...

Kizami stepped closer and said, "You two don't want to be killed by the ghost here, right? Don't worry. I won't let that happen. I will protect you two from such a fate."

He stepped even closer and said with malice, "And... I will be the one to end it. You two... and those tiny lives of yours that is."

I yelled, "You sicko!"

We ran as fast as we could to get away from that monster, but close behind he followed.

He yelled, "Wait for me! Your big brother is right here, isn't he?!"

In front of us a girl in a red dress called to us, "Onee-chan and Oni-chan, this way."

We ran into the room with the girl and I heard Kizami yell, "Mokuba and Yuka, my cute little sister and sweet little brother, where did you two go?! Be good children and come here!"

He laughed and said, "I'll kill you two, I swear I will! I'll kill you both!"

He continued to laugh only to be stopped by some mysterious means.

We were safe for now, thanks to this mysterious girl.

I looked at her and next to her sat another person...

No...he was just killed... How is he here?!

Yuka looked at him and said, "B-Bakura..."

He shook his head and said, "Close you little brat. I'm Yami Bakura. Now will somebody tell me what the hell is happening?!"

AYUMI'S P.O.V.

"Sure is... cold... right Ayumi?"

I nodded and said, "Yeah. Where the hell did Ms. Yui, Mai, and Kishinuma go, anyway?!"

Tea nodded and said, "I wish I knew. I'm scared, you know."

I nodded and said, "Yeah, so am I. Maybe if we go back to room 2-A, they'll be waiting for us."

Tea nodded and said, "Then let's go."

We down the hall and made our way back down the stairs where at the bottom sat the doll Tea had thrown earlier.

I picked it up and said, "Didn't we leave this in the infirmary?"

Tea nodded and said, "Apparently it likes us, although I can't say the feeling is shared."

It began to weep in it's shrill voice.

Tea yelled, "It's that dammed doll! It's making noises again!"

The doll continued to weep.

Tea shoved it in her purse and said, "As soon as we get the chance I'm shredding that doll."

I nodded and said, "Agreed, but right now, let focus on finding Yoshiki, Mai, and the others."

We walked into room 2-A and saw two figures.

One was Naho and the other was a boy it golden blonde hair and a blue uniform, his eyes were cold and empty, just like Naho's.

I said, "Naho!"

Tea looked at the boy and said, "J-Joey..."

The boy gave a soft smile and said, "It's good to see your alright Tea."

Tea looked at me and said, "Ayumi, this is Joey, one of my friends who I came here with."

I looked back at Naho and yelled, "You're a liar! Liar, LIAR! Those child spirits didn't give a crap about the killer's stupid repentance!"

I fell to my knees and cried, "Give me back Suzumoto! Give me back Serenity!"

Joey eyes widen and the room began shaking. "M-My... little sister... She's gone... No..NO!"

Naho looked at Joey and said, "Calm yourself Joesph! You'll shake this place apart."

He took a deep breath and the room grew still.

"What the hell was that?!"

I looked at the door and saw Yoshiki, Mai, and a strange man with tri-colored hair walk in with their heads bleeding.

Tea yelled, "Yugi!"

The man shook his head and said in a deep voice, "No, but you are close..."

She whispered, "Y-Yami... but how..."

He replied, "I'm not sure how, but I am here."

Yoshiki smirked and said, "I've said it before and I'll say it again: Your voice really travels."

Mai nodded and said, "You guys have any bandages?"

Tea nodded and said, "I have some that do the trick."

Tea yelled, "Where the hell were you two?!"

Mai replied, "We were hit from behind and dragged to a small room where Yami was. The child spirits where there along with some really big dude with holding a hammer."

I asked, "How did you get here, then?"

Yami replied, "Well, after a little while in that room, we lost consciousness again... and when we woke up, we were in the first floor hallway."

Tea smiled and said, "I'm glad you guys are relatively all right."

I cried out, "I don't know how much more of this I can take... I don't want anybody else to die!"

Yami looked at me in shock and said, "People have died..."

Tea nodded and said, "We'll explain more later, but right now let's deal with your injuries."

We quickly bandaged them up and turned our attention back to Naho and Joey. I

said, "I'm sorry Joey... I had no idea she was..."

He raised his hand and said, "No... I needed to be told."

Yami looked at Joey and said, "What happened?"

Tea said with a sob, "Serenity's dead..."

Yami's eyes widen in horror and said, "Oh, no..."

Naho looked at me and said, "I... am not mistaken. If each of those child spirits were to find peace... even if they had to be appeased one by one then these closed spaces, given shape by their bound souls should not be able to remain in existence."

Yoshiki said, "We let them hear the killer's regrets, though and it did nothing to help us! What kind of person are we dealing with here, anyway?!"

Joey looked at us and said, "The man with the hammer, who attacked you three... He was their murderer."

Mai yelled, "Your serious?!"

Naho nodded and said, "It seems he's got a violent streak even in death, as well. He harms the living indiscriminately. So your first order of business... should be to quell his wanton behavior."

Yami yelled, "What's going on?! I woke up it this strange room, people are dead, and now we're talking about putting spirits to rest."

Tea looked at Yami and said, "It's a really long story and will tell it once Naho leaves."

Joey looked at me and said, "You still have that antique doll?"

I nodded and said, "Yeah, we still have it..."

Naho replied, "Good, according to my mentor's research, that a good place to start. It belonged to the killer in life. He was given it by his mother, and reportedly, he relies on it to keep his mind leveled and his heart in balance. I'm certain he must be looking for it."

Mai then asked, "Who's this 'mentor' of yours?"

The room began shaking and she yelled, "My personal affairs are not your concern!"

Joey place a hand on her shoulder and said, "Naho..."

She shook her head and the room settled down. "Sorry about that! You'll need to find that man's body... or his remains, at any rate. They should be in this school building somewhere. And if you find them, and return the doll to their side everything'll be juuuust fine!"

Naho held her head in her hands and groaned in pain.

Yami looked at her and said, "What's wrong with her?"

She whispered, "Your friends' deaths was your own fault."

She vanished in a cloud in of black smoke, taking Joey with her.

Tea yelled, "Where are you taking Joey?! Come back!"

Mai looked at me and said, "What the hell was that all about? Can we really believe a word she just said, especially since she just took Joey?!"

A note flickered on to the floor and Yami picked it up. He read it aloud;

She didn't take me, I went with her willingly. There's a lot you don't know, but you'll soon come to find out.

You can trust Naho, guys. She's may be a little dark and merciless when it comes to her opinion, but she honestly wants to help us.

Please explain everything to Yami, he's been knocked out for the majority of this and needs to know about Heavenly Host and the spirits of the children.

Then afterwards, go to where Serenity and Mayu died... And take their ID's.

I can't stand knowing my sister is re-living her death over and over. It's makes me hurt just thinking about it.

Once you've appeased the spirits, go to room 1-A, it will remained locked till you do.

I'll be waiting for you my friends and then I'll explain why I'm not with you.

Joey Wheeler

"What the heck? He just left moment ago. How could he have written this?!" Yami yelled.

Tea sighed and said, "Let's start that explanation now shall we?"

YAMI'S P.O.V.

"Dear God... What kind of hell is this?!" I asked with a terrified look on my face as they finished the tale of what had occurred at this cursed school.

Tea shook her head and said, "I'm not sure, but we need put these spirits to rest, find the others, and get the hell out of here."

I looked where Naho had stood and said, "So she's a spirit of a girl who died here. This place must be powerful to keep so many souls here."

Mai nodded and said, "You haven't even seen the bodies yet... It's horrible..."

Yoshiki sighed and said, "And the children spirits are just as bad."

Ayumi nodded and said, "I'm not quite sure, how this dammed doll is suppose to help us though..."

Tea looked at the doll and said, "Hey Ayumi, do you remember how it was weeping when we walked on the first floor?"

Ayumi sat up and said, "That's right. It just started crying out of the blue."

Yoshiki said, "Seriously...? Let me tell you, I sure didn't miss having that thing around."

Mai looked at him and said, "Well, neither do I, but we might be able to use it like a tracking device. It could lead us right to the murderer's body!"

Tea nodded and said, "...Either way... Let's just keep moving, okay?"

We all nodded and made our way out of the room.

As soon as we walked into the hall I couldn't believe my eyes.

There was a decaying body lying in the floor, one of it's eyes tore out and blood oozing from it's mouth.

It was so disgusting I... I turned around and vomited on the floor.

Tea looked at me and said, "Yeah... It get's worse as you see more..."

I whispered out, "Th-There's more..."

This place is evil...

I though the shadow realm was bad, but this place...

This place is just pure evil!

We continued to walked through the halls seeing bodies as we went by.

Then I heard a small high pitched voice weeping.

Ayumi pulled out the doll and said, "Here it goes..."

The weeping seemed to emanate from the doll.

Then it spoke, "So..rr..y... Sorry..."

I yelled, "It really does speak!"

I stepped back and felt through a part of the wall.

Tea looked at me and asked, "Yami are you alright?!"

I nodded and said, "Yeah, I'll be okay."

On the ground next to me sat a burlap bag covered in blood and had a name tag on it.

The doll continued to speak saying, "Killing... the children... like that... I wasn't... in my... right mind... I didn't want... anyone... to die... I was... scared, too...re..turn.. it... re...turn... it..."

I hissed out, "That thing is horrible..."

Tea nodded and said, "Hey Yami, let me see what you found."

I held up the burlap sack and Tea said, "Ryou Yoshizawa. If I recall correctly, there was a name just like this among the victims."

Mai nodded and said, "That's the boy who chased us!"

"Give it... back..." A boy's voice said.

I turned and saw a spirit of a young boy standing down the hall.

He repeated, "Give it back..."

I said, "Give back what?"

He cried, "Give it back... Give it back..!"

Yoshiki asked, "What is he talking about?"

Ayumi replied, "I don't know."

Tea stepped up and said, " You're Ryou Yoshizawa, aren't you?"

Ryou cried, "Give back... my..."

Mai asked, "What does he mean by, 'Give it back'?"

He cried even louder, "...My...GIVE IT BACK!"

He charged at us, knocking us all down, but he climbed on top of me and tried to strangle me.

He yelled and he held tighter, "GIVE IT BACK!"

The bag's contents had landed in the floor next to me.

I extended my arm and tried to picked it up.

It was getting harder to breath as I reached out.

He screamed out, "GIVE IT BAAACK!"

Then finally I grabbed it and showed it to Ryou.

He let go of my neck and his eyes seems kinder.

I gasped and coughed for air as he looked at what I held.

He whispered with a smile, "My tongue...Thank you..."

The boy glowed in a white light and he and his tongue faded away, in a cloud of light.

Tea looked over at me and said, "Are you alright?"

I nodded and said, "Yeah... But I think I know how to put these spirits to rest."

Ayumi looked at me and said, "Their tongues were cut out, they want them back..."

I nodded and said, "That doll starts crying when we're near one, we just find them all and returned them to their owners."

KAIBA'S P.O.V.

The floor began shaking once again in a earthquake.

I yelled, "Dammit... ANOTHER earthquake?! You've gotta be fucking kidding me!"

The room finally stopped shaking and Satoshi looked at me and said, "We won't get anywhere by wallowing in self-pity here. We'll find and protect them, this I swear."

I nodded and said, "First things first, though. We need to go check on Naomi and Yugi."

Satoshi nodded and said, "Let's get moving."

We turned around and saw the girl in the red dress waiting for us.

I yelled, "God dammit! Not you again! Come on Satoshi, let's get out of here before she comes back."

He nodded and we ran up the stairs to the hallway where the infirmary is.

When we got to the door, it was locked.

"This door was unlocked when we left..." I said with shock.

Satoshi tried opening it and said, "It feels like someone on the other side is pushing against it, to keep us from getting in."

I banged on the door and yelled, "Yugi? Naomi? Are you there?! If that's you, open the door, please!"

There was no answer, just silence.

Satoshi looked at me and said, "Where could they be?"

I heard a clank on the ground next to me.

I looked down and saw a bright green cell phone.

I picked it up and said, "Who's phone is this?"

Satoshi took one look at it and said, "Seiko's..."

I opened it up and there was a message on the screen.

I read the message inadvertently.

I sighed and said, "Now we defiantly have to find those two... They need to read this."

"Read what?"

I turned around to see Yugi and Naomi standing right behind us.

Naomi looked at us and said, "You guys... Please, don't leave us alone in here like that!"

I sighed and said, "Sorry, we're just worried about Yuka and Mokuba."

Yugi looked at us and said, "No luck."

Satoshi nodded and said, "The corridor that leads to where we saw them last went back to being a wall. We can't find any way of getting to the other building anymore."

Yugi and Naomi looked at us and Yugi said, "Other building...? There's a whole other building?"

I nodded and said, "Yeah.."

Satoshi looked around and said, "It looks like the school Yuka, Mokuba, Morishige, Bakura, Kaiba, and I were in is different from this one. We need to find some way of traveling from one space to another."

Yugi nodded and said, "That would be ideal, yeah."

I looked at the two and said, "Wait a minute... Why are you two standing out here, instead of waiting inside the infirmary?"

Yugi replied, "Remember that mist thing? Well when Naomi came to, she got scared it might come back for us and she wanted to leave as soon as possible. So we left and went looking for you two."

Naomi held up a key and said, "But we did find this. I think it goes to the custodian's closet."

Satoshi looked at the key and said, "Well then, let's go there next."

We walked down the hall and found the red door of the custodian's closet.

The key easily slipped into the lock and the door opened with a creak.

Inside there was a television set, large cabinets, and the dusty lights that flickered with each step we took.

Finally the lights went out for a moment.

"Who turned out the lights...?"I asked.

Naomi the said, "What the...? What's going on? Why is it... so cold?"

Satoshi then said, "Ugh, something... really smells... and it's pitch black in here. Can any of you find a light switch anywhere?"

I placed my hands along a wall and said, "I'll give it a shot."

I ran my hands across the wall until I felt the switch and turned the lights back on.

Satoshi nodded and said, "Thanks..."

I nodded and said, "Man, it does stink in here. And it's... not just mold, is it..."

Yugi nodded and said, "Probably not..."

I looked back at the TV and saw a tape player on top.

I looked at it and saw that the batteries were dead.

Satoshi looked at the player and asked, "What is something this recent doing in a place this old?"

Yugi sighed and said, "Maybe it belonged to someone who was brought here like us."

Naomi nodded and said, "Yeah, that does make sense."

I sighed and said, "Unfortunately, there's no cord here to hook it up to the TV, and it's out of batteries... so it doesn't look like we'll be able to get much use out of it."

YOSHIKI'S P.O.V.

"Was that the last one?" Yami asked while we rested from putting the spirit to rest.

I shook my head and said, "There's one more... The girl in the red dress..."

Tea yelled, "-NO! NO MORE! Every time we talk to these ghosts, I feel like I'm getting closer and closer to death myself! Do you have any idea what that's like?! I keep picturing how I'll look when I'm dead... and I'm not even trying! It just pops into my head all on its own! And it's such a horrible image! I want to go home... I just want to go home! Back to my mom and dad..."

Ayumi nodded and said, "We feel everything they do...their pain... their suffering... their hate... all at once it hurts so much, it's a death in its' self!"

Yami hugged Tea and said, "It will be alright. We will get out of here, and you will see them again. I promise."

I stood up and said, "All right. Next one is mine, then, okay? Just try to pull yourselves togeth-"

The earth began to shake once more, this time the most violent than any time before.

Mai yelled, "God dammit, not again!" This time the floor boards beneath us collapsed in and my world went dark.

How many times is this place going to do this to me?!

TEA'S P.O.V.

I don't know why, but this place seems to think I need to be knocked out every hour or so.

I slowly opened my eyes and said, "So where are we know?"

I looked around and saw that we were in the old room in the back of the game shop.

In the center of the floor was a huge gaping hole.

I said, "We're... back...No foolin'..."

I saw Mai and Yami lying on the sides of the pit.

I woke up Yami first and he said, "T-Tea...Where are we?"

I smiled and said, "We're back! Back in the real world!"

"Thank God for that!"

I looked at saw Mai sitting up, with a huge smile stretched across her face.

"I hear them!" A voice said from the other room.

Four people ran into the room and stared at us. It was Grandpa Motou, Ishizu, Marik, and Duke, and they gawked at us with happiness.

Duke yelled, "You guys are alright! We though you guys we gone!"

I sighed and said, "You don't know the half of it..."

Yami nodded and said, "We're just glad to be back from..."

I screamed in horror.

The group turned and looked at me and Ishizu asked, "What's wrong Tea?!"

I pointed toward the crevasse and the portal at it's edge.

I whispered out, "It's...not over, is it...Why isn't it over? Why?!"

Mai nodded and said, "Why the hell did it have to follow us?!"

Marik looked at Mai and asked, "What followed you?!"

A figure walked out of the portal, it was the spirit of the girl we put to rest with the missing eye, Yuki Kanno.

Duke yelled, "It's a ghost! A freaking' ghost!"

Yami yelled out, "It's... you!"

She stepped closer and I yelled, "Go back! Don't come any closer!"

Yuki looked up and said, "It was a rainy evening after school, just like this one... on the day I was kidnapped... I remember I had a fight with my mom that morning."

Grandpa looked at her and said, "Wh-Why is she telling us this?"

Ishizu shook her head and said, "I-I have no idea!"

She continued, "I didn't want to see her face so after school, I decided that instead of going home. I'd park myself in the outdoor walkway for a little, and watch the rain. That's when Mr. Yoshikazu showed up. He sat down next to me. I told him all about my fight with my mom, and he listened really closely, and just kept saying, 'uh-huh, uh-huh'. He was sick and couldn't speak much, you see... but he was a very kind man. I really liked him. But then..."

She began crying and she said, "You three and the other two are nice people. I'm so sorry..."

She started crying more. I looked at her and said, "...Yuki Kanno... right?"

Duke looked at me and said, "You guys know the ghost girl?!"

Mai nodded and said, "It's a long story and honestly not that pleasant..."

Yuki smiled at us and said, "Thank you... for what you did back there. For making the effort... to help those of us... who were killed in that school."

Marik said, "School? You guys were at a school, where people were killed at?!"

Yami said, "It's much more complicated than that. We were in a different plane of existence, based around a nexus created through vengeful spirits."

Mai nodded and looked at Yuki. "Didn't we succeed, though? So why are you still here?!"

She sighed and said, "No... you didn't."

I replied, "But, we returned your tongues! We gave you back your ability to speak out! And we even got your murderer to repent for what he did! Is it just... that you can't forgive him, no matter what?"

Duke yelled out, "What the hell happened in that freaking' hole or nexus or what ever the hell it is?!"

Mai looked at him and said, "Just call it, Heavenly Host Elementary School and a lot of fucked up shit happened down there, involving death, ghost kids, serial killers, and a lot of blood."

Yuki looked at me and said, "Appeasing us isn't about forgiveness. It doesn't matter if we forgive or not. Repentance is between the criminal and the victim. It's the sole act capable of moving us. And we exist as fragments of the sacred ground upon which Heavenly Host is sealed. I believe that moving us... is your best course of action. But... it's not enough. His repentance... just wasn't enough."

Yami yelled, "So your saying that damned doll's words... his words... weren't good enough to appease you?"

Mai yelled, "So... what, then? Why do you feel the need to trap one innocent stranger after another in that god forsaken place?! You child spirits are the ones who summoned us there, aren't you?"

She shook her head and said, "That... is not true. We're just the cogs that hold the closed spaces together."

Mai yelled, "But you... you killed Mayu and Serenity, didn't you?!"

The four new comers eyes widen.

Duke mumbled out, "Ser-Serenity...she's dead... No it can't be..."

Mai looked at him and said, "How I wish it wasn't..."

Marik shook his head and said, "Dear God, Joey must be a mess right now..."

Yami nodded and said, "We only saw him once in that place and he didn't look to begin with..."

Yuki looked down and said, "The darkness had control of my actions. It didn't matter how hard I struggled... I couldn't stop myself. I feel horrible for all the deaths I've caused... I just... I just want to see my mommy..."

She began weeping again.

I looked at her and said, "Yuki..."

She sat up and dried her eyes (or where her eye would be..) and said, "I'm just glad I was able to get even the five of you back to safety..."

I smiled and said, "That means Ayumi and Yoshiki are alright too!"

Ishizu looked at me and asked, "Who?"

I replied, "They were teens trapped down there as well. They were looking for the other people in their group. Um.. Seiko Shinohara, Satoshi Mochida and his little sister Yuka, and Naomi Nakashima..."

Grandpa gasped and said, "Naomi there too! Her mother has been worried sick!"

I looked at him and said, "You know her?"

He nodded and said, "Naomi is my granddaughter and Yugi's cousin. She and her mother live in Tokyo and she went missing about 5 hours ago... along with you guys..."

Yami looked at Yuki and said, "Why are you suddenly so concerned about us?!"

I looked at them and, "I was reading about this once. A lost soul whose life was ended violently and abruptly, leaving her with a mountain of worries and regrets. It's kind of like stopping short at the edge of madness, with all sorts of thoughts and feeling swirling around in your head. You kindly nature and your sudden hatred and panic begin to spin around and around, and you just start acting out without any sort of control."

Yuki nodded and said, "Please forgive me for what I have done. I am truly sorry. I never wanted to hurt people...never..."

I walked closer and said, "It's alright, you had no control."

Mai looked at her and said, "So what you're saying is, this little girl and the creepy little girl we met before are two sides of the same coin?"

I nodded and said to Yuki, "I feel for you. I really do. So please... please! Bring the rest of them back! Yugi, Joey, and all of Ayumi friends... Please bring them all back home."

Yuki looked down and said, "I don't...think that's possible anymore."

Yami yelled, "And why not?!"

Yuki looked at us and said, "Those closed spaces... have eaten a lot of innocent souls. Far too many, in fact. The grudges of those who died there have filled every last corner of them. There's no room left. And because the agony and pain has nowhere else to go, it's begun feeding on the minds of souls like us who are bound there. It won't be long... before I turn back into a vengeful spirit who attacks people like you without mercy."

I frowned and said, "So... we're going to lose you as an ally, then? So why don't you just hurry up and bring them home right now?! Isn't there any way for us to save Yugi and the others?!"

Yuki looked at us and said, "There may be one way..."

Yami asked, "Wh-What is it?"

She replied, "I think you already know. You who bear the charm have to return to the closed spaces, find all four of us Heavenly Host serial kidnapping and murder victims, and put us all to rest. Then, the closed spaces won't have their cogs anymore, so they'll begin to fall apart and you just might get your friends back..."

Then Mai said, "You expect us... to go back?! And this time, instead of just having one person left to appease, we have to go back to the drawing board and appease all four of you?!"

I looked at her and said, "Why... couldn't you tell us the reason our previous efforts weren't good enough? What is there to hide?"

Yuki replied, "It's just... something I don't want to remember. But... if you really want to know... I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything that happened."

Yuki stepped toward me and gently grabbed my hand.

She began to fade into me.

I yelled, "Ahh! Wh-What's... going... ahhhh!"

Everyone yelled out, "TEA!"

I yelled out in writhing agony, "It hurts... It hurts! Aaaaaaahhhhhh!"

I felt my self fall into a darkness, but I was completely awake.

What going on? I passed out, so why am I fully aware right now?

I can't see a thing... and I can't move...

I was now able to see at I was in a room with three children tied up next to me with blindfolds on.

My hands and feet were tied as well.

The children cried out in fear, not knowing what was happening.

I said, "What the hell is going on?!"

NAOMI'S P.O.V.

On the floor of the janitor's closet laid a large note.

Yugi picked it up and read it aloud;

Sachiko Shinozaki. The little girl in the red dress, and the only survivor of the horrific murders that occurred in Heavenly Host Elementary School.

Following the incident, Sachiko's family fled from the area, moving to another prefecture to escape the frightful memories that remained here.

Strangely, however, I've been unable to locate any other records of the Shinozaki family.

No matter where I look, the only information I can find about them comes from the newspaper reports on the Heavenly Host murders.

Granted, when an elementary school becomes the stage for a grisly incident such as this, perpetrated by none other than the principal's own son, it stands to reason that the scandal would serve as the primary focus for the public interest, with all the other details fading into the background.

So of course, after learning that Sachiko was safe, further news of her whereabouts was largely ignored in favor of the media circus surrounding the school.

But there's more to it than that. People weren't just uninterested in learning of Sachiko's history or whereabouts... there was simply no data to be had.

The four missing children were found in a basement room at Heavenly Host Elementary School, unused and officially sealed since the building's construction.

When authorities entered, they were greeted with an inhumanly horrific sight.

Based upon the evidence at hand, the murder weapon was determined to be a pair of large sewing scissors found in the hands of the accused.

Investigators suspected some hesitation on the the man's part, however, as the deceased victims' wounds did not indicate that his full strength had been used.

Nonetheless, he had clearly acted with extreme malicious intent.

The official cause of death for the three murdered children has been listed as 'loss of blood following removal of the tongue.'

But the actual state of the affairs was not quite so clinical, nor even so 'pleasant' (If you can believe it.)

The following details have been extrapolated from information previously unreleased to the public- or at least, previously unreported by news outlets.

These details of the crime are based on the official police testimony of Sachiko Shinozaki herself.

Evidently, the victims were bound, blindfolded and spaced out on the floor then killed, one by one.

One was repeatedly stabbed in the abdomen with the scissors, then had many of his internal organs forcefully dug out.

Another was stabbed in the head dozens upon dozens of times, to such an extent that all flesh and bone above her jawline was minced away.

The third victims left eye was yanked out and she was stabbed in the empty socket a indeterminate number of times. She bled to death in horrible agony.

Strangely, it was only after these mutilations had already been inflicted that the killer went back and severed the victims' tongues.

Learning the truth about these proceedings is shocking even to me, and makes it nearly impossible to accept the murderer as anything but a monster.

And bearing witness to every moment of this was a 7-year-old girl named Sachiko. In many ways, she the most pitiable and long-suffering of them all.

But it easily through her tearful, frightened testimony that Yoshikazu Yanagihori was officially charged.

Now, going back to the hunt for information on this unfortunate girl's whereabouts, it was her words that ultimately led to Yoshikazu's sentencing.

Therefore, it comes as no real surprise that sensitive information pertaining to her and her family would be withheld. That's to be expected.

What's not expected, however, is that there's not even the slightest trace of this information left to find. It's as if it simply never existed.

Therefore, I cannot help but consider alternate possible explanations... and I remind you, this is mere conjecture but one question keeps nagging at the back of my mind: Was Yoshikazu Yanagihori really the murderer of the three victims?

Is it possible this crime was not actually perpetrated by him at all?

Think about it. In his final days, Yoshikazu was incapable of communicating with others through speech and despite his childlike reversions, he'd always been a personable and friendly man. As the saying goes, he wouldn't have hurt a fly.

All his relatives, friends, and neighbors confirmed as much, shocked to hear that such a kindly man could commit these unconscionable atrocities.

He certainty had no motive for the crime, either. There was nothing for him to gain from it.

Then again, he may simply have lost his mind. Look at his father...

It was around this same time that Principal Takamine Yanagihori suddenly began speaking in tongues and acting in a most peculiar way not to mention scribbling incomprehensible gibberish all over his walls, as if possessed.

He seemed frightened of someone and would often be found crouching in the corner of hid office, moaning and thrashing, when visitors came by.

If he could wind up in such a beleaguered state with no warning, then perhaps so too could his son..

I believe that we're looking at a curse far more powerful than anything man could devise.

From the time it opened its doors to the day it closed them forever...Heavenly Host Elementary School's sealed basement room has existed as some form of cursed ground.

And to find the underlying cause, we must go back beyond the infamous kidnapping and murder incident.

Back a whole twenty years.

I believe I may have found a clue that could shed some light on the situation. It may be a bit far-fetched, as leads go, but it's a lead nonetheless.

Regrettably, since Heavenly Host was not only closed down but demolished altogether, and another school built in its place, it's no longer possible to investigate the basement room directly.

But my protege has found what may be the next best thing.

Something that could make the impossible possible once more. Preparations are being made to pursue this lead even now.

Be sure not to miss the next installment. It may be the scoop of a lifetime...

-Kou Kibiki (2003-7-22)

Yugi looked up and said, "The girl in the red dress... she's the spirit of Sachiko..."

I looked at him and said, "The charm we did was called Sachiko Ever After and now..."

Kaiba nodded and said, "We're stuck here with her..."

Satoshi nodded and said, "But the question is... Why is she here if she survived and if that man didn't kill those kids...Who did?"

TEA'S P.O.V.

I looked around and saw the three children.

One boy and two girls, besides my self.

I recognized them...

They're the ghost children! But they're still alive!

I looked up and saw a large man, holding a blindfold.

The boy cried, "Somebody, please, save me!"

The man knelt down to me and tied the blindfold on me.

I yelled, "No... stop... NO! PLEASE, NO!"

I can't see! What is he doing to them?! To me?! This blindfold just made everything so much worse.

I began to listen to what was happening.

The children sobbed in fear as the large footsteps made their way to the end of the row.

He mumbled out, "In... or...der...o...kay...?"

'In order? What does that mean?

Then I heard the snipping sound of scissors and the boy began to scream.

He screamed louder and louder and I hear the snipping of the scissors.

I've never heard screaming like this before. It's pure, primal terror, cutting through the air like a perfect sine wave.

It was the boy at the end...Then he went silent, but the noised of him being stabbed continued.

My God, what the hell is he doing to him?! No one deserves this!

Then the footsteps moved closer and the man began to take the scissors to the girl next to me.

She screamed in agony as the man did his foul deed.

Why isn't God allowing her to fall unconscious so she doesn't have to suffer?! The screams from her didn't last long but the man continued to stab and stab and stab...

Is it still going on? Come on and die already...

'Die already'? God, what is wrong with me..?

The noises stopped and I heard the footsteps coming towards me.

Oh God... It's my turn...

"Ahhh!"

Someone's is pulling me by my hair.

They're pulling my head up and they tore off my blindfold!

Which means... I get to see the face of my killer...

But what I saw was more horrible than I could imagine...

Instead of the man standing in front of me aiming his weapon at me...

It was one of the children! It was a little girl, her face dyed red with the blood of her victims and a large smile across her face.

She started giggling and held up the bloodied scissors snipping them back and forth.

The man was cowering in the corner...like he was afraid of her...

She finally closed the blades and held them up high and stabbed them into my left eye.

"AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!"

She said with a laugh, "Will it come out?"

She yanked on the scissors pulling out my eye with it.

I felt every bit of pain roll through my body.

Make it stop!

She pulled off my eyeball and began stabling me in the empty socket with the scissors over and over again.

She laughed and said, "It'd be all over if you'd just die already, you know...Mmm, now open up and say, 'AAAH'..."

I begged her, "No... Noooo... Please, NOOOOOO!"

She reached into my mouth and began cutting out my tongue while singing, "Oh Mom-my...?"

I felt the blood choking me until, finally the pain was too much and I blacked out.