Chapter 3:
When Yugi had come to that day after all was said and done he didn't remember anything past growing enraged at seeing Jirou strike his sister.
What he awoke to was instead a sister who was looking at him with a scared look before she seemed to realize who she was looking at and throwing herself at him crying. He was confused but he comforted her…
However… That was not the end.
He kept experiencing black outs only to wake up not remembering anything he had done at all. Sometimes he was a little bruised up, sometimes he wasn't.
But the end result was almost always the same…
Someone went utterly insane each and every time. Describing horrors and monsters, talks of evil spiky haired children with blood red eyes.
Yugi had to listen to these rumors. Whispers in the halls as he passed. His friends were the only ones now who seemed to not believe the rumors.
It just was getting worse. Especially as Natsuki was convinced something was sinister inside the puzzle...
"Brother…. You need to take that puzzle off…" Natsuki pleaded with him one day as they got ready for school. "Things haven't been the same since you put it on…"
"Nat for the last time it's not cursed." He sighed slipping his uniform jacket on. "It's not cursed and I'm not leaving without it."
She shook her head sighing. "Fine… Meet you at the gate?"
"Meet you at the gate."
ooooooooooooo
However when Natsuki arrived at the gate, she could hear something was off.
"It happened again!" A student screamed.
"He got Eiji!"
Natsuki frowned hearing a boy screaming about dice monsters, she shuddered when she noticed her brother approaching. He looked tired and confused… But he seemed to be himself.
Yeah right, probably Dark Yugi in there screwing around with him… That thing inside my brother isn't him.
He looked relieved when he saw her and broke into a jog. "Nat!"
She tried to put on a smile giving a nod. "Hey brother."
Yugi looked back his sister following his gaze as they noticed the looks. Yugi cringed and grabbed her hand pulling her away. "L-let's go."
They walked in silence, Natsuki looking at the puzzle around his neck every few seconds with a worried look in her eyes.
Yugi looked to her raising an eyebrow. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
"... Why do you keep doing this?" She asked instead of answering the question. Yugi's eyes widened a bit as he frowned.
"What do you mean?"
She came to a stop looking at him crossing her arms. "... Why do you keep hurting people?" She asked feeling a pang of guilt at the horrified look in Yugi's eyes.
"Natsuki… Not you too… Please…" He reached for her arm flinching as she pulled it away. "Nat I'm not the one doing these things!"
"Don't be a liar!" Natsuki snapped growling a little. "That is a big lie and you know it!"
"I'M NOT LYING!" He screamed tears coming to his eyes, heartbroken that his sister of all people would turn on him now too.
"THEN WHY DON'T YOU LEAVE THAT HORRIBLE THING AT HOME?!" She shouted.
"You think the PUZZLE is responsible for this!? Nat, I told you once, I told you twice… I told you a hundred times-" Yugi's eyes narrowed before his look faltered. "Natsuki please…."
Natsuki shook her head tears in her own eyes. "Are you gonna do this to me too?"
"W-what!?"
"Are you gonna hurt me too?" She demanded sniffling. "Tell me!"
Yugi backed up shaking his head as a sob escaped him. "I wouldn't… I wouldn't…!"
"I wish I could believe that… I've seen how you get… Remember Burger World?"
I don't but she wouldn't believe me if I said I blacked out! "Natsuki…. Please stop it… STOP IT!" He pleaded gripping his head sobbing harder now, Natsuki was crying herself.
"STOP BEING THE KING OF DARK GAMES THEN!" She shrieked back.
He shook his head and took off in the opposite direction away from her.
Natsuki shook her head and ran towards home.
Yugi looked at himself in a window. He didn't remember any of the events that were causing people to go insane. He remembered something bad starting to happen to his friends or to himself and then nothing… He'd wake up all alone hearing the screaming outside.
And the way his sister was looking at him… The way she was talking to him now. That hurt. That hurt worse then anything he had felt so far.
"Are you gonna hurt me too?"
No… NO. I DON'T WANNA HURT HER!
Yugi broke away from the mirror taking off again. "I can't stay here… I can't stay here!" He sobbed falling to his knees once he reached an alleyway.
I'm… I'm a monster….
Unbeknownst to him there was someone watching him… Their shadow stretching across the alley wall.
Yugi didn't really take note, he just buried his face in his hands, crying out a bit.
"Why…?" he kept asking over and over again. "I didn't want to ever hurt anyone… Why is this happening? What did I do wrong?"
"You did nothing wrong." A new voice said the shadow moving around the boy, coming off of the wall as it approached him.
"H-Huh…?" Yugi looked up, jumping a bit at the sight of seeing his shadow approach him.
The shadow shifted form… As a boy who looked very much like Yugi appeared before him, he looked older and he had red eyes versus the violet the boy was known for. "It wasn't you who did anything." He repeated locking eyes with him.
Yugi stared at the copy of him, awestruck.
"... I… I didn't…?"
The copy shook his head kneeling before him. "It wasn't you…" There was a look of guilt. "... I was the one doing it… I was just… Trying to protect you."
"W-Who are… are you…?"
At this, the apparition gave a shrug. "I don't know… I don't have any memories of my own. All I remember was waking up the night you put that-" He nodded to the Millennium Puzzle. "Together.. You and your younger sister..."
"I see…" Yugi was still a little scared as he looked the copy over. "You… You wouldn't hurt her… right?"
"I wouldn't want to hurt either one of you. I promise you that." The copy replied feeling a pang of guilt. "I never meant for things to turn out the way it has… I just can't take it when I see someone trying to harm you or your friends… They needed to be punished…"
"Yami no Game." Yugi nearly whispered… remembering small bits.
He nodded. "Yes… The games that show a person's true nature… All of them failed because they were impure… Dark… Jirou… Eiji… All of them… Dark." The copy's eyes narrowed. "Attempted murder, mistreatment… Assault… I couldn't let them keep going on like that."
"Justice… that's all you ask for… in the sake of protecting others…"
The copy nodded again.
"That's exactly it… The form just happened to be something I enjoyed doing… I like games… So games it was…"
"I see…" Yugi looked at him again in the eyes. "And considering what I have heard… you win… you're the King of Games."
He couldn't help the small smirk that came across his features as he shrugged. "I suppose you could call me that. I've never lost and I never intend to."
"Amazing…"
"Normally I'd take it as a compliment but…" He frowned. "It hasn't been affecting you well in the slightest… Trade in one problem for another… And I can't very well play with EVERYONE at your school… Then it would really turn bad…" The copy lowered his head. "I'm sorry…"
Yugi placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You said it yourself… you were just trying to protect me…" A tear streaked Yugi's face. "I'm… I'm just glad to know that… that I haven't lost it…"
The copy brought the boy into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Shh…. You're still you… You just had to sleep during those times…"
Yugi hugged the copy tightly, burying his face into his shoulder, sobbing a little.
The copy rocked him gently in his arms, stroking his hair. "Shh… Shhh…. It'll be okay Yugi… Just let it out…"
Yugi cried out a bit before relaxing a little, staying close.
"I'm… I'm sorry…"
The copy shook his head stroking his back. "Now why are you sorry?"
"For being weak…" Yugi had his eyes shut tightly.
The copy frowned bringing him closer, resting his head against the teen's. "You're not weak Yugi… Never… Ever… Call yourself that… Not everyone is strong in the same way… You… You're stronger then a lot of people give you credit for."
Yugi sniffled a bit, looking up at him, not really having anything to say in response.
He himself kept quiet just humming softly trying to help him calm down.
Poor kid… He's had a rough time….
Yugi slowly calmed down, curled up to the copy, resting a bit.
The copy leaned against the wall, keeping him in his arms. "All is well Little One… All is well…"
Yugi nodded. "Thank you…"
"Anytime… Feel a little better?"
"Yes…"
"Good…" He ruffled his hair a little.
Yugi laughed a little. "I feel a lot better… Thank you… Yami."
He grinned. "Yami eh?"
"Well… considering your favorite game…" Yugi smiled a little.
The copy… Yami chuckled. "I like that… Yami it is."
Yugi nodded. "Need something to call ya."
"And I like having a real name to go by." Yami hugged him quickly. "Thank you…" He's a good kid… I'll keep watching over him...
"You're welcome."
He nodded before glancing up at the sky noting it was starting to get close to sundown. "It's getting late… We better get you home Yugi… Your family'll get worried."
Yugi lowered his gaze a bit. "No… Not really…"
"Yugi…" Yami tilted his head up. "You can't hide from these things… They still love you…"
"Natsuki doesn't trust me…"
"She doesn't trust ME…. She was scared… Let's prove to her that you're still you… Alright?"
Yugi hesitated before he nodded. "Right… Thanks Yami."
"Anytime… Let's go."
oooooooooo
It was sunset by the time Yugi reached the gameshop, heading in through the back. "I'm home!" He called.
He looked around, it was quiet… Very quiet.
"Grandpa had gone to take care of somethin'..." A quiet voice said as Yugi looked to the staircase seeing Natsuki looking down. She still had tears running down her face. "Yugi… C-Can we talk?"
He frowned giving a nod as she hurried down the stairs. "Listen Natsuki-"
"I'm sorry!" She threw her arms around him, sobbing a little. "I'm sorry… That was horrible of me... I'm really sorry brother…"
Yugi brought his arms around her, bringing her close. "Hey… It's okay… You were scared… I understand…"
"I hurt you… That wasn't fair…"
"Shhh… I forgive you… I could never stay mad at you… You're my sister…"
Natsuki whimpered, burying her face in his uniform, sniffling a bit. "Still…"
Yugi stroked her back, humming softly as she gradually relaxed in his arms. "There we go…"
She was quiet looking up at him. He smiled softly wiping away her tears.
"Are we cool?" She asked quietly.
"We're good Nat… I love you."
"Love you too…"
Yugi hugged her tightly as she cuddled up to him. "My brother…" Natsuki whispered, keeping close. Yugi sat down, cradling her a bit in his arms.
"And my little sister." He kissed her head. "Don't hold a grudge against yourself, okay? Things happen…"
"Okay…" She calmed down, cuddled up to him as he leaned his head back against the wall, the exhaustion starting to catch up to them both.
I'll talk to her about all this spirit stuff later… I think we both need a rest…
It wasn't long before they were both out. Yami unseen to them chuckled as he watched over them.
"Like brother like sister…"