A/N: Hello again. If any of you remember the scene where Yami Bakura read out Pegasus' past, present and future with Duel Monster cards, we have a very similar scene with Raven. Yugi and Yami know something's wrong but can any of you guys guess what's wrong with Raven? Feel free to leave suggestions in your reviews but I'm not going to answer until later on in the story. As for what happened to Seto and Mokuba, I'll try to tell you in the next chapter.
Chapter 3
Yugi sighed as he made his way home with his friends. He had hardly been able to concrete as he could feel Raven's eyes burning from behind. He kept telling himself he was imaging things as when he turned, Raven was writing in her book or giving creepily innocent looks to other people who shrank back into their seats. Even the teacher seemed a bit frightened of her, asking her questions quickly and using as few words as possible to correct her mistakes. Raven seemed to want to frighten the teacher and class further as when the teacher did correct her, she'd brush her hair away from her eyes, smile a creepy smile that could chill the blood of a lion and she'd say 'Of course. Thank you teacher. Heeheehee.' It wasn't what she said which frightened Yugi. It was her high-pitched giggle that did. It was the kind of giggle that ghost children in horror movies do, the one that makes you dread who or what did it.
Oh well. Yugi thought I'm sure she's not a bad person. Just a little odd.
'Hey, Yugi?'
'Hmm?'
'We were thinking about to the arcade this weekend.' Tea suggested 'Would you like to come?' Yugi smiled. His friends knew he loved playing games so the arcade was great to tempt him to go. 'I'll ask Grandpa and if he says yes, I'll come.'
'And I think we should go to Yug's place and play Duel Monsters.' Joey interpreted 'I think I might just have the winning deck and who better to test it on than the King of Games?'
'So we going to celebrate you failing you test for the thousandth?' Tea deadpanned 'Yahoo.' Joey gave her a poisonous look that caused Yugi, Tea and Tristan to laugh.
'Never mind, Joey.' Yugi reassured 'You'll do better next time.'
'Yeah, if he actually revises.' Tristan put in, earning an incredulous look for Joey. Yugi and Tea did everything to sniffle their giggling.
'For the last time, I did revise-'
'My, my. Yugi Moto. Heeheehee.' The group turn to see Raven stroking her chin with her left hand and twirling the loose bangs of her hair with the index finger of her right hand.
'It's psycho girl!' Joey shouted. Raven giggled and shook the finger she was twirling her hair with.
'Being mean to new girls. Tut, tut. Serenity wouldn't approve.' Joey shook a fist at Raven.
'Leave my sister out of this- Wait. How do you know about Serenity?' Joey had voiced what was on everyone's minds. How does Raven know about Serenity?
'Simple. I had to make sure I-you know- "checked out" all of my classmates to make sure I had the upper hand against them. You know, for like blackmail.' Raven answered. Joey's mouth dropped open.
'You stalked me?!'
'More or less.' There were a few moments of silence as the words sank in and the gang gave each other rather freaked out looks. The silence was broken by Raven. 'Heeheehee. Just kidding. You mentioned her, I heard you. Simple as that. Now you know I'm not a stalker, may I ask Yugi what I was going to ask?' Joey gave Raven a suspicious look but looked at Yugi giving him an invisible message.
Your call, bud. But if she starts messing about, she's dead. Yugi nodded and decided to give Raven the benefit of the doubt. 'Yes. How can I help you?' Raven gave that smirk that Yugi saw earlier but it vanished as soon as it appeared. 'Let's play a game, King of Games. Let's see if you like it.' Yugi raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure if he would like this game but what could be worse than Marik's Shadow Games? 'What kind of game?'
'Simple. The "Can Raven Predict Your Past, Present and Future?" Game.'
'Huh?' Raven giggled and twirled her bangs again.
'Consider yourself lucky. I don't play this game with random people. Predicting futures? Easy. Do it all the time. Predicting pasts and presents? It's challenge I like to do with certain people. People like you. So, are you game?' Yugi folded his arms. That wasn't actually his version of a game but what harm could it do?
'Yeah, sure. Let's play.' Raven smiled and pulled out three bundles of paper out of her bag. She took of the elastic band on each and laid all of the pieces of paper on the floor.
'Here are all drawings I've drawn roughly about a week ago. This bundle-'Raven pointed to nine pieces of paper to her left 'represents your past. This bundle-' Raven pointed to the papers in front of her 'your past and that bundle-' she pointed to the papers to her right 'your future. You chose a drawing from each and I'll say what they mean. You can tell me if I'm right or wrong.'
'Would it be easier to use cards or a crystal ball or something?' Tristan suggested.
'Heeheehee. What's the fun in that? Originality rules the world you know. Go ahead Yugi. Choose when you ready.' Yugi hesitated and then moved to the pictures representing the past. He stroked his chin thoughtfully before taking the one on the far right. Moving on to the papers represented the present, he took less time to choose the second picture on the left. Finally hesitating again, Yugi reached down and took the picture in the middle in the pile representing the future. Raven smiled sweetly as Yugi tensely handed over the pictures to her. 'Final descion, Yugi? Feel free to change your mind. Heeheehee.' Yugi hesitated but nodded.
'Yes. My final descion.' Raven nodded and took up the pictures. Her smile got wider at each picture and when she had finished, the haughty, confident smirk was on her face. 'My, my. The Great Yugi Moto has such an interesting life behind doors.' Joey tapped his foot impatiently.
'Well? Are you gonna tell my pal what you think you know about his life or not?'
'Patience, Mr Wheeler. Pictures need to be treated with respect. They, in a way, are better than people. More pure, more caring than people. And so it is this paper, I trust to tell the future with.' With that, Raven turned the picture representing the past over. 'Let's start with the past.' The picture was a rather detailed and almost life like sketch of a child holding a teddy bear, his back turned to the viewers looking in front of him. In front of him was a crowd of towering adults, their backs turned to the boy, seemingly ignoring him. 'Ahh, this picture. This picture suggests that you had a rather lonely childhood with not many friends. It also suggests this may have been the cause of you being the black sheep of a particular group of people, shown by the one child among the crowd of grown-ups but that you still managed to retain and keep most if not all your innocence, shown by this teddy bear.' Yugi felt his blood freeze.
She's right. That was what it was like back then.
Raven turned over next picture, revealing a figure holding their hand out to an unknown person and the hand of an unseen person taking it. Behind them, was a path leading on to a dark mysterious forest. 'My, how fortunate you are. People have offered you something and you have accepted it. Their offer is taking you to explore something new in your life. Something rather exciting but also very dangerous. The path leads into the woods so you have decided to take that path rather than run away. Very brave.' Yugi could see Joey blink as if he couldn't quite believe what was going on. Not exactly how I'd describe it but that is creepily accurate. I've accepted Joey, Tea, Tristan and Bakura's friendship and by being friends with Yami, I've been in more duels and Shadow Games than I've ever imagined.
Raven giggled as she turned the last picture over. 'And now, for the future.' The picture revealed to be what looked like a maze with a door in the middle, slightly ajar, as if beckoning the viewer in to the door. 'Interesting. This picture suggests that you are looking for the truth about something with is hidden in mystery and puzzles of which you need solve. But when you do solve them, the truth shall be opened onto you.' Yugi blinked. Looking for the truth? Hidden in mystery? But that's got nothing to do with me unless she means... Yugi's heart stopped. Could she mean...? No, she couldn't.
Yami's memories.
Raven giggled, bringing Yugi out of trace. 'Well, what do you think? Was my past and present accurate?' Yugi frowned as he looked on at Raven. She was either very good at this or she's wasn't completely ordinary.
Something's not right about Raven.
'That was very accurate. I'm impressed.'
'Heehee. I'm glad you think so, Yugi.'
...
Yami watched as Raven calmly answered to Joey's accusations of her stalking Yugi or reading his files. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. Yugi was right. There's something about this child which isn't right.
