Dark Destinies

Chapter 11. Ailed Lies

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, it belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Last chapter: Yugi has been kidnapped by Ehecatl and upon knowing of this, Atem rises to the rescue. As he escapes the hospital (again), The Dark One speaks to him and offers him something in return if Atem killed Ehecatl. Using this opportunity, Atem requests the rules of the main Shadow Game to be slightly changed and says that if he dies, he would remain 'dead' for fourteen days instead of three and that The Dark One would have to accompany him throughout that time. Finally, he meets Rat, his guide to where Ehecatl might be keeping Yugi.

Enjoy!

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The day seemed to drag, minute after minute, hour after hour, and yet, they were still walking on the back-streets of Domino City. Atem sighed, gazing at his guide once more. He could barely believe he was following this kid, almost a baby, through dark corners full of what should have terrified a kid the age of Rat.

A scrawny, filthy cat ran past them, hissing wildly as it went. Rat did not even flinch. Instead, he kept walking in the way small children do, tumbling from side to side as if they were about to fall at any given moment. Ra had already passed his highest point and was now descending, casting shadows that danced.

"So have you always had your powers over the darkness?" Rat asked.

Atem remained silent.

"Fine then, I was only trying to make a conversation to pass time," Rat said, leading them into yet another alley, where he lay down on the floor and crawled his way into a storm sewer.

"This way will be shorter," Rat said behind him, completely disappearing from sight, "I bet you are skinny enough to fit."

Atem's eyes narrowed. He was not going to go in there, and nothing would make him change his mind… Sighing, he followed; praying for protection against any type of traps this kid might have had laid down for him.

Slowly and holding his breath for a moment, he copied the kid's actions and slipped into the drain. At first, he thought his shoulders would not make it through, but once he was able to get them inside, he only had to wiggle his waist for a moment or two in order to get past the narrow entrance.

His first impression was that of the darkness. Then, a powerful odor entered his nose, and he doubled back, gagging. His thoughts momentarily falling apart.

Rat turned on a light, and offered it to Atem.

"You'll get used to it," he laughed, "Not really. Let's go before the rats find us."

"Rats?" Atem asked, once again, falling in step with the child as they walked, covering his nose with the neck of his shirt.

"Huge fart-like rats; ate one of the players up when he tried to kill me down here," Rat said, "They hate intruders. Luckily, they know me."

That was a very nice thing to know. Atem glanced around, almost making out those huge, monster rats that Yugi once mentioned lived in the sewer systems. It was not that he was afraid, just that he was wary of the unfamiliar scratching noises here and there.

"Ehecatl lives in an apartment nearby in the southwest side of downtown… there used to be another player living there I think. I don't know what happened to her though," Rat said, again with his attempts for a conversation.

"Tell me more about this Ehecatl," Atem said, deciding it was worthless to remain quiet when he could be learning as much as he could, "When did he start playing."

Atem coughed, talking itched his throat. He wondered how Rat could manage it.

"Not too long ago, a year or two…" he said, stopped, asked, "Why are you not worried about Yugi Mutou? I mean, he might as well be dead."

"He is not," Atem said, unsure of why he was so sure Ehecatl had done nothing to Yugi. He knew Yugi was not dead. He could feel it, deep inside. This was the right thing to do. He knew it as well as he knew what card to play in order to eventually win a duel monster's game. And as it always was… the stakes were too high. He wished he could talk it over with Yugi. Forgiving was his partner's specialty. Would Atem be able to forgive Ehecatl at the last moment?

"I wouldn't trust Ehecatl, especially when he's drunk. He just can't control himself," Rat said, "He has never allowed any of his prey to survive."

"How many has he killed? And how?" Atem asked.

"I do not know, though I know he backstabs most of the players he kills," Rat said, signaling to an opening where the light filtered into the damp place, "We get out through there."

They were close now. Atem chose his next move before Rat could give another step.

"I need for you to stay here Rat," Atem said.

Rat blinked at him. Then, his features became serene, a man's and not a child's.

"I won't repeat it again. What is your plan?" Rat demanded, "What if I don't want to follow it… you are just a newbie."

"A newbie with something you do not own," Atem said simply, "I need you to drag Ehecatl's body in here after I kill him. Take it somewhere where it will be safe."

"What the hell?" Rat's high-pitched voice echoed throughout the sewer system, "You really do think you are going to kill Ehecatl, don't you? Well, I have news for you. Ehecatl is better than you. He will murder you before you can utter a sound."

"We shall see," Atem said, "Read my words Rat. We shall win this game once and for all. If you follow me now, and do this what I ask, we will win an upper hand against The Dark One."

"We?" Rat asked, "You say it as if there was a team… There is.-"

"I know." Atem said shortly, "Ehecatl will be dead in an hour, but you must get him away from where The Dark One can see him. Talk to Ehecatl about how there is no unity among the players."

"You want me to talk to dead corpse…" Rat said, bewildered, "a dead, decaying, organic corpse…"

Atem swallowed the need to explain and with nothing more to do, Atem hauled himself up the storm sewer where he lay low in the narrowed space, watching for any movement outside.

From below, he heard Rat giving him directions of where to go as he stepped outside. Would Rat even listen to him? If he did not drag Ehecatl out of the scene before The Dark One discovered Ehecatl was not necessarily dead, then Atem's own death would be in vain. Fourteen days… a death sentence for Yugi.

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Not even outside, the sewer system's smell of putrefying left him. It was now clinging to his clothes, to his skin, to his essence. He was tempted to strip off his shirt. Maybe that would at least allow him to clear his mind. Several men and women walking in the opposite direction of the street tried to stare him down, as if he was nothing but a beggar because of his appearance. Atem never lowered his gaze. Instead, he looked them in the eye, making them look away, most covering their noses as they went.

Not five minutes of walking, a building much like the others came into view, a red faded sign that contained the name of the place hanging over the front door.

Casually, Atem walked past it, glancing innocently around, looking for signs of anything that might become useful in the future or be a threat of some type. There was only one person guarding the front door, already dozing off.

This would be easy.

With the same technique he had used to hide himself from Yugi that first day, he commanded the shadows to cover him, more a trick that he had learned from Mahad than actual use of magik.

As Atem walked right through the entrance, the guard started coughing, covering his nose and shaking his head wildly. Apart from that, he noticed nothing but maybe a chill running through his spine. Atem headed straight for the stairs, which turned out to be just as filthy as the rest of the place. Fifth floor he went to, still using the shadows to hide himself from the unseen cameras.

When he got to the appointed floor, he took a left. The apartment number was fifty-eight. The hallway seemed endless and upon each step, the boldness and uncaring feelings he had had began wavering. What if Rat had been right and Yugi was…

He bit his tongue. These thoughts were useless. Right now, the thing that he needed most was reason… to be aloof feelings. Being too late would destroy his ability to follow the scheme of his plan. It would all be decided in the next minutes.

The number of the fifty-eighth apartment was just as faded as the front sign had been, a decrepit place, full of those who lacked money.

His fingers closed on the door knob, turned it. It was unlocked.

As the door gave way to the room, Atem stepped in, vaguely making out the outlines of the room thanks to the light behind him and that which flickered into the room through the curtain-drawn window at the far end.

As his eyes began to adjust to the poor light, he gazed around, taking in the small living area. Now, he could vaguely see a counter at his right, a kitchen behind it was his guess.

"Atem…" Yugi's voice reached him, barely more than a whisper.

Immediately, Atem made a reach for the sound of the voice, dodging a low table and kicking some bottles that shattered and sprayed his foot with a liquid that filtered through the bandages and made him wince in pain. The smell of alcohol mingled with that of sewer.

He found Yugi tied up against a chair in a closet near the table.

"Aibou!" Atem yelped. He had not realized how worried he had been for Yugi until now. Before, he had been sure that he was fine and that his plan could proceed. Was he so selfish as to be able to think rationally even after knowing that Yugi had been, or still was, in jeopardy?

"Partner, are you fine?" Atem asked, taking out the dagger he had and cutting the rope that held him.

Yugi's features were unreadable, submerged in the darkness that the room offered, but it was obvious he was in deep ail.

"Atem," he whispered, then his eyes widened and he yelled, "Turn around! It's a trap! He knew you were going to come. Behind you!"

Atem did not turn; instead, he threw himself to the ground at Yugi's feet. The blade of his silent killer slashed the air above him, a shadow and nothing more. Soon enough, Atem was on his feet, facing Ehecatl's dark outline as a snarl-like sound came from his throat.

"Indeed I expected you," Ehecatl said, a pained hint lingering to his every word, "Not many abandon the ones that they are meant to protect."

Atem narrowed his eyes. His way of speaking had returned to its usual state, but still, the way he carried himself was that of a man barely able to stand.

"I will ask once. Why did you take Yugi?" Atem asked, making sure that his body was in such a position that Ehecatl could not see Yugi. As a secondary thought, he remembered what he had been taught upon fighting. His mind started to pin-point specific places where the dagger he was carrying could successfully penetrate into Ehecatl's skin. Every breath Ehecatl gave off seemed to bump adrenaline through Atem's body. He remembered the pleasure that a good fight could give off. And very far away, he could hear his father warning him that he had being taught to fight wisely, like a man and not some blood-thirsty beast. He pushed his father's voice back, ready to kill.

Ehecatl charged, his movements slow and clumsy. Atem dodged the first swing and slashed at Ehecatl, but pained or not, Ehecatl was able to give a few steps back, leaving Atem on the offensive. His foot had started to throb again, but he ignored it.

"No stop!" Yugi yelled from behind them, "Stop! Atem please! Ehecatl! We're supposed to be on the same side!"

Atem halted; the dagger that he held inches from Ehecatl's neck stopping. Ehecatl's own, as Atem noticed, was directed to his chest, a move he would not have been able to deflect without a severe wound. It was a wonder why this murderer had actually stopped to Yugi's voice.

"An animal's desire to seek revenge is overpowering is it not?" Ehecatl asked, lowering his dagger and offering his neck to Atem, "Men at some times are the master of their fates; the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings…*"

A grin crept into Ehecatl's features, "Are we or are we not controlling our future Atem?"

Atem lowered the dagger, reason striking him once again. He had almost ruined everything in his lust for revenge. He breathed in sharply; Ehecatl knew there was a plan. Some way or another, he knew that there was to be hope if this turned out right, that they might just be able to control their fate for an unknown period of time.

Atem stared him in the eye. It was small, almost nonexistence, but Atem saw it, a flash of comprehension in the dark eyes of his. Behind them Yugi was trying to untangle himself from the half cut ropes. Wondering how bad this would affect Yugi, he glowered at Ehecatl, an ally he would have to kill.

"Listen Atem, I'm fine," Yugi said behind him, "Ehecatl wasn't… ughhh… reasoning. There must be a reason why he did what he did."

Atem ignored him against all odds.

"Why do we not fix this the old fashion way?" Atem asked, "Perhaps you believe you can beat me in a Yami No Game."

Yugi yelped behind him, screaming loudly for Atem to rethink it, to not continue to do it. Atem looked at Yugi. He could not risk telling him what was really going on, the secure way was to hide it as well as he could. His partner's face was begging him.

"Why would I play a game when I can simply kill you off right now?" Ehecatl asked.

"Because you have backstabbed too many players already; it is time that you fight with honor." Atem replied.

For a moment, Ehecatl made no sound, only his uneven breathing lingered in the room. Yugi's pleads had gone quiet as he tried to make Atem change his mind with his innocent eyes. What he did not know was that Atem was doing this to protect them all.

"Honor, pride… it is foolish to think those things are important. The important thing is to win," Ehecatl said, then, "If I win, you will bring the one I am meant to protect back from the shadows. And if you cannot do that, then I shall not play."

"If I win, your soul will be mine," Atem said shortly, understanding that Ehecatl was not talking of the Yami No Game at all. He was telling Atem that he would only follow the plan if his former request could be fulfilled. In its time, it would.

"State your rules, and this time, do not use fire," Ehecatl said, backing away from the apparent 'twins.'

"Very well, I.-"

"Noo! Atem don't do this! You are better than the shadows. I know it! Please!" Yugi's voice was very hard to ignore. It brought back countless memories from their time together as Atem fought off the feeling of being evil. Now he wondered if Yugi had been wrong all along and Atem was indeed evil.

"We shall play on the rooftop of this building; there, I will explain the rules."

Ehecatl nodded and crossed his arms, waiting for Atem to exit the building first. Atem turned to Yugi, who shook his head viciously from side to side.

"This is not who you are Atem," Yugi said, "You are good… we don't even know if Ehecatl is bad or not. Remember all the enemies that we have faced that turned out to only be desperate? Please, don't do this."

It was too late to go back. Atem knelt besides Yugi, knowing that he was about to reject whatever forgiveness Yugi could manage to give him after what had happened last time. He leveled his eyes with Yugi's, smiling at him as if to reassure him this was all planned.

"Bring a card deck Ehecatl. We will need it," Atem said.

Ehecatl nodded slightly and fetched one from a drawer right beside him.

"Listen partner," he whispered, "You must trust me. I know who I am. I will make sure Ehecatl does not hurt you again."

It was so painful, not to be able to tell Yugi anything else without making noticeable what he was about to do. Yugi's features had changed into shock. Atem held back his need to give up and blur out his whole plan to Yugi.

"I will be back. Meanwhile, take this," Atem said, placing The Dark Magician which he had been holding all along on Yugi's lap, "You may not forgive me, but I still believe you will beat everyone in the World Cup."

And before he could see what Yugi's reaction might be to his uncharacteristic statement, he walked briskly out of the room, followed closely by Ehecatl.

"I will kill you Ehecatl," Atem murmured as he walked through the hallway from where he had come from, "I will kill you for touching Yugi just as I murdered the girl in the forest."

Threats were so easily made.

Ehecatl said nothing, but since he had not backstabbed Atem yet, Atem too said nothing. Only Ra knew if this would work.

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*Shakesperean quote

Thank you! I hope you enjoyed it!

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