Chapter 28

Taylor gave a heavy sigh and stared up at his bedroom ceiling. It was late. He'd stayed up until his Parto had returned, but had been sent to bed before he could find out what Joey and the others had called him for. Normally he would have snuck back down to find out, but he didn't feel like doing that. He didn't feel like doing anything. All he could think about was what he was about to do. About how he was going to betray his family. Betray his title. Betray everything he believed in. No matter how many times he told himself he was doing it for a good cause, that his reasons were just, it still didn't sit well with him. But he couldn't back out now. He owed it to his Dad to make things right for him again and he owed it to himself to be the one to do that for him.

He rolled over onto his side and willed sleep to come, but it didn't. Giving another heavy sigh he flipped back over onto his back.

'Breathing is easy,' he focused on the movement of his chest, remembering all the things his Parto had told him about living with his memory problems, 'because you can't forget how to do it. Even if you forget everything else, you always remember how to breathe. If only sleeping was like breathing,' he continued to comfort himself, 'if it were something you could just do without thinking about it I would be asleep now. I know it should be, but it never is. After all you plan for sleep. When you go to bed at night you plan to sleep. You don't plan to breathe, you just do it.'

Sighing for a third time, he closed his eyes and continued to focus on his breathing. It was a weird trick, but it normally worked. Like counting sheep, without the sheep or the counting. He took a deep breath in and held it for a few moments.

'If sleeping were like breathing that's what I'd be doing right now,' his mind begin drifting lazily, as he slowly exhaled, 'and what's more, I wouldn't wake up, ever. Then I wouldn't have to worry about anything. You don't have problems when you sleep; you just have problems getting there. You don't need to remember things when you sleep, you don't need to know who you are, you just sleep and that's it, your subconscious takes over and everything's fine,' with his head now feeling heavy, he rolled back over onto his side and snuggled deeply into his duvet. 'Sleep… please let me sleep.'


Crying yourself to sleep wasn't as easy as it sounded, especially if you didn't have a bed to sleep in. Resting his head back against the wall of his tree house, he closed his eyes and tried to stop any more tears from coming. How had he gone through so many extremes in one day? How had his life turned so many corners and yet remained so still? How had he ended up here, alone in his tree house, crying himself to sleep? Opening his eyes again, he stared wearily up at the ceiling. It must have been at least eleven o'clock. It felt later. Pulling his knees towards his chest, he hugged them tightly to him.

'Lus Moto, son of the great King of Games, drop out and all round bad boy, is about to win the title his father has held since before he was born,' he smiled sadly to himself. 'Finally this plucky young kid is going to get the respect he deserves. No longer will he just be living in his father's shadow,' sighing heavily, he rested his head against his arms, 'because he doesn't like it there. He's not and never will be his father and now the rest of the world's going to see it too.'

'Is that what you're afraid of,' his father's voice made him jump, 'living in my shadow?'

For a moment his eyes went up to meet his father's, but they quickly flicked away.

'You already know the answer to that,' he shrugged, 'I told you, you don't know what it's like having you for a father. But I'm not scared of having you for a father, I just…' he hesitated. 'You and Mum really do love me, don't you?'

'Of course.'

'And you'd forgive me for anything, right? No matter how bad it was?'

'I'd say your Mum and I were pretty forgiving people, why?'

'No reason,' he shook his head, 'but I think I want to go to bed now.'

'Okay,' his Dad reached out a hand towards him, but Lus just fell wearily into his arms.

'I'm sorry Dad,' his voice was little more than a trembling whisper, 'please forgive me.'


Since Simüte's arrival, he hadn't had a chance to see how his youngest son was feeling. And by the time everyone else had left and he'd shown his ancient counterpart to a room for the night, he'd figured it was too late to disturb him. Wearily he entered his own room and was surprised to find Arados curled up asleep in Mai's arms.

'Shh,' she placed a finger over her lips and smiled, 'it's been a long time since I've been able to do this.'

'He's been acting strangely all day,' Joey kept his voice low, 'I'm worried about him. I think something might have happened to him and he's too afraid to talk about it.'

'I thought you said…'

'Something had to of happened first,' he sighed, 'or else there would be no situation yet to happen.'

'You figured it all out then,' she frowned.

'No,' he shook his head, 'not all of it. But as near as I can figure, something probably hurt Lus and Arados and Taylor want revenge for it.'

'How'd you figure that?'

'Yugi wasn't here tonight because Lus was missing, remember?'

'But if that was the case, then why doesn't he just tell us?'

'Because he's too afraid. Whatever happened, they must have been there to see it.'

'You don't think Lus is…?'

'No, they saw him today, remember?'

'No, the last time you spoke to Téa she said she'd only heard him. What if he's…?'

'I don't think so Mai.'

'Why not?'

'Because I don't think so.'

'But it would make sense. I mean, what else would upset our son like this?' Her face filled with a serious look. 'He's been acting off all day and…'

'Mai I don't want to think about it,' he shook his head, 'too much has happened since this morning and I'm still processing it all.'

'I know, but still…'

'No buts Mai,' he sighed, climbing into bed next to her, 'I'm too tired. Let's just sleep, okay?'