So yeah, I'm even later this time. I wish I could promise the next chapter will be posted sooner, but I don't see it happening and I don't like lying. But anyhow, as always, here's a big thanks to my reviewers for your wonderful comments. You guys really do help me when my inspiration is lacking.

Content warning(s): minor character death + eye trauma (not described but definitely there)

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Chapter start!

Submersion

By: The Half-Blood Guardian

Chapter 6: Deception

School was cancelled the next two days, and on the third day, when people other than the police were allowed past the front gate, a whole section of the school was still cordoned off, and a handful of men stood watch to ensure no thrill-seekers or troublemakers crossed into the restricted areas. Multiple classrooms fell within those areas, and students in those classes had to be moved to other parts of the school, which meant that when Yuugi showed up that morning he saw quite a few faces he didn't recognize.

It also meant that the hallways were even more crammed than usual. He'd predicted they would be and had gotten to school almost twenty minutes earlier than he normally did trying to beat the crowd. Unfortunately, a good portion of the school's population had apparently made the same prediction as him.

There didn't seem to be a single individual who hadn't heard about what had happened to Ushio. Tensions were running high, everyone anxious and on edge. Though nobody was even the slightest bit talkative, the hush that had fallen over the school was broken several times by tightly wound students snapping at each other while Yuugi was making his way to class. He stayed as close as he could to the walls, hoping to avoid confrontation.

Just as he turned the second to last corner between himself and his classroom and started to believe he might actually make it there without incident, someone bumped him harshly from behind, and he was sent hurtling into another person going the opposite direction. Papers went flying, and both Yuugi and the other student fell to the ground, Yuugi with a yelp of surprise and the other with a cry of outrage.

"You stupid little twerp!" Yelled the student, who Yuugi could already tell was quite a bit bigger than him even before he angrily stood up. "Look what you just did!"

The crowd had backed off a little, leaving a few feet of space around the two of them. A growing number of people were gathering around to watch the drama unfold.

"I-I'm, I'm really s-sorry…" Yuugi stuttered as he scrambled to his feet and rushed to collect the scattered papers. Before he could grab more than a few, the other teen took them from him and shoved him up against the wall. His wrist twinged as it was caught in a painfully tight grip.

"Not yet, you're not! But you will be when I'm done with you!"

The hand that the larger teen wasn't using to squeeze his wrist curled into a fist, and Yuugi cowered, hunching in on himself and waiting for the blow.

"Hey!" Someone shouted. Yuugi and the other teenager turned their heads and saw that the crowd was being forcefully parted to make way for-

Jounouchi-kun?

The scruffy haired teenager had shoved and elbowed his way into the small area of open space around them, and was glaring hate at the taller of the two.

"Get your hands offa him!"

The other student blinked in surprise before a sneer made its way onto his face. "And why should I do that, huh?"

Jounouchi tensed, slipping into a subtle fighting stance and clenching his fists. "'Cause I said so, that's why," he growled, turning his nose up at the other in disgust. "And when I hafta say somethin' twice, I don't say it nice."

The other teen tensed as well. He had at least three inches of height on Jounouchi, and seemed like he was about to retaliate before a look of recognition crossed his face and he swiftly backed down. Apparently, he was one of the people who knew of Jounouchi's reputation as a talented street fighter.

"Whatever," he grumbled, spinning around and pulling Yuugi along for the ride for a second before remembering his hold on the smaller boy and letting go. He snatched the rest of his papers off the floor angrily and stomped down the hall. Seeing that they wouldn't be getting a show after all, the crowd quickly dispersed.

Yuugi slumped back against the wall in relief. Then he looked up at his friend. "Thank you so much, Jounouchi-kun," he breathed gratefully.

"Don't mention it," the blond said, cracking a grin and waving a hand in the air as if to bat away the thanks as he leaned against the wall next to him. Yuugi nodded his assent. Then his brows furrowed a little in confusion.

"Hey, Jounouchi-kun?" He asked.

"Mm?"

He hesitated for a moment before saying, "You- well, I'm pretty early today, and I wasn't expecting… I-I mean, I don't think I've ever, um, seen you here at this time before…" he trailed off.

Jounouchi shifted slightly. It was so subtle that Yuugi only just caught the motion, but it was coupled with his smile faltering for a bit, and Yuugi realized his friend was uncomfortable with the half question he'd not quite asked. Before he could apologize, Jounouchi shrugged and said, "Eh, I guess I just felt like gettin' outta the house early today, ya know? No real reason."

"Oh, okay," Yuugi replied, unwilling to mention the obvious evasion. Searching for a way out of the uncomfortable silence that fell after that, he opted for changing the subject. "Um, so, we should probably get to class," he said, awkwardly stumbling over the words.

"Yes, we should! Let's go!" Jounouchi jumped on the topic change without a care for how stilted and forced it was, shooting Yuugi a thankful look and a more genuine smile. The shorter boy felt the guilty knot in his chest dissipate and smiled back.

The next day started in a different manner, Jounouchi and Yuugi meeting up a block from the school. Upon approaching the front gates, the blond spotted a white van parked outside.

ZTV was printed in big, bold letters across the side of the vehicle. Jounouchi frowned, pointing it out. "I don't watch a lotta TV, but I thought those guys were all about interviewing celebs and stuff. I wonder why they're here."

Yuugi craned his neck to see what his friend was pointing at, then hesitantly suggested, "Well… maybe they've decided to go into more topics?"

"Maybe…" Jounouchi said. His eyes lit up suddenly, and he spun around to face Yuugi. "Or maybe there's actually a star here!"

"Huh?" Yuugi said, surprised at the blond's abrupt change in demeanor.

"We should look around for them! I bet we could find whoever it is if we try hard enough!"

Yuugi thought for a moment that he should maybe try a little bit more to convince Jounouchi-kun that his theory was sort of far-fetched, but when he saw the other teen's eyes, he realized that the jumpy, anxious expression he'd been trying and failing to hide was no longer there, and decided immediately to let it go.

After hearing from Jounouchi-kun what had happened to Ushio-san, Yuugi had had nightmares. But Jounouchi-kun had actually seen the aftermath of what had happened to Ushio-san. A lot of the police officers Yuugi had passed by close enough to observe wore unsettled expressions, and they were trained to be able to handle that sort of stuff.

Jounouchi-kun, though he was a little rough around the edges, was still for the most part just an ordinary teenager. It must have been a hundred times harder on him than it was on Yuugi. If fixating on a mystery about a celebrity going to their school was enough to distract him from the awful thing he'd seen, even if that mystery didn't actually exist, Yuugi would let him have it. He deserved a distraction.

That decided, Yuugi went up to the front passenger side window and looked in through the glass, cupping his hands on either side of his eyes to block out extra light. Nothing. He pressed his face against it slightly to try and get a better view, but the glass was still too heavily tinted for him to make out much of anything. He informed Jounouchi of the fact.

"Ah, well," the blond shrugged. "'S fine. What're the chances the star'd be in there right now anyway?" Yuugi returned the shrug, and both of them passed through the gates, meeting Honda in the halls and going to class.

A man sat in the driver's seat of the news van, munching on his breakfast. A shadow fell over the other seat, and the man looked to the opposite side, only to see some snoopy little twerp peeking inside. As the one who normally drove the vehicle, the man knew from experience that the kid wouldn't actually be able to see anything clearly past the deep tint of the windows.

It was annoying, however, so he was about to open the door and tell the kid to get lost, but held off when he noticed the kid's features. He had a short, slight stature, and a too-large uniform that practically drowned him in it. That and the child-like face and crazy hair made him utterly useless as the focus of any sort of film, except for the "documentary" that the ZTV Director had been planning on doing at this school.

He subtly reached for the camera on the seat next to him. Making sure the flash was off, he aimed it for the midget.

Click.

The Director waited for the photo to develop, the kid walking off as he did so. He smirked at the frankly embarrassing picture of the kid's face smooshed against the glass as it faded into view. Getting such a perfect target was well worth the smudges the kid had left on the outside of the window.

"Hey, new blood!" He called to the back of the van. Then snorted when a thump and a startled yelp sounded before the assistant director answered with a strained "Yes, sir?"

"Come here, I got something for you."

Fujita huffed in irritation, mentally going over his orders again. Deciding he might as well get it all over with, the assistant director walked up to a random person and held out the picture his boss had given him. "Hey, d'you know who this kid is?"

The student gave him a funny look, but answered anyway. "Yeah, that's Yuugi from class B. Don't know what you'd want with that loser, but whatever…" he mumbled the last part and hurried off to class.

"Yuugi from class B, huh?" Fujita murmured, straightening the sleeves of the slightly too short school jacket he'd "borrowed" from the locker room and trying to come up with a strategy. Okay, so first he had to find a way to get the kid to follow him behind the gym, where he'd be away from unwanted eyes and in front of the cameras. Then he had to beat the kid up so he wouldn't be fired. He cursed under his breath.

Figures they would get a double scoop of a schoolyard documentary and a murder, and Fujita still got stuck in this crappy situation. Honestly, all the bad jobs fell to the AD.

He was so preoccupied he almost bumped into some midget. He was going to just keep walking when he caught the tail end of what the blond kid walking next to the shrimp was saying.

"-have to find that star!"

He stopped and looked back at the duo, and realized that the midget was none other than his target. Luckily for the AD, the kid's appearance didn't exactly help anonymize him.

"Wh-what?" Yuugi from class B sputtered at the taller boy, who excitedly babbled something the AD couldn't hear in response. Fujita watched them, waiting until the two eventually parted ways before approaching his target.

"Hey, your name's Yuugi, right?"

The midget startled, whirling to face him. "Oh, uh, yeah… how did you know that?"

Fujita scrambled for an answer that wouldn't make him sound like some kind of stalker, finally deciding on, "I'm pretty observant, and I heard someone calling you that last week." Hopefully that was a good enough response. Thankfully, the kid seemed to accept it.

"Alright. Um, was there something you needed…" Fujita realized what he was asking for and quickly came up with a fake name.

"Haru, and yeah. I couldn't help but overhear you and your friend talking about a celebrity going here. I happen to personally know the star. I could introduce you to her! I think the two of you would get along well."

Yuugi was shocked. There actually was a star at his school! He'd honestly just been humoring his friend, going along with his outlandish belief that a celebrity was hiding in plain sight, attending a normal high school. To learn that the blond had been right all along came as a huge surprise.

Something the other student had said suddenly popped back into his head: 'I could introduce you to her!' The small teen blushed furiously. The star was a girl?! He would've been completely overwhelmed and flustered being around a celebrity even if they were a guy, but this was ten times worse! He could barely get a word out even when he was around the regular girls at his school, so how was he ever going to talk to this star, or even just not make a fool of himself as soon as he saw her?

Still, this student, Haru, was willing to introduce him – him, of all people! – to a star, and Yuugi wasn't about to turn down the offer.

"You-you'd really do that?" He asked.

"Sure!" 'Haru' nodded. "Like I said, I think you two would get along well with each other." A sad look crossed his face, and his tone became more subdued. "Since she's a star, she has trouble finding real friends, and not people who just want something from her."

"That's awful! I promise I would never do anything like that to her." Yuugi said resolutely.

"I believe you." Haru smiled at him. "So, is behind the gym during lunch alright? That way no one else will find out about her."

Yuugi nodded enthusiastically. "Sure! I'll be there."

"Great!"

Yuugi bounded to class with a wide grin on his face. Fujita huffed. "Yeah. Just great," he grumbled, slouching off to wait behind the gym.

The Director huffed impatiently. "The brat's late. You said you'd convinced him to come. So where is he?" He said, scowling at his subordinate.

"I-I don't know, sir!" Fujita stuttered frantically. "He really seemed excited to come, maybe he just got held up." As if summoned, the next moment Yuugi was sprinting around the corner, breathing heavily.

"Sorry I'm… late!" He said, bending over at the waist to rest his hands on his legs as he panted. The Director used the boy's distraction to his advantage and ducked out of view. A few seconds later, Yuugi stood up straight again. "I hope I didn't… keep you waiting too long."

"Don't worry about it, you're fine," Fujita said while Yuugi finished catching his breath. The teen slumped a bit in relief and finally looked around. He blinked in confusion.

"Um, Haru? Where is she?"

Fujita sighed and readied himself for what he had to do. "Yeah, about that, I have to tell you something. C'mere." He beckoned Yuugi closer, as though he were about to tell him a secret. Yuugi thoughtlessly obeyed.

And regretted it when his cheek was met with a brutal punch, followed by a kick, and another punch, and another.

"There is no star!" He distantly heard. A gray fog started to muddle his vision.

"Hey! What d'you think you're doing?!" A voice yelled, and the beating immediately ceased. Blinking blearily, he looked up and saw, much to his relief, that Jounouchi had once again come to his rescue and had shoved his aggressor away from him. Uncaring of the grass stains it would cause, the larger teen quickly slid to his knees on the ground and helped Yuugi sit up.

"Yuugi! Are you alright?"

"I'll be okay…" Yuugi said unconvincingly.

Looking over Yuugi's injuries, Jounouchi remembered the reason for the state his friend was in. He got up and whirled around.

"I am so sick of people beating on my friend! I'm gonna kill you!" The blond suddenly had the bully by the lapels, his furious expression a stark contrast to Haru's own terrified face, and the sight made Yuugi feel inexplicably safe.

"W-wait, wait! I didn't really want to do it! The Director, he-"

"Director?"

"Alright, cut!" Said a voice, drawing everyone's attention as a man with long, dark hair and a goatee stood up from behind one of the bushes running alongside the school's fence. Another bush rustled, and Yuugi and Jounouchi noticed the glint of a camera lens half-hidden by leaves and branches.

"You can go now, Fujita." The man said, and Jounouchi's forgotten captive jerked out of his slackened hold and scrambled away, dashing out of reach and out of sight. The teen barely noticed, his focus only on the Director.

"You're the one behind this?" He demanded, then looked back at Yuugi.

The troubled expression from earlier was back on Jounouchi's face, this time because of his worry for his friend, and Yuugi's heart dropped. He wished the other teen's good mood could have lasted for more than half an hour. "I'm sorry, Jounouchi-kun. There wasn't a star after all…"

"Screw that, it's not important. You are."

"Hey, I said cut already!" The Director snapped, and the cameraman fumbled a bit in his rush to obey. "They're friends, we get it. This kind of stuff is a waste of film."

Noticing Jounouchi's glaring eyes on him, the Director turned his attention back to him and said, "Look, it's nothing personal, alright? It was just a coincidence your friend got picked to play the victim; just a bit of bad luck for him." A little smirk formed as he looked at Yuugi. "But for me, it's great. We got some good footage; people are gonna sympathize with you. You're the star of this film, kid!"

Jounouchi took a step forward, putting himself between Yuugi and the Director. "Are you asking to die?" He growled.

The man just laughed. "Go on, then. Hit me! Just remember, I'm recording the whole thing."

The blond immediately halted and turned to look over at the bush that he'd momentarily forgotten had a cameraman hiding behind it. The Director chuckled.

"Stop the cameras!"

Jounouchi only had enough time to turn back to the man before a knee brutally rammed itself into his gut. The teen choked, hands flying to his stomach as he fell breathlessly to the grass.

"Jounouchi-kun!" Yuugi shouted, painfully rising to his feet to rush to his friend's aid.

"Don't you get it?" The Director said smugly. "You can't fight the power of the media! With nothing more than a bit of footage and some editing, I could make you the laughing stock of the whole world. I could turn the public against you with barely any effort. It would be so easy for me to make your lives miserable!"

Casually stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans and smirking, he motioned to the cameraman to follow him. The man came out from behind the bushes and jogged to catch up. The Director paused just as he was about to round the corner after the cameraman.

"But don't worry! I'll blur out your faces from the film, 'cause all this prime footage you provided me with has left me in a generous mood. So look on the bright side! At least no one will recognize you!" He threw over his shoulder, snickering and strutting out of sight.

Yuugi's vision grayed for a moment, and the strange sensation around his wrist and ribs, the feeling he'd woken up with three days earlier and had since grown numb to, was suddenly back, like something cold was shifting under his skin. Distantly, he heard his heartbeat thudding in his ears.

He shook his head, blinking away most of the gray and ignoring the chill in his bones in favor of looking down at his friend. He noted with concern that the blond was still wheezing, his face scrunched up in pain.

"Are you okay, Jounouchi-kun?" He asked worriedly, crouching down to gently ease the other into a sitting position. Jounouchi shivered momentarily before forcing himself to stop and relax his pained expression.

"Who, me? I'm just peachy. Don't worry, I've… had worse. No cheap hit like that is gonna… keep me down," he said with a cocky grin on his face, though the effect was somewhat ruined by the pauses he was forced to take so he could catch his breath. He saw Yuugi's expression remain the same, and added, "'Sides, it's me who should be asking you that question. You got the worst of it. So, you okay, Yuugi?"

It took a moment, but a small smile slowly made its way onto Yuugi's own face. The chill in his bones faded completely and the rest of the gray fog left his vision.

"Don't worry, I've had worse. No cheap hits like these are gonna keep me down." The boy responded, and his grin widened when the other teen was able to laugh without coughing as his words were sent back at him.

"Alright, c'mon, ya little smarty-pants. We should be getting back now." Surprisingly, Jounouchi managed to shove down his ego enough to allow Yuugi to help him up. The blond was rewarded with a somewhat humorous squeak of exertion as the small teen struggled to pull his much heavier friend to his feet. "Thanks, bud," Jounouchi said after he could stand without swaying, and reminded himself not to chuckle at the look of stubborn, determined concentration Yuugi had been wearing.

The shorter boy's eyes lit up. "Mhm!" He said, nodding his head and smiling shyly at the words of gratitude he wasn't accustomed to hearing from anyone besides his grandpa.

As the two walked the halls on their way back to class, they caught sight of Honda, who, upon noticing Jounouchi, immediately narrowed his eyes, not seeming to notice the smaller teen.

"And where have you been, huh? Celebrity chasing again? Don't deny it," he said when the blond started to protest. "I saw that news van outside earlier and I know you did, too!" He grabbed his friend by the ear and started pulling him in the direction of their classroom, lecturing him while Jounouchi tried loudly and unsuccessfully to free his captive ear. Yuugi shook his head and started to go after them.

Then his vision began to gray again, and he could hear his heart pounding and his blood rushing through his veins. Grasping his head in his hands, he breathed harshly, fruitlessly trying to brush off the sudden vertigo that had come over him. He stumbled and leaned heavily against the wall. The thinning of the crowd didn't register in his brain, nor did the ringing of the school bell through recently deserted halls a minute later. The world spun dizzyingly, and he felt weightless for the last moment before he lost consciousness.

The spirit took a deep breath in through his nose and let in out slowly, still enthralled by the unfamiliar yet strangely liberating action. He allowed himself a single moment to relish the feeling. Then he straightened.

He had pushed himself too hard too soon when he'd dealt with Ushio, and had been all but comatose by the time he'd finished treating his Light's injuries. Because of this, he hadn't been able to step in until after Yuugi was beaten again, this time by that impostor student. Yuugi had been lucky that the Shadow tendrils used to bind his broken bones were so tough. Had they not been, the blows would have easily put the boy back into the near-crippled state he'd been in after Ushio's brutal attack.

The spirit growled, then sent one of his Shadows to track down the assistant director. He would let the Shadow have its fun for a few days; the young man would survive with his soul and (most of) his sanity intact, but the spirit would not allow the violent actions against his Light to go unpunished, even if the impostor had only been following commands. He snarled at the thought of the man who had been behind the attack, remembering the way he had so gleefully attacked Jounouchi and unrepentantly admitted to ordering that Yuugi be beaten.

The spirit hadn't been able to take over while the Director was still at the school, as it wouldn't do to frighten Yuugi's Friend, but he had managed to send out a couple of his Shadows as the man left. He knew from the images they sent him that they'd clung to the underside of the van the Director had gotten into as he drove off.

The spirit had overexerted himself, and was still slightly weakened because of it. But it had been days now since his release from the Puzzle, not seconds like the first time he'd punished a transgressor. His abilities were much more stable by this point. Even if that weren't the case, though, he wouldn't have let it stop him; someone had trespassed on the boy's soul, and so long as the spirit was around, he would avenge the injustices done to his Light.

A short time after the sun set, the Director pushed through the door into the parking garage, ready to finally be finished for the day. There were a lot of things he liked about his job position, but the long work hours were not included in that list.

There was a nasally voice humming a faint tune somewhere in the garage, and he spotted a gangly figure ahead of him, walking in the same direction as the Director's car. He vaguely recognized him as one of the guys from the tech department, and thought his name might have been Irvine or Sylvester or something like that. He was a stereotypical desk-bound geek, with weird facial tics, ugly plaid shirts, and blocky glasses. Just the kind of guy that was fun to subtly pick on.

The perfect end to a perfect day.

He purposefully quieted his steps and picked up his pace slightly. When he was only a few yards away, he let his shoes clack against the concrete. The man jumped and whirled, his obnoxious humming abruptly cut off.

"D-Director!" He squeaked. "I, ah, didn't hear you there…"

The Director nodded with false understanding. "Makes sense. I can be pretty stealthy when I want to be." He said, crossing his arms and hiding a smirk as he let the office lackey fret over why the Director had decided to sneak up on him.

"So, I-I heard the latest show got quite the response." The bespectacled man stuttered,, eyes averted as he fiddled with his tie. The Director chuckled.

"Of course. You know how it is; if the slop is good, the pigs will eat."

The other man adjusted his glasses, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Ah, yes, well, I'll see you later then." He quickly made for his little four-door sedan and exited the garage at a pace just shy of speeding.

Spineless coward, the Director thought scathingly. Afraid to get his hands dirty to get the job done, just like every other prissy office nerd around here. Unlike some others, he knew that in order to get ahead in this business, one had to be willing to do some dirty deeds. In fact, it was often the case that the dirtier the deed, the better it was for business.

"Heh… maybe next time I'll kill someone in front of the cameras…" he murmured with a smirk, already imagining the ratings and money he'd be raking in then.

He pulled the car door open, and was about to get in when he happened to glance in the direction of the side view mirror. A pair of burning scarlet and crimson eyes seared into his own muddy brown ones, and he gave a shout of alarm, slamming the door shut and whirling around.

Standing only feet from him was the same shrimp he'd had his assistant beat up earlier in the day. His face was covered in scratches and bruises and his hair looked even wilder than he remembered it, but he still managed to somehow send out an aura of intimidation, so unlike the image of textbook wimp he'd been wearing last time the Director had seen him.

"I've been looking for you, Director…" the boy said, his voice carrying easily despite being barely above a whisper. He cocked his head swiftly to one side in a manner reminiscent of a curious hawk and continued, "I believe we have some… unfinished business to attend to…"

The man shook off his apprehension, silently cursing himself for getting so nervous around a simple little twerp.

"You're that brat, Yuugi! What're you doing here? You come to get paid or something?" The Director asked. The boy frowned in distaste.

"You believe I have sought you out for such a mundane, pitiful reason? I suppose I should have expected as much from such a corrupt and self-serving individual. No, my reasons for coming are of a much higher worth. I am not so shallow nor so forgiving as to be willing to accept a monetary offering as sufficient compensation for what you've done…" The teen's eyes darkened, and his lips twisted into a terrifying snarl.

"You have trespassed on the souls of my Light and his Friend, and you shall be punished," he hissed. "For your despicable actions, I will show you no mercy!"

"What're you talking about, kid?" The Director said, bristling. "You threatening me?" The boy didn't answer, instead examining him with eyes that blazed with an untameable fury.

"Director…" he whispered. The air thickened with tension and the bright lights of the parking garage began to dim. The hum of hidden electrical wires that echoed off the walls faded into silence. The Director glanced around with confusion and rising anxiety. The boy took a step closer, his irises becoming churning pools of red. Then a golden light shimmered into view on his forehead, quickly taking form, and the boy suddenly had three eyes. The Director gaped.

"You bend the truth in front of the cameras, spreading lies and harming the innocent…" the boy- monster- whatever he was went on as if nothing had happened. Shadowy tendrils emerged from the corners of the parking garage, reaching for their soon-to-be victim.

The Director fearfully backed away from the tendrils, swatting at them and screaming every time one tried to latch onto him. "What is this?! What are these things?!"

The three-eyed creature ignored him once again. "I think it a fitting punishment to take from you your own vision, as you have taken from others the ability to see the truth behind what you film. And… yes, I think I will also deprive you of the opportunity to ever cause harm again…"

"Get these things offa me!" The Director screamed as the Shadows restrained him, growing more and more frantic as several tendrils snaked over his face and headed for his eyes. "Get them off! Get them-AAAGHH!"

The spirit watched calmly for the next few minutes the carnage taking place before him, viciously satisfied with it. He only became annoyed when one blood-splattered eyeball rolled to a stop a mere six inches from the tip of his shoes, leaving a crimson trail between him and the shrieking, spasming Director. He shoved down the sudden impulse to grind it under his heel, knowing it would do nothing but soil his Light's shoes. Instead he settled for having his Shadows rip the thing apart in his place. It wasn't as satisfying as he would have liked, but there wasn't much time for him to be disappointed.

Soon the Shadows began enacting the last stage of the Director's punishment, and the spirit was flooded with ecstasy as his servants began the process of removing and draining the man's soul. His eyes fluttered closed, and he allowed himself to bask in the wonderful sensations that always accompanied a feeding.

All too soon it was over, and the Shadows retreated back into hiding. The overhead lights brightened and the hum of the electrical wires filled the garage once again. Taking one last look into the empty eye sockets of the bloodied husk of a man, the spirit turned and walked into the nearest shadow. As he was silently transported into an alley across the street from the Kame Game Shop, he absently wondered if he should have perhaps left the man his soul.

After all, it was rather hard for one to suffer when one's personality, thoughts and mind no longer even existed.