Chapter Two: Sobs in the Night
/I don't want to do this! / my mind screamed, fighting my next action every inch of the way. /Please, gods, don't let me carry this out…don't let me get me! /
No matter how much grief my head was in about taking my own life, it understood that this would be the only way to free my friends' necks from the potential threat looming over them. They never knew that a brutal tormentor took up residence right across from their bedrooms, watching their every move. Yami probably prowled around in the shadows of my comrades' living spaces, lusting after them while licking his ever-hungry chops. The King of Games loved fresh meat, too. If I allowed him to let his imagination run wild, he'd come after every one of my roommates until he ran out of prey to hunt. He was like the King Cobras that stalked the banks of the Nile, attacking anyone in his path by swiftly biting them and sinking his venomous teeth into their skin. He craved the sight of new victims writhing underneath his fangs, poisoning them with countless hours of involuntary slavery. I love all of my comrades dearly, so I can't let that happen. I won't ever let that happen.
Silently screaming apologies and farewells to all those I care for so much in life, I plunged the blade down. My eyes snapped closed, awaiting the shock of the penetrating blade. Cold sweat beads dotted my forehead, mixing with the crystal rivers on my face.
/Don't worry, / I told myself over and over again, shivering in madness, /it'll all be over soon. This won't last long. /
"That's what you think." a deep voice contradicted me, almost in a singsong like tone.
Chills traveled up and down my spine as my breath caught in my throat. The accent was so horrible, so hauntingly familiar that I immediately recognized its owner.
/But how? / my thoughts raged inside of my head, swirling around me in a sea of despair. /It can't be him! It just CAN'T be! /
With great hesitation, I slowly lifted my lids to verify the holder of the frightening words. Freezing in mid-pace, my heart felt as if it had turned to solid steel.
"Oh, no…" I heard myself moan, lines of stress and fear burdening my features. "Oh, dear spirits, no…"
Leaning over me, the dreadful King of Games sneered savagely, obviously entertained by my failed attempt at suicide. His sharp nails dug into my flesh, forcing me to let go of the dagger I held. Seeing my only salvation from this life of misery slip through my fingertips, I held on to the blade with all the strength my body had in it.
"You're wasting your time, child." snickered Yami, amused by my sudden feistiness. "Just be a good little boy and stop making yourself look ridiculous."
"No, I won't give in to your taunting this time!" I wailed, continuing to wrestle for the right to wield the small weapon. "I don't have to take this anymore!"
"Suit yourself." replied Pharaoh, his tone devoid of any real emotion.
In a matter of seconds, our mini-battle was all over. Since both of my hands were underneath his, they lay vulnerable to the wicked assault of Yami's nails. Cat-like claws of his tore even deeper into my flesh, causing my grip to slacken on the knife's hilt. A final cry left my lips, accepting the fact that the domineering ruler of Egypt won. Waving the blade across my disenchanted sight, my master smiled in ravenous victory. Slapping his palm against my brow, he pushed me backwards to grovel on the tiles. Humiliated and badly defeated, a single tear slipped down my cheek as my head slapped the ground below.
/Darkly staring
Down at the floor
Red I'm wearing
Covered in gore /
Advancing on me like a jackal hunting down his next target, my darker half eyed me threateningly. Tapping the ancient blade on the inside of his hand, he smacked his lips together. Ordinarily, people produced this gesture when they were famished and in need of some sort of nourishment; however, that didn't really apply to Yugioh. Although it was true that he had a voracious appetite most of the time, he never craved store bought groceries. My flesh was his treat, his candy, the warped entrée that he pined after. More specifically, he thrived on a mild sense of cannibalism, compelling me to bleed just so that he could feast on the thick liquid my small frame leaked out. Blood was his substitute for water, so he was in constant need of the vital fluid I had coursing through my veins.
Picking my head off the tiles with an agonizing grip, the leader of Thebes growled, "How dare you defy me like this, you unimportant little brat. What gives you the right to try to leave me?" Wanting an immediate explanation for my actions, he struck me with the backside of his hand. "Well, speak up! Inquiring minds wish to know."
Cringing at the raw power being exerted over me, I bit down on my lower lip. I didn't want to cower in his silhouette anymore, but I saw no way out of doing so. Pleading the Fifth Amendment, I studied the texture of the floor. Darkly glaring at me, Yami took a fistful of my tri-colored tresses and yanked me up into a kneeling position. Baring his fangs at me, he shook me ferociously to get some sort of reaction out of me. I sat on my haunches silently, still staring at the ground in vacant wonder.
/He's not gonna get to me this time. / I vowed quietly to myself, drawing in slow, subtle breaths. /I'm not gonna back down like I usually do, either. Just like everyone else on this planet, it's a natural right of mine to be left the hell alone and live life the way I choose to. He's not gonna take that away from me. This is my life, and no one going get in the way of me living it how I want to. /
"What are you concocting in that small head of yours, Sweetie?" asked my master, his tone unpleasant and mocking.
Unable to stay calm and collected, I raised my head to meet his crazed ruby-eyed gaze.
"None of your damn business." Just to see how furious he would get, I added, "Sado-masochistic bastard."
Instead of getting upset like I imagined he would, Pharaoh just shrugged his shoulders in awkward agreement.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, confused by his present demeanor. "I don't understand."
Suddenly, a wild half-grin lifted a corner of the King of Games' mouth. These sadistic little smirks were worse than his full-blown smiles, for it was another sign that denoted he was up to something. On this particular occasion, I wasn't sure if I wanted to know what he was thinking. Talking back was an unforgivable offense, and it would probably warrant an artistic form of punishment.
Cocking his head to the side, Yami reached out to touch me. Completely worn out from the day's activities, I couldn't bring myself to dodge the reviled contact. Bringing his body close to mine, he let go of my hair and moved his hand to my face. With surprising tenderness, he stroked the wetness of my cheeks. Like a protective parent, Yugioh wrapped his arms around my petite frame, attempting to eliminate the tension in my muscles by rubbing them. Perplexed by his rapid change in behavior, I sat on my heels in total astonishment.
Placing his mouth beside my ear, the ruler of the Nile whispered, "Don't worry, Hikari, you'll comprehend it when I show you."
Narrowing my eyes, I inquired, "Show me? Show me what? I already have experienced all your nasty tricks, so you don't have anything to use against me now."
Disregarding my last statement, Yami licked a portion of my neck while slipping his hand across my front. Alarm bells chimed in my head, filling me with a new kind of fear. Balancing his weight on one leg, the taller individual used his other limb to force my knees apart. Pressing his lean structure beside mine, he started to lower me to the floor. Now it was perfectly clear to me what he had in store for us, but it was too late to escape from him.
Trying once more to bring him to his senses, I begged, "Pharaoh, don't do this…I know you don't have to do this."
"And you didn't have to disobey my orders and slander me, but you did anyways." came the robotic reply, uninterested in my pitiable pleading.
With the grim reality of the situation nailing me to the ground, tears sprang from my magenta orbs as he tore the clothes from my skin.
/Terror sweeping
Across my sight
Now I'm weeping
Sobs in the night/