Merodi no Yami: Ok, what the heck.  Here's the eighth chapter.  Enjoy, everyone – it's got background info on the conflict between Yami and Naito, and ends with some Yugi angst.  This one's the normal length in the way of chapters – sorry if you were expecting it to be as long as the last one.

{{Naito: *still passed out on bed*}}

Merodi no Yami:  *brushes a bang or two out of his face*  *SIGH*  Well, I suppose one good thing about all this is that he's not causing any more havoc…for now, anyway…*groan*  Ack, he's going to be so POed at me when he wakes up, even though I didn't do anything.  Oh well.

Disclaimer:  Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, don't own Ken Kesey or One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.  Yes, you heard me right.  So, can any of you guys guess what the Yugi angst is going to be now?  *snicker*  This is Yaoi, YY/Y fun stuff.  Caution: pain ahead.

[ blah blah blah ] – thinking

/blah blah blah/ - Yugi talking

//blah blah blah// - Yami talking

{blah blah blah} – Merodi talking

{{blah blah blah}} – Naito talking

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 8 - Pain

[Ugh…itai…where am I?]

A young, tri-colored teen by the name of Yugi Muoto laid in the middle of a large room, finally returning to the world of consciousness.  With as much force as he could muster, Yugi opened his eyes to a bright light penetrating the darkness around him.  He winced, but as his pupils adjusted he was able to see that the bright light was actually a lamp hanging over him – the only light in the room, in fact.  Turning his head, he was able to decipher from the shadows that he was in some sort of storeroom, with a large piece of machinery sitting near the wall to the right of him, as if trying to hide itself in vain.  Yugi's head scratched in annoyance from something that had been smeared on, but when Yugi tried to move his hand to rub the substance away, he suddenly found he was unable to pick his hand up.  Finally waking up completely, Yugi looked down to see leather straps bound and secured his hands and feet to a large metal table.  Finally, he found his voice as he looked around.  "What the-?"

"So, you're finally awake."

Yugi turned his head to see who had spoken, though by the tone of voice he could already guess who his captor was.  His sight rested on Naito, towering above him; a crazed, somewhat insane look in his eyes as he smiled down at his victim.  His hair was a little more wild now, reminding Yugi briefly of Bakura's demon-like appearance.

Ignoring the small bit of fear that had started to grow within him, Yugi glared at Naito.  "What?  What's going on, what do you want?" he fired at him, his tone demanding.  Naito smirked before replying.

"One question at a time, little prince."  Naito's smirk widened as he saw the look of confusion on Yugi's face.  "What?" he said in mock horror, "You mean you don't remember?"  Yugi's blank, yet angry, expression was answer enough.  The Yami-look-alike sighed before hopping up to sit on the edge of the metal table that Yugi was strapped to.  "Hmm…where to begin?..." he mused.  Yugi still kept quiet, determined not to speak to the teen unless absolutely necessary – he didn't want Naito to think he had absolute control over him.  Naito looked over to see the teen's determined look.  He laughed, but to Yugi's surprise it sounded neither cruel nor menacing at all.  It was just…a laugh.

Noticing this, Naito responded to Yugi's unspoken question.  "Ne, this is going to take a while.  But you're not going anywhere, now are you?"  He smirked.  "If there's one thing I believe, it's that everyone should know who they are – or rather, in your case, who you were."  His face darkened, as if remembering something, before it retreated again, revealing a cockier, slightly younger version of Yami.  "How it began….

"Yami and I are brothers.  Him slightly older than myself, though by no more than a year…I don't quite understand your calendar system, so I can't tell you exactly….  Anyway, as you probably know, our father was Pharaoh of Egypt.  Of course, the land back then was split into two; the Upper and Lower Kingdoms.  Our father ruled over the former…before his untimely death.  That's when Yami and I were forced to lead the people, before we even had a chance to grow up.

"So, we exited our childhood into these 'teen' years, as you tend to call them.  Yami, being the oldest, was crowned Pharaoh, while I remained a prince.  We worked closely together, for a while at least.  We began to grow apart…certain differences in ideas and preference getting in the way of coming to a decision every so often."

"Like what?" Yugi asked, before he could stop himself.  He mentally cursed – curiosity had always managed to get the best of him at the worst of times, and he had broken his 'vow of silence'.  Naito, who had been staring off into space while telling his story, turned to glance an eye on Yugi, eyebrow raised in the trademark Yami fashion.

"Well," he continued, "take mating preferences for example.  I always preferred girls, while Yami was into guys."  A little smirk reappeared on his face as he saw Yugi's eyes widen as the younger teen registered this last bit of information.  "You didn't know?  Ra, you're more clueless than I thought.

"Yes, Yugi.  That's where you come in.  See, having both a Lower and Upper realm of Egypt tended to cause problems in all the areas – trading, politics, religion – and so Yami and I had decided to take Lower Egypt by force, uniting the two realms and thereby fixing this problem.  All was going well and according to plan, until one day Yami decided to take a walk along the bank of the Nile.  And can you guess what happened?  He found you – you, a little, spineless brat who, in anyone else's eyes, was simply a stupid commoner.  But still, the resemblance between you and Yami was as it is today, so, intrigued, he brought you back to the palace.  And can you guess what happened after that?  He fell in love with you."

Yugi's eyes were just as wide as before – upset by the jabbing comments Naito had sent his way, yet also shocked.  [Yami loved me?  Then why, why didn't he ever say anything about it?  Or has time changed him – did he change his mind while stuck inside the puzzle?  What if he thinks of me now as Naito does?]  Yugi shook his head mentally, pushing those things from his thoughts, his near kiss with Yami resurfacing in his mind.  [Nonsense – Yami's the best friend I've ever had…I can't start thinking that way.  That's just what Naito wants.]  He focused his attention back on Naito, who had been quietly watching the other, enjoying the inner turmoil Yugi was going through.  Upon seeing Yugi's resolute face, he sighed and continued.

"Yami loved you, true, and soon it became known throughout the land that the Pharaoh had found love in a simple commoner.  It was forbidden; soon you were to be thrown out and exiled from Upper Egypt for tempting the Pharaoh.  But then, wouldn't you know it…you revealed to all of us your secret, at the last moment – that you were actually Prince and heir to the throne of Lower Egypt.  Who would've guessed, that such a worthless, sniveling kid like you was actually nobility, let alone an upstart Pharaoh?  That settled it – you and Yami were wed instantly, and the two lands reunited peacefully.  Woo hoo."

Yugi would have asked something, or perhaps retorted against a few of Naito's statements, but he quickly noticed that that sadistic look had begun to reappear on his captor's face.  [That isn't it.  There's something he's not telling me…and that something is why he hates Yami and I so much…it has to be.]  Acting against his better judgment, he finally decided to speak up after a few minutes of tense silence had passed.  But before he could get a word out, Naito flashed angry sapphire eyes at him, growling.

"Yes.  You two got together, and ruined my life.  It was bad enough when I was simply a shadow – HIS shadow, the shadow of the Pharaoh.  Always second-rate in others' eyes, always the origin of anything that went wrong in Egypt.  Who was blamed for all your problems?  Me.  Who was accused of treason against Yami?  Me.  Who was labeled as murderer of the past Pharaoh?  ME.  Yami's name means darkness, doesn't it?  Did you know that mine, Naito, means night?  Sort of like the shadow of darkness, if you will…the night can't exist without darkness, but darkness can exist even in the daytime.  That baka, Yami, always used me as some sort of pawn – I was always the one to do his dirty work, getting my hands bloodied while his stayed clean and pristine."  Yugi noticed that Naito was beginning to raise his voice and becoming more and more upset as he ranted, but didn't dare say anything at this point.  Suddenly, Naito's expression melted into one of hopelessness as he looked down at the floor.

"No, I did not kill my father.  No, I didn't.  How could I?  He brought me up, I was his son.  Sure, he was a bit rough at times…it was self-defense, really.  It couldn't be helped!  He kept blaming me for Mother's death…she died when she gave birth to me…hah, I wonder if she knew what kind of son I'd grow up to be.  Ogas-sama…I never got to know you…and father always blamed me for it…was it really my fault, dear mother?  Did you foresee that your two sons would be growing up without you, without anyone?  Could you have known what unhappiness you cursed me with when you died?

"Yes…unhappiness…that's a nice, gentle way of putting it, ne?  It was more like feeling the blade of the burning scythe."  Hopelessness turned into rage as he turned, grabbing Yugi by the shoulders fiercely, shocking the teen as wide amethyst met narrowed sapphire.  "And just when I thought things might just start going my way, YOU showed up, Yugi.  Finally, we were going to take over Lower Egypt, and I would have a place in life as the new ruler of the kingdom there, a life of my own.  But Yami went back on his promise, the day he met you.  I'll admit, you can't avoid what you are or how you're born, but Ra dammit, Yami never looked at me as a brother – he regarded me as some lowly slave, the dirt under his feet.  It was ok for him to break all the promises he had made to me over the years, to make sure I felt as much pain as possible throughout my life…the kisama…Yami took after Otous-sama a little too well…well, I've had enough of that.  I've had enough of the pain and suffering – it's about time someone else took that responsibility.  And do you know whose turn it is, little Yugi?  Yours.  Yours and Yami's.  ESPECIALLY Yami's." 

By this time he had been shaking Yugi in rage as the said boy stared back, listening to Naito's ranting.  Suddenly, he let go, allowing Yugi's head to fall back on the table rather violently.  As the teen recovered from the shock, Naito brought forth a hand to press down on his forehead, causing the itchy annoyance from before to turn into a searing pain.  The captive could feel blood slowly dripping from his skull as he looked up at Naito while grimacing.  Naito lowered his head so he was only inches away from Yugi's, before whispering quietly, "You know, it's interesting how many different methods of torture you mortals have been able to think up since ancient times.  While I was rooting through Merodi's memories when we first met, I came across an intriguing section of information…you have a class at your place of learning called 'Crime and Punishment', do you not?"

Yugi blinked, unable to speak.  He remembered that such a class existed at school.  He also remembered that no one enjoyed taking it, for the teacher seemed to be unusually blunt and non-feeling, many times showing tapes and videos of particularly violent, disgusting forms of torture from way-back-when.  Merodi had taken that class her first year in high school, not aware of what it actually contained.  Yugi had seen her exit the classroom more than once with a solemn, brooding expression on her face – she was one of those people who was able to stomach the types of things that were discussed, but that didn't necessarily mean that she had to like it.  Realizing that Naito had all this information now, Yugi stared at his tormentor as he smiled, seeing that Yugi had fully caught the gist of what Naito was telling him.

"Yes…a very interesting class…but I happened to find one particular entry to be most intriguing.  Did you know that, in a land across the sea – Amerika, I believe – the people used to punish their fellow man with a form of torture that used…what do you call it?  Ah, electricity, that's right.  I'll admit I'm not quite sure what it is, but I can assure you I have enough knowledge as to how to use it.  And that, when used in a certain way, it can cause extreme pain.  You've heard of Electro-Shock Therapy?  Guess what you're in story for, Yugi."

Ok, forget being brave in the face of danger – Yugi was scared now.  He tried not to let it show, but inside he was cringing, wishing that Yami were there.  [Yami!]  He mentally pleaded, [Yami, where are you?]

Naito got off the table as he slowly made his way around, checking to make sure the leather straps had Yugi securely fastened to the table.  As soon as he started walking away to adjust some settings on a nearby piece of equipment, Yugi opened his mind link with his protector, hoping against hope that Naito wouldn't take notice.

/Yami?  Yami, are you there?/

//YUGI!!  Thank Ra, where are you?  Are you alright?  What's happened?  Where's Naito?//

/I-I don't know…it's a big room…dark…I can't tell.  Naito's here, but I don't know how long it will be until he can sense us talking./

{{Oh, it didn't take that long, I assure you.}}

Yugi's eyes widened as he turned his head to see two orbs of blue gleaming in the shadows, grinning maliciously.

//…Naito?//

{{Hello Yami.  Nice to hear from you.  But I'm afraid I can't talk with you right now – I have to get Yugi ready for his torture session, if that's alright with you.}}

//WHAT??  NAITO, DON'T YOU DARE LAY A HAND ON YUGI, YOU KISAMA!!//

{{Oh don't worry, 'Onii-chan'…I promise I won't lay a finger on him.}}

{Naito!!  Whatever you're planning on doing, please stop!!}

For the first time since the conversation began, Yugi saw Naito waver, not expecting another voice to enter the conversation.  {{…Merodi?}}

{Yes – please, leave Yugi out of this!!}

//I swear, Naito, if you hurt Yugi I'll-//

{{I have only three letters for you, Merodi.  E-S-T.  Hope you have a good day.}}

Naito started to walk back over to where Yugi was, his hand covered in a light blue film of energy.  He reached for Yugi's head, as the said person frantically spoke with Yami.

//Yugi, what's going on?  What is he doing?//

/Yami, I don't have time, ask Merodi.  Please, just get here soon, or I might not b-/

//Yugi?  YUGI!!!//

/……/

As Naito had put his hand on Yugi's head, the connection between yami and hikari was suddenly severed.  Yugi's eyes went wide, feeling empty and utterly heart-broken now that his bond with Yami had been cut.  He was no longer scared – he was terrified.  It was if he had been standing on solid ground, when suddenly it opened up beneath him, swallowing him up in the deep abyss below.  Silent tears began tracing down his pale cheeks as he mentally screamed in sorrow, the ache deepening, knowing that he may never see Yami again.  Naito just smiled further, letting loose a frightening, booming laugh.  Grabbing Yugi's chin, the tormentor quickly stuck a piece of rubber in between his teeth before retreating out of his sight, explaining, "We don't need you biting off your tongue involuntarily during this 'session', now do we?  Gods know I don't need you dying on me when we've just started to have some fun, right?"  He laughed again as eyes widened.  The same amethyst orbs began darting back and forth as Naito moved a silver band to secure Yugi's head in place, also moving two metal irons to sit on either side of his head.  By this time, Yugi was struggling violently against his bonds, his heart thumping rapidly against his chest as Naito finished his final preparations.

As Naito walked away from the table, Yugi could here him advise softly, "You might want to relax, little prince – with all this power surging through you, you might break a couple bones.  Then I'd have to go and fix them all before starting again."  Before Yugi could make any sort of mental reply, Naito had reached the control panel.  Without warning he turned the first switch on, causing the soldering irons to draw closer to the teen's head, until it almost touched the smooth, cool metal that secured his head in place.  Naito flipped the second and final switch.

The electricity ran through the machine, forming an arc of violent light as it jumped from the irons to the band on Yugi's head.

Suddenly and unexpectedly, Yugi was overtaken by the sudden surge of electric energy to his temples.  His entire body went rigid as the power of the electricity violently lifted his body off the table – the leather straps cut deep into his skin, struggling to keep his taut, arced form secured as thousands of volts coursed through his body.  Blood seeped from his numerous wounds, forming a few small puddles on the floor of the dark storeroom.  His jaw clamped shut, nearly biting through the rubber between them as the powerful, fiery energy continued to race through his body.  His hair literally stood on end as the electricity continued to snap and crackle, still arcing from the irons to his head.

Yugi had never felt such pain in his life, not even in the Shadow Realm.  There, his life force was simply drained away little by little; here, his small form was quickly breaking down from the incredible overload of energy.  His eyes shut tight; he could feel every limb, every muscle in his body flaring in pain, as if he were burning from the inside out.  It was so intense, he barely noticed that his hands were balled up into fists, his nails cutting into the inside of his palms.  Fact, he couldn't sense anything, save that torturous overload of electricity.  Yugi could feel his head about to explode as he let out a murderous, blood-curdling scream, his heart and soul being ripping to shreds under the extreme pain.  His screams continued to increase in volume, the pain never faulting, until suddenly the world around him ceased to be as he slipped into unconsciousness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Merodi no Yami:  Well?  What do you people think?  I haven't seen anyone on FF.net use EST as a torture device yet…well, not in the YGO section, anyway.  Hope you guys like this new twist – like I said before, I'm trying to make this different from all the other YGO fics out there…hope it's working; there's a lot of clichés in the YGO section that I tried to avoid, don't know if I did. Oh well.  As long as you people continue liking this story, I'll keep writing.  (Though, it's getting hard writing this without the prequel.  I'll probably have to come back and change some stuff later.  Yeah.  Oh well.  Oh yeah, and Yami's shirt right now is a short-sleeved, black silk dress shirt – I changed it.  Not that anyone CARES….oh well.)  Time to go to bed – it's the start of a new quarter tomorrow!  Please review and make me happy!!