"Yuugi," Anzu began, slowly, calmly, "We're your friends, you know that. We
want to believe you, but you have to admit, this is... shocking." Here, she
paused, grasping for something else to say.
"You don't believe me," Yuugi said flatly, looking saddened and lost. "You don't need to tell me, I can see it in your eyes."
"Aw, c'mon, Yuugi! I believe you! You wouldn't lie to us," Jou protested, reaching over to pat Yuugi on the shoulder. "We'll figure this out together."
Desperately, Yuugi shook the hand off. "No, no! You still don't believe me. You think I'm delusional or... or something..."
"I believe you." Honda didn't seem to care that his blond friend had said the exact same thing seconds ago. "I saw the articles in the newspaper. You used to live in Tokyo, then, isn't that right?" Yuugi looked like he wanted to hug Honda, but settled for nodding. "Yeah. I thought so. But just because I believe you doesn't mean that I'm going to help you."
At the same time, Yuugi asked, "But how could you have read the Tokyo newspaper?"
Honda's eyes darkened. "I knew Miho."
"You... did...?"
"Met her at work. We dated about a year. When she moved, we kept in touch. We'd been writing letters for about two years... Apparently, when her mother saw my letter in the mailbox, addressed to Miho, she burst into tears. She sent me back the newspaper clipping."
"Oh. I'm... I'm sorry..."
Honda shot him an indiscernible look. "Yeah. Well, considering how you killed her, I suppose you should be." The chair he had been sitting on clattered, and then he was gone. A few moments later, the front door slammed. Again, the bell jingled merrily.
Yuugi blinked stupidly after him a few moments, while the three sat in silence. Then he, too, got up, licking dry lips. Pausing on his way to the stairs, he turned to Anzu and Jou. "That turned out well, didn't it? Well, just stay away from me from now on. Especially if somebody turns up missing."
"Wait! Yuugi!" When deadened violet eyes met Jou's gaze, Jou gulped. "I... I don't think you should stay here by yourself, Yuugi. I know it looks like we don't believe you, and it is kinda hard to believe, but maybe you are telling the truth. If that's so, if you try to solve the puzzle in the dead of night, we could stop you..."
"But Jou... then you'll just get killed first..."
"Don't you think I can handle a piece of jewelry?"
"It's not just a piece of jewelry, Jou," Yuugi admonished, laughing slightly. "If it can control my body, who knows what else it can do?"
"Yeah, but if we're there, we can hold you back, and you won't even be able to solve it in the first place."
"But... I don't want you to get hurt..."
"We'll be careful! If we can't hold you off, we'll run. Isn't that right, Anzu?"
Anzu didn't miss a beat. "Of course! There's no reason why we shouldn't stick together... hey! Jou, stop speaking for me!"
~~
It was hard sleeping that night. Anzu lay in her bag, staring up at the ceiling in Yuugi's room. It was dark, but for the blinking lights of the large digital clock by Yuugi's head, and the penguin nightlight by the door, which Anzu had declared adorable upon sight. Her entire body was tense, wondering if Yuugi was asleep or not.
The sweat pooled on the bridge of Anzu's nose, and she quickly wiped it off, and then wiped her forehead. She was afraid to even move. Scolding herself for being so ridiculous, she glanced towards Yuugi, and caught sight of the clock.
Nearing midnight.
Of course, the time has no matter to a demon, right? The thought wasn't so convincing when she thought of all the horror stories she'd ever read.
Yuugi caught her gaze. "I'm scared," he whispered. Jou was sleeping between Yuugi's bed and the desk, the foot of his sleeping bag effectively blocking the closet in which the puzzle was stowed. Neither knew if he was awake or not, so Anzu also replied in a whisper.
"So am I."
"Then we can be scared together," Yuugi decided with a smile. By only the pale, blue light of the penguin and the red light of the clock, the smile looked... creepy. But Yuugi shifted back a bit, and the moment passed.
Relaxing, Anzu closed her eyes. Just as she was about to fall asleep, a loud noise interrupted her. Biting back a scream, Anzu grabbed the baseball bat she had stolen from Jou and jumped up... and saw nothing. She looked around confusedly for a moment before her eyes fell just over the corner of Yuugi's bed. Jou was snoring.
Anzu sighed and sat back down. Now she'd _never_ get to sleep.
Somehow, Anzu did fall asleep. She dreamt of penguins bathed in blood.
~~
When she woke, Yuugi was struggling with Jou on the bed. Yuugi eyes were closed, and Jou wasn't having much trouble, using his knees to pin Yuugi's and his hands to pin Yuugi's arms down. But how could he hold Yuugi there all night?
Suddenly, Yuugi let out a low moan. His eyes snapped open, flaring an intense red that had no comparison. And he grinned.
~~
Yuugi was floating again.
Where is everybody? The question didn't come out of his mouth, though. It merely ran through his head and disappeared, making room for the whispers.
'Solve the puzzle.'
No, he tried to say, I don't want to.
'Solve the puzzle.'
He tried to get up, but his legs sank. With the unpleasant idea that if he sank, he would drown, he got back down.
'Solve the puzzle.'
No, no, no, no, no-
'Solve the puzzle.'
The whispers were getting harsher now.
'Solve it! Solve it!'
No, I-
'SOLVE THE PUZZLE!'
I can't, I'll-
'THE PUZZLE! SOLVE! NOW!'
But...
'SOLVE IT!'
This was-
'PUZZLE!'
--Insane! Why-
'SOLVE!'
--Were the voices yelling-
'PUT IT TOGETHER!'
--At him? They'd never-
'NOW!'
--Done that before. It must be urgent.
'Yes, it is,' the voice said, calming. 'Very urgent. Please solve the puzzle...' But I can't... It'll hurt my friends...
~~
The door to Yuugi's room slammed open. At the noise, Jou looked up. There, with the light streaming in from behind him, stood Honda, in an incredibly dramatic pose. Distracted, Jou didn't realize until it was too late that Yuugi had flung him away, and was now grabbing for the closet.
Honda dove after Yuugi, pushing him away from the closet, and pinned the poor boy down with bony knees. "This is for Miho!" He yelled, and whacked Yuugi over the head, clearly intending to knock the boy out and be done with it, at least for the night.
Yuugi retained consciousness, however, and _glared_ at Honda. Caught by the force of that terrible glare, Honda froze. Yuugi launched himself at Honda's chest, and both were lost to a mound of flailing limbs and sharp teeth. As the fight tamed slightly, Honda seemed to be winning, trying to pin Yuugi down.
Then he paused.
The closet door burst open, sending Jou's sleeping bag flying. Out of it, the puzzle flew, chain dangling. It circled Yuugi's head slowly. The last puzzle piece came with it, and Yuugi tried to grab for them, the red light in his eyes fading and growing at irregular intervals. Always, though, he jerked back his hand as if he'd been stung. His movements grew stiff, as if he were fighting internally.
Jou knocked it out of the air with a hand.
Honda suddenly started moving again, a machine that was abruptly plugged in. But instead of doing something to contain Yuugi, he reached for the puzzle and flung it at Yuugi.
"HONDA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING???"
But it was too late. Yuugi looked at the puzzle like his birthday had come early, and slipped the last piece in.
~~
Click.
~~
The puzzle bathed Yuugi in a brilliant white light, but he didn't seemed like he was going to put it on. One hand hovered over the puzzle, as if deciding whether or not to take it apart. With an inhuman cry, Honda leapt over and threw the loop around Yuugi's neck.
Convulsing, Yuugi collapsed, hands drawing near to the puzzle but pulling back abruptly. Then, he was still.
Jou looked ready to kill Honda, while Anzu just looked horrified. She put out a hand to perhaps tap Yuugi on the shoulder, but before she could, Yuugi looked up. His eyes were dull, and he didn't seem to be _in there_, but he shook his head. The motion shifted the puzzle around his neck, and suddenly, the life came back into his eyes. They were violet.
At the same time, something solidified beside him. A person? Yes, it was a person. 'It looked like me,' Yuugi had said, but none of Yuugi's friends could see much of a resemblance. Sure, they both had the same hairstyle, but what did that mean? This newcomer's face was stern and his eyes... red...
Yuugi watched with a slightly stunned expression on his face as Jou attacked, apparently grabbing for the spirit's throat. His fingers passed right through. The Yuugi-look-alike stepped back a bit, and sat down on the bed. Jou didn't adjust so well to the fact that his momentum had just pushed him _through_ the puzzle demon, and found himself falling after said demon, arms flailing wildly.
A hand closed around his upper arm. Wild-eyed, Jou stared at the hand belonging to the demon he'd passed through moments ago, only tearing his eyes away a split second before he was once again thrown into the wall with a sickening crunch.
And then the demon, more solid than they thought, dove for Honda, teeth bared in a snarl.
Anzu had finally worked up the nerve to approach the demon with Jou's baseball bat, and Jou was just getting up from his spot by the wall when a wail pierced through the night. The demon stopped what he was doing, and, leaving a bloody Honda to fall gratefully to the floor, darted back to the bed, where Yuugi was curled up, sobbing.
"I won't let you hurt him," Anzu snarled, and, since she'd already worked up the courage before, it was simple from there to bring the bat down upon the demon's head.
The demon glared.
The baseball bat caught on fire, and Anzu shrieked, trying not to let the fire touch either her hands or Yuugi's room, and finally ran out, trying to find a sink.
Helpless, Jou could only watch dimly, fighting off the unconsciousness that threatened to overtake him, as the demon crept closer to the crying Yuugi. Closer... (What do I do he'll get Yuugi) closer... (I have to stop him can't let him get Yuugi) closer... (I'm sorry Yuugi I should've stopped him) And then, the demon was right next to the boy, and he-
Put an arm around Yuugi.
Anzu had run back just in time to witness it, dripping baseball bat in hand. Four pairs of eyes widened as the demon enveloped Yuugi in a tight hug, nuzzling the boy from sheer affection. A pin could've dropped on the carpet of Yuugi's bedroom, and they all would've heard it. The only sound was that of the demon purring as he slowly relaxed his grip around Yuugi.
Nobody really knew how long they sat there, except when the digits on the clock suddenly changed from 12:59 to 1:00, and Yuugi's friends suddenly unfroze. Jou made as if to approach and instantly found a pair of demonic red eyes glaring at him. Raising his hands in a rather defensive gesture, Jou backed up again.
~~
Author's Note: I'm sorry, but I'm going to be going away. I'll barely be at my computer for the next four weeks, and I apologize for the gigantic cliffhanger I've left you with. But it was better than just leaving you with the previous chapter, right?
Domo Arigatou to Zoo-san for fixing a part and inspiring me to finish this chapter.
"You don't believe me," Yuugi said flatly, looking saddened and lost. "You don't need to tell me, I can see it in your eyes."
"Aw, c'mon, Yuugi! I believe you! You wouldn't lie to us," Jou protested, reaching over to pat Yuugi on the shoulder. "We'll figure this out together."
Desperately, Yuugi shook the hand off. "No, no! You still don't believe me. You think I'm delusional or... or something..."
"I believe you." Honda didn't seem to care that his blond friend had said the exact same thing seconds ago. "I saw the articles in the newspaper. You used to live in Tokyo, then, isn't that right?" Yuugi looked like he wanted to hug Honda, but settled for nodding. "Yeah. I thought so. But just because I believe you doesn't mean that I'm going to help you."
At the same time, Yuugi asked, "But how could you have read the Tokyo newspaper?"
Honda's eyes darkened. "I knew Miho."
"You... did...?"
"Met her at work. We dated about a year. When she moved, we kept in touch. We'd been writing letters for about two years... Apparently, when her mother saw my letter in the mailbox, addressed to Miho, she burst into tears. She sent me back the newspaper clipping."
"Oh. I'm... I'm sorry..."
Honda shot him an indiscernible look. "Yeah. Well, considering how you killed her, I suppose you should be." The chair he had been sitting on clattered, and then he was gone. A few moments later, the front door slammed. Again, the bell jingled merrily.
Yuugi blinked stupidly after him a few moments, while the three sat in silence. Then he, too, got up, licking dry lips. Pausing on his way to the stairs, he turned to Anzu and Jou. "That turned out well, didn't it? Well, just stay away from me from now on. Especially if somebody turns up missing."
"Wait! Yuugi!" When deadened violet eyes met Jou's gaze, Jou gulped. "I... I don't think you should stay here by yourself, Yuugi. I know it looks like we don't believe you, and it is kinda hard to believe, but maybe you are telling the truth. If that's so, if you try to solve the puzzle in the dead of night, we could stop you..."
"But Jou... then you'll just get killed first..."
"Don't you think I can handle a piece of jewelry?"
"It's not just a piece of jewelry, Jou," Yuugi admonished, laughing slightly. "If it can control my body, who knows what else it can do?"
"Yeah, but if we're there, we can hold you back, and you won't even be able to solve it in the first place."
"But... I don't want you to get hurt..."
"We'll be careful! If we can't hold you off, we'll run. Isn't that right, Anzu?"
Anzu didn't miss a beat. "Of course! There's no reason why we shouldn't stick together... hey! Jou, stop speaking for me!"
~~
It was hard sleeping that night. Anzu lay in her bag, staring up at the ceiling in Yuugi's room. It was dark, but for the blinking lights of the large digital clock by Yuugi's head, and the penguin nightlight by the door, which Anzu had declared adorable upon sight. Her entire body was tense, wondering if Yuugi was asleep or not.
The sweat pooled on the bridge of Anzu's nose, and she quickly wiped it off, and then wiped her forehead. She was afraid to even move. Scolding herself for being so ridiculous, she glanced towards Yuugi, and caught sight of the clock.
Nearing midnight.
Of course, the time has no matter to a demon, right? The thought wasn't so convincing when she thought of all the horror stories she'd ever read.
Yuugi caught her gaze. "I'm scared," he whispered. Jou was sleeping between Yuugi's bed and the desk, the foot of his sleeping bag effectively blocking the closet in which the puzzle was stowed. Neither knew if he was awake or not, so Anzu also replied in a whisper.
"So am I."
"Then we can be scared together," Yuugi decided with a smile. By only the pale, blue light of the penguin and the red light of the clock, the smile looked... creepy. But Yuugi shifted back a bit, and the moment passed.
Relaxing, Anzu closed her eyes. Just as she was about to fall asleep, a loud noise interrupted her. Biting back a scream, Anzu grabbed the baseball bat she had stolen from Jou and jumped up... and saw nothing. She looked around confusedly for a moment before her eyes fell just over the corner of Yuugi's bed. Jou was snoring.
Anzu sighed and sat back down. Now she'd _never_ get to sleep.
Somehow, Anzu did fall asleep. She dreamt of penguins bathed in blood.
~~
When she woke, Yuugi was struggling with Jou on the bed. Yuugi eyes were closed, and Jou wasn't having much trouble, using his knees to pin Yuugi's and his hands to pin Yuugi's arms down. But how could he hold Yuugi there all night?
Suddenly, Yuugi let out a low moan. His eyes snapped open, flaring an intense red that had no comparison. And he grinned.
~~
Yuugi was floating again.
Where is everybody? The question didn't come out of his mouth, though. It merely ran through his head and disappeared, making room for the whispers.
'Solve the puzzle.'
No, he tried to say, I don't want to.
'Solve the puzzle.'
He tried to get up, but his legs sank. With the unpleasant idea that if he sank, he would drown, he got back down.
'Solve the puzzle.'
No, no, no, no, no-
'Solve the puzzle.'
The whispers were getting harsher now.
'Solve it! Solve it!'
No, I-
'SOLVE THE PUZZLE!'
I can't, I'll-
'THE PUZZLE! SOLVE! NOW!'
But...
'SOLVE IT!'
This was-
'PUZZLE!'
--Insane! Why-
'SOLVE!'
--Were the voices yelling-
'PUT IT TOGETHER!'
--At him? They'd never-
'NOW!'
--Done that before. It must be urgent.
'Yes, it is,' the voice said, calming. 'Very urgent. Please solve the puzzle...' But I can't... It'll hurt my friends...
~~
The door to Yuugi's room slammed open. At the noise, Jou looked up. There, with the light streaming in from behind him, stood Honda, in an incredibly dramatic pose. Distracted, Jou didn't realize until it was too late that Yuugi had flung him away, and was now grabbing for the closet.
Honda dove after Yuugi, pushing him away from the closet, and pinned the poor boy down with bony knees. "This is for Miho!" He yelled, and whacked Yuugi over the head, clearly intending to knock the boy out and be done with it, at least for the night.
Yuugi retained consciousness, however, and _glared_ at Honda. Caught by the force of that terrible glare, Honda froze. Yuugi launched himself at Honda's chest, and both were lost to a mound of flailing limbs and sharp teeth. As the fight tamed slightly, Honda seemed to be winning, trying to pin Yuugi down.
Then he paused.
The closet door burst open, sending Jou's sleeping bag flying. Out of it, the puzzle flew, chain dangling. It circled Yuugi's head slowly. The last puzzle piece came with it, and Yuugi tried to grab for them, the red light in his eyes fading and growing at irregular intervals. Always, though, he jerked back his hand as if he'd been stung. His movements grew stiff, as if he were fighting internally.
Jou knocked it out of the air with a hand.
Honda suddenly started moving again, a machine that was abruptly plugged in. But instead of doing something to contain Yuugi, he reached for the puzzle and flung it at Yuugi.
"HONDA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING???"
But it was too late. Yuugi looked at the puzzle like his birthday had come early, and slipped the last piece in.
~~
Click.
~~
The puzzle bathed Yuugi in a brilliant white light, but he didn't seemed like he was going to put it on. One hand hovered over the puzzle, as if deciding whether or not to take it apart. With an inhuman cry, Honda leapt over and threw the loop around Yuugi's neck.
Convulsing, Yuugi collapsed, hands drawing near to the puzzle but pulling back abruptly. Then, he was still.
Jou looked ready to kill Honda, while Anzu just looked horrified. She put out a hand to perhaps tap Yuugi on the shoulder, but before she could, Yuugi looked up. His eyes were dull, and he didn't seem to be _in there_, but he shook his head. The motion shifted the puzzle around his neck, and suddenly, the life came back into his eyes. They were violet.
At the same time, something solidified beside him. A person? Yes, it was a person. 'It looked like me,' Yuugi had said, but none of Yuugi's friends could see much of a resemblance. Sure, they both had the same hairstyle, but what did that mean? This newcomer's face was stern and his eyes... red...
Yuugi watched with a slightly stunned expression on his face as Jou attacked, apparently grabbing for the spirit's throat. His fingers passed right through. The Yuugi-look-alike stepped back a bit, and sat down on the bed. Jou didn't adjust so well to the fact that his momentum had just pushed him _through_ the puzzle demon, and found himself falling after said demon, arms flailing wildly.
A hand closed around his upper arm. Wild-eyed, Jou stared at the hand belonging to the demon he'd passed through moments ago, only tearing his eyes away a split second before he was once again thrown into the wall with a sickening crunch.
And then the demon, more solid than they thought, dove for Honda, teeth bared in a snarl.
Anzu had finally worked up the nerve to approach the demon with Jou's baseball bat, and Jou was just getting up from his spot by the wall when a wail pierced through the night. The demon stopped what he was doing, and, leaving a bloody Honda to fall gratefully to the floor, darted back to the bed, where Yuugi was curled up, sobbing.
"I won't let you hurt him," Anzu snarled, and, since she'd already worked up the courage before, it was simple from there to bring the bat down upon the demon's head.
The demon glared.
The baseball bat caught on fire, and Anzu shrieked, trying not to let the fire touch either her hands or Yuugi's room, and finally ran out, trying to find a sink.
Helpless, Jou could only watch dimly, fighting off the unconsciousness that threatened to overtake him, as the demon crept closer to the crying Yuugi. Closer... (What do I do he'll get Yuugi) closer... (I have to stop him can't let him get Yuugi) closer... (I'm sorry Yuugi I should've stopped him) And then, the demon was right next to the boy, and he-
Put an arm around Yuugi.
Anzu had run back just in time to witness it, dripping baseball bat in hand. Four pairs of eyes widened as the demon enveloped Yuugi in a tight hug, nuzzling the boy from sheer affection. A pin could've dropped on the carpet of Yuugi's bedroom, and they all would've heard it. The only sound was that of the demon purring as he slowly relaxed his grip around Yuugi.
Nobody really knew how long they sat there, except when the digits on the clock suddenly changed from 12:59 to 1:00, and Yuugi's friends suddenly unfroze. Jou made as if to approach and instantly found a pair of demonic red eyes glaring at him. Raising his hands in a rather defensive gesture, Jou backed up again.
~~
Author's Note: I'm sorry, but I'm going to be going away. I'll barely be at my computer for the next four weeks, and I apologize for the gigantic cliffhanger I've left you with. But it was better than just leaving you with the previous chapter, right?
Domo Arigatou to Zoo-san for fixing a part and inspiring me to finish this chapter.