The seconds inched by with painful slowness.
Yuugi remained hunched over, eyes squeezed painfully shut, not daring to believe it when nothing sharp dug into his flesh. In fact, instead of mauling him, somebody was _embracing_ him. Finally, he dared to ease one eyelid open, gazing up with fear.
No. Way.
The demon was the one holding him so gently?
"You..." Yuugi paused, gulped. "You're not going to kill me?"
Seeing a face that hadn't smiled in perhaps centuries was wrong, somehow, but the way the demon's eyes smiled with his lips somehow made it... right. Yuugi found himself relaxing. "No. Never. I am here to protect you."
At these words, Yuugi started to smile back, but something stirred at the corner of his vision. The others. They looked horrified. He stiffened again. "But you killed my friends!"
Crimson eyes narrowed at this accusation. "I am here to protect you," the demon repeated.
"But they were my friends!" By now, Yuugi had put his hands on the demon's shoulders, and was twisted around so he could look said demon in the face. "How could you kill them? What have they ever done to deserve... to deserve... death?"
"Don't you remember? They would have betrayed you if you continued to trust in them."
Yuugi shook his head wordlessly, his eyes clearly stating his disbelief. Then, "how?" Confused, he crafted a defense with the first of the long list of deaths on his conscience. "Ryou would never betray me!"
"Ryou would not have protected you either. He merely stood aside when you were being hurt."
"No..." A mere whisper was all the defense Ryou got as the demon rather forcefully reawakened some of Yuugi's memories. Dazed, Yuugi watched them, then shook his head just as forcefully. "No! He was afraid! What could he have done, anyways? There were too many of them, they were too big..."
"So he just watched calmly."
"He wasn't calm! He was... he was panicking! He tried to help me, he did, but he was... haven't you ever been afraid? It freezes you, so even if you wanted to help, you couldn't. He didn't run, did he? If he had run, he wouldn't have gotten hurt at all, but he stayed with me!"
"He should have helped you."
"He couldn't! We all have our strengths and weaknesses." It didn't make sense. None of it made sense. A demon, from his puzzle, killing everybody he loved, then declaring that it was to _protect_ him. And now he was pleading with the demon, to what avail? If the demon admitted to be wrong in killing Ryou, would that bring him back from the dead?
"Yes, we do. And his was that he was a bad friend."
"But even if he was a bad friend, what gives you the right to kill him?" Honda asked, and Yuugi shot him a grateful look.
The demon swiveled until his gaze rested on Honda, and continued speaking calmly to Yuugi, as if Honda's words had been nothing but sound, meaningless and primitive. "And this one attacked you."
"No!" Three voices yelled at once. Yuugi latched on to the demon's arms, shaking his head and trying not to cry. "He never meant to hurt me, he just didn't want you to possess me, please don't..."
Jou and Anzu had both jumped forward as well, though Jou had to put a hand out to steady himself and another to his temple to try to ease his headache. Disorientated and dizzy at the sudden motion, Jou sank back down with a moan, nursing his head in his arms and putting a finger to the back of his head, where sweat mixed with the blood that flowed sluggishly from who-knew-where. Anzu brandished the baseball bat again, but remembering her previous experience, dropped it, and prepared to use her fists if necessary. She stepped in front of Honda protectively.
Frozen until now from the demon's words, Honda finally appeared to notice that Anzu's legs were suddenly in front of his face. "Get down, fool!" he hissed, wrapping his arms against lightly tanned legs and pulling Anzu down, ignoring the bloody gash running down his bicep. "If it's me he wants, let him have me! There's no use in getting you hurt, too!"
Ignoring all this, the demon stood, brushing Yuugi off.
"Please! You said you were here to protect me! You said it twice! But this isn't protection, this is... this is murder!" Desperate, Yuugi began yelling the first things that came to his lips. "You can't kill him! You can't! If being safe comes at the cost of others' lives, I'd rather you kill me now!"
That got the demon's attention. "Really." He stalked back towards Yuugi. "You mean to say that you want me to kill you and free myself of the duty of protecting you." Hesitantly, Yuugi nodded, and the demon pretending to think over it for a while. "Hmm... no. If you die, I'd imagine that I would die to. Besides," the demon leaned his face close to Yuugi's, smiling lazily. "I like you." The "you" was pronounced "yieu," like the word for "sugar" in some European language. He stretched out the "i" in like as if toying with a favorite food, trying to make the taste linger in his mouth as long as possible. Yuugi's eyes widened, and combined with the childish way this murderous demon had just spoken, it might have been comical in any other situation. "Besides, I don't like this one much, anyways." He jerked his head towards Honda. "I would've killed him even if he hadn't hurt you."
In another situation, the comedy level would've increased with Yuugi's gaping mouth, but the immeasurable amount of helplessness and despair in his eyes would've reduced the general humor of the situation. Anyone laughing would be accused of heartlessness, and several crimes including the murdering of babies straight from the cradle.
Yuugi wondered if the demon would've had qualms about doing just that.
~~
Note: About time I got this up, isn't it? I'm really, really, really sorry that this took so long! As I said, I was away at camp, and I had (and still have) a really bad case of writer's block. I _still_ don't know what's going to happen next. Any suggestions?
~~
Ryasha: Nice to know I can do that to people. Thank chibizoo for your brain freeze. 'Twas her idea, if I remember correctly.
Shitsumon: Wow. You actually submit reviews with valid criticism! I love you! Sorry I've been neglecting to answer your reviews, this is mostly a result of bad short term memory. Let's see. he was yelling at Yuugi probably because he was desperate to get out before Honda killed Yuugi. Hm, I don't think I ever said that Yuugi's mother physically abused him. Just verbally. ^-^ Er, I suppose his friends entered his house at night, and nobody knew where they went? Nope, no Ryou. (*laughs evilly with the knowledge that she's just eliminated Yuugi's major competition in the cute department*)
Kopy-Kat14: *blinks* I didn't find anything in the email and it's been. a month. And I didn't get the next chapter of Wired yet, in case you mailed it to me. Ooh! Yaoi! *happy*
Thanks to everybody who reviewed. just because I didn't mention you doesn't mean I don't appreciate your reviews. *ego puffs*
Yuugi remained hunched over, eyes squeezed painfully shut, not daring to believe it when nothing sharp dug into his flesh. In fact, instead of mauling him, somebody was _embracing_ him. Finally, he dared to ease one eyelid open, gazing up with fear.
No. Way.
The demon was the one holding him so gently?
"You..." Yuugi paused, gulped. "You're not going to kill me?"
Seeing a face that hadn't smiled in perhaps centuries was wrong, somehow, but the way the demon's eyes smiled with his lips somehow made it... right. Yuugi found himself relaxing. "No. Never. I am here to protect you."
At these words, Yuugi started to smile back, but something stirred at the corner of his vision. The others. They looked horrified. He stiffened again. "But you killed my friends!"
Crimson eyes narrowed at this accusation. "I am here to protect you," the demon repeated.
"But they were my friends!" By now, Yuugi had put his hands on the demon's shoulders, and was twisted around so he could look said demon in the face. "How could you kill them? What have they ever done to deserve... to deserve... death?"
"Don't you remember? They would have betrayed you if you continued to trust in them."
Yuugi shook his head wordlessly, his eyes clearly stating his disbelief. Then, "how?" Confused, he crafted a defense with the first of the long list of deaths on his conscience. "Ryou would never betray me!"
"Ryou would not have protected you either. He merely stood aside when you were being hurt."
"No..." A mere whisper was all the defense Ryou got as the demon rather forcefully reawakened some of Yuugi's memories. Dazed, Yuugi watched them, then shook his head just as forcefully. "No! He was afraid! What could he have done, anyways? There were too many of them, they were too big..."
"So he just watched calmly."
"He wasn't calm! He was... he was panicking! He tried to help me, he did, but he was... haven't you ever been afraid? It freezes you, so even if you wanted to help, you couldn't. He didn't run, did he? If he had run, he wouldn't have gotten hurt at all, but he stayed with me!"
"He should have helped you."
"He couldn't! We all have our strengths and weaknesses." It didn't make sense. None of it made sense. A demon, from his puzzle, killing everybody he loved, then declaring that it was to _protect_ him. And now he was pleading with the demon, to what avail? If the demon admitted to be wrong in killing Ryou, would that bring him back from the dead?
"Yes, we do. And his was that he was a bad friend."
"But even if he was a bad friend, what gives you the right to kill him?" Honda asked, and Yuugi shot him a grateful look.
The demon swiveled until his gaze rested on Honda, and continued speaking calmly to Yuugi, as if Honda's words had been nothing but sound, meaningless and primitive. "And this one attacked you."
"No!" Three voices yelled at once. Yuugi latched on to the demon's arms, shaking his head and trying not to cry. "He never meant to hurt me, he just didn't want you to possess me, please don't..."
Jou and Anzu had both jumped forward as well, though Jou had to put a hand out to steady himself and another to his temple to try to ease his headache. Disorientated and dizzy at the sudden motion, Jou sank back down with a moan, nursing his head in his arms and putting a finger to the back of his head, where sweat mixed with the blood that flowed sluggishly from who-knew-where. Anzu brandished the baseball bat again, but remembering her previous experience, dropped it, and prepared to use her fists if necessary. She stepped in front of Honda protectively.
Frozen until now from the demon's words, Honda finally appeared to notice that Anzu's legs were suddenly in front of his face. "Get down, fool!" he hissed, wrapping his arms against lightly tanned legs and pulling Anzu down, ignoring the bloody gash running down his bicep. "If it's me he wants, let him have me! There's no use in getting you hurt, too!"
Ignoring all this, the demon stood, brushing Yuugi off.
"Please! You said you were here to protect me! You said it twice! But this isn't protection, this is... this is murder!" Desperate, Yuugi began yelling the first things that came to his lips. "You can't kill him! You can't! If being safe comes at the cost of others' lives, I'd rather you kill me now!"
That got the demon's attention. "Really." He stalked back towards Yuugi. "You mean to say that you want me to kill you and free myself of the duty of protecting you." Hesitantly, Yuugi nodded, and the demon pretending to think over it for a while. "Hmm... no. If you die, I'd imagine that I would die to. Besides," the demon leaned his face close to Yuugi's, smiling lazily. "I like you." The "you" was pronounced "yieu," like the word for "sugar" in some European language. He stretched out the "i" in like as if toying with a favorite food, trying to make the taste linger in his mouth as long as possible. Yuugi's eyes widened, and combined with the childish way this murderous demon had just spoken, it might have been comical in any other situation. "Besides, I don't like this one much, anyways." He jerked his head towards Honda. "I would've killed him even if he hadn't hurt you."
In another situation, the comedy level would've increased with Yuugi's gaping mouth, but the immeasurable amount of helplessness and despair in his eyes would've reduced the general humor of the situation. Anyone laughing would be accused of heartlessness, and several crimes including the murdering of babies straight from the cradle.
Yuugi wondered if the demon would've had qualms about doing just that.
~~
Note: About time I got this up, isn't it? I'm really, really, really sorry that this took so long! As I said, I was away at camp, and I had (and still have) a really bad case of writer's block. I _still_ don't know what's going to happen next. Any suggestions?
~~
Ryasha: Nice to know I can do that to people. Thank chibizoo for your brain freeze. 'Twas her idea, if I remember correctly.
Shitsumon: Wow. You actually submit reviews with valid criticism! I love you! Sorry I've been neglecting to answer your reviews, this is mostly a result of bad short term memory. Let's see. he was yelling at Yuugi probably because he was desperate to get out before Honda killed Yuugi. Hm, I don't think I ever said that Yuugi's mother physically abused him. Just verbally. ^-^ Er, I suppose his friends entered his house at night, and nobody knew where they went? Nope, no Ryou. (*laughs evilly with the knowledge that she's just eliminated Yuugi's major competition in the cute department*)
Kopy-Kat14: *blinks* I didn't find anything in the email and it's been. a month. And I didn't get the next chapter of Wired yet, in case you mailed it to me. Ooh! Yaoi! *happy*
Thanks to everybody who reviewed. just because I didn't mention you doesn't mean I don't appreciate your reviews. *ego puffs*