Shibby: okay, "Concrete Angel" is currently
stuck in mah brain AGAIN... sooooo....
what's gonna happen to Yugi-kun? OMG!
Yugi: dont kill me....
Joey: hey, im dead here too!
Tea: *slaps joey* no one likes you
Joey: ;_;
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Chapter Eight: Back to the Game Shop
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Today was the day.
Jonouchi could feel it. He was surprised to find himself standing in Yugi's dark bedroom once more, Yugi sprawled out on his bed. As Jonouchi looked down at Yugi, he had the strange sensation that something terrible would happen.
"I don't get it," he muttered. He looked around the empty room, as if the answer would come to him without meaning. "Amane, what's going on? Amane? Where are you?"
"You can sense it as well, Jonouchi," Amane's voice reached his ears. He spun around to face her, her fragile features pulled into sadness.
"Oh, Amane... What's going to happen?"
"They're preparing a place for him in the afterlife," Amane said softly. Jonouchi stared at her. "He will not be able to get to heaven for many years."
"Amane... What are you saying?" Jonouchi asked, afraid of the answer. "Are you saying..."
"Mutou Yugi, age eighteen," Amane recited, as if she had memorized this. "Will die at approximately four twenty-five p.m., this afternoon." Jonouchi's jaw dropped. Amane continued to stare straight ahead, her eyes empty.
Suddenly, before Jonouchi could react, she reeled backwards as if struck, then turned to Jonouchi.
"Oh," she said slowly, looking at her hands. She looked down at Yugi's sleeping figure. He was spread out on his bed, one arm hanging off his bed, facing the far wall where Jonouchi was standing. His chest rose and fell slowly, in a natural pattern that all bodies perform.
"Amane," he said slowly, "How do you know Yugi will die?" Amane shrugged.
"In the afterlife, which is what you and I are part of," she explained, "if we are sure that someone will die, we prepare a place for them there. Usually we monitor potential people who might turn into ghosts like you and I for one reason or another. Yugi, because he would be the victim of a deadly scam involving his mother." She closed her eyes and folded her arms across her abdomen, her hair falling in front of her face. Jonouchi stared at her.
"He won't get to heaven any time soon," she said softly. "Hardly anyone ever gets to heaven right away anymore." Jonouchi shook his head.
"No - Amane," he said, walking towards her. He placed his hand on her shoulder, forcing her to face him. "Can you tell me how he will die?" Amane's eyes closed, and a thin trail of blood slipped down her face. Jonouchi put a hand on her cheek, to see that, once again, blood dotted his finger tips, leaving marks on her pale cheeks.
"I can show you," she whispered after a time. She reached into her hair, pulling a long, white ribbon from it. Holding it before her, she took Jonouchi's bloody hand and wrapped it in the ribbon, so the ribbon was partially stained with his crimson blood. Jonouchi stared at her in awe.
"Amane -" But then, she whipped it into the air, and it almost cut a hole in mid-air! The cut began to grow, and soon, the entire room had changed. It was dusk-ish, and they were in the Mutou's kitchen. Yugi was standing before the sink, a drawer open beside him. He was rummaging through it, apparently looking for something. Jonouchi stepped forward cautiously.
"C'mon, I know it's here," Yugi was saying, pushing things around. He had tears in his eyes, the gash re-opened on his cheek, sniffling deeply. The clank of metal things and the rustle of papers could be heard from the drawer. Jonouchi watched, shivering slightly. He was too afraid to watch, yet too amazed to look away. He was trapped.
"Aha," he said, pulling out a piece of paper. It had smeared writing all over it. He squinted at it, trying to read the kanji scribbled down.
"Jon... L'ame," he muttered. "Two four five, three six seven something... Tonight, at six..." His shoulders dropped and his voice dwindled. He lowered his head and put the paper on the sink, reading the last word out loud.
"...revolver..." he sighed and cast his eyes around the kitchen, searching for something. "Wow, she's... r-really stupid," Yugi muttered, his voice wavering. Jonouchi shook his head as the realization sank in. "L-leaving her plans r-right here... M-maybe she w-w-wanted me to see them..." He looked down at the counter, his tears splashing, making little rivers of salty water. He sniffed and wiped his eyes, his shoulders heaving.
He didn't run away. He would meet his fate head-on, even though he could easily tell someone and get out of it. He sat down at the table, hands folded in his lap, his eyes squinted and unfocused. Jonouchi took a step forward, trying to reach his friend.
"No... No! No, Yugi! Tell someone!" He cried, but Yugi didn't hear. Amane looked away, covering her face with her hands.
"Amane," Jonouchi said, turning to her. "He can get out of this! Easy! Why doesn't he tell someone?"
"It's not done yet, Jonouchi," she whispered, pointing. Jonouchi turned to see that Yugi had found a box that had been hidden in a cabinet. He was standing before the table, staring into the box, his hands settled on the table before him. Jonouchi waited anxiously to see what would happen. Amane turned to the clock.
It was four twenty-one.
*
Jonouchi followed her gaze to the clock, his eyes widening. He looked back, and saw Yugi bring out the item in the box.
It was a revolver. A small one, but powerful. It was black, sleek, shiny. It wasn't loaded, but the ammunition was right in the box with it.
"What the..." Jonouchi muttered. "Why the hell does he have a revolver?"
"It was his late fathers," Amane explained in a small voice. "He knew where it was hidden..." Yugi, still crying softly, picked up the ammunition, and set to loading the gun. He dropped a bullet in, turned it and listened to the click.
Four twenty-three.
Even though it was just some kind of vision, Jonouchi was still getting antsy with every second. He walked closer to Yugi, leaving Amane in the corner of the room. He placed his hands on the table and leaned forward, not noticing the blood that trickled to the table. Yugi looked at the gun, his finger hovering above the trigger. Squeezing his eyes shut, he lifted the gun, putting the barrel right against his temple. Yugi's hands were shaking so much that Jonouchi could physically see it.
Amane lowered her head. She knew what would happen.
Four twenty-four.
"No.... No! No, Yugi!" Jonouchi cried, running up to his friend. He reached out and proceeded to swipe at Yugi's hand, force him to drop the gun, but it didn't work.
Ten seconds....
Amane slid down the wall, her skirt falling over her knees, burying her face in her skirt.
...Nine seconds....
Yugi's hand was still clenched around the gun, his forefinger just above the trigger. Jonouchi fell forwards in his vague attempts to snatch the gun away.
...Six seconds...
His time was running out. Jonouchi didn't know what to do. He just stumbled back up, his eyes forever on the clock.
...Three seconds...
"No..." Jonouchi muttered. He threw himself at Yugi as a last-ditch effort to save him -
....Two... One...
The gun sounded. The sound was deafening, making Jonouchi stop in mid-jump. He nearly pitched himself forward, his eyes frozen on Yugi.
Blood trickled down Yugi's face. He dropped the revolver, which hit the floor with a clang. Yugi followed close behind it, landing on his side, his eyes half-open, lifeless. Jonouchi, who had fallen to his knees, crawled over to Yugi's lifeless body. A pool of blood was forming on the floor.
Jonouchi couldn't think. He just let his tears fall, even though they passed right through Yugi's body. Amane was still staring at the floor, her shoulders bumping every few seconds with her small sniffles. Jonouchi, however, just bent forwards and laid his forehead on his friend's chest. He could feel the gasping last breaths Yugi took, and even could feel his heart beating. Jonouchi laid there, half on top of Yugi, crying, listening to his dying heartbeats. Jonouchi closed his eyes and tightened his grip on Yugi's arm, feeling his body grow still, his heart silent. Jonouchi knew that his brain might still be active, but since he shot himself in the head, and no one would come in time, it wouldn't matter.
Four twenty-six.
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~I've learned the world is bigger then me. You're my daily dose of reality.-"Stand Here With Me"~
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A flash of light - a whizzing sound -
They were back in Yugi's room. Jonouchi was sitting on the floor, his knees propped up, staring ahead, beads of sweat rolling down his face. Amane was sitting next to him, avoiding his eyes.
"...Holy shit..." Jonouchi whispered. "Amane, is that really gonna happen?" Amane didn't answer. Jonouchi looked up at Yugi's bed across the darkened room. Yugi was still sprawled out on the bed, fast asleep. Without thinking, Jonouchi jumped up and ran across the room, bending down next to the bed. He watched Yugi closely, and yes, he was still breathing.
Phew.
Jonouchi sighed in relief. Amane followed close behind Jonouchi and stood behind him, placing her delicate hands on his shoulders.
"He won't live for long," Amane said softly. She leaned her head against his back, eyes closed. Jonouchi slid to the floor, Amane following his motions. Yugi moaned, rolling onto his side, eyes still tightly closed. Jono watched his friend sleep, wondering how long it would be until his death.
A shiver of movement.
A flicker of light.
Someone was outside Yugi's door. The light under the door quickly moved on, however intriguing Jonouchi and Amane to sneak towards the door.
"Open it," Amane hissed into his ear. Jonouchi shook his head.
"We can pass through it," he explained, nodding towards the door. Standing up, both of them leaned against the door, silently praying in their minds that the person would still be in the hall...
They fell through. Jonouchi felt the pass through the wood, the rushing feeling as his body disintegrated and re-appeared within seconds. Amane appeared behind him. They stood in the hallway, the source of the light right in front of them.
With her long hair pulled back, a robe thrown over her nightdress, Rachel stood outside the doorway, rummaging around with something. She pulled a pad of paper and a pen from a table drawer, situated in the hall. Looking from side to side, making sure no one was watching, she scribbled some kanji down, crossed it out, and scribbled some more. Finally, she was finished, and slid the folded note into her handbag. The one she took to work. It was right beneath the table.
Satisfied, she retreated back to her room, yawning and locking the door behind her. Amane and Jonouchi looked at each other in shock for about two seconds, then made a mad dash for the note. Jonouchi slid right through the oak table, then right through a wall to another room. Amane giggled, and reached inside the bag, pulling the paper out with her. She waited patiently, kneeling in the hallway, her white school uniform very out-of-place in the dark, mysterious hall. She shivered.
This is creepy, she thought. It would be even creepier if I was still alive. Jonouchi eventually pulled himself out of the wall, stiffling his laughs.
"That," he said, a big smile on his joyous face, "was fun. Let me tell ya... Didya get it?" he asked, nodding towards the note. Amane nodded. Jonouchi crawled over to where she sat, sitting beside her. He placed his hand over her smaller one, gently touching her fingers.
"You ready?"
"...Yes." Together, they opened the note, and leaned forward, reading it. Jonouchi's eyes widened in shock, and Amane gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. They looked at each other, then down at the paper, then at Yugi's door.
It was a suicide note.
From Yugi to his mother, supposedly.
*
Jonouchi read the note over and over again in his mind. He had stared at it for so long, he figured he had memorized it. Amane copied it, then gently lowered the original into Rachel's bag.
It was hours later. Yugi was at school, Rachel at work. Neither of them suspecting what awaited them when they got home...
It was about three sixteen. PM.
"Good God," Jonouchi muttered. He was furious. He had taken his rage out on himself, yelling at the top of his lungs to retreating to a corner, letting all his emotions go. Amane just watched this escapade, waiting until it had ended. Amane looked down at her copy of the note, reading it out loud again, for the millionth time.
" 'Sorry, Mom, that I couldn't be there for you in the end. I'm a failure and an idiot, and I don't deserve life. So I'm taking it. This way, you can live alone, and you don't have to worry about me. Where I'm going, you don't have to watch over me. Bye. I love you.
Yugi' ."
"Bitch," Jonouchi muttered. "Making her kill look like suicide.... And there's not a damn thing I can do about it." He dropped his head to the table, sighing deeply. He looked up at Amane, shrugging. "Well, we'll just have to wait, I suppose..." They were silent for a moment, worries lingering on Jonouchi's mind.
"Jonouchi?" Amane asked in a small voice.
"Yeah?"
"I don't want my vision to..." Amane didn't finish. She shivered. Jonouchi lowered his eyes to his hands.
"I know, Amane..." He looked at the clock, then at the door to the kitchen.
"Shouldn't he be back now?" Jonouchi wondered aloud. He had just said that when the bell in the Game Shop jangled, scaring both of them. Amane sighed deeply, opening her soft eyes to where Yugi entered the kitchen. Yugi's face was blank, his movements heavy, dropping his bag like a weight. He slid into a chair next to the table and put his head in his hands, massaging his temples with his palms.
"Wonder what happened," Amane murmured.
"What do you mean?" Jonouchi asked. Amane nodded towards Yugi's motions.
"Most people only do that if they're stressed," she explained. Jonouchi raised his eyebrows. "You notice things about habits when you've been around as long as I have." They watched Yugi for a moment, wondering what was wrong. He was staring at the table, his head in his hands, breathing loudly. He looked at the clock, then put his arms down on the table. He blinked once, then lowered his head to the table as if he were going to sleep. Amane walked slowly around the table, standing beside him, her hands on the back of a chair. She tightened her grip, her eyes still on Yugi. He didn't notice her ghostly presence.
It was three thirty. PM.
Yugi had an hour and fifteen minutes until his timely suicide. Jonouchi wandered over to where Yugi was sitting, watching his friend. Yugi lifted his head a bit, his eyes traveling around. He could sense Jonouchi, although Jonouchi wasn't too sure. Yugi stood, stretching his shoulders. He walked over to the sink, turning on the faucet. He put his hands under the cool water, then unzipped his school jacket. Jonouchi gasped, and Amane watched, knowing what was coming next...
Yugi's white, crisp school shirt was stained with dark, crimson blood. Where his shoulder was. He touched it tenderly, wincing. He splashed water onto his arm, the blood and water mixing and mingling. Jonouchi bit his lower lip and shook his head.
"Honda," he said, punching his own hand. "If he did this again..." Amane lowered her head and didn't say anything. She didn't want him to know who had really done it. Yugi unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off, revealing a wound in the same place his first one had been. But Yugi didn't seem surprised at all to find it. He splashed more water onto it, and gently rubbed it with a towel. Jonouchi walked over, watching his friend tend to his wound. Jonouchi also noticed a thin red line on his cheek... Jonouchi's eyes widened. He hadn't noticed before, but on Yugi's forearm, he had many little red lines. Cuts. Thin ones. They were hardly visible, but cuts nonetheless.
Jonouchi's jaw dropped.
"Holy..." he whispered. He shook his head, his arms shaking. "No, Yugi, what..." Amane was standing to the side of the room, sighing and holding her head in her hands. Yugi dropped the towel into the sink, and examined the cuts all down his forearm. Some short, some long, all shallow, thankfully. They reached his elbow, then stopped. Yugi tapped them gently, running his fingers over them. Jonouchi stared in horror.
Yugi had cut himself.
Yugi.
In Jonouchi's mind, it didn't make sense. Yugi, retracting his arm and stretching his shoulders, pulled his school jacket back on, leaving his shirt off. He turned around, leaning against the sink, the sun bearing on his back. He stared at the ceiling, revealing a cut on his collar bone. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, opening his eyes again. Jonouchi stumbled backwards to wear Amane was standing.
"How...?" Jonouchi was all he was able to muster. Amane nodded.
"How do you think?" she asked in a soft voice. "He cut himself. He cut his chest as well. And he must have gotten the other wound by somehow opening the old one." Jonouchi shook his head, body trembling.
"No, not Yugi... Yugi's not like that!" Jonouchi cried. Amane crossed her arms.
"How do you know?" she asked in her soft manner. Jonouchi turned to her. "How do you know that Yugi hasn't hurt himself before? You've never been here when he was alone, have you? You didn't know what he was going through, did you?" Jonouchi bit his lower lip and lowered his head.
"...No..."
The clock turned.
Three fifty-two.
*
It was almost time. In just a few minutes, Yugi would pick up that gun and take his own life, leaving his body for his mother to find. At least the suicide note would be valid. Jonouchi was staring at Amane, watching her facial expressions. She looked so sad...
A squeaking sound could be heard. Jonouchi turned over to Yugi as he opened a kitchen drawer. He gasped.
It was the drawer the note was in. The one Yugi was reading his mother's plan from in the vision.
Yugi rummaged around inside, pushing things aside and looking things over, trying to find something. His breath caught in his throat as he pulled what looked like a framed photo from inside the drawer. He held it up, looking at it closely. He drew his fingers over it, dusting it off. Jonouchi could faintly make out Yugi's form in the photo... He saw Anzu, then Honda, then...
Himself. The four of them, standing in front of what looked like Domino High. They had their arms around each other, smiling boldly. It was spring, he could tell by their clothing. The photo was long, since there were more people in it...
Otogi was arm-in-arm with Honda. Shizuka. Ryou. All of them, standing there, laughing almost, brightly smiling, the breeze picking up their clothes... They were all wearing Duel Disks, all of them a card in their hands. Jonouchi struggled to remember when this was... His eyes widened.
They weren't in front of Domino High.
They were on the large cruise ship they had taken down the Nile. Malik was also in the picture, although sort of to the side. Jonouchi had to walk over and stand behind Yugi to see it. He could see it clearly now, the large, white ship that Isis had gotten for them... It was after the duel with the Pharaoh, he could tell. Mai hadn't shown up yet... He gasped, his arms shook, his lower lip quivered.
Shizuka was in the picture. She was kneeling before Jonouchi, smiling, holding her arms up. She had a mitsukai in her hand, the long, white petals flowering over her elegant hands... She looked so happy. Jonouchi closed his eyes and bowed his head painfully.
Yugi held the picture against his chest, his heart. He carefully placed it onto the counter, and rummaged through the drawer once more. It pained Jonouchi to watch.
Amane was on the other side of the room, leaning against the wall, crying. Tears silently slipping down her cheeks, making shimmering trails of diamonds falling off her face... Jonouchi glanced at the clock.
Four-fifteen.
"What?!" Jonouchi cried, turning to Amane. "How did that happen so fast? What - How - ?!" Amane just shook her head and closed her eyes, sliding to the floor.
She didn't want to witness the same death once more.
Jonouchi turned back to Yugi. Tears had started in Yugi's eyes, his breath becoming choked. He sniffed heavily, trying to contain his tears. He pushed things around, his shoulders heaving. He bit his lower lip in a vague attempt to keep himself from crying. Jonouchi just stared at him, watching him intently for a few moments. He watched his every move, making sure that Yugi wasn't attempting to kill himself...
It was four twenty. Suddenly, Yugi's expression changed as he slowly remembered something.... He cast his eyes back to the drawer, tears still in his eyes...
Jonouchi gasped.
Yugi had the same look on his face as when the vision started. The vision they had seen of Yugi's suicide...
"C'mon, I know it's here," Yugi said, pushing things around. Jonouchi felt as if he had died again.
The vision was happening.
Now.
*
"Oh, shit," Jonouchi whispered. Amane buried her face in her skirt as she slid to the floor, her knees propped up, crying heavily. It was becoming just like the vision. The loud clank of metal and the rustle of papers... Soon he would come across the note.
"Aha," he said, pulling out a piece of paper. Jonouchi was closer this time. He could see the smeared kanji, and could actually make out some of it.
"Jon... L'ame," he muttered. "Two four five, three six seven something... Tonight, at six..." Yugi's voice died in his throat. His shoulders drooped.
"No," Jonouchi said, barely above a whisper.
"...revolver..." Yugi looked around the kitchen, just like before. "Wow, she's... r-really stupid," he muttered, his voice wavering. "L-leaving her plans r-right here... M-maybe she w-w-wanted me to see them..." He looked down at the counter, continuing his tears. The small rivers appeared once more.
Yugi sat down at the table, hands folded in his lap, his eyes squinted and unfocused. Jonouchi turned around and leaned on the table, looking into Yugi's face.
"Yugi - !" he sputtered, but got no reaction. Jonouchi looked over at Amane, hearing the squeak of the chair as Yugi pushed back and stood up. Amane didn't meet his gaze; she was staring at a yellowed piece of paper, almost parchment, her eyes watering, shaking her head. Jonouchi looked back at Yugi, to see that he had found the box that held the revolver. He was standing before the table, staring into the box, his hands settled on the table before him.
Four twenty-one.
Yugi, still crying softly, picked up the ammunition, and set to loading the gun. He dropped a bullet in, turned it and listened to the click.
Four twenty-three.
Time seemed to speed up as Jonouchi watched. He was standing right next to Yugi, so close he could reach out a tug the gun away... Yugi looked at the gun, his finger hovering above the trigger. Squeezing his eyes shut, he lifted the gun, putting the barrel right against his temple. Yugi's hands were shaking so much that Jonouchi could physically see it. His eyes widened.
He was going to do it.
Amane lowered her head.
Four twenty-four.
"YUGI!" Jonouchi cried. This time it wasn't a vision. This was for real. Real life. And if he let Yugi through with this... He would seriously regret it.
Ten seconds....
Jonouchi reached out, his fingers inches from the gun -
...Nine seconds....
Yugi's hand was still clenched around the gun, his forefinger just above the trigger. Jonouchi's hand brushed the barrel, he could feel the cold metal against his fingertips -
...Six seconds...
His time was running out. Jonouchi leaned forward, the table pushing into his stomach, his body somehow opaque - his hand fell onto the gun -
...Three seconds...
"YUUUUUUGGGGIIIIII!!!!"
....Two... One...
BANG.
The gun went off.
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AHAHA! I AM THE EVIL ONE OF CLIFFHANGERS!!! AHAHAHAA! BOW TO ME NOW, MORTALS!! AHAHAHA!!! anyway...
Im sorry, it was just so TEMPTING! I HAD TO!!! do not fear, i shall update soon! before i do ANYTHING else, this story is going to be finished and OFF my mind forever! yayayaya! oh, anyway...
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Chapter Preview~
The gun went off... But did Yugi die? Did Jonouchi hit the gun out of the way? What will happen? Is Yugi delusional before death? Or... does he finally defeat his mother once and for all...?
Chapter Nine: Glimpse of Heaven
Update: next weekend!
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Tata~
Shibby-One
