Chaos: Third chapter! And I'm going away for about a week, so it's longer than usual. Hooray!
Haven - Hi! And don't worry, Yaoi is just not my thing...blergh.
Funky - Sorry if it's confusing...well, it's all more obvious in this chapter. I hope.
NM - Oh, you'll see his idea...but Yugi won't like it!
danna - Well, read the chapter! (sweatdrop) I'm glad you like it, anyway.
Sky Aura - Yes...the TV series is a bit; 'Let's be friends and save the world! Whoop!' Still, I like Yami and Yugi...so cute...mmm...but, erm, anyway, there isn't actually any duelling in this because it's...kinda hard to write well.
Flower: Thankyou for all the reviews, everyone! And you should listen to Here is Gone by the Goo Goo Dolls...I love it!
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
When you get free, talk to me,
I can feel you falling...
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
The gang leader kicked Yugi hard, and he crashed to the pavement, ears ringing. A gale of taunting laughter echoed above him as he shut his eyes in despair. Another kick landed in his side and he yelped painfully.
More laughter followed, with snide comments about his height, his hair, anything that would get to him. He opened his eyes and tried to sit up, receiving several more kicks. No sooner had he made it to his feet when the gang split apart.
Yami walked up, scowling, purple eyes flashing. "You're useless!" he growled with a sneer, and the gang echoed it mockingly. A small part of Yugi's mind screamed that it was a dream, it wasn't real, but it was far drowned out by the rest. Yugi felt tears welling up and tried to protest.
Then someone pushed him from behind and he fell forward. Yami stepped back deliberately, as though Yugi was a diseased animal, and Yugi once again crashed to the floor. The tears flew freely now.
Then a hand fell heavily onto his back, pinning him down, and Yami's voice echoed in his ears, "Obliterate!"
And he felt himself shatter into a thousand pieces.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
He woke up screaming. Screaming and screaming and screaming, forgetting to close his mind, forgetting to be quiet, forgetting everything in the moment as the nightmare coursed through his mind.
Someone suddenly gripped his shoulders and shook him hard, knocking away his breath, and he opened his eyes to see Yami's face hovering above his. The nightmare took over and he began to scream again.
Yami was terrified. Yugi wasn't responding to him, and at any moment his grandfather would wake up. "Yugi! Stop, it was only a dream!" he cried agonizedly. Yugi's pupils were dilated, and he was staring up at Yami like a frightened rabbit caught in the headlights of a car.
Slowly his screams began to die away into pained gasps, whimpers of terror. Yami kept a safe grip on his shoulders lest he should start thrashing about again, wondering what on earth could have been so terrifying.
Looking away, he listened carefully. Yugi's bedroom door was thick, and his grandfather's bedroom on the other side of the house. The rest of the house was silent.
Yugi caught his breath, only to burst into tears. Tears he couldn't control, that had been bottled up for days. Yami looked down, the terror in his eyes replaced by concern, and lifted Yugi into a sitting position on the bed.
He put his arms round Yugi's shoulders and whispered, "Sssh..." Yugi's body shook with sobs as he put his arms round Yami's neck and cried into his shoulder.
Finally it died down into hiccups and sniffs, and Yugi was able to whimper, "I'm sorry...for everything."
"Yes...so am I." Yami whispered back, shutting his eyes. Yugi longed so much to tell Yami what had happened, but held back again, recalling the frozen faces of his last bullies, the horrible end to his nightmare.
Yami let go and leaned back, saying concernedly, "What happened? What was so terrifying?" Yugi met his gaze sadly, eyes full of the same guilt and pain Yami had felt in his mind earlier, and said,
"You."
The simple word surprised Yami more than anything else Yugi could have said. His head spun. His hikari...his other half...having nightmares...about him? Was he that threatening? That evil?
He put a hand to his forehead, trying to calm the angry thoughts that buzzed around inside. "I...I..." he whispered, unable to think of anything except that a simple word, said with such feeling, could be so heartstopping.
"I'm sorry." Yugi murmured.
It was the worst thing he could have said.
Morning came all too soon, the sun shining through the window onto the pillow of a sleepless Yugi. He screwed up his eyes and mumbled angrily, rolling over to face the door.
At the end of the bed Yami sat. What he was about to do sickened him far worse than anything he had done before. Yugi's nightmare had been right...he was a monster.
Yugi sat up with a yawn and rubbed his eyes sleepily, looking so small and cute that Yami nearly cried. And then he looked up and saw Yami, and smiled hesitantly, a bit of the former trust shining in his eyes. Yami felt physically sick at himself.
He somehow smiled back and then faded to his soul room to let Yugi get dressed. He sat on the steps and buried his head in his hands, trying desperately to prepare himself for what he would do.
If only Yugi hadn't had that nightmare, he thought, if only he didn't trust me again...there, those 'if onlys' again. He moaned to himself and gritted his teeth. He waited a few more minutes and then returned to the bedroom, suddenly worried that Yugi had already left.
Part of him hoped he had.
But no, his timing was spot on and Yugi was just dragging a comb through his hair when Yami appeared. Not wanting to wait a moment longer, he grabbed Yugi's arm as gently as he could without letting him wriggle free.
Yugi let out a startled cry of protest, eyes turning confusedly to Yami's for explanation. He received none as Yami looked away and then firmly pulled him across the room.
"Y-Yami..." Yugi stammered, but was cut off as Yami pushed his hand down.
Onto the Millenium Puzzle.
A flash lit up the room and with a cry of horror Yugi lost control, falling head-first into his soul room. Yami became solid and shut his eyes for a second in apology. Then he pulled the chain of the Puzzle around his neck, ensuring he could keep control. He was the stronger of the two; he would have no trouble keeping Yugi down for a while.
The thought made him ill.
A minute later Yugi appeared transparent beside him, eyes sorrowing and full of betrayal.
Oh.
He had forgotten about that.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Yami fiddled with his spoon, unknowingly echoing Yugi's actions from the day before. Soon it was time to leave and he picked up Yugi's schoolbag, as he had seen Yugi do many times, before he had become worried about the Puzzle's safety and left it at home.
Solomon waved him away in the doorway, with a last cry of, "My, Yugi, you get taller every time I look at you!" Yami gave a sickly smile and started to move away, trying to ignore Yugi's frantic attempts to get his grandfather's attention by waving invisible arms in front of his face.
He strode away quickly, and his hikari was compelled to follow.
Yugi was pleading behind him, terrified of what would happen when school ended, but Yami ignored him, though it took every fibre of his being to do so. Then they reached the gates, and Yami retreated and let Yugi take control.
Yugi was stuck; he couldn't take the Puzzle home. Likewise he could not leave it at school. Unlike the previous day the hours flew by, with Yami silent in the Puzzle as he made more futile attempts to work.
His friends were beginning to notice changes. Namely when Tea glanced at Yugi's book and frowned,
"Erm, sorry, Yugi, but a common domestic animal is not 'squirrel'." Yugi looked down and said nothing but tried harder to concentrate. Still, the lessons were difficult, where he either got the simplest questions wrong, or got so drawn into the difficult ones that he spent far too long on them.
Then school was finished and he was at the gates. He stood there for several minutes, feeling like he was balanced on the edge of a steep cliff and about to topple over. Yami stood in front of him and suddenly the world turned swirling blue.
Yugi cringed and looked away, feeling trapped. "Yugi," Yami said, speaking for the first time, "Why don't you want me to help? What is it that's so terrible?!"
Yugi replied wretchedly, "Please...I don't want you to see..." With a huge effort he managed to force the blue away.
The world moved again, as though frozen in his absence, and Joey called him over. He walked automatically. Yami had disappeared...for now. Time was rushing forward and carrying him with it, as the streets sped by.
Then Joey was gone and a knot of people were visible at the end of the street. His fear about what Yami would do was suddenly overridden by a deeper terror of what they could do to him.
He let out an involuntary whimper, his fear trickling through the mind block. Instantly Yami appeared by his side, looking around. When he saw the group he was confused; why didn't Yugi want him to know about them? Similar incidents had occurred before...
Yugi was stumbling forward, fear plainly evident on his face. But, as he looked from Yami to the group, it became evident that he wasn't sure which was worse. It pierced Yami like a knife...
Yugi was still afraid of him.
The group had seen him and were rapidly approaching. Even as Yami watched, Yugi withdrew into himself and his eyes took on a hollow, hunted look as he shuffled, head down.
"Look, it's the runt!" a gang member cried joyfully, and the cry was seconded by several others.
"Runt!"
"Yeah, get the runt!"
Yugi was biting his lip so hard it bled, golden bangs hiding his eyes. As Yami watched, paralysed by horror, Yugi backed away against the wall. The nearest thug grinned and sneered,
"Ooh, pretty trinket, runt. Gizzit then!" He pointed a finger at the Millenium Puzzle, and Yugi clasped a hand over it protectively.
"I said gizzit!" The boy snarled, advancing. He was several years older than Yugi, by the looks of it, and the height difference didn't help. The rest of the gang had caught up and crowded round, jeering.
Yugi broke and ran, dodging nimbly past several bullies, and Yami dumbly appreciated for the first time what his small size could do to help him. "Get 'im!" The biggest member, evidently the leader, roared.
The first thug lunged, missing as Yugi hopped backwards, but the second caught him and he fell to the floor with a despairing cry, several more members leaping towards the fray. The sound suddenly brought Yami's senses flooding back and he snarled with anger.
Instantly he took over control, and found himself beneath several people and squashed to the concrete, fists pummelling. His anger leant him strength and he heaved up onto hands and knees. The thugs cried out in surprise as they fell back, and Yami stood clear, eyes ablaze and turning red.
He pointed a hand towards the nearest member and yelled, "Obliterate!"
In the same split second Yugi reappeared transparent and threw himself at Yami. "Nooo!" he wailed, diving into Yami's arm. The shadow spell shot harmlessly into the sky as Yami was knocked off-balance.
For a second they were both visible as the control split and then...
"Yugi!" Yami roared, eyes red and anger raging. He swiped away with his other arm and Yugi went flying, head over heels and transparent again. Yami ignored his pained cry and turned to the rest of the gang, rapidly retreating from this odd change.
Yugi rolled to a stop in the road and lifted himself to hands and knees, shaking. Slowly he opened his eyes, trying to work out what was happening, and groaned under his breath.
Then he reached down into his pocket and pulled out a familiar card from the top of his deck. Throwing it as hard as he could, he cried, "Go! Dark Magician!" The card soared through the air, becoming visible, as Yami shot another spell...and Yugi's aim was perfect.
The card exploded into pieces as Yugi cried out and the spell dissipated. By this point, the gang realised something was wrong and started running for their lives. Yami growled angrily and shot another spell after them.
It hit two thugs and they collapsed with a scream, but the rest were already away round the corner. Yami slowly returned to normal, blinking, and then turned suddenly to Yugi.
"Yugi! Are you-" he began, before Yugi took advantage of the moment and managed to take control, ripping the Puzzle from around his neck and hurling it away. Yami disappeared instantly and Yugi was left alone to pick up the remnants of his favourite card.