More naughty, ghostly goings on this chapter, before we start finding out who (I think we already know) the ghost is. But more importantly, how he got there and why.
Chapter 5.
Fright Night.
After getting the car tyre repaired, Yugi avoided going back to the house and went to the game store to visit his grandfather. He had neglected Grandpa for the past week so it was a good excuse to go and see him.
Grandpa was delighted, and invited him to stay for dinner, which Yugi readily accepted.
"Actually, Grandpa, I was wondering, would it be okay for me to sleep in my old room tonight? Only, Anzu's in Tokyo and I don't fancy going home to an empty house smelling of paint," he said, omitting the real reason that he did not want to go home.
"Of course you can! You know you're welcome here any time, Yugi." Sugoroku replied –he missed Yugi so badly now that he had moved out for good, but Yugi was a grown man, with a wife, and had his own life to lead.
"Thanks Grandpa." Yugi smiled.
It was like old times, chatting over dinner. Yugi told him that although the house needed a lot of work, they had plans to make it a really lovely home. He did not mention their unwanted housemate.
"A wonderful place to bring up my great grandchildren, then," the old man teased, making Yugi blush.
Despite his blushes, Yugi smiled and nodded. "Yeah, in a year or so, hopefully," he said, wondering if they would still be living there in a year or so.
After clearing away dinner, they played some games.
During the evening, Anzu rang to tell him about her day, and to ask if the wardrobe had been delivered successfully. Slightly economical with the truth, Yugi told her that it had been delivered without any issues.
"And there's been no… problems?" she asked. He knew exactly what problems she was referring to.
"Not as far as I'm aware," he said casually. "But the house smells of paint and it's a bit lonely without you, so I'm staying with Grandpa tonight," he told her.
"Oh, okay," she said, sounding relieved. "Anyway, filming should finish by mid afternoon tomorrow. I'll call you to confirm what time I'll be home." After exchanging a few 'I love yous' they eventually hung up the call.
That night, Yugi slept well in his old room and woke up feeling refreshed. But he was not ready to go back to the house just yet and, after breakfast with his grandfather, went straight to work.
Anzu called him at lunchtime, to confirm that she would be home early in the evening.
"Let me when you get to Domino and I'll come and get you from the station," he told her.
Thanking him, she hung up.
The rest of the afternoon was spent thinking about the house, and the man who had impersonated him. Yugi wondered if it was the ghost – it must have been, because he could not think who else it could be!
As unnerving as it had been, he wondered if in some bizarre way the ghost had been intentionally doing him a favour when he took in their delivery. Should he thank the ghost? But what if it was not a favour and the ghost was playing some sort of sinister game with them?
Still not knowing what to make of the ghost's actions, he went home.
Pulling up on the driveway, he felt extremely jumpy and on edge. Trying to calm himself, he went inside and closed the front door quietly. He looked around and listened. All seemed peaceful – had he expected a welcoming party?
Laughing at himself for being so neurotic, he made himself some noodles and sat on the sofa to watch the news on TV and eat his meal.
Every little noise made him jump, and he found himself constantly looking around for any strange movement.
But something told him that the shadow would not be seen or heard unless he wanted to be.
After clearing away his dinner, Yugi had a shower and changed into some lounging around in clothes. Anzu still had not called to say she was on her way home, so he sat down to play Grand Turismo 4 on single player mode, on his Playstation 2.
But he was still twitchy, jumpy and constantly looking round, which made concentrating on his game hard and he kept messing up and crashing.
Undetectable, the shadow watched, transfixed by this modern game. Watching Yugi play reminded him of how much he loved playing games, such as Donkey Kong and Space Invaders. Since time was of no essence to a spirit, he wondered how many years had gone by for computer graphics to have advanced so much!
As he watched, he wished more than anything that he could slump down beside Yugi and join him in the game.
But Yugi seemed very twitchy and anxious and would probably freak out, so he kept his distance and watched.
After a while, Yugi grew impatient with himself for playing so badly and went upstairs to brush his teeth. Halfway through brushing, Anzu called to say her train was due in at Domino Station in twenty minutes.
It was now ten fifteen and Yugi was supposed to get up early for work tomorrow, but he did not mind going to get her. In fact, he had always stressed that it did not matter what time it was, he was always happy to pick her up, to ensure she stayed safe.
At this time of night it only took between ten and fifteen minutes to drive to the station, so he hastily finished brushing his teeth, and then set off.
As soon as Yugi left, the shadow materialised into his human form, and sat, or rather appeared to sit, in the exact same spot on the sofa that Yugi had occupied. He looked at the game controller on the coffee table.
In his rush, Yugi had forgotten to turn the TV off, and had left the game on pause. Using telekinesis to pick up the controller, the shadow tried to work out how to operate it.
At first, he struggled to get the hang of it, but he was a quick study and before long he was racing around the circuit having all kinds of fun.
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Yugi pulled up outside the station, five minutes before Anzu's train was due in.
As he waited for her, he wondered if he should tell her about the mystery man who had accepted their delivery. He hated lying, but she had been freaked out enough by the insects and the rat, so he decided not to tell her.
When Anzu emerged from the station and spotted the car, she came running over. Yugi reached across and released the door, pushing it open for her to get in.
"Hey!" she said, sliding in and leaning over to kiss him – her breath was a mixture of alcohol, coffee and garlic.
"How did it go?" he asked, starting the engine and heading for home.
"It was fantastic. I loved it!" she said, beaming at him. "The crew treated me to a nice meal afterwards, that's why I'm late. And, guess what, the producer asked me if I would be prepared to go on their books for future ads and music videos. I said 'yes' because the money is really good."
She sounded really excited, and it made Yugi smile. "Will you be able to fit it in around your theatre work?" He did not want her to overdo it and burn herself out.
"It's fine. It won't be for a few months anyway. How's… the house? No weird stuff happened while I've been gone?"
Yugi shook his head, and hummed, pretending to be focussed on his driving.
Finding his response a little cagey, she frowned at him. "Yugi! What happened?"
"Nothing," he replied. "I've hardy been there to be honest."
"Oh, okay," she said, accepting his reply.
"How was Tokyo?" he said, changing the subject.
Smiling, she started talking about that last two days. Listening to her merrily chatting, Yugi pulled onto the driveway. The first thing that caught his attention, was the sitting room light being on. It was odd, because he could have sworn he turned the lights off. But he had been in a rush, so maybe he forgot.
Stepping inside, he flicked on the hall light and went into the sitting room, only to find the light was now off. Blinking in confusion, he stared at the paused game on the TV screen. Had he forgotten to turn that off too?! Shrugging, he picked the controller up from the cushion on the sofa, put it on the TV stand and turned everything off.
Anzu appeared in the doorway. "Is everything alright Yugi?"
He jumped. "Oh! Yeah. Just turning my game off –I forgot earlier."
Anzu was still too wired to sleep just yet. "I'm going to have a shower," she said, "and then I'll probably read for a bit."
Yugi yawned. "I'm exhausted." It had been a busy couple of days. "I'm going straight to bed."
As Anzu went upstairs, Yugi turned back and looked around the room, but could sense nothing so he followed her upstairs.
Watching him, the shadow waited in the darkness for him to leave, and then drifted up through the ceiling.
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Wishing she had not eaten and drunk so much, and then guzzled that large takeaway coffee on the train home, Anzu brushed her teeth and wiped her make-up off, before stepping into the shower.
Unaware she was being watched, she started humming the music she had been dancing to today.
The shadow was mesmerised by her. She was a beauty to behold, and he found himself drifting closer.
Rinsing the shampoo from her hair, Anzu opened her eyes to reach for the conditioner. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw a shape pressing through the shower curtain. It looked like Yugi. She smiled. "I thought you were tired! Have you come to join me?" she teased, rubbing her hands seductively over herself.
Suddenly realising he was drifting through the shower curtain, the shadow froze. Flustered by her touching herself, he could not form words to reply.
Growing very uneasy, Anzu stilled. "Yugi?" she called shakily.
Panicking at the lack of response, she pulled the shower curtain aside but there was no one there.
She shivered, the air had gone cold.
It felt like a scene from Psycho and she suddenly felt very vulnerable.
Realising her eyes were searching the room for him, the shadow backed away and melted into the wall.
Anzu screamed when she saw a dark shape disappearing into the wall. Stepping back, she slipped and fell into the bath. In an attempt to prevent her fall, she grabbed the shower curtain and took the curtain and the pole it was hanging from down with her.
Mortified that he had hurt her, the shadow flitted from wall to wall in a panic.
Get Yugi!
But by the time he had dashed through the wall and into the bedroom, Yugi was already jumping out of bed and running for the door.
In their haste, they passed right through one another. Yugi stopped in his tracks. A strange feeling of ice and electricity made the hairs on his body bristle.
He looked around the dark room but saw nothing. Not wishing to dwell on the sensation further for the moment, he ran to the bathroom.
When Yugi ran through him, the shadow had felt a jolt. Usually when he went through someone it would burn, but with Yugi the burn was warm, comforting... familiar. It left him feeling puzzled.
"Oh, shit! Anzu?!" Yugi yelled, running over to the groaning heap in the bath. The shower was still running so he reached over and turned off the mixer tap.
"It's not fucking funny!" she said, letting out a pained groan. Yugi was not laughing.
"Are you hurt?" He bent over to pull the shower curtain off her, and helped her to sit up.
"I think I'm okay," the tears running down her face saying otherwise. "Ow!" she hissed, through gritted teeth, as Yugi helped her to stand. Anzu clung to him for dear life, as he gently helped her out of the bath and wrapped a towel around her.
"Let's check you over, make sure you're not injured anywhere," he said gently, a worried expression on his face.
"I think I bruised my bum," Anzu whined, pouting.
"You've got a nasty bump on your elbow too," Yugi replied.
Anzu lifted her arm and looked at the rapidly swelling haematoma on the bony part of her forearm and elbow.
She sucked on her bottom lip with an anguished expression. "There was someone in here Yugi. I thought it was you. But there was…. It was a shadow – I've seen it before."
"Except it wasn't me. I was in bed," he said. "I came running when I heard you scream."
"There's something living here, Yugi," she said, sounding terrified. "Even now, it's watching us, I know it is."
Yugi looked around, but could not see or feel anything. "I think I felt it, just now, in the bedroom. But I don't think it intentionally means us any harm," he said.
Hidden inside the wall, the shadow agreed with Yugi. And before he could stop himself, he spoke out, "You're right, I do not intend you any harm." He sounded sincere and regretful, of that he was sure, but he wished he had just kept quiet.
Anzu heard it and glared at the wall where she was certain the voice came from. Any fear she felt had vanished. Now she was angry. "Oh, yeah?! I could have broken my neck just now! If that's trying not to harm then I don't know what is!"
Inside the wall, the shadow flinched at the anger in her voice.
Although Yugi was also annoyed, he was more concerned with looking after his wife than confronting a ghost. He kissed her forehead. "You're shivering," he said softly, "let's get you dry and dressed."
Nodding, Anzu let him lead her into the bedroom. She would be sore in the morning, but realised she was lucky that all she had was a few bruises.
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Deeply ashamed the shadow retreated to the sanctity of the attic, where he could try and make sense of what was happening between himself and his new house-guests.
He had not meant for Anzu to fall like that, but looking at the way he startled her it was inevitable that he would cause an accident. He was just lucky that she had not been seriously injured, or even worse! One spirit haunting this house was more than enough.
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When Anzu woke up the next morning, she felt the full extent of her bruising. Her arm had blossomed into a stunning purple bruise, extending both above and below her left elbow, and her backside and left hip were also bruised. She had a sore shoulder, that she had not noticed last night. "I should have put some ice on these bruises," she said, stiffly getting out of bed.
"Do you want me to get some?" asked Yugi.
"Probably a bit pointless now," she said, but went downstairs and got a couple of ice-packs out of the freezer anyway. Yugi followed her down to the kitchen.
"About what happened last night," he began, unsure how to start a conversation about a possible ghost.
"The house is haunted, isn't it?" she said, anticipating what he was trying to say. She sat down with one ice-pack on her backside, the other held against her arm.
"Maybe," he said, putting some water on to boil for the tea.
"Maybe?!" she retorted, raising her voice. "We have a ghost, Yugi!" she said forcefully.
"Okay, yeah. I think we might," he agreed, "But, do you believe in ghosts?" he asked, fixing her with a serious look.
"No! Of course I don't! Well, I didn't. But something is going on here and neither of us have a rational explanation for it," she said, sighing, Yugi could not disagree.
"I wasn't going to tell you," he began, "but…" he went on to tell her what had happened with the delivery. "I think the ghost impersonated me."
Anzu gaped at him. "How do I know that you're not the ghost pretending to be Yugi?!"
"Touch me." He offered his hand. "I'm warm, and solid. Have you noticed how the temperature drops when something strange happens?"
Anzu nodded. "Yes, I have." She bit her lip. "What do you think we should do? We're putting everything into making this house our home. I'm not letting a ghost chase me away."
"Me neither," said Yugi. "But we need to find a way to live in harmony with our housemate, or get rid of it."
Anzu rolled her eyes. "And how the hell are we supposed to do that?!"
"We could ask Bakura?" Yugi said thoughtfully. "He has an affinity to spirits and the occult. Maybe he can talk to the ghost and ask it to leave."
"Or we could just ask it ourselves," Anzu decided. "Hey! Ghost! Whoever you are, you don't scare us!" she shouted defiantly. "So go and haunt somewhere else!"
Laughing nervously, Yugi shushed her. "We shouldn't upset it," he said, glancing round to make sure noting was being thrown at them in retaliation. "We have no idea what it will do next. For all we we know it might be a bad tempered ghost."
Anzu snorted. "It's nowhere near as bad tempered as I am right now. I start rehearsals in two weeks and I'm covered in bruises and might have broken my elbow."
Yugi gasped. "You think it's broken?! I should get you to the hospital for an x-ray."
Anzu did not really want to go to the hospital, but agreed. And as soon as they were dressed, and had eaten a quick breakfast and let the wardrobe fitter in, Yugi took Anzu to the hospital.
The shadow watched them leave from the window. It was never his intention to cause harm, but he somehow always managed to do things that frightened or endangered whoever moved in here.
Usually he did not care, but for some reason he cared a great deal for Yugi and Anzu. He did not want them to leave, but after some of his stunts he feared that they would, just like everyone else always did.
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It was a couple of hours before Yugi and Anzu returned. Anzu's arm was in a plaster cast and she was wearing a sling.
She did not look very happy, the shadow thought, hovering several feet away out of sight as they came inside. Yugi put some water on to boil to make tea, while Anzu sat down at the table. She was upset and fuming. The ghost, if that was what the problem in this house was, had made her break her arm. It meant six weeks in a cast and then physio, delaying her being able to start rehearsals.
"Here," Yugi said, sitting down beside her and sliding her tea towards her. He knew she was upset, but although he kept trying to console her there was not much he could do to make the situation any better.
Anzu pouted at him with a self pitying expression.
"Thanks," she snapped, letting out a frustrated sigh. "If that ghost wasn't dead already, I'd kill him." She sat up straight. "I know you're probably listening! I'm gonna double kill you! You hear me?!" she shouted.
A sheepish looking wardrobe fitter appeared in the doorway. "I'm very sorry Mrs Muto. Erm... have I done something wrong?"
Anzu blushed profusely. "No! Not you.. I'm just venting my irritation at my broken arm, that's all." She cleared her throat. "Would you like some tea?"
The fitter nodded. "Yes please. I was just coming to tell you I was about to pop out to my can and have some lunch. The wardrobe is going well, if you want to go up and see it?"
"Thanks, we will," said Yugi. He made the fitter some tea and he took it outside to his van.
"Shall we go up and take a look?" Yugi said to Anzu. She grunted an uninterested 'if you like' and followed him upstairs.
"It's going to look good when its finished!" he said. "And we've got the kitchen and bathroom planner coming tomorrow!" Although he was trying to be upbeat, it failed to cheer her up.
Maintaining her despondency, Anzu mumbled, "Yeah…." She had so been looking forward to choosing a lovely new kitchen and a lovely new bathroom, but now she did not care. "I want to go and stay with my parents," she said.
Yugi looked at her, mortified by her sudden decision. "How long for?!" he said, sounding choked.
"Until my arm is better and the work on the house is finished."
"O...kay. When did you want to go?" he asked cautiously.
"Now!" she replied, decisively.
"Now?! But!" he spluttered, "what about choosing the bathroom, and kitchen?"
"I don't care. You can deal with them. I need to get out of this place." She was not going to change her mind. There was something malevolent in this house, that had been perving on her in the shower and then caused her to fall and hurt herself.
She was not quite sure how to break it to Yugi yet, but she did not think that she ever wanted to come back here, unless they got rid of whoever was haunting their house.
Thank you for reading.
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