I don't own Yugioh.
Chapter 5
Yugi knew he was in trouble the instant he stepped through the door the next day after school. He was a minute late in getting home.
"Where the hell were you, child!?"
SLAP!His mother slapped him across the face roughly, sending him flying sideways and onto the ground.
Yugi winced, pushing himself up and wiping a trail of blood coming out of the corner of his mouth. "I…"
SLAP!
"You're such a miserable child!" Shike shouted at him, "If it were up to me, I would have let the wolves have you!"
"W-wolves?" Yugi blinked.
Shike looked a bit shocked, like she had said something bad, but then covered it up with an angry scowl.
CRACK!This time, her fist connected with Yugi.
"Don't ask stupid questions!" Shike growled. She back-fisted him across the face again, then another time from the opposite direction. She grabbed him by the shirt front, "Don't you ever question me again! Don't you dare do that again, you runt!" She slammed him into the wall.
Tears ran down Yugi's face as more pain seared through him. He coughed when he hit the wall, his breath leaving him. He gasped in air, and winced again when the fist slapped him again and again. In the face, in the arms, in the chest…his entire body was a target. The only thing she didn't go for was the neck. Finally, Shike threw him into the stairs that led upstairs. "Now, get up those stairs and to the attic! And not a word from you!"
Yugi whimpered, "H-hai." He pulled himself up the stairs, then pulled the rope that would release the attic stairs. He climbed on and went through the door, then collapsed on the floor.
The puzzle glowed, and Yami came out with a first aid kit already in hand.
"I swear," Yami growled, "I'm gonna kill that damn woman one of these days…" He started to patch up Yugi's injuries, "Alright…easy there, aibou. You're alright now."
Yugi wiped his eyes with his sleeve, then cried some more as Yami worked.
Yami wrapped his arms around the smaller boy when he finished cleaning out Yugi's new injuries, and held him close. "Hush." He started to rock him back and forth.
Yugi cried into the other boy, weakly gripping Yami's shoulder.
"Shh," Yami whispered, rubbing Yugi's back comfortingly, "Shh."
After a while, Yugi calmed down, falling asleep.
Yami sighed, continuing to hold the smaller boy. I can't stand just sitting by and watching this. I have to do something. But what? Despite what they've done to him, Yugi doesn't want me to hurt them. He thought back to a conversation he had with Yugi a couple of days ago.
***Flashback***
Yami crossed his arms after Yugi received another harsh beating, "Why don't you tell anyone?"
Yugi wiped his eyes, then winced as he lay back on his futon, "Because they'll hurt me."
"It can't be worse then what they've already done, can it?" Yami looked at him.
"Well…they said that they would really hurt me," Yugi shrugged, "Something about losing innocence."
Yami's eyes flashed with anger. Why?! I know he's told me this before…I wasn't sure of it at the time…but now I know that they aren't kidding. Why would they do that? And how would they, if they were in prison?
"Don't worry about it, Yami, okay?" Yugi yawned.
Yami glanced at him, "I can't help but worry. Aibou, you nearly got a broken nose today. One of these days, they'll put you in the hospital."
"Naw. They always stop before that so nobody can tell what happened," Yugi shook his head.
Yami sighed, "When people are drunk, they can't control their actions very well. One of these days you will end up in the hospital if they keep on treating you like this. They barely let you eat anything at dinner, and beat you up as soon as they finish arguing or if you're just a few seconds late for anything."
"It's okay."
Yami detected some tears in Yugi's voice. He went over and sat down next to where the boy was laying, "Is it, really, Yugi? Is it really okay?"
"…"
"There's a limited amount of times I can just sit by and watch," Yami stated, "I can't stand not being able to do anything while you get hurt. Next time they beat you, I'm going to…"
"Yami, please don't," Yugi turned around, tears running down his face.
"Why not? They hurt you!"
"I just don't want anyone to get hurt," Yugi whispered.
"But you get hurt!"
"Yami…," Yugi whimpered, "…they may do this, but it wasn't always like this. It started at the end of the last school year."
"That was about ten months ago!" Yami exclaimed, "That's way too long…!"
"That's when the arguing started," Yugi whispered, "Around the summer time. Then, a couple months later, the beating started. They weren't bad at first. Just a slap now and then. Only about two months ago did it turn into full scale beatings."
"Still," Yami grunted, "It's going too far…"
"Although they're cruel," Yugi whispered, "I don't want them to get hurt. I don't know why. Maybe because despite all of this and how I live, they raised me and kept cloths on my back and gave me food, no matter how small portions they were come dinner time. They let me go to school, and that's how I met Anzu and Jou. I just can't…" He shook his head.
"That's still warped logic, but I won't do anything to them," Yami shook his head.
"Promise?"
"If you don't want me to, then I won't," Yami sighed, "Though, I can't say I like these arrangements. However. If things get out of hand, I'm not going to stay quiet. Got it?"
Yugi nodded, and hugged him, "Thank you, Yami!"
Yami gave the smaller boy a hug back, "You're welcome. Now…get some sleep."
Yugi nodded and lay back down, "Good night!"
"Good night, aibou," Yami replied.
***End flashback***
Yami glanced at the sleeping boy once more. I'll keep my promise. But if things get out of hand, I will have to break it. I know you don't want to see anyone get hurt, but this has already gone far enough.
Yami decided to relax and wait for Yugi to wake up. They had to have another talk about how far this was going.
***Dream***
The man was running through the darkness, chased by the large red dragon. It roared, its claws reaching out towards the man.
"No!" the man shouted, holding the bundle he was holding to him, "Leave us alone! Why do you want us!?"
The dragon roared, and charged at the man.
The man stumbled and fell. The little bundle went flying out of his hands, crying.
The dragon started to descent upon the man.
The man reached out towards the bundle that was falling off the cliff towards the forest below, "NO! Tenko!!!"
Crying came from the little baby as it fell.
"TENKO…!" the man shouted even as the dragon's fire breath engulfed him, tears running down his face, "TENKO!!!!!!"
***
The baby continued to fall down, crying as it went. The trees underneath were full of leaves, and the baby went right into them. He crashed through the canopy and the material he was wrapped in got caught on a branch. His life was spared from falling, but now he had another problem to worry about. The wolves circling him. One leapt up to get him, but fell short. The little baby kicked and screamed in terror, but the wolves kept on coming. The three started to shake as some of the wolves were head-butting it, causing it to shake. There was a loud snap as the branch broke, and the child fell towards the hungry animals…
***End Dream***
"AH!" Yugi woke with a start, breathing hard. He looked at the sheets and realized that he was still at his house in the attic. He wiped tears from his eyes. That same dream again…with more this time. What does it all mean?!
"You okay, Yugi?" Yami mumbled sleepily, "It's night time already…your mother brought up some food and put it on the ground. I moved it to the desk to keep it off the floor."
"Thank you," Yugi said, "I had another one of those strange dreams again."
"Oh?" Yami was fully awake.
"I think…," Yugi whispered, "…that it's trying to tell me something…"
TO BE CONTINUED…