I don't own Yugioh.
Chapter 6
School went by fast. Yugi had just parted with Jou and Anzu, and was going home when he heard some noises coming from the alley. Curious, he peered in and listened.
"Hold still you damn kid!" a burly man with a torn white sleeve-less top and baggy pants was holding a small boy.
The boy who looked no older then 6 or 7 was crying. He had spiky black hair and blue-green eyes. He was wearing a red-orange and blue striped shirt and jeans with white sneakers. He was kicking, but the guy had his mouth covered so he couldn't scream.
A man was standing across from the kid wearing a brown suit. He laughed, "This was too easy. He'll have to see into our demands now. Now that we've got his younger brother. He'll have no choice but to hand over his money."
The burly guy laughed.
"That's not very nice."
The man in the suit and the burly man whirled around and looked at Yugi.
Yugi didn't know why he spoke up, but looking at the size of the two, he regretted it.
"Did you hear?" The suit man stepped forward.
"Um…," Yugi glanced at the scared boy, and his resolve strengthened, "Yea! I did! I think you should let that kid go right now!"
"And who are you do be demanding, huh?" the man in the suit asked, "Do you know who this kid is? It's…"
"I don't care!" Yugi stamped his foot, "You're kidnapping!"
"Smart for a little kid, aren't you," the suit man's eyes narrowed. He stepped forward and glared at Yugi, cracking his knuckles, "Maybe I'll have to shut your mouth permanently! Taru!"
The burly guy looked up, "Yes, Eriku-sama?"
"Tie the Kaiba up," Eriku indicated the boy in Taru's grip, "Then get over here and we'll teach this little kid a lesson for interfering with us."
"Right," Taru pulled out a rope and tied and gagged the poor little kid, then walked over, cracking his knuckles.
Yugi gulped.
"Say yer prayers…!" Taru started.
Just then, the puzzle around Yugi's neck glowed, and Yami came out.
"Yami…!?" Yugi blinked.
"Two on one," Yami commented, "That's not very fair. Let's even the odds, shall we?"
"So you're both going to fight us?" Eriku raised an eyebrow.
"No," Yami shook his head, "We're going to play a game. How about it?"
"Are you nuts?!" Taru grunted, "Why'd we wanna play a stupid game…!?"
"Oh, so you're afraid you'll lose?" Yami raised an eyebrow, "Is that it? Too afraid to play? I understand…"
"Who says we're afraid?!" Eriku demanded.
"Bring it on!" Taru agreed.
Yami looked at Yugi, "You okay with this?"
Yugi glanced at the trembling kid, then nodded. "Yea!"
"Okay," Yami snapped his fingers. The area was coated in darkness. A strange, purple-black sort of darkness. In the center were two identical black boxes.
"Which one of you will go into the box?" Yami pointed.
"What…?!" the two exclaimed.
"What are you doing, Yami…?" Yugi blinked.
"Do you trust me?" Yami whispered.
Yugi nodded.
"Don't let go of that trust, Yugi," Yami stated grimly, "I hate to involve you in one of the Games, but I don't have a choice. There are two of them this time. I have to play two on two. Just keep on believing, and you'll be fine."
Yugi nodded nervously. Can't be worse then mom and dad…can it…?
"Well?" Yami spoke to the two men, "Who's going into the box?"
"Taru," Eriku indicated the man.
"D-Demo…Eriku-sama…," Taru stammered.
"We have to win if we want to get out of this strange place," Eriku stated, "Now get into the box."
"R-right," Taru nodded, stepping in.
"Yugi?" Yami looked at his partner.
Yugi nodded shakily and started in.
"You'll be fine. Just keep trusting me," Yami whispered to him.
Yugi nodded, "I trust you, Yami."
"Good," Yami nodded.
"Don't screw up!" Eriku was saying to Taru.
"Right, right!" Taru grunted.
Yami waved his hand, and the doors to the boxes closed shut. He heard Yugi's squeak of fear. Stay strong, Yugi! Please!
"What now?" Eriku asked.
Yami flicked his wrist. A pile of sharp swords appeared next to each person.
"What's this…?!" Eriku examined them.
"We take turns sticking a sword into the box starting at the top," Yami stated.
"But we'll kill them!" Eriku shouted.
"They'll survive only if we believe in them, and they believe in us," Yami held up his index finger, "The name of the game is trust. If Taru trusts you and you trust Taru, then even if you stick the sword through his middle, it won't actually pierce him. It'll vanish on the inside. Same goes for Yugi and myself."
"Seems easy. Ya hear that, Taru?!" Eriku shouted.
"They can't hear us," Yami grinned, "Those boxes are sound proof. All they are being told by the boxes right now is to trust their partner."
"Damn…fine. Looks like I don't have a choice but to play if I want to get out of here alive," Eriku grunted.
"Good," Yami nodded, "I already told you the basic rules. We'll each take turns sticking a sword through our partner's box starting at the top and working our way down. If Yugi should scream out in pain, you would win because that would indicate that the sword pierced him, and you can go free. However, if Taru screams out in pain, that means that the sword pierced him. If that happens, you lose, and I determine your punishment."
"What if we both reach the bottom and nothing happens?" Eriku asked.
Yami shook his head, "It won't happen."
Eriku blinked.
"There has never been a tie…in the Shadow Realm," Yami whispered in a deadly low voice.
Eriku nodded. "But…wait…that kid, Yugi, is shorter then Taru…"
"Height is accounted for," Yami stated, "The floor of the box was raised so that the two are at the same level."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Eriku raised an eyebrow.
Yami laughed, "You don't. But in this game, even that slight doubt could get you and your partner into trouble."
Eriku gulped and nodded, "F-fine."
"Anymore questions?"
"No."
"I'll go first," Yami stated, "Unless you want to."
"N-no. You go ahead," Eriku indicated. The idiot's putting himself at a disadvantage. If he goes first, then he'd be the first one to hit his partner. Which means that I'll win!
Yami smirked. I'm sure he's thinking that by letting me go first, I'll hit Yugi first. Well, it also depends on Yugi's trust in me, not just my trust in Yugi. I trust him, and he trusts me. I doubt we'll have a problem. He stuck a sword in the top, "Your move."
Eriku stuck a sword through the top.
In the boxes, both Yugi and Taru were surprised to see a sharp object go through it.
Taru's eyes went wide. What…what the hell is Eriku do'n!? Try'n to shishkabob me?!
Yugi gulped, looking at the sword going through his, then blinked when another sword went through the box, starting to come closer. Is this what Yami meant by trust him? I'm really scared…I don't want to die…but I know Yami would never do anything to hurt me.
Taru got more antsy as another sword went through his box. "Dammit! Lemme out of here! Are you try'n to kill me?!"
Yugi blinked. He could hear Taru's screaming, but not Yami or Eriku who were outside. Yugi wiped sweat off his forehead as a sword came even closer. There were about two more levels to pass through before it reached him. I'm really scared now. I don't know what's going on. And I don't want to end up skewered. But…Yami told me to trust him, and I believe him. Yami's my best friend. He's always there for me. He'll never do anything that may hurt me. The swords are probably fake. Yea! It's a magic trick! This is so cool!
Taru was sweating as the swords came about two levels before he would be hit. This is so not cool. I'm gonna be killed! "Eriku, you bastard! Are you try'n to kill me!? You wish, don'tcha! If I'm dead, you get a pay increase! And you don't gotta work with me no more! You've hated me from the get-go! Bastard!! Go to hell!"
Yami smirked from outside after putting another sword in, "Sounds like your partner doesn't trust you."
Eriku growled. "Shut up, Taru!"
"He can't hear you," Yami stated, "Yugi and Taru can't hear us. However, we can hear them."
"Yea, well, I don't hear your guy shout'n!" Eriku pointed shakily at Yami, "How do I know your man hasn't been speared yet?!" He angrily stuck another sword through.
"Not only will they scream," Yami responded, sliding his next sword through, "But the box will light up, and both doors will open to reveal what has happened."
Eriku put another sword in. "Bullshit."
"Their lives are in our hands," Yami stuck a sword through his box, "By now, the swords should be going through to about shoulder level."
Eriku put another sword in his box. Why'm I doing this? If even Taru dies, then I can get outta here and still get away with the little Kaiba. Who cares if he dies? That guy might be bluffing, anyway.
Yami pulled out his next sword, "This is the fated blow."
Eriku blinked, "What do you mean."
"At this point," Yami indicated the boxes with swords sticking out, "Both of us have passed through our partners. Our next swords will be going through the chest, right up by the heart if not through it depending on our thoughts at the time. It's a fatal blow."
Eriku glanced at the sword in his hand. With this weapon…if that guy's brat doesn't die first…I can finally get rid of Taru. That guy has messed up so many times it's not funny. He smells, and I can't stand to be around him. Eriku watched Yami.
Yami calmly went over to the box, and stuck the sword in.
Eriku listened, and was surprised when he didn't hear a cry of pain or the box light up.
Yami inwardly blew out his breath. Once a sword has passed harmlessly through, it turns translucent and into an illusion, and is harmless. I'm proud of Yugi. He really believes in me. Just like how I knew he could do it. Yami glanced at Eriku, noticing that the taller man hadn't yet put his sword in. "What are you waiting for?"
Eriku glanced at the sword, then growled. He shoved it through the box as hard as he could.
There was a scream, and the box turned red.
Yami crossed his hands over his arms as the boxes opened, revealing the occupants of the boxes.
Taru looked around, "Hey…how'd I get outside da box…?" He looked over at an equally puzzled Yugi, who was also standing outside the boxes.
"What happened, kid?" Taru asked.
"I…don't know…," Yugi blinked. He shakily looked up as someone stepped out of his box. Yami.
Yami smiled, the illusionary swords disappearing as he left the box. "Hello, Yugi."
"Yami!" Yugi cried, throwing his arms around the other boy.
Yami pulled apart, "Turn around, Yugi."
"Why…?"
"I don't want you to see this," Yami said seriously. "Now, when you turn around, you will be somewhere else. Take the boy from before, and get as far away from here as you can. Go to the park. We'll meet there."
"Okay," Yugi nodded. I trust Yami. He hasn't let me down yet. I'm sure he'll explain when we get home. He turned around and waited. Suddenly, he found that he was standing back in the alley. He looked around and blinked. What…?
Yami turned to Taru, "Go ahead. Look in the box."
Taru looked in, and stepped back involuntarily.
Eriku was in there. There were illusionary swords sticking out of the box and inside, going through his head in two spots. But there, sticking out of his chest, was a real sword. Blood ran down from the wound, staining into his suit and dripping off the sword, running down the blade and dripping onto the ground. His expression was twisted into one of shock. His eyes were wide, yet he wasn't dead yet.
"What the hell…?!" Taru exclaimed.
Eriku looked at Yami, then coughed blood, "Wh-why…?"
"Because you wanted to kill him," Yami crossed his arms, "You wanted to kill your partner. How do I know? This is the Shadow Realm. It can read your thoughts. It knows what you're thinking. How else do you think this Game could possibly work? Because you didn't trust each other, and because you, Eriku, wanted to kill Taru, you would be killing yourself. Partners don't have to like each other, but should be able to trust one another in a life-or-death situation. Eriku, you wanted to kill Taru for his mistakes. Yet, that was making a big mistake, yourself. People learn from their mistakes. That's how they grow. But you didn't realize that fact. That is why you ended up in the box."
"But…," Taru pointed, "You was in the box, too…"
Yami nodded, "I know. In actuality, we were really running those swords through ourselves, in this case."
"Te…me…," Eriku gasped. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he slumped.
Taru stared in shock. "Gya…gya…gya…"
"Taru."
Taru gulped, looking over at Yami.
"You, too, didn't trust your partner," Yami stated, the eye on his forehead appearing and starting to glow, "You were screaming curses at him when the second sword was placed into the box. And, since you both couldn't trust each other, you both lose."
"W-wait…!" Taru pleaded.
"Too late!" Yami held out his hand, "Mind Break!"
Taru's eyes went wide, and he froze. He fell backwards onto the ground.
Yami closed his eyes, the third eye disappearing. The darkness lifted around them. They were standing back in the alley. Or, well, Yami was. Eriku was laying on the ground, a sword sticking out of his chest and blood covering the wall and floor where he was seated. Taru was laying on the ground, not moving. He wasn't dead.
"Your soul was removed for the time being," Yami glanced at Taru, "It will come back to you in about a year, but you'll never be the same again. You're still alive…but you won't know anything. It'll be like being a zombie. Just going about doing things without really knowing why. You won't have any personality. Just like a robot. For one year. And that's being generous." With that said, Yami slung his jacket over his shoulder and walked away.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Japanese – English
Demo – But…