K: Long time no see, eh?

Y: It HAS been nearly a year, aibou. --;

K: Heh heh… ; …Sorry?

Y: --; Just shut up and type up the damn chapter before they hurt you.

K: H-hai. ;

Dedications:

- Weeping Angel (Sorry I took so long. I've been slacking off, haven't I? --; Bad Ko. bops herself on the head)

- Platerair Queen (.; You've been waiting all this time?! Aack! Gomen ne!! You'll probably have a heart attack when you see this then, huh? .; Gaah! I need to update more!!)

- Tora no Kurayami (STOP GIVING AWAY SPOILERS, SHINJI!! . Is it really that predictable? Raah! You'll definitely have to do that again with this update… I, myself, forgot this existed! ;)

- Hime no Ichigo (Yeah… No one else in Yu-Gi-Oh has red eyes… -- slaps other characters, save Yuugi DAMN YOU!! PICK A DIFFERENT EYE COLOR!!)

- Angel of Yami (Read minds? No- he can't do that in this one, either. He was just guessing. ; Sure, I'll read your stories! I just need to find time, first… .;)

- Lotus Re-incarnate (Don't worry- he's not gonna be like her. I agree whole-heartedly that the nurse bitch was annoying as hell. Lol. Sorry it took so long to update! I'll try not to take another year for the next one!)

- Euryale (I don't blame you- I forgot it existed, too. .; Nope! Not discontinued! Thanks for the offer, though. I'll keep that in mind… I'm getting rid of a bunch of others, though… They're listed in my bio.)

- Bakurasveela (Be proud- your review reminded me this fic existed. ; Yes, I'm well-aware of how sad that is. Lol. Then again, when you haven't written in a long while, you begin to forget things… Which is the case here. ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this fic. I just borrowed them for other people's entertainment. Don't hurt me!

Shadows of the Night

Part III: Raison D'être

November 19, 1989

It was snowing. Like tiny feathers descending from the heavens, they drifted to the ground with the quiet, serene calm of something fulfilling its role in life. Crystals of ice were meant to fall on this day, it seemed, to blanket the city and hide the sins that had been committed.

A splash of red on white. Soiled clothes, once crisp and new, now drenched and torn, reeking of blood. Bone, pale and gleaming in the soft glow of the streetlights, flesh ripped away by savage, grotesque creatures of darkness. Gashes running along horror-struck faces, placed there just before their deaths.

Wide, violet eyes, staring blankly, unable to comprehend what lie before them. Screams echoing in his mind. Tears streaming down rosy, chubby cheeks, having come unbidden once the youth had gazed upon the broken bodies of his family. A dark figure, standing guard over the innocent, a gloved hand squeezing his shoulder gently. A glint of metal. The boy noted the charm hung from the gentleman's wrist with empty eyes.

Sirens wailing, amplified by the still of the night. A whisper in the child's ear- "I'll protect you, little one." A gust of wind, ice swirling, dancing as the figure melted into the shadows.

Strangers pulling him away, wrapping him in blankets that gave no warmth; that offered him no solace. The flashing of cameras and a flurry of questions. Bags, corpses of loved ones, tossed into the back of a truck. Red eyes peering out of the darkness.

Dull violet gazing upward into the sky. A motion of his lips, a voiceless murmur.

"Ya……mi…."

Ruby gems revealed themselves to the world, a flicker of lingering sadness shining within as painful memories surfaced. He'd been too late- the chiropterans had already come and gone, leaving death and destruction in their wake. He'd caught up with them once he'd been sure Yuugi was safe, but still he cursed himself for ignoring their actions instead of killing them when he'd had the chance. Yuugi's parents would still be alive and well if he'd cared enough for human life to have stopped them beforehand. Yuugi's sorrow had rekindled the faintest spark of humanity within him. A part of him that hadn't been touched for centuries. A part of him he had long since forgotten.

That is why he began to hunt the damned. He'd made a promise, to Yuugi, as well as to himself. He would protect him at all costs, and preserve the purity of Yuugi's soul. He owed the boy at least that much.

You're a fool to care for a mortal…

The pharaoh smiled faintly. Perhaps I am…

He snorted, turning his head to gaze at the one he'd given his life to through the small second-story window. I don't think so.

The boy was entertaining his friends, swapping cards and laughing merrily as they nursed mugs of green tea. They seemed genuinely happy, enjoying each other's presence.

You would be weak…

Yami sighed, closing his eyes. The man inside him longed for companionship once more. He had given his whole being to the violet-eyed boy, yet he himself knew nothing of their relationship. He had locked that memory away in the darkest corner of his mind, and knew him only as a fellow classmate.

Not a hint of recognition in his eyes. Even as he spoke my name in greeting, the name he gave me, there was nothing. Perhaps she is right after all- perhaps I am, indeed, a fool…He grit his teeth, bitterly cursing the Gods for their cruel joke.

Then, slowly, he calmed himself, and silently asked the Gods to forgive him for his anger. It was better this way- they had given him a gift, and here he was, condemning them for their actions. He was unworthy of the title of pharaoh.

If he doesn't remember, then he can continue to be happy. It was I who caused him such grief in the first place… I alone should suffer for my actions. I alone should be the one to carry this burden.

"Which is why I can't risk him being in danger. If he runs into a chiropteran, his memories would surely return…"

The Egyptian stood, skillfully maintaining his balance on the branch that support him. His statement was true. The slightest thing may trigger the suppressed memories and cause them to surface.

That was why he hunted. That was why he distanced himself like this… Filled with a burning desire to uphold his oath, he leapt from the limb, racing off to find the trail of yet another child of darkness and make it pay for its sins.

In his haste, a silver chain snapped from his wrist, and was caught on some twigs just below the limb he'd been on. The sudden movement rustled the leaves, drawing Yuugi's attention as he bustled around, collecting the cups his friends had left behind when they'd gone downstairs. Intrigued, he set them down and climbed on top of his desk to peer out the window.

There, suspended just beyond his reach, was an ankh pendant. His eyes widened and dilated, neurological connections breaking the barrier that had been placed on certain memory cells.

Ghastly images flooded back to him, a black-and-white horror film played in fast-forward. Snatches of conversation- "hide, go quickly," "N-nan nanno yo?!" "NIGERUNDA!!!" Blood-curdling screams reverberating in his mind, over and over- never ceasing. Faces, white and slashed, staring at him. Haunting him.

Snow dyed crimson. Corpses reaching out to him, calling for him. Creatures, their eyes glowing red. Long, brown hair all along its body. Sharp teeth ripping into the flesh of his mother and father. The struggle to breathe as quietly as he could, watching it all, witness to it all- hiding in the place his father had told him to run to just before he'd been torn to pieces.

The stench of death rolling off the devils. The piercing cries they'd uttered as they ran off. Emerging from his hiding place to gaze down on his parents. A hand on his shoulder. Comfort from a man he'd never seen. The glint of the silver charm on his wrist. A whisper, a promise. A flurry of snow.

Sirens. Strangers. Questions. Go away, leave me alone… The man was gone. Where is he? I must find him… Darkness. The man in shadow. Pendant.

School. A new student. A boy. Dark. Always dark. Always silent. Always alone. Pendant. Pendant. Silver chain. Silver charm. His wrist. The same wrist. Darkness. Shadows. Always cloaked in shadows.

H.I.M.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

Falling. Pain. Sounds. Darkness. Always darkness. Voices.

"Yuugi? YUUGI?!!"

…………….Nothing.

K: Blah. Done. My ass hurts. --;

Y: TMI, aibou.

K: Oh XP. rolls eyes ANYWAY, you better be goddamn HAPPY- I was gonna leave it at when he found the charm, but I went the whole 9 yards and wrote you his reaction, too!! grumble grumble It's friggin' 2 A.M.!! I COULD BE SLEEPING!!!!

Y: Anyway, we have no idea what will happen next. Have fun guessing, cuz' WE sure will! .;