Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.

A/N: Thank you for reviewing Yugi and Mai, starfall13, Dark Magician Girl / Hikaru, seto/ryou4ever, Star Girl11, and Angel in Disguise8. Here's the next chapter, I sort of pulled one word out of the title because it seemed too long to me.

Entry 3

A glance if disgust. A stare of pity. A look of contempt.

"What are his parents doing?"

"Look at that scar 'tisk tisk.'"

"Drug dealer, maybe."

"Get away from there honey, we don't want to get caught in those street gangs."

"No son, we don't speak to strangers, let's go home now."

A quarter here, a dime there, even whole dollars thrown at my feet. People walking by. Stares of aversion. Whispers of harsh words. Hurrying away quickly. Leaving with their families.

Would I call this freedom? Is this how I imagined it to be? No, I knew what lay ahead, I knew what I was in for and I was ready to accept the worst life had in store for me. I brought this onto myself so why should I complain?

Staring up at the cloudy, dreary sky, I notice a slight hint of pathetic fallacy [1] in my part. Either this is a coincidence or even the weather is sympathizing with me. I've become somewhat used to the redundant remarks and fleeting looks from passers-by. I don't care anymore; those people and their families don't know what I have been through.

Those people and their families.

Why should I blame them? I was once like them myself, living happily with my family and although that was so long ago, it doesn't mean that it was never true. Back then, our family might have strolled past a dank and dirty alleyway much like this one and give offensive comments to the homeless souls sheltering themselves there as well. Without much thought, we as human beings single out the worst qualities in others, judging from our own observations and never looking past the exterior. I, with my wild and tangled hair, ragged clothing and overall demeaning appearance qualifies me as a freeloading, drug dealing, alcoholic street thug.

It's what they see. Sometimes I wonder if my pride forces me to make unwise decisions. Was this even an unwise decision? I had a home, no wait, not a home, more of a shelter, yes a shelter, I had food, not the best food but food nonetheless and I had a place to sleep. Now, I have a worn-out piece of sheet metal as my only form of shelter, morsels of scrap wherever I can find them to line my empty stomach and the cold, wet and foul-smelling ground in which to rest my head. It would be easy to go back. Yes definitely. But then again, a shelter comes at a great cost for me and by that I don't mean money.

Out here, I have the ability to stay in any place I choose and move at my own whim. My mind often scolds me for my idiocy, of my decision to remain in such a place, but my pride refuses to give up. No matter how hard it is to survive out in this harsh environment, I refuse to go back to Andersen.

I lean back against the brick wall, thinking back a little. My escape from that worm-eaten pit was almost miraculous. It was as if God had wanted me to go and held my hand leading me away safely.

I had waited until late night, around midnight to plan my escape. That little shred of information I heard from Julie and Andersen sealed my long uncertain choice to run away and I knew for sure I had to do it.

I waited anxiously in my bed listening to the clock tick every minute, every second away. My wait seemed endless but it soon drew to a close as I ceased to hear the floorboards upstairs creak from Andersen's weight and was sure he was asleep. Slowly and quietly, I made my way out of bed and pulled out a small green bag from underneath the old mattress. The bag was only big enough for two things, my journal and...and

...my treasure.

Stuffing the items inside the bag, I promptly slung my bag over my shoulder and worked toward piling the tatty old cardboard boxes up high enough to reach the small basement window. As soon as there were enough to reach it, I carefully scaled the mountain of boxes and slipped through the tiny window.

Now most people wouldn't have been able to fit through a space of that size, but I was smaller and thinner than most people (due to my lack of proper nutrition) and without much difficulty, slipped by into the outside.

That was effortless enough. I was free at last! Made it! But was really? Ha! Nothing came that easily, especially for me. After taking two steps, I found myself facing a pair of blinding headlights cornering me against the garage door.

Andersen's vicious mug glared at me with a fierce hatred behind the wheel and I thought for a second that he would crush me against the house with his huge car. Apparently, I was wrong and he had actually left the house instead of gone to sleep. And, lucky for him, came back just in time to see me climbing out of my rat-hole and stopped me in my tracks.

Never assume.

Without thinking, I made a mad dash toward the street and blindly raced down the sidewalk. Without thinking was right, Andersen pulled his car out of the driveway in a heartbeat and was on my heels in no time. I could barely see anything in the thick blanket of darkness so I just kept on running forward bumping into various objects as I ran by. I had nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. Andersen and his monstrosity of a car threatened to run me over without mercy. Every corner was followed, every street was tracked and every road was manoeuvred.

I was trapped.

I can still recall the dangerous squealing of the wheels behind me as I dashed through the night not knowing where I would end up next. Tears ran down my cheeks as I feared the worst was to happen. My legs were beginning to tire and my lungs felt as if they were going to explode. Fortunately for me, I found a narrow alleyway, tore down its length in a rush and dove into a bush in the end to conceal myself. That little move must have confused him because I lost track of the car, peering out from behind the bushes and could no longer hear the roar of the loud (and annoying) engine.

With a sigh of relief, a slumped down onto the ground, panting heavily. Safe at last.

One week has past since that insane escapade and I have tried my best ever since to hide myself and elude Andersen for as long as I can. I stared down at the small bundle I held in my arms. Those were the only things I could salvage and take with me to the outside world. My journal, which held the words of my life and...my treasure.

Yes that's right, my treasure.

I don't know why I called it that. Well, essentially, it was a treasure. Made of pure and flawless solid gold, I was awed when I first laid eyes on it. I received it through a mysterious package from the mail two years after I was separated from my family and put in a foster home – eight years ago. The package held no return address or any sign of who it may have come from.

The only thing I found when I tore open the brown wrapping paper was a beautifully decorated golden case and a small note.

'Precious is the one bathed in light,

Darkness shall shield the heavily indignant soul,

Through toughest trials he may befall,

In the heart alone find contentment and delight,

For by this frees the spirit of strength and might.'

A rather bewildering note. But I was not too concerned about it. What astounded me more was some sort of, I don't know, energy or power I felt emanating from the case. I felt as if no one could touch it except for me. It beckoned me to be its keeper, called me to take possession of it. I found myself yielding to the alluring calls of the case and held onto it, kept it safe from that moment on. But was it really the case I felt? Well, not quite. Something was inside of it; something I was afraid to look at but knew was something very significant. I never told anyone about it, I sensed it was to be a secret. Everywhere I was taken, I was forced to bring it with me.

Eventually, I became good at finding hiding places for it. Behind bookshelves, floorboard panels and even stuffed under a pile of underwear.

I carefully removed the case from inside my bag and slowly lifted the lid open. I was not afraid of what lay inside the case anymore, in fact, it became a sort for me when I felt like giving up. Somehow, it gave me the strength to continue and helped me keep trying to get back onto my feet. Gradually, I lifted it out and examined the golden exterior. Brushing my fingers along the smooth and shiny surface, I was amazed of how, after all these years, it was able to keep its flawless beauty and authentic form.

When I first opened the case, I saw a label attached loosely to this object. Let's see, what is it called, the millennium.......millennium, something. I can't really remember. The last bit of the paper did seem to have a tear at the end of it. All well.

I slid the millennium object back into the bag and pulled the string to close it. The sun had already set long before and now the streets are beginning to quiet down. I pulled out a few crackers a kind restaurant owner had given me the other day and nibbled it hungrily. It wasn't nearly enough to fill my grumbling stomach but at least it was something. A rat scurries by. Hmm, there are a lot of them around here, I never got used to seeing those things. I lay my head on my folded up jacket and slowly began to drift off. It's been a long day, week and I needed to keep my energy up.

Rustling

My eyes were nearly shut when I heard a noise. Sitting up with a jolt, I looked around to see what it was. There, standing at the end of the alleyway, was a blurry, shadowy figure looming ominously behind the streetlight. I rubbed my eyes to see clearly but could not see any better than before. The figure made its way closer and closer until I was able to make out the silhouette of a man. Step by step I could hear the footsteps of the man shoes knocking against the pavement. Clutching my bag fearfully to my body, I looked up at the person as he proceeded forwards until he stood towering over me.

"Come with me boy."

End Entry

[1] Pathetic fallacy: Often the mood and emotions of a character (usually the protagonist) is emphasized through the weather. The weather changes depending on the mood the character is in. Rain = sadness, Sunshine = joy, etc.