The Game of Life
By: Rogue Fox
Part Seventeen... Imposters
A/N: Hey all! If I haven't responded to your reviews, I'm sorry! I've been so busy lately, I've barely got any time to write at all. I need you all to know something that just occurred to me. Himeko's name in Egypt was Isis, and there's a character in YGO named Isis! Just know, that for now, when I say Isis, I probably mean Himeko. That just occurred to me last night. Boy, do I feel stupid! Thank you all for your support!
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*
I sat in silence, my fingers running up and down Seto's chest, watching his face contort with pain. Several times over the past few days, he had begged me to kill him. His eyes had been wild with pain, and he begged me to have mercy, to end his life... His exact words were, "Before he gets me." I didn't know what to do. He asked repeatedly to see the picture of his mother. I think it soothed him. It had gotten worse, over the past few days. At first, he could ignore it and carry on a calm, quiet conversation. He could even bear to talk to a few people at once. But now, breathing too hard made him twitch in pain. He screamed a lot. And I blinked furiously, desperate not to let him know how scared I was, even more desperate to control my tears.
" Yuki..." he whispered. I raised my hands and pressed my fingers to his lips, to let him know I was still there and to urge him to be quiet. He began to slip into sleep, and I was thankful. It was one in the morning, and I was exhausted. But more importantly, when he slept, he wasn't in pain. I stretched out on the bed, happy to know that for at least a little while, Seto wasn't hurting. Then, I laid down beside him.
I thought about some of the things Seto had said, sometimes mumbled in a fitful sleep, sometimes screamed in the worst of his pain. He repeatedly begged for death, I had become used to that. But it was the other things he said that scared me. He spoke of something trying to work its way into his mind, or worse, someone. Sometimes, he would scream in such a way that I knew his words couldn't be meant for me. He would scream things like, " I won't let you!" or " Leave me alone!" and once, " I don't care if you kill me! Just go away and leave us alone!"
Repeatedly I had scanned his body with my sixth sense. I knew there was something supernatural hovering over him, but it always pulled away before I could detect it. It made me angry. Seto was obviously fighting something away from himself, and I was unable to help him. I hated feeling helpless.
And with those thoughts floating through my mind, I soon drifted into a tortured sleep, not noticing that at some point during the night Seto became quite still and peaceful next to me.
The next morning, I awoke suddenly, my eyes flashing open with a sudden sense that something was not right. Sunlight drifted through the windows in Seto's room, and the computer was off. But what frightened me most was the quiet. There wasn't a single noise, no moaning or restless turning. I sat up and saw, much to my shock, that the bed next to me was unoccupied. I gasped and leapt out of bed.
" I'm fine. You can go back to sleep." A voice told me. I wheeled around to find Seto standing there in the door of his private bathroom, buttoning up a dark blue shirt. I stared at him.
" But, you..." I said, my voice trailing off. Seto smiled strangely at me.
" I know. It just vanished this morning." He said. I cocked my head curiously. He sounded like Seto, he looked like Seto, but at the same time, he wasn't Seto.
" Are you sure you're feeling okay?" I asked.
" I'm fine." He insisted. " Actually, I'm starved." He told me with a winning smile, brushing past me on his way to the door. I followed him, not as enthusiastically, watching him closely. His gait was more swung out, not stiff and formal like the Seto I knew. He looked almost curious about his surroundings, investigating everything. And finally, he looked almost expectant, looking for someone. He was talkative at breakfast. He seemed almost giddy. I kept silent, watching him curiously. Mokuba and Yoshi kept asking if he was okay.
" Seto." I said slowly.
" Hm?" Seto mumbled around a mouthful of toast. Seto never talked with his mouthful.
" You're late for work." I told him, studying his reaction carefully.
" Work?" he asked, looking confused. " Oh, work! Guess I lost track of time while I was sick. Thought it was Sunday." He said, forcing a laugh.
" But, Seto, you work on Sundays." Mokuba protested quietly.
" Sorry, I forgot." Seto said, swinging his long legs out of the chair and grabbing his briefcase and another piece of toast simultaneously. He was out the door without even saying goodbye, leaving the boys and I staring after him.
" What's the matter with him?" Yoshi asked me. I didn't answer, staring after Seto. What was the matter with him?
" Go get ready for school." I said at last. The boys all climbed out of their chairs obediently and ran off, leaving me alone in the kitchen. It was like Seto had transformed into an entirely different person. My expression hardened as I stood there.
*+*+*Yami*+*+*
I stared hard at the notes I had scribbled the night before for history, trying to will the facts to imprint themselves in my brain as the teacher called roll.
" Yami Motou?" I vaguely heard someone call. I didn't respond. " Mr. Motou?" the same someone called, a little more urgently. I was busy trying to memorize how to spell that queen's name. " Yami!" My head snapped up.
" What?!" I snapped back. The class broke out into laughter, and Yugi poked me in the back.
" I was just wondering if you were here, Mr. Motou." The teacher said, her voice bordering on anger. I gulped.
" S-sorry. I'm here." I said. The class laughed again. Soon after, she passed out the tests. And I almost had a heart attack, trying to figure out most of the answers.
" So how was the history test?" Yuki asked me at lunch, casually taking a swig from her can of pop. I slammed my head on the table we sat at.
" That bad, huh?" Mai asked.
" It wasn't that hard at all!" Yugi protested.
" That's what you say, squirt." Bakura grumbled. I raised a hand and pointed at Bakura.
" I agree with him! That teacher is demonic! I swear, she has it in for me!" I cried, lifting my head up.
" This from the moron who fell asleep in class." Himeko said casually. I shook my fist at her, and swiped the remainder of her candy bar. She didn't seem to care anyway. At that point, the last member of our group, Kaiba, set down.
" Who else thinks they flunked the history test?" he asked. Bakura, Jou, and I all raised our hands. " Okay, just so long as I'm not alone in that."
" You actually think you failed a test?" Honda asked in disbelief.
" Yeah, I do. I've been sick for the past few days, incase you've forgotten." Kaiba said. I looked up at Yuki, who was staring at Kaiba with a hard expression. So I wasn't the only one who thought he was acting weird. I waited until after lunch to talk to Yuki about it.
" Do you think Kaiba's acting weird?" I asked her. She nodded curtly.
" He just woke up fine this morning. He won't stay near me long enough for me to scan him. He's almost eager to get away from me. And he forgets stuff that he should know. Like when school starts, what time he leaves for work, Yoshi's birthday... That kind of thing." She told me.
" So what do you think we should do?" I asked. Yuki shrugged.
" Wait and see, I guess. I mean, we have no proof. And what's more, he just woke up from an agonizing illness. So who's to say he shouldn't be a little off for a few days?" Yuki asked, shrugging.
" Okay... I guess you're right." I said slowly. Then I looked over Yuki's shoulder. And guess what I saw? Himeko, leaning against her locker, with Seto Kaiba leaning over her. Very close. Too close. The way he was smiling at her, his stance, everything about him screamed flirtatious. " But that doesn't mean I don't want to kill him." I growled to Yuki. She looked behind her, following my gaze. I sensed her body go tense as she observed them. She didn't say anything to me, beyond mumbling something about having to get to class as she brushed by me, seemingly in a huge hurry to get anywhere but her current position.
After school, I dropped Yugi and Himeko off at home. Yugi shared Yuki and my suspicions about Kaiba, but Himeko was too giddy and happy to hear anything that had nothing to do with positive things. She was a schoolgirl with a crush. After I dropped them off, I drove to the library, desperate for some peace and quiet. This time, I didn't bother taking a book off the shelf, just sitting down at my little table. I sat there for a long time, my head propped up in my hands, until someone tapped me on the shoulder. I looked up to find that librarian, the girl who blushed every time I looked at her. The one that acted so suspiciously. But as I looked at her, I wondered if maybe I wasn't just being paranoid.
" I'm sorry for bothering you, but you've just been sitting here for almost an hour. Are you okay?" she asked softly. I smiled a little at her and sighed.
" Yeah, I'm fine. Just trying to figure stuff out." I said. The girl sat down at my table.
" Care to talk about it?" she asked. I read her nametag as she sat.
" Perl." I said out loud.
" Yes?" she answered me, giving me a curious look.
" That's a funny way to spell it." I said, indicating to her nametag.
" Oh, that. Yeah, I guess." Perl said, shrugging. " So, what's on your mind?" she asked. I sighed.
" That friend of ours, the one that was sick?" I asked, and she nodded to show her comprehension. " Well, he's better. The problem is, he's not himself. I mean, he's acting really weird. My little sister is really worried about him, and so am I. I just don't know what to do." I explained. Of course, I left out a big part of my suspicions, but Perl seemed to understand me anyway.
" Have you tried confronting him about it?" she asked.
" My little sister tried. But he just insisted he's fine. I know he's not, though." I said. Perl shrugged.
" Maybe he's just having an off day." She suggested.
" Maybe." I agreed vaguely. I didn't think so, but Perl did seem to make me feel better about it.
" Oh, by the way. I noticed that you always read books about music when you come, so I dug this out of the back for you." Perl said, pulling a book out of a bag she had with her and handing it to me. It was a book on the workings of a piano.
" Wow. Thanks." I said, genuinely surprised.
The library became a usual haunt for me after that. I liked Perl. She was a really nice girl. She didn't blush so much around me anymore. We talked about all sorts of stuff, and I felt like I could tell her my problems. Of course, I could never tell her all my problems. She would never truly understand. How could I tell her? That would go over real well. " You see, Perl, I'm actually the soul of a Pharaoh of ancient Egypt who was trapped in a small dismembered puzzle that was recently solved by my reincarnated form... And now, I'm worried that my twin sister's reincarnated form's, who is posing as my little sister, best friend, who's a teenage multi- billionaire, has been possessed by a spirit, possibly from my past. Did you get all that?" And then, how would I explain that I wasn't entirely over my old girlfriend, who I had to kill myself? Thus, I came to the reasonable conclusion that Fate likes to make fun of me.
Two days passed, and slowly but surely, everyone except Kaiba himself became absolutely positive that he wasn't as okay as he claimed to be. However, Yuki replaced him as top on my worry list. She looked like someone who was living her greatest nightmare, hollowed eyes and her already slim figure diminishing. On top of that, I couldn't sleep again at night. I knew something big was coming. Something that had to ability to break us.
So, on a Thursday afternoon, I ran into the library, rubbing my hands together and trying to keep my teeth from chattering. I waved hello to one of the older librarians, who had all become used to my presence, and made my way back to the table Perl and I sat at. She was already there, pouring over a book in front of her. I sat down across from her, and she looked up at me briefly.
" Hey, Yami. How's your day been?" she asked me. I shrugged.
" Same old, same old. Tense. I can't stop worrying." I said. She looked up at me from her book.
" That's not healthy." She told me. I stared at her for a moment before laughing.
" You know, Himeko told me that once when we were younger." I said, chuckling.
" You're going to have an ulcer before you're twenty." Perl said, shaking her head.
" Wouldn't surprise me." I said.
" How's your friend?" Perl asked.
" Same as he was. Strange. Yuki's looking like she's worrying herself sick." I told her.
" Must run in the blood. Worrying, I mean." Perl noted, looking up and appraising me.
" Whatever. Help me out with literature." I requested. In no time, I was so absorbed with what Perl was telling me about some Shakespearean play, I didn't notice how close we were getting, until I looked up. And her face was inches from mine. Our eyes met and locked. I didn't think. I just acted.
Perl reminded me of Mariah, I realized. She had the same sweet, quiet temperament, the same fierce devotion to her loved ones. She had a tendency to start acting like a textbook, but so did Mariah. She even looked a little like Mariah. And I suppose why I was so ready to accept Perl was because of Anzu. I lied to Yugi. Easy thing to do, now that we didn't share a head. I looked at Anzu, and I saw Mariah, and that drove me to madness. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Mariah, or maybe it was Anzu... In any case, I lied to Yugi. And that made me feel incredibly guilty. I had betrayed the person I trusted the very most. I hadn't done anything, I hadn't acted on those forbidden emotions. But I still felt guilty. But then, on the flip side, I felt guilty because in a way, I was only using Perl to forget Anzu and Mariah. Which just made me the all-time jerk. So I was screwed no matter what I did. And I live in the moment. Unlike my light, I act first, think and feel later. So I acted.
My hand jerked up and cupped Perl's face with my index finger and thumb, tilting it upward ever so slightly. Then I leaned in, grazing her lips with mine. For a single instant, I was in utter bliss, completely without worries. It didn't matter to me anymore that Yuki was slowly wasting away, that Kaiba might be possessed by a demon, that my Himeko was setting herself up to get her heart broken. And for that single instant, I was happy. And then reality slammed home.
I jerked my head away from Perl, feeling ashamed, guilty, and at the same time, elated. I didn't say anything to her, I just snatched my jacket and keys and ran for the door. And as I drove home, I berated myself, wondering how I would ever be able to look at myself in the mirror, or worse, how I would ever be able to look at Perl ever again. I am such an idiot, I growled mentally. I got home, muttered something that sounded somewhat like a greeting to Grandpa and Yugi, who were watching TV, and ran for my room. And when I got there, I realized Himeko's jacket hadn't been in the foyer. Sudden worry washed over me. Whatever problems I was facing with Perl, they suddenly seemed much smaller.
*+*+*Yami Bakura*+*+*
I flipped through the channels on the TV, searching for anything worth watching.
" Two hundred channels, and the only thing on is people trying to sell stuff that probably won't even work when bought." Ryou grumbled, glaring at the TV over his book. I grunted in agreement, my mind elsewhere.
My consciousness exists on a plane above that of normal mortals, as does Ryou's, Isis's, Yugi's, Yuki's, and Yami's. I'm sensitive to the abrupt changes of emotion of those I'm close to. I know when Ryou gets scared, I know when Isis is worried, and so on. So, when I felt a sudden surge of emotion, it peeked my curiosity. It was coming from the Pharaoh, which was odd. He usually had pretty strict control of his emotions. I glanced at Ryou, who looked at me. So he had felt it too. Then, as suddenly as it was there, it was gone. I shrugged it off. Everyone has their moments, and that Pharaoh was no different. I was concentrating on that particular sense, so I was very aware when Yuki got frustrated with something, Ryou's confusion with the Pharaoh's sudden burst of emotion, Yugi's jovial mood as he observed something humorous. It's almost as though we have a network between us, each one of us constantly monitoring all the others. We even keep check on the members of our group that can't join the network.
I keep especially stern tabs on Himeko. It's not my business to know her every emotion, but I try to know when she feels threatened or afraid or upset or angry, that kind of thing. Regardless of what she said about us being different people, I still loved her, and I'd be damned before I let anyone hurt her. So of course, I knew when she experienced extreme emotions. Like she was right then. Happiness, and lots of it. I tuned it out, my mind flashing to what I had seen that day at school...
*+*+*Yami Bakura Flashback*+*+*
I was walking down the hall, after fourth period, which is right after lunch, juggling my books and jacket. I was trying to figure out how I was supposed to carry all that crap and still get anywhere in five minutes. They sure expect a lot of teenagers these days, I thought grumpily, in their own funny way.
Finally satisfied that I had all my things in such a position that I could at least walk down the hall without killing myself, I started walking again. And, a few moments later, I stopped, right in the middle of the hall. I know exactly where Himeko's locker is. And I check it every time I walk past. But today, right then, I had to be there to witness that sight. I just had to. I cursed Fate under my breath, that it would direct me to see this.
Himeko was leaning against her locker, and she wasn't alone. Standing all but on top of her, his arms leisurely twined around her waist, stooped down so that he could kiss her, was Seto Kaiba. There they were, kissing. Passionately, too. I gritted my teeth and bit back bitter tears that threatened to spill. A flash of golden hair caught my eye, and I looked up to see Yuki standing opposite to me, observing the same damned sight. She looked at me, and our eyes locked. I saw the look in her eyes, even though it was only there for a second. Betrayal. She felt betrayed. By whom, I didn't know. But I could relate to the feeling. In any case, the emotion was gone from her eyes too quickly to do anything but see it. She turned and left after that, desperate to get away. Yuki runs when faced with something like that. She'd just rather not face it.
But I didn't run. I stayed there, staring like an idiot. He had beaten me in Egypt, and now his reincarnated form beat me in this age. I blinked furiously, acutely feeling my heart beginning to break all over again. Didn't all those nights on the Nile mean anything to her? Didn't all the words I had said to her, all the times I had sworn my undying love, mean anything at all? That night, in the house I stayed in... When we made love... Did that mean nothing as well? I jerked myself from the spot and stormed for my next class, forgetting entirely to get the books required for that class. I dropped into my chair, a blank look on my face. I swore to her that I loved her. I gave her everything I had left, my heart, my soul, my love, and it meant nothing. All her promises, all her words... Empty. Just words... I dropped my head onto the desk. I didn't want anyone else to see my pain. If I could just die, it would be the best thing that ever happened to me, I thought miserably...
*+*+*Yami Bakura*+*+*
I sighed. I hadn't told anyone about it. Not even Ryou. I hadn't even spoken to Yuki yet. I had been living a lie, for thousands of years... I blinked, surprised by the urge to cry that welled up in me. Himeko was my world, my life... She was the one I loved, and she was in the arms of another man, letting him hold her, kiss her, love her... If I had known where Ryou hid those damned knives, I'd probably have tried to slice myself open about five times already. So Himeko could just be happy. She could be happy until she dropped dead, for all I cared. Or, at least, that's what I told myself. The fact of the matter was, though, that I did care. I cared very much.
*+*+*Seto*+*+*
If I had any doubts in my mind that Yugi, Ryou, and Yuki weren't some of the strongest people the world had ever seen, then in those two days, I lost them. Those three suffered a reality I had only been able to imagine, in which there was someone else inhabiting their head. At times, that someone else's will and power was overpowering. In Ryou's case, he lived a miserable life, as little more than a tool. Yugi had to deal with his yami's ruthless, killing attitude. Yuki had to control Himeko's incredible rage and emotions. All three of them put their lives on the line every day, just by existing. And I had only been able to imagine how terrifying, how painful their lives were. But now, I knew from experience.
Hearing voices is a little scary. You wonder, am I losing it? Surely I'm going insane. But then, you don't feel like you're insane. But when those voices start persuading you to do things you know you shouldn't do, it gets scarier. And it gets scarier when those voices take up an actual presence in your head. And the scariest of all is when those voices can take you over.
When I laid there in agony, I knew I was fighting a losing battle against my "voice." He wanted me. He needed me, my body, to achieve his ends. And as he forced his way into my head, he began to tell me of his plans. I knew who he was. I knew. And it scared me. I owed the person he wanted to kill. I owed him big time. You see, the person my "voice" wanted to kill was Yami Bakura. And I owed Yami Bakura a debt I could never pay. He saved Yuki's life. And her life means so much more to me than my own life, than anything I own. But it wasn't just Yami Bakura my "voice" was after. He was also after Himeko, but for different reasons.
Still your feeble protests. We've proven time and again that I am the more powerful. You will succeed in nothing but making yourself weaker. he growled at me. Me. Seto Kaiba. Prisoner in my own head. Unable to blink of my own free will. My every thought being read by someone else. My body in the control of someone else. That's right, I rule you. You have no other purpose. he encouraged me maliciously. I sunk away from him, cowering in a small corner of the mind I was once master of. So this was the horror Yugi, Ryou, and Yuki knew. So this was their prison that they knew too well. I'd never be able to look at them the same way.
And he acted as though he was me. I looked through my eyes that I no longer controlled, and I could see my friends suspected something was wrong. Yuki in particular. I begged mentally for her to save me, for anyone to save me. But at the same time, I begged them all to go away. He'd only hurt them. He was bloodthirsty. He sought love, and he would do whatever it took to get that love. Himeko's love. The love he called rightly his.
For two days, I endured a hell worse than the agony. For two days, I listened to the ridicule of another no better than me. For two days, I lived as a prisoner in my own head. For two days, I begged and pleaded for him to leave us alone. For two days, I threatened, bargained, pleaded, begged, and demanded that he wouldn't hurt Himeko or Bakura. For two days, I saw Yuki and Bakura's hurt when he held Himeko with my arms. And for two days, I felt myself slowly dying.
And he sensed it. I was not a Millennium Item holder. I was not a light, or a yami. My body and I were not made to endure that stress. He knew he was running out of time. So he set them up. Bakura was on his way to the mansion. Himeko was with us. Bakura thought he was coming to pick up Ryou, who was actually over at Yugi's with Yuki and the boys. Himeko thought she had come over to watch a movie. Neither one of them knew what he actually had planned. As the Imposter planned to ruin them. And as much as I wanted to do something, anything, I could do nothing.
*+*+*Perl*+*+*
I stared after Yami as he bolted out the door, feeling... Actually, I don't know what I was feeling. Betrayed, guilty... Had I led him on? I didn't mean to. He was a means to an end. I needed him to find my target. But then, at the back of my head, I had this nasty knowledge. He was my target.
I felt the power surge in my veins, and I had to bite my tongue to hold it back. Here I was, an imposter on this plain, planning to... I tried not to think about it. It wasn't Yami's fault, really. How could he know what was in store for him? How could he know what I knew? What I had seen? He seemed like an okay guy in this time... Maybe I had the wrong guy. But the other yami's, it wasn't them. And he was the only one that fit the type. It wasn't really his fault. It wasn't his fault he had to die. For a crime he hadn't even committed yet.
By: Rogue Fox
Part Seventeen... Imposters
A/N: Hey all! If I haven't responded to your reviews, I'm sorry! I've been so busy lately, I've barely got any time to write at all. I need you all to know something that just occurred to me. Himeko's name in Egypt was Isis, and there's a character in YGO named Isis! Just know, that for now, when I say Isis, I probably mean Himeko. That just occurred to me last night. Boy, do I feel stupid! Thank you all for your support!
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*
I sat in silence, my fingers running up and down Seto's chest, watching his face contort with pain. Several times over the past few days, he had begged me to kill him. His eyes had been wild with pain, and he begged me to have mercy, to end his life... His exact words were, "Before he gets me." I didn't know what to do. He asked repeatedly to see the picture of his mother. I think it soothed him. It had gotten worse, over the past few days. At first, he could ignore it and carry on a calm, quiet conversation. He could even bear to talk to a few people at once. But now, breathing too hard made him twitch in pain. He screamed a lot. And I blinked furiously, desperate not to let him know how scared I was, even more desperate to control my tears.
" Yuki..." he whispered. I raised my hands and pressed my fingers to his lips, to let him know I was still there and to urge him to be quiet. He began to slip into sleep, and I was thankful. It was one in the morning, and I was exhausted. But more importantly, when he slept, he wasn't in pain. I stretched out on the bed, happy to know that for at least a little while, Seto wasn't hurting. Then, I laid down beside him.
I thought about some of the things Seto had said, sometimes mumbled in a fitful sleep, sometimes screamed in the worst of his pain. He repeatedly begged for death, I had become used to that. But it was the other things he said that scared me. He spoke of something trying to work its way into his mind, or worse, someone. Sometimes, he would scream in such a way that I knew his words couldn't be meant for me. He would scream things like, " I won't let you!" or " Leave me alone!" and once, " I don't care if you kill me! Just go away and leave us alone!"
Repeatedly I had scanned his body with my sixth sense. I knew there was something supernatural hovering over him, but it always pulled away before I could detect it. It made me angry. Seto was obviously fighting something away from himself, and I was unable to help him. I hated feeling helpless.
And with those thoughts floating through my mind, I soon drifted into a tortured sleep, not noticing that at some point during the night Seto became quite still and peaceful next to me.
The next morning, I awoke suddenly, my eyes flashing open with a sudden sense that something was not right. Sunlight drifted through the windows in Seto's room, and the computer was off. But what frightened me most was the quiet. There wasn't a single noise, no moaning or restless turning. I sat up and saw, much to my shock, that the bed next to me was unoccupied. I gasped and leapt out of bed.
" I'm fine. You can go back to sleep." A voice told me. I wheeled around to find Seto standing there in the door of his private bathroom, buttoning up a dark blue shirt. I stared at him.
" But, you..." I said, my voice trailing off. Seto smiled strangely at me.
" I know. It just vanished this morning." He said. I cocked my head curiously. He sounded like Seto, he looked like Seto, but at the same time, he wasn't Seto.
" Are you sure you're feeling okay?" I asked.
" I'm fine." He insisted. " Actually, I'm starved." He told me with a winning smile, brushing past me on his way to the door. I followed him, not as enthusiastically, watching him closely. His gait was more swung out, not stiff and formal like the Seto I knew. He looked almost curious about his surroundings, investigating everything. And finally, he looked almost expectant, looking for someone. He was talkative at breakfast. He seemed almost giddy. I kept silent, watching him curiously. Mokuba and Yoshi kept asking if he was okay.
" Seto." I said slowly.
" Hm?" Seto mumbled around a mouthful of toast. Seto never talked with his mouthful.
" You're late for work." I told him, studying his reaction carefully.
" Work?" he asked, looking confused. " Oh, work! Guess I lost track of time while I was sick. Thought it was Sunday." He said, forcing a laugh.
" But, Seto, you work on Sundays." Mokuba protested quietly.
" Sorry, I forgot." Seto said, swinging his long legs out of the chair and grabbing his briefcase and another piece of toast simultaneously. He was out the door without even saying goodbye, leaving the boys and I staring after him.
" What's the matter with him?" Yoshi asked me. I didn't answer, staring after Seto. What was the matter with him?
" Go get ready for school." I said at last. The boys all climbed out of their chairs obediently and ran off, leaving me alone in the kitchen. It was like Seto had transformed into an entirely different person. My expression hardened as I stood there.
*+*+*Yami*+*+*
I stared hard at the notes I had scribbled the night before for history, trying to will the facts to imprint themselves in my brain as the teacher called roll.
" Yami Motou?" I vaguely heard someone call. I didn't respond. " Mr. Motou?" the same someone called, a little more urgently. I was busy trying to memorize how to spell that queen's name. " Yami!" My head snapped up.
" What?!" I snapped back. The class broke out into laughter, and Yugi poked me in the back.
" I was just wondering if you were here, Mr. Motou." The teacher said, her voice bordering on anger. I gulped.
" S-sorry. I'm here." I said. The class laughed again. Soon after, she passed out the tests. And I almost had a heart attack, trying to figure out most of the answers.
" So how was the history test?" Yuki asked me at lunch, casually taking a swig from her can of pop. I slammed my head on the table we sat at.
" That bad, huh?" Mai asked.
" It wasn't that hard at all!" Yugi protested.
" That's what you say, squirt." Bakura grumbled. I raised a hand and pointed at Bakura.
" I agree with him! That teacher is demonic! I swear, she has it in for me!" I cried, lifting my head up.
" This from the moron who fell asleep in class." Himeko said casually. I shook my fist at her, and swiped the remainder of her candy bar. She didn't seem to care anyway. At that point, the last member of our group, Kaiba, set down.
" Who else thinks they flunked the history test?" he asked. Bakura, Jou, and I all raised our hands. " Okay, just so long as I'm not alone in that."
" You actually think you failed a test?" Honda asked in disbelief.
" Yeah, I do. I've been sick for the past few days, incase you've forgotten." Kaiba said. I looked up at Yuki, who was staring at Kaiba with a hard expression. So I wasn't the only one who thought he was acting weird. I waited until after lunch to talk to Yuki about it.
" Do you think Kaiba's acting weird?" I asked her. She nodded curtly.
" He just woke up fine this morning. He won't stay near me long enough for me to scan him. He's almost eager to get away from me. And he forgets stuff that he should know. Like when school starts, what time he leaves for work, Yoshi's birthday... That kind of thing." She told me.
" So what do you think we should do?" I asked. Yuki shrugged.
" Wait and see, I guess. I mean, we have no proof. And what's more, he just woke up from an agonizing illness. So who's to say he shouldn't be a little off for a few days?" Yuki asked, shrugging.
" Okay... I guess you're right." I said slowly. Then I looked over Yuki's shoulder. And guess what I saw? Himeko, leaning against her locker, with Seto Kaiba leaning over her. Very close. Too close. The way he was smiling at her, his stance, everything about him screamed flirtatious. " But that doesn't mean I don't want to kill him." I growled to Yuki. She looked behind her, following my gaze. I sensed her body go tense as she observed them. She didn't say anything to me, beyond mumbling something about having to get to class as she brushed by me, seemingly in a huge hurry to get anywhere but her current position.
After school, I dropped Yugi and Himeko off at home. Yugi shared Yuki and my suspicions about Kaiba, but Himeko was too giddy and happy to hear anything that had nothing to do with positive things. She was a schoolgirl with a crush. After I dropped them off, I drove to the library, desperate for some peace and quiet. This time, I didn't bother taking a book off the shelf, just sitting down at my little table. I sat there for a long time, my head propped up in my hands, until someone tapped me on the shoulder. I looked up to find that librarian, the girl who blushed every time I looked at her. The one that acted so suspiciously. But as I looked at her, I wondered if maybe I wasn't just being paranoid.
" I'm sorry for bothering you, but you've just been sitting here for almost an hour. Are you okay?" she asked softly. I smiled a little at her and sighed.
" Yeah, I'm fine. Just trying to figure stuff out." I said. The girl sat down at my table.
" Care to talk about it?" she asked. I read her nametag as she sat.
" Perl." I said out loud.
" Yes?" she answered me, giving me a curious look.
" That's a funny way to spell it." I said, indicating to her nametag.
" Oh, that. Yeah, I guess." Perl said, shrugging. " So, what's on your mind?" she asked. I sighed.
" That friend of ours, the one that was sick?" I asked, and she nodded to show her comprehension. " Well, he's better. The problem is, he's not himself. I mean, he's acting really weird. My little sister is really worried about him, and so am I. I just don't know what to do." I explained. Of course, I left out a big part of my suspicions, but Perl seemed to understand me anyway.
" Have you tried confronting him about it?" she asked.
" My little sister tried. But he just insisted he's fine. I know he's not, though." I said. Perl shrugged.
" Maybe he's just having an off day." She suggested.
" Maybe." I agreed vaguely. I didn't think so, but Perl did seem to make me feel better about it.
" Oh, by the way. I noticed that you always read books about music when you come, so I dug this out of the back for you." Perl said, pulling a book out of a bag she had with her and handing it to me. It was a book on the workings of a piano.
" Wow. Thanks." I said, genuinely surprised.
The library became a usual haunt for me after that. I liked Perl. She was a really nice girl. She didn't blush so much around me anymore. We talked about all sorts of stuff, and I felt like I could tell her my problems. Of course, I could never tell her all my problems. She would never truly understand. How could I tell her? That would go over real well. " You see, Perl, I'm actually the soul of a Pharaoh of ancient Egypt who was trapped in a small dismembered puzzle that was recently solved by my reincarnated form... And now, I'm worried that my twin sister's reincarnated form's, who is posing as my little sister, best friend, who's a teenage multi- billionaire, has been possessed by a spirit, possibly from my past. Did you get all that?" And then, how would I explain that I wasn't entirely over my old girlfriend, who I had to kill myself? Thus, I came to the reasonable conclusion that Fate likes to make fun of me.
Two days passed, and slowly but surely, everyone except Kaiba himself became absolutely positive that he wasn't as okay as he claimed to be. However, Yuki replaced him as top on my worry list. She looked like someone who was living her greatest nightmare, hollowed eyes and her already slim figure diminishing. On top of that, I couldn't sleep again at night. I knew something big was coming. Something that had to ability to break us.
So, on a Thursday afternoon, I ran into the library, rubbing my hands together and trying to keep my teeth from chattering. I waved hello to one of the older librarians, who had all become used to my presence, and made my way back to the table Perl and I sat at. She was already there, pouring over a book in front of her. I sat down across from her, and she looked up at me briefly.
" Hey, Yami. How's your day been?" she asked me. I shrugged.
" Same old, same old. Tense. I can't stop worrying." I said. She looked up at me from her book.
" That's not healthy." She told me. I stared at her for a moment before laughing.
" You know, Himeko told me that once when we were younger." I said, chuckling.
" You're going to have an ulcer before you're twenty." Perl said, shaking her head.
" Wouldn't surprise me." I said.
" How's your friend?" Perl asked.
" Same as he was. Strange. Yuki's looking like she's worrying herself sick." I told her.
" Must run in the blood. Worrying, I mean." Perl noted, looking up and appraising me.
" Whatever. Help me out with literature." I requested. In no time, I was so absorbed with what Perl was telling me about some Shakespearean play, I didn't notice how close we were getting, until I looked up. And her face was inches from mine. Our eyes met and locked. I didn't think. I just acted.
Perl reminded me of Mariah, I realized. She had the same sweet, quiet temperament, the same fierce devotion to her loved ones. She had a tendency to start acting like a textbook, but so did Mariah. She even looked a little like Mariah. And I suppose why I was so ready to accept Perl was because of Anzu. I lied to Yugi. Easy thing to do, now that we didn't share a head. I looked at Anzu, and I saw Mariah, and that drove me to madness. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Mariah, or maybe it was Anzu... In any case, I lied to Yugi. And that made me feel incredibly guilty. I had betrayed the person I trusted the very most. I hadn't done anything, I hadn't acted on those forbidden emotions. But I still felt guilty. But then, on the flip side, I felt guilty because in a way, I was only using Perl to forget Anzu and Mariah. Which just made me the all-time jerk. So I was screwed no matter what I did. And I live in the moment. Unlike my light, I act first, think and feel later. So I acted.
My hand jerked up and cupped Perl's face with my index finger and thumb, tilting it upward ever so slightly. Then I leaned in, grazing her lips with mine. For a single instant, I was in utter bliss, completely without worries. It didn't matter to me anymore that Yuki was slowly wasting away, that Kaiba might be possessed by a demon, that my Himeko was setting herself up to get her heart broken. And for that single instant, I was happy. And then reality slammed home.
I jerked my head away from Perl, feeling ashamed, guilty, and at the same time, elated. I didn't say anything to her, I just snatched my jacket and keys and ran for the door. And as I drove home, I berated myself, wondering how I would ever be able to look at myself in the mirror, or worse, how I would ever be able to look at Perl ever again. I am such an idiot, I growled mentally. I got home, muttered something that sounded somewhat like a greeting to Grandpa and Yugi, who were watching TV, and ran for my room. And when I got there, I realized Himeko's jacket hadn't been in the foyer. Sudden worry washed over me. Whatever problems I was facing with Perl, they suddenly seemed much smaller.
*+*+*Yami Bakura*+*+*
I flipped through the channels on the TV, searching for anything worth watching.
" Two hundred channels, and the only thing on is people trying to sell stuff that probably won't even work when bought." Ryou grumbled, glaring at the TV over his book. I grunted in agreement, my mind elsewhere.
My consciousness exists on a plane above that of normal mortals, as does Ryou's, Isis's, Yugi's, Yuki's, and Yami's. I'm sensitive to the abrupt changes of emotion of those I'm close to. I know when Ryou gets scared, I know when Isis is worried, and so on. So, when I felt a sudden surge of emotion, it peeked my curiosity. It was coming from the Pharaoh, which was odd. He usually had pretty strict control of his emotions. I glanced at Ryou, who looked at me. So he had felt it too. Then, as suddenly as it was there, it was gone. I shrugged it off. Everyone has their moments, and that Pharaoh was no different. I was concentrating on that particular sense, so I was very aware when Yuki got frustrated with something, Ryou's confusion with the Pharaoh's sudden burst of emotion, Yugi's jovial mood as he observed something humorous. It's almost as though we have a network between us, each one of us constantly monitoring all the others. We even keep check on the members of our group that can't join the network.
I keep especially stern tabs on Himeko. It's not my business to know her every emotion, but I try to know when she feels threatened or afraid or upset or angry, that kind of thing. Regardless of what she said about us being different people, I still loved her, and I'd be damned before I let anyone hurt her. So of course, I knew when she experienced extreme emotions. Like she was right then. Happiness, and lots of it. I tuned it out, my mind flashing to what I had seen that day at school...
*+*+*Yami Bakura Flashback*+*+*
I was walking down the hall, after fourth period, which is right after lunch, juggling my books and jacket. I was trying to figure out how I was supposed to carry all that crap and still get anywhere in five minutes. They sure expect a lot of teenagers these days, I thought grumpily, in their own funny way.
Finally satisfied that I had all my things in such a position that I could at least walk down the hall without killing myself, I started walking again. And, a few moments later, I stopped, right in the middle of the hall. I know exactly where Himeko's locker is. And I check it every time I walk past. But today, right then, I had to be there to witness that sight. I just had to. I cursed Fate under my breath, that it would direct me to see this.
Himeko was leaning against her locker, and she wasn't alone. Standing all but on top of her, his arms leisurely twined around her waist, stooped down so that he could kiss her, was Seto Kaiba. There they were, kissing. Passionately, too. I gritted my teeth and bit back bitter tears that threatened to spill. A flash of golden hair caught my eye, and I looked up to see Yuki standing opposite to me, observing the same damned sight. She looked at me, and our eyes locked. I saw the look in her eyes, even though it was only there for a second. Betrayal. She felt betrayed. By whom, I didn't know. But I could relate to the feeling. In any case, the emotion was gone from her eyes too quickly to do anything but see it. She turned and left after that, desperate to get away. Yuki runs when faced with something like that. She'd just rather not face it.
But I didn't run. I stayed there, staring like an idiot. He had beaten me in Egypt, and now his reincarnated form beat me in this age. I blinked furiously, acutely feeling my heart beginning to break all over again. Didn't all those nights on the Nile mean anything to her? Didn't all the words I had said to her, all the times I had sworn my undying love, mean anything at all? That night, in the house I stayed in... When we made love... Did that mean nothing as well? I jerked myself from the spot and stormed for my next class, forgetting entirely to get the books required for that class. I dropped into my chair, a blank look on my face. I swore to her that I loved her. I gave her everything I had left, my heart, my soul, my love, and it meant nothing. All her promises, all her words... Empty. Just words... I dropped my head onto the desk. I didn't want anyone else to see my pain. If I could just die, it would be the best thing that ever happened to me, I thought miserably...
*+*+*Yami Bakura*+*+*
I sighed. I hadn't told anyone about it. Not even Ryou. I hadn't even spoken to Yuki yet. I had been living a lie, for thousands of years... I blinked, surprised by the urge to cry that welled up in me. Himeko was my world, my life... She was the one I loved, and she was in the arms of another man, letting him hold her, kiss her, love her... If I had known where Ryou hid those damned knives, I'd probably have tried to slice myself open about five times already. So Himeko could just be happy. She could be happy until she dropped dead, for all I cared. Or, at least, that's what I told myself. The fact of the matter was, though, that I did care. I cared very much.
*+*+*Seto*+*+*
If I had any doubts in my mind that Yugi, Ryou, and Yuki weren't some of the strongest people the world had ever seen, then in those two days, I lost them. Those three suffered a reality I had only been able to imagine, in which there was someone else inhabiting their head. At times, that someone else's will and power was overpowering. In Ryou's case, he lived a miserable life, as little more than a tool. Yugi had to deal with his yami's ruthless, killing attitude. Yuki had to control Himeko's incredible rage and emotions. All three of them put their lives on the line every day, just by existing. And I had only been able to imagine how terrifying, how painful their lives were. But now, I knew from experience.
Hearing voices is a little scary. You wonder, am I losing it? Surely I'm going insane. But then, you don't feel like you're insane. But when those voices start persuading you to do things you know you shouldn't do, it gets scarier. And it gets scarier when those voices take up an actual presence in your head. And the scariest of all is when those voices can take you over.
When I laid there in agony, I knew I was fighting a losing battle against my "voice." He wanted me. He needed me, my body, to achieve his ends. And as he forced his way into my head, he began to tell me of his plans. I knew who he was. I knew. And it scared me. I owed the person he wanted to kill. I owed him big time. You see, the person my "voice" wanted to kill was Yami Bakura. And I owed Yami Bakura a debt I could never pay. He saved Yuki's life. And her life means so much more to me than my own life, than anything I own. But it wasn't just Yami Bakura my "voice" was after. He was also after Himeko, but for different reasons.
Still your feeble protests. We've proven time and again that I am the more powerful. You will succeed in nothing but making yourself weaker. he growled at me. Me. Seto Kaiba. Prisoner in my own head. Unable to blink of my own free will. My every thought being read by someone else. My body in the control of someone else. That's right, I rule you. You have no other purpose. he encouraged me maliciously. I sunk away from him, cowering in a small corner of the mind I was once master of. So this was the horror Yugi, Ryou, and Yuki knew. So this was their prison that they knew too well. I'd never be able to look at them the same way.
And he acted as though he was me. I looked through my eyes that I no longer controlled, and I could see my friends suspected something was wrong. Yuki in particular. I begged mentally for her to save me, for anyone to save me. But at the same time, I begged them all to go away. He'd only hurt them. He was bloodthirsty. He sought love, and he would do whatever it took to get that love. Himeko's love. The love he called rightly his.
For two days, I endured a hell worse than the agony. For two days, I listened to the ridicule of another no better than me. For two days, I lived as a prisoner in my own head. For two days, I begged and pleaded for him to leave us alone. For two days, I threatened, bargained, pleaded, begged, and demanded that he wouldn't hurt Himeko or Bakura. For two days, I saw Yuki and Bakura's hurt when he held Himeko with my arms. And for two days, I felt myself slowly dying.
And he sensed it. I was not a Millennium Item holder. I was not a light, or a yami. My body and I were not made to endure that stress. He knew he was running out of time. So he set them up. Bakura was on his way to the mansion. Himeko was with us. Bakura thought he was coming to pick up Ryou, who was actually over at Yugi's with Yuki and the boys. Himeko thought she had come over to watch a movie. Neither one of them knew what he actually had planned. As the Imposter planned to ruin them. And as much as I wanted to do something, anything, I could do nothing.
*+*+*Perl*+*+*
I stared after Yami as he bolted out the door, feeling... Actually, I don't know what I was feeling. Betrayed, guilty... Had I led him on? I didn't mean to. He was a means to an end. I needed him to find my target. But then, at the back of my head, I had this nasty knowledge. He was my target.
I felt the power surge in my veins, and I had to bite my tongue to hold it back. Here I was, an imposter on this plain, planning to... I tried not to think about it. It wasn't Yami's fault, really. How could he know what was in store for him? How could he know what I knew? What I had seen? He seemed like an okay guy in this time... Maybe I had the wrong guy. But the other yami's, it wasn't them. And he was the only one that fit the type. It wasn't really his fault. It wasn't his fault he had to die. For a crime he hadn't even committed yet.