-The Job-

Yuugi awoke in the morning, showered and dressed just like any other day. He placed the golden pyramid around his neck like he had done for the past week, smiling slightly as the morning sun reflected off the sides.

He ate breakfast as usual, and then made his way to school a half hour before the bell to try and escape the bullies. Making his way through a particularly dark alley he began to smell a familiar scent; the distinctive coppery smell that was usually associated with blood.

Frowning slightly the small boy walked further down the alley, the scent becoming stronger the further he progressed. He began to shiver involuntary, dreading what he may see. He almost jumped as he felt a splashing of water when he stepped in a puddle.

But…it hadn't rained in days…

The small boy suppressed a scream as he looked down at his trouser leg which was splattered crimson; he had stepped into a puddle of blood. His large violet eyes widened in fear, as he turned the corner of the alley and saw the body of one of his tormentors lying in a larger pool of blood.

The boys' eyes were still open, and staring lifelessly up at the sky. Yuugi took in a few shaky breaths before running to the edge of the alley and throwing up.

Slowly making his way back to the boy he felt faint, but decided that he needed to phone for the police and an ambulance. Was the ambulance really necessary? The boy was definitely dead after all…the blood had stopped flowing and was cool. There were no visible signs of life…but still…

Yuugi carefully lifted the boys arm, and felt for a pulse. He waited a few seconds until he was sure there was nothing and then searched the boy for a cell phone. He didn't have one himself; it would just get stolen.

He managed to tell the police where he was and what he had found, he was instructed to stay there and check the body for ID. Yuugi thanked the man and did so, opening the leather jacket.

"Oh my god…"

Yuugi looked down at the boy's torso which was shredded. He could see that markings were engraved into his chest due to the severely torn shirt. The skin was hanging off and though Yuugi couldn't read the words he recognised them as Egyptian Hieroglyphics.

He had to resist the urge to vomit again as he stared at the bloodied flesh, wondering what insane psycho would do something like this.

Soon the sirens could be heard, and a police car followed by an ambulance made their way to the opening of the alley.

"In here, I see them…holy shit…"

Some of the paramedics had to hold their breaths and were looking a little green at the sight. A police officer questioned Yuugi on a few things, and finally decided that he knew nothing on the matter. The officer offered to drive him home, and that he would be excused from school that day.

Yuugi just nodded in acceptance, he was concentrating more on the body which was being covered up in blankets and placed onto a stretcher. He allowed the man to take him back to the game shop, and let the officer explain everything to his grandfather.

An hour later he was sitting at his desk, in his bedroom staring at the golden puzzle. It was a source of comfort for him, and he felt a strange warmth emitted from the metal. Wasn't metal supposed to be cold?

Yuugi ran his fingers over the engravings, and brought back some stomach-churning memories of the body. They were hieroglyphics, he was sure. His grandfather was an Egyptologist, and he had picked up a few things from him. He had managed to figure out a few words but they made no sense.

Nobody…hurt…partner…live…speaks of…

There were several books on hieroglyphics in his room, and he tried to find some of the words and what they could possibly mean. What was most worrying to the small teen, was that the words he had seen were so familiar. He had never taken that much time to study Ancient Egyptian, yet he somehow knew them from somewhere.

As he turned the pages of the text book, searching for answers the golden pyramid sat on his desk, glowing slightly. If Yuugi were to look at it, he would see that the symbols he knew so well were written on the side of the puzzle, and he had seen them every day he had pieced the puzzle together.

"What could they mean? Partner? Nobody hurts partner? I don't understand…"

In the shadowy depths of the puzzle, Yami was sitting in a chamber, simply thinking. Thinking about what he had done…and who was next.

"Nobody hurts my aibou…"

-To be Continued-

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Written: 25th May 2004

Latest edition: 26th May 2004

-Dagger