Disclaimer- I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, a'rite?
I just wanna say- this Chapter is best read while listening to 'Everytime' by Britney Spears in my opinion, maybe not, but I think the song's quite fitting for it.
Warnings- Abuse mentioned, one swear- nothing too strong.
Happy Birthday to both Dark Devotions and miecamiu! Thanks for reviewing both of you also!
Thank you wickedomen1 and FireieGurl for reviewing also!
lilrubydevil- Ooo, i hope you have a great birthday! And yeah, being lazy is the greatest, hehe!
Serenity Meowth- Hehe, Kaiba likes to glare at a lot of things, huh? And yeah a Matron is a School Nurse which is legally allowed to prescribe/give medication out. Hope you like this Chapter!
kiwirose- Thanks for the two great reviews! I'm glad you enjoy reading this story, hope you like this Chappy too!
DreamCherry66- Hey girl! I take it you were having a great day then with all those things happening? Once again thank you soooo much for your idea- you're wonderful idea pulled me outta writers-block, yay! Hope ya like da Chapter!
crsg- Thanks for reviewing, your work is inspiring to read and it feels great to be reviewed by someone as amazing as you!
On with the fic!
It was all around, the engulfing darkness; it seemed endless as the sheer silence covered the area- there were no indications of life, of light, or of even simple hope…
Jou shivered as a eerie chill ran up his spine, he felt so alone here, and to be completely honest he was petrified, it seemed he was the only thing in existence in this whirlpool of darkness.
He held his arms across his chest, hugging himself in an attempt to fight off the increasing freeze that tried to steal his body heat away from him.
After a moment, his knees gave way as he felt an invisible pressure push him downwards causing him to nearly topple over- he suddenly felt so weak, it was like all the strength he had inside of him had rapidly been sucked out by some mystical force.
"W-where am I…?" he questioned into the darkness, "Am I dead? Is this what this all is? It's da afterlife… My afterlife…?"
Suddenly, the sound of light feminine giggling echoed throughout the area, Jou frowned; his head shooting from side to side in search of the mysterious yet gentle laughter, "Who's dere?" he demanded, his fear bubbling inside of him as his defensive shield was raised instantly, Wait why am I panicking so much? It sounds like a little girl giggling, so what's freaking me out…?
A image slowly started to appear infront of the weakened blonde, it was blurred at first but after a moment, the image came out crystal clear causing Jou's eyes to fly wide open, shocked by the sight before him.
"Come on big brother! We're going to be late!"
"Serenity…" Jou gazed at the beautiful young girl, her shoulder length brown hair glistening gloriously as it always did as she gleefully skipped along with her little pink dress swaying gracefully with her movements.
"Wait up sis!" a second image suddenly emerged from the darkness- it was of a small blonde boy, he looked around eight or so.
The younger Jou stopped infront of the older, his eyebrow slightly raised in curiosity, seemingly gazing straight forward into the teenage Jou's eyes.
Jou's eyes watered slightly, looking into the younger Jou's eyes he instantly recognised the hope, curiosity and love he once carried himself, but after Serenity and his mum left, and after his Dad started to come home late at nights heavily drunk, it had all changed, and he lost all that hope and love.
He hung his head in shame as a tear slipped off his delicate cheek, What ever happened to that life? What ever happened to that me? I used to be so hopeful, so ambitious… But now, I have no dreams or hopes, they all vanished along with the reality of living in a happy family…
"What's wrong Joey?" the little Serenity queried her sibling worriedly, running over to the perplexed blonde who was still gazing straight forward at the broken Jou.
"Um, it's nothing Seren, I just t'ought I saw somethin', don't worry about it," the little boy easily shrugged it off before taking the hand of his sister and leading her off, both laughing joyfully.
Jou threw his head back, glancing over his shoulder as he watched the two children fade away into the darkness, he frowned before turning back and clutching his head, "No, don't do dis! When I cut myself I planned on going to an afterlife dat would release all da pain and agony I've been carrying for all this time! I don't want ta have ta live it all again!" he called out, his voice almost breaking as tears ushered their way down.
"You pathetic piece of shite! I don't ever want to see you again!" a voice filled with such hatred and anger slurred out.
Jou's eyes widened in fear, he removed his hands from his aching head and hugged himself once more, his body starting to shake in terror, "N-No, it can't be…" he whispered.
Another image, blurred at first, slowly came into view- it was a painful image to watch, the image of a teenage boy being beaten by his 'beloved' father.
Blood covered the walls and floor- a scream was then heard, as the boy was kicked in the head and thrown across the hallway smashing against the wall, his clothes were torn and stained in a sickening amount of thick red blood.
The boy reached his hand up, gripping onto the wall for any support it could give him, before being kicked again… and again… and again…
Most normal people would either wince while watching each hit, or cover their eyes altogether but Jou didn't need to do either- he was the one who had endured the pain all those years, he was the one who was faced with the idea of being beaten nearly everyday of his life, he was used to it, he was that boy.
Instead of the image disappearing this time though, it remained, and a third image emerged- the image of a corrupted young boy.
It was Jou only a year or so younger, he wore the same clothing, his hair was the same but in his eyes you could tell he was a different person, a person filled with such anger, hatred, hurt, and pain.
"When I was in my gang…" Jou gaped at the image, before frowning and turning his head away in disgust, "I left that gang for a reason- we hurt people, scared people, attacked people, and we never had a decent reason for it… It was just so pathetic, and it showed just how weak we really were, just like my father was…"
Just at that moment, several images started appearing, all painful memories that he had tried to ignore and hide away in the depths of his mind for so long, but now he was being confronted by all of them, every single thing that had happened to him was now trying to make itself known- not allowing the blonde to forget at all.
He clutched his head, all the voices, the screams of pain or fear, the noise of gunshots, the noise of bones smashing, the sound of evil laughter, the sound of motorbikes- it was all too much!
"Jou come on, stay with me…"
That one voice, it somehow managed to break through all the other noises, it was soft and soothing, it instantly relaxed Jou as he lifted his head up, his eyes twinkling brightly, looking upwards towards where the gentle voice spoke.
Suddenly a beam of light entered the darkness, and a final image appeared, the image of a handsome young brunette man, his eyes were soft, caring and inviting, he reached his hand out towards Jou, a faint smile on his usually serious face, "Come with me, and let all the pain go… Forget all of that, it's in the past, and this is the present…"
Jou's eyes were wide, but after a moment they softened, he reached his hand out placing it in the CEO's, before whispering, "Angel…"
Okay, personally I think the last Chapter was a little rushed abit, so in this Chapter I slowed down abit and put it into a bit of a better perspective. I thought this Chapter turned out quite well (for once,) and for me it's my second favourite chapter I've written. (Chapter 1 is still a winner for me, lol!)
But am I wrong? Do you think this Chapter could have been better? Maybe I could have written more? Review and please tell me!