A/N: I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long. School has been freakily busy! I've had piles and piles of homework, projects, and papers due. T.T But now I'm back with the next installment.
Wow! I am so happy! People actually like this fic! So many reviews… when I saw them all… my eyes went… O.O Thanks you so much! All of you… because you have all been so kind to review this fic. I've decided to finish this fic up totally before going back to my other fics! They will be posted soon after this one is done!
Oh… to clear up any misconceptions… this will not be a Yuugi/Anzu pairing fic. I kind of need Yuugi to like someone, and I decided since he did like Anzu in the manga/anime at first. I decided to incorporate those feelings into this fic… that is all. Yuugi's infatuation with Anzu will disappear, mainly because I'm not a fan of that pairing myself. -. -''''
Many of you may have already noticed that I bumped up the rating. I was on the eleventh page of this chapter when I was like. Holy shit! If I keep this at a pg-13 rating somebody is so going to report me. Thus, that is the reason why this fic is now at a R rating… because I no longer feel comfortable that this fic can be rated pg-13 especially with some of the content that is going to follow in the next chapter. Also I no longer think this fic can be finished by the next chapter mainly because I'm starting to like this fic I like it a little too much. Not that I didn't like this fic before… it was just that I was writing this two days before Christmas, and I was like I want to finish this fic in three chapters/days. That obviously didn't happen. I never really considered how hard that was going to be till I was half way finished writing this chapter, and I all these ideas came to me. Thus at this moment in time this chapter will have around six chapters maybe a seventh. I'm not sure if I want the ending to be one chapter by itself, and if I want to split the ending into two chapters or not. So probably there will be six to eight chapters in total. I'm hoping this will not disappoint any readers who wanted a short fic. I am so sorry… but I've decided to give this fic everything that it deserves either I need more chapters or longer chapters like over thirty pages. Thus I decided on the first chose.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh!
Chapter 2
Itsumo
The great beams of sunlight were once more cast upon the land of the rising sun. The sound of children as their voices rang through the halls of the school as they recited their daily lessons. Summer break was fast approaching. A time for relaxation and a time when arcades would once again be filled with obsessed gaming fanatics. A warm breeze blew through the air carrying with it the sound of the buzzing traffic within Domino's streets. It was followed by the low chime of the school bell announcing the end of another long day.
A boy, nearly approaching his sixteenth birthday, sighed as he leaned upon an open window. His hands lay limply outside of the frame. Chalk filled erasers in both hands dangled outside the window. His blond bangs fluttered in the breeze. A large yawn escaped his lips. His eyes showed fatigue. Faint traces of dark circles were slowly forming around his normally vibrant amethyst eyes. "Hey Yuugi! Stop day dreaming!" A boy shouted. His words filled with traces of a southern accent. An apron was tied around his waist, a trash can in one hand and a broom in the other. "You aren't the only one who's bored right now!"
Mutou Yuugi sighed before cocking back his head. "Sorry Yasuhara!" He flipped back a piece of blond bangs before giving the erasers a final clap. He coughed as a cloud of chalk dust engulfed the air before he retreated into the schoolroom. Absentmindedly he dropped the erasers back onto the chalkboard before grabbing the mop. The other boy sighed, shaking his head. He hated having after school clean up duty with Yuugi. The other never talked. It got so quiet and lonely.
The minute hand slowly ticked by before finally hitting the large twelve. The clock groaned, sounding off its time just as Yuugi placed the mop back into a closet down the hall. His cleanup duty shift finally ended as he walked to his locker. Yasuhara had left long ago. Yuugi had let him go an hour early saying he could finish up for the both of them. Haphazardly he changed his shoes and grabbed his bag which was crammed full of that night's homework. The sun had long set as Yuugi left the school. Streetlights were slowly starting to turn on in all the stores. Some would soon be closing.
The smell of old steel engulfed his olfactory system as he boarded one of the last buses of the night. Very few people were out this late. A middle age man was currently engrossed in the day's newspaper. A sixty some year old woman, probably a grandmother already with fine strands of gray hair and a walking stick, was currently dozing off into the land of dreams. A young woman, in a skirt and blouse, with a young boy about four or five who was currently fast asleep on her lap.
The teen shook his head before walking to the back of the bus and situated himself on the leather bond seat. It would be long ride home… nearly an hour on a day like today. His home was one of the farthest from his high school. It was situated on the border where the business district met the beach. He pulled out a book… one that he would have to have finished by the end of the week for literature. It wasn't that interesting. It wasn't even about Japan or written by a Japanese author. Instead it was English in nature. It was written by an English nobleman a century ago about knights, kings, and chivalry. Their teacher thought that reading writings from other countries' authors would broaden their views of the world.
The boy's eyes began to droop as moments later just when he felt like he was asleep an uneasy jolt awoke him. He tumbled to floor. The contents of his bag spilled out before him. The bus driver gave him a sheepish look before stopping the bus completely and walking over to help Yuugi up. Minutes later the contents were back in his pack, and Yuugi walked off the bus. A handful of coins in his hands… enough to cover a week's worth of bus rides.
He watched as the bus pulled away before he turned towards the other direction. His grandfather's store and his house was just at the end of the block. The faint sound of shriek owl could be heard before dissolving into the sounds of traffic. The small bell jiggled as Yuugi walked into the almost dark house. He dropped his bag on the ground before walking into the kitchen… the only source of light in the house. A plate mounted with food on one end… his aging grandfather in the other. A depressed and pitiful look was etched his face… a pile of letters in front of him.
"Konbonwa Jii-chan," Yuugi stated before slipping into his seat and grabbed the pair of chopsticks that were located before him.
The elder man made no indication of hearing… a seemly worn envelope… that looked like it had traveled a long distance was clutched in his hands which were lightly shaking. He bit his lips watching his only grandson literally engulf his meal. The minute hand dragged on as the boy walked out of the kitchen and grabbed his forgotten backpack. Sugoroku followed. His hand still clutched the unopened envelope.
"Yuugi." Sugoroku called just as Yuugi was about to walk away. The boy immediately stopped and looked back at his aging grandfather. The elder man licked his lips before trying to figure out the best way to state his news… before reverting back to what he always said. "You know your parents love you right?"
Yuugi's eyes immediately hollowed out. His breathing shortened. Yet he didn't cry instead stared hollowly at the envelope in his grandfather's hands. He stared at it with deep animosity before speaking. His voice was bitter and filled with held back hatred. "They aren't coming."
"No, they send their love… and this letter." Sugoroku added holding up the unopened letter. Yuugi stared at it blankly… not moving. The elder man sighed before stuffing it into Yuugi's hand which now cold and hard. The minute hand ticked on. The silence lingered before Yuugi ran upstairs. He closed his bedroom forcefully.
Sugoroku sighed haven watched his grandson's retreat. The boy no longer cried about it anymore. His heart had long hardened over during times like this. He was beyond tears. The feeling of abandonment had long left him. He hadn't seen his parents in years… every year on his birthday and on Christmas he always received the exact same letter… wishing him the best of health and whatever day it was and stating how they wished they could be with him but couldn't. It started nearly eight years ago… after Nozomi died. His mother never fully healed from the pain of losing a child. How foolish they were in Sugoroku's eyes. His father was the same. They couldn't bear to see Yuugi. Fearful that he too would die from heart failure… they had left for Egypt one week after the cremation. Visits became less frequent and somber… soon being cut down to only birthdays and Christmas. Soon, just three years early… they all together stopped coming. Always claiming that they couldn't leave their work, but always sending lavish and expensive gifts. The boy took them heartily at first… then… now he simply refused to open them. Gifts from two years past were piled in the attic, which were now probably covered in dust.
Sugoroku sighed. He hated been caught in the middle… being the messenger… being the one to bring the bad news… being the one to attempt to make Yuugi's birthday as joyful as possible. Soon he would take up a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. He would leave it on Yuugi's nightstand and whisper a faint 'I love you' then retreat to his own room. The young boy would engross himself in piles of homework. And the old man didn't know how to approach the young boy… after he too when Mitsu was growing up was frequently gone. He and Mitsu had a strained relationship. He was always away… his career and passion for games didn't permit him from having much time with his family… maybe that's why Mitsu chose to be an archeologist too. And maybe that's why Sugoroku gave up digging because he wanted to make amends with his son by raising Yuugi. And now, Yuugi was the one paying the price.
The days seemed to drag on longer and longer for Yuugi as the prospect of his parents not returning for his sixteenth birthday. He could barely remember what they looked like anymore. The last time he had seem them was on his thirteen birthday. People say you couldn't forget what your parents looked like… their imprints would be forever engraved within your mind, yet Yuugi had none of those. When he was little, he spent majority of his life in the hospital and away from home. As he grew older it was his grandfather who raised him, bestowed upon him his love for games. After all when his grandfather was younger he himself was a world renowned gamer. He possessed talent beyond his skill of reading hieroglyphics.
Yuugi let out a loud sigh. What a birthday present! A two hundred problem test was laid out before him on a semester's worth of physics. He hated physics. All that force calibration… it made his head spin profoundly just thinking about vectors. A timed test, their dear 'sweet' teacher thought it would be the prefect practice before the midterm in a couple of weeks.
A light breeze blew through the open windows rustling the large stapled test before him. From the sound of random students' cursing, it was obvious the wind had created problems for them too. Yuugi slipped a glance to a few seats behind him. A light red streak of crimson crossed the underline of his amethyst eyes. His heart pounded furiously. There she was the love of his life. Masaki Anzu, it turned out she wasn't interested in Kaiba Seto's arrogance and wealth. The young fifteen-year-old had inherited his father's business just last year after an 'unfortunate' accident. Instead, she had taken the liberty of being his sole protector. A little pathetic but that didn't keep her from actually kissing him just one week earlier. It wasn't a really passionate kiss. Actually it was a spur of the moment thing… one minute they were talking. She had just saved from playing 'monkey in the medium' with Honda and Jounouchi. He ended up dropping his books all over the place, and the two both bent down to pick them up. The two bumped heads and Anzu's lips glazed his cheeks. Next thing Yuugi knew Anzu was giving him a kiss not on the cheeks but on the lips. He being too stunned didn't know how to react… causing the young girl to run off. They hadn't talked since then. She always found a way to bypass him. Her head always bowed down… her face flaming red.
Yuugi had been on cloud nine after that incident. A half stunned… half in a trance… goofy smile transgressed his face just remembering and salvaging the memory of Anzu's lips upon his own. He quickly shook such an image from his mind… Anzu and him kissing under a full blooming cherry tree. The beautiful, white snow flake petals would cascade upon them… showering them in spring's hopes. He was almost done… just a few more problems left, and the first hour had barely passed.
Twenty minutes later, Yuugi turned in his paper and walked back to his desk. Only one other person had finished before him Kaiba Seto, the young CEO, gave him a smirk as Yuugi sat down before once again being engrossed in his book. No matter how much Yuugi despised physics, he was amazingly good at it. Actually he was good at most subjects, but when he had to take those damn intelligence tests. He would always zone out and make a hideous score. Sugoroku would always scold the boy for not trying hard enough in his studies. Yuugi rarely ever studied… instead spent most of his time engrossed in games at the local game shops around Domino.
The boy sighed… his amethyst eyes flickered once before soon sleep claimed him. He didn't know how long he slept or if the class was even over when a light nudge awoken him. Yuugi groaned… muttering a 'leave me alone' which caused the class to break out into laughter before the teacher finally managed to awaken the boy. His vision was hazy. His mind cleared as the teacher stuffed a note into his hand before ushering him to the direction of the principal's office. Minutes later the disoriented boy stumbled into the principal's office… to his surprise there was his guidance counselor and grandfather. The elder man looked as if he had been crying which stunned Yuugi to no end. Immediately upon seeing Yuugi enter, the old man wrapped his arms around the boy.
"Jii-chan!" Yuugi voice's betrayed him. He was startled to no end. His grandfather wasn't an emotional person… a little overly enthusiastic at times, but he never cried much less hugged him like that. Maybe a light pinch of encouragement, a short 'love you', or a fluff of his bangs but never an outright hug.
"Your parents loved you, you know that right?" The boy nodded confused. Once more his heart sank at remembering that his parents weren't coming home once again. "They found a beautiful tomb. Mitsu's dream was to find a Pharaoh's tomb. He finally accomplished it." Sugoroku said. On and on he rambled about his son's accomplishments, dreams, and goals in life… how was he was wonderful person. Yet his arms were always tightly latched onto Yuugi's.
"Jii-chan… Jii-chan, I know Otousan was a great archeologist. Him and Okaasan… you've told me about their evacuations in Egypt. I… I have class Jii-chan. If… if…" Yuugi started untangling his grandfather's grasp before turning around to walk out to the door.
"Yuugi… your parents are angels… they… they're in paradise now…"
Silence engulfed the room after Sugoroku's declaration. The sixteen-year-old's eyes widened… horrified, yet tears didn't fall. No one spoke. No one moved. It wasn't till the phone rang minutes later that broke the trance, and Yuugi ran. He ran out of the school… forgetting to change his shoes… forgetting his things. He ran and ran. He ran out of the courtyard. His mind confused. Tears fell from his amethyst eyes. On he ran into the middle of the street…
HONK!
Blinding white light… stunned his amethyst eyes… a string of curses…
"Yuugi!"
Otousan… Okaasan…
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The faint sound of a mild heartbeat, the sound of air being pumped through a machine which was timed with the beating of the heart. A long roll of paper was slowly being sent through a machine before coming out the other end. A young feeble boy laid upon a bed three sizes too big from him. A blood soaked bandage was wrapped around his forehead. IV tubes were stuck in his arms. Transparent fluid flowed through a tube into his hands. An elder man sat in a chair. His hands wrapped around the boy's hand.
Tears transcended down his face. The sound of the ticking of the clock could be heard. It was a little after ten at night already. The boy's eyes fluttered. His fingers moved. A light moan left his lips. "Jii-chan," he muttered… awakening the elder man from his state.
"Yuugi," Sugoroku muttered. His grasp on his grandson's hands tightened. "You gave us all quite a scare running out into the street like that Yuugi." Two more drops of tears fell from his eyes, staining his hands. Yuugi bit his lips. The events that had happened earlier that day immediately came crashing down on him. His grandfather came to his school and told him that his parents were dead. Sure, he hated them because they never came to see him and always sent letters. But… but he never wished for their deaths. Even then he had hope that someday he could go to Egypt and see them. At least then they were always on the same plane, but now, now his dreams were dashed from him forever.
"I brought you something." Sugoroku muttered minutes later releasing his grandson's hand and reached down below his seat. There he brought out a large box with a plastic lid. Yuugi's eyes widened as he pulled himself up. Moaning in discomfort, he felt no pain from his broken bones but moving and jolting a set bone still caused discomfort. Yuugi raised his hand and carefully attempted to remove the oxygen mask… seeing his grandson having trouble with it Sugoroku reached over and helped but he stated clearly that he would have to put it back on before he went to sleep for the night. Yuugi grinned. Almost as if he was reverting back to his youth when he would always be so happy to set and light the candles on his birthday cake. The elder man handed the boy the candles and lighter before leaning down before retrieve a gift-wrapped box and an old familiar doll. Yuugi's eyes widened upon seeing the doll just as he lit the last candle. Thoughts of spending the night alone at the hospital quickly dissolved now that he knew that mou hitori no boku would be there with him. He took the doll from his grandfather's arms and sat it between his legs.
"Go on Yuugi… make a wish." The boy immediately compiled. He glazed down at the doll remembering his past birthday wishes. How he always wished the doll would come alive, but this year for the first time it felt a little silly. The doll could never come alive. No matter how many more birthdays he wished for it. It could never be. His parents' smiling faces came into mind. He could wish that they could come back alive… no. That couldn't happen and would never happen. The deceased couldn't walk the earth once more. The sound of laughter filled his ears… coming from the hall that was beyond the closed doors. The sound of people talking… friends. That was what he wanted… what he always secretly wanted. Why he always wished for mou hitori no boku to be real, so they could be friends. He hadn't had any friends for a very long time… now… maybe… maybe he could.
A smile was engraved upon his lips. He hugged the pharaoh doll tightly before making his wish. I wish for friends… friends I can count on… friends who will count on me. His smile continued on as he opened his eyes and blew out the sixteen candles. Soon the candles were removed and a piece of cake was cut out for him. Both grandfather and grandson shared the cake before Sugoroku stowed it away. He would get the rest after he came home from the hospital. The elder man stuffed the present within his grandson's hands before replacing the oxygen mask. Lightly he rustled Yuugi's bangs like he use to do when the boy was younger before getting ready to leave.
"Jii-chan wait," Yuugi called desperately. Sugoroku immediately stopped and turned around. "Let me open my gift first." Sugoroku nodded watching as Yuugi tore open the gift. There in his hand was a solid steel knife. The hilt was made out of solid gold. A neat little design was craved upon the blade, still fresh and sharp as Yuugi ran his hand through it. The boy looked up confused.
"It came from Egypt… from one of Arthur's digs. He gave it to me saying that you might like it. It's an antique. He didn't have a heart to give it to the museum. He said you might like it… goes with the Pharaoh." Sugoroku chuckled.
"Thank you," Yuugi whispered as he ran his hand through the knife. He turned it around this way and that way, examining its subtle beauty. He didn't even notice his grandfather had left till minutes later when the haunting silence engulfed the room. Loneliness engulfed him. The pain of losing his parents returned as Yuugi sheathed the knife into its holder. He sat both the knife and the doll on the nightstand before closing his eyes. It didn't take long for Yuugi to fall asleep with tears slowly falling through the small crack of his eyelids.
He didn't know how he woken or when. His eyes fluttered… half open and half-closed. A warm comforting sensation engulfed his body which took away the chilliness of the hospital. A warm touch of another's hand lightly stroked his left arm, drawing circles through his hand. Yuugi sighed. It felt so good… too good to be true. After all who could possibly be here with him in his hospital room at this time of day… surely not his grandfather? He wouldn't be back for a long time. His career didn't give him that much leisure time. The young boy feared to turn his head, afraid that if he looked, his vigilante would disappear into a pouf of smoke.
The minute hand ticked on. Yuugi bit his lips. The medication was getting to him. His eyes drooped. His neck craned forcing him to his left side. Just as his eyes sealed to a close to be reclaimed into eternal sleep. His vision was now blurry. He made out the figure of a young regal man. His whole body aura proclaimed power, honor, and an air of high authority. He was dressed in the most peculiar fashion… almost like someone who had jumped out of one of his fairy tales from his youth. The young man had beautiful, long golden bangs that drooped down the side of his tanned face. A crown of ebony black with taints of red adorned his head… much like Yuugi's own. Actually the young strange looked remarkable like Yuugi… a twin or a long lost brother perhaps. Yet, whoever this young, glorious man was, Yuugi felt an undying bond with him… a sense of familiarity as if they had known one another for years.
Yuugi sighed… before losing himself once more into the land of dreams and fantasy.
Soon days became weeks as Yuugi stayed in the hospital. His grandfather had gone to Egypt days earlier to pack, sell and ship back all of his parents' belongings. He had made an agreement with the doctors earlier. They would allow Yuugi to stay in the hospital till his return, so he could take the recuperation after trauma classes at the hospital. The young teen didn't mind that much. He got to miss school, but he still had to do the work. Someone from the school always left his homework at the nurses' station, and he got to go for days without having a bully try to take his lunch money or participate in one of Jounouchi's 'man' lessons. But beside all that… he got to cherish and relive the feeling of his guardian angel's tender creases upon his hand at nights. He got to drool over the young vigilante's features and wonder what color eyes he could possibly have. Yet never in any of the encounters with the strange young man had the two ever talked. Yuugi never got to hear his voice… was it soft, loud, smoothing, kind, or arrogant? It was all left for his mind to dwell on.
It seemed as if over time the two just got acquainted. He would appear around two in the morning when Yuugi's drugs would wear off for a couple of minutes then by morning he would have disappeared. Once Yuugi had even asked some of the night staff if they had a son, or there was a volunteer that fit the boy's description. They all looked at him funny, and the next day he was sent in for hallucination tests. After that Yuugi never brought up the subject again. He would dream of his nightly guest secretly only revealing and sharing them with 'mou hitori no boku' the only one in the whole world that he believed truly understood him. Yet, he longed that someday, someday the drugs wouldn't claim him so soon, and that the mysterious young stranger could possibly become a friend… something he longed for.
"He came again last night… like he always does," Yuugi stated fondling the doll's blond bangs as he talked. "I feel bad through. He always comes… always here. I wish I could him thank you… or something. I wish I could talk to him, and I wish… I wish I could see his face. You know… mou hitori no boku? I bet he has a glorious face." The younger sighed. "I mean… I have seen the rest of him. His hair… his hands… everything else… he has long blond bangs… those cursed long bangs that always hides his face." Yuugi added absentmindedly… his hand still upon the doll. The boy sighed looking downcast before slipping a glaze at the doll. His breath shortened. Slowly… but surely his hand unclenched as the doll left his hands and fell onto the bed. Yuugi glazed at the doll as if it was foreign… an alien almost… not his friend for so long. Tears fell from his eyes as he clasped his legs… slowly rocking back and forth… back and forth. Under his breath he muttered over and over again 'iie, iie'. Time seemed to have stood still for Yuugi. Everything seemed to have emerged as one… fantasy and reality.
It was like the pieces of a long eight-year-old puzzle finally fell into place. He finally knew why… why the nurses never saw his nightly guest… because… because… there never had been one. It was all something he had made up from his mind… forcing himself to believe… believe that someone… anyone in the world actually cared about him. Just like what his grandfather use to tell him… that was how sorcery and magic worked. It worked because people wanted to believe. They longed to believe. And he, after telling himself he would never fall… fall into such an untimely trap. He actually had.
A hint of gold caught the corner of his eyes. It flashed… giving off a warm friendly glow. Yuugi's vision clouded over. His mind failed him as he reached for the knife… the warm, heavenly glow that it gave off lured him. Yes! Yes! That was all he had to do. All he had to do was grab the knife… and, and everything would be over. He would never have to be alone. He could finally go up into the castle of glass with his parents… with his sister… with everyone he loved. Yet as he brought the knife to his wrist. He looked at the sharp… iron-tinted blade… he looked on… stupidly… in a trance. In a deep, dark trance as the knife lowered… lowered to his wrist. The doll's face caught him. It's once calm, tranquil look changed to that of pleading, and Yuugi's heart broke. He was won over by the age-old magic and condemned himself… eternally. The knife fell from his hands as he grabbed the doll. The warm glow that the knife had once gave off ceased as he bawled into the doll's warm hair. The spices overwhelmed him dragging him once more into a persistent slumber.
The cool refreshing feel of autumn's wind drenched Yuugi's body. A particularly strong blast of wind rustled his blond bangs. His face was downcast as he clasped tightly to the straps on his backpack. Two months had passed since he was released from Domino General Hospital. Two months had passed since his hallucination. Two months since his parents' passing, two months since they were cremated. Yuugi sighed as he walked to his grandfather's shop and probably his permanent home till he graduated from high school.
The store was cold and somber. His grandfather had left two weeks ago for Mexico with Arthur. Unlike Yuugi, Sugoroku seemed to be in denial over his son's death and was trying to avoid all ties to Egypt by following Arthur to the Mayan Ruins of Mexico. The boy sighed as he walked into the living room. Tomorrow would be Sunday. He wouldn't have to work on his homework till tomorrow giving him some free time. The boy sighed as he dropped his backpack onto one of the lumpy couches before going to the kitchen. He let out an unpleasant sigh… annoyed that his food supply was running low, and he would actually have to go to the store tomorrow. He hated going to the market especially to the fish market. All those seine old people who love to bargain for good fish rates. He hated the stuffy and pungent stench that fish seemed to give off. Yuugi grabbed a can of soft drink from the fringe before making a quick U-turn to one of the cabinets to take out a bento that he had made yesterday.
With his dinner in hand, Yuugi popped down in front of the TV… hoping that something… anything would be on.
Ten minutes into some random show that he just didn't seem to get into the doorbell rang. The boy sighed dragging himself up from his laying down position on the couch. It was so comfortable too, and he probably wouldn't be able to relocate again for some time.
The annoying bell continued as Yuugi walked to the door and pulled it open. A murderous look was evident upon his face no matter how hard he tried to hide it. There, a young man in green stood, a bag was hanging by his side. A worn out, faded brown clipboard in one hand and small parcel in the other… about the size of a large dictionary.
"Yes," Yuugi strained trying to keep himself from shouting at the unknowing young man who had been unfortunate enough to be on mail duty at this time.
"Hmm… can I speak to…" the young man stopped before flipping through his clipboard. His face flashed red. "Mutou Yuugi," he quickly added.
"I'm Mutou Yuugi. Why?" The boy asked curiously. He wasn't expecting anything. He hadn't ordered anything in a long time, and he doubted his grandfather would use his name for any of his orders.
"A parcel." Yuugi's lips slowly formed into a small 'o' as the package was thrust into his arms. His brow furrowed as he signed his name. Once more he felt as if he had fallen into an untimely dream like state as he watched the young man walk away… forever. He cocked his head… watching at the figure grew smaller and smaller. Everything seemed so small. Everything seemed so dull and life alike. Gravity seemed to have rewired itself at that moment as Yuugi looked down at the package. He looked at the return address. Everything became hazy. The names brought tears to his eyes. His mom and dad had sent it to him… a late birthday present… probably right before they had died too.
Yuugi gulped. He couldn't bring himself to open the package yet his hands longed to tear the parcel open. He felt disorientated and confused. He longed for anything… something to take his mind from opening the package. As ironic as it might have been to Yuugi at that moment, Kaiba Seto's voice did just that. The sound of that young CEO's voice penetrated his thought as he walked back into the living room. Immediately he set the package on the ground and kicked it. He didn't care where it landed… but the thought that it was near him bugged him. It was like a parasite… a lingering memory of something he wanted to forget. Something he could never forget.
"Kaiba," Yuugi muttered… as he slipped a glaze at the love chair. The parcel had slid under it. Yuugi eyed the unsettling and eerily blackness where the package now resided. He felt his stomach churn as he attempted to blur the memory of the package away from his mind. He tried to pay attention or at least use Kaiba's interview with the press to turn the low buzzing that now seem to infiltrate his mind.
The young teen seemed to stay in that half-mindless… half-dreamlike state for a long time.
It seemed as if time had fast forward itself once more… as without knowing it three hours soon came to pass. Yuugi drifted away from his mindless state as he let out a loud yawn of boredom. The controller in one hand, he haphazardly flipped through the channels. There was nothing on… or nothing that he could get his mind to focus on. An overly bored Yuugi sighed as he reached into the drawer of the table before him for the spare key that his grandfather always had in case he forgotten where he placed his keys.
He grabbed a handful of yen and his backpack before leaving his house. Even though it was close to ten at night, Yuugi knew he probably wasn't going to go to bed for another good solid three hours. Besides the video rental store was just a half-hour walk thus it was enough to get Yuugi out of the house no matter how much he didn't like to leave the house so late at night. A nagging annoying voice in his mind just had to comment that he wanted to escape the house.
Fifty minutes later Yuugi walked out of the rental store with two movies in hand. He sighed. The streets seemed so eerie now… even though there was still a handful of people and cars roaming through the streets. No matter how much his mind told him it was a bad idea, Yuugi took the back way. A route that he took quite often took during the day to get home ten minutes earlier. He felt the small pieces of hair stick up on his neck. A loud shriek of cat startled him. Immediately he regretted coming this way. During the day was one thing… but at night… won't there rumors of shady people roaming the alleys at night?
Yuugi trembled at he walked on. If only he had stayed on the main road, if I get out of this alive I'll never take this alley at night again. Yuugi thought as he walked on. The minutes dragged on. He was almost home… just a couple more minutes.
Click!
A cold, soul less chuckle… "hey kid. What are you doing in this part of town? Out so late too?"
Shit!
Yuugi moaned as he looked up… only to find himself surrounded by three big beefy men all in black clothes. A black vest with a torn shirt, chains adorned their bodies. Each with a pair of sunglasses covered their eyes. Yuugi gulped as he ran his choices through his mind. He could play the little, wimpy kid and beg for mercy. Give them all his money and pray to get out of this alive… or fight. Wait! Did he just say fight? Was he crazy? He couldn't fight much less win against so many men and twice his size.
He kept his head bowed… playing the wimpy kid as he walked up to them. Just as he felt that he had gotten away. A cold hard hand reached for his shoulders which held him back. "Just where do you think you're going."
"Home," Yuugi croaked.
"AWWW! Probably to his mommy." Yuugi's eyes clouded over. To his mommy… he could never go home to his mommy. He didn't have a mommy any more.
"Please… let me go home," Yuugi whimpered.
"Aww… how sweet." The man cooed. The boy shuddered. He had never heard such an awful and hideous coo before. It sounded remarkably like an evil witch in one of his story books. The man's face immediately clouded over before giving off an excited chuckle. "But not sweet enough. We'll going to have fun with him. Aren't we boys? So nice… and tender… he's probably never been blemished before." Yuugi gulped. He felt tears forming in his eyes yet didn't let them show… no… no he wasn't going to cry… no… he couldn't cry. He wasn't going to show fear… especially not now in front his predator. That's what the predator wants… longs for… his prey to fear him… and Yuugi wasn't about to show that fear. His vision blurred over as he felt his body being lifted into the air. Another hand grabbed his backpack and tore it open.
"Aww… he even plays with dolls." His amethyst eyes widened… no… no! When did he stick mou hitori no boku into his bag? Yet Yuugi didn't have time to dwell on the fate of his doll any more did he have time to dwell on his own fate as he felt an cold hand enclose around his neck… constricting his air passage. He felt his shoes being removed from his feet and then his socks. The boy hissed at the coldness of the air. He hadn't realized how cold it was, so ever so cold as his body advanced on him. His mind burned as he was thrown into the wall. A loud scream erupted from his lips taking away his last breath.
"Help," he croaked as his vision fizzled. He strained his neck attempting to break it then at least he could die before he lost his virginity. In his hazy line of vision, he managed to make out the outline of his doll. It was laying a couple of centimeters from him. He could almost reach it. It was so close… yet… yet so far away. They must have lost interest in it. Now, at least one of them was going to get out of this unharmed.
The knife advanced upon his hand. He felt the blade slide down his hand. The cold, steel blade as it advanced down the length of his hand. He felt his own blood tickling down his hand… mixing and being imbedded into the steel of the knife before stopping at his wrist. The boy cringed. His advancers smirked before pressing down hard. Yuugi yelped. The man smirked. His wrist jerked. Yuugi screamed. He couldn't bring himself to look at his hand… see the slow flowing blood as it trickled down his arm. He felt his whole left hand burn… burn from the intensity of the pain. He felt another reach for the zipper of his pants.
Yet his amethyst eyes lingered on his lifelong friend. The now aged old Pharaoh doll… with its crimson eyes… its deep red crimson eyes. Its purple cape fluttered in breeze. Yuugi's eyes softened.
Please… please whoever finds my dead body… please give mou hitori no boku to a good family… to someone who will take better care of him… better than I have. Tears fell from his eyes. He felt the salt drops enter his lips. Just as he blacked out he thought he saw a blinding gold light.
Followed by… a strong… regal voice. "Let's play a game."
A/N: I don't know. I'm still not sure if I should have ended this chapter here. Half of me wanted to advance the plot some more in this chapter… but then the other half was like… no. This is the perfect place to stop especially since I have a lot of problems to work out with the next chapter… especially since the next two chapters will probably determine how this fic will end. And I currently have about five different ideas of how it is actually going to end. I'm currently not sure which one I'm going to choose. Hopefully whichever choice I go with nobody would have expected it. Well… how was this chapter? Good? Bad? Indifferent? Please tell me it helps… a lot.