I got inspired to write this story by a pic I found layin in my com. It wasn't really a creepy pic with bloody bodyparts and stuff, yet it send chills running down my spin every time I look at it. It's simply a pic of Yugi sitting on a white painted banch with the sun playing on his being gently. But the eyes that looks up at me isn't his. Anyone seen that pic? Oh it doesn't matter. I've tried to morror the feeling in the pic in my story, so foregive me if you don't find this scary enough.

Another thing; I don't know the name of Honda's father so I named him Johnny. Begging for forgiving for everyone who knows the real name.

Scarlet eyes

Chapter 1

written by

Mjus

Jonouchi sat idly daydreaming in the car. Behind them the town of Domino disappeared out of sight as the midday sun shone brightly on it.

The summer had started great. Honda had invited them all to his summer place during the week and right now the gang was sitting in the car doing whatever to pass the time.

Yugi sat with another of his impossible games. Jono would probably never get just how much games meant to his little friend. Ever since the spirits of the sennen items passed away, Yugi's obsession of games had improved.

Anzu listened to dancing music in her headphones and Honda sat in the front seat talking lowly to his father who drove the car. Bakura had gone to England to stay with his father for some time so he wasn't coming.

After about two hours driving Jono turned around as he felt something pressed softly against his arm, only to find Yugi fallen asleep after finishing his game. The taller smiled gently and placed his friend comfortably on him. Yugi was really cute when he slept.

Jono turned back to stare at whatever was outside the window, thinking back on the past months. To Jono's great relief, Duke had moved over to America. He never really got over what the green-eyed teenager had done to him when they first met.

As soon the spirits of the sennen items had passed on to the afterlife Yugi had seemed a little depressed, though he did everything in his power to hide it. The little one tried to spend as much time as possible with his friends, at school or walking over to Bakura's place just to sit there and talk about everything, and sometimes how it felt to not have that other presence in their minds. Yugi never mentioned his dark side anymore and seemed to do everything in his power to keep his thoughts away from the pharaoh.

Bakura had become more visible. His dark side had kept him in the shadows of fear, but now when he was gone, Bakura's face were more and more often lit up by a bright smile and his flinches from being touched slowly got better.

Jono guessed Yugi was part of Bakura's changes, as much time they spend together talking about what had happened to both of them and getting over it together. Though their dark sides were enemies to death and treated the two of them so different, Yugi and Bakura only had the other who knew what it was like to have someone else share one's body. None of Yugi's other friends knew what it was like.

Malik had calmed down now when he could have more of a normal life. When the pharaoh had passed away and the sennen items been destroyed, the grave keepers' duty was so make sure the history reminded history. After all it wasn't Yugi he hated, it was the pharaoh.

Seto Kaiba and Mokuba were still running their company and Kaiba once in a while challenged Yugi in his new games. The rivalry between them had ebbed out and the two of them seemed quite comfortable with the small game-meetings they shared every now and then.

Anzu was studying traditional dance in Domino for a while, until she had enough grades and money to go to America as was her dream of life.

Honda studied to become a doctor. He had hooked up with a girl named Lana, a red-haired girl with nice curves and sweet face. She was kind and all, but she seemed to have some strange interest in Yugi, though the young duellist didn't seem to notice. Lana and Anzu wasn't a good pair, but at least they accepted each other enough to not start a fight whenever Lana looked a little too much at Yugi for Anzu's liking.

Jono's sister Shizuka still lived with her mother, but was allowed to see her brother whenever she wished, much to Jono's happiness. And the older brother was the only one who knew about Shizuka's major crash on Yugi too. But as far as it looked, it would remind a secret for some time. And Jono himself was still trying to find a future. Kaiba had told him that if he could get the right grades there could possibly be a place for him in Kaiba corporations. That thought was at least worth thinking about though Jono didn't really get why Kaiba had asked him in first place. But once again Yugi was in the line of suspicions.

"So we're here," Honda's father Johnny's voice said and ripped Jono from his train of thoughts.

Jono focused on the surroundings. They had come into a forest and a pretty, white tree house was visible through the trees.

"That's where we going to live this week?" Anzu asked exited.

"Sure is, Mazaki-san," Johnny said half laughing. "That's my grandparents' old place. It's a little old but the feeling is comfortable and somehow wise. This is the only place on earth that can make me poetic."

Jono had to swallow a giggle when Honda hit his father on the arm to make him shut up. The blonde turned to the still sleeping Yugi, who peacefully rested his head on his friend's shoulder. It felt like a crime to wake him up.

"Hey Yugi, wake up pal."

Yugi stirred and slowly opened his eyes. Over time those amethyst eyes had lost much of their former light, but it was still there, visible for anyone who looked into them.

Jono looked up at Anzu when he felt her eyes on him, he knew she loved watching Yugi when he slept, but he had to wake up.

"Are we there yet?" Yugi asked sleepily.

"We're here," Jono said and smiled.

Yugi rubbed his eyes and stretched. He had grown a whole lot during the months, he reached to Jono's chest now and his face wasn't as childish. It was understandable that girls turned around as Yugi walked past nowadays. He was becoming even more beautiful as time passed. Even his slim body became more attractive.

As soon sleep had left Yugi's eyes lit up like they used to before he lost his other half. It was amazing how much this trip had made Yugi all hyper.

"It's beautiful," Yugi said out loud when he stepped out of the car after Jono.

"Yea, but its pretty old too, guess it does it with the atmosphere," Honda said as he helped his father stuff out bags from the boot.

Yugi looked around and suddenly his expression changed as he stared into the forest, like he had heard, or seen, something.

"Yugi?" Jono asked concerned. He had seen that expression before, and it never was a good sign.

"Nothing Jono," Yugi said and smiled calming. "It's just me going paranoid."

The other three exchanged glances. This far Yugi's sixth sense hadn't failed him. Bakura was the one who figured out that Yugi could sense magic and supernatural stuff. What if this forest wasn't as innocent as it looked?

"Dad, are you sure there aren't any creepy stories about this place you haven't told me about?" Honda asked.

Johnny looked up, surprise playing over his kind features. "Of course not, if there were I'd told them long ago."

Shrugging the bad feelings off the gang went into the house.

Inside the atmosphere was soft and cosy. Old furniture welcomed anyone to sit down, a blue-green grandfather clock painted with pale flowers ticked peacefully in a corner. A fireplace covered the far wall completely and dust just seemed to belong. Portraits of people who had once lived in the house hung every here and there on the walls, completely without care how they were placed. The massive tree walls looked well taken care of and gave away a feeling of safely, like the smiles of the portraits' inhabitants. Everything rested in the golden-orange light of the day from outside.

Jono smelled the age and already felt like home. He glanced at Yugi at his side, just to see him stare at the atmosphere itself.

"Wow, this place is real cosy, don't you think?" Anzu said amazed.

"It really is," Yugi said, not really there. It was like he could hear something in the air, something that carefully avoided the others.

"Now, let's bring your stuff to your rooms and then we can fix some food and eat outside. It's such a lovely whether," Johnny said happily.

"That sounds like a good idea," Yugi said cheerfully and smiled like he used to; broad, bright and vivid.

Yugi shared room with Jono, Anzu took Honda's actual room as Honda himself would share room with his father. Anzu's room was the only one that was small while the others were pretty big, too big for someone to be able to sleep in them alone without lying sleepless thinking of ghosts and spooky stories.

At night Yugi woke up unexpectedly. He didn't know why since Jono snoring at his side always made him feel so safe. Then again, there was something about this place that wouldn't leave him alone. It tugged at his mind, demanded his attention, begged him to stop and listen to it. Yet, after trying to listen to it all day, it still beat him what he was listening for. He knew it wasn't natural though. If it was, he wouldn't feel so strange about it, like when there was magic around the corner.

And there it was again; that strange feeling that tugged at his mind, now even stronger as there was no one to drag him out of it.

Yugi got out of bed and dressed quickly. If Jono woke up Yugi would take him along, so it would feel at least a little safer than going out alone, even if Jono couldn't hear what Yugi did.

Jono slept, oblivious of his young friend's leaving.

Downstairs nothing had changed. Everything looked just the same at night as during the day, except it was a little darker and a change of light, but Yugi could faintly make out the dancing fairies of the moonlight, dancing gracefully with the multicoloured dust that flew around everywhere since Johnny tried to dust things off. It's safe to say he failed.

The silver white moonlight gave the old room a new face though. The ticking from the grandfather clock seemed louder in the silence of the night, the fireplace was cold and the fire he could imagine in there so clearly before seemed to have never been there. Smiling faces on the walls seemed to sleep in the peace. Everything breathed peace.

Yugi wanted nothing more than go back to his bed and fall asleep to the safe sound of Jonouchi's snoring. But he couldn't. It still begged him to listen to it, and he had to go outside to do so.

tbc