TW: Suicidal Thoughts
Anzu was furious at herself as she sat in the bleak walled waiting room, wringing her hands.
She had known something was wrong when she had found Yugi washing her face in the bathroom, and still she had let her friend get away with an obvious lie.
She should have pushed for answers as to why Kobayashi had thought Yugi was in a fight and why Yugi's eyes had been puffy, like she had been crying.
In the moment she had just assumed that bullies had been harassing her friend again, but now she wanted to kick herself. Yugi did not cry when bullies picked on her. Anzu had never seen her cry in the aftermath of a bullying incident.
For Yugi to have been crying, something else, something major, had to have happened.
And Anzu had just shrugged it off.
If she had pushed, she could have found out what was wrong and why Yugi had felt like she needed to go after Otogi by herself. She could have helped her friend make a saner plan than rushing off alone. She could have warned the boys that Otogi had threatened Yugi, so they could have been there for the Puzzle Bearer…
She had not even thought to worry when Yugi had darted out of the classroom at the end of the day. She had been so focused on her upcoming dance lesson that she had not given it a thought beyond wondering if Ojiisan had asked Yugi to be home quickly since it was not a Duel Club day.
Her trembling hand went to the keys in her pocket, the ones the doctors had found in Katsuya's pockets when he had been brought in for smoke inhalation. The ones that really belonged to the girl who was in surgery right now.
Her friends had been in danger and she had not known until she had gotten the call from Honda after it was all over.
If she had just been pushier, if she had talked Yugi around and found out what was going on, then the fire could have been avoided, the thing possessing Bakura would not have gotten a chance to attack.
And maybe, just maybe, two of her friends would not be in the hospital.
But that was it, was it not?
The running joke of her friendship with Yugi.
She had never been there.
She knew how Yugi reacted after being bullied, because while Anzu had put her foot down when she had seen people picking on the other girl, she had never really been someone that Yugi could rely on. She had been so busy seeking popularity and being the class president that she had left behind the one girl who had needed her the most.
She flinched, remembering the day she had dropped Yugi's brand new Gameboy on the floor, breaking her friend's handheld console within days of the smaller teen getting it. She had apologised, yes, but she had not offered to replace it or the game within. Nor had she bothered to see past her own guilt to understand the hurt but unsurprised expression on her friend's face. Looking back now, she could easily see why.
Yugi had never been able to befriend anyone before her. Everyone she had tried to make friends with had hung out with the tiny teen in order to get a discount at the shop or as a joke. Occasionally they had even broken the games that the girl had brought to school with her because they thought it was funny.
When she had offered to be friends with Yugi, the smile it had earned her lit up the room. The apology she had offered had eased some of the guilt she had been feeling and made Yugi willing to still call her a friend.
But she still had not been there. She had not tried to stop the bullying. She had not stepped in when their classmates had been talking about her behind her back. She had stood up to Jonouchi and Honda whenever she had caught them picking on Yugi, but she had not done anything to ensure her friend's safety…
Just like today.
She glanced up as Doctor Mutou got to his feet and started pacing. The normally calm and jolly Game Store Owner was, understandably, a bundle of emotions and not entirely thinking straight. She and Honda had answered most of the questions that the police had been asking, simply because no one had told him anything about the threats the Otogis had been making.
It was not hard to see how much that had hurt him. In hindsight they should have told him. It would have given him a chance to intervene before it had gotten this far. Plus, it would have shown they were worthy of his trust.
She was proud of herself for managing to divert their attention away from Amane at least. As worried as she was about the Ring Bearer, with the Spirit of the Ring turning homicidal, she did not want the police to end up in over their heads.
She was not foolish enough to think this was all over, though. There had been a major fire that had burned one building to the ground and, judging by the news reports that were playing on the television in the waiting room, the stores next to it were still in danger of decimation.
Not only that, but one man was so badly burned that Ryuji had been told to brace for the worst, another girl had been injured badly, a boy had collapsed from smoke inhalation, and a girl had escaped from the scene, despite being wounded and having trouble breathing herself.
While Ryuji had confirmed that it was his father who had hurt Yugi and started the fire, this just put the blame on the one person who probably was not going to wake up to face the consequences; there were going to be more questions before too long, Anzu could just see it.
She was going to be there to protect her friends from the fallout. She had to be. If she was going to make it up to everyone for not being there when they had needed her, she had to make it up to them now by covering for them.
She would start by talking the events over with her mother, as much as she could without Yugi's permission anyway, and get her to help her work out the best way to protect her friends from the consequences of this whole mess. If anyone would know how to organise their defence, she would.
As her mother entered the room, Anzu just wished that she had acted sooner and the defence was not necessary.
"Okaasan!"
Sugoroku paused in his pacing to get a good view of Anzu shooting across to hug the woman who had just come in the door. This taller woman wrapped her arms around her daughter, trying to support her; she had a sharper expression but her eyes were the same blue color as Anzu's and her hair the same mousey brown, just long enough to be tied back into a ponytail. Her eyes swept the room, and she gave the elderly shop owner a small nod before quietly reminding Anzu that she needed to speak to Doctor Mutou.
She did not completely let go of her upset daughter as she made her way across the room and Sugoroku got to his feet, trying to ignore the crick in his back as he bowed to her. "Mazaki-san, I apologize for the inconvenience. I'm Mutou Sugoroku."
"Mazaki Yui." The woman bowed back. "And don't be ridiculous, you can't help something like this happening. Have you heard about Mutou-chan and Jonouchi-kun yet?"
"Not yet." He sighed, shaking his head. "They won't tell me about Katsuya because I only have Kangoken for him, not Shinken, and apparently Yugi is still in surgery."
The woman paused to think, her fingers running over her silver bengoshi kisho, her attorney's badge, as she worked through the facts in her head, noting that if what the old man was telling her was true, he had physical custody of the boy. "I assume you don't have the paperwork on you?"
"It's still with my lawyer." He grimaced.
"Give me five minutes." The smile the elder Mazaki got was shark-like as she patted her daughter on the shoulder. "Anzu, honey, I'll be back in a moment."
Anzu let go and watched her mother stalk out of the room with an amused huff.
"Your Okaasan is terrifying." Honda snorted, unable to help but be slightly impressed yet frightened of the woman who seemed to be under the impression she could change the mind of the hospital.
"She has to be, she's a corporate attorney for Kaiba Corp," she explained, taking a seat. "It's where she met Otosan. They happened to survive the reshuffle when Kaiba Corp went from warfare to gaming."
Honda's eyes widened, suddenly understanding why Anzu's parents had been so against her taking up dance as a profession for so long. To a pair of corporate attorneys, dancing probably seemed like a massive downgrade from the things they felt Anzu could achieve. It also explained how she had gotten the job at Death-T so easily. "Wait, if they work for Kaiba Corp…"
"Why do I go to Domino High?" Anzu cut him off with a huff. "Because it was the only school in town with space when they moved here."
That made a lot of sense, and Honda edged over to the doorway so he could eavesdrop on the conversation that was being held at the desk between Anzu's mother and the receptionist. He could not hear everything, but from what he could make out, the attorney had come at Kaiba Corp's behest in order to ensure that two Kaiba Corp assets were being given the best treatment, and to set up payment for them using Kaiba Corp's health insurance. Using that set up, she was able to get information on Jonouchi's condition, but Honda did not get a chance to hear what it was as his father swept into the room, looking furious.
"Honda Hiroto, I should not have to find out from the news that you've been taken to hospital," the black haired, broadly built man who shared Honda's brown eyes snapped at his son, furious. "I assume you have a good reason for not doing it yourself."
"I apologize, Honda-san," Sugoroku intervened on the teen's behalf, glancing apologetically at Anzu before he spoke. "He's been helping me keep Anzu calm, it's all been a bit of a nasty shock."
The huge man considered the tiny elder for a moment, eyes narrowed, then he half-bowed. "Mutou-Sensei, I assume."
"Indeed. You've raised a good lad."
"That I have." That brought a small, proud smile to the shipping company owner's face, though it faded quickly as he asked, "I assume that Jonouchi's behind all of this?"
The mood in the room dropped at the supposition, and the Mutou patriarch shook his head. "No, but he did save the life of my magomasume."
"So he is good for something." It was grumbled quietly, but Honda's hands still balled into fists, Anzu let out a quiet huff, and Sugoroku felt his anger rising at the jab to the young man who was trying to better himself.
Before anyone could say anything, however, Mazaki Yui swept back into the room. "Mutou-Sensei, I need your signature on some paperwork. Can I borrow you?"
"Certainly." He swept past the older Honda, hiding his irritation as he joined the woman in the corridor. "What can I help you with?"
"Kaiba Mokuba sent me with permission to get Mutou Yugi and Jonouchi Katsuya set up on the KC health insurance so their medical bills were covered," Mazaki explained. "Not that I wouldn't have come because my daughter told me she needed me, but…"
"I'll have to thank him," Sugoroku breathed, shocked.
"Yes, yes, you will." She handed him a folder. "That's not all I've been sent with."
He examined the files within, catching a letter addressed to his granddaughter as it fell, only for his eyes to widen in shock as it revealed a rather hefty offer from the Otogis to purchase the Kame Game Shop. An offer that was stamped with a bright red rejection, despite the offer being more than what the Mutous were paying for their mortgage.
The sheet behind it was a summation of what the Mutous had left to pay on the property, and he stumbled slightly as he realized that the final two years had been written off. The Kame Game Shop was theirs. For as long as they wanted it, or until Kaiba Corp bought them out, on the understanding that should they wish to move out of Domino, the property would be sold back to Kaiba Corp.
"Mutou-Sensei?" Mazaki asked, concerned as he reached for the reception desk to hold himself upright. "Are you alright?"
"Is this accurate?" Sugoroku asked, slightly breathless as he realized how much easier this would make their monthly outgoings and tried to comprehend how much money the Kaibas had just written off.
"Kaiba Mokuba-san explained that they owed Mutou Yugi for services rendered and insisted that I deliver that package to you." She nodded, relief evident as he regained his footing from the shock. "He said it was part of a payment for a debt owed to your magomasume. Apparently the rest will be dealt with later."
He just nodded, stunned that the Kaibas would turn down an offer on the Kame Game Shop of that size and wondering how they had known since he doubted that they often dealt directly with the sale and renting of the land in Domino City. He could not help but wonder if Mokuba had been alerted to it, but by whom and why?
"Was this the only thing?" he asked, tucking the envelope back into the folder for when Yugi was able to read it.
"No, I need you to sign the insurance paperwork for Mutou-chan and Jonouchi-kun so we can pay for their medical care." The sharp look she gave him told him clearly that this was something that she wanted set up as soon as possible, suggesting at some point Anzu had told her mother about how irresponsible Jonouchi's father actually was. She wanted some control over what was going on, so the drunkard could not just ditch his son and leave him stuck with the medical bills.
"I'm not Jonouchi's legal guardian, though," he reminded her, though it left a sour taste in his mouth to do so.
"No," Mazaki allowed, "but the wording on children's insurance is 'guardian,' not 'legal guardian,' and you have Kangoken, right?"
He nodded, hoping that his lawyer had the paperwork ready for him as promised. He was just signing on the dotted line on Yugi's paperwork when a huge man with dirty blonde hair and bloodshot brown eyes stalked in through the Accident and Emergency entrance and slammed his fist on the desk as he demanded, "Where is the little prick?"
"I'm sorry, sir." The receptionist was surprisingly calm as she was confronted by a furious man who stank of alcohol. "But you'll have to be more specific on which 'little prick' you mean."
"Jonouchi Katsuya, my musuko," Jonouchi Goro growled out, sliding an identity card across the desk to her to prove the kid was his son. "I got a call saying the little git's in here."
Sugoroku's teeth ground together in his irritation that this was the man that he was not allowed to adopt the blond from, as the receptionist did a double take and nodded. "Of course, sir, let me just call up his file."
"Jonouchi." Mazaki's cool demeanor startling Mutou. The drunkard wheeled around to glare at the speaker, only to let out an angry hiss.
"Mazaki. Here to help fire all the staff again?" the blond man snarled out, taking a step towards Anzu's mother.
"No. They're doing their job competently." The reply was cold and calculating and served to irritate the man further. "I'm actually here to save you money. Sign on the dotted line, and Kaiba Corp will pay his bills."
"Like they were supposed to pay Shizuka's before you helped Kaiba fire me?" Goro snarled out.
"You're the one who threw away the insurance by drinking away your job. You were given multiple warnings." Mazaki did not flinch. "We even offered to pay for Alcoholics Anonymous. You were the one who refused it and stole company equipment to sell for gambling money. Kaiba Corp had no reason to keep you on. It is a company after all, we can't keep dead weight."
Goro let out an angry snarl and took a step towards the attorney, hands balling into fists.
"Excuse me, sir?" the receptionist called, distracting him. "According to the notes on the system, it looks like he's being kept for observation, possibly for a couple of days, because of the smoke inhalation and his collapse. He's in room 217."
Jonouchi Goro grimaced, recognizing the hospital stay would cost him tens of thousands of yen, possibly more. He looked like he had sucked on a lemon as he looked at Mazaki. "You said Kaiba Corp's gunna cover it?"
"If you sign the paperwork, yes." Anzu's mother nodded.
"Why's he so important to your company?" The way Goro said company made it sound like he was saying 'dog shit'.
"Does it matter?" the lawyer asked, not entirely sure why her boss had insisted on covering Jonouchi's as well, and wondering if it was so the Mutous did not stretch their limited finances to help him. "Either you sign the insurance, or since you're his legal guardian, you're responsible for his medical bills."
There was a moment's hesitation, then the older Jonouchi huffed and signed the paperwork. "Whatever, he'd be paying for it any way. This way I don't have to chase him for it."
Doctor Mutou kept his thoughts to himself as he watched Mazaki collect up the signed sheets and hand them to the receptionist. Instead he turned to the woman and asked, "Is Jonouchi going to be okay?"
"He should be, with the right treatment." The receptionist nodded. "They don't have him down as an urgent case."
"Who are you?" Goro snapped, looking like he was sizing Mutou up for a fight. "And why do you care?"
"My name is Mutou Sugo…"
"You're the prick who's trying to steal my kid!" the drunkard snapped out, fury rising, recognizing the name from the paperwork that he had used as beer mats.
He swung for the Mutou, who ducked under the far-too-telegraphed attack. Within seconds the hospital security, who had been keeping an eye on the drunk, had pinned the man to the wall and were calling police.
Mutou and Mazaki backed off towards the waiting room, letting better-trained people handle the aggressive man. Mutou was shaking as he took a seat by the door, wishing that he were younger. In the old days he would have been able to take the man easily; nowadays, however, he would not stand a chance.
He turned to Mazaki, about to thank her for her assistance and apologize for setting him off, when Honda's father spoke up.
"Mutou-san, I know Hiroto wants to stay until there's news, but he has school in the morning, so I'm taking him home," he explained, glancing out the door before grimacing, "once that mess outside is settled."
"I need to do the same with Anzu." Mazaki Yui frowned at the suddenly stubborn set of Anzu's stance. "If I give you our home number, could you keep us informed when there's news?"
"Of course." Doctor Mutou could see neither Honda nor Anzu wanted to leave, but he could understand their parents' perspectives. It was, after all, getting to be nearly midnight, and if Yugi had been able to go home, he would have been trying to insist, too.
He was just starting to write the phone numbers down when a Doctor entered the room. "Mutou Yugi's family?"
"Here." Sugoroku nodded. "I'm Yugi's Ojiisan."
The doctor nodded. "Right now, Mutou-Chan is resting. Surgery went well, and we will be keeping her under for a few days while she recovers. Once she's been woken up, we can allow more guests," the Doctor explained. Yugi's friends let out a disappointed sigh, but when Mutou gave them a sharp look, they backed up, willing to visit later.
"Can I see her now?" he asked, expecting to be rejected because of the time of night.
"Only for five minutes," the doctor stated. "Visiting hours are long over, but I understand your needing to see her before you leave."
"Thank you." Mutou bowed before turning to Mazaki Yui. "Thank the Kaibas for me, please?"
"Of course, Mutou-sensei," the woman promised with a relieved smile. "I'll explain what we found out about Jonouchi, too."
He nodded, thankful to have the assistance of a sane, polite adult, and followed the Doctor out to the private room that Kaiba Corp's payment scheme earned the most important person in his life, listening the whole way to the Doctor's explanations. Walking into the room was hard as he had to behold the machinery hooked up to his granddaughter.
He sat next to her bed, taking one hand in his as he listened to the steady beep of the heart monitor and the steady puffs of the ventilator that was helping Yugi's smoke-damaged lungs get enough oxygen. The tube going down her throat also prevented the swelling from the bruising and the surgery to repair her damaged larynx from blocking her airways. The three IV bags connected to the tube that went into the back of his granddaughter's hand were full of clear liquid, which reassured Sugoroku, since he had been warned that her head had been bleeding when she was carried out of the building.
"She's going to be under for at least a week," the Doctor explained as Sugoroku took a shaky breath, "possibly more. This one is antibiotics." He tapped one bag. "And these two combine painkillers and sedatives. Between the three of them she's not suffering at all. We should be able to remove the tube by this time next week if she stays under so her body can focus on healing. She'll probably be in for a couple of weeks so we can keep an eye on her throat and lungs, and then she'll possibly need home rest for a few weeks afterwards, depending on recovery speed."
"What about the head injury?" he asked, trembling slightly.
"There's minor swelling on the brain, most likely from a severe impact to the head, which is part of why we want to keep her under, but with the right amount of rest, she should recover," the doctor promised.
"That's… that's good," he breathed, aware of how serious a head injury could be and not entirely reassured by only 'minor' swelling.
"If you stay here for a moment, I will give you a letter to give in to her school for her hospital stay." When the older Mutou nodded, the Doctor bowed. "I'll be back with that in a bit, but then I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave."
When the store owner did not fight him on that, the Doctor left to get the letter.
Sugoroku sighed as he slipped the chain of the Puzzle over his head and carefully used the box of tissues on Yugi's bedside table, combined with the alcohol hand gel by the door, to carefully clean off any remaining ash from the golden artefact.
"Your friends are worried. Please rest well and come back to us soon." He spoke softly to the unconscious girl as he unhooked the chain so he could slip it around his granddaughter's neck, being careful not to irritate the bruising.
Almost instantly the Puzzle glowed as it reconnected with its true holder.
Within seconds a spectral, older version of his granddaughter emerged from the item and froze as she stared at the figure on the bed. Jii-san could see the Pharaoh's expression twist with fear and worry, hands shaking as she sat on the bed, putting one spectral hand on the living girl's wrist. Her gaze did not falter for a moment as she watched her Imoto's chest rise and fall, as if all she could focus on was that her twin was alive.
This was not the first time Sugoroku had seen Meisa. When he had recovered the Millennium Puzzle from the Pharaoh's tomb, he had gotten shot by his guide and been saved by the spirit within the tomb. Since then he had been able to see the ghosts that walked the world around him, so he had seen when the darker of his granddaughters had been roaming the house as a specter.
It was the first time she had completely blanked him, though. Not that he could blame her.
"Meisa." At the sound of her name, the Spirit of the Puzzle startled and turned her gaze towards him. "The Doctors say she's going to be okay. It's going to take a few weeks, and she needs to sleep for a while, but she'll be okay."
The sheer relief on her face was confirmation that she had been terrified about her twin's condition. Then guilt passed through the Pharaoh's expression as she said something, clearly not expecting to be heard.
Mutou paused as he thought he heard a quiet whisper, but it was so low he could not quite catch it. Since it was more than he had been able to hear before his soul had been drenched in the Shadows via Crawford's foray into soul stealing, he tilted his head and asked, "Sorry, try that again?"
Meisa watched him for a moment, wondering if he really had nearly heard her, then she reached out with her magic, which swirled around him as she spoke again, this time a little louder. "I'm sorry, Jii-san."
The Shadows connecting them carried the whisper to him, but it was not what he was expecting in the slightest, and he stared at her briefly before shaking his head. "You're not at fault, Meisa. You can't control what happens when the Puzzle is in pieces."
The Pharaoh sighed, her shoulders sinking, thankful that she was not being blamed for not being able to help her twin, but still feeling guilty. He watched as the spirit ran a hand through her twin's hair, concern and care clear on her face.
"She was so brave." Meisa spoke again, her even tone hiding the fear and concern bottled up inside, kind of relieved to have someone who could both see and hear her. Anzu had been able to see her, but not hear her, so the combination was a huge relief because it meant that she was not alone. "I couldn't… Zorc was there, and… but she didn't back down. She gave me the strength to fight. And now…"
"She'll be okay. The body's being kept under using medication so her head, throat, and lungs can heal properly." Her Jii-san grimaced, making a note to talk to the Ring's Bearer and find out exactly what had happened and why. "It's called prolonged anaesthesia; she can't wake till they take her off the drugs. You're not going to lose her."
The Pharaoh's gaze turned towards the floor, relieved by the news but still displeased with her actions. She had not been there to prevent most of the damage, but if she had not attempted to get Bakura's attention, or if she had managed to get free of Zorc's grasp faster, her twin might not be in such a bad way.
Both of the conscious occupants of the room were momentarily alarmed as the door opened again, allowing the doctor entry to the room. The man's brow furrowed as he saw the Puzzle in its rightful place. "That can't stay there."
Meisa opened her mouth to object, only to close it again when she remembered that the Doctor could not hear her.
"I've cleaned it down with alcohol gel, if that helps?" Mutou offered, noting that from the expression of the doctor that it did not. "It's incredibly important to her. She'll rest easier if it's with her."
"Right now, a bomb could go off and she wouldn't know about it," the doctor scolded as he handed Sugoroku the letter for Yugi's school. "She can't heal properly if that chain is resting against the bruises on her neck."
That made the elderly man flinch and the Pharaoh pause and close her eyes.
She wanted to be here in case her twin needed her. Especially when she did not know where the Ring was, or if the Thief Queen was here in the hospital. However, there was not much she could do while her twin was being kept unconscious, and staying in a position where she could help would hurt her light-souled sister further, which was something she absolutely did not want to do.
She let out a soft, unhappy sigh before looking at her Jii-san, hoping she was making the right decision. "Take it. I don't want to hurt her."
Doctor Mutou nodded, more to the comment than the doctor. "I'll take it home with me."
The man nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. "By next weekend she'll be awake enough for it to make a difference. It's just a few days. That's all. Then she can hold it, or keep it by her bed, but I don't want something that expensive left unattended while she's out cold and there's no one around."
A few days. She could manage a few days of silence, the Pharaoh tried to convince herself as her grandfather thanked the man for his concern, able to see the logic behind his request.
Sugoroku subtly nodded to Meisa as he reached over to undo the chain. He knew she did not want to leave her twin but was pleased that she was willing to manage without Yugi for a few days.
"It'll be okay," he promised in a whisper as he took the Puzzle off and the girl was sent back to the Puzzle.
"I'll give you the direct line to the nurses' station on this floor, so you can find out when she's going to be woken up. Then you can be here, okay?" the doctor offered.
"Thank you." The elderly man smiled as he re-clipped the chain shut and slipped it over his own head, mentally promising his older granddaughter that if he had his way, there were not going to be too many moments over the next few days where she would be alone, and then headed back to the reception desk, hoping that the elder Jonouchi's outburst would allow him to put his phone number on Katsuya's records so they could ring him, rather than Goro.
He had no idea how much that promise meant to his granddaughter.
Amane managed to stumble through her front door and lock it behind her before she collapsed to the floor.
She should have gone to the hospital. She knew she should have. She hurt all over and her smoke-damaged lungs hated her passionately. Without magical or medical treatment, she knew she and Yugi were in serious trouble, but she had spent too much of her own energy to use a healing spell to fix herself or her friend up, meaning the doctors were their best chance.
And unlike Yugi, who was currently in the care of the medics, Amane could not go to hospital.
The Thief Queen's spells had kept her neighbours and landlord from looking too closely at her current situation, but at the hospital they would want to ring her legal guardians.
And she did not have any.
Her mother had died years ago in a car crash that had killed both her and Amane's little brother, Ryou, and her father's death at the hands of the Millennium Ring had left her an orphan. The 'parents' the school thought she had were just illusions that Ba-Khu-Ra had conjured in order to get her into school. There was no family she could turn to. No one whose name and number she could give the authorities when they wanted to speak to a responsible adult.
Amane did not want to end up in the system. She could not afford for people to look too closely into her home life and question where all the money and items she had had come from, or she would end up in juvenile detention rather than an orphanage, so she needed to treat herself and not let anyone see when she was hurting.
It was better this way.
At least that was what she tried to tell herself as she sobbed out the fear, anger, and pain she had been desperately trying to suppress since her capture, hands clamped over her mouth to muffle the noise, even though there was no one around to hear her. The silence of the residence just made the situation worse as the feelings of complete loneliness, helplessness, and emptiness overwhelmed her.
She did not want to be alone anymore. Did not want to come home to an empty house. To have no one at home who missed her. To be completely and utterly alone when she needed comfort.
But there was no other way. Today had proved something. No matter how much she wanted to be Yugi's friend, no matter how much the other girl risked to help her and stand by her side, she would never, ever be able to trust the Puzzle Bearer's safety around the Spirit of the Ring, or the demon they were bound to.
And that meant that the one person she could have gone to, the one person who might have understood because her parents were no longer around, the one person whose family might have at least allowed her to sleep over regularly, even if they could not take her in officially, was off limits because Amane did not want to wake up one morning to find she had killed a friend.
Once she had run out of tears and all the emotions she had been releasing had died down to a safe, protective numbness, she fired off a text to Honda. Once she had let him know she had gotten home safely and thanked him for pulling her out of the fire, she forced herself to her feet, every muscle aching as she pushed through the complete and total exhaustion to get herself something to eat, an energy drink, and some painkillers.
As she pulled out the ingredients to make a sandwich, she paused as she realized that there was red on her hands. Her mind flickered back to the feel of her hands wrapped around her friend's throat, how she had been able to feel Yugi's life ebbing away in the demon's grasp and how the back of Yugi's neck had felt wet…
The red mark was her friend's blood.
She practically threw the ingredients aside and dashed for the sink, scrubbing with dish soap and water until her hands were sore and pink. Then she sank to her knees on the floor, tears beginning to build again as all the emotions came rushing back and overwhelmed her.
A knife, possibly knocked off balance when she had tossed the dish soap bottle to one side, clattered to the floor next to her, catching her attention.
She should end it. It would protect her friends and end her own suffering. Just a couple of cuts and it would be over.
She would be free from the pain that was her life.
Free from the demon that hurt her whenever she dared to resist him, despite Ba-Khu-Ra's attempts to protect her.
Free from having to pay for the actions of others.
Free from the knowledge that one day either she would kill her friend or her friend would have to destroy her soul.
Free to join her family in the afterlife.
She would not be alone anymore…
She picked up the sharp implement, pressing the blade to her wrist for a moment.
Then the sharp sensation of pain as the tip pierced the skin brought her back to her senses.
Even if she died, the Spirit of the Ring would still be inside the Millennium Ring, as would the demon. They would just find another host, and there was no guarantee that the next one would be able to stand up to them like she could. If she died, she would be unable to keep protecting those she cared about.
And in all truth, she was not ready to die.
She set the knife down and wiped the blood away, staggering to her feet and pulling out a band-aid from the cupboard, putting it over the tiny cut before stumbling back to the fridge and pulling out the ingredients once again, knowing that she would feel more stable once she had gotten food and sugar in her system.
She was ravenous and terribly thirsty, thanks to the Otogis. All she had eaten since breakfast yesterday was a bowl of cereal, and all she had had to drink was a glass of milk and the bottle of water that Otogi had left her.
Once she had eaten and drank, she could get some sleep and then, in the morning, she could heal herself up and it would all be okay.
At least that was the lie she told herself as she started prepping her meal.
Happy New Year FFN Readers.
