Chao- Many people may say it would be unfair for Yugi to lose a game, but technically he isn't the one who is King of Games until the end of the series. In the original manga, he had played and lost about two games before Yami took over. Plus, the whole five games with two and two sounded more interesting and suspenseful.

Warning: Chapter contains one scene of graphic bullying.

"Talking."

"Thinking."

Chapter 9: Harmful Encouragement

The young teen with tri-color hair sat alone at the edge of the icy lake. He hugged his legs tightly together against his chest. He didn't care his pants or sleeves had been stained with deep crimson spots on them. He requested he be left alone as he reflected about his last challenge.

Flashback

"You won the game, but it was unsatisfying, wasn't it?" Yami asked as he walked closer towards the small teen.

Yugi's only answer was silence. He agreed but didn't know what he could say. He wondered what his life would be like after the departure of the Millennium Items. He was curious to know why he was chosen to solve the Puzzle when he believed he was filled with so many flaws. He had faith within the very strong pharaoh and believed the courageous soul did not need someone so weak be his side.

Yami longed to say something encouraging to his partner, but he could not as the test was design for the Puzzle bearer, not the spirit that dwelled within.

Just then, two more doors appeared. One had four stars on the top while the other had five.

Yugi placed his opposite hand on his injured arm. He had won two games and lost one. He once again had an option to take. However, if he chose wrong, he may lose the whole game entirely. Learning after his mistake, he stood in front of the door with four stars.

The door opened and waited for the player to step through.

The teen turned hesitant; he didn't want to be alone for his next challenge.

His darker half sensed this but understood there was nothing more he could do.

"I can't go in," Yami stated as he placed his hand over the opening. The gateway was wide, but he could not enter.

Yugi did not want to go; he was too afraid. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He looked up to see a pair of eyes filled with compassion and a warm smile.

"You can do this." Yami gently reassured.

Yugi nodded.

Once he entered, the door closed itself. He took a few steps in but stopped until his eyes adjusted properly. A bright light shined on his next challenge. He walked over with caution.

In the center of the dark room lied a large game board. On it were two game pieces and a pair of regular dice. The teen walked closer to examine his challenge. On the board was a rainbow-colored striped path with many obstacles to overcome. Towards the end of the board was a place that declared a user the winner. The two game players were mini sizes of the Dark Magician and the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

The boy became perplexed about the two monsters. The purple wizard was always his favorite while the white dragon was a monster he was constantly at battle with. As Yugi knelt on the ground, he wondered how he was to play a game for two players when he was the only one around.

At that moment, the dice levitated by themselves. Yugi grew surprised by this. The pair fell to the ground and added to the number six. The white dragon took the amount of steps on the board and landed on a green square.

Yugi noticed some of the squares carried writing or pictures on them while others held only color.

The dice floated towards the teen. They landed gently on the ground and waited for the next player to take his turn.

Yugi picked up the cubes and had questions about his game. Looking across the board, he saw where the first piece had moved. He then glanced towards the beginning and assumed the other piece, Dark Magician, was his. He tossed the dice into the air and waited for them to land. When they did, Yugi's piece moved on its own.

The area he landed on read "Take Another Turn". The teen accepted the instructions, and the wizard landed on a red spot.

The dice floated in the air and landed. The dragon moved to a spot that read "Jump Three Spaces". The monster took the action and landed on another spot that read "Take Another Turn". When the move finished, Blue Eyes landed on a yellow square.

Yugi took the dice and rolled them. The magician landed on a spot that read "Lose Next Turn".

"Darn it," Yugi mumbled.

The unknown user took the dice and rolled. The monster landed on a purple spot. Because the teen had lost his next turn, the dice lifted themselves up and dropped once more. Blue Eyes landed on a blue square.

Yugi glanced up and noted the distant between his monster and the other: The white dragon was approaching the winner square. Yugi understood he needed to move quickly and roll either a high number or land on a lucky spot. He tossed the dice and the Dark Magician landed on a gold star. The piece magically moved closer towards the finish spot.

"Hey, all right!" Yugi cheered with joy.

Blue Eyes was then moved to a spot that read "Move Back Three Spaces".

The teen took his turn. The wizard landed on a black star and moved further away from the gold star as well from the other player.

"What?" Yugi gasped. He had done so well, and now he was behind once more.

The dice rolled onto a number five. The other piece moved towards another gold star. It was then transported towards one spot in front of the winner's circle.

"I… I mustn't give up." Yugi repeated what many others had told him in his past.

He stared at his piece. He needed to roller a number that would get him towards the winner's circle if he were to complete the game. Tossing the dice, he landed on a blue diamond that moved the purple wizard one space apart from the white dragon. However, he knew nothing more could be done.

The dice rolled by themselves, and Blue Eyes White Dragon strolled over the finish line.

Yugi hissed in pain. He pulled down his sleeve and saw the second to last mark on his arm began to bleed.

End flash back

Yugi continued to stare at his reflection. The image stared right back at him. He did his best but did not win. Two cuts bled on his arm, and one more remained. He already lost two games, and he was unsure if he could handle the next one. He remembered when he first started high school he was willing to try new activities.

The plan did not work out, but when he gained friends, he was willing to do anything for them, such as standing up to the school bully, facing men with guns, or even other duelists who took joy in seeing others suffer in the Shadow Realm. Yugi doubted how much he had changed over the years. He survived any duels against crazed, madmen, but he had trouble deciding for himself about what he wanted.

He recalled every duel between him and his foes were really between Yami and the enemy. He, on the other hand, would sit in the back and only cheer his other self. He wondered if he really possessed any skills as a duelist, his most prideful game. He sighed as he closed his eyes, remembering his last challenge.

"Just like before," he whispered sadly to himself as another gloomy memory entered his heart.

Suddenly, he felt someone grabbing him. The strength of the stranger was too great to be his darker half. He tried to break free but could not. He shot his eyes open and found himself with his face hovering above the lake. Remaining still, he prayed he would not be dropped into the bitter looking water.

"All right Yug," a voice with a thick accent began. "We're gonna give you to the count of three, and if you don't talk, we'll toss you in!"

The teen with the tri-color hair's heart raced. He couldn't concentrate to place together the voice of whom it belonged too; his mind was too stressed out and growing weary. He closed his eyes tightly. Depressing memories flooded his mind. He remembered kids from his past would hover his face above the toilet water, then pushed him in. Tears streamed down his face. He didn't want to be treated in that manner anymore but felt powerless to change.

"Joey! Please stop!" shrieked a female's voice.

"Yeah, dude," agreed another, this one male. "I think he's crying. Put him down!"

Yugi felt his body smoothly being removed from above air back towards the ground. He continued to sob and refused to open his eyes. He couldn't take the idea of being bullied anymore. Anytime the subject had come up, a small pain stung his heart. But he would shrug it off because he had promised himself to let the past go and enjoy his time with his friends. Now he felt too weak and worthless to try anymore.

He vaguely heard someone say sincerely, "Yug! Sorry man! I didn't mean to make you cry!"

He felt someone placed a tender hand on his shoulder. Tears stopped flowing. He tried to calm himself down. He listened carefully to hear, "We were all just worried about you. Especially with those cuts on your arm."

He opened his eyes and saw his other friends had somehow arrived. All three of them wore their school uniform. Yugi became curious how they found him; even he didn't know where he was or how he came about. As he gazed around he looked into the groups' eyes, he saw a set of purple, blue, honey, and brown. They were all worried about him.

The small teen shifted his view towards the dark green, soft grass. He felt immense guilty. His friends had always been concerned about him because he rarely had the courage to stand up for himself. When he did, he was still hurt and saved by his companions whether it was a physical fight or through Duel Monsters. He squeezed his hands into tight fists as he whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Yug, we'll figure this all out," the blonde adolescent said with care. "Just tell us what's going on."

"I… I don't know…" Yugi answered honestly. "One moment I was in my room and the next… I was playing these games…"

"What kind of games?" Tristan asked.

"… Games that seem ordinary but… have some sort of twist to them."

Yugi glanced up and could see how worried his friends looked.

"But I didn't cut myself!" he shouted with anxiety. "Honest!"

Tears built up once more and threatened to fall. Yugi felt weak. In the past he was tempted to hurt himself to relieve his emotional trauma but knew nothing would be accomplished. He was always glad to see the bright, sunny glow from the sky and appreciate whatever time he had with his childhood friend while having fun with his parents and grandparents. The only moments he was surrounded by darkness was when he was bullied and when his heart cried out in loneliness.

"Don't worry, Yug." Joey assured. "We believe you."

The group looked at each other, then towards Yami. The dark spirit only nodded. They all understood their small friend would never harm himself.

"So now what?" Tea asked.

"We wait for the next challenge." Yami answered.

He glanced towards his partner, who stared at the ground. He spotted Yugi contained a small spark in his eyes but was fogged out by his lost. He knew something was wrong: The teen normally was overfilled with joy when he saw his friends, but everything appeared different.

"Ever since Yugi became ill he hasn't been himself." Yami noted. "Why is that?"

His thoughts were interrupted hearing Joey cheer, "Well whatever it is, bring it on! I know Yugi will be able to handle it!"

"That's right!" Tristan agreed.

"We're always by his side." Tea said with a smile.

"You can do it partner." Yami encouraged as he agreed with the group. "I know the last game wasn't easy, but you need to keep moving forward."

"There they go again…"Yugi shut his eyes. All the words being said gave him a headache. He heard them so many times before, and he always felt doubt. Most of the time the cheers were geared towards Yami; he was the one who was facing the villain who was out to get him and his powers, not Yugi, who was the shy, timid boy and was only the vessel for the pharaoh.

Even if he had the strength to believe in himself, everything only took a turn for the worst. He understood everyone had their problems, but these were issues he believed he had to deal with on his own. And because he was alone, he wasn't sure if he could make it through.

"Hey, what's that?" Joey asked.

Everyone turned to see across the body of water where a door with five stars stood.

Yugi glanced away; he already knew what lied ahead of him. One more cut laid on his arm. Two of them had vanished, and the other two remained as scabs.

"Let's go see," the blonde suggested as he led the group.

Everyone walked around the body of water towards the interesting and mysterious door. Yugi and Yami walked in back. The spirit noticed the anxiety level coming from his partner. He wanted to say something but observed his light stayed lost in his own world.

"What now?" Yugi pondered. "Yami couldn't enter through, and I don't think any of my friends can either… So far nothing bad had happen to Yami but… what about everyone else? Would… would anything happen to them… because of me?"

At that moment, the ground underneath Joey disappeared. The teen yelled as he fell through, but he caught the edges of the hole.

"Joey!" everyone shouted as the approached the damaged ground. They all saw the area below their friend appeared like an endless pit.

"Hey! Get me outta here!" Joey yelled.

"We're coming man!" Tristan shouted back.

He knelt down on the ground and grabbed hold of his friend's wrist. Yami did the same. Tea was behind Tristan while Yugi was behind Yami. The small teen pushed away his time of despair from his mind in order to help his accident-prone companion. The group pulled the young adolescent out of the hole.

"Thanks guys." Joey gasped with gratitude. "I would have hated to fall down there!"

"Then watch where you're walking!" Tristan scolded.

"I was!" Joey protested. "I'm telling you that area was solid!"

"Then maybe you need to stay away from the junk food." Tea teased.

"Whatever!" Joey pouted.

The group laughed. A smile appeared on everyone's faces after surviving another horrific event together.

Yugi looked around his clique, feeling lucky they didn't leave him after all their crazy adventures. The group of special friends had fun after their time of dark mishaps. As much as Yugi wanted everything to stay the way things were he knew he had to allow his friends to take their own paths.

They approached the door together. The gateway opened, and Joey rushed in.

"Joey!" Yugi called out.

"Wait!" Yami added.

The blonde was about to go in when he smashed into an invisible barrier. He was deflected backwards and landed on his rump.

"What was that about!?" Joey demanded to know.

Yugi looked away as Yami explained, "Only Yugi can enter; these are his games."

Joey stood up and dusted himself off. As much as he hated to admit it, he understood the reasons behind all this. He didn't want to let his friend handle the situation alone, but he did his best to cheer everyone else's spirit up. He deeply retained his faith in his buddy and knew the small boy could overcome any obstacle, like he had in the past. He placed his hands on the teen's shoulders and encouraged, "You can do this!"

Yugi was unsure of what to say. He was hearing those same words again. His heart pressed a battle of emotions. A part of him was glad to hear those same words, and the other part was afraid of them. He understood his friends meant well. Friends encourage each other through tough times. But he felt he became a burden on them. To him, the whole situation appeared hopeless. He was scared he wasn't brave enough to stand his own ground alone and disappoint his circle of companions.

"We'll be waiting for you!" Tristan added with a thumbs up.

"Come on, Yugi," Tea tried to reassure.

Yami walked over and added, "Isn't this what you wanted? Isn't this part of the journey only you can do?"

Yugi looked at his group. He cared about them more than anything else in the world. Understanding if he wanted to see them again and enjoy the time they have together, he would need to accept and win the final challenge. He nodded as he agreed. He took a big breath and entered through.

The door closed behind him.

Everyone saw what took place but could not fully comprehend the situation.

"I believe it would be best if you all went back into the real world." Yami heavily advised after a moment of silence.

"What!?" the group gasped. They realized they hadn't been in the mysterious area long, and now the former pharaoh was telling them to go back.

"This Shadow Game is for Yugi," the spirit explained.

"And those cuts…" Tea asked but trailed off.

"He honestly did not harm himself." Yami informed. "Those are just markings for the games."

"Well, we did see one of them bleed before we came." Tristan noted. "Then there was one more even after we cleaned it up."

"Those five gashes are the number of games." Yami explained. "He won two and lost the other two… I assume if he loses this last one it'll be all over."

His eyes fell to the floor. He prayed his light would overcome any difficulty the Shadows could throw. He, along with everyone else, wanted to see Yugi smile once more.

"There must be something we can do!" Joey protested, not wanting to see his buddy hurt and gloomy anymore.

"There is." Yami agreed. "It would be best if you all watched over Yugi's physical body."

"To make sure nothing too serious happens to him, right?" Tristan assumed.

Yami nodded once again.

Tea looked at the ground. She felt disgusted hearing the Shadows gave her friend marks on his arms, appearing as though he were injured only to find out he was hurt for his loss of the two games. She wasn't happy discovering her friend was playing another Shadow Game. Every time someone did, the consequence was always unfavorable even if they won. Deep down, she knew Yugi had to go through with it. She believed she did all she could and the rest of the trial was up to her childhood friend.

"Please make sure Yugi doesn't suffer anymore through his stomach ulcer as well." Yami requested another wish.

"Stomach ulcer!?" the group yelled stunned.

"Yes," the spirit unhappily replied as he glanced towards the ground. "He was under plenty of stress, which caused his stomach to undergo too much pain for him to handle."

"So then when me and Tristan took him to the nurse…" Joey trailed off.

"He later went to the hospital." Yami answered solemnly. "But there was nothing more the doctors could do, so they sent him home. They said he needed at least five days-worth of rest."

Everyone became silent. They hadn't realized how badly Yugi felt. They understood they needed to enter back into reality and assist their small companion any way they could.

The group placed their hands together in the center. They concentrated hard.

Yami closed his eyes and hoped for everyone to arrive back into the real world safely.

A glow of light began to wrap itself around them, but they showed no fear.

"Take care, man." Tristan wished.

"Yeah, make sure Yug makes it through." Joey added.

"We'll… see you both soon…" Tea joined in before the group vanished.

Yami stood alone in the field. He stared at the door. Behind it lied the most difficult challenge for the teen.

"This game is for the battle over Yugi's heart." Yami reminded himself. He reached down where the Puzzle hung but felt only air. He was aware how his partner always called the Puzzle his second heart, for he placed his entire being into solving the artifact despite it taking him eight years to do so.

Yami pondered how much sadness and pain Yugi endured before its completion, the two meeting, and making a strong bond between them. He prayed not only will Yugi win, but whatever problems he underwent would be solved.

"I know you can win… I don't wish to be partners with anyone else other than you."

Xxx

Cautiously, Yugi walked down a long, dimly lit hallway.

"Huh… this all looks… familiar somehow," he observed.

He continued on with his search for his final trial. He found some light emitting not too far from where he stood. Dashing over towards the light, he knew his challenges showed up right after he was able to see. A window was within his view, but it was foggy. He then noticed a door. He slid it open and waited a moment for his eyes to adjust.

To his right, Yugi spotted a blank chalk board. Across from him was another window where the sounds of laughing children could be heard. With the rows of desks Yugi inferred he was in a classroom. He stepped in, so he could gain a better view of everything. He stopped when he saw a small dark figure towards the back of the room.

The figure sat at a desk with a crumpled up paper in front. The image on it was blurry but traces of pink could be seen, and it looked to be a pair of ballet shoes. Yugi took another step closer. His heart raced. His eyes widened when the shadowy figure became clear.

"That's… me…" Yugi gasped.

Sitting at a desk all alone was a younger version of Yugi. The small boy wore a white shirt with black pants. His hair was messy and soaking wet.

Yugi stepped back. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He didn't understand why he was back within his own past, but he did not want to find out.

Quickly, he left the classroom and dashed down the hallway. He did not run far as the area broke off into a dark pit. He stopped running and tried to maintain his balance, so he would not fall off the edge. He fell backwards and landed on his rump. He breathed heavily, trying to catch his breath. He looked down into the abyss, but his mind was scattered about what he saw.

He became confused as to why he saw his younger self. Memories engulfed his mind, and he remembered why he was wet and why he sat by himself in an empty classroom. Mixtures of depression and fear consumed his being.

Flashback

"So, what do you want to do when you grow up?" a girl with short brown hair asked.

Two pre-teens sat together at the back of the classroom painting. Their assignment was to illustrate what type of future they wanted.

"Oh… um…" a young boy with tri-color hair stuttered. "I'm… I'm not sure."

He glanced down at his blank sheet of paper. He really did not know what he wanted. He believed he was lucky enough to survive each passing day. He was unsure what lied beyond his career as a student in middle school. The idea of starting high school scared him out of his mind, afraid of what other types of people his age may be like. He thought about meeting new pupils and finally making friends, but the idea quickly vanished fearing the notion of being bullied once more.

"But… I like your pair of ballet shoes, Tea," he added.

"Oh, thanks, Yugi," Tea giggled. "I really want to study dance when I get older."

"Really? That's so cool!"

"I'm glad you think so."

"Where do you want to study?"

"That's a secret." Tea winked.

Yugi became impressed by his pal's dream. He never wielded the courage to go on stage and perform the way she did. He always liked that feature about his childhood friend, her bravery and self-confidence.

The girl stood up and walked towards the front of classroom to go grab more paint. As she did, many students whispered among each other about the relationship between the two friends. Unfortunately for Yugi, he heard every word of it.

"Why is Tea always paired up with Yugi?" one student asked.

"Maybe the teacher made them!" another student suggested.

"Aw! Poor Tea!" cried a third student.

"She says they're only friends, but are they really?"

"I can't imagine why!"

"Yeah, all that Yugi-kid does is sit by himself and play those childish games."

"Yeah, Tea needs a boyfriend who can control her better."

As the class president walked from the front to the back of the room, everyone settled back down. She took and a seat and noticed how upset her friend appeared.

"Yugi, what's wrong?" Tea asked.

"…N-nothing…" Yugi mumbled.

Filled with frustration, the girl sighed; she did not believe her friend. She understood the troubles he went through and tried her best to be there for him. However, she knew there was only so much she could do.

"Yugi, you need to stand up for yourself." she finally stated.

The boy glanced up from his blank page towards his companion with soft, friendly blue eyes. He couldn't help but be filled with a strange emotion upon meeting the pair always filled with compassion, unfamiliar with someone holding hope for him.

"People won't know how you feel unless you tell them," she continued. "Here, why don't you take this for a little inspiration? I can always make a new one tonight for homework."

Yugi nodded; he believed his friend was correct. He was grateful to receive a gift from his pal whom he cared about very much. Looking at the painting with admiration, he was glad to have someone like Tea by his side.

Tea stood up and went to gather her supplies. As she did, Yugi knew what he wanted to paint. He reached for his brush and dipped it into yellow paint. He went into a circle on the white sheet and filled it in. Next, he reached for black and worked into a little detail within the yellow figure. He smiled when he looked down at his completed work.

"I only wish to have a happier future," he thought to himself as he looked at his smiley face.

The bell rang, and the two friends departed. Tea had another class while Yugi had lunch. He longed to have the same break period as his companion, but he did not want to seem like a lost puppy that followed a child.

He placed his belongings in his locker. He then walked across campus to find an empty classroom. He didn't like to be in the same room as other people even if they were not in his grade. He hated the stares and whispers coming from the other students.

He stopped walking for a moment and sighed. He longed to have a clique of his own to play games with he brought every day. He never liked playing sports since he believed any team he was placed on would just lose. Though he often had been told it is the way a game is played, he disliked the disgruntle looks coming from his teammates.

Lost in emotions, Yugi almost scrunched a paper within his hands. He stopped and looked at it. He was glad he had not gone through with his action; otherwise, he would have crumpled his gift from Tea. He continued on walking. He only had to cross the school's pool to arrive at his destination.

"Hey, shrimp," called out a voice.

The pre-teen froze in fear. He knew where the voice came from. Because the school was small, everyone knew who Yugi Muto was. The bullies made him an easy target, aware no one would stand up for him and how easy he cried. Yugi snapped into reality seeing a tall, heavy student walked towards him.

"Gimme your lunch money," the student demanded with greed.

Yugi froze, baffled about what to do. He had already left for school in the morning without eating breakfast and was nearly starving. Despite that, he knew it would be easiest to hand over his change, and he might be left alone without any scrapes.

But, he was tired of brainstorming excuses for his injuries, and why his underwear was always outstretched. He hated lying to his family, but he hated the idea of himself being a burden on them. He was too afraid his father may quit his job in order to be around more or have him transfer to a different school. In defeat, Yugi reached into his pocket when the bully snatched the paper in his hands.

"What's this?" the bully mocked.

"Hey! That's mine!" Yugi protested.

"Why would a guy like you be carrying around a…. picture of… ballet shoes? With pink laces?"

"That's a gift from Tea!"

"Ooo! A gift from your girlfriend?"

"Hey! She's… just being polite… to everyone she meets."

"Well, whatever. Just give me the money and I might let you go free."

Yugi wondered if the bond between him and Tea was true. The girl was often polite to everyone and was seen talking and hanging out with almost everyone among their peer groups. But the words Tea had said echoed into Yugi's mind. Whenever he was around Tea, a different atmosphere formed between them than with anyone else. He believed now was the time to stand up for himself if he was to ever reach his future of happiness.

"N-no." Yugi denied, trying to act brave.

"What'd you say?" the bully questioned annoyed.

"I said no!" Yugi repeated firmly.

He noticed his own voice sounded more confident. He felt his heart beat faster as his whole body became engulfed with adrenaline.

The bully, on the other hand, lost his patients. He punched Yugi across the face, causing the small boy to fall to the ground.

Yugi tried to stand up but was knocked down once more. With one eye, he gazed around the campus and saw other students, but they only stared. Yugi shut his eyes in defeat. He knew no one would come over to help him. His confidence within himself diminished.

He slowly stood up. With his hands trembling, he reached into his pocket once more for his money. Pulling out his change, he noticed the bully still had his gift from Tea. Yugi did not wish to see a painting from her ruined. He formed an idea. He lifted his hand up and the coin reflected brightly against the sun.

"Is this what you want?" Yugi asked with the bully staring into the glow with greed. He folded his hand and tossed the money with him saying, "Then go get it!"

He bravely threw the money into the school's pool. The bill became soggy while the coins sank towards the bottom.

The male student could not believe what he saw.

Many of the other students grew awestruck, too. They never thought to see such an act come from Yugi Muto.

The bully changed his view from the water towards the small boy.

Yugi quaked in fear realizing what he had done.

"Not the best choice, Muto," the bully stated with raw anger.

Yugi turned too fearful to move.

The bully crumpled the paper in his hands. The crunching caused Yugi's heart to almost stop beating.

"Wait! Stop!" Yugi begged, seeing his gift crushed by the grip of the heavy student.

The bully noticed how his victim's eyes began to look watery. He thought of a plan to enact his revenge against the student who tossed away what he believed to be his.

"You think that was funny?" the bully asked in a mocking tone. He scrunched the paper even more. He raised his hands and tossed the gift towards the same body of water. As he did, he added, "Then this must be fucking hilarious!"

"No!" Yugi cried when he saw his gift become wet.

Trying to race over towards the pool, his body suddenly made contact with the student's fist. He fell to the floor. He was then lifted up and received another punch to his face. He was on his feet but his legs refused to be used. A hand dashed down behind his pants. He yelled out in pain as the bully stretched out his underwear from behind.

He was dropped to the ground with the sound of laughter fading away. Tears plummeted down his face. He only wanted to stand up for himself, and he received a beating. He knew the same bully would be after him the next day, and he knew he could do nothing.

Slowly, Yugi stood up. He glanced over towards the water. Fixing his underwear, he ran towards the pool as quickly as he could. Within his view, he spotted his gift. The water had dissolved parts of the paper, and the image became blurry. He glanced around and saw students whispered then left.

"I had hoped for a happy future," he thought as he took off his shoes. "But maybe I should just be an animal on display… like the ones at the zoo... or a circus."

He sighed heavily, and then jumped into the water.

End flashback

The teen with the tri-color hair buried his face into his legs that he pulled closer to himself and began to cry.

From that point on, any time he was threatened, he would immediately give in. When he did, he rarely was beaten up. He developed the belief everything would flow smoothly if he submitted himself. He did not want to bring anyone harm. He also did not wish to be a burden to his family nor his only companion.

Later on when he finally made friends, he was often lectured by them, telling him to stand up for himself. He was also told by his darker half to believe in himself. As much as Yugi wanted to, he felt he could not. He assisted his friends when they were experiencing problems, but he felt he could not do the same for himself.

Yugi felt his arm burn but did not care. He fully embraced the thought he did not have the strength or courage to go on. He tried several times to believe in himself but often believed nothing would change.

Without his knowledge, from behind him, the Shadows were drawing in on him.

"I'm sorry, everyone," Yugi sobbed quietly. "But… I… I can't do this…. anymore."

To be continued…

Chao- Ya know what's a pain? Working hard on a chapter for about a week only to have the file corrupted when you're ready to submit it… Geeze… Tis why updates may take a while but reviews will always be appreciated!