"Yet those destinies intertwined in a tangle of cometh fate. This beast which begs for death shall find life in despair."


"Hahaha! Look! He's like 15 and still playing this game!"

The shrill laughter of a little boy screeched at Yuugi, "And he's fucking terrible at it! What a little bitch!"

Yuugi whimpered, stifling a sniffle in order to avoid crying and proving their point that he was, in fact, very childish.

The spirit felt anger burn in its veins.

The boy, who was teasing its host, was named Mokuba. He had been teasing the spirit's light for a while, all for being interested in childish things.

Mokuba came from a rich family, one by the name of the Kaiba's. The family owned the largest company in the area, and Mokuba used that to his advantage at every possible crossroad.

It wanted to do something about this boy. Put him in his place. Under the ground, with the worms slurping up his rotting flesh as he deserved.

The night was cold, no one was around. Yuugi was sitting on the seat near his desk and looking at his Capsule Monster Chess pieces with no particular intent. He knocked one over, the small purple bug creature rolling around in a small circle before dropping to the ground. Yuugi let out an unmotivated sigh.

"Am I childish, Yami?"

Yami hovered close to its light, legs halfway phased through its host's desk. It lowered its casual stance and instead took it upon itself to stand with confidence.

"No. What is childish is someone bullying someone else for having hobbies."

Yuugi hadn't been speaking to the spirit much recently. Yami had noticed just how little the boy acknowledged it, the cravings for attention grew so strong that the spirit felt a withering in its chest - like it was about to melt into the ground and never resurface. What could it do to make the boy see the spirit? It needed to protect him more, that would be perfect.

"You are the opposite of childish. You are mature for being confident in your passions."

The spirit really had gotten better at language. Even Yuugi noticed, each word seemed less unnatural as it spoke with its smooth, unreadable voice.

"All the other kids my age like other things… I feel like Mokuba is right, I am immature."

"All other people your age are morons." Yami snapped back, "You are perfect, my light."

It wanted to say more. Every hair follicle of Yuugi's was perfect, every eyelash, every nail, every inch of supple skin. Yami felt itself edging closer, if only this cursed form had a proper sense of touch. Its hand tried to cup Yuugi's cheek, only a bare warmth surfaced on its hand.

"I am sure Mokuba will stop picking on you soon."

"You think? I doubt it." Yuugi smiled, he stood up from his seat and stretched. "It's late, I should sleep. Will you be wanting to use my body tonight?"

"Yes, please. I have a lot of cleaning to do. And I wanted to see some of your school work."

"I doubt you'll understand it."

"I want to try, at least."

"Okay. Good night, Yami!"

The boy was curled up in his bed, covers barely placed onto him, a mess of hair sprawled out across the pillow and lining his blushed cheeks as he closed his eyes.

Yami waited.

How dare this imbecile hurt Yuugi.

"Oh. Before I sleep…" Yuugi rolled over, his eyes parting in a half-conscious manner, "A few days ago, at the museum. That man who collapsed in front of us, he didn't do that because of you, right?"

"Hm?" Yami folded its arms and shook its head, "What a weird assumption."

"It's just, he was mumbling about you before he did so, and not many people know you exist so I-"

"My host, you must be exhausted." Yami's mouth upturned into a smirk, though it didn't know why it had done so, "He never said such things."

"Yes, he did! He said 'Spirit of the puzzle' and stuff!" Yuugi sat up in his space on the bed, "I… He did!"

"He never even spoke, now did he?" Yami approached, now fakely sitting by Yuugi's bed. "He walked up to you, and collapsed."

"No, he asked about the puzzle, held a weird object to my head and-"

"Why would he do that, my host?" Yami's voice hushed into a whisper, "Your exhaustion is blurring your memory."

Yuugi hesitated. He thought long and hard for a moment, occasionally blinking with a burning sensation in his eyelids.

"Did he speak, Yuugi?" Yami whispered, "Because I think your memory is playing tricks on you."

"Hmn…" Yuugi muttered. The spirit hummed in its mind, quietly whispering 'sleep, sleep, sleep, so tired, sleep' over and over until the feelings reached the boy through their link, who was now yawning and barely awake.

"I… he didn't speak, now did he?" Yuugi mumbled, his words barely coherent, "I'm sorry for blaming you. I am just tired."

"See? It is alright, my light. Just rest now."

As Yuugi's vessel opened with each sleepful mumble, Yami's smirk grew more and more.

Today.

Mokuba Kaiba shall pay.

Yami slid out of bed, stretching out its muscles. Being human was hard - if they didn't stretch out and move their bodies grow stiff and hard to move. Each muscle and joint had to be manipulated in order to get a smooth motion going, Yami still had trouble using its hands properly due to the sheer precision needed.

'Meet at the abandoned warehouse by Domino high-school, 3 AM.'

It was surprised that it even got a response from the spoiled brat, who sent a note back approving of this secluded challenge. Yami scrunched up the paper and tossed it into its host's trash bin. It kicked open the closet, rummaging through until it found the coolest clothing it could dig out - a leather vest and pant combo, tall high heeled boots with belt buckles on the sides. It dressed itself, taking a moment in the standing mirror to assess Yuugi's body closely.

Such small arms and legs. A scrawny build, sure, but his gorgeous, snow white skin was so unbelievably soft and gentle that Yami couldn't care. Both arms and legs were variegated with bruises and scars from previous attacks from bullies. He would never deal with that again, as long as Yami loomed close by his shoulder.

The spirit stood at the entrance of the desolate building, mind and heart racing with excitement. It searched around, eventually finding the warehouse it was looking for - number 10, originally belonging to an old defunct store. It stepped inside, happy to finally be giving divine retribution to one of the biggest sinners out there.

Inside, tall ceilings made it feel small. Stray pipes and old storage containers sprawled out all over the floor, Yami's foot snapped a piece of debris as it walked to the center, where a single board sat, waiting.

"I was waiting for you. Thought you chickened out." Mokuba spat, coming out of hiding. Yami smirked,

"I would never."

"You're different than you usually are. Trying to act and dress all emo to intimidate me?"

"I do not know what that means."

Yami crossed its arms, waiting for Mokuba to sit down - it was the polite thing to do, ladies first, after all.

"To challenge me to Capumon. How daring." Mokuba grinned, "Over there is a Capumon dispenser. Take out an entire team, so we can play randomly."

"Alright."

Yami grabbed the lever and turned until it had enough pieces for an entire team, all 5 level twos or ones. The spirit immediately could tell that this was rigged.

Yami laid out its pieces, watching Mokuba laugh as he placed down all level fives.

"You've got the weakest hand, so you go first." Mokuba snorted. Yami glared at the boy.

Each person took turns, lining up their pieces. Mokuba used one of his dragon pieces to fly above Yami's, attacking his main fighter. However, that left the rest open for one big self destruction attack.

Yami sacrificed its piece, blowing up the rest of Mokuba's monsters as easily as could be. Mokuba stared at the board, it had been only a minute since the game started and it was already over.

"Again!"

Mokuba demands, taking out a new rigged team and laying them out again,

And again,

And again.

Each time, Yami won within a minute. The spirit's arrogant smirk grew deeper and deeper with every win, eventually once it was unable to expand anymore, Mokuba snapped.

"Oh fuck you!! You're cheating!! You're a cheater!!"

"You cannot talk." Yami sighed, "That machine is rigged."

"You son of a bitch!! Once big brother hears about this, it is over!! You are dead, Yuugi!! DEAD!!"

Yami bit its lip.

No, it wouldn't be its host who was dead.

This boy, who stood before the spirit, had constantly berated its host, constantly tried to hurt its host, constantly made its host feel bad. Not anymore.

A vivid image of an egg covered Mokuba, screams growing louder and louder in an almost deafening manner. The echoes of desperate cries didn't bother Yami, while the spirit felt like it should, the idea of protecting Yuugi from all of these disgusting bullies.

Yami walked away, it didn't need to clean up evidence. No matter what it did, the end result would always lead people to think that they did it to themselves.

Yami curled up in Yuugi's bed, taking a long smell of the pillow as it did so, and slowly returned to the puzzle, happy.

It was the next day and Yuugi felt ungodly awful. He rolled out of bed and closed his eyes, trying to feel Yami's presence.

"Yami?"

No response. Yuugi stood up, the spirit must be resting in the puzzle like it seemed to do occasionally. Reaching up to the wardrobe door handle, Yuugi lugged out his uniform and laid it out on the bed, stretching his toes and legs as he let out a sweet yawn.

The morning was cold. Yuugi sat on his end and slipped on his fresh white socks, stepping up and pulling on his trousers and scruffy white shirt as he blinked the sleepy dust out of his eyes.

"Yuugi! Hurry, you'll be late for school!"

Yuugi's mother called from downstairs. Yuugi snatched his bag and ran down the stairs, tripping over one like he usually did.

"You need to stop running down these stairs." The mother crossed her arms, handing Yuugi his lunchbox and helping him up.

He didn't say what he wanted to, 'I wouldn't run down them if you stopped yelling!'. Any argument against his mother was a lost cause at best and a death sentence at worst.

"Go! You'll be late!"

"I know!!! I know!!" Yuugi yelled in response, hopping up and sprinting out of the main door and running down the road. The bitter morning air made Yuugi's face red. In the background, tens of police cars raced past him. Yuugi covered his ears, the sirens screaming loudly across the streets, rushing into a small in-street that Yuugi knew as being a hotspot for gang fighting. The morning was still dark, small flickering Street lamps remaining turned on despite it being 8 AM.

"Yuugi! Good morning!"

Yuugi looked across the street. Anzu! His heart fluttered, waiting across the road for the girl to cross. She did so quickly and walked with him.

"How are things?"

"My head is killing me.. And I didn't do my homework, don't tell mum." Yuugi sighed, and Anzu chuckled lightly.

"I have. You can copy from me."

"Oh, thank you!" Yuugi beamed, "You are a lifesaver!"

"You're welcome!" Anzu's smile faded. "How.. Uh.. How's your ghost pal?"

"Yami? I think he's sleeping in the puzzle."

Anzu gave Yuugi a look before returning to her big smile. Before them stood the school gates, Yuugi and Anzu walked through and expertly navigated into their classroom, Class B.

No one was in the classroom yet, apart from a few overachievers who liked extracurriculars or studying. Yuugi sat down in his seat, like usual, and watched Anzu as she handed him her work to copy. He did so, making sure to change a few answers so it wasn't so obvious. Slowly by slowly, people came in. Some he recognised, some he didn't, and some who he made sure to completely avoid eye contact with.

"Hi, Yug's, Anzu!" Jounouchi casually walked in and sat on top of Yuugi's desk. "Oh, little bastard, you're cheating!"

"I.. Uh.."

"Hey, I won't tell." Jounouchi laughed, "I would never do that to ya, buddy."

"Uh.. Right."

Yuugi finished copying Anzu's work and handed the sheet back to her. She slipped it into her bag.

"You know, the other day, I was fighting this big guy, right?" Jounouchi started rambling to Yuugi, Yuugi's mind somewhere else, "And he clobbered me real hard! Had ta go to da hospital!"

"Oh god, are you okay?" Yuugi finally responded.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm great. Perfect health!" Jounouchi flexed his muscles cheekily, "The doctor said I was so healthy that she-"

Suddenly, the door slammed open.

Yuugi jumped, hiding behind his book. He peeked out from behind the book to see a distraught and angry Seto Kaiba, followed by a lot of staff who kept telling him to go home.

"Yuugi."

He yelled.

It had been ages since Kaiba had come into school, Yuugi figured he didn't need to attend, considering how he owned the country's largest company.

"Yuugi YOU FUCKING BASTARD, LOOK AT ME!! LOOK AT ME!!"

Kaiba screeched. Yuugi did as he was told, feeling tears creep up behind him. Everyone was silent.

"Oi! Don't talk to Yug's lik-"

"Shut the FUCK up, you incessant dog!!" Kaiba grabbed Jounouchi by the collar and easily threw him across the classroom. Yuugi quivered, everyone apart from him stood back.

"Mr Kaiba, you just need some rest and-"

"You fucking murderer!!" Kaiba seemed to ignore his staff, he grabbed Yuugi's collar in the same manner as Jounouchi. Yuugi could see the vivid crazy in his eyes.

"You bastard, you fucking killed Mokuba didn't you? DIDN'T YOU?!"

"Mr Kaiba, it's already been confirmed as a suicide, put the boy down."

One of his staff members pulled at Kaiba, being slapped away by him as Kaiba dragged Yuugi, pressing him against the wall.

"They all SAY Mokuba did it but I know he didn't. It was YOU. You were the LAST person to see him weren't you?! Hahaha… HaHaha… HaHa… HahHah…"

Yuugi whimpered. He squeezed his eyes shut, Kaiba's intense and shaky glare being pried away from him by one of the staff members who followed Seto.

Yuugi glanced to the side, panicked. Jounouchi was still slumped against the wall, a bunch of students checking to make sure he was alive.

"LOOK AT ME!! LOOK! AT! ME!!"

"I…" Yuugi sniffed, "I am… I… I don't know.. What you're talking about.. I.."

Yuugi burst into tears, Kaiba still holding onto his collar. It felt like his throat was closing, with each press against his neck by Kaiba getting harder and harder with each second of tears.

"Mr. Mutou. I think we should take you in for questioning." One of the policemen who tailed the CEO sighed, "Even though we are all sure you are innocent."

"I.. I.."

"Mr Kaiba, let go of him."

"HE DID IT!! HE!! I KNOW HE DID IT!!"

Kaiba kept screaming as they finally managed to pry him away from Yuugi's neck. Yuugi choked for air, the classroom fell silent as they put Yuugi's hands into cuffs, saying they were unnecessary but 'a precaution' and took him away from the classroom.

Yuugi gave one more look at the classroom, twenty eyes of classmates looking back with a mix of worry, sheer disgust and confusion about what just happened.

They put him in the back of the car.

Yuugi kept crying, the entire time calling for Yami inside his mind.

"Okay, Mutou. Get out of the car and follow me."

"O.. Oka… Okay..." Yuugi squeaked, hubbling out of the car and following closely behind the policeman into the room where he was to be questioned. The man sat him down and crossed his arms.

"Now, I'm starting this off by saying; no one here thinks this incident was you. Not at all, it's already been confirmed as self-inflicted." The policeman smiled, "But we're doing this purely because Seto Kaiba is a big funder of the police department, haha."

"I..what incident? What happened..? I.."

"Mr. Kaiba's younger brother has been found dead in a local warehouse, along with a suicide note and a slit on his throat."

Yuugi fell silent. Mokuba Kaiba was dead?! Just a night after Yuugi had seen him last?! Right after Mokuba laughed at him and… Yuugi looked at the puzzle.

"Are you alright?"

"I.. Yes… I'm fine.." Yuugi's voice was quiet and shaky.

"Where were you last night at 12AM?" The policeman took a little book out and clicked open a pen.

"I go to sleep at 10PM every night, so…in bed."

"Alright. Do you have anyone who can vouch for that?"

"My mother, my grandfather.." Yuugi fiddled with his hands.

"And they live with you, correct?"

"Yes.."

"May I have their phone numbers?"

Yuugi took the pen and wrote his home phone number, knowing that his mother and grandfather don't answer their cell phones.

"I.. Why would Kaiba blame me..?"

"He says you were the last one to see Mokuba." The policeman rested his head in his hands, "But the only genuine record we can find of this was yesterday at 10AM, outside of the Black Crown Game Shop."

Yuugi closed his eyes. That was when Mokuba laughed at him for collecting new Capumon pieces. Yuugi put his hand into his jacket pocket instinctively, something touching his fingers.

A Capsule Monster Chess piece.

How did that get in there?

"You didn't see him after that, right?"

"No. I barely know him. I don't know why Kaiba thinks I saw him after that."

"We already have proof that you didn't do it." The policeman sighed, "As we said, we're only obliged to ask these things for you purely for Mr Kaiba's sake."

"Then... Ca…can..can I go home..?"

"Once we call your mother."

"Oh, she's not home at the moment.." Yuugi muttered, "My grandpa will be.."

"Okay. Thanks for letting me know. Where is she?"

"Working.."

"Okay."

The man dialed the phone number and waited silently until Yuugi's grandfather picked up the phone. The policeman told him what was going on and asked for Yuugi to be picked up.

"Hm? Oh.. I see. Is there any chance you could- no? Oh.. Okay."

The policeman slowly put the phone down and sighed loudly.

"Your grandfather can't pick you up. Would you like to wait here, or can I take you home in the police car?"

"Can I just walk home on my own?"

"I'd rather not." The man looked Yuugi in the eyes, "It's protocol."

"Oh… Okay. Just.. Take me home.."

"Are you alright? You look pale." The man stood up. Yuugi could finally see the name tag on the man's shirt; Kenji. The man, Kenji, gestured for Yuugi to follow. Yuugi nodded and stumbled up, walking to the outside of the police station.

"I'm.. Fine." Yuugi muttered, "I'm really exhausted."

"I'm sorry that we had to bring you here, we just need to satisfy-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. You need to suck up to Kaiba, just please take me home." Yuugi snapped, getting into the front seat of the police car.

"Okay, where do you live?"

"Kame Game Shop." Yuugi stated, afterwards listing his postal code and street name. The car started, driving quickly down the street. Yuugi, who usually loved watching the buildings pass as he was being driven, didn't even bother watching the people.

The car slipped into a tight parking space and Yuugi got out, waving goodbye to the police and unlocking his front door with shaky hands. He didn't bother locking the door behind him.

The boy stumbled upstairs, the sudden weakness making his stomach churn. He threw his school bag away into the corner and dropped face-first onto his bed. It was still noon, no one would be home for a while.

Yuugi closed his eyes, willing himself into the puzzle like he had done a couple of times before. Finding himself in the cold, empty room where his spirit friend lived, he slowly walked around trying to find Yami.

"Yami? Where are you? I need to talk to you!"

No response.

The main room was darker than usual, and Yuugi had noticed a standing mirror he had never seen before, shattered to pieces with its glass all over the floor - crunching beneath his feet.

In the background, a light, eerie piano echoed. Yuugi pressed his ear to the wall, hearing the piano grow louder. Was Yami over there? The wall suddenly faded away, revealing the endless staircases that decorated the expanse of Yami's mind. In too much anxiety to be shocked at all, Yuugi fearfully started walking up the closest stairs he could find.

He peeked around one of the doors.

His heart dropped.

Yuugi dropped to the floor, his eyes quickly scanning the room as he quivered. A grandiose, ancient looking piano sat on an elevated platform. The spirit looked at him from his place on the piano bench, his fingers lifting up from their positions on the piano keys. Surrounding the spirit were an uncountable number of people, each shrieking and wallowing in such an extreme amount of pain that Yuugi could feel it through just looking.

"Oh. Whatever are you doing here, my host?" Yami smoothly said, his blood red eyes looking into Yuugi's so calmly that it was as if he wasn't surrounded by people who were suffering.

"Wha- what.?" Yuugi gasped. "These people.. Why.. How.."

"I did this for you, my light." Yami purred, "They all deserve the worst for trying to hurt you. Oh, do not worry. The blood is on my hands, not yours."

"Why.. Are they..?"

"The soul rooms, they represent who you are." Yami kept playing, "Every little droplet of blood.. Every scream I tear from their throats for you.. Their souls collect in my heart like the cards you so dearly treasure."

"I.."

Yami phased through the floor, appearing next to Yuugi suddenly and holding him firmly by the chin, a prominent canine drawing Yuugi's attention away from his empty, red eyes.

"My host… Even in fear… Up close you're so gorgeous.." Yami pushed Yuugi up against the wall behind him, stained with ancient blood. "I couldn't wait any longer.. I needed to show you how safe you are with me~."

"Safe..?" Yuugi choked out, barely able to speak, "Ya.. Yami.. You hurt these people!! Why?! They were innocent!! They had lives!!"

"Their life means nothing if they waste it making perfect angels like you upset."

"Yami, they were human like me! They had lives and families and friends and you stole them away because 'I was upset!!'" Yuugi finally found the voice to yell, "You.. You say that you're doing this 'for me' but who are you really doing this for?! I don't even know how to react or what to do but. This is so fucking wrong!!"

Yuugi cried.

He looked around. A boy from his class, his moulded corpse stuffed into a vase… A person from his school, torn to shreds… The body of a young man who tricked Yuugi into getting hurt, burned to shreds… The body of Mokuba Kaiba, with a slit across his throat so large, you could almost see inside of it.

"The millennium puzzle." Yami gestured at the bodies, catching notice of Yuugi's gaze, "It creates illusions so strong you want to tear your own throat out."

Yami's ghostly presence pressed up harder against Yuugi, "I had to see those Illusions for thousands of years..until you came. Until you spoke to me, gently told me it would be okay, saved my spirit from rotting in my purgatory. This.. This is your thank you. I am your protector not, my light, isn't that beautiful?"

"It's.. Psychotic. " Yuugi shook his head. He barely had the strength to yell anymore. "If you wanted to thank me for something like that just do it normally.. Instead you destroyed many peoples lives.."

"They really did it to themselves." Yami crossed his arms. "I always played a game of judgement with them. If they cheated or failed, they died. If they were genuinely good people, they would have survived."

"No one's a good person." Yuugi spat, "All humans are terrible!! We're all sinners! You can't just judge someone with a game!"

"I can't..?"

Yami floated backwards.

"But these games are all I know! Are you judging my 5000 years of knowledge?"

"YES! YES I AM!" Yuugi screamed, "You don't even remember your own name!! Your knowledge must be twisted and fucked up in very conceivable way!!"

Yuugi turned around, grabbing onto the closed door handle of the door to the room he was in and forcefully rattling it around until it snapped.

" I.."

Yami muttered, he looked at the people who laid before his hand.

As Yuugi finally escaped, disappearing into the abyss, Yami sat there, thinking.

The darkness had brought such allure.

It corrupted him.

Yami let out a shaky 'breath' and looked at its hands, watching them melt into a thick shadow.

He had gone wrong in the dark.

Hadn't he?