Yugi and the psychiatrist sat across from each other. Yugi's tendency towards violence had earned him a straight jacket, especially after that incident with Nurse Hana.
The psychiatrist gave the signal to start the camera. "What's your name?" he asked the feral-looking boy sitting across from him, who was gazing intently at the floor.
Yugi raised his head. "Yugi. Mutou." he said shortly, and then continued to look at the floor.
The psychiatrist wrote something on his noteboard. "I'm Dr. Tanaka." he said cheerfully. Yugi didn't respond, or seem to care. Tanaka was worried… he had never interacted with this child before, so he didn't know what would persuade him to talk freely.
He chose a more blunt approach. "Why are you here?" he asked calmly, though his heart was racing.
Yugi peered at him and scoffed. "Apparently, I didn't handle the murder and mutilation of my parents the way these people want." He said, sneering.
Tanaka wrote more notes. "And how long have you been here?"
Yugi stopped to think. "Four years." he said. "I've kept track."
Tanaka felt pity for the boy. "You've been here since you were five?" he asked.
Yugi laughed coldly. "That's right."
"So…" Tanaka said, as he glanced over Yugi's impressive case file. "What exactly happened between you and Nurse Hana?"
"Nurse Hana…" Yugi said, scanning his memory. He smiled. "Yes, the blonde in the pink scrubs." Yugi's eyes narrowed with hatred. "Vile woman… she tried to take away my hot cocoa."
"So you took that as an excuse to try and cut out her tongue with your spoon?"
Yugi fixed his eyes on the water-damaged ceiling. "It was a waste of a good spoon. I should have ripped it out with my hands." His voice and demeanor were disturbing. He appeared to regret his mistake like one who forgets to pick up milk at the grocery store.
Tanaka shuffled the notes he had recently made. "You know, there are many different reactions to a grievous loss." Yugi looked at him with disinterest and disdain. "Some people withdraw from the world completely." Tanaka said, ignoring it. "Others become overly affectionate. You are exhibiting another side effect. Your post-traumatic stress has caused you to become incredibly violent towards others and towards yourself."
Yugi snorted. "Of course, why didn't I see it before?" he said sarcastically. Yugi stared Tanaka in the eye with a predatory intelligence not often seen in a nine-year-old. "I know what happened to me that night. I saw the evil of the world. I became the evil of the world."
Tanaka was beginning to feel uncomfortable. "Why would you want to do that? If you know what you're doing, why don't you choose to overcome it?"
Yugi grinned. "Because, Doctor," He leaned close to Tanaka's face and whispered, "I like it."
Atem and Tea sat quietly on their lunch date. Tea looked at Atem, who seemed a million miles away, and laughed. "Worried about Yugi, aren't you?" She said, smiling.
He started, pulling out of his thoughts. He sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Tea. It's just… he's been so quiet lately." Atem looked down at the sandwich he should have been eating. "He barely says a word all day. Even when I ask him a question directly, he answers as succinctly as he can and walks off."
Tea understood what he was saying. Yugi hadn't called her in days… she was starting to get worried too.
"Well, this eating thing doesn't seem to be working out." She said. "We should go, and confront him on it."
Atem nodded in agreement. "Yes, you're right."
"We think it might be a good idea to try a more direct approach." Doctor Yoshida said as he organized his desk.
"What do you mean, 'direct approach'?" asked Yugi's father, glancing at Kanae as she held Yugi's hand.
"You remember, two years ago, when Yugi was exhibiting signs of regaining normal consciousness?" Yoshida asked.
"Of course," said Kanae. "It was like having my baby boy back again, Ichigo…" Her bottom lip quivered, and she struggled to restrain her tears.
"Well, we think that we might be able to pull him into this reality using a specific medical procedure." Yoshida said.
Ichigo looked excited. "Which procedure is that?"
"Yugi?" Atem called into the house. "Yugi?" Tea echoed after him. They walked upstairs and knocked on the bedroom door. There was no response.
Atem pushed the door open. "You in there?" he asked, before he entered the room and realized something was horribly wrong.
Doctor Tanaka exited the "interrogation room", as some patients called it, looking over the notes he had made in his conversation with the boy Yugi. Next, it was time to consult Yugi's main physician, Doctor Yoshida.
He walked up to Yoshida's office and rapped on the door. "Come in." Yoshida called from within. Tanaka entered the room, which was rundown and depressing like the rest of the institution. Yoshida motioned for him to sit down.
Tanaka took his seat. "I'd like to ask you a few questions about the patient Yugi Mutou."
Yoshida smiled grimly. "I'm surprised you want to know."
"I'm writing an editorial about the treatment of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder." Tanaka said. "Yugi's become almost legendary as far as that subject is concerned."
Yoshida's eyes narrowed. "You think I'm treating him improperly?" he asked, suspicious.
"I didn't specify which side I was going to take, Doctor."
"What do you need to know, then?" Yoshida asked, looking contented.
"Well, I already learned a lot by talking to Yugi himself, but," Tanaka paused. "I'd like to know how you plan on rehabilitating him."
"Electroshock therapy." Yoshida said. "We haven't tried it before, but we plan to use it on Yugi for behavior modification."
"Is that moral?"
"Is it moral to leave him as he is?"
Tanaka stopped. "Thank you for your time." he said, getting up and exiting the room.
Yugi slumped against the wall, unconscious, his nose bleeding profusely. Atem rushed over to his side. "Tea, call the hospital." He said quickly, as he tried to see what exactly was wrong with Yugi. Tea rushed to the kitchen phone.
"Yugi? Yugi, please wake up!" Atem cried nervously. Yugi stirred, much to Atem's relief, and opened his eyes.
Yugi opened his mouth and whispered, "You're not real… you can't be…"
Atem was horrified. "What?! Yugi, of course I'm real!"
Tea ran back into the room. "The ambulance is on its way." she said. "And I called Yugi's grandpa. He'll meet us there."
Atem looked at Yugi, who had fallen back into unconsciousness. "Please be alright, partner…"
"It's an experimental procedure called 'electroshock therapy'." explained Dr. Yoshida.
"What will it do, precisely?" asked Kanae, as she stroked Yugi's hair.
"Well, it's used in behavior modification, but it's also effective in cases of schizophrenia, such as Yugi's." Yoshida said. "We'll be sending a small electric current through Yugi's brain. This will cause changes in his brain chemistry, which will hopefully give him the normal life he deserves."
"That sounds dangerous." Ichigo said. "You're electrocuting my son's brain!"
"What Ichigo means to say is," interrupted Kanae. "What are the possible side effects?"
Yoshida sighed. "This could cause permanent brain damage. But on the other hand, you could have your son back."
Kanae and Ichigo looked at each other, and then at Yugi.
"We'll try it."