K: Yo, minna! Isashiburi! I was recently introduced to the series Hunter x Hunter, as well as picking up where I left off in the Naruto manga, so that's why I haven't updated in so long. I've also gotten into painting, drawing, etc. , so if you're interested in seeing my work, please follow the links in my bio! I've even started my first yuri doujin (Female!Naruto x Hinata), so please leave feedback!
Also, I've started selling some of my old anime/manga/doujin, as well as fanart paintings by yours truly, so be sure to check out the journal on the main page of my art site (ko-chan. and see if there's anything that catches your eye!
Sorry for not updating in so long, but I'll try to make up for it by writing the best I can!
Dedications:
- Counterspell
- Rosie
- ShadowKat-Shidobukatsu (I can't believe it myself. I just re-read what I had and the whole unwritten plot just came flooding back! O.o)
- It'sHardToBelieve (I think I made him turn good too quickly, though, and Yuugi just sounds like Gon, just emo. XD)
- Perpetually Annoyed (Good lord. I don't even want to think about that yet. XD)
- Hime no Ichigo (Lol. Update!!)
- Mirai (Holy crap this took 4 fucking years. O.o)
- Tora no Kurayami (Well, Kaiba's an ass, but I suppose he's not such a bad guy…)
- Shitsumon (True. Congrats! You found a plot hole!)
- Kyoto Project (That was kinda the plan, this being book 2 of that series and all…)
- Merodi no Yami (Are you dead? Seriously. You haven't posted anything since '03.)
- Imali (That's alright. I'm just sorry this chapter took so fucking long. X.x)
- SSJ4 Sailor Menz (Well, I've been chained to my desk for 4 years. Here's that chapter you ordered. XD)
Disclaimer:
I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.
Mou Hitori no Jinkaku: Saisho
(The Other Personality: The Beginning)
(Nahkti)
I wandered the crowded piers of Domino's waterfront district, following Ahmose's power signature. He had always excelled at the dark arts, just as I had, which made it fairly easy to track him down. Still, I'm surprised I hadn't noticed his presence sooner, even if his aura had significantly dwindled. I suppose he, too, had been confined to a sennen item during the Dark Ritual, and the reason I hadn't sensed him before was simply because he hadn't awakened yet.
Turning the corner, I found myself in a small, damp alleyway concealed between two large packing facilities. A cloaked figure was waiting there, and I knew at once that he would lead me to my old partner. He rose from his leaning position against the concrete wall, motioning for me to follow, and together we wound our way through the back streets of the city.
After a lengthy period of time, we arrived at a shady-looking bar in a rather run-down part of town, and the man pulled open the door, ushering me inside. The tavern itself was very empty, with only one or two customers seated at the counter, but before I could inspect the place any further, an immense flare of power caught my attention. Turning my gaze toward the source, I found Ahmose smirking at me, lounging comfortably in a booth in the corner and nursing a spirit of some kind.
My lips curled into a sneer, I made my way toward the table, roughly shoving his feet off of the opposite seat before settling down. He scowled at me for a moment before shrugging it off, setting his drink on the table and leaning forward to rest his head on his hand.
"Greetings, partner. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
I brushed aside his sarcastic pleasantries, leaning back into my seat and folding my arms. "Why are you here?"
He seemed put-off by my harsh tone, but after working with him for as long as I had, I knew it was just a façade. Ignoring his antics, I repeated the question, this time more sharply.
"Why, Nahkti! I merely wanted to see you again! Is that so wrong?"
I was beginning to get impatient.
I rose, slamming my hands on the table and upsetting his drink, sending the glass over the edge where it shattered on the floor. His eyes grew wide as I roughly grabbed the front of his sleeveless shirt, jerking him closer.
"Don't fuck with me. Why are you here?"
He blinked, raising his hands in submission. "Alright, alright! I'll tell you, okay!?"
I released him, settling back into my chair, and waited for him to straighten his clothes before speaking. Once finished, he leaned in, resting his chin on his folded hands, and gazed at me with those dark eyes of his, all silliness forgotten.
"I came because of him. I'd like to repay him for his kindness. I believe it's long overdue…wouldn't you agree?"
One look in his eyes and I knew he was serious. Though that was expected, considering what the dear Pharaoh had done to him. He had been there when the raid happened, and even with his strength, he still hadn't escaped. His body hadn't been there when I'd returned, but I could no longer sense his presence, and knew he had been killed along with the others. Indeed, he had as much reason to hate the Pharaoh as I did, and I knew that he would find a way to exact his revenge, one way or another.
Nodding, I leaned forward, my own eyes meeting his heated gaze.
"What's the plan?"
He smiled, and I could feel the blood lust coming off him in waves.
"Why, partner, I'm so very glad you asked…"
(Katsuya)
I made my way toward the Kame Game Shop, mulling over the conversation I had shared with Kaiba a few minutes before. How was Yuugi, really? The last few times I'd seen him, he had refused to talk to me about the spirit, and had only said that nothing had happened between them. Still, there had been something there- something dark behind those tired violet eyes.
I had to make sure he was okay.
After what seemed like an eternity, I climbed the front steps of the game shop and entered, the bell above me jingling cheerily and announcing my arrival. Yuugi's grandpa, Sugoroku, welcomed me with a smile, and I politely asked him if Yuugi was in. He nodded, pointing to the door that led upstairs, but caught me by the sleeve as I thanked him and began to leave. He motioned for me to lean down, then whispered to me over the glass counter.
"Thank you for coming. Yuugi always seems so down, and it's good that he has friends like you and that Kaiba boy to come cheer him up."
I froze, my gut twisting painfully as I grit my teeth. "Kaiba was here?"
The man seemed puzzled by my reaction, but replied, "Why, yes. He just left a moment ago… I'm surprised you didn't see him."
I growled, annoyed by Kaiba's resourcefulness at finding Yuugi's house on his own, but forced myself to calm down, filing that information away for later. Shaking my head, I grinned at Grandpa Mutou, assuring him that I would do everything I could to lift Yuugi's spirits. With that, I turned and ascended the stairs, turning the corner and rapping softly on the troubled teen's door.
There was a pause after that, and I wasn't sure if he'd heard me, but before I could knock again, Yuugi's small voice sounded behind the door.
"Just a minute!"
There were a few soft grunts, as if he were struggling out of his seat after a long while, followed by a startled cry and a loud thump. Alarmed, I opened the door, worried that he might be injured and need help. I found him lying face-down on the carpet, grumbling incoherently before picking himself up. He shifted into a sitting position, hissing as he moved one of his legs, then blinked up at me in surprise when I asked if he was alright.
"Ah! Jounochi-kun! When did you get here?" he exclaimed, shakily getting to his feet.
He toppled over a moment later, and I caught him before he fell down again. "Are you okay, Yuugi? You're not hurt, are you?"
He smiled sheepishly up at me, resting his chin against my chest to do so. "No, it's nothing like that… My leg just fell asleep, that's all."
I sighed, relieved, and scooped him up in my arms, walking over to deposit him on his bed. He squeaked in protest, but clung to my neck anyway, afraid that he would fall. Once he was safely on his mattress, however, he scowled at me.
"Jounochi! I could have gotten here just fine on my own, you know…"
I laughed, ruffling his hair and kneeling down beside the bed. "Now, now… You know as well as I do that you shouldn't try walking when your leg is asleep. You'd only fall again!"
Yuugi pouted, knowing I was right but unwilling to admit it, and promptly dropped the subject.
"How are you, Jounochi-kun? It's been two weeks since the school closed, hasn't it? What have you been doing?"
I shrugged. "Nothing much... What about you? I heard that jerk Kaiba came to visit…"
He frowned, slightly upset. "He's not that bad… And yes, he did. He was only here for a few minutes, though. I guess he just wanted to check up on me."
I swallowed my jealousy, not wanting to upset him any further. "That was nice of him… How are you doing, anyway?"
He looked down, fiddling with the hem of his baggy t-shirt. "I'm doing okay, I guess… Just sitting around playing video games and stuff like that…"
I cut him off abruptly, refusing to let him avoid the question. "Yuugi! You know what I mean. Stop pretending like you don't."
He stiffened, startled by my harsh tone, then swallowed, peering up at me nervously through his long bangs. "Well, you see… he hasn't exactly done anything bad… he just… kind of…"
He blushed, hiding his face in his hands and finishing as swiftly and quietly as possible. "…kissed me."
All at once, I felt like I was going to explode. "He what?"
Yuugi jumped, frightened by my reaction, and quickly tried to explain what had happened. "Well, he… he did it while I was sleeping, but it wasn't perverted or anything- he was actually really nice about it- and then yesterday he tried to comfort me when I was feeling sad, and said that he'd never do anything to hurt you or Kaiba or my family again, and… and…!"
But I wasn't hearing any of it. Furious, I rose, clenching my fists.
"Yuugi! How can you believe this guy!? Wasn't he the one who's been hurting you all this time!? Wasn't he the one who killed all those people!?"
He shrank back, hugging his pillow to his chest. "W-well, yeah, but…"
I just couldn't stand it. "Listen to yourself! Are you seriously thinking there might be some good in this guy? After all that he's done!? How can you just defend him like that!?"
He curled up, mumbling something into the pillow, and I glared down at him, breathing hard. "What was that?"
He lifted his head, tears in his eyes. "I said he cares about me!"
I grit my teeth, my fists clenched so hard that my nails were biting into my skin.
"Oh, he does, does he? Tell me, then- IS IT NORMAL FOR PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT YOU TO THREATEN AND ABUSE YOU!? IS IT!?"
He backed away, tears streaming down his cheeks, trembling uncontrollably. "J-Jounochi-kun, stop! You're scaring me!"
"HE DOESN'T GIVE A FLYING FUCK ABOUT YOU, YUUGI! He doesn't fucking care about you- I do! Can't you see that!?"
All at once he stopped crying, and his head jerked up, his eyes two burning pools of crimson. It was him.
"Get the fuck out. Now." (deviantart (dot com slash) deviation/48109247/)
I glared at him, all the fury that had balled up in the pit of my stomach just itching to be let loose. "Fuck you."
His eyes narrowed, and I suddenly found myself flung across the room by an invisible force. I growled, scrambling to my feet, and prepared to give that asshole a piece of my mind, but stopped short when he lifted his hand and pointed at me. It was the same thing as when he'd killed Anzu.
"Leave, before I fucking kill you."
We stood there for what seemed like forever, eyes boring into each other, until finally, I'd had enough. Flinging open the door, I grudgingly left, stomping down the stairs and out the door before anyone could stop me.
(Yuugi)
After he was certain Jounochi was gone, Atemu retreated back into our mind, allowing me to resurface. He tried to comfort me through our mind-link, but I ignored him, curling up into a ball and hugging my pillow as tightly as I could. It wasn't that I didn't appreciate the gesture- I just needed to be alone and cry for a bit. I stayed there like that for at least an hour, just letting go of everything that I needed to get out, and afterward, I began to feel a little better.
Once I started to calm down, Atemu brought up what had just transpired.
//I don't care about what I said before- if that bastard ever hurts you like that again, I'll rip his fucking head off.//
I sighed, thinking about what he had said. "Jounochi…"
//What are you feeling guilty for? You didn't do anything wrong. He's the one who needs to beg your forgiveness…//
"Yeah, but… he's still my best friend…"
//So what? From what I've heard, friends don't treat each other that way…//
"But I-"
There was a knock at the door, and a few seconds later, my mother stepped into the room. "Yuugi? Is everything alright, honey?"
I wiped my eyes on my sleeve as she settled herself on the corner of the bed, a worried expression on her kind face. "You've been crying! Oh, sweetie… Come here…"
She pulled me into a hug, wrapping her arms around me and whispering soothing words into my ear. I allowed myself to relax, inhaling the light fragrance of her perfume, and began to drift off.
I was almost asleep when I noticed something was wrong.
The long, slim hands tightened around my throat, effectively cutting off my air supply, causing my eyes to widen in alarm as I clawed at them in the hopes of breaking free. Her finely manicured nails dug into my skin, drawing blood, and I could feel my vision begin to swim in and out.
"M-mother! W-why!?"
She didn't answer. She just stared down at me with empty eyes, watching as my life slowly slipped away.
I tried calling out to Atemu, but it was too late. My mind was too fuzzy from lack of oxygen to allow us to switch, even though I could feel him pounding frantically on my subconscious in an attempt to save me.
As my final breath left me, the world went black, and I was swept away into unconsciousness.
K: Wow. Possibly one of my longest chapters ever... 8 pages… Of course, it's probably half that long once it's posted. Stupid internet making things look shorter…
Oh, shit. You guys are gonna hate me for just leaving it there, aren't you? Dammit…