Greetings!
Writer's block is a . . . well, you get the picture. I'm so very sorry for the delay, but my mind's been elsewhere these past few weeks. This chapter isn't particularly good, but I figured it was better than nothing. It's long, at least. Though I'm not sure if in this case, it's a good thing.
Anyway, here are my notes for today:
Well, two of them go at the end of the chapter, so I'll just refer you to those. One does go here though. There is a fanfiction contest going on for fanfiction.net members. It's unofficial, but seems like a very cool thing to participate in. Only thing is that you have to write a new story for it, you can't submit one already written. I decided to enter it, even though it means having to write yet another fic. If you're interested, please check out the contest site. Because I had a hell of a time getting the link posted in the body of this chapter (how do you do it?), it's now going to go up on my bio. So check that out if you're interested in the link. I guess this is a good a time as any to write one. . . sigh. The contest is a great opportunity to get feedback on your work, so take advantage of it if you can.
Speaking of which, is there anyone out there interested in being the beta for the story I'm going to write for the contest? I don't have one now, which explains some of the stupid mistakes I end up with. But I'd really love to have someone look over the fic before I enter it, so if you're interested, please email me: amunraprincess@yahoo.com I have nothing to offer in return, except that you get to read the fic before anyone else (yeah, I know, that's not much of a payment) and my eternal gratitude!
Okay, enough of that. Now on to the replies:
Luke and Kaial SkyWolf: Thanks for the review! I'm very glad you're enjoying the story. I haven't seen all of the episodes, so I don't really know much about the items other than the puzzle and the ring. I'm not sure how I could work in the characters you mentioned when I don't know much about them. I know a bit about Isis' necklace and what it does, but have no clue about Shadi and what he did with Yami's memories. In what I've seen/read, he still doesn't remember anything. If you could point me to a good source of info on this stuff, I'd be glad to consider your suggestion.
Raven Saturn: Wow! Thanks for recommending the fic. I hope that you all continue to enjoy it.
I luv Yugi and Kurt: A chance? Maybe. After all, there's always a chance, right? ^__^
Amiasha: Uh, oh. . . I don't think I like those evil looks. *goes to see if she can come up with a semi happy ending*
SilverFang: Should we be helping you find those missing words?? G
Treska Silverflame: Hee, hee. I'd rather be writing than going to class too, however, my teachers don't think that's acceptable. Ahhh, a lazy reviewer, huh? Well, not too lazy, since you are technically reviewing both stories. That's cool!
Jaid Skywalker: Trouble? I love that word. Yup, there's definitely going to be trouble.
TZ: Sure they like you!! They just want to make you suffer a bit. Did you have enough Oreos?? Should I refresh your supply?
Lilandriss: Shivers, huh? Very cool! Finding him is only the beginning, though.
Cyberkat: Okay, good. I definitely want it to be heartbreaking in a good way, and I most definitely want my readers to care about what happens. Cliffhangers, anyone?
KaTyA: Thank you so much! Amazing is definitely a good word. I hope this one is also as good.
LadyIcyBlue: My stories all have a tendency to get sad. . . I've yet to wonder why that is, though. Glad you're enjoying it anyway, though!
caeruleus violinist: Uh, oh. please tell me you still have some of your sanity left. I don't want to be responsible for it's loss ^_^ I didn't mean for this chapter to take so long!!
Lavender Wonder: Eye twitchy Yugi?? Now that description I like. I'm not sure exactly how he ended up. You'll have to tell me how you saw him in this chapter. Yeah, Kaiba does deserve a kick in the behind. One of these days, Joey is going to get the upper hand with him.
Jadesaber: Yup, he's still alive. I guess it's going to be better than nothing for now.
Adrienne-Lillian: No pouting allowed, you know!! Okay, okay, so the chapter did end in a bad place. I'm afraid to see your reaction to this one *ducks in advance* Here, have more cookies! *hands Adrienne three bags of double stuffed Oreos*
Mercedes: Oh, yeah. Yami is in for some major fit throwing. Personally, I can't wait to get to those parts.
I still can't believe how many people are reading this story. I think it's very, very nice of all of you to take time to leave a review. It keeps this poor, writer's block infected, writer very happy.
Now, on with the fic (I've yet to figure out why there's no space between the end of my notes and the title of the chapter. . . ARGH!!)
**~~**
Part 8: Cruel Reality
Jomei stared at the apparition, his jaw open in shock.
One minute, he'd been looking at the tall, blond kid. The next minute, a boy had appeared next to the blond. As if that wasn't strange enough, the boy looked a lot like Jomei. The boy was a bit taller and meaner looking, but the hair and coloring were the same as Jomei's. The apparition wore clothing similar to what the other kids were wearing, and they seemed to know him. The blond kid had even asked if he was okay. Jomei seemed to be the only one shocked to see a boy appear out of thin air.
What the hell had just happened? What was this thing that the blond boy had put around his neck? Jomei had no clue what was going on, but he did know that these people staring at him were all insane. He gripped the necklace that had been put on him and ripped it off his neck. Immediately, Jomei saw the apparition disappear, as if he were a hologram. Intrigued despite his fear, Jomei looked down at the strange, golden pyramid in his hands. Could it be a hologram generator? Was that thing how the other boy had appeared? What would happen if he broke it?
To test his theory, Jomei lifted the pyramid and threw it as hard as he could. The blonde's eyes widened in shock and he lunged for the strange necklace as it left Jomei's hand. The other boy had to dive to catch it, and landed on the floor with a painful thud.
"What are you doing, Yugi? The last time this thing was shattered, Tristan and I had to wait for you to finish putting it back together before dragging you, unconscious, out of a burning building!"
Jomei frowned, but said nothing. The apparition, hologram, or whatever it had been, had not come back, which led him to believe that these kids were playing a cruel trick on him. Maybe they were bored and had nothing else to do and had decided to simply amuse themselves at his expense. The thought made him angry. All he was doing was making a living, minding his own business. They had no right to mess with him.
"I have more important things to do than stand here and be the butt of your immature pranks. I don't know who this Yugi is, but I have a feeling that maybe he left and didn't return to get away from all of you."
There was a sudden, shocked silence, and Jomei could hear several of the kids gasp at his words. He heard a sob and turned slightly to see a young woman with short brown hair and blue eyes, the same one that had hugged him earlier, crying. She was looking at him and the look on her face was so heartbreaking that Jomei immediately felt bad for his comment about Yugi. Maybe he'd been a good friend of theirs who'd gone away. Jomei didn't know him, so he really didn't have the right to say anything bad about him.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I'm not your friend, though, so just leave me alone."
Jomei didn't wait to hear a response. He turned around to go back to work and immediately came face to face with someone he'd never expected to see. His heart sped up even more as he found himself staring at a white haired, brown eyed boy, who looked just like the one he'd seen in the card while riding the bus.
"Yugi?" the boy asked, looking first at him, and then at everyone else around him.
Jomei gasped. "You were the one in the card."
The white haired boy frowned. "What card? Guys, what's going on?"
Jomei heard mumbling behind him and out of the corner of his eye saw the blond boy get up from the floor, clutching the strange necklace as if it were priceless.
"He's been here all along, Bakura, and he doesn't remember a thing."
The white haired boy, Bakura, turned to him. "You recognized me, didn't you? You said I was the one in the card. What card, Yugi?"
Jomei opened his mouth to reply, but then shut it. What was he going to say, I saw your face in a card while I was riding the bus home? Instead, Jomei shook his head. After a small, uncomfortable pause, he sighed and decided to try to figure out what was going on.
Jomei didn't know who this kid was, but Bakura apparently knew him. It couldn't be a coincidence, could it? Jomei dug in his pocket and took out both of the cards he'd found the other day. He held the one with the half angel half devil out to the white haired boy.
"I found this and when I looked at it, I got a vision of you," Jomei said against his better judgment. "Then I saw another version of you, one more sinister." He was afraid to look up and see the boy's reaction, so Jomei kept his eyes on the ground. He looked up when the boy stepped closer to him and took the card from his hand.
"Change of Heart, this is my favorite Duel Monsters card," the boy said. There was no ridicule on his face, just inquisitiveness. "Just like you have a darker side, the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, I also have a darker side, the spirit of the Millennium Ring. That's the other version of me that you saw."
At that, the boy slipped his hand underneath his coat and took out a weird looking necklace. It was a ring with several hanging things on it. Curious, Jomei looked at the blond, who was still holding the thing Jomei had thrown. There was the same weird eye symbol on both items.
Before Jomei could comment, he was interrupted.
"What is going on over here? You'd think that you could at least be civil while in public . . ."
The voice trailed off, and Jomei turned towards the sound of the voice. For the second time that night, he felt as if someone had dropped a bucket of ice cold water on him. The boy standing in front of him was tall with blue eyes. He wasn't wearing a flowing trench coat this time, but Jomei had no doubt that it was the same boy he'd seen in his vision standing behind the rotting, three headed dragon.
The boy stood still, his mouth open. He blinked several times as if trying to clear his vision. He frowned, and closed his mouth. He continued to stare at Jomei, causing him to shift uncomfortably. Unlike the others, however, the boy didn't directly address him. Instead, he turned his eyes towards the blond.
"He's been here all along? Did you know, Wheeler?"
Jomei looked at the blond boy and saw his face tighten in anger. He started to walk towards the blue eyed boy, but another boy, this one with brown hair and brown eyes, held him back.
"What are you implying, Kaiba? Do you really think I'd let Mr. Moto go through hell when I knew all along where his grandson was?"
The barely contained hatred between the two was not hard to miss and Jomei wondered just what had happened to make them react this way to each other. Whatever it was, he was sure it was a long story.
The taller boy, Kaiba, snorted. "You're capable of just about anything, Wheeler."
The blond boy, Wheeler, made a lunge for Kaiba, but the dark eyed boy held him in place.
"Let go of me, Tristan! It's about time I give Kaiba here a taste of his own medicine."
Tristan shook his head. "Cool it, Joey. You don't want to do this. Forget Kaiba, it's Yugi we need to deal with."
At those words, everyone turned to look at him again. Jomei felt uncomfortable.
"I don't believe you. I've been here for as long as I remember. I'm not about to just blindly trust you. I know better than that."
"Damn it, will you listen to yourself."
Jomei turned to see the girl looking at him, her eyes bright with tears.
"You say that you've been here for as long as you remember, but how long has that been? How much do you remember, huh? Do you remember your parents? Do you remember your grandparents? Do you know when your birthday is? Do you remember your first grade teacher? Do you remember that disastrous chemistry project for the seventh grade science fair that got you, and me, in trouble with the principal? Do you remember the freshman dance? You don't do you? Well here's a news flash for you: I remember. I remember because I was there, Yugi!"
The girl paused for a breath, and when she continued speaking, she was no longer yelling. Instead, her voice was softer and tinged with sorrow.
"You used to tell me horror stories about your first grade teacher because you said that he was mean and hateful. We blew up half the chemistry lab in seventh grade because we didn't read the instructions carefully enough and mixed the wrong chemicals together, not to mention that you singed off half of my hair and yours in the process," at this the girl laughed tearfully. "You were so shy that I had to ask you to the freshman dance because you'd never ask me." She paused again and took a few steps closer to him. She stopped before she reached him, however.
"I've known you since you were seven, Yugi, when you went to live with your grandfather. Every day of every year after that, we walked to school together and shared a lot of our lives with each other. If you can tell me that you remember any of that, I'll leave you alone, but I'm betting that you can't."
The girl finally gave in to her emotions and burst into tears, prompting Tristan to let go of the blond and put his arms around her instead.
Jomei was speechless. She was right; he didn't remember anything past a few months ago. He certainly didn't remember his family or anything about school. He knew what Asami had told him, but the man had never been very specific about his past. Could that be because he had known the truth?
"You want proof, how's this?"
Jomei turned towards the voice, and found the white haired boy holding something out to him. Jomei took it fearfully. It was a photograph. He looked down at it in surprise and studied it carefully. The picture had been taken at a park on a sunny day. He saw himself in the center of the photograph surrounded by everyone that was present at the restaurant with the exception of the tall, blue eyed boy. Everyone in the picture looked happy, as if they belonged together.
"How did I disappear?" Jomei asked, his voice almost a whisper. He didn't want to believe what they were saying, but photographs didn't lie, did they?
"You were kidnapped," the blond answered. "We tried to get to where you were being held, but were too late. You were gone by the time we arrived."
At those words, the boy's gaze shifted until he was glaring reproachfully at Kaiba. The animosity between those two had something to do with him, Jomei realized suddenly.
"Who kidnapped me?"
"We don't know. Who are you living with now?"
Jomei's eyes widened. Could Asami have kidnapped him? Why would he do something like that?
"I live with my guardian and two other boys."
"Your guardian?" Kaiba asked.
"That's what he told me."
"I'm going to get the teacher," Kaiba interrupted. "She'll know what to do."
With that, he turned on his heel and left.
**~~**
Thirty minutes later found Joey Wheeler sitting in a booth next to Yugi, who had asked Joey to please call him Jomei. His boss, Alex, sat to Yugi, no, Jomei's, left, while two uniformed Tokyo police officers sat in front of them. Their teacher stood nervously at the end of the booth.
"So you don't remember anything, you say?"
"No, I don't," Jomei replied for the tenth time in as many minutes. "I didn't know anything until I ran into him," he said, pointing at Joey.
Joey sighed. They'd already gone over all of this already.
"I showed you the picture Bakura had with him, didn't I? That proves to you that Yugi, I mean Jomei," he corrected himself when the boy in question shot him a look, "belongs with us."
"Where is his family?" one of the cops asked Joey.
"His only living relative is his grandfather back in Domino City. He says he's been living with a guardian here."
"I bet that good for nothing bastard kidnapped him," Alex added.
The man hadn't seemed very surprised when Jomei had told him what he'd been told. As a matter of fact, the man had commented that Jomei hadn't belonged with Asami in the first place, which had made Joey wonder just what kind of man this Asami was.
"Yes, that is a possibility."
The cop turned to his partner. "Seems like an open and shut case to me." Then he turned to Jomei. "I need you to take us to your guardian, son."
Jomei nodded.
"I'm going with you," Joey added. "There's no way I'm letting you out of my sight now."
"So am I."
Kaiba, who'd been standing behind their teacher, said. Joey shot him a glare, but Kaiba returned it with one of his own. Joey decided to let it go.
"No, you're not. I need to take you kids back home," the teacher stated as she glanced at both of them.
"We don't have parents that you have to explain yourself to, Mrs. Minami," Kaiba interjected. "Our absence will not be noticed. I will call my brother to inform him, and I'm sure Joey is going to want to call Mr. Moto to give him the news."
Mrs. Minami glanced from one to the other, then back down to Jomei. She'd been so surprised to see him to the point that she'd hugged him and cried a little. Yugi had always been a favorite of hers and Joey had no doubt that she'd give in and let them stay.
"I guess its okay, but I do need to take everyone else back. Will you be okay?"
Joey smiled. "We'll be fine. Thank you."
She nodded, and then addressed Jomei. "Mr. Moto, it's good to see you alive and well. Welcome back."
Jomei glanced up at her and smiled slightly, but said nothing.
She left to get everyone back into the bus as the two police officers got up from the table.
"We'll be outside when you're ready to go, Mr. Asami."
Jomei nodded and Joey couldn't help but cringe at the strange name. He'd gotten what he wanted, Yugi was alive and well, it just wasn't in the way he'd wanted it. In the end, it didn't really matter. Yugi was finally back with them, even if he didn't know just what that meant.
"You don't have to stay," Jomei said to him and Kaiba as he got up from the booth. "I'll be fine on my own."
Joey shook his head. "Are you kidding, Yug? Oh, sorry." It was going to take him a long time to get the name right. "After six months, I'm not going to leave you alone until you're back home." Joey paused, and then looked at Kaiba. "You don't have to stay, Kaiba."
Kaiba blinked. "Do you really think you can handle the Tokyo police, plus Child Protection Services, plus who knows what other bureaucrats come your way on your own?"
Joey opened his mouth to reply, and then realized that Kaiba was right. He wouldn't know what to do around those people.
"Fine."
"We have to go, but we wanted to say goodbye."
Joey turned to see Bakura and the rest of the gang standing uneasily besides them.
"We'll keep you all informed, okay?" Joey said.
"Please do," Tea said, and then she turned to Jomei. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier, okay? I just. . ." she trailed off.
"It's okay. I guess I needed to hear it." Jomei replied.
"Take care of yourselves, okay?" Tristan added, and then turned to Kaiba. "You're staying too?"
"Are you going to have a problem with it too?" was the stoic response.
Tristan raised his hands, and Joey couldn't help but chuckle at the expression on his face.
"I was just asking. Gee, Kaiba."
Kaiba just glared.
"Don't mind him Tristan. You all have a good trip back, okay?"
They all smiled.
"Take care, Yugi," Tea said, and then left with the others.
Jomei looked after her, and then turned to Joey.
"She's pretty emotional, isn't she?"
Joey laughed. "Oh, yeah. She's always been very protective of you."
Jomei frowned. "I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about you two," he said shyly. "I'm Jomei Asami, as you both already know. You are?"
Joey resisted the urge to correct him, because it was painfully obvious that Yugi was Jomei Asami. For all intents and purposes, Yugi Moto was gone. His body was still there, but the thing that made him who he was, his mind, had been destroyed along the way. The thought saddened Joey, but he figured that what they had was better than nothing at all.
"I'm Joey Wheeler. We used to go to school together. You were also my best friend."
Jomei smiled sadly. "It's nice to meet you, Joey. I'm sorry I don't remember you."
Now that was something that Yugi would say.
Jomei turned and extended his hand to Kaiba, who took it after a short pause.
"I'm Seto Kaiba. We also used to go to school together."
Jomei nodded. "Are we also friends?"
Kaiba thought about that for a moment. He lifted his eyes away from Jomei and regarded Joey for a moment.
"We were acquaintances."
Jomei once again nodded, as if sensing the underlying meaning of the words.
"Well, I'm glad to meet you as well. I need to go talk to Alex for a moment, I'll be right back."
Joey watched him go. He was the same, and yet he wasn't. The mannerisms, the posture and, of course, the looks were still the same. However, when you looked into the kid's eyes, Joey didn't see what he used to. Yugi had always held a fondness for him, one that Joey always saw when Yugi looked at him. Now, all he saw was mild interest and a lot of confusion. Something else that was different was that unlike Yugi, Jomei was much more distanced, colder. He seemed more like Kaiba, in a way, and that scared Joey. What could have happened to Yugi during his time away? He had to mentally shake his head and remind himself that it wasn't Yugi he was thinking about now, it was Jomei.
"He's very different."
Kaiba's statement dragged Joey out of his reverie. He looked away from the door Jomei had disappeared behind and regarded Kaiba.
"What do you expect? You'd think that if he were still Yugi, he'd have willingly stayed away from home?"
Kaiba was quiet. "They did something to him."
Joey frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Whoever took him, they did something. They had to have done something to make him forget his life like he's done. They knew that if he remembered, he'd want to go back home."
Joey's frown deepened. Kaiba did have a point, though. "What could they have done?"
Kaiba shrugged. "I don't know, but I'm sure that if we find out, we'll be able to do something to reverse the damage."
Forgetting his animosity towards Kaiba for a moment, Joey took a step closer to the dark haired teen.
"Do you think it's possible?"
"I don't know. Unless it was an injury that caused the amnesia, I'm pretty sure it can be undone."
They were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Joey turned to find Alex looking at them inquisitively.
"Jomei went to speak to the owner. I'm assuming he won't be coming back here?"
"No, we're taking him home."
Alex smiled sadly. "I knew he didn't belong here. He always wanted to go to school and couldn't understand why he couldn't go."
Kaiba frowned. "He wasn't in school? Why not?"
"Asami told him he was too stupid to go."
Kaiba nodded. "The more people that saw Yugi, the more it was likely someone would recognize him and call the Domino police."
Alex was quiet for a moment. "Is he loved where he's from? Does he have a family and friends?"
Joey smiled. "Yes, he is loved and was missed very much. His grandfather is going to be ecstatic when I tell him that Yugi is alive."
"Good. That kid deserves the best."
Alex quieted when Jomei joined them.
"I took care of everything already. Thank you, Alex."
Alex smiled widely and hugged Jomei.
"It was my pleasure, kid. Now go home and be a normal kid."
Jomei hugged Alex back, and Joey could tell that the two had been close.
They two men broke the embrace and looked at Joey and Kaiba.
"I guess it's time to go see Asami," Jomei said, sounding as if he wanted to do anything but that.
"Yeah, I guess it is."
**~~**
Seto Kaiba got out of the car and stared at his surroundings. It was well past midnight, and therefore dark, but he couldn't help but notice the dinginess of the area around him. He took a few tentative steps forward, before coming to a stop in front of a dilapidated mailbox. It had so much graffiti on it that it was hardly recognizable as a mailbox, which begged the question about just who lived in this part of town.
Behind him, the two police officers, along with Wheeler and Yugi got out of the car.
"Is this the place, son?" one of the officers asked. Yugi must have nodded, because he gave no verbal response.
"Okay, lead us in."
Kaiba heard a sigh, before he saw Yugi pass him and head into the building directly in front of him.
Even in the darkness of early morning, the building's decay was evident. Doors were off their hinges and many windows were boarded up. On the street, pieces of concrete were missing from the sidewalk, and the holes they made had been filled with trash of all varieties.
"Man, what a dump," Joey whispered.
Kaiba turned to face him and found the blond staring at the building.
"I'd have thought that you would be familiar with places like this," he retorted, causing Joey to turn and glare at him.
"I've been in my share of bad places, but never like this," was all Joey said.
Kaiba took his place behind the two officers and walked into the building. Joey walked beside him for some odd reason.
"Why aren't you up front with Yugi?"
Joey shrugged. "I don't want to be in the way."
They entered the building and started to make their way up a rickety stairway. Suddenly, Kaiba tripped. He voiced a few choice expletives as he attempted to right himself. After a few moments, he managed to regain his balance and stared down at the step he'd been walking on. It was made out of wood, and a hole had been burned into the middle of it, which is what his foot had gotten caught in.
"What is it with this place? Aren't there laws against these types of dwellings?"
Both officers turned to regard him coolly.
"Not everyone has your kind of cash, Mr. Kaiba," they said, before turning to continue going up the stairs.
Kaiba opened his mouth to reply, but then shut it. It didn't matter anyway. Yugi was not going to stay in this place any longer. He shuddered at the thought that the boy had been living in this place and working at that awful restaurant for the last six months, especially when he had a nice home and family back in Domino. It seemed terribly unfair.
"This is it," Yugi said as they reached a door.
"Now remember, just take us to your guardian. We'll take him into custody, okay?"
Yugi nodded, and Kaiba could see the fear in his eyes. The boy's hand shook slightly as he put his key into the lock to open the door, but Kaiba could also see the determination in his eyes. The door was opened quickly, and as soon as they walked in, they heard a booming voice.
"Where the hell have you been, you little brat? I didn't give you permission to stay out after work!"
Kaiba flinched at the ferocity of the words. Once upon a time, he'd been on the receiving end of daily sermons delivered just like that from his adoptive father. He could still remember standing dead still, looking at the floor as the man ranted, raved, and called Kaiba every demeaning name he could think of. Kaiba liked to forget about that part of his life, but sometimes, it just chose to show itself when he least expected.
"Another thing, you didn't do your chores today. I can't have you slacking off, you know!"
Yugi stood still, his hand on the door knob. He released it and walked forward, letting the door stay open behind him. Kaiba saw the same look on his face that he could imagine having himself while his stepfather was alive. A part of him felt for the younger teen and wished that he'd been spared this type of experience.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Asami," Yugi said, loud enough for the man to hear.
"Sorry? Yeah, you'll be sorry once I get my hands on you!"
Suddenly, Kaiba heard loud footsteps and before he knew it, a large, dirty, man had grabbed Yugi by the shoulder and pulled him forward. He put his hands on Yugi's arms and picked him up so that their faces were right in front of each other. The man didn't bother looking at anyone other than Yugi, since he wasn't expecting company. Yugi's eyes were closed and Kaiba could see that his hands had clenched into fists. This, too, was apparently part of his life.
"Release him and put your hands on your head," one of the officers growled menacingly. He and his partner took out their guns and pointed them at the man.
The man, Asami, looked up, startled. He didn't let go of Yugi, though. Instead, he held the boy out in front of him as a shield.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
"Tokyo police. If you don't release him, we will be forced to fire our weapons."
"If you fire, you'll shoot him."
Asami shifted his grip so that one arm went around Yugi's chest, while his free hand wrapped itself around Yugi's neck.
"I can snap his neck in one move, so don't tempt me!" Asami yelled.
He took a few steps backwards into what looked like a living room, and everyone else stayed where they were. Yugi's eyes had grown wide and he'd become very pale. Asami's, on the other hand, were red and blood shot. No one doubted that he'd do what he threatened.
"Drop the guns, or I break the little one's neck."
**~~**
I know, I know, yet another cliffhanger. The chapter got a little long and I had to cut it off somewhere.
End notes:
Note #1: I realize that Jomei/Yugi is addressed or thought of in different ways. There is a reason for that. Some people, like Joey, fully realize that Yugi isn't really there, but a stranger named Jomei is. He'll address him accordingly and abide by Jomei's wishes to be called by his current name. Then there are others, like Kaiba, who just think of him as Yugi. Then others, like Tea and the rest, that simply refuse to believe he's not Yugi, so they keep referring to him as Yugi (which is later going to drive the poor boy crazy).
Note #2: I really don't know much about Kaiba's past (I don't even know the name of his adoptive father. It starts with a G, though) past what I've read in a few manga translations (bless the souls of the people who do that!) and episode translations (again, bless the souls of those that can do that. I sooo wish I spoke Japanese). I can't wait until the 4th DVD set is released so I can watch the virtual reality episodes where Kaiba's past is dealt with. So if there's something that is wrong, please forgive me. Feel free to correct me or point me to a good source of info, though. I'd appreciate it.
Sorry for the long rants! Until next time.
Writer's block is a . . . well, you get the picture. I'm so very sorry for the delay, but my mind's been elsewhere these past few weeks. This chapter isn't particularly good, but I figured it was better than nothing. It's long, at least. Though I'm not sure if in this case, it's a good thing.
Anyway, here are my notes for today:
Well, two of them go at the end of the chapter, so I'll just refer you to those. One does go here though. There is a fanfiction contest going on for fanfiction.net members. It's unofficial, but seems like a very cool thing to participate in. Only thing is that you have to write a new story for it, you can't submit one already written. I decided to enter it, even though it means having to write yet another fic. If you're interested, please check out the contest site. Because I had a hell of a time getting the link posted in the body of this chapter (how do you do it?), it's now going to go up on my bio. So check that out if you're interested in the link. I guess this is a good a time as any to write one. . . sigh. The contest is a great opportunity to get feedback on your work, so take advantage of it if you can.
Speaking of which, is there anyone out there interested in being the beta for the story I'm going to write for the contest? I don't have one now, which explains some of the stupid mistakes I end up with. But I'd really love to have someone look over the fic before I enter it, so if you're interested, please email me: amunraprincess@yahoo.com I have nothing to offer in return, except that you get to read the fic before anyone else (yeah, I know, that's not much of a payment) and my eternal gratitude!
Okay, enough of that. Now on to the replies:
Luke and Kaial SkyWolf: Thanks for the review! I'm very glad you're enjoying the story. I haven't seen all of the episodes, so I don't really know much about the items other than the puzzle and the ring. I'm not sure how I could work in the characters you mentioned when I don't know much about them. I know a bit about Isis' necklace and what it does, but have no clue about Shadi and what he did with Yami's memories. In what I've seen/read, he still doesn't remember anything. If you could point me to a good source of info on this stuff, I'd be glad to consider your suggestion.
Raven Saturn: Wow! Thanks for recommending the fic. I hope that you all continue to enjoy it.
I luv Yugi and Kurt: A chance? Maybe. After all, there's always a chance, right? ^__^
Amiasha: Uh, oh. . . I don't think I like those evil looks. *goes to see if she can come up with a semi happy ending*
SilverFang: Should we be helping you find those missing words?? G
Treska Silverflame: Hee, hee. I'd rather be writing than going to class too, however, my teachers don't think that's acceptable. Ahhh, a lazy reviewer, huh? Well, not too lazy, since you are technically reviewing both stories. That's cool!
Jaid Skywalker: Trouble? I love that word. Yup, there's definitely going to be trouble.
TZ: Sure they like you!! They just want to make you suffer a bit. Did you have enough Oreos?? Should I refresh your supply?
Lilandriss: Shivers, huh? Very cool! Finding him is only the beginning, though.
Cyberkat: Okay, good. I definitely want it to be heartbreaking in a good way, and I most definitely want my readers to care about what happens. Cliffhangers, anyone?
KaTyA: Thank you so much! Amazing is definitely a good word. I hope this one is also as good.
LadyIcyBlue: My stories all have a tendency to get sad. . . I've yet to wonder why that is, though. Glad you're enjoying it anyway, though!
caeruleus violinist: Uh, oh. please tell me you still have some of your sanity left. I don't want to be responsible for it's loss ^_^ I didn't mean for this chapter to take so long!!
Lavender Wonder: Eye twitchy Yugi?? Now that description I like. I'm not sure exactly how he ended up. You'll have to tell me how you saw him in this chapter. Yeah, Kaiba does deserve a kick in the behind. One of these days, Joey is going to get the upper hand with him.
Jadesaber: Yup, he's still alive. I guess it's going to be better than nothing for now.
Adrienne-Lillian: No pouting allowed, you know!! Okay, okay, so the chapter did end in a bad place. I'm afraid to see your reaction to this one *ducks in advance* Here, have more cookies! *hands Adrienne three bags of double stuffed Oreos*
Mercedes: Oh, yeah. Yami is in for some major fit throwing. Personally, I can't wait to get to those parts.
I still can't believe how many people are reading this story. I think it's very, very nice of all of you to take time to leave a review. It keeps this poor, writer's block infected, writer very happy.
Now, on with the fic (I've yet to figure out why there's no space between the end of my notes and the title of the chapter. . . ARGH!!)
**~~**
Part 8: Cruel Reality
Jomei stared at the apparition, his jaw open in shock.
One minute, he'd been looking at the tall, blond kid. The next minute, a boy had appeared next to the blond. As if that wasn't strange enough, the boy looked a lot like Jomei. The boy was a bit taller and meaner looking, but the hair and coloring were the same as Jomei's. The apparition wore clothing similar to what the other kids were wearing, and they seemed to know him. The blond kid had even asked if he was okay. Jomei seemed to be the only one shocked to see a boy appear out of thin air.
What the hell had just happened? What was this thing that the blond boy had put around his neck? Jomei had no clue what was going on, but he did know that these people staring at him were all insane. He gripped the necklace that had been put on him and ripped it off his neck. Immediately, Jomei saw the apparition disappear, as if he were a hologram. Intrigued despite his fear, Jomei looked down at the strange, golden pyramid in his hands. Could it be a hologram generator? Was that thing how the other boy had appeared? What would happen if he broke it?
To test his theory, Jomei lifted the pyramid and threw it as hard as he could. The blonde's eyes widened in shock and he lunged for the strange necklace as it left Jomei's hand. The other boy had to dive to catch it, and landed on the floor with a painful thud.
"What are you doing, Yugi? The last time this thing was shattered, Tristan and I had to wait for you to finish putting it back together before dragging you, unconscious, out of a burning building!"
Jomei frowned, but said nothing. The apparition, hologram, or whatever it had been, had not come back, which led him to believe that these kids were playing a cruel trick on him. Maybe they were bored and had nothing else to do and had decided to simply amuse themselves at his expense. The thought made him angry. All he was doing was making a living, minding his own business. They had no right to mess with him.
"I have more important things to do than stand here and be the butt of your immature pranks. I don't know who this Yugi is, but I have a feeling that maybe he left and didn't return to get away from all of you."
There was a sudden, shocked silence, and Jomei could hear several of the kids gasp at his words. He heard a sob and turned slightly to see a young woman with short brown hair and blue eyes, the same one that had hugged him earlier, crying. She was looking at him and the look on her face was so heartbreaking that Jomei immediately felt bad for his comment about Yugi. Maybe he'd been a good friend of theirs who'd gone away. Jomei didn't know him, so he really didn't have the right to say anything bad about him.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I'm not your friend, though, so just leave me alone."
Jomei didn't wait to hear a response. He turned around to go back to work and immediately came face to face with someone he'd never expected to see. His heart sped up even more as he found himself staring at a white haired, brown eyed boy, who looked just like the one he'd seen in the card while riding the bus.
"Yugi?" the boy asked, looking first at him, and then at everyone else around him.
Jomei gasped. "You were the one in the card."
The white haired boy frowned. "What card? Guys, what's going on?"
Jomei heard mumbling behind him and out of the corner of his eye saw the blond boy get up from the floor, clutching the strange necklace as if it were priceless.
"He's been here all along, Bakura, and he doesn't remember a thing."
The white haired boy, Bakura, turned to him. "You recognized me, didn't you? You said I was the one in the card. What card, Yugi?"
Jomei opened his mouth to reply, but then shut it. What was he going to say, I saw your face in a card while I was riding the bus home? Instead, Jomei shook his head. After a small, uncomfortable pause, he sighed and decided to try to figure out what was going on.
Jomei didn't know who this kid was, but Bakura apparently knew him. It couldn't be a coincidence, could it? Jomei dug in his pocket and took out both of the cards he'd found the other day. He held the one with the half angel half devil out to the white haired boy.
"I found this and when I looked at it, I got a vision of you," Jomei said against his better judgment. "Then I saw another version of you, one more sinister." He was afraid to look up and see the boy's reaction, so Jomei kept his eyes on the ground. He looked up when the boy stepped closer to him and took the card from his hand.
"Change of Heart, this is my favorite Duel Monsters card," the boy said. There was no ridicule on his face, just inquisitiveness. "Just like you have a darker side, the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, I also have a darker side, the spirit of the Millennium Ring. That's the other version of me that you saw."
At that, the boy slipped his hand underneath his coat and took out a weird looking necklace. It was a ring with several hanging things on it. Curious, Jomei looked at the blond, who was still holding the thing Jomei had thrown. There was the same weird eye symbol on both items.
Before Jomei could comment, he was interrupted.
"What is going on over here? You'd think that you could at least be civil while in public . . ."
The voice trailed off, and Jomei turned towards the sound of the voice. For the second time that night, he felt as if someone had dropped a bucket of ice cold water on him. The boy standing in front of him was tall with blue eyes. He wasn't wearing a flowing trench coat this time, but Jomei had no doubt that it was the same boy he'd seen in his vision standing behind the rotting, three headed dragon.
The boy stood still, his mouth open. He blinked several times as if trying to clear his vision. He frowned, and closed his mouth. He continued to stare at Jomei, causing him to shift uncomfortably. Unlike the others, however, the boy didn't directly address him. Instead, he turned his eyes towards the blond.
"He's been here all along? Did you know, Wheeler?"
Jomei looked at the blond boy and saw his face tighten in anger. He started to walk towards the blue eyed boy, but another boy, this one with brown hair and brown eyes, held him back.
"What are you implying, Kaiba? Do you really think I'd let Mr. Moto go through hell when I knew all along where his grandson was?"
The barely contained hatred between the two was not hard to miss and Jomei wondered just what had happened to make them react this way to each other. Whatever it was, he was sure it was a long story.
The taller boy, Kaiba, snorted. "You're capable of just about anything, Wheeler."
The blond boy, Wheeler, made a lunge for Kaiba, but the dark eyed boy held him in place.
"Let go of me, Tristan! It's about time I give Kaiba here a taste of his own medicine."
Tristan shook his head. "Cool it, Joey. You don't want to do this. Forget Kaiba, it's Yugi we need to deal with."
At those words, everyone turned to look at him again. Jomei felt uncomfortable.
"I don't believe you. I've been here for as long as I remember. I'm not about to just blindly trust you. I know better than that."
"Damn it, will you listen to yourself."
Jomei turned to see the girl looking at him, her eyes bright with tears.
"You say that you've been here for as long as you remember, but how long has that been? How much do you remember, huh? Do you remember your parents? Do you remember your grandparents? Do you know when your birthday is? Do you remember your first grade teacher? Do you remember that disastrous chemistry project for the seventh grade science fair that got you, and me, in trouble with the principal? Do you remember the freshman dance? You don't do you? Well here's a news flash for you: I remember. I remember because I was there, Yugi!"
The girl paused for a breath, and when she continued speaking, she was no longer yelling. Instead, her voice was softer and tinged with sorrow.
"You used to tell me horror stories about your first grade teacher because you said that he was mean and hateful. We blew up half the chemistry lab in seventh grade because we didn't read the instructions carefully enough and mixed the wrong chemicals together, not to mention that you singed off half of my hair and yours in the process," at this the girl laughed tearfully. "You were so shy that I had to ask you to the freshman dance because you'd never ask me." She paused again and took a few steps closer to him. She stopped before she reached him, however.
"I've known you since you were seven, Yugi, when you went to live with your grandfather. Every day of every year after that, we walked to school together and shared a lot of our lives with each other. If you can tell me that you remember any of that, I'll leave you alone, but I'm betting that you can't."
The girl finally gave in to her emotions and burst into tears, prompting Tristan to let go of the blond and put his arms around her instead.
Jomei was speechless. She was right; he didn't remember anything past a few months ago. He certainly didn't remember his family or anything about school. He knew what Asami had told him, but the man had never been very specific about his past. Could that be because he had known the truth?
"You want proof, how's this?"
Jomei turned towards the voice, and found the white haired boy holding something out to him. Jomei took it fearfully. It was a photograph. He looked down at it in surprise and studied it carefully. The picture had been taken at a park on a sunny day. He saw himself in the center of the photograph surrounded by everyone that was present at the restaurant with the exception of the tall, blue eyed boy. Everyone in the picture looked happy, as if they belonged together.
"How did I disappear?" Jomei asked, his voice almost a whisper. He didn't want to believe what they were saying, but photographs didn't lie, did they?
"You were kidnapped," the blond answered. "We tried to get to where you were being held, but were too late. You were gone by the time we arrived."
At those words, the boy's gaze shifted until he was glaring reproachfully at Kaiba. The animosity between those two had something to do with him, Jomei realized suddenly.
"Who kidnapped me?"
"We don't know. Who are you living with now?"
Jomei's eyes widened. Could Asami have kidnapped him? Why would he do something like that?
"I live with my guardian and two other boys."
"Your guardian?" Kaiba asked.
"That's what he told me."
"I'm going to get the teacher," Kaiba interrupted. "She'll know what to do."
With that, he turned on his heel and left.
**~~**
Thirty minutes later found Joey Wheeler sitting in a booth next to Yugi, who had asked Joey to please call him Jomei. His boss, Alex, sat to Yugi, no, Jomei's, left, while two uniformed Tokyo police officers sat in front of them. Their teacher stood nervously at the end of the booth.
"So you don't remember anything, you say?"
"No, I don't," Jomei replied for the tenth time in as many minutes. "I didn't know anything until I ran into him," he said, pointing at Joey.
Joey sighed. They'd already gone over all of this already.
"I showed you the picture Bakura had with him, didn't I? That proves to you that Yugi, I mean Jomei," he corrected himself when the boy in question shot him a look, "belongs with us."
"Where is his family?" one of the cops asked Joey.
"His only living relative is his grandfather back in Domino City. He says he's been living with a guardian here."
"I bet that good for nothing bastard kidnapped him," Alex added.
The man hadn't seemed very surprised when Jomei had told him what he'd been told. As a matter of fact, the man had commented that Jomei hadn't belonged with Asami in the first place, which had made Joey wonder just what kind of man this Asami was.
"Yes, that is a possibility."
The cop turned to his partner. "Seems like an open and shut case to me." Then he turned to Jomei. "I need you to take us to your guardian, son."
Jomei nodded.
"I'm going with you," Joey added. "There's no way I'm letting you out of my sight now."
"So am I."
Kaiba, who'd been standing behind their teacher, said. Joey shot him a glare, but Kaiba returned it with one of his own. Joey decided to let it go.
"No, you're not. I need to take you kids back home," the teacher stated as she glanced at both of them.
"We don't have parents that you have to explain yourself to, Mrs. Minami," Kaiba interjected. "Our absence will not be noticed. I will call my brother to inform him, and I'm sure Joey is going to want to call Mr. Moto to give him the news."
Mrs. Minami glanced from one to the other, then back down to Jomei. She'd been so surprised to see him to the point that she'd hugged him and cried a little. Yugi had always been a favorite of hers and Joey had no doubt that she'd give in and let them stay.
"I guess its okay, but I do need to take everyone else back. Will you be okay?"
Joey smiled. "We'll be fine. Thank you."
She nodded, and then addressed Jomei. "Mr. Moto, it's good to see you alive and well. Welcome back."
Jomei glanced up at her and smiled slightly, but said nothing.
She left to get everyone back into the bus as the two police officers got up from the table.
"We'll be outside when you're ready to go, Mr. Asami."
Jomei nodded and Joey couldn't help but cringe at the strange name. He'd gotten what he wanted, Yugi was alive and well, it just wasn't in the way he'd wanted it. In the end, it didn't really matter. Yugi was finally back with them, even if he didn't know just what that meant.
"You don't have to stay," Jomei said to him and Kaiba as he got up from the booth. "I'll be fine on my own."
Joey shook his head. "Are you kidding, Yug? Oh, sorry." It was going to take him a long time to get the name right. "After six months, I'm not going to leave you alone until you're back home." Joey paused, and then looked at Kaiba. "You don't have to stay, Kaiba."
Kaiba blinked. "Do you really think you can handle the Tokyo police, plus Child Protection Services, plus who knows what other bureaucrats come your way on your own?"
Joey opened his mouth to reply, and then realized that Kaiba was right. He wouldn't know what to do around those people.
"Fine."
"We have to go, but we wanted to say goodbye."
Joey turned to see Bakura and the rest of the gang standing uneasily besides them.
"We'll keep you all informed, okay?" Joey said.
"Please do," Tea said, and then she turned to Jomei. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier, okay? I just. . ." she trailed off.
"It's okay. I guess I needed to hear it." Jomei replied.
"Take care of yourselves, okay?" Tristan added, and then turned to Kaiba. "You're staying too?"
"Are you going to have a problem with it too?" was the stoic response.
Tristan raised his hands, and Joey couldn't help but chuckle at the expression on his face.
"I was just asking. Gee, Kaiba."
Kaiba just glared.
"Don't mind him Tristan. You all have a good trip back, okay?"
They all smiled.
"Take care, Yugi," Tea said, and then left with the others.
Jomei looked after her, and then turned to Joey.
"She's pretty emotional, isn't she?"
Joey laughed. "Oh, yeah. She's always been very protective of you."
Jomei frowned. "I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about you two," he said shyly. "I'm Jomei Asami, as you both already know. You are?"
Joey resisted the urge to correct him, because it was painfully obvious that Yugi was Jomei Asami. For all intents and purposes, Yugi Moto was gone. His body was still there, but the thing that made him who he was, his mind, had been destroyed along the way. The thought saddened Joey, but he figured that what they had was better than nothing at all.
"I'm Joey Wheeler. We used to go to school together. You were also my best friend."
Jomei smiled sadly. "It's nice to meet you, Joey. I'm sorry I don't remember you."
Now that was something that Yugi would say.
Jomei turned and extended his hand to Kaiba, who took it after a short pause.
"I'm Seto Kaiba. We also used to go to school together."
Jomei nodded. "Are we also friends?"
Kaiba thought about that for a moment. He lifted his eyes away from Jomei and regarded Joey for a moment.
"We were acquaintances."
Jomei once again nodded, as if sensing the underlying meaning of the words.
"Well, I'm glad to meet you as well. I need to go talk to Alex for a moment, I'll be right back."
Joey watched him go. He was the same, and yet he wasn't. The mannerisms, the posture and, of course, the looks were still the same. However, when you looked into the kid's eyes, Joey didn't see what he used to. Yugi had always held a fondness for him, one that Joey always saw when Yugi looked at him. Now, all he saw was mild interest and a lot of confusion. Something else that was different was that unlike Yugi, Jomei was much more distanced, colder. He seemed more like Kaiba, in a way, and that scared Joey. What could have happened to Yugi during his time away? He had to mentally shake his head and remind himself that it wasn't Yugi he was thinking about now, it was Jomei.
"He's very different."
Kaiba's statement dragged Joey out of his reverie. He looked away from the door Jomei had disappeared behind and regarded Kaiba.
"What do you expect? You'd think that if he were still Yugi, he'd have willingly stayed away from home?"
Kaiba was quiet. "They did something to him."
Joey frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Whoever took him, they did something. They had to have done something to make him forget his life like he's done. They knew that if he remembered, he'd want to go back home."
Joey's frown deepened. Kaiba did have a point, though. "What could they have done?"
Kaiba shrugged. "I don't know, but I'm sure that if we find out, we'll be able to do something to reverse the damage."
Forgetting his animosity towards Kaiba for a moment, Joey took a step closer to the dark haired teen.
"Do you think it's possible?"
"I don't know. Unless it was an injury that caused the amnesia, I'm pretty sure it can be undone."
They were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Joey turned to find Alex looking at them inquisitively.
"Jomei went to speak to the owner. I'm assuming he won't be coming back here?"
"No, we're taking him home."
Alex smiled sadly. "I knew he didn't belong here. He always wanted to go to school and couldn't understand why he couldn't go."
Kaiba frowned. "He wasn't in school? Why not?"
"Asami told him he was too stupid to go."
Kaiba nodded. "The more people that saw Yugi, the more it was likely someone would recognize him and call the Domino police."
Alex was quiet for a moment. "Is he loved where he's from? Does he have a family and friends?"
Joey smiled. "Yes, he is loved and was missed very much. His grandfather is going to be ecstatic when I tell him that Yugi is alive."
"Good. That kid deserves the best."
Alex quieted when Jomei joined them.
"I took care of everything already. Thank you, Alex."
Alex smiled widely and hugged Jomei.
"It was my pleasure, kid. Now go home and be a normal kid."
Jomei hugged Alex back, and Joey could tell that the two had been close.
They two men broke the embrace and looked at Joey and Kaiba.
"I guess it's time to go see Asami," Jomei said, sounding as if he wanted to do anything but that.
"Yeah, I guess it is."
**~~**
Seto Kaiba got out of the car and stared at his surroundings. It was well past midnight, and therefore dark, but he couldn't help but notice the dinginess of the area around him. He took a few tentative steps forward, before coming to a stop in front of a dilapidated mailbox. It had so much graffiti on it that it was hardly recognizable as a mailbox, which begged the question about just who lived in this part of town.
Behind him, the two police officers, along with Wheeler and Yugi got out of the car.
"Is this the place, son?" one of the officers asked. Yugi must have nodded, because he gave no verbal response.
"Okay, lead us in."
Kaiba heard a sigh, before he saw Yugi pass him and head into the building directly in front of him.
Even in the darkness of early morning, the building's decay was evident. Doors were off their hinges and many windows were boarded up. On the street, pieces of concrete were missing from the sidewalk, and the holes they made had been filled with trash of all varieties.
"Man, what a dump," Joey whispered.
Kaiba turned to face him and found the blond staring at the building.
"I'd have thought that you would be familiar with places like this," he retorted, causing Joey to turn and glare at him.
"I've been in my share of bad places, but never like this," was all Joey said.
Kaiba took his place behind the two officers and walked into the building. Joey walked beside him for some odd reason.
"Why aren't you up front with Yugi?"
Joey shrugged. "I don't want to be in the way."
They entered the building and started to make their way up a rickety stairway. Suddenly, Kaiba tripped. He voiced a few choice expletives as he attempted to right himself. After a few moments, he managed to regain his balance and stared down at the step he'd been walking on. It was made out of wood, and a hole had been burned into the middle of it, which is what his foot had gotten caught in.
"What is it with this place? Aren't there laws against these types of dwellings?"
Both officers turned to regard him coolly.
"Not everyone has your kind of cash, Mr. Kaiba," they said, before turning to continue going up the stairs.
Kaiba opened his mouth to reply, but then shut it. It didn't matter anyway. Yugi was not going to stay in this place any longer. He shuddered at the thought that the boy had been living in this place and working at that awful restaurant for the last six months, especially when he had a nice home and family back in Domino. It seemed terribly unfair.
"This is it," Yugi said as they reached a door.
"Now remember, just take us to your guardian. We'll take him into custody, okay?"
Yugi nodded, and Kaiba could see the fear in his eyes. The boy's hand shook slightly as he put his key into the lock to open the door, but Kaiba could also see the determination in his eyes. The door was opened quickly, and as soon as they walked in, they heard a booming voice.
"Where the hell have you been, you little brat? I didn't give you permission to stay out after work!"
Kaiba flinched at the ferocity of the words. Once upon a time, he'd been on the receiving end of daily sermons delivered just like that from his adoptive father. He could still remember standing dead still, looking at the floor as the man ranted, raved, and called Kaiba every demeaning name he could think of. Kaiba liked to forget about that part of his life, but sometimes, it just chose to show itself when he least expected.
"Another thing, you didn't do your chores today. I can't have you slacking off, you know!"
Yugi stood still, his hand on the door knob. He released it and walked forward, letting the door stay open behind him. Kaiba saw the same look on his face that he could imagine having himself while his stepfather was alive. A part of him felt for the younger teen and wished that he'd been spared this type of experience.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Asami," Yugi said, loud enough for the man to hear.
"Sorry? Yeah, you'll be sorry once I get my hands on you!"
Suddenly, Kaiba heard loud footsteps and before he knew it, a large, dirty, man had grabbed Yugi by the shoulder and pulled him forward. He put his hands on Yugi's arms and picked him up so that their faces were right in front of each other. The man didn't bother looking at anyone other than Yugi, since he wasn't expecting company. Yugi's eyes were closed and Kaiba could see that his hands had clenched into fists. This, too, was apparently part of his life.
"Release him and put your hands on your head," one of the officers growled menacingly. He and his partner took out their guns and pointed them at the man.
The man, Asami, looked up, startled. He didn't let go of Yugi, though. Instead, he held the boy out in front of him as a shield.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
"Tokyo police. If you don't release him, we will be forced to fire our weapons."
"If you fire, you'll shoot him."
Asami shifted his grip so that one arm went around Yugi's chest, while his free hand wrapped itself around Yugi's neck.
"I can snap his neck in one move, so don't tempt me!" Asami yelled.
He took a few steps backwards into what looked like a living room, and everyone else stayed where they were. Yugi's eyes had grown wide and he'd become very pale. Asami's, on the other hand, were red and blood shot. No one doubted that he'd do what he threatened.
"Drop the guns, or I break the little one's neck."
**~~**
I know, I know, yet another cliffhanger. The chapter got a little long and I had to cut it off somewhere.
End notes:
Note #1: I realize that Jomei/Yugi is addressed or thought of in different ways. There is a reason for that. Some people, like Joey, fully realize that Yugi isn't really there, but a stranger named Jomei is. He'll address him accordingly and abide by Jomei's wishes to be called by his current name. Then there are others, like Kaiba, who just think of him as Yugi. Then others, like Tea and the rest, that simply refuse to believe he's not Yugi, so they keep referring to him as Yugi (which is later going to drive the poor boy crazy).
Note #2: I really don't know much about Kaiba's past (I don't even know the name of his adoptive father. It starts with a G, though) past what I've read in a few manga translations (bless the souls of the people who do that!) and episode translations (again, bless the souls of those that can do that. I sooo wish I spoke Japanese). I can't wait until the 4th DVD set is released so I can watch the virtual reality episodes where Kaiba's past is dealt with. So if there's something that is wrong, please forgive me. Feel free to correct me or point me to a good source of info, though. I'd appreciate it.
Sorry for the long rants! Until next time.