I wrote this chapter last Saturday at 3 in the morning when I was struck by a terrible plague known as insomnia. And since there is nothing good on TV at 3 am, I decided I might as well write fan fiction. Well, I wrote this and afterwards, while looking it over, I said to myself, 'What the hell did I write?'
Sage: We thought it was too violent and horrid for anyone to see, so we spent the past week trying to see places where we could tweak it, but in the end, we could not find it. So this chapter is the same now as it was when it was written.
Most of you will probably find this extremely disturbing and ask me if I need to be mentally evaluated. I do not blame you. But I do blame the insomnia. It's all his fault. I plead insanity!
Sage: This story may require an update of the rating, but I'm not sure yet. You guys tell me what you think.
Very well, you have been warned.
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-2 Months Later-
Two months. Two months his grandson had been missing. Two months since his little boy left him, for a reason he felt too ashamed of to talk about. Solomon Motou was experiencing the most unusual mixture of emotions. He was deeply depressed about Yugi leaving; one look at him made that obvious. His skin had turned gray, and he had earned an extra few wrinkles around his face. The green overalls he wore each day hung on him more loosely than they used too. He had lost a good amount of weight since finding his grandson's empty bed. He found that he wasn't hungry as often, and the little times he did eat he felt guilty because his thoughts were constantly on Yugi. Was he getting enough to eat?
Solomon Motou had also earned some deep, black circles underneath his eyes from the weeks of insomnia. He felt guilty about sleeping too. Where was Yugi sleeping? Was he getting enough sleep? Was he hurt?
To make things worse, Solomon had barely heard a word from the police since he first called them two months ago. He was standing by the phone, the cord wrapped around his fingers as he listened to the ringing of the phone. He needed answers and he needed them now. What were they doing to locate his grandson?
"Domino Police Department." A female answered, sounding rather scripted.
"I need to speak with Officer Daisuke." Solomon said quietly. His voice was quiet and hoarse. He hadn't the need to talk as much. He hadn't anyone to talk with. Customers rarely visited the story anymore, he felt too depressed to go outside of his home, and he didn't have his little boy to speak too every evening after he came home from school.
"Can I get your name please, sir?"
"Solomon Motou."
"Hold on, I'll get him."
Solomon waited patiently as the lady put him on hold, barely listening to the music she had put on. Was it rock? He didn't know. His mind was running among other things and ideas. After about two minutes, the music stopped and a familiar voice come onto the line.
"Mr. Motou?" Daisuke said, his voice sounded nervous and dry.
"Yes, Officer Daisuke? I hate to bother you at such an hour-" his eyes glanced over to the clock hanging above the Game Shop counter; it read five-thirty in the morning, "but I need to know: What are you doing to locate my grandson?"
"Mr. Motou, believe me, we at the DPD are doing everything in our power to find Yugi and bring him back safe and sound."
"I don't mean to be rude, Officer, but" Solomon paused, coiling the phone cord tighter around his fingers, "I believe that if you are really doing everything in your power, you would have found him by now."
There was a pause…
"Mr. Motou, I know it may seem frustrating and stressful, but this isn't an episode of CSI. We can't solve cases in an hour time span. These things take time. It may be well over another few weeks before we get any leads as to where Yugi may be." Solomon heard Daisuke speak. He may not have been facing the man eye to eye, but he could tell that the Officer was lying through his teeth.
"Well, where are you extending your search too?"
Officer Daisuke paused again. "What do you mean, Mr. Motou?"
"Surely Yugi's not in Domino anymore! I've searched around the city a hundred times myself. Are you in contact with any other police departments from the neighboring cities? Tokyo? Nishio? He has to be in one of the nearest cities."
"Mr. Motou, even if Yugi did find the means to leave another city, we wouldn't be able to do anything; he'd be out of our jurisdiction."
"What do you mean by that?" Solomon found his rage increasing as his grip on the phone tightened.
"Think about it like this, sir. When a murder commits his deed, it does not matter how far away he gets from the scene. Once found he can only be tried in the jurisdiction he committed the crime."
"But the police department puts out the message to all the neighboring cities!" Solomon argued. "The criminal may only be charged in his city, but the police officers in the other cities have the right to arrest him! And, how is any of these relevant to a runaway?"
"Mr. Motou, I under your frustration-"
"No you do not, Officer!" Solomon snapped. "You have no idea what I'm going through! You have no idea how many hours of sleep I've lost worrying about my grandson, who is more than likely sleeping in a gutter, on these cold winter nights, he's probably sick as a dog! He's probably starving! And you have the audacity to tell me that you are doing everything in your power to find him? When in fact you are doing absolutely nothing?"
"Sir, if you would just let me explain-"
"No!" Solomon interrupted. "Forget it. You're fired. I'll have better luck trying to find Yugi on my own." Before he even gave Daisuke a chance to reply, Solomon slammed the phone down on harshly back onto the receiver. He no longer had the police's help in his dilemma, if he ever had it in the first place. He had just fired the only person who seemed to be investigating Yugi's case; but not anymore. He breathed in deep, ragged, angry breaths as he stared at the phone. He was mad that the police weren't doing anything to find Yugi. He was even madder that they were lying to him about what they were and were not doing.
After a minute of being blind angry at the DPD, Solomon found himself breaking down into tears. He leaned over the counter, planting his elbows on it and holding his face in his hands. He sobbed, his shoulders rising and falling with each pain-filled breath he took.
"Yugi…" He cried. "My little boy." He sniffed and rubbed his forehead as he cries quieted, his body running out of tears. "Please Yugi..please be okay. Please come home."
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A young man walked silently along the streets of early morning Tokyo, his feet dragging along the pavement, a backpack hung loosely on one shoulder. He was in a sleeveless tee shirt, and the cold, bitter December wind nipped at his skin, causing goose bumps. He flinched and shivered, but otherwise remained unfazed, keeping quiet. His face was layered in dirt, and his hair was matted and tangled underneath its own natural oils. The sun was just starting to rise, catching the horizon on fire.
His back ached, and his entire body was stiff and frozen. He had been forced to sleep on cold concrete, without any kind of warmth. He had barely slept at all, which was obvious from the dark, purple bags underneath his eyes. His lips were a dark blue and his skin was pale as snow.
His stomach grumbled, breaking the silence he had been sharing with the morning. He clutched his stomach in an attempt to quiet it, but it did nothing. His sighed and tears slid down from his eyes as his empty stomach growled once again, and pained him. He hadn't eaten anything in two days; his fifty dollars had run out long ago and he had been unsuccessful in begging, which was his last resort to get money.
The tears fell from the young man's eyes, leaving streak marks on his dirty face. He was alone in the streets, his stomach was empty, and his entire body was cold and stiff. He regretted leaving his home, yet he couldn't find it in him to go back. He couldn't go back to his tormentors; he couldn't face his Grandfather and look at him the same way ever again. This was his home now: the alley where he slept each night. The streets that he walked around each day, avoiding the stares of the ignorant and proud. When he was on his knees, begging, he barely earned any money; occasionally there would be the one sympathetic person who felt sorry for the poor, lost boy and would spare him a few dollars, but it was never enough to pay for more than one meal's worth of food.
But lately not even his begging had received him anything. Maybe it was because people were starting to recognize him; he did stand out in a crowd after all. And he was recognizing people too. Every morning there was an older man with gray hair who always wore a suit that walked down the very road the young man was on right now. And then there was a young woman who jogged this route each morning. Maybe people just didn't have any compassion anymore. They were human after all.
The young man stopped walking and looked up. He was outside a coffee shop and the smell of fresh baked pastries came out through the door, infecting his nostrils. His stomach growled as his body absorbed the smell and associated it with food. He put his hand to the glass door and pushed it open; a small bell rang as he stepped over the threshold. A young woman was standing behind the counter and looked up when she heard the chime. Her mouth dropped open and she rushed over to the young man, grabbing him by his upper arm and ushering him to a table. She sat him down in a chair and looked at him with sad eyes.
"Yugi?" She asked, on the verge of tears herself. She just couldn't believe how he looked. She had last seen him two days ago. He hadn't looked great, but he had looked better than this. His face was stripped in black and white from his tears and his eyes looked like empty shells.
Yugi looked up at her wordlessly and he just stared at her, like he was looking right through her.
Amy bit her lip and ran over to the kitchen area of the empty shop. It was barely six in the morning and she wasn't expecting any business for at least another hour. If Yugi was going to stop by, then now would be the best time. She brewed up a hot cup of coffee and picked out a warm, fresh out of the oven, cinnamon roll. She brought them over to Yugi and placed them in front of him, taking the empty seat across from him.
"Eat." She commanded and Yugi obliged, ripping off small pieces of the pastry and placing them in his mouth.
"While you're here," Amy began, "tell me what the hell happened?"
Yugi swallowed his bit of food and looked down. "These last few days..have been hard."
Amy scoffed. "I didn't need you to tell me that. What's been going on?"
Yugi took a small sip of his coffee and his body instantly relaxed as the warm drink went through his blood. "I…just haven't been sleeping."
"Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you're sleeping on concrete?" She raised an eyebrow and looked down on him. Yugi remained quiet, taking only small bits of the cinnamon roll and small sips of coffee. Amy sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Yugi, I won't call the police because I promised you I wouldn't. And I keep my promises. But, if you keep this up, I'm afraid I might have to let that be the first promise I break."
Yugi's eyes shot up at her, pleading. "Please. Don't." His voice was hoarse from not speaking in two days. "Please. I-I can't go back."
"You can though. You can go home, sleep in a warm bed, not having to squander for your next meal. You can tell your Grandfather everything you told me. The situation at school will be handled and you won't have to be afraid anymore."
Yugi shook his head, tears falling out of his eyes like an open faucet. "No. I-It won't ever stop. If-If I tell, things wi-will only get worse. B-believe me."
"Yugi, honey." Amy said sadly.
"P-people thought I was a-a joke before. Wh-what will they think when I co-come back after ru-running away?"
Amy leaned in to Yugi and looked him straight in the eyes. She spoke words that she herself knew were some of the truest out there. They were words her mother had spoken to her and that she knew one day she would speak to her own children. But, for now, she was going to have to tell them to a friend she barely knew, but yet felt compelled to help.
"Why do you care what they think?"
Yugi sniffed and shook his head. "I-I've never had any-anyone's approval…any friends. I-I just need someone, anyone to think of me as something more than just a-" His voice stopped and he had to close his eyes and the emotions overloaded his system. "Than just a stupid kid." Yugi finished, hanging his head down.
"Don't I count? Aren't I a friend?"
"You just think I'm a st-stupid kid too."
"Honey, you ran away from home. That was an incredibly stupid thing to do. But, you are not stupid."
Yugi said nothing. He kept his gaze down, away from Amy.
"What goes through your head?" Amy asked, her voice rose an octave as her frustration grew, "when you contemplate running away? What goes through your head that is so strong it makes you want to leave your home?"
Yugi was silent for a moment, and then he exhaled deeply. "I have nowhere to go, but I cannot stay where I don't belong."
Amy felt his words tug at her heartstrings, but she did her best to keep her face stoic. She needed to be strong for Yugi and for herself. All she saw in front of her was a lost little boy who had needed so much help, but also needed to learn to save himself.
"Is that how you really feel?" She asked, this time her voice was soft and motherly. Yugi nodded.
"What on Earth makes you want to stay here? What on Earth is so bad at home that you would chose to sleep on cold concrete over going back home, going back to a warm bed?"
"I told you!" Yugi cried, tears rolling down his face. "I can't go back! I can't go back to them! They hate me! They don't want me there! They-they'll just laugh and stare-they always stare-and make my life miserable!"
Amy leaned into Yugi. "You're the one making your life miserable. And you can fix it; all you have to do is go back home and tell your Grandfather everything."
"How can I? Even if I do go back, how can I look my Grandfather in the eyes and tell him everything I've kept secret? How can we go back to our normal lives? How can I earn back the trust of my Grandfather?"
"That's what you have to figure out, sweetie." A bell rang, singling the first customer of the day. Amy looked over her shoulder and saw the man walk up to the counter. Her eyes went up to the analog clock that hung over the door, marking it just half past six in the morning. Had it been that long already? She turned around to finish up her conversation with Yugi. "I have to go." She stood up. "Please, make the right decision Yugi. Or I might have to make one for you." She turned around and went up to the counter to help the man, leaving Yugi by himself.
He looked at the food and realized that he was no longer hungry. He pushed it away from him, feeling even emptier than ever. He stood and left his food, exiting the café without a second glance towards Amy. His wet eyes looked up to the orange sky, the sun still struggling to rise over the horizon. He moved his legs, no destination in mind. He let his mind wander, thinking about nothing and everything.
I've nowhere else to go
But I cannot stay where I don't belong.
He didn't belong back in Domino. People didn't want him there. The students, his teachers, his own parents. None of them wanted him. He even had his own doubts about his Grandfather. Did his Grandfather really want and care about him? Or did he just feel sorry for the poor, orphan boy and felt obligated as the boy's only living relative to take care of him?
Here in the Shadows
I'm safe. I'm free.
He was safe here. He was away from the abusers. He may not have had all the pleasures he had back home, but at least here people didn't bother him; they left him alone entirely. He didn't have to worry about who might decide to pick on him that day, or worry about getting his possessions stolen, damaged or thrown in water.
Show me the Shadow
Where true meaning lies.
Show much more dismay
In empty eyes.
Empty eyes.
His eyes were empty now. And they were full of dismay. He had seen his reflection a few days ago, in a puddle of water as he had tried to take shelter from the falling rain. He remembered what his eyes looked like. What they had lost. He eyes used to shine, despite his experiences. Now, they were dull and dead. They looked like empty shells of what they once were. And Yugi didn't know how to bring them back. Or, if he even wanted them back.
He looked up and saw that he was in an old car lot. There were a dozen old, rusty cars with broken windshields. Some of them didn't have doors. Yugi walked into it, searching around. There was an empty red one, missing a backseat door, close to the entrance. He walked up to it and placed his backpack in it, observing how abandoned it looked over the others. Yugi didn't know why, but he stuck it under the seat, hidden from plain sight, and continued to walk forward. He noticed some other backpacks lying around, and empty soup cans. It looked like there was someone living here.
"Hello?" Yugi called out. He wasn't expecting an answer.
"Who the hell are you?"
Yugi gasped and swung around, seeing a group of three, burly boys. They had scars on their faces, indications that they had been in fights. One of them was missing some teeth. Yugi stepped back, which only caused one of the boys-the biggest, to step forward, closer towards him.
"I said, who the hell are you?"
Yugi swallowed a lump in his throat, unable to find words. Yugi continued to step back until he ran into a car, unable to move because of the boy blocking his only escape route. The boy realized this and he smirked. He shoved Yugi against the car by his shoulders, sending a shock of pain up Yugi's back. He screamed in pain and the other two boys snickered.
"Answer me!" The largest one yelled, his spit hitting Yugi in the face.
"Yugi!" He screamed, trying to free from himself from the boy's grasp. "Yugi Motou!"
The boy dropped him and kicked dirt into his face. Yugi coughed and found himself sinking into the ground, trying to make himself appear smaller to his new tormentor. The boy got down on one knee, eye level to Yugi.
"Well tell me, 'Yugi Motou', what are you doing on our territory?"
"I-I didn't know anyone lived here! I was just walking around an-and I found this place!"
"Looks we got ourselves a runaway, Bruno." Of the smaller boys commented, crossing his arms and glaring.
"Is that so?" The one called Bruno said, his lips turning into a twisted smile. He licked his lips and smacked them before grabbing Yugi by his upper arm and hoisting him up swiftly and violently. Yugi looked fearfully into the eyes of his bully. Bruno saw that fear and he only smiled wider. He shoved Yugi forcefully onto the ground, his head hitting the dirt. Yugi screamed in pain and his hands instantly went to cradle his sore cranium.
"Come on, boys." Bruno said, approaching Yugi. "Let's teach this little punk a lesson about trespassing." He ballad one fist and began to mimic punching his other hand as he and the other two boys snickered and got closer to Yugi. Bruno kicked Yugi hard in the stomach. Yugi gasped in pain, his mouth opening into a large 'O' shape. One of the other boys saw that and took advantage of it, by kicking dirt into his open mouth.
Yugi sputtered and tried to spit out the debris but found his mouth clenching involuntarily in pain as the group of boys began to kick him harder, punches being throw faster.
"Harder, Jack! Rusty!" Bruno ordered as he kicked Yugi's head.
The boy named Jack grinned and stepped on one of Yugi's wrists. Rusty punched Yugi right in the face, causing blood to run out of his nose and his right eye to throb painfully. They continued with the beatings for another five minutes, punching and kicking Yugi, leaving ugly bruises and trails of blood all over his body, pulling at his hair and scratching his pale skin, crimson seeping out from the freshly made wounds.
When he was almost completely black and blue, Bruno began to slow down. He allowed his companions another few moments of having their fun before stopping them.
"Alright, boys. That's enough." Each of them got in one last good kick before stopping and turning around to face their boss. Bruno looked down at Yugi, who was in the fetal position, sputtering and trembling, having been given no mercy. Blood covered his entire face and by now his right eye was swollen shut. Bruno bent down and hovered over Yugi and stared at him maliciously. Yugi looked up at his tormenter with his one good eye, tears leaking out of it and struggling to leak out of his swollen one. His mouth was still open and he was still attempting to spit out all the dirt that he been forced into his mouth earlier.
Bruno spat into Yugi's mouth and onto his face, taking extreme delight in the cry Yugi let out. One of complete desperation.
"Yo, Bruno." Jack said, unfazed by his boss's treatment of the younger boy, "what do we do with him now?"
Bruno smiled and turned around to face his posse. "I say we keep the little shit." His eyes turned back to Yugi who was looking up at him with confusion in his eyes, and an intense fear. "After all, I've always wanted a pet."
"Wh-what?" Yugi managed to stutter out, trembling at the words the man was saying.
Bruno kicked Yugi in the face roughly. "Did I give you permission to talk?" He shouted, his face turning a deep purple. "Boys, I think the new pet needs to be disciplined."
"What do you want us to do, boss?" Rusty asked.
Bruno was quiet for a moment as he thought of a suitable punishment. He watched as Yugi slowly moved his limbs, in an attempt to ease the pain. The perfect punishment came into mind as he watched his new pet wiggle and squirm and whimper.
"Go get some of the wires from one of the cars."
He heard the two boys mumble some things inaudible, but they did as they were told. Each went to one of the abandon cars and pulled open the hood, pulling out the multi-colored wires that connected the battery to the engine. They brought their collection back to their boss who took them graciously.
"Boss, what are you going to do to him?" Jack asked, suspicious of his boss's motives.
"You'll see." He smirked and got down onto his knees, right above Yugi. He shoved Yugi onto his stomach and placed his knees over the back of Yugi's knees. He pulled at Yugi's arms and forced them behind Yugi's back. He took one of the pair of wires and wrapped them tightly around Yugi's wrists, pulling at them and tying them, listening to Yugi cry out, until he started to see blood starting to seep out over them and an indentation being made in the skin. He moved down and did the same thing with Yugi's ankles, leaving him nearly completely immobile.
"Boss, what are you doing?" Jack asked again.
Bruno dusted his hands and stood up, admiring his handiwork, enjoying seeing Yugi struggle against his bindings, crying in frustration and pain. "Sometimes you have to tie up a new pet so they don't run away. After all, this little pet certainly has a history of running away." He leaned down, getting his face into Yugi's face. Yugi could feel the hot breath on his sore , throbbing eye, the bitter taste of this man's spit still fresh in his mouth. "And we would just be so heartbroken if our new pet left."
"Dude," Rusty said, finding himself at unease with what his friend was doing. "Is this really necessary? Can't we just let the kid go? I mean, we gave him one hell of a beating. I think he's learned his lesson."
"No we cannot, Rusty. He came into our territory. That makes him our property. And I want to have the pet I never got. It only took my parents kicking me out to get it." He directed his attention back to Yugi. "What did you say your name was again?"
Yugi trembled, too scared to speak. Bruno growled. The sound alone was enough to scare Yugi even more and, afraid of what else the physcho might do, he spoke. "Y-Yugi."
"Yugi, eh?"
The small boy nodded. Bruno's eyes looked toward to sky, as though he was thinking deeply about something. "I don't like that name. It doesn't suit you. I think I'm going to rename you."
Yugi shook his head violently, "No." He said softly, his voice cracking. He couldn't let these people take away his name. His name was all he had left now. Without his name, he truly was nobody.
"Oh, I think so, pet. Hmm..What should I call you?" He thought it over for a few seconds, and then he snapped his fingers. "I got it. Your new name is going to be Little Shit. That suits you so much better! You're little, and you're a piece of shit!"
He and the other two boys broke out laughing in hysteria, the joke for was them was only that. A joke. For Yugi, it was as though someone had taken a knife and was slowly, slowly, putting it through his heart. It was his school all over again. No, this was worse. These people had tied him up and wanted to keep him as a pet. They didn't see him as a human being…
"Come on, Little Shit," Bruno called, like Yugi was a dog. He whistled. "Come on, boy. Oh, that's right. You're all tied up."
"Please," Yugi begged, tears running down his face faster, leaving heavier streak marks on his dirty, blood-stained face. "Please stop." His voice was barely a whisper. Bruno kicked him in the side of the face.
"Bad, Little Shit! What did I tell you about talking without Master's permission?"
Master? He was Master now?
One of the other boys, Rusty, laughed. "Bruno, I think I have something that might help Little Shit learn his lesson." He was now starting to enjoy the idea of a keeping another human being hostage. It was the control he needed in his life; the control of this punk's life was just what he needed and wanted.
"Pray tell." Bruno said playfully. Rusty shed the jacket he was wearing and tore off part of the sleeve. He walked up to Yugi and forced the fabric into his mouth, having to push past Yugi's teeth. He tied the ends tightly around the back of Yugi's head, leaving him bound and gagged.
"There we go; a nice muzzle to fit the bad doggie." Rusty smiled, revealing his row of crocked, yellow teeth.
Bruno appeared happy with his grunt's work, but he didn't talk. Instead he just took enjoyment in watching the boy cry and struggle against his bindings. He watched as the blood from his wrists and ankles were rubbed off onto other parts of his body as he tried to break free from them; he was only making things worse, though. He was only driving the wires deeper into his skin, into the tissues that made up his anatomy. He tried to talk through, but the gag only made everything he say come out muffled and incomprehensible.
"Now, Little Shit," Bruno said his voice was uncaring and malicious, "if you had behaved like I expect you too, I wouldn't have to punish you."
Yugi was crying and shaking. He was so scared. He had no idea what these people were going to do to him! They beat him mercilessly, and then they bound and gagged him, calling him their 'pet'! Yugi had no idea how he was going to get out of this; if he was going to get out of this. These people were easily three times his size. The big guy, Bruno, had tied him up effortlessly. None of the kicking and scratching Yugi did seemed to have any effect. Tears fell down his face and into dirt, which his mouth still tasted off.
"This hurts me more than it hurts you." Bruno said. "Be a good boy and maybe we can take the muzzle off this evening."
Yugi's tired eyes (or eye) looked down at the bindings and then back up at his 'Master'.
Bruno frowned and shook his head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Sorry Little Shit. I can't take the risk of you running away. Oh no. I'm going to have to keep you tied up for a long time. Maybe forever."
Yugi whimpered and placed his head down into the dirt and began to sob. Amy was right. He should have gone home a long time ago. He shouldn't have run away in the first place. And now, he was more than likely going to die at the hands of these psychopaths!
'I shouldn't have runaway.' He thought, his tears wetting the dirt beneath him, making thick mud. 'Oh, God. I'm going to die. I'm so sorry, Amy. Grandpa. I shouldn't have run away!'
-0-0-0-0-0-0-
I warned you. You all hate me now, don't you?
Sage: That would mean there was a point and time where they did not hate you.
Touché. So go ahead: Flame me! I deserve it!
Sage: And, just so we are clear- *coughs*
Lawyers: DarkHeartInTheSky is not liable for any emotional damage you may have received for reading this story.
Thank you, lawyers. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to crawl under a rock for another few weeks while I work on the next chapter for this story. Buh-bye my readers!