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It was so nice to get back to his normal life with Atem. The previous night had felt like nothing more than a bad nightmare at this point. He started to believe that's all it was.

Until he got the text.

Hey, it's James. If I'm reading your note right, you're coming back tonight?

Yugi tried to sneak in a reply:

Yeah. Try to get a Freddy head. Explain later.

He put his phone back in his pocket and asked Atem if he wanted to try squeezing a movie in before going home to sleep.

Unfortunately, Yugi hadn't considered how much sleep he would be losing by taking up his job. He'd only considered the fact that he'd be working at the same time as Atem so it wouldn't interfere with their time together.

However, Atem didn't have school. So he could go to sleep at two and still get plenty of sleep. Yugi only got about four hours.

There's no two ways about it… I'll have to take a little nap when I get home… he thought on the train to school. He received a text, and checked his phone.

Believe it or not, I got the mask. Got time to explain?

Yeah. I have a theory. We might be able to fool some of them into thinking we're one of them with it. Their facial recognition probably doesn't work very well when they're scanning one of their own, right?

That's actually crazy enough to work… I'll see if I can run any tests tonight with the time I have.

Be careful. I have a weird feeling it won't work on Foxy.

Hey, if it'll help us survive, I'll take any theory you have.

Yugi sighed, and thought of Chichi. If it weren't for her he would have run crying to Atem about how he couldn't take another second of that place. His thoughts wandered into thinking Atem could help better than he could, since he was once a spirit himself. He quickly brushed it off though. He couldn't bring himself to talk about the events of the night, or risk subjecting Atem to what Chichi had mentioned… Heck, Atem would kill him for subjecting himself to the possibility.

The train finally reached his stop, and he tried to leave his thoughts on the train.

Uuuuugh I'll have to go to bed earlier tomorrow… I was only able to nap for an hour. Yugi stared at the back door that lead directly into the office, his coffee the last trace of comfort he had. Walking through the door was now like walking into another world.

"Hey, great call with the mask!" James lifted it up and stood up from the office chair. "It's hard as fuck to move around in, but if it'll save our hides then who am I to complain?"

"Glad to hear it." Yugi replied flatly.

"Sorry… forgot you're probably not used to this yet… plus you're stuck in the thick of it… Why did you come back, anyway?"

"I… felt awful leaving you here to deal with this alone." It was the only thing Yugi could think of that actually made a little sense.

"For real? We just met…"

"Yeah, I'm told I'm a very sympathetic person."

James raised an eyebrow. "Y'know, if there's more to it, you can tell me… I told you about all this crap even though it makes me sound absolutely insane. Granted, I didn't want you to die, but… believe it or not, whatever the reason can't be half as crazy as our situation."

Yugi stared at the floor. "'I see dead people.'" He quoted, immediately unsure as to why he thought that would lighten the mood at all.

"What?"

"Sorry, horrible joke. Half joke… I did see a spirit last night."

"Again, what?"

"If you'll just trust me… One of the animatronics appeared to me as a spirit. Toy Chika… she hangs out by the basement to talk to the Marionette through the door. He's another animatronic, one they decided was too creepy to repair. He told her to come and try talking to me… She's just a little girl. She said the animatronics are all haunted."

"That, actually explains, so much."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah. No programmer in their right mind would let that behavior slide. And it explains why they're so evil!"

"They're not evil, they're just… confused… and scared."

"They're scared? We're standing behind a flimsy electric gate powered by a battery that can't possibly run continuously for more than three hours! That's not even half of how long we need it to hold out! We have a flashlight and a bear mask as alternatives!" James held the objects in question out to his sides and looked at Yugi like he was crazy.

"I know… but you don't haunt something because you died happy."

James lowered his arms, and his head.

"James!" Yugi suddenly shouted, pointing at the doorway. James turned and put on the mask, then flashed the flashlight at the doorway. Foxy kept running, a bit closer every time the light went on. Yugi dashed for the battery and flipped the switch. Foxy slammed into the gate and stumbled back, then ran off in the other direction.

"Thanks… I forgot we can't just hit pause or something…"

Yugi flipped the battery off and stood up.

"Right. Thanks for the quick reaction. Might have worked if it were anyone else," he forced a laugh.

"So… the ghosts told you about the mask?"

"Yeah…"

"And that Foxy ignores it?"

"He's the only one that somehow figures out it's a person."

"Sound logic." James shook his head, unimpressed with the explanation. But when Yugi didn't offer another, he had to assume Yugi didn't know the real answer. They just proved that Foxy didn't care about the mask, the reasoning behind it wasn't really important.

"Well, my shift is just about over. Why'd you come early today, anyway? I hate showing up even a second before I have to…"

"We just needed to talk, is all… By the way, I wanted to ask. Tomorrow's Saturday, I'm not scheduled to work weekends. But who is? I can't stand the idea of… trying to introduce anyone new to this already… I'm quite shocked you survived your first night all on your own..."

"Only Chika bothered me that night… I panicked when she ran at me and clicked the light at her, praying that there was a reason for the 'no flash photography' near the stage… I guess I was just lucky."

"Yeah you mentioned that before. I didn't even notice that sign…"

James shrugged, "I'm taking the 12-6 shift for the weekend. Cause I agree with you… training one newb for the hard part is bad enough," he smirked.

"But then, when are your nights off? Your weekend?"

"Can't afford one, and Cecil is willing to pay me for working all seven days. Says he likes my attitude."

"I'm sorry… I'd say I hope I get used to this soon, but…"

"Yeah, you don't want to. I think I'm immune to horror movies after this. Horror anything, believe it or not," James looked at the tablet and poked it a few times. Probably checking on things.

"I wonder if we could convince him to have us both on this shift. It's a lot easier to bear with someone here."

"I have to agree. Although that was pretty close with Foxy…"

"I wouldn't let it happen twice! I'll check more while we talk. You can watch the door." He handed the flashlight to Yugi.

"Gods, that alone would make it easier."

James responded with a chuckle. Instead if talking they each ended up wrapped in their own thoughts, until James's alarm started going off again. He shut it off and handed Yugi the tablet, then placed the Freddy head on Yugi. "Hah, I thought your hair might stop the mask from covering your head."

Yugi scoffed, "It's freaking hair, not metal!"

"Sure doesn't stand up like normal hair. Anyway, good luck. Text me if the ghosts give you any more tips!"

"I will… Oh, one more, uhm, 'tip' Chichi gave me."

"Chichi?"

"The spirit of Toy Chika. She said, uhm… if they happen to catch us… They'll definitely kill us. Gruesomely."

"Believe it or not, I'm not sure I want to know the details… Good to know all this stress hasn't been in vain though, I guess. That said, I don't care if I don't get paid for it. I'll do overtime with you tonight."

"You can't do overtime without approval!"

James laughed, "One, it was a figure of speech. I'll be off the clock-"

"That's illegal!"

"So is letting your employees get killed by animatronics! I had no idea you were such a stickler for rules. You just confirmed it- we could die here! You really, truly care about rules right now?"

Yugi sighed, "You make a good point."

"Good. Now clock in so I can clock out."

Yugi handed him the tablet, which he checked the cameras with once more. After clocking in, Yugi took the tablet back and glanced out the doorway while James clocked out. "Actually… I think for tonight, I'd like to go it alone again."

"What? Are you insane? You can admit if you have a death wish, I'll just walk right out now."

"No, nothing like that. Chichi said I could help them. But, also that I'm the only one who's ever been able to see their spirits- or, y'know, hers. Hell maybe hers is the only one I can see. But I don't think she'll show herself with you here. No offense…"

James thought for a moment. "Fine. It's only your second night. Maybe they'll cut you some slack…"

"Thanks James. I'll call you if I need back-up."

"I don't live far, so I'll be here. And you don't need keys from the inside, right? I forgot to give them to you," he winked, "Good luck again."

"Thanks again." Yugi smiled, shooting him a side glance from the tablet. He heard the door close. And with that, he was left alone again with the haunted animatronics.

Quickly he realized that Bonnie and Toy Bonnie were very interested in him that night. He wanted to just keep the mask on, unfortunately it was so large and bulky that it made it impossible to check the cameras. Even though he kept his ears sharp and his hair did help him prop the mask on top of his head when he wasn't using it, they still managed to sneak up to the sides of the door on three separate occasions. He barely got the mask on the third time.

Cove. Stage. Outside the office. Hall one. Bathrooms. He still wished he knew who hid in the girls' restroom. Hall two camera. Arcade camera. Basement door camera. Chichi still seemed to be talking to the Marionette. Yugi took a moment to wonder what it looked like. Chichi had said it was deemed to creepy to spend money on. He tried not to be too thankful that one of Chichi's friends was locked up, but the animatronics that were reconstructed were way more than enough to worry about.

Cove. Lady Foxy was gone. Actually, he'd never seen Lady Foxy anywhere besides the Cove… he sent James a text about it. It didn't take long for him to respond. It was actually really good to know he had support. He couldn't say he liked the answer though.

Sorry Yugi, that's the one animatronic I can't figure out where it goes if it leaves its area. I always assumed she'd sprint at the door like Foxy, but I haven't seen her. Which is kind of a good thing, maybe? She hasn't tried to attack.

Curious. Yugi checked the time while he had his phone out. 2AM again. He had a text from Atem, too. He replied to it, hoping not to worry him again, and checked on his cameras some more.

He heard that faint buzzing noise again, prompting him to lower the mask. He looked around the doorframe. Nothing. But the buzzing was still there. Finally, he looked at the top. Two pairs of eyes peered at him. He flashed the light at them, his own widening when he realized he just got the answer to his question. He quickly shot James a text after Yugi watched it crawl away.

It crawls on the ceiling, where the cameras can't see! Mask and flashlight are effective, but I almost had a heart attack…

Holy shit dude! Don't be afraid to hit the office's panic button if you do have one! Are you sure you don't want me to come over?

Yeah I'm sure. No sign of any spirits yet.

Yugi took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Stay calm, stay calm. Cove. Stage. Outside the office. He caught sight of the Bonnies standing up from their crouched position, and he yanked his mask on and stared through the gate. They stared back. Yugi sat perfectly still. The animatronics seemed satisfied, and walked away once more.

Yugi pushed the mask back up onto his hair. Arcade. Bathrooms. Hall one. Main hall. Stage. Prize counter. The yellow one was still gone. Yugi wondered how James knew it hated to be stared at if Yugi could never even find it tostare at.

Hall two. Stage. Cove. Bathrooms. Arcade. Basement door. Outside office. Flash light at Chika. Main hall. Cove. Hall one. He looked up from the tablet, and saw a shadow beyond the gate. Flashing his light at it revealed a lonely Toy Bonnie, who moved on soon after.

Again it seemed to go on for days. It was so repetitive, he didn't even have to think about which action to take anymore- it just happened when he realized who he was dealing with. He checked the time. 4:54AM.

Cove.

Without even taking a moment to curse Yugi jumped out of the office chair and slammed on the battery's switch. Not a moment too soon, because Foxy slammed into the gate just then. Startled by the shock, he backed away and ran off.

Yugi sighed and reached for the switch to turn it off, but not before checking outside the office again.

Foxy had turned around again and tried ramming the door one more time!

This time, Yugi heard a child's scream. "Argh, I hate this! Why are you even here?"

Yugi looked through the doorway. There, in the same spot that he had spoken to Chichi the previous night, was a young boy. He wore a red t-shirt with a cartoon character that Yugi didn't recognize, blue jeans and white sneakers. He had short, messy brown hair, and a lot of freckles on his cheeks. Yugi couldn't help but notice his blue eyes.

"Are you the spirit that possesses Foxy?" He asked.

The kid seemed surprised, which quickly turned to anger, "What of it? Why can you see me?"

"Chichi- Toy Chika said I could see her when no one else could. Maybe I'm just spiritually gifted?"

The child scratched his nose. "Maybe… I'll admit… being near you, I can actually think. I almost miss being able to do that."

"Almost?"

"It's difficult to be conscious of your being when you're a freaking robot fox that sings to people all day. Did you hear that garbage they make me sing these days? Something about veggies and homework?" He spat, as if the words left a bad taste in his mouth. He stared at Yugi a moment longer, "Wait a minute… you did hear it! You were here a few days ago!"

"You remember me?"

"Yeah, very rarely do adults actually watch me. I have to perform ten times more often than those other jerks, so it's nothing special and everyone ignores me…"

"I rather enjoyed your performance. Even if the lyrics were very clearly written by an adult trying to cram stuff down children's throats."

The kid blushed, "Th-thank you. Nobody really seems to appreciate me… I'm always the joke."

"I'm sure that's not true, my friend and I can't be the only people ever to enjoy the performance."

"I don't know, I have this feeling that it was always like that for me… my memory of anything before the incident is too fuzzy."

"I'm sorry. What incident? Is there anything I can do to help?"

The boy was silent for a moment. "So you're the guy who has Toy Chika asking us all to call her Chichi?"

"Uh, yeah. Is that bad?"

"No. I'm jealous. Why should she get to have an identity of her own? We've all been stuck like this for like a million years, what makes her suddenly so special?"

"You've all always been special. Did you want a name of your own, too?"

The boy was silent. He folded his arms, "If I like what you come up with."

Yugi thought for a moment, "Zephyr?"

"That… actually sounds really cool…"

"Okay, Zephyr. How's Chichi doing tonight? She seems to be staying by the basement again tonight."

He lowered his voice to a whisper and leaned in, "I don't trust the Marionette. I don't like the way she talks to him all the time. Between him and Golden Freddy, something never sat right with me… Might be why I'm kind of the outcast. Even when they tried to remake Foxy, and made the character a girl, we still got cast aside."

"You mean Lady Foxy? She was also tucked away to perform in between the band?"

"Perform? More like… fall, apart-form." The boy snorted at his own poor joke, "They let the babies play with him! And babies are dumb, and careless, and rude. They ripped him apart… and the adults didn't even care! They started calling him the Mangle! I couldn't stand to see him like that all the time… he was always in so much pain… Owner Cecil fixed him up very well, though. He actually seems happy." Zephyr smiled to himself.

"That's good. But if he's happy, then why does he still possess the animatronic?"

The boy looked to his left, then right, then behind him. "Poke around the cameras again, everybody's getting suspicious."

Yugi looked down at the tablet, and flipped through his cameras as the boy continued, "The Marionette controls Golden Freddy, who controls the rest of us. I used to hear them talking all the time. They're probably still talking, somehow. But every time any of us feel ready to forgive and forget… They remind us of the pain. If we cause you pain, it makes it harder to let go. Golden Freddy is weak now, though… maybe that's why we can actually talk to somebody? It's been… I don't know… over like ten years since we did anything. Some dumb collector bought all of us up after the restaurant closed, then he left us in that basement and forgot about us."
"Okay, so… Why not forgive and forget right now?"

"…Can I?"

"You always could. Nobody can tell you what to do. You're the different one, right?" Yugi smiled, "Don't let anybody tell you that you have to do what everyone else is doing after not allowing you to join in what everyone else is doing!"

"Hey… you're right… Okay. Starting today, I forgive my parents for leaving me here. I forgive whoever stuffed me into Foxy. I forgive Golden Freddy, and the Marionette. I don't want to be angry anymore. I want to be happy again!"

Yugi had to shield his eyes from the intense light that emanated from Zephyr. When the light faded, the child was inspecting his hands. Yugi noticed the Eye of Wdjat on his forehead. Perhaps the force that watched over Yugi and Atem was now also watching over Zephyr?

"I… I'm finally free. Gosh, if I knew it would be that easy…" He smiled at Yugi. "This might sound weird, but… I want to stay just a little longer. I want my friends to have this feeling too. Maybe we can all finally leave this place together!"

Yugi smiled, "That sounds like a good plan. But please be careful that they don't beat you up over it."

"Bah, like you said, I was always the different one. Treating me a different kind of different is still the same thing!" he giggled. Yugi only half understood what he was trying to say, but he let it slide. He did, after all, just gain an ally.

"Wait here! I'm going to see if I can talk Toy… Chichi into coming here!"

Yugi smiled, and nodded. When he couldn't see the child anymore, he checked his clock. There were only twenty minutes left before the animatronics would act normal again.

Soon enough, he saw Zephyr pulling Chichi by the wrist. For some reason, with their spirits showing themselves to him like this, he couldn't see the animatronics at all. At least, not until he checked the camera, which simply showed Foxy walking in front of Toy Chika.

"Foxy says his name is Zephyr, and you did something amazing?" She looked up at Yugi with questioning eyes.

Yugi knelt back down so he was at eye level with her, "You said you wanted to go home, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, turns out you can. You just have to let go of everything that keeps you here."

"There's stuff keeping me here?"

"Sure. Think about it. Why are you still here?"

"I'm… afraid of home, but I really wanna go there… I don't know if Mom and Dad still want me, or are there… and the Marionette needs me… Nobody else is listening to him-"

"But what does Chichi need?"

She looked surprised. "Chichi… needs to feel happy again. I need to see my Mom and Dad, even if they don't want me or are mad at me or forgot about me! I forgive them if they did! I want to find people who love me again!"

Chichi shined just as brightly as Zephyr had, and when it died down enough for Yugi to look at her he noticed that she had the Eye on her forehead too. "Whoa, what is that!?" Zephyr pointed at her forehead.

"That's the Eye of Wdjat. It's protected me and my friends for a very long time. I think it's now protecting you guys!" Yugi answered.

The children turned to look at each other, and smiled. Happiness must have just swept over them, because they suddenly did a really excited high-five. "Thank you so much Yugi!" They said to him, "It's almost 6, so we're going to go back to our places. It's hard to maintain this form at this hour. Try to fix your gate, I think Zephyr damaged it a bit with that last attack…"

"Yeah… sorry!"

"It's alright, my friend and I will get it taken care of. Have fun today, guys!"

"I think we will!" Chichi replied, and they ran off.

Yugi watched the clock on the computer, and as soon as it hit 6:05 he removed the gate and battery, and waited for the manager to dismiss him for the day.

When he got outside he saw Atem leaning on the wall of the building next door. "Oh, hey Atem." Yugi checked his phone, "I didn't worry you again, did I?"

"No, you replied when I asked… I tried to be more trusting tonight… How was it?"

"Oh, you know… uneventful." Yugi shrugged.

"You're stuck in the office all night, right? I thought I'd come pick you up again, and we could hang out in the area 'til they open again?"

Yugi was taken aback, "You wanna spend another day there?"

"Sure, if you don't mind. I really enjoyed myself, and there's still games in the arcade we didn't get to play."

Despite knowing that they wouldn't harm anyone in the day, Yugi still didn't want to go back there… especially not on his day off… but he couldn't think of a good reason to argue. He couldn't be sick of the place when he stayed in the office the whole time…

"S-sure. They gave me this card when I started, I can get discounts with it. And Cecil thinks I'm the King of Games, so naturally he gave me unlimited tokens hoping I'd show off to all the kids again."

Atem laughed, "That sounds good to me!"

"We've got a few hours, let's grab breakfast."

"Mmm, I'm in the mood for pancakes."

"I think there's a place up the way here."

My notes are so short since I stopped doing the bit with me and another character... it's a little strange. Ah well, please leave a review if you're still here? Thanks again for reading!