Chapter 17: Hurt but Never Abandoned

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

A/N: I know that this chapter is majorly overdue but I've been pretty swamped lately thanks to school and work. What little free I did have was either spent trying to study or catch up on time with my boyfriend who's been whining I don't pay enough attention to him anymore. So I've had to cut this one a lot shorter than I originally intended to be sure that I'm not too far off my deadlines. Be warned though, as I've taken a darker tone in this chapter to give a better effect of the situation that Yugi's now in.

He really wasn't sure how to describe these feelings. They were so jumbled that it left him disoriented and confused. One moment everything around him felt so hazy and murky, like he was lost in a thick fog. The next moment, it was like he was floating in a vast nothingness that had neither beginning nor end. It felt as if it stretched on forever. He could gain no sense of stability in this place, save one. All around, he was surrounded by impenetrable darkness.

Darkness was often something Yugi would have welcomed as it reminded him of the warm, protective embrace of his lover. It always made him feel safe and secure. That was not the case this time. Now it only brought the chill that often accompanied the nightmares that he had recently become prone to. At some points he felt as he was being suffocated by that was coming at him from all sides.

How long he endured such things was a mystery to Yugi. Any attempts that he made to wake were met with immediate resistance. Instinctually he knew that whatever was stopping him was magical in nature. Only a strong magical force could keep him from waking if that's what he was trying to do. Either that or a mental touch from Yami, if the other had used his own mental abilities to lull the hikari to sleep as he had often done in the past. Like the energies that surrounded Yami, such a touch would have certain gentleness to it. This was still the same suffocating force that surrounded him on all sides.

Whatever kept him from waking, Yugi continued to resist. He could feel something calling, no demanding, that he pull himself out of this place. It was important that he act quickly. If he didn't, then things were bound to get worse. Though why things had gone so badly escaped him for the moment, continually evading his attempts like wisps of smoke.

So he continued to struggle and grasp the memories that waited beyond the edge of his awareness. It could have gone on for Earth hours, days, weeks, or months. Yugi didn't know. He had never considered keeping track of time before coming to Earth. Before learning the human concept of time, he had merely existed and been satisfied with that. Even after, it had not bothered him as the days came and went. There was no consequence in that. Now however, he was beginning to understand the aggravation that he had seen his human friends so often express.

This was pure torture for him. Even as he tried as hard as he could to wake, the seconds seemed to creep by with an aching slowness. It felt like an eternity was passing and for him, that was saying something. Given that he had been created when time began, Yugi had seen more than one eternity come and go to some degree. Then it had gone by without thought. Now it was going by in slow motion that even Kaiba would have some reason to complain about.

Further thoughts of his human friends acted as the trigger that his mind needed. Something deep inside him snapped, breaking hard against whatever was holding him in this dark and endless place. More memories began to surface as a result. Most were jumbled, but it was still enough to help him remember what had happened. How he had been separated from his friends and captured by a Witch. Remembering that gave him the strength he needed to finally break free from whatever spell or force was holding him back. Though when he did wake, Yugi wasn't quite sure if the world he saw now was any better than the void that he had just left behind.

Gloomy could not begin to describe the scene that Yugi saw before him. It was dismal for sure, instantly reminding Yugi of those bad horror movies that he had watched with Jou and Honda. It was hard to see as what little light there was to be found was dim at best. It was like trying to see through the night with a flashlight that had been covered with. What light did filter through gave some idea of how rundown and forgotten this place was.

It was impossible to tell how large this place was. The light didn't allow for him to see very far and what areas he could make out were often covered in deep shadows. What he saw left little to the imagination. There were leaky pipes all over the place, with rusty looking water that almost looked like blood in the dim light dripping from them. What had once been bright paint was now chipped and dull, steadily peeling in more than one area of the room.

He was chained against one of the walls, magical shackles holding his arms and legs in place. Cold stone bit deeply into his back and he tried to move away from the sensation. The bonds that held him would not allow for that however. Yugi was kept securely in place and any attempts he made to move against their length ended with a harsh shock running through his system.

Yugi couldn't bite back the scream that erupted from his throat when the first jolt ran from the shackles down his limbs. The shock only lasted a few seconds before finally tapering off. However long, its effects remained. Yugi hung there limply, still in shock and trying to catch his breath. It was how he remained for several moments before a chuckle from the shadows finally roused his attention.

"W-who's there?" Yugi panted.

"Only me. I would say don't try moving too much but it seems that you've already found out the hard way yourself," Miaka sneered as she stepped into view.

She had appeared seemingly from the shadows itself. If that was true or simply an illusion she had cast, Yugi didn't know. For all he knew, she could have just been standing there and watching him this whole time. That or she had actually traveled through the shadows as he had seen some Monsters do from time to time. It was one of the many unknowns that surrounded Miaka.

Another was the reasons why she had made an attack on Ryou and then brought Yugi here. Miaka had made no attempt to explain herself to him when she captured Yugi. She had only given him the choice of either surrender or Solitaire's life. For him, the choice had been obvious and he had come without question. Now though, his mind was racing as to why she had gone through so much trouble to capture and bring him to this dismal place.

Yugi then remembered the creatures that had been present when the witch had appeared before. He quickly glanced around, trying to find any sign of the beasts. Through all the gloom, he saw no one but Miaka. At first, he wasn't sure if that could be some sort of trick. He remembered how smoke-like the creatures had been, hovering like a strange mist in the garden. With such forms, it would not have been hard for them to hide themselves in this darkness. If anything, it would have been child's play, as humans were often known to say.

So he kept the search up for another moment or two, trying to determine if someone was truly there. The thought of which left his heart pounding as fear crept up his spine. Miaka watched him with amusement. She was obviously taking great pleasure from the hikari's distress and made no effort to hide it. If anything, she encouraged it. This made things all the better for her before she went into the final preparations for her work. Eventually though, Miaka grew bored with watching Yugi's eyes dart all over the place. As fun as it was for her to see him squirm, there were other matters at hand that needed her attention.

"There's no need to worry about my pets showing themselves for now, little Hikari. I've sent them away to keep an eye for any intruders. I wouldn't want us to be disturbed," she said.

She came closer to Yugi as she spoke. When she had first appeared in Kaiba's garden, Miaka had seemed to be sickly with her pale skin. Almost like the zombies and vampires that had also been in the many movies that he had watched with Jou and Honda. That wasn't the case anymore. Now her pale skin glowed with an eerie shine in the gloom of the surrounding room. She appeared to be more spirit than physical being, almost like her servants.

Her long, purple hair trailing behind her like a veil, Miaka continued to approach Yugi until they were almost face to face. He tried to turn his face away, trying to avoid any contact. The movement did him little good as all it did was bring him closer to the cold stone he was chained against. Dark eyes watched him with a malicious amusement that steadily becoming what Yugi could consider the norm for Miaka.

Pulling away just as quickly as she had approached, Miaka headed away Yugi and towards what he assumed was the center of the room. He watched her with uncertainty, still weak and slightly dazed from his earlier experience. If he had been in his right mind at that moment, Yugi would have that he needed to call out to Yami. That was the most logical and instinctual course of action. The dark spirit would have come for sure to rescue him from this hell. Yet for some reason, the idea didn't quite register. Whatever spell Miaka had cast on him before left his mind a jumble in so many ways even as he tried to grasp full coherency. He may have escaped the sleep she had placed him in, but he was nowhere free of her hold on him.

All he could do was watch her for now, shivering and whimpering in pain. Miaka stopped just short of the center of the room, which was shrouded in deep shadows. There was a difference in these shadows than the ones that covered the rest of the room. While those reacted in some way to weak light that tried to pierce through, that was not the case with this area. The shadows seemed too dark for anything to pass through. It was almost like a blanket that had been thrown up to obscure one's vision. Surely such a thing had to be magical in nature. There was no way for it to be natural.

"I suppose you're curious to know what's under there, right?" Miaka asked.

"No I don't. I just want to know why you brought me here," Yugi answered.

"Quite an impatient little thing, aren't you? Reminds me too much of those idiot humans. Always scurrying around like rodents. Well, I'm afraid that you'll just have to wait. I may have brought you here, but I'm not quite ready to finish our business just yet. You'll know what this about soon enough. So enjoy what time you have while you can," Miaka said.

"We don't have business. You captured me for no reason," Yugi said boldly.

Reaching her hand into the shadows for something that only she could see, Miaka replied,' Oh, I have my reasons, little Hikari. As I said, you'll know what they are soon enough. Keep acting as you are though and you'll make me think you're one of those stupid humans that live in this realm. Disgusting things."

"Humans aren't stupid! Some are bad, but there's a lot of good ones too," Yugi protested.

"That shows how sheltered you truly are. No creature in all the realms is as greedy and disgusting as humans. They're stupid beasts but I'll admit that even they have their uses. They provide such wonderful places to hide away from the world. I didn't have to search long to find this place, you know. All I had to do was clear out the vermin that were living here already and I could set up housekeeping," she said offhandedly.

"Vermin?" Yugi asked weakly.

"Yes. A few humans were trying to hide here during the night and they were in the way. So I let my pets have them," Miaka replied.

Yugi's eyes widened in shock at hearing this. There was only one fate that his mind could think of that would befall any human who came into contact with Miaka's pets. If they were anything like the beasts that dwelled in the Shadow Realm, then those poor souls were lost for sure. His heart clenched at such a thought, shock and despair shooting through him almost as painfully as the jolt he had received from his bonds. Tears formed in his eyes as he thought of the unknowns who had needlessly lost their lives and quite possibly their souls.

Without warning, Yugi threw back his head and screamed. He couldn't take this anymore. The reason why Miaka had taken him was still unknown, but what she had already done was too much. Threatening his friend, attacking Yugi and now the slaughter of innocent humans, it was going too far and too much for the spell Miaka had cast to handle. Though he did not break through entirely, whatever strength Yugi had left came to be as he instinctually reached out with his mind to Yami's.

Miaka watched Yugi, already knowing that his struggle would be in vain. She had expected the Hikari to react in such a manner. While such beings were heavily protected, she had been sure to do her research long before attempting to capture one. She knew much when it came to Hikaris, probably more than anyone save their own yamis. It took a lot of work, but if one were to push a Hikari almost to the brink, that was when they were supposed to release their greatest power. At least that had always been the theory. Watching Yugi now, she knew that she had nearly accomplished that goal. There was just one final touch that Miaka had prepared for just for such an occasion.

She had long since learned of the mind link that was shared between yami and hikari. It was one of the strengths that set them apart from other magical creatures. With it, one or the other would always be able to find their other half. Some even thought that it was possible for the two to share their strengths over the link, allowing one to take the energy of the other in order to battle or heal.

That had been a problem that Miaka had spent centuries trying to overcome. She knew that if she captured a hikari, it would be in vain if the yami was alerted via the mind link. There was supposedly no force in all the realms that could severe such a link. So she had been forced to consider other possibilities. One had eventually come to her some time ago during her experiments when she realized something. Why bother to cancel something when it would be so much simpler just to repress it for a time?

Through countless experiments and efforts, Miaka had found just such a way. The spell had been a combination of dark magic and chemicals that she had gathered from other realms. Combining these, she had been able to create a single vial of the repressing agent. With so little, she would only be able to use it once. So she had waited until she had actually captured a Hikari to be sure that it could work. Seeing as how Yami had not yet come for Yugi that certainly had to be the case. Now all she had to do was land the final blow to bring out Yugi's power.

"I wouldn't try calling for your yami either. I know of the mental ties that your kind share with one another and took precautions to prevent you from using it. Not the easiest task to accomplish, but it's worth it if it keeps us from being interrupted," Miaka warned.

Yugi stared in her disbelief. His mind was racing wildly at her claim. She had to be lying. She just had to be. There was no possible way that she had the power to block the mental link between Yami and himself. The only ones who had that ability were the yami and hikari themselves. There was no way that an outside force could have that sort of power. No sort of magic that he had ever known was that strong.

"You're lying!" Yugi cried.

"Oh, am I now? Well, why don't you give it a try then and see for yourself? I so hate for my work to be questioned," Miaka taunted.

Without a second thought, Yugi did try to reach across the link. He met with a void that shouldn't have been there. It slammed against his own mind, dragging him down into murkiness similar to the one that he had been trapped in not so long ago. The more he tried the worse the sensation become. Even so, he kept this up as he was not able to accept the fact that he had truly been cut off from Yami.

Miaka spared Yugi a fleeting glance and smile as he continued to deny the reality before him. Then she turned back to her work, which still remained unseen to all eyes but her own. It was no consequence to her now anyway. She had accomplished what she had set out to do. Everything was set in motion now. If her theories proved right, then the power would begin building in Yugi at any time now. She would have to remain nearby so that she could closely monitor him and start the siphoning process right when the build up reached its peak.

All that was lost on Yugi who was a complete mess now. It took all he had for him not to completely break down under all the stress. The smile that she had given Yugi was a true parody if there ever was one. There was no warmth or sincerity behind that smile. Only a smug, mocking attitude that took pleasure in the plight that Yugi now suffered. His stomach twisted in knots as he thought of just what was being plotted behind those hateful eyes of hers. Nothing good, that was for certain.

How Yugi wished with all his heart and soul that he could break through whatever Miaka had used to block the link between him and Yami. Weak from the strained link and now the brutal treatment at Miaka's hands, Yugi knew that his strength was failing. He longed for the strong touch of Yami's mind right now. Despite everything that he had set out to accomplish, a part of him still desired the warmth and protection that could only be offered by his lover.

A contradiction many would claim and hypocritical of Yugi's actions up to this point. Yet that was not the case. While he had desired to prove himself to Yami and still did, there is a limit on such things. Having a goal and being foolish are two entirely different things. Yugi knew that a time came when one had to rely on the strength of others, especially when under stress or when one is in danger.

That is especially true when one is terrified, weakened and alone. It is not unusual that they would desire not only the strength but the familiar touch of a loved one. Someone who could help them through the pain and shield them from whatever dangers might come along. Anyone could feel that way, especially if they were in Yugi's present situation.

For all those desires, reality can be a brutal wake up call. Yugi knew that as much as he might want Yami here right, that he wasn't. The dark spirit had no idea where he was right now, save the sense to ferret out a general location at best. Now that he knew that Miaka had indeed blocked their link, Yugi wasn't even sure that that would work. For all he knew, whatever she had used on him might block more than just the mental link. It might have severed the tie between the two permanently.

Of course such an extent was out of the question. No matter how powerful another may be, there are just some things in the realms that are impossible to accomplish. Completely severing the link between light and darkness was one of them. Regardless of the circumstances or how strained things might become, the two forces are inevitably intertwined. One is always tied to the other and will follow even when the balance becomes uneven.

In his current panic though, Yugi didn't stop to consider this. He was still reeling from the fact that he couldn't contact Yami. It was true that he had been blocking the other for some time now, but that had been by choice. Never in all his existence had the ability to call out to the dark spirit been denied him by another. It was a fact that nearly sent the hikari over the edge in more ways than one.

"This can't be happening. It just can't," Yugi whispered to himself.

"But it is, little hikari, and I'm glad of it. Soon the real fun will begin and I'm so looking forward to it. Centuries of work will finally be brought to fruition and all thanks to you," Miaka said with acid sweetness.

A/N: Okay, this was incredibly short and even I think it's a load of bung. Still, it was better than nothing for the time being. I wanted to give a better idea of what Miaka was like without giving away too much of what she's after. Expect an edit of this chapter in the near future after I've gotten the next one up, which should be sometime in March.