Author's note: Daaaaang it. Sorry, everything was a bit hectic before we left, and the trip to 'murica kinda killed me because we did so many things in so little time, and on top of that, I met Jensen Ackles and I'll never get over that. Seriously.

Also, uni. Uni's taking over mY LIFE.

Anygays, thank you so much for your reviews! I'm literally a squealing mess right now because y'all are so nice uwu

Tokyo, Japan
September 30h, day 51, 7:32 am

A nurse was holding a mirror in front of his face as the doctor talked to him, motioning with his gloved hands.

"I wouldn't worry too much about the small wounds and bruises. Those will fade over time and won't leave any marks."

Yami could merely stare at the reflection he barely recognized: his hollow eyes, his sunken cheekbones, the dark bruises on his jaw, the blue and purple marks under his eyes and lastly, the quoting smile Yugi had created. The wounds had been cleaned and disinfected thoroughly, but still stuck out like a sore thumb.

His muscles were completely stiff and sore because he hadn't used them in days and because of that, his limbs tingled and throbbed every time he moved them. On top of that, his stamina was practically non-existent, causing him to be already out of breath after a trip to the bathroom. He couldn't do anything, except read his favorite books Anzu brought in for him, which had become incredibly boring after one day.

The fact that he was stuck in a hospital bed with nothing but his thoughts to accompany him, drove him crazy and he wished he could go back to the office, but then again… Yugi was there.

Mai had come in this morning to tell him that Yugi had been put in a small cell and that they wouldn't ask him any questions until he was back. It was frightening and soothing at the same time to know that Yugi was locked up, yet Yami didn't really look forward to the interrogation.

"I'm gonna be completely honest with you here," his doctor said with a painful smile. He carefully touched the cuts at the edges of his mouth. "We can keep an eye on these and make sure they don't get infected, but other than that, there's not much we can do. Once it heals, it'll stay red for a few months and fade over time. Still, I'm afraid it'll probably leave a permanent scar."

Sighing quietly through his nose, Yami looked up at him and smiled faintly. "Okay."

"I'm really sorry, Tanaka-san."

A few minutes later, both of them left, leaving Yami alone with the stupid mirror. He laid it back on the small table next to his bed because he didn't want to look at his face anymore. It was practically unrecognizable and it only reminded him of the time in the basement. His insides still squirmed every time he thought about it and his heart would start hammering against his chest right away. So, he tried not to think about it too much, which only resulted in receiving unwanted flashbacks and small panic attacks.

It didn't exactly help that he had yet to tell the entire story to his colleagues. Kaiba didn't want to wait too long because he was scared the details would gradually grow faint and Yami had casually shouted at him that the fucking memories were practically burned into his brain. Just like the night of the death of his mother; something he could never forget even if he wanted to.

Since he had had so much time to think, he was finally able to line up the pieces, though. He'd forced himself to cling to Yugi, telling himself over and over again that it was him who ruined his life, because deep down, he knew he'd never find the guy who killed his mother. Neither his father nor Mana had seen his face, or at least, they couldn't remember it, and Yami had been too absorbed into the scene itself, resulting in him having no recollection of the murderer whatsoever.

It couldn't have been Yugi, because he was fucking eight at the time, and there were no other witnesses at all. After they had reported to the police, they never heard from them again. Aknamkanon fell into a severe case of depression not too long afterwards and Mana was too young to help him, so Yami had to start taking care of them, forcing himself to become an adult.

Everyday was a struggle and Yami wouldn't be surprised if he had been diagnosed with depression as well, but the thought hadn't even occurred to him at the time. There was no one he could talk to, except the police who came back to report every once in a while.

"We're very sorry that we don't have any good news, sir," the police officer had told him for the umpteenth time and Yami could merely watch them leave and his father quietly closing the door.

"They'll never find him," Aknamkanon had mumbled as he brushed past Yami and let himself fall on the dirty couch. "It's too late. It's been two years and they have no idea. I-I'm gonna go to bed."

The absent-minded pat on his head he received, felt like a hot arrow in his heart. Ever since that day, Yami had wanted nothing more than to become a police officer himself to find that asshole.

But that was easier said than done. The days were becoming longer, almost unbearably long, Yami was so unfocused that he kept splashing hot oil on his arms during his cooking, he had to pull a lot of all-nighters to finish his homework and on top of that, he could see the light slowly dying in his father's eyes. There had been hints of hope every now and then, but since the police stopped showing up, it got worse everyday, up until the point he refused to leave his room and Mana kept yanking on his sleeve, demanding attention. Yami could still picture himself banging on his father's door while Mana was crying loudly about the fact that she hadn't seen her father in three days.

"Why's Daddy not coming out of his room anymore?"

"Dad, come on, open up!"

"Go away."

"It's been three days! If you continue to stay in there, you'll die!"

"Fine."

Mana stopped crying right away and Yami felt his legs giving in and dropping to the floor.

He had failed. Failed to keep his family together. They would have to live on the streets, beg people for money everyday and most importantly, he'd never find him. If his father died, they would have nothing left and there was barely enough money to begin with.

"Is Daddy mad at us?"

Unfortunately, Yami didn't know the answer. He didn't know whether their father even loved them still. They never talked, the only words they exchanged were a few standard lines every now and then, which became less and less over the days, worrying him to no end. Mana was happy enough they got to see him and didn't complain, even though he always pushed her away whenever she tried to hug or kiss him. It resulted in Yami having to constantly comfort her and stay with her until she stopped sobbing.

Silent tears streamed down his pale cheeks as Yami looked up at the door, both scared and frustrated. "You're a coward," he whispered before he got up, grabbed Mana's hand and dragged her to the staircase.

"Wait!"

Mana roughly pulled her small hand out of his grip and Yami stared down at her. "What?"

"We can't just leave him like this," Mana said and motioned towards their father's room. "What if—"

"There's nothing we can do. He's locked the door and I can't get through to him."

Pressing her lips together, Mana glared at him, tears slowly welling up in her eyes. "I don't wanna lose him, too!"

"We've already lost him."

The words had blurted out so fast that it scared him. Yami stood there, perplexed by his own statement and Mana was as equally shocked as him. It was nothing but the truth, but… it was the unspoken truth. Yami already knew his father was long gone after that night and that it was only a matter of time before he would completely lose his mind. Maybe Mana didn't want to believe it, or maybe she really had no idea; she was only four, after all. Still, like him, she had grown up too fast and, even though she could still be quite childish, they were very much alike.

His lower lip trembled and he watched her carefully descending the stairs. Maybe he should have apologized, but it was too late to contemplate because he saw Mana heading for the phone.

"Mana, what are you— Who are you calling?" Yami quickly followed her and saw her dialing and holding the phone up to her ear. "Mana!"

"Please help us. My dad hasn't left his room for three days and he's locked the door."

Yami froze on the spot as he heard a mature voice asking her questions about their situation and whereabouts. "Mana, wait…"

"My big brother is here with me. Okay, I'll unlock the front door for you."

It all happened in a flash. Men in brightly colored uniforms bursting through the door, Mana pointing up the stairs, finding Aknamkanon's unconscious body on his bed, a police officer kneeling down in front of him and asking him questions and lastly, Sugoroku Mutou, one of their neighbors, leading them into his home for the first time.

They were forced to stay there until Aknamkanon was well enough to take care of them, which took a very long time. However, Yami couldn't be more thankful Mana had called for help. For the first time in years, he didn't have to worry about anything as Sugoroku took good care of them and played silly games with them. He had never seen Mana happier and was glad she could at least have some good memories of her childhood.

Though, after a few weeks, Yami started wondering what was behind the first door on the left on the third floor. He'd never asked Sugoroku before and was too scared to, since he didn't want to upset the man who had been kind enough to take them into his home. Mana had never really noticed and always walked past it without saying anything. But after several more weeks, it started to bug him.

The door was always closed, but there was light shining from underneath it, so it was obvious something or someone was in there. Maybe it was simply a storage room and completely boring. Still, Yami found it annoyingly strange.

Then, on a Sunday evening, he couldn't help himself anymore. "What's behind the upstairs door on the left?"

Sugoroku eyed him carefully and Yami instantly regretted everything. "So, he hasn't come down yet? Not once?"

"He…?"

"My grandson, Yugi."

They got a small portion of the story, which didn't soothe Yami's curiosity at all. Apparently Yugi lived here because his parents divorced two years ago and that was pretty much all they got to hear.

Sugoroku talked about him whenever he got the chance, saying how glad he was Yugi was living here now and that he could get to know him better. It confused the hell out of Yami, seeing that Yugi never left his room, or maybe he only came out when he and Mana weren't staying over.

Over the years, his father got a lot better and was allowed to stay at home, so after Mana's eighth birthday, they went back.

However, Aknamkanon was not doing as well as they thought. Not too long after they had discharged him, his depression resurfaced, creating an awful atmosphere inside their house. The vague memories of Yugi Mutou became fainter with each passing day as Yami had taken back his old job of taking care of them. Every time Mana suggested calling the doctors, Aknamkanon made them hang up, telling them that he was fine. It didn't matter how many times they fought, their father simply refused to get help and yet on the other hand, didn't do anything to lighten the weight that was on Yami's shoulders.

Mana had started slipping through his fingers as well, putting more pressure on his already aching chest. Somehow, it felt like it was even worse than it was before. Their home didn't feel like a home anymore. It felt like an isolated place where Yami had to go to everyday to make sure everything was still okay. Sometimes Sugoroku would come over to check on them and Yami truly appreciated it every time since it kept him going. Never did he tell him about their situation, but Yami never found out what kept him from doing so. He'd lie every time, telling the old man that they were happy and that everything was fine.

On his first day of high school, he met Anzu. It didn't take long for their friendship to bloom and it was absolutely great until Anzu had one day asked if she could come over.

"No."

"Why not?"

Yami shrugged. "'Cause."

Unfortunately, Anzu ended up pressing her luck and they fought for the first time. "There's something you're not telling me and I want to know what it is!"

"It's none of your business!"

Those words had awakened certain memories and for a minute, he was a bit disoriented. It didn't last very long because Anzu yelled right back at him. "I'm your friend, of course it is!"

The argument was so intense that their so-called friendship almost came to an end. They didn't talk to each other for the next few days, not even when a teacher paired them up for an assignment. They could only glare at each other, resulting in ticking their teacher off. Both of them ended up in detention together and still refused to talk.

Well, until Anzu called him later that night to apologize. And Yami finally told her. He had never told anyone the entire story and he couldn't remember the last time he had cried so hard. Anzu was a great listener, even asked if she could come over to comfort him, but that was when Yami forced himself to calm down and kindly tell her that it wasn't necessary, even though he appreciated it. After that, they never talked about it again, because both of them knew it would end up in a fight.

Yugi was completely wiped off his memory, even when the poor kid had confessed to him in their second year. Yami had absolutely no memory of this boy, or at least, that was what he thought at the time. There was some sort of vague picture of him somewhere in the back of his mind, too far to reach, so he couldn't really remember him. Still, it didn't stop Yami from finding him interesting and maybe even… liking him.

After all, behind that repulsive façade was still a quite appealing face. Especially when Yugi had started talking to him about him because it brought this certain sparkle in his eyes, which was so very endearing that Yami actually wanted nothing more than to be friends with him. Maybe even more if he had had the chance.

But then, the bullying had started. It created a huge barrier between the two, and Yami had never felt guiltier about something. If he hadn't told Anzu about their talk, everything would still be the same and no one would be laughing at him for asking out another guy. They just needed an excuse to make fun of him and had finally found one.

It didn't seem to have an impact on Yugi, though. His dull expression never changed and he'd never react to the name-calling or laughter. Yami had wanted to talk to him, but Anzu had stopped him, telling him that he already had enough to worry about. Unfortunately she was right because a few weeks later, Aknamkanon wouldn't leave his room again.

This time, however, Yami was sixteen, and strong enough to kick the door open. To his horror, he saw that his father was about to swallow a bottle of sleeping pills.

"I just… I want to see her."

There was fighting, screaming, yelling, crying up until the point where Yami almost lost his voice. His father was standing in front of him, panting and gritting his teeth. Yami had just thrown the pills out the window with a defiant look in his eyes and Mana was stopping Aknamkanon from attacking him.

"This is the first time in years you've properly looked me in the eye," Yami uttered, his raw throat burning. "And only because I stopped you from killing yourself."

Those words seemed to have an effect on him. Mana slowly let go as Aknamkanon stopped struggling to get out of her grip, looking at Yami with moist eyes, his lips slightly parted. Yami didn't move an inch and simply kept glowering at him, too infuriated to see the waterfall of tears streaming down his father's face.

The rest of the night was a blur. The only thing Yami remembered was talking for at least five hours, his voice completely gone when he finally went to bed. Mana was waiting for him in his room, asking if she could stay there because she was so shaken up.

And ever since that night, things had gotten miraculously better. Aknamkanon was actively trying to talk to them and help with the chores, even though there were still moments where he would hide his room and sit there for a couple of hours. But it was definitely a huge improvement and Yami was just glad he was finally able to wake him up.

When he graduated from high school and had to go to college, he wasn't as hesitant to move out anymore. His visits were quite frequent, so he could do some chores, talk to Aknamkanon to check if he was still doing okay, and ask Mana if she needed any help with her homework. It had become part of his routine at some point; every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday he'd come over, cook them dinner, clean the entire house and study afterwards in his room.

At some point it wasn't really necessary anymore, though. So, on one Wednesday when he was just about to leave, Mana called him.

"Take this week off."

"But—"

"Yami, it's okay. Dad's doing absolutely great, I promise. And I want you to take it easy for a while because you need to focus on your studies."

Surprisingly, Yami felt himself saying yes and hanging up.

After that, he didn't visit as often anymore. He still called almost everyday to make sure, and Mana'd gently tell him that he shouldn't worry so much. But the fear of losing both of them still burned in his chest almost everyday, so he couldn't let it go as easily as he'd hoped.

And it turned out it was all for nothing. Because Aknamkanon was dead now and Mana was gone—

A knock on his door almost made him fall out of bed. Gnawing on his bottom lip to keep himself from crying out, Yami gripped the hospital sheets angrily. He quickly wiped away the dried tears on his cheeks and sat up straight.

"Yeah?"

The door swung open, revealing a glum Kaiba. "Can I come in?"

Not entirely sure how to properly respond, Yami shrugged and awkwardly held out his hand to the chair at the foot of his bed. Kaiba slowly slumped over to the chair, undoing the buttons of his coat before draping it over the back of said chair.

The fact that Kaiba had taken off his coat meant that he was going to be here for a while and if Yami was going to be honest with himself, it made him quite nervous. It probably meant Kaiba wanted to talk about his disappearance, or maybe tell him that he finally decided to fire him, or that they got some answers out of Yugi that Yami really didn't want to hear.

It was going to be painful no matter what and Yami shifted a little so he could sit up straight. "So um, what's up?"

Kaiba cleared his throat and leaned forward, folding his hands together. "I came here to apologize."

Completely taken by surprise, Yami blinked. "You what?"

"It's not really my thing so listen carefully 'cause I'm not gonna repeat myself," the other sighed and Yami didn't know whether to nod or laugh. "You were right all along. I just thought a rookie was simply trying to outsmart me, and it turns out I was wrong. The only reason we're so close to solving this case is because you went after that dick. If it wasn't for your determination and cleverness, we wouldn't be where we are right now."

Yami opened his mouth to protest, but Kaiba raised his hand. "I was stupid for not realizing sooner that you needed help. Instead of giving you the necessary tools, I kept telling you that you were barking up the wrong tree. Not only was I acting irresponsible, I made a fool out of myself. I should've recognized the symptoms and behavior, but I still let you run off on your own. After I talked to Ishizu, we figured you had gone after him and so I tried to call you. When I couldn't reach you, I contacted Anzu and she told me… everything."

"Oh," Yami breathed and felt himself going limp.

"You shouldn't feel ashamed. I had to know these things."

"What things?" But he already knew the answer.

"I think you know," Kaiba said quietly and eyed him carefully.

"Why would those things be relevant, though?"

"Yami."

The calm, yet concerned tone in his boss' voice made his lower lip tremble. The piece of blanket he had been clenching between his fingers dropped back on the bed because his fingers simply refused to function.

The only thing he could do, was try to comprehend where Kaiba was going, which was clearly impossible. It was obvious Anzu had told him about that one night, but still… Why would it be of any importance to the case?

"They obviously affected you."

"… The hell are you talking about?"

An alarmed look appeared on Kaiba's face, encouraging Yami's nerves to go into overdrive. "I'm talking about your… your post-traumatic stress disorder."

"My what?"

After letting out a small sigh, Kaiba started explaining. The natural flush on Yami's cheeks that had barely returned, disappeared and he felt sicker than ever. Those simple words that came out of Kaiba's mouth left him shocked and speechless. He felt beyond ashamed he hadn't noticed it himself and miserable because it all started to make sense to him.

It explained everything. The flashbacks, panic attacks, loss of control, the need to block the memory and avoid situations that might remind him of the murder, the jumpiness, insomnia, everything.

"Fucking hell," he muttered and pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes after his boss was done talking.

"Yami, it's treatable," Kaiba quickly reassured him and placed a hand on his leg. "After a couple of sessions you should be fine, Ishizu has—"

But Yami was barely listening to a word he was saying. It was almost too surreal to believe that his brain was damaged in one of the worsts way possible: certain thoughts and memories were linked to heavy emotions, causing him to lose completely control over his mind and body. Triggers were unpredictable, so there was no way out of it. He was basically powerless; all he could do was give it time and try to avoid any possible triggers.

"… and there's one more thing."

Since he hadn't been paying attention, Yami had no idea what Kaiba had told him, but since he wasn't exactly in the mood to listen to the whole story again, he just went with it. "What's that?"

Kaiba clicked his tongue and absently rubbed his forehead. "I know that I'm asking a lot here, but…" he paused for a moment and then pleadingly looked up at Yami, scaring the latter. "I need you back at the office. And I need you there now."

"What, why?" Yami unconsciously leaned back against the pillows, as if that was going to prevent him from going.

"Because you're the only person Mutou wants to talk to."

Author's note: And so we finally know what really happened all those years ago. Haaahaaahaaaaaa, yeah that part basically wrote itself, so that's good, right? Yes, it is.

OKAY, so next chapter shall be posted this Sunday as a token of my gratitude (god, that sentence sounds posh) and also because I suck at updating.
And I know y'all miss Yugi already so don't worry, you'll like the next chapter. Mwah.

Please review and have a lovely Friday!