The Key of Ra | By : Lechan Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > General Views: 4696 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. |
A.N. Well, this is knew, I’m writing an AU. I NEVER do that. So let me
know if it sucks or not. First off, I don’t own YuGiOh, secondly I do not own
the ending theme Beads of Tears, that is from the Anime Move “The Mermaid’s
Scar.” The ancient Egyptian I use I learned from Blood Moon, who by the way, is
a genius, and it is all truthfully Egyptian. This story was also inspired by
the masterfully crafted story “Roses” by Maggiemay so, with out Further adieu,
The Key of Ra.
The floor gave way with a sickening
snap and popping sound, giving the small child a moment to scream in terror before
he was airborne. Several shouts from the adults that were a good quarter mile
away, excavating a smaller tomb sounded like a distant dream to the ears of the
small child.
He hit the ground hard, the wind
knocking from his lungs, his body aching. He coughed weakly, tears coming to
his giant amethyst eyes. A pool of golden light surrounded him as he pushed up
weakly on his arms, the limbs shaking tiredly, scrapes and bruises burning as
he moved.
“Itai…” He whimpered, looking up at
the small pin point of light in the sealing above. He could hear loud voices
from up there, the grown ups were yelling at each other, and with a heavy
heart, Yugi knew that it was his fault for not listening to his grandfather and
staying away from the giant pyramid. But he just couldn’t help himself, it
called to him, and unable to resist, Yugi had allowed himself to be drawn into
this predicament.
“Jii-chan!” Yugi called out,
coughing raggedly as the sound vibrated in his chest and caused a bolt of pain
to lance through his insides sharply. “Ojii-chan!” Yugi began to cry when his
voice echoed off of the walls and back to him. Looking around, Yugi found that
the place was as black as his basement back home and shuddered, pulling away.
He hated the dark more than
anything. It scared him to no end, and being as such, Yugi began to cry.
“Jii-chan, onegai! Yugi wa kawai! Yugi wa… Yugi wa kawai!!!!!” His crying
became harsh until the stern voice of his grandfather called down to him,
“Yugi, I’m here, you need to stay put, okay, I’m coming to get you, you just
stay put, okay?”
“Jii-chan, Jii-chan, Jii-chan!” Yugi
sobbed reaching up his bloodied hands toward his grandfather pleading him to
take him out of this place and back up and into the sun light.
“Yugi! Listen to me, you need to
stay put, okay, do not move! I will be right back.” Sugoroku moved away from
the light and Yugi panicked. He screeched out and began to pound his little
feet, fresh tears staining his face, fists raised to his chest, and elbows
cocked out.
“Ojii-chan!!!!” Yugi howled, choking
on his own sobs, and sniffling back mucus. “Yugi wa Hitori ja! Iie! Hitori ja
Iie!” Yugi sucked in a breath still
stomping his tiny feet when a low whisper caught his attention, and Yugi
stilled, freezing and turning to a shadow that stood just outside of his reach.
It was darker there than any where
else in the room, and its pitchness frightened the small six year old, and he
sucked in a deep breath as with in the shadows he saw dark red eyes. His heart
stopped beating for a moment, as he stared at the eyes in wonder, and again he
heard the whispered voice, like a stray breath of sound by his ear.
“iri nn snd… antyw akhu… nsp, antyw
akhu, nsp.” The voice was deep and calming, and vaguely familiar to him. Yugi’s
fear vanished with those words, words he could not understand, and yet knew
perfectly inside what they meant. The crimson eyes shone with a painful elation
that drew Yugi away from his little pool of light and toward the shadowed
person who stood across the room from him.
His little legs slowly led him
farther into the darkness, and the deeper he went, the darker shadows parted at
his feet as if he glowed with light. The tall man stood over him now that Yugi
was close to him, and the shadow knelt before him, his hand brushing tenderly
and lovingly over the small boy’s tri-colored hair.
“HD r-Xnw, nfr, HD antyw akhu.” His
crimson eyes were all that the child could see, but the sound of his voice
still calmed Yugi, regardless if he could see the man’s lips or not. Yugi
sighed softly, nodding his head slowly to show that he understood, though the
language was foreign to him.
The eyes seemed to shine with
happiness, and Yugi wondered what the man looked like, who he was, and how he
knew him. Yugi reached up toward those crimson pools, chubby fingers brushing
against the icy cold darkness that seemed to make up the man’s body. “Anata wa,
dare desu ka?” Yugi asked, fingers passing over the length of his shadowed
face, it wasn’t until the man spoke, and Yugi felt the breath on his fingertips
as his lips moved, that he realized that he had found the red-eyed man’s mouth.
“kkwy…” his breath seemed to catch
in his throat as he spoke, and Yugi tilted his head to one side confused by the
man’s actions.
“Yami… ka?”
The figure’s head nodded and again
he spoke, his words a whisper of the sand on the desert wind, echoing through
his mind, the only part of their conversation that he would recall, “pr-aA kkwy.”
Chapter One: Visiting Grandpa
The house was enormous, rising up
toward the sky like a ill-fated castle that a ghost would haunt. Yugi Mutou
sighed, his hands gripping his back pack more tightly as he stared up at the
stone structure with green vines that wrapped elegantly up the side of the
mansion. The windows were closed, and covered by curtains that looked as old as
the establishment was, and had this been a normal visit to the place, Yugi
would have been excited, but as things were, he was anything but.
Yugi lifted his free hand and rubbed
his palm over his chest nervously, “Do I really have to stay here, Okaa-san?”
Yugi asked shuffling his feet as his mother stepped next to him gripping his
hand lovingly.
“For the last time, Yugi, you know you
do. It will be better for you to stay here with your Ojii-san, than to come
with me to the trial and you know it.” Yugi unintentionally shuddered at the
mention of their reason for being in Cairo, in front of his father’s, father’s
house holding a months worth of clothes in one tiny back pack.
“Why couldn’t I have stayed in
Domino with Jonouchi-kun?” Yugi pleaded and watched as his mother’s blue eyes
rolled back in annoyance. “Yugi-kun,” She began, her delicately structured hand
running up and through her shoulder length brown hair with a deep and regretful
sigh. “You know Jonouchi-kun’s family is in the middle of an upheaval. It would
not have been kind at all for you to suddenly ask if you can stay for a month
while I go away to stand trial in Hokkaido.” She stopped lecturing him with a
smile and gently stroked his golden bangs from his eyes. “Trust me Yugi, things
will be fun here. I promise.”
Yugi refrained from shooting back
the fact that she was sending him half-way around the world from her, to stay
with a grandfather he hadn’t seen for ten years, and she felt safe about it. You would think that after what happened she
would be more concerned. I mean, what’s the big deal any way? Mom and dad
divorced when I was six, dad died when I was seven… I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t
have mattered if I’d stayed with Jonouchi…
Yugi grumbled to himself but said
nothing as his mother stepped forward dragging him along. Yugi sighed once more
already missing the crowds of Domino City and his blond friend, the burger joint,
and even arch nemesis Kaiba. He did not want to spent his summer this way. Not
far away from his friends, in Cairo, in some crummy old house, with some geezer
he had not seen since he was six, a time he could hardly recall, the only
memory he did have, being that of his imaginary friend Pharaoh Yami.
He didn’t remember when he made him
up, nor when his friend left again, he just remembered having that friend, a
memory to which Jonouchi teased him mercilessly for. As much as that had pissed
him off, it also made him smile. Just the fact that now he had a friend to call
his own and no longer needed his make believe one. Even so, the topic was a tender
one, and Yugi would never forget the day he actually told another person about
Pharaoh Yami…
“You
had a make believe friend, Yug?” Jonouchi asked in surprise as he and Jonouchi
sat in front of their English teacher Ryo Bakura. Yugi felt his face heat as he
tried to shrink away into oblivion. It was bad enough that he looked like a ten
year old child when he was actually nearly seventeen, its not like he wanted to
be a preemie baby, but now Jonouchi was advertising to the world that he had
had and imaginary friend.
“Shut
up Jonouchi-kun!” Yugi hissed under his breath, and his teacher laughed warmly
at him, his deep brown eyes alighted with soft humor. Yugi blushed darker.
“It’s
perfectly normal for you to have a friend of that sort sometime in your life
Yugi, especially since you lost your family at such a young age.” Ryo-sensei
smiled at Yugi, and caused the small boy to blush. He liked his teacher a lot,
not in a romantic sense but in the way one would look up to a brother.
Ryo-sensei always took time out to help tutor him and Jonouchi-kun, and was
always so kind to him, something most people rarely did, Yugi never did know
why.
But
most of all, Ryo seemed to know about everything, from England to the United
states… hell he even knew a bit of Egyptian mythology. It had been his pendant
that had originally caught Yugi’s attention, and what had led him to speak to
the white haired teacher to begin with.
It
was a gold ring with a flat golden pyramid plate in the center and three golden
daggers falling from the bottom. From Yugi’s seat in the back it had looked
like a dream catcher at first, and after class he’d approached his teacher to
ask about it. Ryo had stared at him in shock for but a moment, and in that time
Yugi began to fear that he was going to lash out at him like his last teacher
had, only to have Ryo smile at him warmly, his gaze steady as he explained his
odd jewelry.
Since
then, Yugi wanted to make an impression on the teacher, and until this point,
felt that telling him what a lonely child hood he had, had not sounded like a
good idea.
“I
guess he’s right, so what was his name Yug?” Jonouchi said in a friendly, calm
tone, and Yugi looked up at him grin widening at his friends curious
expression. Maybe he could tell them after all…
“Pharaoh
Yami.” Yugi said proudly, and just like that, his perfect moment was ruined as
Jonouchi burst into a fit of coughing laughs, smacking the table with his right
hand, stumbling over the name Yugi had said with peals of laughter and tears in
his eyes.
‘”Pharaoh
Yami? Sounds tripping… was he wearing a skirt?”
“Zaken
nai yo!” Yugi hissed under his breath, calmly telling his friend to fuck off.
That only made Jonouchi laugh harder, as Yugi stood up from his seat (still
only the same height as Jonouchi as the boy continued to sit), and scream his
head off, unaware of the naked look of fear and sadness on his teachers face…
“Yugi, daijoubu ka?”
His mother’s soft question broke him
from his thoughts of his friend and beloved teacher, and brought him back to
the tall walled building with a soft groan. He really did not want to be here.
“Aa… daijoubu.” Yugi didn’t bother to hide his disappointment and felt his
mother sigh as she lifted a finger and rung the door bell.
The whole house seemed to hum for a
moment, and Yugi toyed with the fact that he recognized that ring. He swallowed
hard as his mind dropped inward, dragging his mind back to yet another memory,
painted golden in his mind. It had been a time before the accident, when he did
not understand fear like he did now.
Yugi
hummed happily to himself as he lay sprawled on his belly, feet kicking happily
as he colored a picture. His socks were bunched at his feet, the tips flopping
over his toes playfully. His khaki shorts and stripped yellow and blue t-shirt
rumpled against the wooden floor of his bedroom carelessly. He paused to smile
at his work, one small hand lowering to rub at his chest a moment before
lowering to finish his drawing.
His
picture was that of a six year old’s precision, showing a blob that was
supposed to resemble him holding the hand of another blob that was all black
except for his blood red eyes. His friend, chuckled at his drawing, and Yugi
dropped his red crayon, flopping over top of his work and glaring cutely at the
shadow above him. “Iie! No peaking, Yami wa yaksoku yo, Yugi!”
Again,
the shadow laughed and nodded his head, slightly, with a chuckle, “antyw iwit.”
He whispered softly and Yugi scrunched his face up at the shadow wondering if
he meant it or not.
“You
better not look…” Yugi warned as suddenly the door bell chimed, its brassy
quality echoing through the large home. Standing away from his picture he ran
to the door passing by the empty corner where he’d pretended the shadow to be
in. Using his full body weight he managed to opened the door and slipped out
and into the hallway, before popping his head back into the room and pointing
at the empty space above his picture, “Don’t you dare peak, Yami!”
He
ran down the stairs then, hardly feeling the soreness of his muscles as he made
it too the landing. It was then that he heard the yelling, his heart freezing
in his chest at the raised voices and the angry desperate tones.
“Give
me back my son, Sugoroku!”
“Demo,
Yugi wa—“
“You
let him fall in there didn’t you?! I told you to watch him, I told you what was
out there, but you didn’t listen!” His mother sounded hysterical and Yugi felt
his heart thunder with a painful recognition. He didn’t like anger, and he
didn’t like loud voices. His small hands came up to cover his ears blocking out
the comforting whisper of words that tried to reach him through the screams.
“My
god, what have you done!” Suddenly Yugi was grabbed around his waist and yanked
into protective arms. He gasped recognizing his mother’s embrace as she crushed
him close. “You stay away from him! You here me, don’t EVER come near him!” Yugi
gasped as his mother quickly turned running from the house as if she was afraid
that the place would kill her. As she moved past his grandfather, Yugi’s mother
froze, her voice clipped with hatred as she spoke and her words caused a gut
wrenching fear to swell inside of him. “You will regret this Sugoroku… I won’t
let them have him… I won’t let him live!”
Yugi
cried out as the door swung shut behind his mother, the last image of his
grandfather tinged in sad remorse as he held back the darkened shadow with his
arm, its red eyes pleading for Yugi to wait for him.
The sound of the door opening made
Yugi jump, and he swung back around to face the cause of the noise, chills
breaking over his body as the door opened and allowed him to look into the room
he remembered so vividly. Yugi shook his head trying to dispel the memory of
the place, not sure why he was taking time to recall anything now, as his
mother smiled and spoke in an emotionally, and excited tone.
“Sugoroku-san, it’s so good to see
you again!”
Yugi watched as his mother moved
forward and embraced the shorter, elderly man tightly. The man smiled back and
Yugi watched his plumb eyes sparkle with hidden light. “Anzu-chan, so good to
see you, I hope your flight was well?” Sugoroku said, with a deep chuckle.
Wrinkles crinkled by the sides of his eyes and mouth, give the illusion of
Santa Clause, what with the grey spiked hair only covered by a worn looking red
bandanna, his small form hunched with his age, and yet his smile seemed to hold
a never ending youthful quality to it that caused Yugi to want to smile in
return when those adorning eyes landed on him.
“My word, is that really Yugi?!” The
shocked quality made yugi feel slightly uneasy and he fiddled a bit, looking
away and up toward his mother with a pleading stare.
“Yes, Sugoroku,” Anzu Misaki said,
gesturing to her son, one arm wrapped around his shoulders lovingly, giving him
a small squeeze that helped to ease his tension some. “This is your grandson.”
“He’s gotten so big, I can’t believe
this is the same little boy who used to tell me he was afraid of the dark.”
Sugoroku, moved closer to hug Yugi, and Yugi instantly stiffened, luckily his
mom moved forward to stall the embrace.
“Yes, well, you can’t really expect
him to stay six forever can you?” At Sugoroku’s nod, his mother moved forward
fairly dragging the elder man into his own house, acting rude but obviously not
caring much. “Now, Yugi’s a bit touchy about his height and still doesn’t like
to be touched much…” His mothers voice was pitched low, as if trying to keep
Yugi from hearing it, but the teen did any way. I’m not deaf Okaa-san… Mou! Yugi rolled his eyes and took one last look
around the door way before stepping inside carefully looking at the grand stair
case that sat directly in front of him as he entered the room. Yugi blinked in
wonder, eyes traveling over portraits and walls he hadn’t seen in years. The
air smelled the same, bringing back memories of sitting at the large kitchen
table while his grandfather made breakfast.
Nothing’s changed… not one bit…
A cold breeze passed over his
shoulder causing Yugi to shiver turning away from the icy breath his mind
hearing the soft sound of a voice and he jumped fear washing over him. “antyw nfr akhu…biAw…”
Yugi swallowed hard spinning to face
the wind and dropped his bag from numb fingers his hand turning to rub at his
chest through his shirt nervously as his eyes landed on a window that
overlooked the side yard.
The house rested on a hill, and just below that hill rested a
garden, with trees and vines that were difficult to believe grew in the middle
of this heated place. The garden was not what had his heart slamming into his
ribs though, it was the dark green holly bushed that made a dense and thick
wall behind those innocent plants, and somehow, he knew that the cold breeze
had come from there. What… what was
that?! Yugi felt his arm hairs stand on end and took a step away from the
window, his legs shaking harshly beneath him.
A door
creaked.
Yugi turned at the soft sound
catching the last of his mother’s words as they filtered from a nearly closed
door just to the right of the stairs. “… keep him away from it. It’s trapped
for a reason. If I had any other choice he would not be here Sugoroku, and you
know this.”
“Yes Anzu, I know that very well
indeed.”
Yugi’s brow crinkled as he stepped
closer to the door way, curious. The room appeared to be some kind of study,
with books lining the walls. A deep burgundy carpet covered the floor and a
hearth was set across the room from a large desk. In from of the fireplace was
a recliner and a small love seat. His mothers white skirt and green blouse
stood out against the wine colored love seat, making her look out of place
there, where as his grandfather seemed to blend into the furniture around him,
like a chameleon.
“Right then. I’ll be back as soon as
the trial is over, it should not be more than a month, tops.” Anzu sounded
worried and Yugi couldn’t help but wonder why his mother panicked over him so
much. It was his grandfather for the love of god, not some waked out boyfriend
who had a fetish for young boys.
Yugi made a face, his insides
reminding him of how soft he looked in comparison to most boys his age. He was
often mistaken as a small boy and sometimes even a young girl, and had had
several boys make more than a few passes at him. Luckily Jonouchi was always
there to ward off unwanted attention.
“Yugi!” His mother called out, and
Yugi jumped almost smacking his forehead against the door frame. “Come here
please.”
With a relieved sigh, that he’d not
been caught, Yugi raced back to pick up his pack, and ran back to the door,
stepping inside slowly. “Aa, Okaa-san?”
Anzu smiled at him, a mother’s pride
and love showing in her blue eyes as she walked over and hugged him tightly to
her, placing a tender kiss to his forehead. “Okaa-san?” Yugi questioned,
baffled at her odd display and she laughed lightly stepping away from him, her
eyes unusually glassy.
“Gomen, gomen, Yugi.” She stopped to
look at him a moment longer before brushing past him and out the front door,
“You be good now, I’ll call you when I reach my hotel, okay hun?”
Yugi nodded once in her direction,
raising one hand in a wave as she stepped out of the door only to pop her head
back inside with a watery smile as she whispered, “Watshi wa itoshigo… Yugi.”
Then as quickly as that she was gone, and Yugi was left alone, in the old
creepy house, with the cold wind and wall of holly. The owner of the creepy
place standing behind him with a soft smile as he turned and asked, “So, Yugi-kun,
do you still like games?”
~*~
Yugi was surprised at how quickly he
relaxed in the presence of his grandfather. It was like he’d suddenly forgotten
why he was so afraid of people, as he sat on the floor of the study, a warm
fire glowing behind him as he defeated the old man for the seventh time in Duel
Monsters.
“I win again, Jii-chan. I call upon
Exodia, attack and life points infinity and that takes out your blue eyes white
dragon, leaving you with negative thirty life points. Game over.”
Yugi grinned brightly as Sugoroku
laughed at his loss staring in awe at Yugi’s skillfully played out win. “My,
my, you certainly earned the title ‘King of Games’ didn’t you? Ha! And you
think you used to hate to play gold fish when you where a child because you didn’t
understand why you had to draw another card.”
Yugi flushed a little but continued
to smile brightly. His Grandfather stood up slowly after a moment, and made a
groan of pain. “Ooh I’m getting to old for this… are you hungry Yugi? It’s
about dinner time now?”
Yugi felt his stomach twist with
want and he nodded standing as well, leaving his cards on the floor as he ran
across the room to follow his Jii-chan. “Aa! I’m starving, can we make
hamburgers?”
Sugoroku laughed at that, and shook
his head, moving into the kitchen and flipping on the light easily, causing the
room to become bathed with an artificial glow. “You still can’t get enough of
those can you?”
“Nope!” Yugi chirped, bouncing over
to the counter, pulling out a stool unconsciously and sitting on it before he
even noticed what he was doing. Yugi blinked, stunned, and looked around, the
feeling of De ja vu flooding his senses. “Huh?”
“Yugi… you’re doing it again.”
Yugi turned to look at his
grandfather, slightly scared now. “What do you mean, Jii-chan?” His grandfather
walked over to the space Yugi had unconsciously left open for the elderly man
and pulled out a recipe book, flipping through to a worn page with several
stains on it. Yugi recognized it instantly and shivered slightly as he thought
about it.
“This is what we used to do every
night, when your parents were getting their divorce, you stayed with me,
remember?”
Yugi nodded, following his instincts
and retrieving the bowl and spices from their places with out being told and setting
them in a precise and neat order. Sugoroku smiled at him when Yugi stopped
again to stare at his hands as if they belonged to someone else.
“iri
nn snd.”
“What did you say?!” Yugi cried,
spinning to face the old man, the words causing his heart to race, and his
hands to become clammy. Sugoroku blinked back at him with a startled expression
setting down the ground beef he’d removed from the fridge.
“I said, ‘don’t be scared.’ Your
mind is simply recalling things you used to do routinely, the feeling of de ja
vu is natural and you shouldn’t fear it.”
Yugi sighed, turning back to the
spices and bowl with a nod. “Oh… right. Sorry about the out burst… I thought…
never mind.” Yugi said reaching out and moving the bowl toward his grandfather
as Sugoroku pealed the saran wrap from the meat and then dumped the cold meat
into the proffered bowl.
“Yugi, Daijoubu? You look pale,
would you rather go to bed?”
Yugi shook his head, turning to
smile up at his Jii-chan, amethyst eyes warm. “Naw, I’m fine, besides, I
haven’t felt so much at home in forever. This feels… like I’ve finally come
home after a long trip. It’s kinda nice.” Yugi said with a small smile,
surprised that his words rang true.
Sure he missed his friends, and
teacher, not to mention burger world, but this house, in all its uncanny
scariness, felt like a warm safe place, the one thing he’d been looking for,
and he just couldn’t explain it. “Though, I do wish, Jonouchi was here with
me.” Yugi grinned and Sugoroku tilted his head to the side.
“Who’s Jonouchi?”
Yugi fairly beamed when he went to
talk about his friend, his joyous expression making him look much younger than
he already appeared, but he hardly cared. “Jonouchi-kun is my best friend! We
met two years ago when Kaiba entered the school and found out that I liked Duel
Monsters and he tried to pick a fight with me. Jonouchi stepped in and
protected me, saying that only friends are allowed to pick on friends. You see
Jonouchi used to tease me all the time, and I thought he hated me until he said
that, and when I asked he said that of course we were friends, and we’ve been
close ever since.” Yugi grinned, helping to turn the now seasoned meat into
patties as his story continued. “if it wasn’t for him, I would never have had
the courage to join and fight in the tournament, and I wouldn’t be the “King of
Games”, though I don’t think I’d care much anyway as long as he was still my
friend.”
His grandfather returned his smile
with an affectionate nudge, “That’s my grandson.” Yugi beamed at the compliment
and returned the playful shoulder shove as his grandfather turned to start the
stove. “Well, since, I’ll be busy cooking these, why don’t you give your friend
a call?”
Yugi was stunned.
“You mean it? But that’s like… really long distance.”
Sugoroku just smiled, tossing a wink
over one shoulder playfully, “Yeah, and that really doesn’t matter, now does it?” Yugi gaped at the comment
still in shock that someone wouldn’t care about a phone bill. “Yugi, I barely
use My phone anyway, so go ahead and call your friend. Don’t worry, it’s fine.”
Yugi met his grandfathers steady
stare and nodded turning and running for the hall phone with a giant grin on
his face. I actually get to call him! I
can talk to him, and tell him all about this weird trip!
Yugi picked up the phone, only
mildly annoyed at the attached cord that would keep him trapped to the wall, as
he lifted up a shaking finger to the buttons, listening to the sharp dial tone
in a moments hesitation before plugging in his friend’s number.
Three rings sounded in his ear,
making his heart flutter in anticipation until he heard the click as the phone
was picked up. “Moshi, moshi, Katsuya desu.”
“Jonouchi-kun?” Yugi asked, his
small hand gripping the phone tighter as he jumped a little hearing his friends
voice for the first time in nearly twenty-four hours. He couldn’t have
explained why hearing his friend made his feel like crying and leaping for joy
at the same time, but then again, who can explain the feelings of friendship
and heartache?
“Yugi-kun?! Anata des ka?” Jonouchi
sounded like he’d just woken up and had just had ice water thrown on him, and
Yugi couldn’t help but giggle a bit at it.
“Aa, Jonouchi-kun, ore wa Yugi
desu!” He giggled again as his friend stumbled over several sentences before
finally making some sense.
“Demo… aren’t you supposed to be in
Egypt or something like that Yug?” Jonouchi sounded baffled and Yugi grinned
widely, imagining that his friend’s face looked like he’d just been hit in the
head with a foreign language quiz. One eyebrow raised, the other drawn into a
scowl, his right hand scratching the back of his head in confusion. He probably can’t believe that I’d call long
distance, whether my Ojii-chan was rich or not.
“Aa, Jonouchi-kun, I’m on the
outskirts of Cairo, with my Ojii-chan. He said I could call you, cause he
doesn’t use the phone that often.” Yugi explained, knowing his friend would ask
what had made Yugi do something that would waste tons of money on a simple
phone call.
“Oh, right. I guess that makes
sense…”
“Yeah, it’s great here Jonouchi. At
first I hated it but now… it feels like… I don’t know, like I’ve been asleep
for a long time trapped in a dream… not really a nightmare, but not safe… and
now… I’m awake.” Yugi waited for a while, starting to worry that he may have
insulted his friend and stumbled to make amends when Jonouchi cut him off.
“No, Yug, it’s fine, I know what you
mean, but… I don’t mean to be rude, and its great to hear from ya… but it’s
kinda late here.”
“Are? Late?” Yugi asked looking down
at his wristwatch before nearly screaming, “Juunichi?!” It was already midnight
back home, and he hadn’t realized it. “AHHH Gomen! Gomen, Jonouchi-kun!”
“Iie, don’t worry about it, it’s
fine. So look, give me a call tomorrow and we’ll talk then okay? I have to go
before my dad wakes up. You know how he can be.”
Yugi rolled his eyes and nodded, boy
did he ever. “Aa… Oyasumi. Ja ne.”
Jonouchi sounded as if he were
smiling too when he spoke, “Aa, Oyasumi, Yugi. Ja.” The phone made a light click
ending their connection. Yugi slowly moved the phone from his ear, resting it
back on its cradle with a small smile.
“Yugi?”
He turned, and met Sugoroku’s eyes,
and smiled calmly, hiding whatever emotion he was feeling under its brightness.
“Aa, dinner ready?” Sugoroku nodded and Yugi followed him into the kitchen to
eat his meal.
~*~
The darkness was consuming, crawling up the
walls like a living being, devouring everything it touched, trapping it in its
cruel trap, its game of destruction. Yugi would have shied away, bolted from
the darkness with as must strength and speed as he could, unaware of his own
luminescence in the shadows that called to the wisps of destruction just as it
pushed it away.
Yugi swallowed looking around at the
moving blackness, following the darkest shadow of them all, his tiny hand
clutched protectively with in the other’s cold grip. The air was cold around
him, and Yugi shuddered a bit tripping slightly over his own feet as he
stumbled to catch up to the red-eyed man that lead him deeper into his worst
fears, drawing him just as the pyramid had done moments before.
His heart fluttered in his chest, as
his clothing made a soft noise as they brushed against each other, and Yugi
jumped when the now recognizable voice called out to him in a soothing manner.
“ iri nn snd kkwy, antyw akhu. HD, akhu, HD.”
The red eyes were again trained on
him. Yugi looked up into them, his fears leaving him instantly and he nodded
with a small smile, holding the shadow’s hand in a tight grip. “Hai, Yami. Yugi
wa Hikari. Yugi wa genki desu.”
The red eyes smiled, and the chilled
hand returned the gentle pressure. Something dark flickered through his
friend’s eyes, something hot and hungry, yet sad, and controlled. It confused
him, and the four year old tilted his head, unconsciously widening his eyes as
well. “Yami, daijoubu ka?”
The shadow stood, his eyes looking
as if he was going to cry, but they remained dry, as his free hand reached out
in the darkness and ruffled his hair slightly, cool fingertips brushing his
scalp playfully. “nfr Xrd.”
Yugi smiled, as their trek
continued. He wasn’t sure how long they walked, nor how far they’d traveled,
having the mind of a four year old, time was something that did not exist
except for on the wall that teacher’s pointed to, and direction was something
you just did not trouble yourself with. So, after what felt like an eternity,
Yugi yawned. Hs eyes growing heavy and his footfalls slowing to a near crawl.
He was hardly aware of the steady arms that encircled his waist lifting him up,
coldness seeping into his body as he cuddled close to the one who so tenderly
held him.
He knew this
feeling.
Yugi knew.
Amethyst eyes drifted shut tiredly,
small thumb making its way up and into his small mouth as exhaustion took him,
for once unafraid of the darkness that blanketed him an a tight cocoon. Yami
was a shadow, a darkness, and he was not bad, so why should he fear the others,
so long as Yami was beside him.
It was the voices that woke him. Yugi
blinked tired eyes awake at the murmuring of sound. It was nearly black in the
room, causing Yugi’s insides to freeze as a light sense of panic over whelmed
his small mind. He began to shake uncontrollably for several moments, light
whimpers escaping his mouth as he tried to see through the depths of the
shadows, to see anything aside from the darkness that wanted to consume him.
Yugi started to cry, waves of fear
and sorrow rushing through him so suddenly that he couldn’t contain the soft
whimpering as he shook. The deep voices suddenly stilled, and in their silence
Yugi choked on a cry, touching his hands, hands he could not see, to his face
and hiccupping panic over ridding his sense to be quiet. “Yami! Yami! Yami!”
Yugi bellowed, and suddenly there was a shuffling of feet. Yugi gasped when he
felt a heavy presence around him, and shook sniffling in his fear eyes wide,
and head thrashing from side to side to try and see anything. “Taskete…
onegai!” Yugi whimpered, and then the soft press of a cool hand met his skin, and
the lulling voice Yugi was beginning to recognize as his friend’s, spoke to
him, fingers pushing his bangs away from his head.
“iri nn snd, antyw akhu… HD r-Xnw.”
Yugi cried harder and moved forward
wrapping his small arms around the startled being before him and sobbed
uncontrollably into its embrace. “Yami, Yugi wa kowai! Sugoku kowai!”
The voice continued to sooth him,
hand stroking his back lovingly, and much to his surprise, the second voice
joined in the comfort, more gruff and uncomfortable sounding than Yami’s, but
steady and sincere. Yugi nodded and began to calm, sticking his dirty thumb
back into his mouth and sucking hard, until he’d finally managed to calm enough
to stand when Yami moved away.
“ii, akhu.” Yugi blinked, when he
felt a hand grip his own and gently tug, and instinctively knew that Yami
wanted him to follow. Another hand touched his shoulder lightly, this hand much
bigger than even the one he held. Looking up, Yugi tried to make out the shadow
that moved beside him, but still could not see much, though now that he had
calmed it seemed the darkness had lightened some, enough so that he could see
the hands that guided him, as well as his own body.
The two began to talk again. Their
conversation hushed, and relaxing to Yugi, even as their tones suggested that
they were bickering. Yugi was suddenly aware of
a cool breeze and turned in the direction deftly, and found a hole in
the siding of the room he’d been lead into. Silvery moonlight dripped in, and
Yugi grinned with joy running to stand in it’s light. “Kire…” Yugi whispered
looking up at the array of stars that could be seen through that hole. He heard
a soft chuckled and turned to look at his shadow friends, only red eyes stared
back at him.
Yugi pointed to the hole and pleaded
with the shadow to lift him through, but Yami only shook his head. Yugi began
to feel his tears well up once more and wiped at his face. His darkness was
around him again holding him close and whispering in Yugi’s ears in that
language he’d never heard before.
Yet, somehow Yugi knew that Yami was
holding him back from his freedom in order to protect him from the horrors of
the night. Resigned Yugi let the shadow cradle him, rocking him back and forth
until sleep once more took him away.
He woke with a start to find himself
outside in the sun, the desert sand brushing against his skin, his
grandfather’s tent no more than four feet away. Elation bolted through him as
Yugi struggled to his feet, unaware of the golden box he held tightly in his
hands as he ran, stumbling and sinking into the sand dunes, tripping more than
once before bursting into his grandfather’s tent. “Jii-chan!”
The old man jumped up, from what
seemed to be a restless sleep to look at his dusty grandson with tired, sad
eyes. “Yugi-kun!” And with that Yugi found himself in the arms of his
grandfather, laughing joyously at the warmth and attention that was being
rained down upon him, only slightly aware of the thin shadow that stood in the
corner of the tent, red eyes gleaming happily.
~*~
Yugi’s eyes snapped open as he
stared up at the shadowed ceiling of the room his grandfather had given to him
for his time being there. Sweat drenched his brow, and his heart thundered
rapidly with in his chest. Yugi sat gasping for breath, feeling the cold wind
from his open window dry his clammy brow, comforting him from his silent
screams. What the hell was that about?! Yugi pondered sitting up slowly, his hand
rubbing at his chest absently as he removed the blankets from his pajama
clothed body. His clothes were damp from his perspiration, and Yugi shivered in
the darkness as he unconsciously scrambled to turn on a light.
The small lamp on his night stand
shed a soft golden glow around the room, forcing the night shadows away and
higher up on his walls. Yugi continued to pant, his mouth cotton dry. His hands
shook when he brought them back to his light blue plaid, pajama clad lap, and
Yugi hurriedly clenched his hands tightly to stop their shaking. Are wa yume? Or… was it… a memory?
Yugi shook his head, forcing himself
to stand on his shaky legs and move toward the door that led to hall, which in
turn would lead him to the bathroom. He paused at the door, hand settled over
the cool knob with a cold sense of dread. It’s
dark out there…
Yugi trembled for a moment longer
before setting his face and throwing the door open, his feet flying over the
wooden flooring until he’d made it into the bathroom, the bright light flying
on as he dove inside. Yugi knelt breathing deeply, safe in the warm embrace of
the light, mentally cursing himself at his relapse.
He hadn’t needed a light on for
nearly a year now, and now, because of one stupid dream, he was cowering in the
light once more. Jonouchi would be
pissing himself from laughing to hard if he were here now. Yugi thought
glumly, standing and closing the door behind him, not bothering to lock the
door.
Moving to the toilet, he lifted the
lid and proceeded to empty his bladder with a contented sigh. His eyes traveled
to the window to his right, and Yugi couldn’t help but wonder if it was his
room that showed the center of the hedge maze.
He’d discovered that night while
showering, that the wall of Holly was actually the outer walls of a giant hedge
maze set just behind his grandfather’s home. Curious he’d studied the turns,
easily mastering the maze, but from his view at the bathroom window, it wasn’t
possible to see the heart of the said maze, and as he sought it out, another
cold breeze had drifted by his damp skin, causing him to rethink his curiosity.
He’d been too tired, and too
frightened to dare a peak out of his own window, be he was certain that he
would be able to see the very center of the maze from his bedroom window, and
whatever was in that center both called to him and scared him all at once. Yugi, you’re loosing it man. With a firm
shake, Yugi flushed and washed his hands after covering himself once more and
making his way back to the black hall of doom.
He forced himself to walk back to
his room, turning the bathroom light off as he left it. His skin crawled and
his heart pounded, yet he remained outwardly calm until he stepped carefully
back into the light of his room. The sensation of being followed tickling the
base of his spine and causing his heart rate to speed up painfully in his
chest. His breath quickened with his own irrational fear, and Yugi spun around
quickly to face the creature his own paranoia had created, slamming his door
quickly shut as if that small wooden barrier would keep whatever monsters of
the shadows away, his heart telling him that he truly did not want to see his
shadowed nightmares.
The door closed with a rush of air a
soft hollow pop made thunderous in the deathly silent night. Yugi’s arm shook
and he swallowed hard, resting his forehead against his door, as laughter
filtered bitterly from his lips. Ore wa
baka desu. Ore wa sugoku baka! Yugi continued to berate himself as calmness
once more seeped through his tired limbs. He was allowing his overactive
imagination to get the better of him. There was nothing to fear in the shadows,
not one thing, it was the same at night as it was during the day. Except for the looping shadows that hide the
stalker from your eyes until their right upon you… a blackened doorway that
leads straight to hell itself… Yugi shook his head sharply, pushing off of
the door and stalking across his room to the open window.
His hair was lifted by the chilled
evening breeze, the wind dipping and running under his slight light blue
pajama’s, caressing his skin like an inky shadow. Yugi shivered, blinking his
wide amethyst eyes. His soft cotton curtains billowed up, opening in the center allowing him a glimpse of the
grounds behind the house. It was dark and black in the night, tinged with a
silver glow of the waxing gibbous moon. The white curtains brushed by his cheek
as they filtered back against the window, the wind dying for but a moment.
“antyw
akhu...” The wind seemed to whisper in an ancient dialect, the voice rough
and deep. Yugi shook again recognizing the voice and stepped away from the
window with growing trepidation. What’s
wrong with me? There is nothing in this house, there is nothing to fear in the
darkness, Okaa-san said as much, so why can’t I just accept it.
Yugi closed his eyes as once again
the whispering began. Yugi clapped his hands over his ears and bowed his head,
eyes clenched tightly shut, “Shut up!” Yugi
hissed out, feeling foolish and frightened, “You’re not real! Leave me alone!”
Yugi cried out in a whisper and waited for the voice to come again, to test his
sanity, but after several moments, Yugi opened his eyes, aware that the soft
brushes of cool wind were soothing his cheeks and face like his mother’s caress
had done when he was but a child.
Slowly, Yugi allowed his hands to
drop from his head, and he blinked around the silent room lighted by the
artificial golden glow of his lamp. The rumpled bed sheets and billowing
curtain gave him the sense of normalcy and Yugi, sighed, smiling to himself at
his own stupidity. I really need sleep…
all this movement has made me tired. Stupid trial, stupid summer break, stupid parole
hearing, stupid, stupid, stupid!
Yugi’s shoulder’s dropped slightly,
and with a yawn, Yugi turned back to his bed pausing when his curtains
fluttered once more. Yugi’s hand was outstretched, reaching for his comforter,
but his slim fingers curled back in toward his palms as he turned once more to
his open window, curiosity running wildly through his body. It’s all stupid, but… still…
The wind seemed to call to him,
wrapping mindlessly around his body under his thin clothes and dragging him to
the opening in his room. The air smelled of sand dunes, ancient dust, and time.
It was a smell Yugi knew very well, one that made him almost nostalgic, but he
didn’t concentrate on that for too long. …
I wonder if the heart of that hedge maze… can I see it from here?
Yugi moved with quickened steps,
following the call of the wind and gripping his curtain with one hand pulled it
aside and looked out into the utter blackness of the outside. For a moment there
was nothing, just deathly darkness outlined with the silver moonlight and stars
that painted the sky, but as he waited, Yugi began to make out shapes bathed in
silver light and shadow.
The gardens, the old play set out
back, the chain swing, swaying in the nightly breeze as if a shadow of his
former self still swung there enjoying a time he could no longer recall. The
grass seemed to glow eerily, lightened by the moonlight to a soft bluish color.
Distantly, Yugi wondered why the air smelled of the desert sand when the land
seemed to scream oasis, until his eyes landed on the darkened, glossy, walls of
holly.
A thrill ran up his spine at the
sight of the maze, his mind running over the turns he’d already memorized from
earlier. He could enter it blind folded and make it to the heart of the maze,
he was not the game master for nothing after all, but now that he could see the
center, he felt his pals sweat lightly in anticipation, a reaction he couldn’t
explain.
Left,
left, right, left, kitty-corner right, and then cut through the narrow doorway
opening… and there it is. Yugi’s eyes widened in a silent gasp at the white
stone pedestal that sat at the maze’s very heart. It seemed to glow, and
shimmer, and Yugi wondered if it would shine like the desert sands when he
stood over it. On the pedestal rested a carved bench, all of which resided on
the right side of the squared center, but the walls obscured the left side from
view, and Yugi felt a pang of disappointment at the visual infringement. Guess I’ll just have to go through it to
see… Yugi sighed once again, his curiosity sated for the moment and turned
around to leave the window, when a soft glimmer caught his eye. Nani… ka?
Yugi turned back, staring at the
white marbled bench, searching for the thing that had caused the sudden light.
There was
nothing there.
“This is so stupid.” Yugi rolled his
eyes with annoyance, his eyes meeting those of his pale reflection on the
glass. Yugi glared at his own image in the half raised window, his right hand
unconsciously rubbing away at his chest before reaching out to grab the window
sill and leaned back pausing at just the right angle and catching sight of a
light resting just beneath the bench. “What the…?” When he moved the light
vanished once more, and suddenly Yugi’s heart lurched. “There’s something down
there… and its reflecting the
moonlight!”
Excitement pulsed through his nerves
and Yugi felt himself smiling with childlike interest. It was like one of those
mystery games with a treasure hunt thrown in the mix. Yugi chuckled to himself
giving one last glance to the area, logging it away in his mind before turning
back to his bed, finally slipping beneath the sheets, feeling their cold
crispness surround his bare feet. What ever was down there would still be there
in the morning, so there was no use it running out right away. No sense in
risking his life in the shadows when he could just as easily make the trip
through the maze in the bright, safety
of the day.
“It’s probably just some silver
money item or bent metal.” Yugi yawned reaching over to turn off his light, his
fingers rested just above the switch, held by his unconscious fear. Yugi made a
face and pushed the button, swiftly, snuggling into his bedding with a snort.
“There’s nothing to fear in the darkness.” Yugi closed his eyes unaware that he
suppressed his natural fear with the image of glowing red eyes, and a deep
resonate voice.
Yugi let out a comfortable breath as
sleep drew him into protective arms, and whispered to himself, once again telling
himself not to fear, “iri nn
snd…”
The curtain’s billowed loudly, a
harsh cold wind wrapping into the room as if searching desperately for the one
who was sleeping peacefully unaware of its desperate search.
“antyw
akhu, ii n antyw kkwy…”
~*~
He had decided that Cairo was a
nickname for hell. That was the only place that could possibly be worse than
sitting in a courtroom filled with dirty memories and stuffy people, and that
was the place his mother had called safer than the court house. Damn it, what do I look like, a side-show
circus freak?! Yugi tried to ignore the stares that the “town folk” threw
his way (he couldn’t exactly call the place a town, considering that Cairo was
actually a very large city, but the way they acted sure gave him the impression
of a small close nit community.) It’s
like some messed up version of “Village of the Damned.” Yugi thought
testily, remembering the subtitled American movie Jonouchi had rented on his
last years birthday bash. Only the
setting has been moved to the tropics…”Village of the Damned goes to Florida…”
Yugi scuffed the toe of his white
sneaker into the ground with a pout as he waited outside of the Museum his
Grandfather had disappeared inside of. Usually Yugi would have been ecstatic to
get inside of such a place, but after all the avid stares and whispers from
people, and after realizing that for some bizarre reason the museum seemed to
be the hottest place to be, Yugi decided he was safer simply waiting outside.
Another person paused to stare at
him, and yugi hunched his shoulders higher trying to disappear. I’m in hell, and my sentence is a one
freak’en month, and it’s only been one lousy week! Yugi pouted, sinking
lower until he was sitting on the ground curled up into a tight ball, his eyes
focused solely on his shoes. …and I still
haven’t gone into that damn maze…
Yugi sighed, lifting one finger to
toy with a fractured rock listlessly. He didn’t know why he hadn’t gone in, it
was just a silly little game, one made for those who were bored stiff, yet the
pull of his curiosity and something else, though it drew him, it also kept him
from entering, so, out of stupid fear, Yugi had yet to step through the opening
of the hedge maze.
It’s
stupidly simple… if you follow the left wall it will lead you straight to the
center… so why… do I feel like I’d lose myself if I allowed myself to enter it?
“Excuse me.”
The unknown voice snapped Yugi from
his ponderings, and he looked up at the new comer, startled that someone had
actually bothered to speak to him instead of pointing and staring. “Yes?” Yugi
asked puzzled when he saw that the person was actually a young girl, a child no
older than twelve at best. “Can I help you?”
Yugi smiled warmly at the little
girl, and was pleased when she returned the smile with a light blush of what he
assumed to be embarrassment. She reminded him of Jonouchi’s younger sister, and
it relaxed him a bit.
“Well, I’m Shari, and, well… I
noticed that you were alone and I wanted to know if you’d like to go with me?”
Shari looked up at him with dark brown eyes and Yugi smiled kindly at her,
assuming she meant she wanted company through the museum.
“Thanks, but I’m just waiting here
for my Grandfather to get out, I’m not really interested in going inside.
Sorry, Shari-chan.” Yugi stated gently, watching as her eyes widened slightly.
She really was a cute kid. Black
hair pulled back in a ponytail, her tanned skin contrasting greatly with the
bright tank top she wore. Her top was a bit short showing off her lower belly
before her short cut off shorts started, showing off long skinny legs of a
child ending with worn looking flip flops. Yugi grinned, she looked as though
she was trying to act older than she really was, but all it did was make her
look more childish.
A shadow fell over Yugi’s shoulder
as yet another group of people exited the tall building , Yugi didn’t pay them
much mind, never noticing when they paused just behind him. He was too busy
with the small child, hoping she wouldn’t be offended or saddened at his decline
of her company. I really must be a
masochist… here I am complaining and some sweet kid wants to cheer me up and I
say no thank—
“Inside? You mean there?” The girl
pointed to the building behind Yugi and he nodded slowly, not understanding why
she looked so astounded.
“Yeah… isn’t that what you meant?”
Yugi asked confused. “You wanted company when you looked around?”
Shari laughed, “No! I was asking if
you’d want to walk around town with me. What do I look like a child?”
Yugi refrained from speaking for a
moment, and instead blinked in incomprehension. Am I missing something here? Yugi shook his head slightly, before
blinking at Shari again. Sure, his first language was not the one that she was
speaking in, and he was a bit rusty with the words, but he was certain he
understood her correctly.
Shari laughed again, bringing Yugi’s
attention back up to find that she was leaning toward him with a grin. “You’re
cute. Wanna be my boyfriend?”
Yugi blinked.
“What?!” Yugi asked his stomach
bottoming out as all the blood leaked from his face. There was no way his luck
was that bad. “Are you kidding?” Yugi asked sitting up, one of his legs
dropping to the side so that he now leaned against one bent leg, the other
crossed in front of him. Shari just giggled some more as if he’d just said a
really funny joke.
“Of course not silly, I mean, you’re
what, thirteen? And I think you’re really cute, even though you look kinda
girly, but that fits you somehow. So what do you think?” Shari asked
innocently, adding insult to injury in the way only a child could.
Yugi wanted to
scream.
I
am in hell! Thirteen? Girly?! My god, I know I sound like I haven’t hit
puberty, and I have yet to grow any facial hair, and I’m barely five feet tall,
but honestly, do I look like I’m thirteen?!
Yugi silently squashed the annoying
voice that told him that while his knee length jean shorts and black tank top
and white over shirt weren’t overly masculine, they did tend to make him look
younger than his usual leather get up did.
Deep throated laughter filtered from
behind him, and brought Yugi spinning around with a joyous cry, “Ojii-san!” He
was saved, at least he thought he was, until he realized that his grandfather
was not alone. Two men flanked Sugoroku, both tanned with strikingly blond
spiky hair, and amazing lavender eyes. They looked like twins, but by the way
the two men stood, it was easy to see that both were actually a little closer
than simple family. In fact, they reminded him eerily of Honda and his
girlfriend, Miho.
Although Yugi himself had no real
preference when it came to male or female relationships (for some reason, never
having felt anything more then friendly adoration to anyone) the two,
obviously, male lovers, freaked him out a bit. Why do those two look so familiar? The slightly taller one looked
his way with a wide smirk, eyes sparkling dangerously, and Yugi shuddered. And why is Psycho 2 looking at me like that?
Yugi quickly turned from the two
psychos when his Grandfather stepped up to resolve his little dilemma. Yugi
wasn’t sure if he was grateful for the help or simply annoyed as all hell.
“I’m sorry, but Yugi is seventeen,
though he may not look it, and I’m afraid he’s only visiting me for the summer,
Shari, was it?”
Shari blinked wide eyes standing up
straight and then looked between Yugi and Sugoroku several times before her
cheeks became a deep cherry hue and she started to sputter out an apology
before bolting off and down the steps as quickly as her legs would carry her.
“Well, then Yugi, you hungry?”
Sugoroku asked, turning back to the fully insulted, and now fairly guilty
feeling, teen. Yugi raised his eyebrows as if to ask him, ‘are you kidding?’
but stood anyway and dusted his backside off with his hand turning to follow
the elderly man, only to find that the two psychos also seemed to be invited to
their mid-day meal.
“Ojii-san?” Yugi questioned, and
when the old man turned his plumb colored eyes on him Yugi pointedly looked
over his shoulder at the two stalkers that followed them. Sugoroku laughed,
startling Yugi a bit as he turned back to face the front continuing to lead the
way toward whatever restaurant they intended to dine at, assuming they were
dining out.
“Oh, that’s right Yugi, you probably
don’t remember Marik and Malik, do you?” Sugoroku asked with a chuckle. Yugi
shook his head politely though inside his thoughts were quite rude. If I remembered Psycho 1 and 2 I wouldn’t be
calling them psycho now would I? Yugi heaved yet another sigh.
He liked his grandfather quiet a
bit, and was quite comfortable with him, and very happy living with him, but
sometimes the man could be incredibly aggravating, which Yugi assumed was due
to his being a teenager of seventeen (or nearly seventeen as it was), the fact
that he was hotter then hell, currently living in hell, and going through his
own bought of male PMS.
“No, Jii-san, I don’t remember
them.” Yugi stated in Japanese hoping that the two other’s wouldn’t understand
him. As luck would have it, hell was poly-lingual.
“Aa, Yugi-kun, you were just a gaki last I saw you.” The nicer looking psycho said. Yugi
glanced back, trying not to look as horrified as he felt. Great, they speak my language too…”
“What do you mean were? He still is a
baka gaki, he was hit on by a twelve year old!”
Psycho 2 stated with a snear, and Yugi tried his best
to glare the bastard into a puddle of human pus. His glare seemed to make the
psycho even more happy and he smirked at him even as his smaller look-a-like
hit him in the arm with a bitter reprimand of, “Marik, nock it off!” Marik
seemed to simply shrug his other off and met Yugi’s glare with a challenging
smirk, “What’s wrong akhu ny pr-aA?” Marik’s voice
slipped low as he began a language Yugi recognized with a cold clarity. Before
he could think better of it he’d already turned around and stared at the man in
utter shock before growling low, his hands fisted at his sides, his whole body
shaking. He hated men like this, they scared him badly, but they also pissed
him off more then anyone else.
“Zaken nai yo, anata
wa yarou-san!”
“Yugi?!” Sugoroku shouted appalled
that Yugi had actually had the nerve to say such fowl words, and although Yugi
didn’t look it, inside he was asking himself the same question. What the hell is wrong with me?! It’s the
heat! I swear it. Damn I’m gonna get hit big time for that one! Damn it! Damn
it, damn it! Think before you talk Yugi, think!
Marik, took a step toward him and
Yugi closed his eyes preparing for the hit he was sure to get for telling the
man to fuck off and then having the gall to call him Mr. Bastard as well. But
instead of a stinging blow, yugi was shocked silent when the large hand of
Marik came down gently on the top of his head, ruffling his already messy hair
in a kind, and completely uncharacteristic gesture.
“You’re all right, kid.”
Yugi must have looked like he’d just
watch Marik grow tits and lose his manhood, because the man laughed at him when
he met Yugi’s eyes and ruffled his hair some more before stepping around him
and leading Sugoroku back down the street with a, “So, you been to the site
recently?”
Yugi stared after them in shock,
still trying to figure out what had just happened when the other ‘Marik’ walked
up and placed a hand on his shoulder with a small smirk. “Well, I guess that
means you pass.”
“Pass? Pass what?” Yugi asked completely
baffled as he was then led in the direction that the other’s were headed in.
The other blond, whom Yugi seemed to recall was named Malik, kept one hand
protectively on his shoulder as he guided Yugi through the crowds and towards
his grandfather and Marik. Yugi realized that the grip seriously was protective. It wasn’t a friendly grip,
or even one of concern, but the type of grip his mother always kept on him, as
if for some reason she feared someone was going to rip him away at any moment,
and as loved (and honestly, smothering) as that
made him feel when his mother did it, Malik’s grip just annoyed him.
Yugi considered shrugging the man’s
hand off him, but didn’t want to try it after his frightening moment just minutes
before. Luckily, Malik had decided to answer his question then, forcing his
mind away from the protective grip. “Marik likes to test people, see if they
can be pushed around, or if they are stupid enough to think they can push him
around.” Malik said with a soft chuckle.
“So… that makes me stupid?” Yugi
asked feeling yet another harsh blow to his ego. Thirteen? Girly? Gaki? Kid? Stupid?! Damn it,
can’t anyone be nice to me today?!
“No, that’s not what I meant
Yugi-chan.”
Yugi’s eyes bugged. CHAN?! This time he did shrug off the hand on his
shoulders turning to glare daggers up at Malik, who in turn, raised an eyebrow.
“I am not a child, nor am I a girl so don’t call my chan!”
Malik smiled, and then he ruffeled
his hair as well, earning an annoyed pout from Yugi. “Aa, gomen ne, Yugi-kun. I
just haven’t seen you since the dig, and back then you were, Yugi-chan.”
Yugi blinked at that bit of news,
and filed it away to question him later about it. “It’s fine… but if not an
idiot, then how did I “pass” his stupid test?”
“You fought back, even though you
knew you couldn’t take him on. That’s something even Marik can respect.” Malik
paused, a slow smile making its way up his face, “It’s nice to know that we
aren’t guarding the akhu ii pr-aA
because he is
just a weak little being.”
“Huh?” Yugi asked, that statement
making no sense what so ever in his mind. Malik looked down at him and for a
moment, Yugi could read the other’s sudden fear, but just as quickly as he saw
it, it was gone, and Malik was chuckling once more.
“Never mind, it’s unimportant.”
Unimportant
my ass… Yugi sighed and let it go anyway, knowing complaining wouldn’t get
him anywhere, and also having this feeling that perhaps he was better off, not
knowing the truth. Life was already much more complicated then he was ready
for. Yugi was in no hurry to make things worse.
“So… what does, akhu ii pr-aA mean
anyway? You just called me it, and earlier, Marik did as well.” Yugi asked,
mildly surprised when the foreign language rolled so easily off his tongue
sounding rather natural to his ears. Malik seemed to notice this as well as a
small smirk made its way up his face.
“It’s Hieratic, a form of ancient
Egyptian, and it means Light of Pharaoh.” Malik smiled, this time looking
remarkable evil, like Marik. “Why? Sound familiar, akhu?”
Yugi’s heart jumped clear up and
into his throat and he thought for certain his insides must have frozen over at
that look. Suddenly, he felt very exposed and frightened. Yugi swallowed hard,
and stepped back and away from the grinning blond. Something about him
triggered a memory, one he was certain he never wanted to remember, and just
when as he was about to bolt, his grandfather called out to him, shattering the
moment and saving him yet again.
“Yugi-kun, Malik-san, ha yaku, we’re here.”
Yugi nodded shakily, his mouth and
throat much too dry to form words as he bolted up to his grandfather’s side
gripping the elderly hand with his own tightly. He felt his Grandfather stiffen
at his sudden grip and felt Sugoroku’s eyes on him, but he didn’t look up, and
his Grandfather didn’t question him.
“Well then, let’s go eat.” Marik
said as soon as Malik had caught up as well, and as a group they entered the
building. Whatever Yugi had been expecting , it had not been this, and he
stared in awe at the place where they would be dining, in a state of mild
shock. Perhaps he’d expected some native food joint, or even just a small
grocery store or something of the like, but he’d never believed that he’d
actually find a place like this, let alone eat in one until he’d made it safely
back home to Domino.
It was a Pizza
Hut.
Guess
they really are everywhere…
~*~
Yugi wasn’t quite sure how he’d
wound up here, of all places. After lunch, Yugi was expecting to be able to go
back to the mansion and maybe play a few games with his Grandfather, perhaps
watch a movie with him and then crawl back into bed and dream of happy times
back in Domino with his friends.
No, instead, Marik and Malik, who,
he’d discovered, had helped his grandfather on a dig when he was six years old,
had managed to talk Sugoroku into visiting their old excavation site where the
two blonds were currently staying with Malik’s older sister Isis.
So, now he was standing in the
scorching desert sand, the dusty wind running through his hair and under his
clothes, while the two psychos and his neurotic grandfather were drinking
something that reeked of alcohol, and talking about the good old days.
Yugi had made sure to get as far
away from them as possible. He hated alcohol, any form of it. It smelled bad,
tasted awful and made one insane when they drank it. His grandfather didn’t
frighten him, he looked like he’d be a happy drunk. Malik, he couldn’t tell at
all, but Marik… Yugi shuddered, and turned away from them, wondering how they
would be getting home if all three where too drunk to drive back.
Yugi layback in the sand, closing
his eyes and simply listening to the sound of the desert’s song. It was a song
that hummed deep inside of him, as if it was deeply woven into his heart and
Yugi couldn’t help but smile as the odd sense of coming home returned to him
once more.
Yugi didn’t know how long he lay
there for, he didn’t much care, but after what felt like an eternity and barely
a moment later, a shadow fell over him, and Yugi opened his eyes cautiously,
smelling the air for the vile stench of booze.
There was no scent of it, and when
his eyes focused he found himself looking up and into the soft feature’s of
Isis. “Hey.” She said, a soft, small
smile on her face. Yugi returned it, curling the fingers of one of his hands
that rested by his face.
“Hi.”
She sat down beside him, leaning on
one knee and gazing out across the horizon. “You look like you belong here,
Yugi. Like the desert is calling to you.”
Yugi blinked a bit sitting up. Does everyone have to act al weird here? Is
it like some kind of messed up rule or something. “While living in Cairo you
must talk in riddles and make tourists feel as uncomfortable as possible.” Yugi
closed his eyes a moment before looking out at the horizon with Isis. She was
right about one thing though, he did feel as if the desert was calling out,
asking him to run across the sands, to simply sprout wings and fly. Yugi
giggled at the thought and turned to face Isis, who was staring at him with a
serious expression on her face.
“I guess you’re right about that.”
Yugi said, tilting his head to the side a bit, “I do recognize this area a bit,
but I guess that’s because I was here ten years ago huh?”
“That’s true. I just wish to know
how it was you survived that trip out here.” Isis stated as thought she was
commenting on the weather.
“E—excuse me?” Yugi blinked,
suddenly very weird-ed out. This whole
entire place is nuts… gosh I wish Jonouchi was here… at least then I wouldn’t
feel… so alone. Yugi flinched a bit and turned away, before Isis could see
it, curling into himself, feeling rather afraid and depressed.
“So, I take it, you don’t like
alcohol.”
Yugi shook his head, glad for the
normal question for once. “Not really. My mom’s boyfriend was an alcoholic… he
was…. Mean.” Yugi left it at that not really wanting to delve deeper into that
subject. Isis seemed to understand his feelings and didn’t ask anymore on it.
Another silence passed between them
as the sun continued to make it’s way across the sky, lighting the sand
crystals in a way that made the entire horizon gleam. The sound of distant
thunder echoed in Yugi’s mind, setting a beat to the desert song as the wind
passed by him. Yugi closed his eyes, pretending that the beat was real and not
just something he imaged to pass the time. Anxiousness settled into his bones
setting butterflies loose in his gut, with his eyes closed he could pretend
that he was miles away, back in the ancient times when this place was alive
with his thunderous beat, the elements aiding in his dance as he moved to that
old tune, acting freely as he wished to do, performing for a pharaoh on a
throne.
A smile lifted Yugi’s lips at his
daydream and the wind rushed up as if to hold him in its arms, circling around
him almost like it expected him to fly away with it. Yugi sighed, when the
breeze died, and his fantasy of ancient Egypt drifted out of reach, and he
opened his eyes sadly, back to the desolate present, where the timeless melody of
this land was muted under rationality and technology.
A loud whooping cry brought Yugi’s
attention to the three drunken men, and he made a face, rolling his eyes
heavenward. I get the feeling I’ll be
sleeping out here tonight…
“You know why I said what I did
before?” Isis asked suddenly. Yugi started and turned wide Amethyst eyes to
her, and shook his head slowly, a little lost by her sudden question. What she said before? Huh? About the
alcohol or…
Realization suddenly dawned on the teen and he made an ‘oh’ shape
with his mouth finally understanding that she was drawing back to her whacked
out comment on his “survival” of his last time out in Cairo. Like I could have understood that nonsense,
let alone know why you said it… Yugi thought blisteringly.
Isis smiled at him and stood, holding out her hand, which he took,
quietly standing, and following her lead. There was nothing better to do and
Yugi was bored anyway. May as well humor the locals right?
“You see, ten years ago we
where excavating this tomb, next to the tomb was the pyramid and resting place
of the pr-aA ii kkwy, the Pharaoh of—“ Isis began, and it triggered a memory
inside of Yugi’s mind.
“Shadows…” Yugi whispered, vaguely
remembering the words spoken by a blackened shadow with crimson eyes.
“Darkness actually, but yes, I guess
shadows would apply under that category as well.” Isis explained while
continuing on leading him farther from the camp sight and toward a towering
pyramid, one Yugi was quite certain he remembered. “Anyway, anyone who entered
that tomb, was either never seen again, or came out raving mad, and so the tomb
of the Pharaoh of Shadows was off limits for excavation.” By this point in her
story, Yugi noticed that they had made it to the base of a pyramid, one Yugi
quite remembered from his childhood. He blinked stepping closer, his footsteps
falling short near a hole in the ground, one he remembered falling through.
“I… I fell in.” Yugi whispered
shocked, and turned his startled eyes back to Isis when she nodded silently,
her next words low and deep, holding deep meaning and questions that left
Yugi’s skin tingling.
“Yes, You fell into the forbidden
pyramid, and came back out… unharmed.”
Yugi’s eyes widened in
understanding, flashes of long forgotten memories rushing through his mind
quickly, ending with the vision of crimson eyes and a deep voice filled with
affection.
“antyw akhu…”
Yugi blinked, suddenly wishing he
was alone when he met Isis’ penetrating gaze. “I wonder why?”
“W—why what?” Yugi stumbled over his
sentence his mouth once again dry as cotton, his heart battering against his
chest harshly. Why he was still sitting next to this woman, Yugi couldn’t
guess. He hardly knew her, knew her brother and his lover were at least
partially psychotic, his grandfather who he hardly knew at all was currently
drowning in alcohol, and here he was listening to some story that sounded like
belonged in some messed up side story to the “Ringu” trilogy.
Isis turned her dark eyes to him
with a soft smile, one Yugi couldn’t place as she answered him with yet another
creepy notion. “Why you were the only one to ever enter and find your way out,
completely unharmed.” Isis paused to look over the crumbling stonework of the
old tomb, and lifted a hand to caress its surface gently. “That could be the
reason as to why everyone seemed to stare at you in town, you know.”
“H-how, did you know about that?!”
Yugi cried, jumping away from her, unnerved by her sudden knowledge that Yugi
was certain no one else had noticed. Isis, turned serious eyes to him, her face
stony, and to Yugi terrifying. Slowly she stood and Yugi took a step back when
she turned to face him.
“Stay… stay back!” Yugi whimpered,
his legs shaking uncontrollably as he moved away from the Egyptian woman. She
didn’t seem to listen and reached out grabbing his wrist as he turned to bolt,
and Yugi’s breath hitched on a sharp cry. His whole body shook as he looked up
and into the steady gaze of the woman. What
the hell is going on?! I want my mother! Dear god, some one… any one please
save me!
“Yugi…”
A sharp rush of wind belted from
behind and Isis seemed startled by it momentarily, turning back to face the
pyramid as the wind rushed down through the hole at it’s base causing the
structure to groan with a empty call. Yugi’s heart leaped into his throat as
his mind seemed to blank out, images of his time inside that dark place
plashing through his mind.
Yugi blinked his eyes, the over
whelming sense of being helped running through him, as if the wind itself urged
him to flee. Yugi jerked his arm out of Isis’ grip and she turned to regard him
as the wind suddenly died.
“Y… Yugi?” Isis seemed uncertain,
but blinked off her nervousness when the cry from behind announced Sugoroku’s
arrival.
“Yugi-kun, what are you doing over there?
Come on, it’s time to go home now!”
Yugi hadn’t even realized that he’d
been glaring until he felt his face relax as he turned toward his grandfather.
“Aa, Ojii-san!” Yugi turned to look at Isis once more, this time feeling a
little ashamed that he’d glared at her, but all the same, relieved that he was
escaping her now. Isis, smiled at him and bowed slightly toward him. Yugi
returned the bow a bit shakily, startled that she knew that Japanese custom
before darting back to his grandfather’s side quickly. I just want to get back to the house and call Jonouchi and forget this
whole dame thing ever happened. Yugi thought as he jumped into the back of
the Jeep Marik had driven them here in.
The blond was behind the wheel and
grinned at him through the mirror. Yugi swallowed hard and tried to curl into
himself, his action seemed to startled the man, and Marik turned around and
raised an eyebrow in his direction. “Lost your bark?”
Yugi wasn’t sure how to respond and
so chose to stay silent, luckily his Grandfather joined them before Marik could
ask him another question. Yugi tried to relax a bit as the car started up, but
couldn’t get his body to obey. A large hand settled on his shoulder and caused
Yugi to leap out of his skin before turning to face Malik.
His widened frightened eyes must
have sobered the man up, for Malik’s smile faded and he removed his hand,
holding both up in a gesture of peace. “Sorry, just wanted to say goodbye.”
“N—no, it’s my… my fault.” Yugi
looked away, and missed the sad smile the other sent his way.
“Well, goodnight, Yugi. I’m glad you
returned.”
Yugi turned to look at Malik only to
find him bowing, in much the same way as his sister had done. Before he could
question the action, the jeep pulled away and left the two odd siblings alone
with the sand and the stone structures of the past. What was all that about? Yugi questioned, already knowing, that he
didn’t really want to know.
~*~
Dinner was silent. Not the
comfortable kind, but the gut-clenching, wish you were anywhere but there kind
of silence, and it made Yugi squirm uncomfortably. After Marik had dropped them
off and left, it had been too late to call Jonouchi, and he found that he’d
missed his mother’s nightly phone call.
Yugi sighed, pushing a cooked carrot
around on his plate. He wasn’t hungry anymore, too many questions ran through
his mind, questions that Yugi didn’t want to know of, and yet needed to know all at once. The carrot mushed in half
and Yugi’s eyebrows rose at the death of his orange vegetable.
“Yugi, you’ve been silent since
lunch this afternoon. Do you want to talk about it?” Sugoroku asked, breaking
the silence and approaching the subject Yugi’d been agonizing over for the past
hour with ease.
“… it’s nothing really. Just some
things Isis said.” Yugi mumbled returning to destroy the rest of his meal with
his fork.
“And what did she say?” Sugoroku
asked Yugi with a patient kind of tone, and Yugi looked away from his food and
out toward the hall phone, wishing he could call Jonouchi up, but the seven
hour time difference made that near to impossible. What can I tell him? That she freaked me out? That Malik and Marik are
psycho-paths who need some serious supervision? That his hedge maze talks to me
in ancient Egyptian, and the wind of the desert is my best friend?
Yugi sighed, dropping his fork on
his plate with a soft clatter. “She was talking about the last time I was
there… on the dig.” Yugi said after a few moments of a heavy pregnant pause. He
couldn’t say anything after all, it wouldn’t be right, and he’d just be
bitching if he let his aggravated emotions take control of him and push him
around.
“Oh.”
That was all the elderly man said
for a while as if that simple word had summed up the entire conversation Yugi’d
had out in the desert with the psycho’s sister, insanity.
“Ojii-san, what…” yugi liked his
lips, wetting them with his saliva, “What happened?”
Yugi looked up at his grandfather
for the first time that evening and found his grandfather beaming at him sadly,
as if proud but also uncertain of something. Yugi tilted his head in his
grandfather’s direction, in a questioning notion. Sugoroku closed his eyes and
shook his grey head slowly. “To be honest Yugi, I am not sure.”
Yugi blinked, not expecting that to
be his answer and returned to looking at his already cooling food. “Oh.”
“Come, Yugi, follow me and I’ll tell
you what I know, all right?” Sugoroku
was smiling when Yugi looked up and already headed toward the study. Yugi
quickly jumped up, abandoning his food in favor of learning what he’d
forgotten.
A fire was burning in the fireplace,
oddly out of place in an area that was supposed to be considered a desert, but
the night was surprisingly cold, and the warmth of the fire, welcomed. Sugoroku
was already seated in his plush, and very worn looking recliner. Yugi smiled,
remembering curling up in there as Sugoroku read to him, his shadowed friend
standing protectively over the chair, silently watching.
“Now, ten years ago, your parents
where in the midst of a divorce. Not wanting to put you through it they sent
you here to stay with me, on neutral grounds, since your mother’s parents had
been dead for some time.”
Yugi nodded, all ready knowing this
part, and suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Save me the pain and grief huh? What bull! What do they think happened
to me when they screamed at each other outside my room? When… daddy… when he
said…
Yugi was grateful when Sugoroku
continued, tearing him from the thoughts and the distant memory that wished to
consume him.
“So, you came here. Marik, Malik,
and I were working on a dig together, unearthing a small tomb just outside the
Shadow’s pyramid. It was a curse place, that one, and though I desperately
wanted to dig that one, I could not, because it was cursed.
“I’m not talking, normal curses I
mean, real honest to god, you go in, goodbye to you, kinds of curses, Yugi, and
since you were there with me, I had to curb my desires to search. Your mother
had heard of the Shadow’s Pyramid, and made me swear not to let you near it,
but you ran off, and straight to it, as if it had called you.” Sugoroku seemed
proud of that fact, and smiled at Yugi a moment.
“… called me?” Yugi whispered, his
spine tingling with unease.
Sugoroku laughed, “Yes, funny isn’t it? You fell in, and for a
moment I thought I’d lost you. I told you to wait, that I would get you out. I
assumed that the darkness would imprison you in your little pool of light, that
fear of yours working to my advantage, but when I returned with the rope, you
had vanished. I wanted to go in, but Marik held me back. I was convinced that
you were dead. Then, the next morning, you suddenly burst into my room,
completely healthy, and in your hands you had a treasure I’d thought to be
merely a myth.”
Yugi’s head snapped up at the mention of a treasure, his mind
blurrily remembering his dream the first night he’d been there. There’s no way it could… but….
The image of the golden box flashed before his eyes and made Yugi
lean forward and closer to the old man. Sugoroku looked tired, and Yugi was
sure it was due to the alcohol consumption several hours before that had him
the way he was now. “Treasure?”
“Yes, Yugi. It’s said that back in ancient times, there was a
dangerous game that was made with the powers of darkness. There were seven
items used to play these games, items of power, known as millennium items. But
the power was sealed away by the gods themselves and the items lost.
“It was said that a Pharaoh was searching for a way to gain access
to that deadly game, and had obtained one of those items, but his soul was
devoured by it instead, and again the item vanished.” Sugoroku paused, leaning
forward in his chair his eyes narrowed and his lips curled in a storytellers
fashion. Yugi’s wide eyes dilated as he swallowed trying to wet his throat but
to no avail.
“Until I came back… with it in my hand.” Yugi’s hand flexed and he
looked down on it with a startled expression, feeling cold all over. If I had it… then that would mean that… my
friend… my … pharaoh… friend… Yugi gasped, and Sugoroku smiled, not
understanding Yugi’s sudden revelation and snapped his fingers delightedly with
a soft popping sound.
“Exactly, You came back with the
Millennium Puzzle, and everyone had a conniption over your discovery, but you
wouldn’t hand over the golden box, not to anyone, and you kept saying that
Shadow Pharaoh was yours and no one else could have him.” Sugoroku chucked
again. “The press had a field day with you. I had to lock you in the house for
over a week before they finally left, but all you did was try to put that
puzzle together.”
“Did I ever finish it, Jii-chan?”
Yugi asked a bit breathlessly, his hands shaking, mouth cotton dry.
“Yes, you did, actually, and you
wore it around your neck all the time. Right there.” Sugoroku leaned forward,
his fingertip tapping the center of Yugi’s chest and Yugi jumped a bit, his
chest feeling empty, and he rubbed his chest absently.
Sugoroku chuckled again, and began
to stand, stretching and groaning about his aching muscles, and Yugi watched
him with wide frightened eyes. “Jii-chan?” Sugoroku paused, his hunched form
turning around, mirthful plumb eyes watching him carefully.
“Nani ka, Yugi?”
Yugi worried his lower lip a moment
before asking the final question in his heart, “What… did the puzzle look like,
when it was complete?”
Sugoroku smiled, “An inverted
pyramid, made of gold pieces, with the eye of Ra in its center.”
Yugi gasped, his mind flickering
back to a memory as distant as a dream, one he hardly remembered.
Yugi
sat on the large recliner, his feet barely touching the edge of the chair’s
seat. The fire crackled merrily in the hearth as he held his newest obsession
in his chubby little fingers, the giant golden pyramid biting into his palms a
little. His fingertips traced the eye in the center and he let out a yawn,
feeling languid from the gentle heat.
“nqdd,
antyw akhu.” A deep resonant voice drifted through his mind, and the child
scrunched up his face in dislike.
“Iie,
Yugi’s not…” His voice cut out as another Yawn gripped him, “Sleepy… Yami.” A
low chuckle was his response, and then a gentle caress to hi forehead, as his
eyes drifted shut, one tiny fist rising to scrub at his eyes awkwardly.
“biAw…
antyw akhu, biAw.”
“Anything else, Yugi?” Sugoroku
asked, and Yugi jerked from the memory with a start.
“Huh, oh, no, Jii-chan. Arigatou.”
Sugoroku nodded, and left the room,
Yugi watched with a distant look. Suddenly the house no longer felt so warm.
~*~
Yugi sat by the window sill, the
silver moonlight dappling his face as he stared down at the heart of the maze,
his mind whirring with unknown facts and partial truths. My imaginary friend, was the ghost of that evil pharaoh… but, that’s
just not possible, is it? Yugi sighed, his fingertip running over the cold
surface of the glass, in circling patterns. He’d always believed in the
paranormal, loved the thought of it being real, but now, he was wishing he was
a bit more like Kaiba, who thought that everything could be explained through
science.
“Well, if it is true, then you
deserved your fate.” Yugi said the words, though there was no real conviction
to them, and his chest felt tight. He rubbed his free hand against it again,
his mind returning to memories. He didn’t remember the puzzle at all, meaning
that he’d lost it before the day his mother dragged him away. Did she take me from there because she knew
of the puzzle? Knew that the evil pharaoh was there? Yugi paused uncertain.
And if he truly is evil, then why… why
did I feel so safe with him?
Yugi groaned, knocking his head against
the surface of the window, and again caught the faint glimmer from beneath the
stone bench in the hedge maze center. His eyes became determined, he would go
in there in the morning, he had to. Perhaps
I can piece together everything… that I’m missing. Yugi sighed once more. He had very little
memories of before he left Grandfather’s home, and most of them seemed to be
coming back from oblivion the longer he stayed in the house, but one memory did
remain, one he’d always looked upon in question, and it was that memory that
held him, that was the reason he needed to enter that hedge maze.
The
bed was large, much larger then the one he’d grown used to, and he wanted to
cry. “Okaa-chan, why can’t Yugi see Ojii-chan?” Yugi asked, his hands fiddling
with the bedspread. It felt cold here. His grandfather was gone, and so was
Yami, his father would not be coming to tuck him into bed, and he no longer had
his comforting connection with his friend.
The
bed shifted as he mother sat upon its edge, her blue eyes watery and sad. Yugi
blinked, reaching out a hand to try and stall her tears. “Yugi’s sorry,
Okaa-chan. Do not cry, Yugi’s sorry, Okaa-chan.”
His
words seemed to upset her more and she pulled him into her arms, his father’s
overly large shirt rumpled against him as she embraced him to her cuddling him
close, wet tears soaking his shoulder. “Okaa… chan?”
“Gomen
ne, tenshi, gomen ne.”
“Okaa—“
Yugi tried to push away to ask his mother what was bothering her, but her tears
made him relax, patting her back gently. After a moment, she pulled back,
resting her forehead on top of his own.
“Yugi-chan,
there is a bad man at Jii-chan’s home. So, promise
mommy, promise me, that you’ll forget him.” Fear coursed through him, and the
small child felt his heart rip in half. Instinctively he knew, mother was
asking him to forget about Yami.
“Demo,
Okaa-chan—“
“Hush,
Yugi-chan. It’s time to sleep, let Okaa-chan, lead you away, ne?” He tried to
tell her no, tried to fight off sleep, but to no avail. His mother began to
hum, he hand drifting over his forehead, her palm unexpectedly warm, as
saddened words spilled from her lips.
“Shine, bright morning light.
Now
in the air, the spring is coming.
Sweet,
blowing wind, singing down the hills and valleys.
Keep
your eyes on me, now we’re on the edge of hell,
Dear
my love, sweet morning light,
Wait
for me, you’ve gone much farther…
Too
far.”
He
couldn’t remember why he was sad, or why he wanted to tell his mother that he
forgave her, everything was going dark, and he was very tired. His mother was
smiling at him again, as his eyes eased shut and he felt her lips brush hi
forehead tenderly. “Oyasumi nasai, watashi no
itoshigo tenshi.”
And then there was nothing.
Yugi blinked the memory away. She’d
sung the same lullaby to him for years and every time she did it, it was as if
she’d been trying to tell him something, yet it was always just passed his
reach.
But not
anymore.
Yugi stood, turning to the bed. Whatever she was hiding from me, is here in
this house, in that puzzle… I just need to find it, and find out, what
happened…
Yugi curled under the blankets
curling into a tight ball, one hand resting above his heart, his hand casually
stroking his chest in a comforting manner. It was cold, and lonely, and Yugi
missed the warmth he’d previously found in this home. He just hoped that once
he found the answers to his questions, that things would go back to normal
again. Life had finally worth living. He had friends for the first time in his
life, a teacher that didn’t go out of his way to hurt and torment Yugi, his
Mother had finally forgiven his grandfather, and life was starting to come
together once more.
Yes, more then anything, Yugi didn’t
want his life to change again, not now, when everything was finally perfect. Please, god, or whoever’s listening… let
this all end quickly… and don’t let anything change. Please.
With a hopeful heart Yugi closed his
eyes, falling asleep to the sound of the whispering wind.
~**~
Ending Theme:
“Beads of Tears”
Nagareboshi ou you ni
Kokoro wa sora o kakete iku
Ano hito ga itte ita
Inochi ga kaeru kuni wa doko
Arifureta ai no kotoba na do
Ichido mo nai mama
Ano hi dakishimeta no wa mayoi desu ka?
Kotae desu ka?
Beads of tears
Anata no koe ga kikoenai too sugite
Namida tsumuida BIIZU ga
Inori noseta mama chigireru
Nido to aenai hito o omoide ni kaeru ni wa
Beads of tears
Douka kudasai kanashimi o koeru hane
Namida tsumuida BIIZU ga
Inori noseta mama chigireru
A.N. Well here is chapter one.
Hopefully this will be no longer then seven chapters plus an epilogue, and as
you can see the chapters will be long. Now translations will be posted in a
minute but first off, Yugi. Yes, I know he seems out of Character and a bit too
mean but let me lay out the reasons. Yugi is a teenager, as a child he had to
listen to his parents fighting, they split, mom yanks him away from the only
home he’s known, dad dies, for some unknown reason the teachers ALWAYS hated
him, obviously something happened in his past to hurt him, no friends, and then
things finally settle and his mom takes him away to cairo
and the rest you just read so… yeah. ^-^
If you think I should continue with this drop me a line, review, or something,
and let me know. Thanks.
P.S. the song Anzu sings is from
.HACK//SIGN, called “fake wings”. ^-^ Not mine, no sue.
Translations:
Hieratic:
iri nn snd :Do not fear
iri nn snd antyw akhu nsp, antyw akhu, nsp: do not fear
my light, together, my light, together.
HD r-Xnw nfr
HD antwy akhu: be bright inside, good be bright my
light
kkwy: Darkness
(shadow)
antyw iwit: my
wrong doing
pr-Aa: pharaoh
biAw: Mine
ii: Come
nqdd: sleep
antyw akhu, ii
n antyw kwy: my light, come to my darkness.
Japanese:
Yugi wa sugoku
kowai: Yugi is very scared.
Kawai: scared
Yugi wa, watashi no itoshigo: yugi is my most precious child
Ojii-chan
(san)/jii-san: Grandfather
Okaa-san
(chan): Mother
Zaken nai yo:
Fuck off
Yarou:
bastard
Kuso: shit
Juniichi:
twelve
Yugi wa Hitori
ja: Yugi is alone
Are wa yume?:
was it a dream?
Iie: no
Anata wa, dare
desu ka: who are you
Yami: shadow
Yaksokuyo: Promise
Aa: (masculine
form) Yes
Daijoubu ka:
are you all right?
Daijoubu: I am
fine
If I missed any and you want to know
e-mail me and ask. And YES this is seriously Hieratic, I’m learning from a
friend of mine, Blood Moon, so if you want proof I can give it. ^-^
Lechan
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