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Happy Hallow's Eve	By : Whytney Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 3729 -:- 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.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
Chapter Ten

Honda was having one of those moments where he couldn't quite believe how fast the year had gone. Already it was November and he had been in University almost a full year, now. It seemed like not long ago he had just started high school, met Jounouchi on the first day, and had been best friends with the blond boy since. He remembered how his grades had slipped because he was always getting into trouble with Jounouchi; and with a stab of shame, he even remembered how they used to bully Yuugi.

Not long after that came the Duel Monster craze - and when both he and Jou befriended the short boy with strange hair, he would never have thought that his life would be so turned upside-down with what was to come. Now, even three years after the whole Battle City Tournament saga, he was chosen once again to be involved in another episode of life-changing events. But this time, more people than he could bargain for had been hurt, and it made him very angry.

“Even though it's been a week, I still can't believe it!” Otogi raged. “That psychopath has fucked up everyone's lives, especially hers…” his voice softened as he thought of Mai, in that cold, miserable hospital, all alone. “Oh Kami, what have I ever done to deserve this?”

Honda snapped back to attention as Otogi got yet another burst of anger off of his chest. Ever since the incident the previous weekend, Otogi had been like a caged animal; unable to come to terms with what had happened, and still as wild as ever. As much as he was trying to accept it and move on, he was having trouble not knowing what might happen once the forensic investigators attained more information on the case. Honda, as ironic as it might seem - seeing as he had once been intimate with Otogi - was nonetheless supportive toward the hysterical boy through his time of grief for his girlfriend, who was now seemingly detached from reality and being held in a psychiatric ward until she was well again.

“It's okay, `Togi. Mai is in the best of care, and remember what her doctor said - she could even make a full recovery.”

Otogi picked idly at his fries and ketchup. “It's not just her I'm worried about…”

Honda frowned. “What do you mean, dude?”

“I feel like… I feel like I'm…” Otogi struggled to address his feelings, instead looking at Honda with a heartrending look.

“If you're not coping, Otogi, you should tell someone…” Honda said, grasping his former lover's hand over the table.

“My doctor has already prescribed me some anti-depressants, but they take a while to start working. I've only been on them a few days.”

“You need to be strong, Ryuuji.” Honda said solemnly. “If not for yourself, for Mai. Once she gets out of this mess she's going to need you to be there for her.”

“I know, you're right.”

There was an awkward pause, and then Honda's cell phone rung.

“Moshi-moshi? Honda speaking,”

[Honda-kun, hey, it's Jou-kun.]

A blush surfaced on Honda's cheeks. “Jou! Hey, dude. What's happening?”

[I've had a call from that Akino guy down at the police station,]

“Oh yeah?”

[Yeah, he wants us all to meet him down there at about three o'clock. He's got more information on the case and wants to tell us about it.]

“Okay, well, thanks! We'll see you down there at three.”

[Alright. Ja!]

Honda snapped the phone shut, looking back to an enquiring Otogi. “That was Jou; Akino-san wants to see us this afternoon.”

Green eyes blinked. “What about?”

“The case,” Honda said, as if stating the obvious. “Come on; what's say we go to the arcade or something to fill in time? It's only one-thirty.”

Otogi nodded his compliance and stood up to follow Honda. Anything to keep his mind off of what he thought was slowly making his sanity slip further and further out of his grasp.

*~***~*

Malik arrived - albeit ten minutes late - to the police station, with Marik, Ryou and Bakura in tow. It seemed they were the last to arrive, as the others were waiting quietly in the foyer as expected. Kaiba and Isis were both submerged in different issues of “TIME” magazine; Honda, Otogi and Jou were sitting quietly in a row; Mokuba and Rebecca were seated next to Kaiba and, more surprisingly, Shizuka and Anzu were sitting next to each other - hand in hand! He guessed a lot more had happened over the past week than he had first realised. Yuugi and Yami sat looking - and probably feeling - awkward.

“It's good to see you're all here,” Akino strode out into the corridor just as Malik and the others were about to sit down.

Otogi was the first to stand up. “What did you call us all here for?”

“I have some good news for you all; please, come this way.”

The group got up and started after the detective, following him down several hallways until they came to two double doors, and followed him through it. There was a large wooden table in the centre of the room, with many chairs placed around it. They all took a seat, and looked on at Akino, perplexed. Otogi seemed the most anxious; Mokuba, Rebecca and Yuugi seemed slightly disoriented or uninterested, it seemed.

“I have some breaking news about Mr. Howard,” Akino said.

Malik saw Rebecca noticeably stiffen at the mentioning of his name. “So?” he said.

“It is believed that Mr. Howard has had a string of psychological issues in the past,” Akino said. “More recently, chronic depression and psychosis.”

“Tell us something we don't know,” Jounouchi spat, rolling his brown eyes. Ever since he had met the blonde-haired American in Duelist Kingdom, he had never been able to see eye-to-eye with Keith. He was bad news from the start.

“We checked his medical and criminal records and found that he has a history of violence toward men and women - women particularly. He has also attempted suicide and has abused a variety of class-A narcotics, as evidenced by the statutory blood test he gave.” Akino continued.

“Do you have any names of the people that he was violent toward?” Isis asked.

“There were a few duelists that dueled him who have pressed charges against him for assault back in 2002.” Akino replied. “The women he abused were previous partners, we guess, back in the United States in the 90's.”

Isisnodded, satisfied. Then Kaiba spoke up. “Any other news? This doesn't really tell us much about solving the case.”

Akino nodded. “After his third suicide attempt, Mr. Howard was admitted to Toyohashi Psychiatric Institution in December of last year,”

Otogi froze. “That's where Mai works!” he shrieked, standing up hastily from his chair, palms flat on the table in front of him. “Or, used to…”

Honda patted Otogi's back as he sat down. “What else do you know, detective?”

Akino exhaled loudly through his nose. “You may not want to hear this, Otogi-kun, but Miss. Kujaku was assigned as one of Mr. Howard's aids, and the longer she treated him, the better they got to know each other. Although it was against the hospital's regulations, they were having a secret affair.”

Otogi remained silent, glaring stonily at Akino. Although the explanation was perfectly logical, it was still not what he wanted to hear. “How long did this `affair' go on for?”

“It is believed that they were seeing each other intimately - secretly - from approximately February this year until the end of July, when Mr. Howard was discharged.” Akino continued. “From his given statements, it is thought that he was very much in love with Miss. Kujaku, and was dejected when she chose to end the relationship not long before his dismissal. I have a tape recording of my interview with him, if you wish to listen.”

Everybody murmured their agreements and nodded. Akino pulled out a small black tape recorder from his briefcase sitting at the foot of his chair, and placed it on the table. Pressing the play button, the recording began:

“Tell me, Mr. Howard, of your relationship with Miss. Kujaku.”

“I don't have to tell you squat, cop.”

“The sooner we get this over with, the sooner you can leave, Keith.”

There was a pause. “I first met Mai in Duelist Kingdom, in 2002, and we dueled on a few occasions. I thought she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever met in my life - much more beautiful than the American trash back home. The Japanese girls are much slimmer and sexier.”

“And then what?”

“We both made it to the finals, but neither of us got anywhere. We bid each other goodbye, and that was the last time I saw her, until December last year…”

“What happened in December last year, Keith?”

“It was a hard year for me…I found it hard to keep a job, and a lot of my friends did meth. They got me onto it, and soon I was hooked. Every dollar I made was put toward my meth addiction… Sometimes I'd go for a week without a hot meal. After I was fired from my last job, I couldn't afford to pay for my meth anymore, and would rather have died than live without it… My life had hit rock bottom, so I tried to kill myself…” there was a sound of a strained sob - Keith was crying. “One night I tried jumping off of a bridge, and I woke up in a hospital bed, except I wasn't in a hospital, I was in a fucking loony-bin!Apparently some woman found me washed up on the shore and called the mental institute, thinking I was an attempted suicide.”

“So she did the right thing, then?”

“I guess so. I met my doctor a couple of hours after I woke up, and he had two nurses-in-training with him. One of them was Mai, and I recognised her instantly. There was no mistaking that gorgeous blonde hair of hers… In the first weeks, while Mai was treating me, we talked about everything, and I found out that we had a lot more in common than I first thought. She had also had a rough childhood, and entered the tournament in hope to excel in her career of dueling. I was getting more and more attached to her by the day.”

“How did your relationship advance?”

“Huh?”

“In other words, how long was it until your alleged affair became official?”

“I don't know; I was in the institute over Christmas, and there was only a skeleton staff on to look after the patients. Mai left for her annual leave, but she came back on Christmas Day to see me. She was the only person I got a gift from that year… She had become much more giving and thoughtful than when I had first met her - she was an arrogant bitch back then.”

“So you have had issues with her previously?”

“She was rude to everyone she came across, in the tournament; I wasn't the only one.”

“What happened after Christmas?”

“I started writing letters to her. I got so bored being stuck in that room, in between getting my treatment and my activities.”

“What did the letters say?”

“I guess I took in a lot of detail while I was there - I used to tell her about how many dots were in each square in the ceiling, how many steps she would take from the door to the stairwell, how every Monday she would wear red lipstick, and then wear pink on Tuesday. Then I would talk more about her - how I liked the sound of her white snakeskin high-heels on the tiled floor, how I liked it when she put her hair up in a bun, and how the sound of her laughing in the hallway always made me smile.”

“It sounds like you were very attached to this woman, Keith.”

“I was… and she loved me too. I know she did. She told me.”

“Please, continue.”

“Can I have a cigarette?”

“No.”

“… Mai and I started getting a little more intimate in February. I remember the first night we kissed - I was responding well to the treatment they had put me on, they were talking about releasing me soon after - it was a cold, wet night, and Mai was working her late shift. Before she left, she came into my ward. She hopped up on the side of my bed and said, `Keith, you're the last person I would have expected to end up in a nut-house like this, but I want to thank you. You've been such a kind, tolerant patient for me to do my practical assessments on,' and I said, `anything for you, princess', and she smiled her gorgeous smile at me, and leant down to kiss my forehead, but I reached up and kissed her on the lips instead, and she didn't stop me.”

“What happened after that?”

“In the next few months, we kept our relationship on the low. I was having a lot of ups and downs - they changed my treatments - so I was kept in for longer than they thought I would be. Finally in August, things came right again, and I almost felt like my normal self - before the meth - by the middle of September. They were getting ready to discharge me; I was so excited. They were organizing a job and an apartment for me for when I got out, and I was happy that I would be able to see Mai without having to hide it anymore.”

“In September, you say?”

“Yeah,” Keith replied, in an almost sarcastic sounding manner. “I know what you're thinking, detective; how could Mai still have been with me, since she's been with that Otogi faggot for a couple of months?”

“Well, yes…”

“About a week before my release, Mai ended it with me. She said she didn't think she could have a relationship with an ex-patient, and that it might endanger her career if anyone knew. She said she was sorry but that it was for the best - which I know for a fact now that it was absolute bullshit. She had been seeing Otogi since the start of September. He is the reason why she broke it off. I wanted revenge, but more importantly, I wanted her back.”

Otogi put his head in his hands listening to this. Shock, grief and guilt overcame him all at once. Shock, because the one, whom Mai had talked about being in love with once, was Bandit Keith Howard; grief, because Mai had almost set herself up to be attacked by this maniac at some stage of her life by getting involved with him; and guilt, because he had initially blamed Ryou for the incident, and that he had been unknowingly seeing Mai while she was also seeing Bandit Keith. What, in God's world, was going to save her now? Or him, for that matter?

“I've heard enough,” Otogi said, standing up.

“I think it is in your best interests to listen to the rest, Otogi-kun.” Akino said, pausing the tape. “Of course, you may leave, if you wish.”

The emerald-eyed boy creased an eyebrow. “What difference is it going to make if I stay or go?”

“Please stay, Otogi,” Anzu pleaded. “We need you here with us; we have to work as a team to get through this.”

“Anzu is right, Otogi-kun.” Yami spoke up. “We need to know as much as we can, to help Mai, if nothing else.”

Otogi thought of Mai - when was she not on his mind? - and sighed. “I just… I just can't do this anymore!” he shouted, and stormed to the door, leaving hastily.

“Ryuuji!” Honda yelled, getting up to go after him.

Jou restrained him. “Let him go, Honda. He just needs some time alone to come to grips with all this.”

Honda frowned and sat down again. “I guess you're right; I just hate seeing him hurt like this.”

Kaiba, who had been quietly assessing the situation, decided to speak up. “So where does this leave us now, Akino-san?”

“Well, I would like you all to listen to the rest of the tape - Keith tells all, just about. He hasn't bothered to deny anything, which has genuinely surprised me.”

“Very well,” Kaiba replied. “I for one would like to hear what he has to say.”

Everyone agreed and once again Akino began playing the tape.

“Tell me, Keith; how did you know where Mai was at the time that you committed the crime? I was told that they took a wrong turn - so even if you knew their intended destination, you wouldn't have been able to find them, because they ended up going somewhere entirely different.”

“I used my laptop to track Mai's cell phone signal via a satellite connection,” Keith said. “It's not difficult - hacking, that is.”

“When the group arrived, they said they saw a pile of logs burning out amidst a clearing of trees. Was it you who was burning that fire?”

“No, I never lit any fire.”

“What about the other strange things that the victims said they saw? Such as the voodoo dolls, the headless squirrel - was that your doing? Some sort of sick tactic in attempt to intimidate the already frightened kids?”

By the way Keith chortled at Akino's question, everyone listening could tell he must have been smirking infernally. “Worked a treat though, didn't it?”

“So then, apart from Miss. Kujaku, why did you choose to abduct the other three? To prove some kind of point?”

“They were the most vulnerable - like taking candy from a baby.” Keith said. “I guess you could say I used them as my bait.”

“So you wanted the others to find you?”

“Of course I did! I wanted that fucker to see me taking Mai for myself, like the way it should have been. It should have been me that had her all along, not him.”

There was a short pause. “It is evident that you were high on methamphetamine at the time of carrying out the grotesque tasks on your hostages, and there were also traces of cocaine in your blood, Mr. Howard. Is that to blame for the ferocious attack on the victims?”

“You're the expert - you tell me.”

“I'm not a Toxicologist, Keith.” Akino paused, seemingly to take a sip of some sort of drink - probably coffee; he sounded tired and irritable. “Was it ever in your intentions to kill Mai Kujaku, Mr. Howard?”

“No, I could never kill her,” Keith replied. “But she hurt me so bad. I wanted to make her feel the pain that I went through after losing her. The drugs gave me the balls to do it, and now that she's so screwed in the head, she'll know what it was like to be in a mental hospital for the rest of her life! I don't regret what I have done - I exacted my revenge on the slut, and that's enough for me!” Maniacal laughter followed.

**~***~**

“Seto, when will you come to bed?” Isis appeared at the door of his study, her cream silk dressing gown draped loosely around her.

“I won't be long,” He replied, looking up from his laptop.

“You said that an hour ago,” she said in monotony. “It's half past three in the morning; are you not tired?”

Kaiba was exhausted, actually, but he'd never admit it. “I'm sorry. I'm keeping you up, aren't I? I'll come to bed.” He said, closing his laptop.

Isisnodded and returned to the bedroom. Sliding once again under the covers, Isis rolled over a few times until she found a comfortable position, and closed her eyes. Her mind again drifted back to the incident of the Halloween weekend. For a woman who was renowned for her wisdom and mental strength, it was almost too much for even her to handle. She had stayed the previous few nights with her love, as she thought giving her brother and his companions some space at home might do them some good. She also wanted to be around Seto for her own reassurance. There was something about the way he held her in his strong arms, kissed her, made love to her, that made her feel secure. She almost felt silly about it - she had never needed a man before to make her feel that way. But Seto did it so well, and she never wanted to be without him, or the feeling he evoked within her.

Just as Isis was about to fall back into slumber, she felt a smooth, warm body close in behind her. “I'm sorry I kept you up,” he whispered, kissing the nape of her neck. “I guess I've been letting it all get to my head too much.”

“I understand,” Isis replied sleepily. “After what happened to…” she stopped there, not wanting to remind him of what Keith had done to his younger brother and his girlfriend.

“I've been researching criminal psychology on the internet, trying to find out more about why Keith did what he did,” Kaiba replied. “It's all so complex; I don't think I could even start to comprehend it all. No wonder it takes such a long time to obtain a degree in psychology, although it's something I would consider taking if I didn't have KaibaCorp to run…”

“Seto?”

“Yes?”

“How many cups of coffee have you had tonight?”

“Three… why?”

“You are disturbingly alert for 4am, that's all.”

Suddenly, a terrifying scream came from down the hall, followed by: “Oh, my God! Seto! Oh, my God!”

Isis and Kaiba were out of bed like lightning, running hastily down the hallway toward the source of the screaming. Mokuba was hanging over the ledge of his third-floor bedroom window. Rebecca, who had been living in the Kaiba household for the past year with Mokuba, was nowhere to be seen. Kaiba and his dark-haired beauty entered the room cautiously.

“Mokuba, what in God's name…” Kaiba didn't have time to finish before his brother cut him short.

“Rebecca's on the roof! She climbed out the window while I was asleep, and I'm afraid she's going to jump!” Mokuba was hysterical. “Rebecca! Get down from there! You could slip!”

“I'll call the emergency services,” Isis said without further delay, hurrying downstairs to get to a landline.

In an eerie sort of a way, Kaiba almost expected something like this to happen sooner or later. Mai was not the only one who had been psychologically damaged - Mokuba, Rebecca and Yuugi were also having a very difficult time getting back into the normal routine of their once uncorrupted lives. Now that this psychopath Keith had tampered with that delicate balance, it would be a long process until they became their normal selves again - if they got that far. The line between normality and corruption was very, very thin.

Kaiba stepped across to the window, gently nudged Mokuba aside, and looked out. There he saw the thin, ghost of a girl with blonde curls standing chillingly close to the edge of the third-storey rooftop. It was a cool, damp night, and the full moon shone down in its' prime. Rebecca, standing in only a sweatshirt and pair of sleeping shorts, was staring nonchalantly at the cobblestone courtyard below.

“Rebecca, it's Seto,” he said in a clear, stern voice. “Stay right where you are, Isis has called the fire brigade; they will get you down from there safely.”

Pale, lifeless blue eyes looked vaguely across at Seto and his hysterical brother gazing out the window in horror. Her face was void of any expression; there seemed to be no recognition in her eyes whatsoever. A chill ran down Kaiba's spine as she tried to say something, but no words came out. A single tear fell down her face, and she reached out with one hand, and then drew it back. Quickly, almost without hesitation at all, she lifted one foot off of the roof…

“…as soon as you can, thank you. It is an emergency,” Isis hung up the phone and turned to go back upstairs, but in doing so she saw a shape through the French doors fall down from above, and a sickening, bone-crunching thud followed. With an intense wave of nausea and dizziness, Isis rushed to the doors and threw them open. Blood already began to pool at her feet.
**
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Happy Hallow's Eve