Adult-FanFiction.org : Yu-Gi-OH

Into the Desolate Night	By : Athena Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 5700 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: This is a non-profit Yugioh fanfiction. I will leave warnings at the start of each chapter as necessary as not all tags will apply to every chapter. This story will be heavily laden with plot and mature themes. PG13 version available

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
A/N: This chapter is rated T
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o.o.0.0.O.0.0.o.o
Chapter 2: Trials and Tribulations
(Yugi)
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Yugi smiled, gathering his bag and belongings from the car as Ryou parroted the same question he’d been asking all morning.

“Are you certain they will have it? I called a few places during lunch and most were out. I still can’t believe I forgot it released today, things have been so busy and I completely let it slip.” He checked and re-checked his watch as they walked, focused as if time would skip ahead whenever he stopped looking.

“Relax Ryou, I’m sure there will be a copy or two left,” Yugi reassured, hustling to catch up as Ryou set a brisk pace across the parking lot.

Rain beat down around them, not a day going by this week without some precipitation. He was starting to think he might never see the sun again… But thankfully Ryou had been giving him plenty of rides to and from school over the last month. He only got soaked on his walks home from work now.

“As I’ve said, when people think of buying new games they rarely think to check Kame Games. I don’t know if you have ever been there but we aren’t so much a retailer as a ‘gaming’ store, in the sense that we host tournaments and sessions for consoles, pc, card, and tabletop. We do get a handful of new release games but selling is not our focus.”

Ryou looked prepared for an all-out sprint. “Even so, I can’t believe I forgot. I should have gone before class to get it,” he paused thanking Yugi for holding the door before continuing, “It’s just that Bakura is going to be terribly disappointed since he’s been secretly writing this new campaign for my birthday and it won’t be the same without the expansion.”

A sly smile wormed on Yugi’s face, “Not a very good secret if you already know about it.”

“Yes, well, I know more about what he does than he thinks.”
The two shared a laugh, parting for a moment as a crowd cut across their path.

Strangely enough there had been no mention of Bakura since Yugi had met him. Any time he attempted to make small talk and ask how he was, where they met, or even where he worked, the answer was always diverted to another subject or given a generic response. Yugi had simply stopped bringing him up. But it was Ryou’s attempts to withhold information that thickened Yugi’s interest. It wasn’t his place to prod. After all, they had only become friends a short while ago; but he was curious.

Hopefully Ryou would open up before Yugi lost his mind trying to piece together how polar opposites could even date. But maybe he was being unfair. Akefia might not be as cruel as he imagined – the man was planning something very thoughtful for Ryou’s birthday. And, speaking of birthdays, Yugi should probably get him something as well. Perhaps a figurine to go with the expansion now that he knew Ryou played. He could already think of three possible candidates that were in his price range and wouldn’t make Ryou feel uncomfortable accepting them.

He would have to check the stock on them and place a new order if they were out.

The Kame Games store was located on the second storey, a fair-sized shop unfortunately situated down one of the side isles people rarely traffic, but because of the hill the mall was built into, it had its own back entrance for after hour events. At first glance there was only a banking outlet and nothing more down that arm of the mall, but the shop survived where other small businesses failed thanks to its regular customers and solid reputation.

To say he liked his job was undercutting the sentiment. Certainly it didn’t pay well, no minimum wage job ever did, but it was home - family even. The people he worked with, the regulars he attended, all of them in some way filled part of the hole that had been carved out when his grandfather died.

He realised some time ago that the void could be gradually numbed by immersing himself in games. In those worlds, he could be anyone he wanted. It helped to deal with the sorrow of being alone, especially after Anzu got accepted to her fancy dance school and moved away. Even with offers for a higher paying job he couldn’t abandon Kame Games for a paycheque. Not unless it was a big paycheque. Then maybe.

The hum of a vibrating phone drew Yugi’s hand automatically to his waist, only to realise that it wasn’t his phone going off when Ryou heaved a long sigh.

“Bad news?”

“Hmm, no. Not really. I figured he wouldn’t have to work tonight, but I guess I was just being hopeful.” Ryou tapped in a reply and finished it before they reached the top of the escalator, mumbling to himself.

“Does he often work late?” Again, he was curious. What kind of work did Akefia do to support them both and pay for Ryou’s schooling out of pocket? Or at least he assumed that was the case from what gleaned and inferred from a discussion about Yugi’s own bursary and loan situation.

“No, he didn’t used to, but lately our schedules rarely cross. With my morning classes I sometimes don’t even see him come home, nor does he see me on his way out to work in the afternoon. It’ll be nice to have midterms and get some time off to spend with him again. It can get pretty lonely feeling like you’re just by yourself.”

Yugi nodded, fully understanding what Ryou was talking about. “Well you said he was writing a new campaign, right? I wouldn’t have thought he was a gamer but it shows he’s at least thinking of you.”

Ryou’s face warmed with a smile and touch of redness lit his cheeks. Only talking about Akefia had this effect on him. “I know and its awful sweet. He may come across as cold and distant but it’s a mask to keep people at away. He cares deeply for those close to him” Ryou mused, his voice listless and drifting, mind wandering across old memories.

There wasn’t much to say back to something like that so Yugi stayed silent.

He was envious of the way Ryou often spoke of his partner. There was so much pride in his voice. Did Anzu ever talk about him like that? It always seemed like her friends had the wrong impression of him. But maybe she did say nice things, all pink-cheeked and starry-eyed. He hoped so. He wanted to believe it was true but he often got a sense that he was never welcome in their group. He didn’t really like them anyways.

He liked to think that after two months of being away from each other she thought of him as fondly as she used to. His heart yearned for her company, but unlike her he wasn’t a social person. He didn’t have roommates or anyone else to keep him busy. He left the apartment to go to school or work but that was it. The only people he hung around with were at either place. His home life was quiet and empty while hers was always busy and brimming with more names than Yugi could keep track of. They were very different people on many levels, but perhaps that was a good thing? Ryou and Bakura seemed to have made it work. So maybe he shouldn’t worry so much about the infrequency of her phone calls or messages. It was probably just part of the long-distance thing. When he saw her in two weeks things would change again.

After a few moments Ryou returned from his thoughts, voicing them as he continued and branched off from his earlier swooning, “Our anniversary is coming up and I know this must sound terribly silly of us, but I’ve always loved RPGs and Bakura has never been one for half measures, so he goes all over the top with new, elaborate stories that the whole group gets together to play. It’s almost starting to become a tradition and this year is shaping up to be one of the most interesting ones he’s ever written.”

It was hard not to share in Ryou’s enthusiasm.

“I bet its exciting. Not everyone plans it out first but there’s a lot of work that goes into DMing which many players don’t think about. This expansion adds quite a few new classes and field types on top of all the new monster summons so that is another thing to look forward to,” he said jovially; but really, he was envious again, now jealous over not being able to play this new campaign.

He hadn’t told Ryou the reason he was knew there would be an extra copy of Monster World available, and that was because he had pre-ordered one for himself.

“I know and I’m terribly excited,” Ryou continued, the statement evident in his tone as they turned down the aisle towards the game shop, “It’s about a pharaoh and a thief who steals a precious item that results in a coup d’état and civil war between the prince and the pharaoh’s brother. He’s planning to make full use of the desert and jungle map packs and has written me in as a court healer knowing that I tend to prefer mage and cleric classes. He will likely work in the other’s roles based on whatever classes they choose, but I honestly cannot wait to get everyone together to play.”

Yugi smiled. How could he not? Ryou was just as passionate about games as he was and the excitement easily spread. “I wish I had a group like yours, I haven’t played a full campaign since high school when a small group of us would get together at lunch. Still, I collect the sets and play at work the odd time, but normally as a fill in for one of the regulars if they couldn’t make it, or if they have to leave early, generally whenever its slow and they ask me to,” Yugi confessed, opening the door to his second home and holding it for Ryou.

The store certainly had the air of a new game release. Empty boxes were heaped by the door that would need to be broken down and carried out to the recycle tonight. On an average day the open room was usually pretty quiet besides the frantic clicking of a mouse or tapping of keys from the computer and console stations. But today there was a steady roar of enthusiasm and conversation that echoed over the patter of rolling dice. Even the round table at the back that sat twelve was full, surrounded by heisted chairs from the computer desks so that it could seat even more. All nine tables were full and there was barely anyone at the console stations.

Not only that but, looking at the crowd, many people were coincidently ‘sick’ today and had taken the day off. He couldn’t blame them though. If he worked anywhere else, he might have done the same.

But release day was heaven for those doing the closing shift. With any luck Yugi would be able to get in on some of the action for an hour or two. That was the joy of the closing shift. The morning shift was a separate case entirely. Poor Jou…It must have been a long day given how his collapsed form sagged and barely twitched from where he lay against the countertop. A true professional.

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o.o.0.0.O.0.0.o.o
(Jounouchi)
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Two more hours and he was free. Just two more. He was almost there and it’d be over.

All that arguing was finally taking its toll. There was a line of pain cutting into his skull and a dull throb growing into a fist-sized lump right above his left temple. It beat angrily in time with his pulse, becoming more aggressive every time a notification sounded from the main computer.

Yugi was due to show up in two hours and then he could go home to focus on Serenity. His personal life was stressful enough and he didn’t need a headache at work to top it off but he had stupidly forgotten that it was a release day and hadn’t come in early enough to set up before the crowds had swarmed. He was utterly exhausted now, regretting the choice to go home rather than sleeping in his car after the hospital had kicked him out. Choosing a comfy bed over a few extra hours of sleep did him no favours and his body was ready to crash.

With a deep sigh he leaned against the counter and pressed his forehead against the register’s cold surface. As terrible as today had been, it was nothing compared to the stress waiting for him tonight.
With Serenity back to getting regular check-ups and the last procedure leaving her in continuous pain, her vision still partial and failing to recover, it was no doubt a bad sign that they would have to operate again. The poor girl could only take so much. She had never done anything to deserve it and yet their dad would no doubt put all the blame on her for why the family was poor and couldn’t afford anything. It was always about money with him. Could he not hear her crying out in the middle of the night? Did he not care?

She did her best to put on a brave face and hide the pain, but Jou knew. Serenity suffered more than anyone understood. But unlike their parents he couldn’t just ignore it. Their mother was too wrapped up in ‘natural remedies’ and ‘thinking positively’ to be of any actual use, while their father had fallen into a cycle of numbing everything with booze and turning a blind eye; getting aggressive and pissy whenever someone brought up his drinking problem or money.

Yet as much as they all fought over Serenity’s condition, Jou owed his parents enough respect to back away when they asked. No matter how badly he wanted Serenity to move out with him, there wasn’t enough money in a job like this to support both himself and his sister given her medical costs. Not until he could figure out something better. All he could do now was remain supportive on the sidelines and be an emotional crutch whenever she needed someone to lean on.

The chime from the door brought on a fresh wave of nausea as Jou struggled to lift his head, reluctant to face any new customers about whether there were any copies of Monster World left. The answer was “no” damn it, copies ran out at nine. If you didn’t pre-order you weren’t getting nadda. Zip, zilch, notta-damn-thing. He was tired of being polite about it.

“Wow, Joey you look like shit.”

The blunt statement strangely perked his mood. His saviour had come at last. “Yuge, ah man, you’re early! Does this mean I can go?”

“Ha-ha, no. Nice try,” Yugi tsked, setting his bag down at the edge of the counter. “I just came to get a copy of Monster World-”

If he had known Jou would make such a face, he would have had his phone ready. The look of absolute frustration and despair belonged in a suburban-worker edition of the National Geographic. But the dumbfoundedness slipped away just as quickly as it had set in.

“Yuge, you know its like two right? 1400 military time? We only got pre-orders left and don’t start because I’m in no mood for any of yer mind games alright? Its been… a… long... day.”

Yugi couldn’t help but chuckle knowing the incident Jou was referring to, “Ah come on Joey, you know I wouldn’t do that to a friend.”

“Pft, yeah well, let me know if I’m slipping out of yer good graces then cause I can’t deal with none of it today.”

“Oh? And here I thought you were entirely innocent Yugi.”

“Ryou please don’t get him started-”

Jou burst in, “Ha! Oh man, does he have you thinking that too? Don’t believe a word of it, he’s sneaky that one. He will have you thinking he sneezes gold and farts rainbows if you let him.”

Yugi was surprised to hear Ryou actually laugh at that, not expecting one of Jou’s vulgar jokes to strike a chord with someone so politely mannered. Who knew?

“Tsk, you don’t know that I don’t! The next time I sneeze you might want to check the tissue,” Yugi added, coming around the counter to grab a special edition of the game from their hidden trove. He set it on the counter and faced Jou’s disapproving frown with a wide grin.

“Yuge…” It was a warning tone, but it wasn’t like Yugi didn’t already know Jou to be completely harmless and empty in his threats, “Whatcha doing?”

His punched his own employee numbers into the till, “Hmmm, selling stuff.”

Ryou cut in, “Oh Yugi, no. Please, its okay. If there are only pre-orders left I will shop elsewhere. Don’t get yourself in trouble”

Yugi sighed. Damn it…The game was up. He had wanted to try Jou’s patience a little further to see if he’d actually try to stop him.

“Relax you two, this is my pre-order. Did you both seriously think I was going to sell someone else’s?” He dramatically clutched at his heart in shock, pretending to be applaud by their assumptions about his character.

Jou snorted, clearly not amused. “Yea, yea, innocent, sweet little Yugi – heard this one before. You’re such a dick.” He was smiling, despite all efforts not to.

“I learn from the best, but honestly, I can’t believe you were about to let me sell a pre-order. What if the person who ordered it cam-”

An arm covered his mouth in mock strangulation. “This is it Yugi Mutou, we both knew this day would come.”

Yugi easily ducked out of the hold and came up laughing.

“You’re just lucky you’re so short.” It was an insult that usually stung but Yugi knew he didn’t mean it like that. Jou shook his head and waved at the till, “Just do your thing and get out of here before I figure out how to make it look like an accident.”

Perhaps Yugi had taken it too far but he couldn’t control the laughter. “I’m sorry Jou, you’re just such an easy target today.”

“Yeah well I guess I started it with the whole ‘farting rainbows’ thing.”

They both laughed at that though Ryou remained silent, his joy gone as though it had never existed. Looking up from the computer, Yugi’s humour disappeared as well, “Is something wrong?”

He looked at his feet. “Yugi I- I can’t. This isn’t right. I appreciate it, but I know these special editions only come out on release day so you won’t get another chance. You keep this one. I couldn’t possibly- “

“Ryou, its yours”

“I can’t-“

“Yes, you can! Listen, you have a group that’s going to be able to play this with you looong before I will ever get a chance to. I ordered it because it comes with the dark magician piece, but I work here. If anyone has a good chance of getting an extra copy, it would be me, since I will know exactly when the next shipment comes in. You would have a much harder time tracking one down, so take this one and don’t worry about it.”

Ryou still looked uncertain but nodded his head. “Only on two conditions then. First, that you keep the black magician piece, and two: that you promise to come over and play some time.”

“Deal!” He keyed in the final information before totalling up the transaction.

It seemed excitement finally won over and Ryou couldn’t contain his smile, anticipation writ large throughout his body language as he practically danced in place, taking his first real look at the box and running his fingers over the title.

The joy, however, retreated when he saw the price on the register and sighed, “Yugi, that’s not right. A regular copy costs more than that.”

Yugi gave a gallic shrug, “It’s a pre-order so I had to put money down. That comes off the final total.”

Ryou shook his head, “Yugi-“

“ ~Employee discount~ ” he sung the words.

A frustrated sigh finished whatever Ryou had been about to say.

“You know, you have been giving me rides daily to school, and home, for weeks now without once asking me for gas money or making complaints. I owe you plenty for all the times you have gone out of your way to help me catch up in class, brought me snacks, and above everything else: I consider you my friend. I honestly don’t mind. You don’t need to feel like you owe me anything because you seriously don’t.”

He hoped Ryou would understand and capitulate, otherwise he’d have to buy it himself and leave it in Ryou’s car. Despite what Jou thought he wasn’t actually all that good at being sneaky.

Ryou’s soft smile returned. “A deal then, but let me pick you up from work tonight. Its supposed to be raining and with Bakura not home all I have to do is study anyways. I would much rather come get you and we can go out somewhere at a late-night café, or wherever, and make characters – maybe even have a quick game. “

“Awesome, we could always play at my place too if you want. I’ll have to tidy up a few things to make space, but we can pick up dinner and get a full set up going. I don’t work tomorrow so if we don’t finish we can leave everything out and come back to it after class.”

Ryou nodded, taking out his wallet and handing Yugi his credit card. “Sounds like a plan.” The approval came through almost instantly and Yugi handed the card back along with a slip to be signed.

“Alright here’s the receipt, now it’s officially yours.”

“Thank you Yugi, I can not express fully what this kindness means to me,” he said, taking the box and holding it to his chest protectively. “I truly appreciate it. You said you were off at ten?”

“Yes, but by the time I usher this crowd out I suspect it will be closer ten-thirty. I’ll message you if I think it’s going to be earlier or run later then that.”

“Perfect. Thanks again and it was nice to meet you, um-“

“Jou.”

“Yes, that’s right, sorry. Nice to meet you Jou.”

“You too Ryou. And, word to the wise, don’t let this one eat too many sweets. Just between you and me he gets a bit moody when he’s-“

Yugi bumped his shoulder, “Quit it mom, you’re scaring away my friends.”

Ryou laughed as did Jou. It had been a long day for all of three, even though it was only half over.

“Okay, well I promise to take good care of him and let you know of any suspicious rainbows or golden tissues. Bye now, see you at ten-thirty.”

“See you Ryou,” Yugi called back, giving a short wave, prodding Jou with his elbow on purpose.

As the door closed and Ryou disappeared, Yugi knew it was coming. He could feel Jou’s grin illuminating the back of his head like a spot light, “Okay say it; I don’t want you to strain a muscle smirking like that.”

Jou snorted with laughter and Yugi moved around him to grab his bag.

“D’awwwww nice guy Yugi is at it again, bringing smiles and laughter to kids of all ages.” He poked Yugi’s sides to make him squirm until it could not be ignored any longer and Yugi had to bat the hands away.

“Well here I was going to go downstairs and grab you a coffee, but I won’t if you’re just gonna to make fun of me…” He faked a whine that sounded close to sincere.

“Me? making fun of you? Wouldn’t dream of it bud – now, does Anzu know about your new boyfriend, or should I keep this just between us?”

“Hardy, har har,” the comment earned Jou a fiery pout as Yugi’s eyes shot to him, “First of all, if you recall, Ryou is married. Second, I am still happily in that relationship with Anzu and would like to keep it that way. And third, don’t hate the player. Just because you have bad luck with the ladies doesn’t mean you need to go all hatin’ on me.”

“Ooo and he strikes at the heart, twisting the knife for a killing blow,” Jou mocked in his best announcer voice. “You know she was totally into me until her ex showed up right?”

“Mmmhmm, and thaaaat’s why she hasn’t called you.”

“Ouch. Right in the pride. Yugi look, I’m bleed everywhere, oh the pain… Heh, nah, I’m sure there’s a good reason for it, I didn’t exactly get her number but, I’m sure I’ll see her around. A girl like that is worth the wait.”

“As you say, but – and do take this serious – can you remember her name?” Yugi teased, dodging in case Jou tried to swat at him, which he hadn’t, so now Yugi looked silly sitting on the floor.

“Tsk, nice,” he offered Yugi a hand up but pulled away before Yugi could grab so he’d fumble fall back.

“You suck.”

Jou snickered, “Yea, well just cause I know don’t mean I have to tell you. I think the real mystery is whether or not you can actually stop whining for five minutes.”

“Well I-”

“Exactly, I didn’t think so.”

The dryness of Jou’s tone couldn’t guise the humour below the surface. They shared a look and the dam of pent-up laughter burst.

Jou was the first to recover and extended a hand to help Yugi up, “Dude you should just quit school and work here full time, I miss this.”

Yugi wiped tears away from his eyes and took Jou’s hand. “Yes because two sarcastic assholes giggling behind the counter is precisely what this place needs,” his voice was still dotted with laughter, “To prove my point, you do realise that the computer has been flashing for the last, oh I don’t know, ten minutes?” He bumped the mouse to clear the screen saver.

“Hey now… language. There are little ears here,” Jou mocked, nudging his head in the direction of the tables where a rowdy discussion about a brothel was taking place, “Nerds are terrified of the real world, you might scare them off with all this talk of responsibility.”

Yugi shook his head and organised his things, “Right, right, whatever you say…. Now go do your job, you’re on the clock.”

“Well I would if you’d just stop distracting me.”

Yugi stopped unbuttoning his coat and looked up at Jou with a raised eyebrow, “Oh? Well forgive me, I didn’t know ~ ”

“Hell no! I wasn’t even paying attention. Just go, take your bag, grab your stuff, put your shit in the back,” he said, waving Yugi off, “And stop giving me that face, I am a professional, and I’ll have you know that I have customers to attend to.”

“Wait, wait, before you go… you want me to stuff what in your backroom?”

“Out! Out! You’re kicked out! Go, get. Shoo. Be gone. Banish yourself from the field, into the graveyard!”

Yugi was physically pushed through the employee doors.

But he wasn’t done yet.

While Jou went back to the computer and accessed the notification menu to send out the five-minute warnings for the players whose time had run out, Yugi prepared a mock show of taking the rest of his jacket.

“Don’t keep lying to yourself,” Yugi called after him when it was clear Jou was not going to make the mistake of looking his way and escaped onto the game floor.

Shaking his head Yugi pushed the door open to the backroom while unbuttoning the rest of his coat. He emptied the pockets of his phone and wallet, moving them into his jeans and dropping the empty backpack onto the floor. He put his books on a shelf for easy access later tonight. Hopefully he’d do some school work but he could see from the chart near his locker that there was a new custom order for him to work on. He’d only started painting figures for display but his boss had talked him into doing more and taking commissions since people were willing to pay well for them. So much for doing homework…

Shrugging off his jacket he hung it up on the peg next to Jou’s blazer, tempted to write a note and leave it in the pocket. Something smutty, or maybe just a fake number written with hearts instead of zeros. He could even google a pizzeria’s number to use; or maybe not, Jou might actually recognise it. A creak and he turned to see that Jou returned to foil his plans, keeping watch from the doorway.

“Are you going out tonight?” Yugi questioned, gesturing at the blazer as he keyed the passcode into his phone and checked messages.

“Yeah and I’d invite you too but I know you’ve already got a date tonight, so there’s no point in asking.”

Smart ass.

Yugi shook his head, not really wanting to get back into it, “Are you sure you’re not making fun of me? Cause it sure soooouuuunds like you might be making fun of me? In fact, I might only have enough money for one frappuccino…”

Jou gave a none-too- discreet pout and traced a fake tear rolling down his cheek.

With a sigh Yugi locked his phone and returned it to his back pocket. “Extra caramel, no whip?”

“Thanks bro, you’re the best.”

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o.o.0.0.O.0.0.o.o
(Ryou)
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There hadn’t been any messages from Yugi.

Ryou had drove in from out of town on the assumption that Yugi was going to be late so he hadn’t arrived until just after ten-thirty. He had expected to find Yugi already waiting for him at the backdoor like they had discussed, but after receiving no replies and waiting five minutes in the parking lot Ryou began to worry.

He sent another message, then called.

In all the weeks of meeting Yugi and picking him up for school, he had never once ignored a message or declined a phone call. He wasn’t the kind of person to leave someone waiting on him, which was why, after no one picked up, Ryou got out of the car to try the door.

It was still raining pretty hard as he hustled up the steps but the game shop had a canopy to stand under. The door was secured so he gave it a series of firm knocks hoping that Yugi would be able to hear it over the rain. After a while of waiting though and no signs of life from inside, Ryou tried dialing again.

His heart fell in his chest as he heard Yugi’s ringtone playing at his feet. Leaning over the rail he found Yugi’s bag laying on its side, soaking in a pool of rain water with his phone laying nearby. Hanging up, he climbed down and looked around the landing, dreading the truth of what he knew must have happened.

He began to call a new number, praying that Bakura had his phone on him and was willing to pick up.

“Please, please Kura, come on,” he pleaded, reaching down to investigate Yugi’s phone and pull his bag out of the water. He could smell the blood before he spotted it further down the parking lot and it brought a surreal-ness crashing down around him, “Come on Kura, pick up, pick up, pick up…”

“Kura!”

“What is it?”

“I need you - now. I’m at the west side mall, something’s happened. Yugi- I was – I was supposed to meet him here but he’s gone. I think they’ve taken him and-“

Ryou’s frantic explanation suddenly went quiet.

“Ryou?”

Was that Yugi?

“Ryou!?”

He was silent until he heard the noise again, “I have to go.”

It was one of the first times he had ever hung up on Akefia like that but he knew what he was hearing now and there was no time to lose. He was hardly aware that he still had Yugi’s bag in his hand as he ran or that his phone was ringing with Akefia trying to call him back. Everything was wrapped up too tightly in a bundle of guilt and fear.

Rounding the corner, Ryou forced open the door to the underground parking and hurried inside. Immediately the smell and chatter of wolves held an overwhelming presence.

A groan of pain followed the slick slap of meat on concrete. “Tell me.”

“I don’t know! I don’t know!” came the desperate response, a cry choked by an angry fist as Yugi scratched and pried at the hand locked around his throat.

Ryou’s phone went off again, echoing twice as loud in the enclosed space. It put a temporary end to Yugi’s suffering as the clawed hand fell away from his throat and the mangled form collapsed in an exhausted heap on the ground. He was bloodied but alive. From this distance, it was impossible to tell where the wounds originated or how grave they were. He needed to get closer.

“Well, well, well, looks like he brought one to us after all.” It was the one who had hurt Yugi that spoke.

There were five of them in total and not a one had fur or hands that weren’t stained. Two had already shifted into grey wolves and growled at him, taking point ahead of their humanoid brethren.

Ryou knew there wasn’t much he could do. He didn’t have a lot of combat experience and these wolves were much bigger than him. They only thing he did have was the ability to out maneuver and possibly out smart them, but that would only work for so long before one would inevitably land a hit.

He just needed to survive until Akefia could get here. If he could manage that, then Yugi would be safe.

He could do it.

For Yugi.

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“Stand My Ground” Within Temptation
It's all around
Getting stronger, coming closer
Into my world
(My world)
I can feel
That it's time for me to face it
Can I take it?
Though this might just be the ending
Of the life I held so dear
But I won't run, there's no turning back from here
Stand my ground, I won't give in
No more denying, I got to face it
Won't close my eyes and hide the truth inside
If I don't make it, someone else will
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Into the Desolate Night