Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Cries of the Undead ❯ Caught ( Chapter 2 )

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Yami groaned; his head felt as though it were swimming in oil, a thick blackness being all he could make out. The last thing he remembered was getting into the limo with that enormous man. After waving good-bye to Yuugi, Yami could recall nothing. `Why is it so dark?' his thoughts echoed back at him loudly, he cringed in pain as he was bombarded with his own words, but in a deeper, warped version of his mental voice.

"It might help if you open your eyes, Pharaoh." Snickered a voice that sounded vaguely familiar, yet unusual at the same time. "But then again, you weren't pharaoh because of your smarts now were you?" The voice bounced off the walls and seemed to pound into Yami's ears. He tried to cover his aching ears with his hands, but they wouldn't move. His arms felt like lead, rolling his head to one side, Yami felt as though the whole room was spinning, body whipping from one corner to another. Yami moaned and breathed in as deeply as he could to quell his stomach. Moving wasn't an option unless he sought to pass out after heaving his small breakfast.

`Where am I?' Yami thought, not realizing that the other in the room could hear him.

"A very special place." Hissed the voice louder, obviously enjoying the pain Yami went through when anything was spoken above a whisper. "Where your screams can echo for eternity and not a soul will care." The form sat on the edge of Yami's bed and grinned sadistically as he watched his captive struggle just to stay conscious.

`Why?…Why did…' Yami was slipping again; the blackness was taking a firm grasp around his lungs, squeezing all the precious oxygen out. His breathing became erratic as he struggled to take in just one complete breath. The other growled in aggravation and backhanded Yami across the face. This jolt allowed Yami to take in some air when he gasped in shock and pain.

"Hm, perhaps I should come back later, when you'll be able to appreciate what I do to you. I can't, after all, have you passing out during our play date." The figure stood and walked away, slamming the door on his way out.

Agonizing pain ripped through Yami's body, all of it stemming from his throbbing head. Just the shift of weight as the man stood up sent him clenching his teeth to keep from screaming, but the loud thunderclap from the door was too much. His muscles tightened and convulsed as his stomach emptied its contents. Were it not for the fact Yami's head was already tilted to its side, Yami would have suffocated from his own putrid vomit. Pain now erupted from his sides and up his throat, his shivering form longed for rest, but strangely, Yami now felt much better than he had seconds ago.

The lightning bolt like pain that had haunted his mind was gone, eased only into a dull ache. It was then that Yami could open his eyes. Slowly, he put all strength into willing his lids to peel back, a task he had taken for granted up until now. The sight he beheld shocked his eyes to widen into large crimson disks. The walls were made of chiseled granite; smears of blood were everywhere, almost as though they were veins, all of which met at an ebony circle at the heart of the room. Chains hung like demented curtains from every wall, some with pieces of rotting flesh still caught in their steel teeth and others with desiccated flakes of blood beginning to rust the ends. Yami could feel his blood run cold, almost hearing the tortured souls' cries for help. There seemed to be no ceiling, the walls crept ever higher until all that one could see was a black fog that stared back menacingly. The tall, mahogany door to his left was a good 100 yards away, an impossible distance, now, for Yami. The floor was a welcoming sight though. It was beautiful, a well polished solid slate of black marble with gold, white, and red veins that began and ended independently. The previously mentioned ebony circle had a gold edge inscribed with characters Yami didn't recognize, but they were written with delicate beauty that enchanted him.

An unexplainable urge told Yami to go run his fingers over the gold ring, as he tried to sit up, something painful held him down by his wrists. `What?!' Yami stared at his wrists in disbelief. Biting into his flesh were chains with spikes just large enough to permit rivets of blood to trickle if he gave any sudden movements. Pulled taut above his head, there was no way for him to move lest he wanted to produce horrid gashes in the process. Craning his neck, Yami took in the site of his body. His ankles were chained as well, but with larger metallic teeth to dig into his flesh were he to try squirming. He was still dressed, `Thank Ra.' At least nothing had been done to him while he had been out. The black silk that pooled around him looked eerily like the oil that had surrounded his mind moments ago. The canopy bed had posts made of mahogany with more black silk drapes tied back with elegant gold chains.

Yami sighed and let his head fall against the soft silken pillow, which was undoubtedly black as well. He had yet to have his anger flare. `Why?' He thought quietly to himself, trying to contemplate the unconscious calm that had taken over. `Why not?' He answered. Crimson welcomed the darkness when Yami closed his eyes. There was no point in getting angry, he'd only struggle and get himself mutilated with these Ra forsaken chains holding him down so tightly. Maybe he'd just have to talk his way out of this, fighting back would hurt him more than who ever it was that had chained him up. `Oh Gods,' Yami rolled his eyes, `Yuugi's beginning to rub off of me.'

Yami's eyes peeled open and teeth clamped onto his wrists when he tried to bolt from realization. "Yuugi!" His voice cracked as it slipped past his vomit burned throat. Where was Yuugi? Had they taken him too? Yami screamed in frustration and pain when his wrists and ankles felt as though they had caught fire. He looked up and caught his breath in a gasp. The chains were on fire! Violet flames danced on the chains, making the binds not hotter, but tighter. "Shadow Magic…" Yami whispered as though afraid his words would anger the flames.

"So you're not an idiot after all," the man who had earlier been in the room with Yami had returned, delight and sarcasm thick in his voice "That's a good thing you know." Yami flashed his eyes toward the figure, the blinding light from the hall kept him from seeing anything other than a silhouette.

"Who are you?" Yami growled, pent up rage dripping in his voice. He could feel the irritation crawl on his skin as he yearned to know who it was that had dared capture and tie him up worse than a dog. There was a deadly laugh from the figure, and as he threw back his head to continue his glee, Yami took notice of something that made his mind blank of all save one distinction. This person wore a long trench coat that flared out, even as he stood there motionless. "KAIBA?!" The shock, and that is an understatement mind you, that reverberated throughout Yami's disbelieving question was enough to silence the figure.

"Yes and no, Yami." It was then that the door slammed shut and Kaiba stepped forward, grinning manically as he watched Yami stare blankly.

Yami's mind raced with thousands of questions as he tried to decipher any reasonable explanation for this. Only one word made its way to Yami's lips, but it seemed to be enough. "What?"

"Well," Kaiba drawled as he lazily sat next to Yami, who didn't react even when Kaiba began to lace his fingers through the tricolor locks that hung in his face. "Yes, this is Kaiba's body." Yami could feel those magic lit chains gnaw into his flesh again, the blood tracing down his arms in hot paths. "And no," Kaiba's face looked distorted as it grinned darkly, piercing Yami with ice blue eyes "Because I'm in control of his mind now."

Kaiba's hand fisted and yanked Yami's hair roughly. Yelping, Yami struggled to release his tricolor locks, only to feel the wounds on his wrists and ankles deepen and run with fresh blood. "Let me go, Marik!" Yami shouted as he glared into the ice-sheeted eyes before him. The sinister expression before him did not change; instead, Kaiba's face drew closer to Yami's.

The hot breath passing Kaiba's lips sent shivers up Yami's spine when it made contact with his clammy neck. "I'm not Marik…" those same thin lips curled into a haughty smile. " Do you really think that he had the competence to leave the Shadow Realm so quickly after you had sent him there?" Kaiba's long, slender arm reached for something inside his black boots while using his other hand, still tightly grasping a fistful of hair, to force Yami's head to tilt backwards so that his pale neck was displayed beautifully before Kaiba's eyes. "You were close though." Yami craned his neck further still when he felt the ten-inch blade Kaiba had produced dance lightly under his chin.

Kaiba snickered coldly as he delicately ran the point up to Yami's left ear and saw crimson orbs shut in anticipation for an attack. "Aw, you really think I would mar your beautiful face, Pharaoh?" The blade made its way back to Yami's throat, nicking it just enough so Yami would gasp, causing the blade to glisten in his blood. "Look what you've gone and done, Yami. Tsk tsk." Kaiba's face was masked in mock disappointment. "You should learn to control yourself, otherwise you might get hurt…"

A pale pink tongue ran along the blade's hair splitting edges and cleaned up the coppery life source, earning a slight look of horror from Yami. "Bakura?"

Pure disgust seeped from Kaiba's face. "You dare to compare me to that baka excuse for a yami? Given that my own was not much better, but of all the horrid insults you could throw at me, you claim my name to be that of a low life tomb robber?" The blade traced its way to rest over Yami's heart, "You will pay for that…" Kaiba's husky voice purred.

Yami's mind raced, if it wasn't Marik or Bakura, then who? He heard a sound of pondering come from deep within Kaiba's throat. `Shit, I'm about to have my heart gouged out by someone whose name I don't even know!'

"Such fowl language, Pharaoh!" Kaiba's eyes lit with amusement as he saw confusion flash through Yami's. "Oh, did I forget to mention the qualities of this room?" Kaiba's lower lip pouted out "Sorry." He cackled darkly as he lifted the blade, much to Yami's relief, and rested it on a near by table when he stood. Yami's gaze followed the tall figure as it made its way to stand in the center of the ebony circle. "Tell me, Yami, were you drawn to this circle? More precisely, the golden ring and string of incantations engraved upon it?" Yami nodded his head even though Kaiba's back was facing him. "Do you know why?" Again, Yami shook his head in silent answer, but who ever had control of Kaiba could see his response even if Kaiba physically couldn't. "It's simple really. It's an entrance to the Shadow Realm." Kaiba's tall form turned slowly to peer down at Yami. "Given that you spent a good chunk of your `life' there, you feel naturally drawn to it."

"I would never willingly wish to go back there!" Yami shouted in horror.

"But the Shadow Realm wishes for you to go back." The deadly tone of Kaiba's voice caused Yami to unconsciously tense. Did who ever this was, intend to send Yami back to the Shadow Realm? "You don't think I tied you up just for the hell of it, do you? I was making sure that you wouldn't wander over and ruin my fun." Again, that evil smile warped Kaiba's normally emotionless face. He strode over, cockily sneering at his prisoner while Yami glared back. "The best quality of my `enchanted' circle is that all mentally voiced thoughts, by yamis, are heard by hikaris, even if they aren't their own."

Yami's eyes all but bulged out. "You're a hikari?!"

Kaiba looked as though he were about to die of impatience. "Baka, Pharaoh!!! What do you think I meant when I said my own yami was just barely better than Bakura?" mumbling something incomprehensible, Kaiba's form stalked away as he held his head. "Some `King of Games', you can't even figure out the riddle to who I am!" Stopping abruptly at the door, Kaiba glanced back at Yami with a slightly irritated look in his eyes. "I'll be back once you're cleaned up." Yami's face was tinged in a soft pink, highlighting his red clad figure, he had forgotten about his earlier stomach mishap.

Left alone, with only the dissipating echo of the slammed door to keep him company, Yami felt helpless. He didn't know who his captor was, he didn't know where he was, and he had no way to go without losing his hands and feet in the process. A memory flashed before his eyes, one of Yuugi smiling and holding his hands, telling him they would never be alone because they had each other. "Yuugi…" Yami barely whispered, watching as the memory faded away so agonizingly slowly that Yami was sure it was a cruel trick to toy with his mind. `I need to know if he's ok, but I can't even feel his presence.' Yami closed his eyes, concentrating as he tried to find any trace of his aibou. Were Yuugi in this building, Yami would have felt him, but as Yami probed at their link, he found that he was locked out.

//Yuugi!!// he cried, only to have his words bounce off a barrier and ram itself back into his mind.

`I need to know if he's safe…' the mahogany door swung open, a set of six figures filed in, `That's all that matters now…'

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