Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Deception ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

Deception

By: Chibi-Suiko

A/N: Aloha, everybody! And, no, I haven't been on vacation in the Bahamas, as unfortunate as that sounds. The reason I haven't updated in a week is that, sadly enough, my computer is finally starting to lose its juice. Pretty soon I'll have to save my story (Yes, this one is completely finished and type up on my comp. I have to make some final revisions, but that's about it) on a floppy disk and keep track of it there. But, don't worry, because pretty soon I'll be getting a job and I plan to buy a new comp for myself (instead of this crumby family one). So, anyway, gomen ne from your friend Chibi and I hope you enjoy what you're about to read.

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Don't want anyone else to own it. Don't wanna be sued for stealing characters.

Ages: Everyone current (teenager-wise) is 17 years old except for Anzu for obvious reasons. And if they aren't obvious to you, then, well, you need an upgrade in your brain capacity level. But don't take that personally.

Rating: PG-15 for cursing, angst, possible violence, dark magic, death, and complexity in the plot.

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Things you ought to know:

"Words" - - Speech

Words - - Either thoughts or dream mode, it's not hard to figure out which.

Words / "Words" - - Just means emphasis, in case you couldn't guess. You may also see them in underline or both bold and underline.

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Chapter Four

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" ...I suppose that you'll want to leave too..."

" Ano, Nani?" Yami replied, refusing to believe that she'd just said that to him.

" My mom left... Next you will leave... And then Yuugi... And Jounochi... And Honda..." She cried, tears beginning to fall, "...And then... I'll be all alone... And everything will be... Just like before..." She sniffled and dug her face deep into her pillow, "I hate it this way... Maybe it'd be better... If I never had met any of you... I-I tried so hard just to... Just to fit in... Demo, you are probably better off without me..."

He'd never seen her like this and he never though that he would. She was always the cheerful type, always optimistic, and second friendliest next to Yuugi, himself...

" Anzu-San..." Yami began but she took no action as though to acknowledge that she was listening, "... I don't want you to feel this way. I've felt this pain for over a century, and you know that. I couldn't bear it if you, of all people, felt it as well. I think that you're being too frightened by this dream. Its reoccurring process is making you fear friendship and that isn't healthy. I should know... I've been without anyone for five thousand years..."

She listened to his every word, feeling worse than ever after concluding that he'd had far worse pains for far longer times. And these were the very pains that she, herself, wanted to help heal. If only she could teach him to love, to accept assistance when things got too hard for him to accomplish them himself.

" Yami..." She murmured, as though suddenly possessed to say something to him.

He looked up in silence, wondering what she had to say.

" Yami... I care about you. And if there's a God up there, then let him allow you, no matter how long it's been, to care for me as well. I was hoping that we'd be able to spend more time together. You're always with the guys and I want to be apart of that type of bond. I know that boys will be boys and your bond with the others may be a lot stronger than the one we share demo... I want to change that..." She broke off and looked away. Yami was seriously uncomfortable.

No doubt her fever had carried her to the extremes, making her slightly delirious and chatty, no matter how personal this all sounded. Yet he felt slightly relieved that she discussed such a topic with him in private. He'd always thought that Anzu would be better off spending more time with other girls, rather than with the group she was currently with. He asked himself whether any of the others had taken in her interest either?

He was tempted to continue the conversation but interrupted himself by placing his hand on her forehead to check for a fever. She sighed with relief, obviously his cool palm did wonders for her and he furrowed his brow in concentration. It felt the same as before. He supposed it'd be better to let her sleep.

He got up from the bed and Anzu grabbed his hand with her own, "Are you leaving?"

" Only for a moment. I'm going downstairs to retrieve some things and clean up a mess that I've made. I'm positive that Yuugi and the others will be over as soon as their lessons are completed for the day. Meanwhile, you should get some rest. Understand?" He asked her and she only nodded, finding it easier not to argue.

She let her head collapse onto the pillows and curled herself up in order to satisfy herself fully.

" Sleep well, Anzu..." He whispered and walked from the room and she immediately felt sleep close around her.

***

The darkness around her was eminent. She was unable to see a light or hear the call of water or life of any meaning. She felt a slight draft from behind yet she knew that, somehow, she was not alone. She felt as though she'd been here before, wherever here was, but she couldn't tell.

Where was she?

What time, what day was it?

Who was there watching her?

None of her questions seemed to be answered and so she waited in silence. Suddenly she heard footsteps. A chorus of them, like a group of people...

She was hardly able to breathe in spite of herself before she felt rose petals fall around her. They whirled lightly about the wind and swept around her ankles. She could smell their aroma as she waltzed to the quiet beat of music that lay somewhere in the distance. Again, the sound of footsteps continued to draw ever closer.

She turned to see her friends walking toward her, smiles on all of their faces. Bouquets of roses were in all of their hands and they pulled out a few petals and threw them toward her again. She grinned and walked over, meaning to get close to them, just like before. Unfortunately, the farther she walked, the farther they went. She was confused. Though they moved on, their feet were not making motion...

Suddenly, their bodies vanished in a whirl of petals and standing before her were four corpses. In front of them stood the same being as before, half secluded in shadow.

" What do you need them for? Don't you see that they want nothing to do with you?" They asked in almost a sneer.

" Nani?" She asked, her mind whirling before her.

" You want trust in those you meet. I can give you so much more than that. I am what you want. I will make you happy. Does anyone else care about your needs?" He taunted and she began to hear soft, wicked laughter that sounded a lot like her friends, "Don't you hear them? They're mocking you because they know that you've been deceived by them. I can change that. Do you want to be the one laughing?"

" N-No!" She cried, appalled that someone would ask her that question.

" You know that you're denying it. Let me hurt them, just for a bit. Let us see if it is not at all enjoyable to you."

" N-NO! KAIJOU! Leave me alone, KAIJOU!" She yelled, placing her hands to her head.

She wasn't alone, they weren't playing with her, they weren't using her, they cared... She wasn't alone, they weren't playing with her, they weren't using her, they cared... She could pull through this. She just needed to believe that she wasn't alone. They were watching her no matter what this beast envisioned as the truth.

" No... Leave me alone. Don't you get it..? I don't believe you. I don't want to believe you..!" She cried as tears sprung to her eyes.

" You do, don't you..?" She heard him laugh again, "Demo if you need persuasion..."

" Kaijou!"

She jumped up and ran from him. She would resist no matter how long it took to rid her head of these awful thoughts.

She fell to the ground just as she felt the flames licking her head, the perspiration drifting down her cheeks. And then she felt it, a presence strong enough to carry her away from this awful place. She felt arms around her and then--

" Yami?!" She cried.

" You are safe. The puzzle has been completed and now you will by at peace from the shards that have tried endlessly to cut you. You shall not worry any more." His voice died away almost completely at once, "You are safe. You are inside of me at this very moment."

She was inside the Millennium Puzzle? Is this what it felt like to Yuugi when he and the spirit had had to replace each other? It was strange, this cooling wild draft always hit her in the back but on the other hand, she felt this ray of sunshine warming over her front. It was like one side was evil, or depression and grief, and the other referred to light, happiness, and hope. It was like they were driven to make her fight, make her survive, or just let it all go...

And she was safe..!

For now...

***

" Arigatou... Zutto..." She muttered in her sleep.

" Hey, Yami, daijoubu Anzu? She keeps talking to herself..." Jounochi asked, worry in his voice.

" Hai, she is safe for now." Yami whispered, removing his hand from her forehead.

" 'Safe'? You mean that she wasn't?" Honda asked.

" Well, not exactly. She has been having reoccuring nightmares, though. Doubts about our bond with her. She told me today, along with other worries."

" Oh, did something happen between you two?" Jounochi laughed.

" You should at least wait until she's well Yami!" Yuugi lectured.

Yami only growled, "She should be waking up any moment..."

" How can you tell..?"

" Because she wants to..." A second later, she began to stir, making Jounochi and Honda's skin crawl.

" Yami, you gotta stop doing that type of thing! It's creepy!" They both shouted simultaneously.

" Not for me... You forget, I have to live with the guy!" Yuugi joked, making the two other guys laugh slightly.

" Who..?" Anzu rolled over on her mattress to see her four friends watching her with anxious faces, "Hey... Guys..." She yawned again and smiled lightly, "How's it all going, Yuugi? Enough homework for you all?"

" Not enough to stop us from seeing you." Jounochi grinned, "So, how are you feeling? Need something? A drink, maybe?"

Anzu nodded and let him take a cup that had been sitting on her side desk, "Just a bit of water, please?"

" No problem!" He smiled, "You sure that's all?"

" Ano, hai..." She felt bad enough asking for that. It was like she was taking her friends for granted. She blushed embarrassedly as he left the room.

'Don't you hear them? They're mocking you because they know that you've been deceived by them.' She heard the taunt of the obscured figure from her dream. At the remembrance of this, she caught Yami's eye, who looked away as though trying to avoid her. Was it because he didn't want to admit he'd helped her in the nightmare..?

Or was it because he truly wanted nothing to do with her?

Did he maybe hear some of her thoughts..?

'Don't you see that they want nothing to do with you?' The taunt resounded in her numbing skull again. Why was he continuously trying to torment her with lies like that?

Were they lies?

She'd felt so safe within the Millennium Puzzle, so much more wanted in Yami's presence than here at the moment. She... Cared about his trying to avoid her...And she cared about the doubt that seemed to be consuming her mind even now, when she was awake.

" ...Anzu...? Anzu!" Jounochi called and she jumped, reawakening from her reverie, "Here's your drink. Something up?"

She shook her head, nothing for them to get worked up about. She could handle it...

'Or become devoured by it.' She took a drink from her glass and placed it with shaking hands onto her desk. This strange observance didn't go unnoticed by her friends who contained their fright for their comrade.

" Ano--I-I need to rest... Maybe-maybe you should all be going..." She fell back huddled beneath her sheets and listened to the silence from beside her.

Why weren't they leaving yet?

She felt so dirty lying to them because, indeed, she was wide awake. Not even a millimeter of tiredness after all the hours of napping she'd just accomplished.

" Anzu..?" Honda asked as politely as he could under the immense amount of stress at the thought of his friend being hurt, "Play it safe for a while, okay..?" He ended the question with removing himself from the room.

Jounochi patted her reassuringly on the back and followed but Yuugi didn't budge.

" I... Think that I'll stay. Just a bit longer. You know, to keep Yami company. And Anzu." She heard nothing but a door shutting afterwards.

Trying to get back to sleep, she attempted to vanish the voices of her two male friends from her head as they talked about her eccentric behavior.

" Do you think that she's all right?" Yuugi asked worriedly and Anzu could almost feel his gaze on her back.

" Her mind... Is troubled. This nightmare is taking a toll on her nerves around us. And she is beginning to lose trust in our friendship... I prevented it from happening sooner. Or at least, I tried. Unfortunately, I must have been far too late."

" Is there anything we can do to help? Can we excavate the thoughts that may be obstructing her lucid vision?" Yuugi asked.

" I... Don't know. I want to demo I won't trespass unless she allows me to. A persons mind is the way to their deepest, inner-most thoughts, fears... Anything you want to know. I can't consent to doing that much damage. That's what it would be to me. Damage. If she let us pass, I would. I'm not so sure anyway, though, we could get lost."

" I don't want you to lose yourself within my head. There's too much unhappiness in there all ready." Came Anzu's voice from the other direction, "Demo... I'm afraid. And I don't want to keep thinking like this forever. I... want to be rid of this awful deliberation that you don't care. Denying such a thing won't seem to help me anymore. I can't allow myself to become consumed by such a fearful conviction that I can't ever trust you again." She cried softly.

Yami pressed his hand to the small of her back, making her jump slightly.

" It's only me... Demo if you truly want us to enter your mind, and are ready for us to reveal your deepest emotions, then we will. And you will have to sleep. That way we can meet you inside and you may show us around. There, we will keep you safe, by any means..." He murmured and she turned around with a few tears cascading down her flushed cheeks.

" ...Go ahead..."

***

The depth of her mind was obscured in the darkness. There was a small void of light up ahead and a bellowing cry was venting from within. Yami turned to the other side, strangely aware of what lay beyond. Her soul room, only one other person had been on the other side of that door, and that was the Guardian of the Millennium Items, Shadi. Only he knew what dreams, what fears, what loves that Anzu held beneath the flesh of her heart.

He lifted a hand towards the door, his supposed curiosity about the females secrets beginning to get the better of him. He'd never before ventured into another's mind. And he never thought that he would. But she was different somehow, he was mysteriously drawn to the core of her thoughts, the very center of her being... Was this what love was like..?

He stroked the knob of the door slightly, feeling a shocking sensation across his eyes. It was like she was forbidding his entrance. Did she know that he'd been trying to find her inside? Or did she think that his urge to know everything about her had consumed him completely enough for him to step beyond the line?

Yami stepped back, aware that under the transition from his soul room, to hers, he'd forgotten his young Abiou. He turned back and focused all of his complete train of thought to further than her interior, out to her periphery.

***

A moment later, he stood leaning against Anzu's bed with Yuugi waiting patiently for his return. The moment his azure eyes opened, his counter-part was up and asking what he'd seen, if he'd seen anything at all. Yami tried to console him long enough for him to listen and continued to explain how difficult it would be to find her.

" ...The first place to check for our friend would be inside their soul room, demo it seems she won't allow anybody entry. Because of this, we will have to search and eliminate the threat before continuing after her..."

" D-demo you said that there's a chance we'd get lost!" Yuugi cried, unsure of his next accomplishment against evil.

" There is. A very good chance at that. Most people have never even known of their soul room, unless it becomes invaded. And every persons mind is like a different, and difficult, maze. It would take even a Prophesy too far too long to search it. And that is why it's so very rare that our intellect be excavated. Demo with the Millennium Puzzle..." At this point he looked down upon the small implement around his neck, glowing slightly, "...We may have a better chance of revealing the path. And destroying the evil..."

" You really do care for her, don't you..?" Yuugi asked with a small smile.

" I don't think it's that I care..." They looked at each other for a moment, "...I think that it's that I love..."

They both put a hand to the puzzle and another to Anzu's heart.

" The transition will only take a moment demo, let's remember, while gone, our bodies will be little more than empty shells. So we must hurry before anybody sees."

" Well, then what are we waiting for..? Let's go rescue Anzu--!" Yuugi grinned at his alter-ego again and both maintained focus as the puzzles light grew brighter until their being was obscured again.

***

A/N: There you go. Kami, gomen ne again to the few readers who may have been waiting a good 'forever' for this update. But I hope that you enjoyed it and plan on reviewing because it'll make Chibi feel fluffy and good inside if you do. And who doesn't want to make a good author feel all mushy and sugary?

REVIEW FOR ME!

--Chibi ending transmission.