Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Differences Don't Matter ❯ Burning Sorrows ( Chapter 7 )

White puffs of air burst from Yugi's mouth from each pant he exerted as he ran from the house, not able to take another second where only cruelty awaited him. He could sense his spirit was just about broken and he needed someone who could help him. He wouldn't go to Yami no matter how much closer he and the crimson-eyed teen had become over the past few weeks. They were never able to speak long though and it was rare when a conversation went passed a quick `thank you' and an equally soft spoken `you're welcome' was said. Their speedy confrontations were usually in an alley where there were no witnesses where Yami would give him a warm roll if he noticed how underfed Yugi was becoming or slip him a blanket when the temperatures continued to drop.

 

No, he needed someone he knew he could always turn too and someone who wouldn't get in trouble for speaking with him. Matoko was the only one could save him from the nightmare he was trapped in. Besides, Yami was out of town with his father and wouldn't be back for another week.

 

The family only seemed to get crueler to the elf day after day. Every day they yelled and screamed at him, sometimes even for things he couldn't control like their fire being clogged and unable to warm the house or the snow that would cover their sidewalk overnight even when Yugi would break his back every cold afternoon shoveling it away. The night before though was simply the worst and Yugi needed something to prove he wasn't alone before he cracked.

 

His heart faster as the bar came into sight and the beating he somehow survived those months he was with the horrible family Shigure and his wife created together purely to cause the little elf torment. Shigure had let his eldest son punish him for the dishes and priceless other pieces of breakables that had been broken as a result of too much laundry being carried from the basement and the youngest son's toys carelessly (and highly probably purposely) placed toys in front of the door. Yugi had been pitched forward, slammed right into Minako, causing her to drop her “priceless and highly treasured dishes” all over the floor. She had also been thrown backwards from the force of Yugi hitting her and hit the banister and shelves holding all the breakables.

 

The result had been a nightmare to Yugi when he recovered, glass cutting into his hands, arms, and legs; his clothes shredded from the glass plates in shards he landed on. Looking up his eyes were as wide as saucers as the shelves had crashed to the floor along with all the glass from the banister pooled on the floor in a frozen river of shiny, well-cleaned glass covering the wood floor. The elf wished the nightmare he was in would swallow him before Shigure walked in and saw what had happened, knowing he'd be blamed for it. Sure enough though, with perfect scheduling, the master of the house stepped through the front door and was like a statue to the spot. Cool air from the outside was let in and Yugi sneezed as the frosted wind nipped at his skin through his thin clothes and the man's cold eyes were immediately drawn to his scratched and bloody form. To make the moment perfect, the last teetering shot glass on the banister crashed to the ground from the small wind that touched it and Yugi flinched as the sound caused Shigure to shout his name in utter misery.

 

Shay, being the perfect son he was and successor to the family name, grabbed Yugi by the back of his shirt and threw him down the stairs. The elf rolled down to the cold, concrete and lay in a bloody heap next to furnace as he heard the eldest son talk soothingly to his parents.

 

“I'll take care of him, mother. Don't worry about a thing. Jeremy,” he called to his little brother who had run down the stairs from all the noise, “pick up your toys. Afterwards, help mother upstairs and draw a warm bath for her.”

 

“Thank you, Shay,” Shigure said. “I'll pick up this mess and go out for a little while.” Yugi heard a definite growl in the last part.

 

Short seconds later, the thud of each step the eldest son took coming down the stairs becoming louder in Yugi's sensitive, pointed ears, the elf wished it was anyone but Shay punishing him.

 

Tears burned Yugi's eyes as he burst through the bar's heavy wood door. There was a collective gasp as his pale, thin, and weak form leaned heavily against the nearest table. Burns cradled his arms and legs, the lower half of his pants had been torn off and left them nothing more than extremely ragged looking shorts that barely stopped above his knees. His cheeks were torn from glass and a large gash above his right eye was still bleeding from where Shay had taken a large shard from the broken plates. His left eye was purple, black, and green from when Yugi had tried crawling away from the eldest son and Shay had grabbed him and introduced his elbow to his face.

 

Matoko ran out when he heard the door behind Yugi slam shut loudly and he just about collapsed to his knees at the sight of the elf. He shouted Yugi's name and ran over. Seeing water dripping on the floor from the fragile hand he carefully eased the clump of snow out of the tightly clenched fist and looked at Yugi curiously. Twin waterfalls were spilling from his clouded and broken eyes, the sign of life that was always there before impossible to find now. When the elf started coughing profusely though and then took a large bite out of the frozen water to make it stop he coaxed Yugi to open his mouth. The red, raw sight of his throat made him step away and he grabbed the slumped shoulders and hugged him tightly.

 

Gargled sounds met his ears and he pulled away, seeing the elf's lips, quivering and cracked dry, trying to say something.

 

“What is it,” Matoko demanded. “How did this happen, Yugi?”

 

“S-shay,” the help croaked out before dissolving into a large coughing fit.

 

Someone shoved a cold glass of ice water into his hands and Yugi looked up thankfully at Matoko's friend, whom he recognized as the same one he's met and finally heard speak on his last day off when he worked for Matoko. “Who's Shay,” the man questioned, looking curiously at the bartender.

 

“Shigure's eldest son and the one who takes after him greatly.”

 

The man gasped and glared harshly at his friend. “Matoko, please tell me you didn't sell Yugi to Shigure of all people? He's one of the worst in this entire city!” Murmurs around the bar were heard before quieting down to hear the rest.

 

“It was Yugi's decision because he didn't want the man hurting me or anyone else I know. He was desperate to get his hands on him that he was threatening me.”

 

“And you just let him go,” the man questioned harshly.

 

“I didn't know what to do,” Matoko admitted. “The whole thing caught me by surprise. One second I was about to take the man outside and the next I was taking Yugi's bracelet off.”

 

The man gently took Yugi's wrist and fingered the gold bracelet with Shigure's name engraved in it. “How horrible for him,” he whispered sadly. “He must've endured a life worst than a nightmare in that house all this time.”

 

Yugi was led to sit in a seat and one of the women closest to the front of the bar brought a moist cloth and dabbed lightly at his wounds. “You poor thing,” she cried. “I wouldn't blame you for trying to get away. Even my husband doesn't treat our elf as cruel as this and I know how horrible his temper can get.”

 

The elf flinched as she touched his gash above his gently and she pulled away as if shocked. “I'm so sorry,” she apologized. Yugi merely sipped at his water and continued to cry, flinching as the cool liquid touched his abused throat and more tears slipped down his eyes. He remembered screaming his voice raw for Shay to have mercy and leave him alone. He ended up losing all ability to form a sound by the time the eldest son declared that they were only half done. The elf cried and whimpered the rest of his punishment, forcing himself to not open his mouth and destroy his throat further.

 

Setting the glass on the table, Yugi knew the whole bar was staring at him. He stood, taking his hand back from the man who was still holding it after looking over his branded wrist and looked at Makoto just as the door slammed open again. Everyone turned to look as Shigure and his eldest son stomped through and glared down at Yugi as the elf was frozen to the spot upon their entrance.

 

“I knew I would find you here, filth,” Shigure growled, grabbing his arm roughly and pulling him to his side. “How dare you run out of the house like that? You should be grateful for even having a place to stay you ungrateful wretch!”

 

Yugi whimpered and cried, tried to get his burnt arm from the man's harsh grasp.

 

“You'll be in for it when I get you back to the house. Perhaps Shay wasn't getting the message through that you belong to us, but I'll make sure to pass it by you more thoroughly!”

 

The elf looked helplessly up at the bartender, still trying to pull feebly away from the man who introduced him to the hell beyond all others.

 

“H-he-,” Yugi coughed and choked again, falling to his knees and holding his throat.

 

Makoto wanted to go to him to help, but it was impossible for him to go to Yugi and he knew it. Seeing Shigure and Shay standing there brought him to his senses and forced himself to stand where he was and let whatever happened to Yugi happen. He even took up the glass that Yugi had discarded and made to look like it was his drink.

 

Looking painfully at Makoto and his friend again as he was dragged to the door. “Help m-me...” he begged before sputtering into another coughing fit again.

 

Shigure and Shay both paused with the door halfway open and stared down at the pain-filled elf. The older man then brought his gaze to lazily gaze at the owner of the bar, intent on hearing his answer.

 

Makoto forced himself not to show how greatly those words tore at his very heart and soul. He wished he could go to Yugi and cradle him to his chest like the son he never had. He wanted to throw Shigure and his cruel son out of the bar and threaten them to never go near Yugi again. What he didn't want was to say the very words he knew would make the life in the weak elf's eyes fade from existence entirely.

 

“No,” he said forcefully.

 

Yugi's eyes widened as the dimly heard laughter of Shay and his father were heard in his pointed ears and tears blurred his vision of the one friend he thought could help him. All reason vanished from his mind and his heart shattered beyond repair, and his soul muted to nothing more than a shadow of what he once was and knew. He didn't register Shigure's amused comments towards the bartender of the numbing cold as he was dragged from the bar or the echo of the door as his closed with finality after them.

 

He stared blindly at the wall for the rest of the day, not noticing how his wrist was now cuffed to the wall in the basement furthest from the furnace or his form shivered with the absence of all the blankets he used as a bed.

 

When Shigure dragged him up the stairs, staring at the ground as his injured self was pulled out of the house and down the street. A small glitter of hope rose in him when he somehow noticed that the place Shigure was leading him to was the bar. It too shattered with the rest of him and he was dead to the world as Shigure spoke with the manager.

 

“This is your new master, filth,” Shigure told him, the words sounding muffled to him. Anything else that might have been some form of life broke as he realized his new master was the owner of the restaurant directly across from the bar where his whole life shattered with a simple word.

 

He stared aimlessly out the window until the manager pulled him to the back room. Old clothes were shoved into his arms and he barely heard the order to dress and meet him out front once more. Glancing down at his wrist he saw the bracelet no longer carried Shigure's name, but that of the restaurant's he now belonged to.

 

When did that happen flitted across his conscious, but it was gone as quickly as it came. Nothing mattered anymore. He wouldn't have a reason to see Yami anymore and the kind teen wouldn't know where to find him without asking and having his cover blown for helping him and Makoto…his thought process stopped as soon as the name entered his mind.

 

He dressed in the black pants and striped white shirt, grateful that it hid all his burns. Yugi carefully tied the apron around his waist, flinching as it made the skin stretch taut and rub painfully against the rough material of his outfit. Briefly glancing at his face and rubbing at his throat, he hoped his voice never returned to him.

 

At least that way I'd have a good reason for not saying anything rather than anything else. Locking my words away…nothing else matters anymore.

 

So it was resolved: when Yugi's throat healed he wouldn't say anything. He would lock his words away, thinking it better than saying anything and risk having the rest of his being mangled.