Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ From within the Flames ❯ Dreams with the Past ( Chapter 1 )

A/N: Wow! This is our first YUGIOH fic!

JC: We really just stared this today so we probably missed a lot of mistakes. Gomen 'bout that.

Kathrine: The story is probably not very original, but what for YUGIOH hasn't already been done.

JC: Just so you know, there will be YAOI/Shounen Ai, and this is a Joey fic.

Kathrine: We have deemed Joey to be our tortured blonde for YUGIOH seeing as he's pretty much our favorite character and we always torture our favorite characters.

JC: We have to give credit to SSJ Sky for her story 'Into the Sky' and the author of the story 'Artificial' for ideas. We forgot her name. SORRY!

Kathrine: This also seems a bit like the movie 'Firestarter', but hey it just turned out that way.

JC: Please give us a chance because we're used to writing Ronin Warriors/Samurai Troopers stories where we torture our other favorite blonde.

Kathrine: We hope you enjoy this and please, don't get on us bout Jou's name. We get too confused by which is his first and which is his last so we just picked how we prefer it. Everyone calls him Jou so that's his first name. You'll see why during the story.

JC: Now without further babble…the disclaimer…

Disclaimer: We do not own YUGIOH!! WHAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! !_!

Warnings: AU, YAOI/Shounen Ai, Dark themes, Angst, Child Abuse, SciFi, Other themes to be determined later.

For all those who don't know the translations:

Jounouchi - Joey 'Puppy' (Both: Love that nickname!! I want to adopt him as my puppy!! ^_^)

Yugi - Yugi (JC: How adorable! I want to adopt him and dress him in little tuxedoes with bow ties!)

Yami - Yami (Kathrine: Sexy, protective and wears leather. *Fans herself to reduce heat in room*)

Bakura - Yami Bakura (Kathrine: Evil and drop dead gorgeous! I love the combination!)

Ryou - Bakura Ryou (JC: Angel and gorgeous! He's too cute! I love his accent!)

Malik - Malik (Kathrine: Gods, he's gorgeous!)

Marik - Yami Malik (Kathrine: Yummy times two with a psycho attitude!! *Drools*)

Anzu - Tea (The dub makes her seem like an baka. She has to have a better personality than that!)

Mai - Mai ( The epitome or girls rule even if she's materialistic!)

Honda - Tristan

Isis - Ishizu (Still confused me why they didn't just leave it Isis)

Shizuka - Serenity

Seto Kaiba - Seto Kaiba (Both: Sexy, reserved, cruel at times, and a soft spot for younger siblings! *Swoons*)

Mokuba - Mokuba (JC: Too adorable for his own good!!!)

Otogi - Duke (We're not sure about his other name at the moment. Kathrine: LOVE HIM!! GREEN EYES!!!)

Pegasus

Gozuborou (We're not sure if this is how to spell his name so someone tell us so we can fix it. We've seen it three different ways and con only remember on, but we know it's wrong.)

A/N: We're done now! ^_^

From within the Flames

BY JC and Kathrine

Chapter 1

1991

" What happened Doctor?" the man asked, his face grim and set in a look of cold indifference, but the other in the room knew that rage was hidden beneath it.

" One of the test subject couples died in a car crash, leaving their children orphaned," the older man explained.

" So why come to me?" he asked.

" They have no other relatives, both only children and only living parent of the mother lives in the United States," he pointed out. " They both show signs of having progressing effects from the tests their parents were subjected to and you know that the most like results were to be found in the offspring."

" Your point Doctor?"

The elderly man sighed, " If we do not do something they will be sent to live with their grandmother in America. With them there, their parents part in the experiment will have been all for nothing. We need to find them a home and guardian here in Japan."

" How far are the results?" the man asked, finally becoming interested. He sat up in his chair and placed his hand on his desk in front of him. " Are the results promising?"

" I am not completely sure as of now," he admitted, " but I do know that the young boy's teddy bear caught on fire at the news that his father and mother were both dead. It seems that even at four he understands the difference between life and death."

" What is his name?" the man inquired.

" Jounouchi," the doctor answered.

" What of the girl?" he continued.

" She's is only fourteen months, too young for any results to be apparent," he replied. " Although, if the effects are similar between the two than the future effects are promising."

" So the teddy bear caught on fire?" the man smirked at him at the thought. He had been waiting to hear something from the experiments his organization had run five years before.

" What do you think Crawford?" he asked just as a figure seemed to become clearer in the shadows by the window in the room. The person looked out the window and over the city the building towered over.

" By all means, take them to the Facility," he answered. " They have no real family to miss them save a foreign grandmother and might be useful in the future. By taking them in they become our own. Gozuborou, I believe you can handle them."

" I see," the man at the desk nodded before turning his attention to the elderly man that had brought the issue up. " Doctor, are they here?"

" Yes, they're outside right now," he confirmed.

" Bring them in for me to see," he ordered.

" Yes," he agreed as he turned around on his heel and walked out the electronically opened door. Less than five minutes later, he returned with two small children with him. The boy had sunny blonde hair and eyes the color of light oak. The four-year old held in his arms a little girl that was too young to understand anything that was going on. Her short auburn brown hair was pulled into pigtails and her blue eyes were innocent and calm.

" Jou, this is Mr. Kaiba and Mr. Crawford," the doctor introduced the other two men in the room. " Mr. Kaiba is going to take you and Shizuka in after what happened to your parents."

" Really?" the child was staring at him with wide eyes. " We're not orphans anymore?"

" No Jou," Crawford shook his head as he walked to the small boy and his sister. " Mr. Kaiba is going to adopt you." He smiled at the innocent-looking little boy. He could tell that he was going to be a handsome one when he got older. Yes, very handsome, he smirked as he stared into trusting brown eyes.

" You don't have to worry though," he told him as he brushed silvery white strands of hair behind his ear. " I will be around often and so will Doctor Katsuya so you won't have to be just you two and Gozuborou."

" Ummm…K," the boy smiled. " Mommy told me that angels protect people and help them. Are you angels?"

" No Jou," Crawford chuckled lightly and patted the youth on the head. " We're just normal people who want to help you."

" Good," Jou smiled even brighter.

" Come Jou, it's time for Shizuka's nap," Doctor Katsuya told him. " Babies get upset when they don't get their naps."

" I know, Mommy told me," the child smiled, happy that he knew something an adult did. The door opened once more and the man led the child from the room gratefully. He truly didn't want the child anywhere near the two men they had left behind in the room, but it would be disastrous to send the two children away to the US without any help for the effects that they could be facing. The boy was already showing signs and he knew they would need proper help just like all of the others that were in the experiment.

I just hope that they don't harm these two, he thought as he stared down at the happy boy who had cradling his sister carefully in his arms. It was strange to him that the four-year old could even carry the baby for so long. A normal child would have dropped Shizuka more than once or wined to have someone else take her, but not Jounouchi. The boy simply refused to let anyone besides himself, the doctor, and the appointed nanny to even touch her without him being right there. He is definitely protective for someone so young. I just hope that Kaiba doesn't exploit that.

*****

" What did you see in them?" Gozuborou asked Crawford after the doctor and the children had gone.

" The boy has definite promise and the girl might be sensitive towards things, but not much else," the longhaired man shrugged. " Although, I could be wrong because the eye isn't normally used that way. But it's undeniable about the boy. He reminds me of the other seven I've seen this year. They all, too, show promise."

" What about the Yin-yang Project?"

" Six of those are just that," Crawford assured him. " It seems to be flawless."

" Good," Kaiba smirked once more. " Now we can begin with Jou. He'll be the perfect guinea pig for the training methods."

" Don't be too hard on the boy," the other man told him. " He'll be something when he gets older, it's quite obvious." He moved a strand of hair once more and a flicker of gold glistened in the fluorescent lighting.

" I don't care as long as what I want is accomplished," his companion growled. " Children are only meant to ruin the world. It is time they did something useful for once."

Twelve years later…

The fear was eating at him. He didn't know what to do. What would happen if they caught him? He didn't want to become a slave to their organization again. He wanted to be free to choose his own life. They had been chasing him down for three years now. It was at a point that he couldn't even go visit his sister anymore for fear of them realizing he had a living relative left. She was safe at the hospital where they were trying to save her sight and didn't need him ruining everything for her by popping up out of the blue. He knew that she might not even remember him after so many years apart.

At least if they do catch me, I know she's still safe from them where she is, he sighed. The woods began to clear away and he noticed he was near a street. At the end of the street there was a large building that looked like a school of some kind. Maybe I can hide there for the night, he thought. They're usually hesitant to destroy public property. Quickly, he forced himself to use a burst of extra speed to reach the building only t0 find out it was in deed a school.

" Domino High School," he read the sign above the door. " Well, ya just got a new student for a while."

" Check over there!" he heard someone yell.

Shit! He hurried and touched the knob, feeling it melt beneath his hand instantly. Then he pushed the door open and closed it behind himself. Touching it again, he felt it reform to normal, the lock clicking back into place. Thanks for the tricks boys, he thought sarcastically before rushing down one of the halls. He looked around, but couldn't see a safe place to hide. All the doors seemed locked and he knew that he would have to do something quick. I might not have enough energy to pull that off again. I'm just too tired.

That's when he saw the storage closet at the end of the hall right before the stairs. Tomorrow's Saturday, he thought. No one will be here 'til Sunday when the janitors come to fix it up for school on Monday. He stopped in front of the door and touched the knob, feeling it melt just as the front door had done. It sizzled and any normal person would have been burned, but he was nowhere near normal. The door opened without a sound and he quickly fixed the doorknob before walking into the room.

It was pitch black, but he could see just fine. There were a few brooms, an extra desk or two and filing cabinets for the surplus paper and supplies for the rest of the school year. The room looked big enough to be a small classroom and shut the door, hoping no one had seen or heard him. Gods, I'm so tired. I haven't had a chance to regain any energy for three days. I'm going to have to find an energy source soon.

He meandered through all of the school supplies and such with ease, scooting himself to the very far back corner of the room. He lowered himself into a sitting position with his knees to his chest, eyes wide and alert. He wouldn't be caught again. He stared at the door from where he sat in the corner of the two walls. Gods, he was so tired! He definitely needed to recharge tomorrow. He didn't even realize that his eyelids were drooping or that sleep had overtaken until he was already in its clutches for the night.

*****

" Take her away, she's no use to us half blind," the man wearing the dark gray suit ordered the two mean wearing the formal yet more casual clothing.

" At least have her taken to a hospital where they can try to save her eyesight," the other man wearing a long white coat over his blue suit. " She's our responsibility. The drugs are what are taking away her eyesight. I know people who can help her, they've dealt with patients with side effects to the drugs before."

" Then do it, just get her out of here," he turned away and faced the small blonde child that was cradling a younger brunette in his arms as they sat on the ground. " Let go of her Jounouchi."

" No, please don't take her away!" the little boy begged with tears in his eyes. " Please…"

" Quit crying Jounouchi!" the man growled deep in his throat. " You're showing weakness!"

The little girl looked between her brother and the older man with frightened eyes. She didn't understand what was going on, but her brother did. She was only five and her eight-year old brother seemed to understand what was going on a lot more than she did. " I don't want to leave Onii-san," she told him in a teary voice.

" You're not going anywhere," the boy sounded assured and defiant. He wasn't going to let them just take his little sister away. She was all he had left after their parents had died four years before. He could also feel the anger the flame within himself burn brighter. He didn't know where it came from, but the flame had been there for as long as he could remember. It was always there as a source of warmth when he or Shizuka were cold and always seemed more apparent when he felt passionately about something.

" Jounouchi, I am in no mood for your antics today," the man growled again. " Shizuka is leaving, she is useless."

" Stop saying that!" the boy shouted and the man had to back away instantly. The heat in the room had risen and the four men knew why. " Shizu is staying!"

" Calm down Jou," the elderly man in the white coat told him. " You know what happens when you get upset."

" I don't care!" the child shook his head angrily. " He wants to send her away!" It was then the chairs at the table began to smoke and the sizzle before bursting into flames completely.

" Onii-san!" Shizuka cried. " It's happening again!" Jou looked around in confusion. He didn't understand why, but whenever he was upset or scared something would start to burn or just outright burst into flames. He held onto to his sister even more and tried to make the flame go down, only he couldn't. He was too angry that they were trying to take away his sister and leave him all alone.

" Jou, it's all right," the man told him as he kneeled next to them. His hair was gray and his white coat fell around like a trench coat. " You know how Shizu has been having problems with her eyes?"

" Yeah," Jou nodded.

" Well, Gozuborou and I thought it was best to send her to a hospital that would help her keep her sight," he reasoned. " We're not trying to take her away from you."

The flames around the room seemed to calm (Too late to save the furniture) and Jou stared at him thoughtfully. " Really Dr. Katsuya?" he asked. " You're just making Shizu all better?"

The man said nothing for a moment before nodding. " That's right Jou, we're going to make Shizuka all better."

The blonde was reluctant to agree, but knew that Doctor Katsuya wouldn't lie to him this and if he said Shizuka was going to get his eyes fixed then she was. He didn't want to be the reason his sister lost her eyesight. " Okay," he conceded, reluctantly loosening his grip on his sister's smaller form. " You'll take care of her Mr. Katsuya?" he smiled a little when the old man smiled at him in agreement.

" Onii-san?" Shizuka stared at his in confusion.

" It's okay Shizu," he told her. " They're gonna make ya eyes all better. Just go with Dr. Kastu"

" Uh…but…" she didn't know why her brother looked so upset and was letting them take her away.

" Be good Shizu, they're gonna help ya," he told her once more.

" Onii-san, I don't want to go," she told him.

" You have ta so ya can get better," he told her. " Please go, I don' want ya ta go blind."

The little girl seemed hesitant, but slowly agreed. " K…" she nodded and removed herself from her brother's arms. " I'll be good."

" Great," Jou smiled with tears in her eyes. He was mature for the tender age of eight, but he knew he was supposed to be that way. Gozuborou said he was supposed to act like an adult since he could remember, he wasn't supposed to be a child anymore. Shizuka stood up and took the doctor's out-stretched hand and smile on her face.

" Bye Jou, I'll be back soon!" she waved as she was led from the room. " And my eyes will be all better!"

" See ya later Shizu!" he called to her, mimicking her waves because he didn't have the heart to do it on his own. He knew she wasn't coming back, not ever. He had lost his sister. But she was going to get her eyes fixed so that was a good thing he told himself. He was being selfish wanting her to stay with him

" Jounouchi," he heard the familiar angry and coldly calm tone in Gozuborou's voice.

" Hai, Mr. Kaiba?" Jou kept his eyes to the floor.

" You disobeyed me," he stated, his voice getting dangerously low. " You went against my orders directly and told me 'no'."

" I'm sor-" he was prepared for the hand that came out of right field, but didn't try to duck or block it. He wasn't supposed to. He allowed the hits to continue, the pain to continue until he felt that the man had vented out his anger. His knew he was in for it anyway. No one was allowed to go against what Mr. Kaiba said anyway, except for Dr. Katsuya. He had only brought in on himself.

The fists and hands stopped and he was left lying on the floor with a busted lip and bruises quickly becoming apparent on his pale skin. " I believe you need further training in the Water Room," he stated as he calmed his breath and fixed his suit. " That will teach you to follow orders like a good little puppy."

Jou nodded submissively and stood up, knowing that was his cue to leave the room. And he knew he couldn't escape his punishment either. The guards always reported where he was anyway. He left the room slowly, holding his stomach from the punches he'd received there.

He practically limped out of the room and saw bright blue eyes staring at him from behind a barely opened door. Honey eyes just stared at eyes that seemed so much like his own. They held the same sense of loss that his own did along with a look of concern that seemed to be under bangs of dark brown. The eyes widened before the door shut quietly yet quickly and he knew why.

" Why are you still out here?" Gozuborou demanded to know.

" No reason sir," he answered respectfully and continued to limp slowly down the hall and didn't even look and the door as he passed it.

*****

He awoke without any pain from staying in his position for so long, but a depressed state of mind. He hated when he had dreams. They were always sad and never of the good times in his life. At least this was one of the lighter ones, he told himself. He was just grateful in wasn't anything more violent or harsher. He stood up and stretched, but still didn't feel any pain. He was very flexible and he knew it.

Now, lets see what this place is all about, he decided and he walked through the room that was now illuminated by the light coming in from the window in the door. Unfortunately (or was that fortunately), the window was the type that you couldn't see anything but shadows in. Slowly he placed his hand on the door and was about to melt it when he realized that it locked from the inside.

" Oh," he smiled stupidly as he turned the locked as quietly as he could. Slowly he opened the door slightly and looked around the hall. From what he could tell no one was anywhere to be seen and that allowed him to sigh to himself in relief. They hadn't come in the school, just like he had expected. They didn't want people to know what they were up to.

The hall was indeed empty when he stepped out into it and he couldn't hear anyone or anything. He took in his surroundings as he walked around and smirked. The school didn't seem to be very big up close and was very clean. The halls reminded him of the Facility he'd been in before escaping, only with more life because of the posters and other items on the walls.

There were drawings and paintings of things that seemed like animated characters that the students had done for art class. One drawing was of very well drawn and delicate-looking roses in a silver vase, another was of a magician of sorts wearing purple robes and carrying a golden staff. The last one he saw in the corridor was a vibrantly painted portrait of a swordsman, his large sword shining with flames course out of it like a dragon and clothing of blue, orange, and red. Looking at the title of the painting he found it was called, 'Duel Monster: Flame Swordsman.'

What's a Duel Monster? Jou wondered, having not idea what it was talking about. Even so, he found the painting to be very alluring to where he couldn't take his eyes off of it. The way the flames spiraled around the blade of the sword and the around the swordsman himself seemed realistic and fantasy-like at the same time. Just staring at them he could feel the flame within himself react.

He reached out to touch the portrait, to connect his flame with that of the inanimate. But then he stopped. It seemed strange to want to merge one's self with a painting. He shook his head at his foolish thoughts and turned away. He wouldn't act like an idiot, even if he was all by himself. That's when he heard a loud cry echo though the empty hall from down another close by.

Who else could be here?! He thought frantically. The sound of metal crashing to the floor was heard and he took of in a sprint without a second thought. Someone was being hurt and he had to help them no matter what. They could be in trouble because They are looking around here for me!

A/N: How was that? We hope yall liked it.

Kathrine: I know some of you are probably confused but we can't really let out anything else until the next chapter.

JC: Please don't expect one soon because we are way behind on most our RW stories. This was just kind of a teaser.

Kathrine: We didn't state the pairings before because we usually don't put out the pairings. But I guess it's a kinda YUGIOH tradition so the main pairing is kinda there. SetoxJou. Then there's B/R, Y/Y, M/M, M/A, H/O, M/S (if it comes to that), and ???/Jou. Ooh, we're not telling about this one yet. ^_^

JC: Please review! (Gives big Jounouchi puppy dog eyes.)