Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Riddles In The Dark ❯ Riddles In The Dark ( Chapter 1 )

Yikes!!!!!! My god, has this been in here for a long time. I think it's at least 5 years old now. Oh, well. Tell me how this five-year-old fic (which also happens to be my first Yu-Gi-Oh! Fic) relates compared to my others, k?

Oh, by the way, this is purely a one-shot and this fic was formed, if my memory informs me correctly, when I was a wee-bit tipsy from an experimental drink of straight Vodka….I SWEAR I didn't drink the whole bottle….I think…

Anyway, I love you people.

I really do.

So I'm gonna post some one-shots up here on MediaMiner.Org that I've recently found until I get some sort of clue on how the hell I'm gonna finish the others.

Sorry about the long wait on the others.

…..*looks sheepish* please don't hurt me…..

DISCLAIMER: Nope. Don't own it. The story idea is mine -I have yet to see a fic like this, and I am proud to say that it is completely my own -it came right out of this creative head of mine so *blows raspberry* …..

* * *

Riddles In The Dark

One-Shot Fic

By: Ceris Malfoy

The first thing Yuugi felt when he opened his eyes was pain. Curling up on himself, he fought back the scream that was trying to break free. He knew if he told anyone of this pain, he would be babied. And Yuugi Moto, the 'hikari' in his and Yami's Hikari/Yami relationship, hated being babied with a passion. Consequently, he hated his friends, his Yami, and his Grandfather.

Funny, huh? They had no fucking clue. About his eternal pain, or his eternal hatred. Hatred of humanity. But wasn't he himself human? Not even fucking close.

Yuugi fought back the pain and got up. After all, who was he to be late for school?

* * *

Yami stared at his 'hikari's soul-room. He had always stayed out of it-more due to the foreboding sense of /wrongness/ than any 'respect of privacy'. But Yami realized more than Yugi(1) thought. He knew that Yugi hated everyone for simply existing. And while that was something that Yami could understand- he himself had gone through that stage when he had been a teenager- the fact that he deliberately hid those feelings behind a mask of innocence was a mystery that he had to resort to desperate measures to solve.

He touched the door and muttered something and it sprung open.

And he gaped.

The soul-room was not a room-hell it wasn't even close. It was a labyrinth, a twisted version of the beloved game, designed to keep out intruders. The room was dark; far darker than his own. Every wall held a door, and every door blocked a memory. On every door was a sentence, a lyric, or a stanza written with silver ink in all languages and in none.

A look-alike of Yugi stepped in front of him. He would have said that it was Yugi, had it not been for the downy black fur that covered his skin, the black tail waving behind him, or the feline grace which his 'hikari' just wasn't capable of.

"Greetings intruder." The look-alike's eyes gleamed in the darkness. "The boy's memories tell me you like games. And that you wish to find the secret of the boy's eternal hatred of humanity. To do so, you must be able to solve this Labyrinth, or face certain death You may look into any of the doors you wish." And without so much as a 'good-bye', the look-alike disappeared. The door behind Yami snapped shut, binding him in the sinister Labyrinth.

A piece of paper appeared before him and Yami grabbed it.

/Good-day, Labyrinthine traveler. In order to find what you seek, you must be able to solve this labyrinth. Not the physical one- for it is but an illusion meant to confuse and trick. You must figure out the riddle of Yuugi's mind. In order to truly understand- and hopefully solve- this riddle, you must find the correct doors. The memories hidden within will give you a better understanding of what you seek./

Yami raised an eyebrow and read the riddle that was not a riddle.

//Sometimes I can't move my feet

It seems

As if I am stuck in the ground

Somehow

Like a tree

As if I can't even breathe

Oh, my screams

They come spilling out

As if nobody can even see me

Like a ghost

Sometimes I can't even see myself

Sometimes

Then again-oh,

If I were a king

If I had everything

If I had you

And I could give you your dreams

If I were a child's size

On top of it all

Then tell me what in the world

Would I sing for?

If I had it all

Sometimes I feel lost

As I pull you out

Like strings of memories

Wish I could weave them into you

Then I could figure

The whole damn puzzle out

Then again-oh,

If I were a king

If I had everything

If I had you

And I could give you your dreams

If I were a child's size

On top of it all

Then tell me what would I go on for?

If I had it all-oh.

I could take

Anything

If I had no greed

Too hate

Only the poison

That's tainting the clean

Only then nothing

Remembering

Times

Much younger than me now

When my breath was life

When world raised me up kind

And here mother comfort's child

Every fold was waking up

But now I've grown tired

If I had it all

You know

I'd fuck it all

If I were a king

If I had everything

If I had you

Then I could give you your dreams

If I were a child's size

On top of it all

Tell me what in the world

Would I sing for?

If I were a king

If I had everything

Piece-by-piece-by-piece

If I had you

If I could give you your dreams

If I were a child's size

On top of it all

Please tell me

What in the world would I go on for?

If I had it all?

If I had it all….

If I had it all…. //

'That's a riddle?' Yami's eyes quickly scanned the paper -both sides- to find only a tiny passage.

//Light begets darkness;

Darkness begets pain;

Pain begets hatred;

Hatred begets shelter;

Shelter begets truth;

Truth begets Light.

Is this true?//

'That's the riddle. I'm sure of it.' Yami glanced about. 'Such a place for one who supposedly is pure. Each phrase has something to do with Yugi and these doors. But does the song have anything to do with the riddle? It must, I doubt they'd put it there for any other reason. How does it all fit!?!?' Yami peered at the doors and one caught his eye. The door read:

"The space between the wicked lies we tell; hope to keep safe from the pain."

Yami gently touched the door and witnessed the memory hidden within.

#FLASHBACK#

"What will happen to you?" came a calmly serene voice.

"Oh my little one…nothing I promise. Take care of your sister for me until I get back, K?"

A little Yuugi clutched the sleeping child and nodded. "You will return? Momma's already been taken from us, and I can't support her till I'm older." The man sighed.

"I will return, I promise."

And, staring deep into his father's eyes, all Yuugi could think was 'Liar.'

#END FLASHBACK#

'What was that?' Yami was confused, but shook it off. He continued on and found another door. This one read:

"The things we do for the one's we love…"

#FLASHBACK#

"Do you agree to the terms?" A middle-aged man stared hungrily at the angry form of an eight-year-old Yuugi.

"Do you agree to take in my sister and treat her as if she was one of your own, and to not take advantage of her -ever?!" The man chuckled and nodded. "Then yes, I agree."

"Good." That was all the warning that the man gave. Before he could even blink, the man had stripped himself and Yuugi of all clothing and was pounding into him, ignoring Yuugi's pain filled screams that seemed wrenched from his very soul; ignoring the blood that poured.

#END FLASHBACK#

'Oh, Yugi…How could…why?' Yami tried to block out what he had seen and pushed on to another door that read:

"And thus do the gods remind me that I will never be one of, nor like the human race."

#FLASHBACK#

"WITCH!"

"WITCH!"

"BURN HER!"

The screams that came from the relentless mob came from every corner, frightening the little girl. Yuugi was standing protectively in front of her. He was still physically eight years old -had been in fact for eight years. The little girl had stopped growing ten years ago. And since she was the adoptive daughter of a well-known nobleman, she was the one to be accused of witchcraft.

"Don't let them take me Yu-chan, please! I didn't do anything, I swear it!" The girl was pleading, trying to spare her life.

Yuugi only gathered her into his arms, and glared evilly at the chanting mob. As one the mob grabbed Yuugi and tore the frightened child out of his grasp.

"ASHIKA!!!!!!!!!!!" He fought but it was no use. The crowd of witch-hunters' had already started the fire, with his sister in the center. Yuugi could only watch helplessly as the one he loved with all his heart was burnt to a crisp.

"It's alright little one." The old woman next to him patted his arm in a comforting manner. "She wasn't human." At the old woman's words, Yuugi felt everything inside him snap.

Yuugi leapt up in the air, startling the hell out of the old woman next to him. Feathery-black wings forced their way out of Yuugi's back, showering the mortals closest to him in flesh and blood. His normally amethyst-colored eyes turned a voidish black. In a booming voice that was laden with power, he spoke.

The crowd listened.

"You would destroy an innocent because she wasn't human? Are humans the only creatures that deserve a chance at life? To be damned with your fucking racial superiority! I curse you and all your kind!" As he spoke, crimson flames surrounded him in his hellion fury. "All of you and your kind will die before the second age of peace begins! By the end of the third world-war the world will be eradicated of all humanity, leaving others to nurse the Earth back to health!"

With that done and said he snarled and black-lightning formed within his hands. Without so much as a blink he threw the lightning into the crowd and watched as it spread. It killed every single human-being there within seconds.

Yuugi flew down and clutched the burnt and broken body of his sister -his innocent little sister- and howled his misery to the blackened heavens above.

#END FLASHBACK#

Yami's eyes were suspiciously wet as he reached out and touched another door.

"True pain doesn't fade into a happy ending; true pain doesn't have an ending."

#FLASHBACK#

Pain coursed through every single molecule of his body -signifying that the last of his race had been eradicated from the face of existence. He growled and forced himself on; no amount of pain would keep him from this meeting.

Ever since he had moved to Egypt some two hundred years after the incident, he had found something that both scared him and thrilled him. These humans -a rare breed that called themselves Egyptians- did not destroy what thousands before them had called monsters. Anything non-human; such as elves, dragons, orcs, demons, etc.; were all believed to be from a place called the 'Shadow Realm', The thing that he found thrilling was that they all -human and creature alike- treated him with a respect and awe that bordered on fear.

The only one that had dared approach him was a creature that people called the Dark Magician. That in itself was strange, as the Dark Magician had a solid reputation as a solitary creature that never approached anyone or anything. It was also rumored that the Dark Magician served the Pharaoh himself -and was fiercely protective of him, if the way the Dark Magician had threatened him was any clue.

Yuugi was about to meet the Pharaoh -by the Pharaoh's own invitation.

He was still trying to find out if the Pharaoh was brave or just plain stupid.

After all, he had made it no secret that he hated humans, especially since he had murdered any human stupid enough to approach him. Hence the Dark Magician's warning.

And for some reason he was curious.

But it was not to be.

The second he was in the throne room, waiting for the Pharaoh, he was hit with an excruciating bolt of pain struck again- this time overwhelming all of his senses. And the last thing he saw and heard before black oblivion took him within it's greedy embrace was a glowing form with the wadjet-eye perched proudly where the figure's brow should be and the fury filled words of "MIND-CRUSH!!"

And even through the realm of nothingness that overtook him, he could still feel the pain -eternally hungry- engulf him, locking him screaming into the Shadow Realm.

#END FLASHBACK#

"Even the innocent child must learn of pain. Whether it be his own or another's."

This door Yami was slightly…reluctant to open. The other doors had had surprisingly gentle quotes for such pain-filled memories. 'Will this one have an even worse memory-Or will it be the opposite of the quote?' Hesitant to the last, he gently touched the door.

And screamed in sheer terror as he was dragged through the door -something that was not only potentially dangerous to both his mind and body, but was also deadly….

He wouldn't just witness the memory; he would feel it.

#FLASHBACK#

Yugi stared in horror at what the 'bad man' was doing to his mother. The 'bad man' had on a mask -it was impossible to recognize him. He screamed and launched himself at the 'bad man'. The man stopped and turned away from Yugi's mother and snarled.

"Adiosu (goodbye) little one," the figure mocked savagely.

Horrified the re-born child could only stare at the masked face of one he had known and trusted -his father.

Black energy slammed into the child's body, sending him crying into the deepest of the Realm of Shadows.

* * *

"Little one?" NO! No, nononononononononononononono-

"Little one?!" -nononononononononononononononononono-

"Little one, I won't hurt you!!!!!!! I AM you!!!!!!!!"

Yugi looked up. And stared at the pain-filled eyes of an exact replica of himself.

"HelpHer!Pleasehelpher!" Yugi pleaded shrilly.

"Calm down. Help who, little one?"

"My mother…he's hurting my mother…mommy…"

"…who is?…"

Yugi's eyes filled with tears and he hung his head in shame -shame that his father would hurt his mother; shame that he couldn't do a thing to stop him. "…my daddy…"

Yuugi's eyes flashed with absolute rage and it growled. "HUMANS!!" He roared. Then watched as Yugi whimpered slightly. He sighed. "I can help little one, but I don't think you'll like the price."

Yugi's eyes went wide and he shook his head furiously. "No! Whatever the price is, I'll pay it, just save my momma!"

Yuugi sighed. "You don't understand. You and I would have to merge. You will no longer be yourself. Everyday of your existence will be filled with soul-shattering pain. And until someone -a Pharaoh of untold power- truly kills you, us, that pain will be eternal."

Yugi stared at the serious expression that had hardened on his replica's face, and found, he didn't care. He looked straight into Yuugi's eyes and whispered, "Do it."

Yuugi stared disbelievingly at Yugi before speaking in an ancient language older than time. A flash of light and Yugi stood there…alone. He glanced about wondering where his replica had wandered off to, drew a breath to call him, and then the pain hit him. Scream after blood-curdling scream poured from his mouth and filled the realm made of mist and shadows.

And then he was aware of laying on the ground, panting. The pain was still there, but also there, was the knowledge of how to ignore that pain. Yugi became aware of centuries upon centuries worth of knowledge and memories, millenniums of practice of magic and shape-shifting. Memories of a sister filled his mind…and then his mother's situation.

Pushing back the pain, he chanted, his mouth stretching in a rather grotesque manner as it curved to form the completely unknown language perfectly.

He found himself back at home, facing the 'bad man' who was doing…things…to his by-now-dead mother.

He didn't even blink or shed a tear as he tore his father's body apart -limb separated from bloody limb.

#END FLASHBACK#

Yami was literally shaking as he closed the door from which he had just emerged. 'Dear sweet Ra, doesn't he have a memory that is not painful?'

'Piece by piece the puzzle falls into place."

Deliberately, he pushed open the door, steeling himself against whatever else he might see.

#FLASHBACK#

Yuugi stared at the previously 'unsolvable' puzzle. He knew that he would solve it…even if he had to use the magic to do so. Dumping all the pieces onto his bed before him, he quickly set to work.

-----------3 hours later -----------------------

'There, last piece.' As he slid the last piece into its slot, he was aware of Shadow Magic filling the item. The item glowed and a being that looked remarkably like him -if you discounted the fact that the being practically radiated sex, was taller, and had crimson eyes- materialized.

Yuugi stared at it, then at the puzzle, then back at the being. And before he could speak, a wave of pain -more intense than he had ever felt before- shot through him. He shivered and lowered his gaze -he did not want this Shadow-Being to see his weakness.

The being knelt and gently touched Yuugi, not at all prepared for the reaction. Yuugi's eyes went wide and within .0009 seconds flat he was making his way to the park -hauling ass.

The spirit blinked.

#ENDFLASHBACK#

"Shadow that only imitates the light."

"There is no need to be scared little one."

Yuugi stared at the spirit before smiling at it. "I'm not scare, just shy…I think…" Inside Yuugi frowned at his 'innocent' act. 'Why do I feel as if I am supposed to be care-free and made of light?'

The spirit gently touched the boy, and at his touch, the spirit gained a more physical form.

/PHARAOH!!!!/ Yuugi's eyes widened impossibly as he realized just who this spirit was.

//Excuse me? Pharaoh?//

Yuugi blushed. He had forgotten about that damn link. "I went to an Egyptian exhibit a few days ago. I saw a detailed carving of you. You are Pharaoh!" He grinned sheepishly. 'Congrats to me on the quick recovery…'

//Oh…I thought…for a moment I thought….but no, he's dead.// The spirit frowned.

'Yeah, you stupid mother-fucker. You just had to fucking kill me in my one moment of pure anguish…' Yuugi's face reddened with rage.

The spirit spotted the look of rage on his 'hikari's' face, but as soon as he had seen it, I had disappeared. Yuugi smiled -slightly coldly- but he still smiled.

#END FLASHBACK#

Yami stared blankly. Then he put two and two together and stared at the riddle…and the song. Then a hungry voice spoke. Startled, Yami turned….and saw the look alike.

"Well?" it said in its honeyed purr. "Have you figured out the riddle?"

Yami thought. "The riddle asked 'Is this true?', and it's not. The true answer -to both the riddle and the song- is 'Light becomes what it receives / What it receives begets darkness / Darkness and Light together creates life.' Only true death can bring ultimate truth."

The look-alike's hungry smile faltered. 'Correct. And now for your prize: freedom."

And with that, Yami was facing his 'hikari's' soul room -that looked like he had never gone in it.

Now…how to break it to the boy that he knew?

* * *

Yami watched as the boy stormed into the empty game-shop -looking completely pissed. 'No need to break it to him…he already knows.' Slowly he stood up and was completely surprised by what his Hikari did next.

Yugi marched right up to Yami, dragged him down so that Yami's face was level with his own, and kissed him. Hard, passionate, demanding. He drew away and hugged Yami hard. Then he released Yami and slapped him, then kissed him again, then started to savagely shake him -all the while alternating between shouting and crying.

"You stupid, stupid, arrogant being!! Don't you understand what the guardian would have done to you? You'd be lucky if when you died, you were still whole! I can't believe you! Don't you understand what you mean to mean you stupid, stupid, stupid fool?! My God!.." he stopped shaking the properly dazed Pharaoh and hugged him again. "…I need you. You keep me sane, you drive the pain away, you keep me happy when no one else can. You're my one, my only. I almost lost you and all you can do is stand there and face me as if you had done nothing more than -"

Here he was abruptly cut off as yami silenced him by kissing him, gently.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

Yugi sighed. "It's alright. I..just….Aishiteru."

Yami smiled and said, "I love you too."

They kissed gently and then grinned at each other.

Yugi's smile grew even wider. "Oh, and by the way. The guardian has been sealed in that particular part of my soul-room again. If you ever go in their again and wake it up, I will personally kick your ass."

Yami laughed.

* * *

Sooo….Good? Bad? Review and tell me, K?

Love ya lots,

-Ceris Malfoy