Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The not to distant future ❯ Chapter 9

The not to distant future
By Yami Kitsune
Chapter nine: Secrets in shadows

Yami sat in the large chair with Yugi sitting on his lap as they watched Marik and Malik. The blond haired boy was sitting hunched over his elbows on his knees, his face hidden in his hands. Marik stood calmly next to him running a hand through Malik’s hair trying to give him what comfort he could. It was nearly half an hour before Bakura had calmed Ryou down enough to bring him out into the living room.

Yugi looked over at Ryou looking worried. Ryou looked like the whole weight of the world had just landed on him. Bakura sat Ryou down on the couch before he took a seat on the arm next to his hikari. They all looked at Malik who showed no signs of registering that his two friends were now sitting there waiting for him to explain more about what’s going on. Malik finally took a deep breath and lowered his hands, but didn’t look up.

“I, didn’t tell you everything I knew. About the shadows.” He started. Marik continued running his fingers through Malik’s hair trying to encourage him.

“…There’s more?” Yugi asked frowning. Malik nodded.

“I didn’t think it would be that important…But, I know how shadows are created.” He slowly raised his head to look at Yugi and Ryou who were staring at him. “They are created from anger and pain. And that is what they feed off of to get stronger. But they can‘t take physical shape without the help of a millennium item.”

“How do you know this?” Yami asked. Even he didn’t know how shadows were created. He only knew they existed and lived in the shadow realm.

“Because…I created one. When I was ten years old.” Malik said softly. Everyone suddenly turned to look at Marik. They all knew that Marik had been a creation of Malik, and was no where near as old as Bakura and Yami were.

“Marik? He’s a shadow?” Yugi asked staring at the spiky haired yami. “But, he doesn’t look like the other one…or like the one that was just in Ryou’s room.”

“That’s because Malik didn’t banish me to the shadow realm.” Marik said. “He wanted me to stay. He had enough pain in his life, and his hatred for his father was more then enough to help me get a physical form. And by the time Malik met up with you guys I had enough energy of my own to become my own person. That is a big difference between me and other shadows. Other shadows are still consumed by the hatred and pain that created them.”

“But….” Yugi frowned. “If that were true, how come I don’t have a shadow?” Yugi asked. Marik turned to look at him and frowned a little in thought.

“I guess it’s because even though everyone has pain in their life. You haven’t had enough to make a shadow, and even if you have, it’s no where near strong enough to take physical form.”

“Then…why did Ryou…” Yugi looked over at his other friend who was making an obvious effort NOT to look at anyone. Bakura frowned looking down at the smaller boy. Despite all the time he’d spent with Ryou, he’d never actually taken the time to get to know him. Like Yami had done with Yugi. And Marik with Malik. All Bakura had been worried about before was getting his hands on the millennium items and getting even with Yami. Getting to know his hikari wasn’t exactly top priority for him. But now, he kind of regretted that.

“I think I should tell you…The only way to destroy a shadow is in the creators mind. I’m not sure how it’s done. But I know that the shadow lives in memories. And as long as it’s alive there, it can’t be killed in this world.” Malik explained.

“That should be easily fixed for Ryou then.” Bakura said. “I’ll just go into Ryou’s memories and kill the damn thing. Stop it before it can get stronger.” It sounded like a reasonable idea, at least, to everyone except Ryou who was shaking his head so quickly it looked like he might snap his neck.

“No! I…I can do it.” Ryou said. //I don’t want anyone to see.// He thought. He’d kept his uncle a secret for years. And the last people he wanted finding out about what happened were his friends. And he especially didn’t want Bakura finding out. It was just proof of how weak Ryou really was.

Everyone was staring at Ryou now. He apparently hadn’t realized how odd he had looked with his rather loud protest. “Ryou.” Marik said frowning. “you don’t know how to use shadow magic. That’s what you need to kill a shadow. It doesn’t really hurt them, but it’s how shadows are banished to the shadow realm where they belong.”

“I don’t want anyone running around through MY memories!” Ryou snapped his eyes shadowing over as this happened. Bakura noticed this and jumped up staring at Ryou hoping he hadn’t seen what he thought he saw. The others were also staring at the other hikari as if trying to decide they had really seen the shadow in Ryou’s eyes. Ryou stood up and walked over to the window walking out onto the balcony now done with the conversation.

Yugi frowned watching Ryou and looked at Yami hoping he might have some idea. But Yami was looking at Bakura. “I take it you don’t know what it is Ryou wants kept secret, do you?” Yami asked. Bakura shook his head.

“I honestly didn’t give a shit what was in his mind. And never bothered to look.” He said still standing. He glanced over at Ryou. “He’s really upset. Whatever it is he’ll probably have barriers around making it harder for me to find if I were to go into his mind and look.”

“Let him calm down.” Marik said. “Then we’ll let you talk to him. Maybe he’ll tell you.” Bakura nodded heading out to stand with Ryou hoping his presence wouldn’t anger the younger boy more.

Yugi leaned back against Yami letting his mind wonder. This new information about the shadows had his mind going a mile a minute. “Malik, if you have to go into the creators mind to kill the shadow. Does that mean that if the person who created the shadow dies, the shadow dies with them?” Yugi asked.

“No, then the shadow is automatically sent to the shadow realm and is trapped there. Unless the shadow is sill within the creator. Then the person carries it with them to the other side where the Gods deal with the shadow.”

“Why didn’t you tell us this before?” Yugi asked out of curiosity.

“Because…I didn’t really think it would be that important…” Malik looked down. “And even if I had told you, it’s not like we could have done anything about it. I know a few spells that have been passed down through my family, but I can’t use shadow magic. None of us can.”

“Maybe so, but we might have been able to think of something…” Yugi said looking thoughtful again. Yami chuckled a little and Yugi turned to look at him.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s just a relief that after all that’s happened you still look on the positive side of things. “ Yami said putting a hand on Yugi’s head. Malik smiled watching them as he stood up. All attention was turned back towards the balcony when they heard Ryou.

“I DON’T NEED ANY HELP!!!” Ryou shouted shoving Bakura away. Marik jumped over the chair that was in his way and ran out onto the balcony. He blinked when he saw the outline of a shadow surrounding Ryou but not coming out like it had before. The shadow remained inside the hikari, just under the surface. It wanted to be seen, but to hurt it, they would have to hurt Ryou.

Yami soon joined the other two. Malik and Yugi standing back watching Ryou through the window. Yugi’s hands were shaking as he watched the shadow and Ryou. “…not again…” He said softly thinking of the shadow possessing Jou.

The shadow laughed as the yami’s stood there Marik holding the dagger that was hidden in the millennium rod. Bakura clenching his fists and Yami glaring daggers at the shadow and Ryou.

“Mmmm, he’s so tasty.” The shadow laughed. “Oh, he’s so angry right now. He doesn’t like people poking around in his head. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Bad Bakura. You should know better.” The shadow hissed as it slowly took shape behind Ryou, it’s arms wrapped around the boy who still didn’t seem to realize the shadow was there.

“Ryou.” Bakura said and Ryou actually glared at him.

“They are MY thoughts!” Ryou continued what he’d been saying as if the shadow hadn’t just interrupted. “My memories, and if I don’t want to share them with you I don’t have to!”

“Yesssss,” The shadow hissed in Ryou’s ear. “You tell them little one. Your memories, your delicious memories.” Ryou closed his eyes shaking his head and the shadow laughed. “You can’t ignore me little one.” Ryou let out a small whimper keeping his eyes tightly closed.

“leave me alone…” He said, whether it was directed at the shadow or Bakura it was hard to tell.

“Ryou. You have to let me into your mind so I can help!” Bakura said moving towards Ryou. The shadows flashed in Ryou’s eyes as the Shadow used Ryou’s energy to blast Bakura back.

“He doesn’t want your help.” The shadow smirked, it seemed to be taking more of a solid shape which made Marik growl.

“Son of a bitch…” Marik looked at Ryou wondering just what happened to him to make a shadow form so quickly. The Shadow grinned tightening his hold around Ryou pulling him closer.

“l-let me go…” Ryou said well aware of the shadow behind him now. “Please…please stop it…”

“Oh, but your memories taste so good. I can’t stop now.” The shadow leaned over licking Ryou’s neck. Ryou’s eyes shot open but they were unfocused as he started visibly shaking.

“RYOU!” Malik and Yugi said at the same time and were stopped from going out on the balcony by Yami and Marik. The shadow turned it’s attention to Yugi and Malik licking his lips as his hand slowly started to slide up Ryou’s shirt.

///You will be next. I can taste your fear. You have good control over your shadow./// Yugi backed up quickly eyes wide as he stared at the shadow.

“I…don’t have a shadow.” Yugi said.

///every one has a shadow. Your shadow dwells deep within your soul. Memories long forgotten. Shall I, open the door?///

Yami spun quickly and looked at Yugi and back to the shadow. He growled and entered Yugi’s mind quickly. “You have no place here!” Yami shouted. “BEGONE!!” There was a blinding flash of light from the millennium puzzle. The shadow screamed and vanished back into Ryou hiding deep within the hikari so that the light could not reach him. Bakura caught Ryou as the boy slowly sank to his knees still trembling. Yugi and Malik stared at their friend. Yugi jumped when he felt Yami’s arms wrap around him. He looked back and smiled a little.

“Thank you.” Yugi said. Yami nodded.

“No one enters my hikari’s mind.”

“Did you…banish him?” Yugi asked as he looked back at Ryou hoping that was the lat time something like that would happen. But hearing the sigh from Yami Yugi got the feeling it was only the beginning of their troubles.

“I think, the shadow might be bound to Ryou. Whatever it is he refuses to tell us is helping create that shadow. The only one who can help Ryou right now, is Ryou.” Yami said and looked at Bakura who for the first time since Yami met him, looked at a loss for what to do. Ryou was still refusing Bakura entry into his mind.

Malik went over and knelt on the other side of Ryou looking at him sadly. “Why won’t you tell us anything Ryou? You’re just making the shadow stronger…I KNOW that’s not what you want.” Ryou shook his head hiding his face in Bakura’s shoulder.

“I can’t…don’t you understand? I can’t tell you!” Ryou cried.

“Ryou, I know whatever it is must be really bad. Something that you’re not able to forget. Something that caused you so much pain that the shadow is able to feed off you.” Marik said leaning down to look at Ryou. “I was created the same way. The pain of loosing a parent might create a spark for a shadow. But pain that builds up through a person’s life, if they grew up with it, that is what makes a shadow stronger. I am guessing that your time with Bakura before had a hand in making the shadow stronger.”

Bakura snorted. “I hardly touched the kid.” He said. Which was true, the only time he’d ever actually done REAL damage to Ryou was when Malik had first shown up trying to defeat the pharaoh.

“My point.” Marik continued. “Is that there are very few things that will scar a person’s soul enough to make a shadow as strong as you have Ryou.”

“…Malik made you, just by hating his father.” Ryou pointed out. Marik sighed, well, at least he was listening.

“No…I didn’t.” Malik said and Marik looked at him quickly. Malik was looking at Ryou a determined look on his face. He hated seeing his friend like this. “It started because I was afraid of what would happen on my tenth birthday.”

“…your scars…” Ryou said having heard this story once before.

“I never told you the whole story of that.” Malik said and Ryou slowly turned to look at him frowning.

“you seem to have a bad habit of leaving out rather large details.” He said. Marik and Bakura couldn’t help but smile a bit at that. Malik heard someone covering up a soft chuckle behind him and knew that Yami and Yugi were standing in the doorway to the balcony.

“My family lived underground, our only job was to protect the pharaoh’s tomb. But it was still a hard life. My family was never allowed to go and get other jobs. So we had to earn money other ways. When a male child in my family turns ten the secret of the pharaoh is carved onto their back. But also when they are ten, they have to start earning money to support the whole family. I was rather useless when I was a kid. I couldn’t do hard labor. And I refused to steal…”

“then…how did you…”

“My father decided how I was going to feed my brother, sister and myself. Once my back was healed enough he took me into town and…he started selling me. The only scars I had were the one’s my father had carved into me. And blond hair is not very common for an Egyptian.” Malik said looking down. “It was because of that, my hatred for my father grew, and I couldn’t deal with the pain any more. That’s when I created Marik.” Malik finished and was nearly knocked off balance when Ryou through his arms around him hugging him tightly crying.

Yugi stood there, Yami’s arms still wrapped around him. He’d never known Malik had had such a life. He suddenly felt rather selfish for being so depressed for the past two years when he’d lost everyone. Sensing his hikari’s thoughts Yami tightened his arms around Yugi.

//Everyone’s pain is different. But it doesn’t mean that you were hurt any less then Malik was. A soul can be scared in many ways. Some scars are just deeper then others.//

“Let’s go back inside.” Malik said petting Ryou’s hair. “My leg’s falling asleep.” He stood up pulling Ryou with him. He didn’t know if Ryou would be more willing to let Bakura into his mind to banish the shadow. But the silver haired boy didn’t seem as angry as he had been before. And definitely seemed to be thinking.

~~~~~~

The shadow paced back and forth cursing under his breath. “Damn that guy.” He hissed and slowly moved out of the soul he was hiding in to take a peek around. He saw Seto sitting next to him and growled before retreating back into the soul. He hated it in here. This was only supposed to be a temporary body, but now he was stuck in here under orders.

“There is no pain in here for me to feed off of!” He kicked the ground and continued pacing. There was a bit of anger and that kept the shadow from going hungry. But whatever pain had been in this person’s soul had healed to much and no longer affected him.

“Stupid fucking goodie toshoes!” He yelled trying to vent his own anger in some way. He was tempted to leave this soul and attach himself onto the man his ’host’ was currently sitting next to. But the shadow could tell that that man would put up to much of a fight making it not worth the effort. “Just wait, when I get the millennium items, I’m going to kill you, and your shadow, Honda.”

The shadow stopped pacing and stretched his senses to the limit. The birth of a new shadow. “Well, this should make things more interesting at least.” He said and sat down crossing his arms and waiting.


TBC>>>