Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The not to distant future ❯ Chapter 11

The not to distant future
By Yami Kitsune
Now being BetaRead by: Tavi
Chapter eleven: Shadowed secrets

Jou paced back and forth next to Yugi's bed, stopping to watch his friend once in a while. He kept silently cursing the shadow. All he could think about was what the shadow could be doing to Yugi. And what Yami would say when he found out. He was sure by now the pharaoh had heard about everything that had happened since the shadows had shown up. Jou stopped pacing when he heard a knock on the door.

"Yugi?" Yami called through the door. Hearing Yami did NOT make Jou feel any better. After all Jou was still supposed to be possessed by the shadow. And Jou was afraid that if Yami saw him the former pharaoh would act first and ask questions later. Upon not receiving an answer Yami knocked again, louder this time.

"Yugi?" He called again. Jou looked at Yugi who rolled over on his bed but didn't wake up. The door handle jiggled as Yami tried to open the door. "Aibou why is the door locked?" The handle moved again. "Yugi?" Yami was sounding more worried now and Jou wondered if he had tried to speak in Yugi's mind. And then wondered if Yami would have been able to with the shadow inside Yugi. Jou closed his eyes and took a deep breath, deciding to talk to Yami now while there was a door between them.

"Yami?" Jou called through the door.. There was a sudden silence on the other side. "Yami, it's alright, it's me." Jou said. "The shadow brought me here and-" Jou was suddenly cut off by a loud crash as the door went flying off the hinges. Yami stood there, his eyes seemed to be glowing red as he glared at Jou. He glanced at Yugi and then back at the blond boy.

"What did you do?"

Jou held up his hands. "Yami! I didn't do anything! Not on purpose! The shadow brought me here. Saying he was hungry or something." Yami walked towards Jou, not looking convinced. Jou pointed at Yugi. "The shadow went inside him!" He yelped, trying to get Yami's attention on where the REAL problem was. That and he wasn't very fond of making a trip to the shadow realm.

"Yami! What was that- JOU!!!" Malik said as he came running into the room freezing in his tracks when he saw Jou there. Jou looked at Malik and then at the bandages that wrapped up Malik's shoulder and he winced.

"Uh, sorry about that." He said motioning towards Malik's shoulder. He hadn't been 'awake' when that had happened. But the shadow had been bored one day and decided to play out the whole thing over and over just for Jou.

"You have a lot of nerve showing your face here." Jou looked at the door and paled when he saw Marik standing there, the knife from the millennium rod in his hands. Before Jou could say anything he found that he was being bound by what looked like black rope. He looked at Yami who had his hand up and it was glowing a darkish purple.

"That should hold you until we get to the bottom of what's going on." Yami said and then turned his attention to Yugi. He sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to wake Yugi. Only to find an invisible barrier surrounding the smaller boy. The barrier rippled like water when Yami touched it and he pulled his hand away when it sparked at him.

"I told you!" Jou said. "The shadow went into him!" Jou suddenly wished he could disappear as the three boys in the room turned to glare at him. "Damnit! Stop looking at me like that!" Jou shouted, getting frustrated. "I didn't DO anything! I was being possessed by that fucking SHADOW! So stop looking at me like it's my fault!"

"If you were able to protect your mind you wouldn't have been possessed." Marik said, still glaring. "And after all the times you've been taken control of I would think you would have at least a little resistance to things forcing their way into you." Marik winced when he felt Malik elbow him.

"Nevertheless." Yami said looking at Jou. "You will stay bound like that. I am sorry Jou. But there is no way to tell if there is still a shadow inside you or not. Not right now anyway." Yami said and looked back at Yugi.

//Aibou, please be safe.// He said but received no answer.

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Yugi sat in his soul room just looking around. He hadn't been in here since Yami left. And he was surprised at how much it had changed. There were still toys and stuff laying around the floor and a couple posters here and there. But it seemed a bit colder. Not as welcoming as it had been before. Yugi wondered if that would change now that Yami was back. And he wondered if he would be able to go visit Yami's soul room. Yugi also wondered what it looked like now. Last time he'd been there it had been nothing but a maze. Smiling a little to himself Yugi decided to go see.

As he opened the door to his soul he stepped out and looked around staring. Now this was different. He was in a hall way, but there was no door across from his.

"Yugi." A voice whispered, and seemed to echo softly through the hall. Yugi shuddered and stepped back to his own soul room.

"Do not be afraid." The voice said and Yugi looked down the hall when he saw some movement. He saw figure outlined in the shadows.

"Yami?" He asked.

"Yugi, come with me." The figure said. Yugi stared at the figure, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. But he was SURE that the outline of the shadow was Yami. So Yugi stepped forward.

"Yami I can't see you." Yugi said stopping half way to the shadow.

"You won't be able to see me properly. We are not connected like we used to be." The shadow said holding out his hand. "If you would like to see me properly, we can be reconnected." He said smiling at Yugi who was now moving closer. "Just come with me." He said. Yugi frowned and looked back at his soul room door that was still open slightly. It might have been a bit chilly in there, but it was warmer in there then it was out here. Yugi was sure of that. He looked back at Yami still getting that uneasy feeling.

/This is Yami. He wouldn't do anything to hurt me./ Yugi told himself firmly before putting his hand in the shadows. The Shadow smirked and then began leading Yugi further down the hallway away from the soul room, the only source of light.

"Yami it's dark down here. I don't think I like it." Yugi said after they had walked for a while and Yugi could no longer see the light from his soul room.

"It's alright little one. It's only dark because this is the deepest part of your mind. There is something here, I must show you." The shadow said. Yugi shivered and tried moving closer to 'Yami' but only grew colder. Finally they stopped walking and Yugi could see a very dim light not far from them. It was shining on a door that had chains and locks everywhere on it.

"Yami, what's that?"

"That, little one, is what I wanted to show you. You must open that door, it will open the bond between us again. Making it just as strong as it used to be." The shadow said and slowly let go of Yugi's hand. Yugi yelped and tried to reach out to grab Yami again but couldn't find him.

"Yami!?"

"Open the door little one. I am waiting for you." The voice said sounding more distant and Yugi looked at the door hurrying over. Something about the door frightened him. But he wanted Yami. So with out really thinking he started pulling at the chains, surprised at how easily they fell off. As the chains fell off and dissolved one by one Yugi's head started hurting. He ignored it and continued pulling at the chains. He only had a few left, and he could hear someone crying on the other side of the door now. Was Yami crying? Yugi half wondered as he pulled another one off. Someone screamed and Yugi grabbed two chains pulling them off at once. Someone was yelling. Another chain. Yugi grabbed the last one and pulled, this one harder then the others to pull off.

"OPEN!" Yugi cried and the chain dissolved in his hands the door slowly opening. As it did Yugi felt as if his head was splitting in two and he was pulled through the door. It slamming shut behind him.

Yugi found himself standing in the middle of a living room that looked slightly familiar. A small boy no older then two was sitting on the floor playing with two toy trucks crashing them into each other.

"bam." The boy said as the trucks crashed into each other again. The boy giggled and did it again. Yugi stared at the boy and looked around wondering where the boy's parents were. The front door opened and Yugi turned to see a woman with long blond hair. Yugi stared at her, his eyes slightly wide. The woman came into the living room and set down the bag she was carrying. Yugi noticed how tired she looked as she walked right by the two year old who had jumped up to his feet and was now trying to hug her.

"Mama!" The two year old followed her as she picked up his toys and tossed them into a box that sat in the corner. Still not paying much attention to the boy following her around, she went back over and picked up the bag she had set down and went to the kitchen. The small boy followed her. Yugi did too, still in a slight daze unable to take his eyes off the woman. Yugi saw the boy climbing up onto a chair, then the stool, and then onto the counter. This seemed to get the woman's attention.

"Oh! There you are Yugi." She said, as if just noticing him seeming to have come out of a daze she'd been in since entering the house.

"Mama~" The little boy sang, holding his arms out. The woman smiled and hugged him, lifting him off the counter.

"You gonna help mama put the food away?" She asked and the little Yugi nodded his head, giggling as he was set down and given a small bag of food to go through and put away.

Yugi leaned on the door casing, still staring at the scene in front of him."Mom." He said softly feeling his eyes burn. He hadn't thought about her in so long. Yugi wondered if he had truly forgotten about her. He knew he didn't remember what she had looked like. But seeing her again now made Yugi wonder how he could have forgotten her. Yugi turned his attention to little Yugi who was picking up a large jug of apple juice and trying to carry it to the fridge.

"Careful." His mother said and helped him put it in the fridge. Yugi was about to walk over to stand in front of the island that was in the kitchen and watch his mother more. When the front door slammed open again. Yugi jumped and spun around, as did his mother.

"Oh." She smiled when she saw who it was. It was her husband, walking over she kissed him on the cheek. "Welcome home dear." She said. "I was just about to start dinner."

"Good, I'm starving." He said taking his coat off and hanging it up. Yugi stared at the man frowning. He remembered his mother, but, why couldn't he remember this man, who was obviously his father. Little Yugi hurried over to hug the man.

"Daddy~" Little Yugi giggled latching onto the man's leg hugging him. The man glared down at the boy with a look of pure hatred that made even Yugi back up a few steps.

"Umm, Yugi, why don't you go up to your room? I'll bring you some dinner in a bit." His mother said. Little Yugi pouted and left the room. Yugi was forced to follow his smaller self. Even though he wanted to stay in the kitchen with his parents, but Yugi knew that all this was only a memory, and you couldn't stay and listen to a conversation if you didn't remember it.

The little boy opened his door and walked inside closing it behind him before going over to his toy chest and climbing into it. It was then that Yugi could hear raised voices down stairs and Yugi's eyes widened as he heard his parents yelling at each other.

"Why, why don't I remember this?" Yugi asked sitting down on the bed. As he did the room faded into black for a few moments as Yugi was pulled into another memory. This time Yugi was in the room by himself for a few seconds before little Yugi ran into the room slamming the door behind him, looking terrified.

"Yugi? Sweetie are you in there?" Yugi heard his mother call through the door. Little Yugi locked the door and backed away. Yugi was confused by this. He remembered his mother being a kind, gentle woman, and even when she was angry she was never scary.

"Yugi, sweetie open the door." His mother called. The sound of keys were heard before the door unlocked and she stepped in. Little Yugi stood there staring at his mother with wide fearful eyes. Both her hands were behind her back as she moved closer to him.

"Mama are, are you feeling better?" Little Yugi asked. Yugi jumped and screamed when he saw his mother move quickly pinning little Yugi to the floor easily with one hand, in her other hand was a large kitchen knife. Tears were streaming down her face as she looked at her son.

"It has to be like this, it won't go away." She cried, raising the knife and thrusting it down. Little Yugi screamed and the weight was suddenly pulled off him. His little hands clutching at the deep wound in his neck.

"NO! LET ME GO!" His mother screamed. Yugi watched as his father pulled the screaming and crying woman from the room. "HE HAS TO DIE!!!" Yugi sat next to the still bleeding five year old watching him. He heard a door slam at the end of the hallway before loud footsteps came back to the room.

"Damnit boy! What did you do this time!?" Yugi's father snapped and picked the five year old up carrying him to the bathroom. Setting him down on the side of the tub, he proceeded to bandage the boy's neck and stop the bleeding.

"Daddy." Little Yugi whimpered, a loud slap echoed off the walls of the small bathroom.

"Do NOT call me that. I am not your father." He growled. Yugi was still sitting on the floor in the bedroom a hand at his own throat. He had removed the buckle he normally wore around his neck. He couldn't remember when he'd started wearing the buckle, but the reason had been the scar. Yugi had forgotten where it had come from. And never bothered asking his grandfather about it. Because he'd had the scar when he'd first gone to live with his grandfather. As Yugi thought this, he couldn't help but realize he didn't remember WHY he'd gone to live with his grandfather.

As if answering his question, the memory shifted again. This time it was night and Yugi was now sitting in the hallway at the top of the stairs.

"Mama please, I didn't mean it!" an eight year old Yugi cried pulling at his arm that was in a vice grip. The woman didn't pay any attention to him. And Yugi looked at her, the once bright eyes were now dead and sunken, it looked as if she hadn't slept in months. Little Yugi continued crying as he held onto the railing, stopping her from dragging him down the stairs. "Mama please!" he cried more.

"There's no other way they said, if you die, it will all stop. I want it to stop. I don't care how it's done, I just want it to stop." She said dully. Little Yugi's eyes filled with tears and he pulled with all his might, getting his arm free. Turning, he ran back up the few steps he'd been pulled down only to feel a bony hand wrap around his ankle making him fall face first on the floor.

"No!" His mother screamed her eyes flashing dangerously. "If you will not come. I'LL KILL YOU HERE!" She lunged her hands out stretched for little Yugi's neck. Yugi screamed and kicked out. His scream mixed with his mother's for a moment before the sound of a body falling down the stairs could be heard. Little Yugi sat there panting as he lay on the floor for a few moments before sitting up and looking down to see if his mother would be coming back up to get him again.

Yugi also looked down at the bottom of the stairs expecting to see the woman running back up them a look of murder on her face. What he saw however, was his mother lying limply on the floor, her arm bent in what looked like a rather painful way, her eyes still open but glazed over as blood began soaking her once golden hair. Yugi looked over at the boy who was staring at his mother in horror.

As a car pulled into the drive way the lights illuminated the body. The sound of a car door slamming shut was heard and only a few moments later the front door opened.

"Keiko, I'm home." A man's voice called. "Kei-" the name was cut off and Yugi knew his father was standing just out of sight of the stairs, but had spotted the body. The rest of the memory was a complete blur. Catching flashes here and there Yugi saw his father yelling. But didn't hear anything. He saw the police, and more of his father yelling. He saw buildings moving by as they drove. Yugi saw planes landing and taking off. Saw the airport, and then his final destination, the game shop where his grandfather lived. And where Yugi had grown up. Where Yugi had gone to live, after, he had killed his mother.
Everything faded to black again and Yugi sat curled up in the darkness of his mind and could hear someone laughing. Someone enjoying the fact that Yugi was in pain. But the only thing on Yugi's mind, besides the sight of his mother's body. Was that he had to get back to Yami. Yami would keep him safe, keep him safe from the memories. Keep him safe from the pain. Using all the energy he had, Yugi stood up and numbly started walking.

/Yami/ his mind whispered brokenly.

TBC>>>>