The Beast Within

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Hello all :) Sorry about the late update *laughs nervously* This chapter gave me a bit of trouble. It somehow didn’t feel to me like it flowed so I milled over it for a week. Anyway it’s double the length of the last chapter so I hope that makes up. I don’t have a specific pattern for updating so all I can say is that I’ll update as fast as I can! Thank you so much all who reviewed last time *hugs* they really made me happy. I hope this chapter is to you liking as well. Please read and review!

Kay~

Pairing: Seto/Yugi
Word Count: 4322
Warnings: -



The clock on the wall sounded six pm with a high-pitched musical tune that grated on Yugi’s ears, making him cringe. He had just had the unfortunate pleasure of walking beneath it, and it was deafening in the otherwise silent room.

It didn’t even feel like six o’clock in the evening. The grey skies made it appear much later than it actually was. He could have sworn that it was later when he looked up at the vertical hands proving him wrong.

Yugi swept the last amount of dust into a corner and leaned on the broom with a sigh. It had been a long day. Everyday for him was long, slow, and otherwise monotonous.

He helped out his grandfather in the shop in the day, and was too tired to do anything else other than sleep at night. This was what his life consisted of now. Working on days and sleeping at night. No more, no less.

It was amazing how much things had changed over the course of a year. Joey, Téa, Ryo and Tristan had all gone to the same college on the outskirts of town.

It was a unanimous decision made by them, so that they could stay together. They were there and he was here. He wasn't sure if he was happy about it or not. After all, it had been his decision against it. His decision to remain home and his decision to keep the empty puzzle hanging from his neck.

His decision to isolate himself.

He knew it was unwise and yet he felt like it was something that he wanted. Or maybe needed?

He had gone from dueling and hanging out with his friends almost everyday, to practically nothing now. He rarely even saw them anymore. Of course they made time and visited when they had the chance, but it just wasn't the same and they rarely had the chance. The blessing of being busy he supposed.

Nothing was the same anymore.

So is to be expected in life, but the speed in which it happened was surprising. If he had to pin-point an exact time, he would say when Yami left, because when he did, everything had changed.

To say that he missed him would be an understatement. Yugi felt like he had lost part of himself. He was devastated, but the deceptive front of a smile coupled with a laugh prevented any questions and spared him the task of lying. He really didn’t like lying to his friends, but if they had asked, he would have had to.

How could he have explained the hole that was left? Yami was a friend to them all, though he was closest to Yugi, naturally. They shared a mind and a body didn’t they? Shared thoughts and feelings. It was only natural then for Yugi to feel the loss more than the others wasn't it? Of course it was. And Yugi needed to remind himself of it. It helped him sleep at night….knowing that his feeling of loss was well reasoned. Why else would he miss Yami like he did?

He was sure that if he just told his friends this they would understand, but something tickled the back of his mind whenever the thought of discussing it arose. A funny feeling. Like it was…wrong to say such a thing. Like the whole idea and notion was awkward and misplaced, but what was it he wanted to say? And why did it feel wrong for that matter?

He couldn’t figure it out so he did the obvious thing. He kept quiet and smiled. He still kept the millennium puzzle, but not for the fact that it was a rare Egyptian artifact or even the fact that it reminded him of Yami, it had just become…familiar, comforting, and comfort was what he needed, familiarity was what he craved. He wanted things to return to the way they were.

His fingers traced the outline of the puzzle absentmindedly. He wanted Yami back and was convinced that when it happened, things wouldn’t feel so strange anymore. It would go back to normal.

It had to.

Although he was deep in thought, his ears registered the tick of the clock’s hands, counting each slow second.

Time shouldn’t move this slowly. Life shouldn’t move this slowly. His eyelids drooped. He was tired but from what? Watching the counters all day? The rain poured and no one was willing to brave it to come in to buy anything.

It only lightly drizzled now, but the sight of it rolling down the shop window made him sleepy. He rested the broom against the wall in the corner and stretched. It wouldn’t hurt to turn in early. Not like he had anything else to do anyway.

With another glance at the clock, he snorted quietly and flicked off the light. 6:15 and he was going to bed, how pathetic.


{}

His room was pitch black when he turned the handle and pushed the door open. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before closing the door and padding over to flop down on his neatly made bed. He didn’t trip over anything on the way over as he would have before. A generous amount of time on one’s hands usually permits one to do long forgotten rituals such as cleaning.

‘Yami would be shocked if he saw my room now’ he thought with a smile. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the only sound of classical music floating up and filtering through the crack in his door.

His grand-father had been enjoying a cup of tea and drifting off to the music when he’d entered the living room. He had almost snuck up to the stairs when Solomon’s eyes flew open and fixed on him with that look he hated, and asked him if he was alright in a tone of voice that one might speak with a sulking child.

Yugi had said that he was fine and then like clock work, gave him a big smile. Interesting thing, a smile. He’d discovered a new use for it that he would have never known before. Smiles usually came naturally to him. Now they were a defense mechanism to protect him and evade and attack of questions.

Yugi wasn't stupid though, and was under no impression that his grand-father believed him. He never did. Solomon Moto was a smart man.

It just felt easy to smile and lie than to stutter the truth through sobs.

Yugi willed his brain to be still so that sleep might claim him but he only got to sleep when he had something to think about so he thought about the only thing that really occupied his mind until he drifted off.


//A fine mist prevented Yugi from seeing too far into the distance. His own hands in front of him were invisible, even when he knew he was holding them close to his face. Everything was so white and sparkling.

He narrowed his eyes, feeling something close by. Should he use his voice and call out? It wouldn’t hurt to try.

“Hello?” He was sure he had made the sound but he didn’t hear it. He clutched at his throat feverently before taking enough time to realize that the mist was dissipating a little.

He could make out something in the distance now, well not quite in the distance but close by. It looked like a tree and a figure seated beneath it. He only had time to register the familiar body before a pain seared his chest//


Yugi sprung up in his bed gasping for air. ‘That dream…that had been…’ He clutched at the sheets and looked around the dark room. Nothing moved. The music that had lulled him to sleep had stopped, meaning that his grand-father was likely to be asleep.

He checked the flashing light on the clock on the bedside table. It was 10:30. Great, he had only had a couple hours sleep and with a dream like that, there was no way he was tired anymore. He rubbed his face wearily.

These dreams- or nightmares really- had to stop. They kept coming back and surprisingly they stopped the same point. Right before he saw Yami. He knew it was him. He was the cause.

He kept putting it off and putting it off but it could be held back no longer. There was something he could do, or at lease try to do. It wasn't safe to believe rumors and whispers, but there were so many and they all seemed so sure...

He was still wearing his clothes from the day so he grabbed a jacket and snuck down the stairs as quietly as he could. The house was in darkness. His grand-father probably wouldn’t mind him going out, he’d be glad to know Yugi was socializing, but not if he knew where he was planning to go.

The icy wind outside made Yugi shiver as soon as he stepped outside. Amazingly enough, people were still outside. Huddled together and bundled in coats, heads bent against the rain, going about their business.

Yugi walked quickly with his arms folded across his chest. The street lights casted strange shadows and made the darkness behind them even more menacing. Once or twice he had a funny feeling like something was watching him, like the shadows were following him.

He let out a sigh of relief when he came into the city and the moderately crowded streets. The presence of so many people made him feel secure somehow.

‘Should I even do this, though? It seems so...dangerous, but it could work. I won’t know till I try. If there’s a chance, I’ve got to take it… bad idea. I don’t even know what I’m doing!’

A cheerful looking couple approaching laughed and the pretty woman leaned closer to her boyfriend. She was a beautiful young woman and the man was handsome himself. Is that why his eyes felt drawn to them? They passed Yugi without even a second glance but he watched them until they took a left turn through an alley and out of his sight.

“I will do it,” he whispered to himself. He held out his hand. A screeching noise alerted him that he had caught someone’s attention. He pulled open the door and slid into the leather seat. Green eyes surveyed him from the rear view mirror suspiciously.

“Where to?”

Yugi thought he detected a hint of amusement. “Down town.”

“Down town?” The driver repeated skeptically.

“Yes. I’ll tell you when to stop.”

The man stared at him for a moment more before pulling the car away slowly. Yugi relaxed and watched as the colorful stores and shops rolled by.

Being driven was incredibly soothing and he felt like drifting off, but to his annoying displeasure, every time his eyes caught the driver’s in the mirror, he was staring at him and looked away quickly when Yugi caught him. He didn’t know whether to be afraid or offended.

After a few silent minutes, he couldn’t take it anymore. “I’m old enough to take a taxi in case you wanted to know,” he gritted out, catching the man by surprise with the statement “And since your driving, it’d be a good idea to watch the road, don’t you think?”

The man cleared his throat, apparently embarrassed. There were no more looks from then on.

‘Serves him right. I’m tired of people thinking I’m a kid’ Yugi thought bitterly, but the drive was no longer soothing and he just wanted to get there as fast as possible. He felt uncomfortable, and kept shifting in his seat. His skin itched and his clothes felt too tight. When he thought about it, his clothes were actually quite comfortable- it was more like his skin felt foreign and stretched out too much across his bones.

He was actually happy when the bright, well-maintained and lit stores faded away and were replaced by grimy old shops and worst-for-wear buildings. He was close. “You can put me off here,” he said flatly, not sparing the driver a glance.

The car pulled up to the side-walk and Yugi hastily got out and threw the money through the window on the front passenger’s seat. After a second or two the car screeched off loudly and Yugi knew that his back would probably be searing at the glare the man had no doubt thrown him.

The slick road glistened from the few street lights that were working and steam rose from various exposed pipes. The buildings suddenly seemed more imposing than when he was in the car.

He had left home with a strong determination, a will and a purpose to get this thing done. This thing that needed to be done. But now that he was there, only a few moments away from doing it, his hands shook. What had he actually intended to do?

“Hello there,” said a silky voice. Yugi nearly fell backwards but balanced himself just in time. The voice laughed and Yugi’s face flushed. The man hadn’t even spoken loudly and Yugi was nearly scared out of his skin. Not an impression to make in this place. Not that his 5”4 frame could make a reasonable impression anyway.

“This doesn’t look like your part of town,” the stranger commented lightly. Yugi turned around only to realize that no one was there. His eyes searched around in the semi-darkness until he saw a foot, and understood that he man was leaning against the wall enveloped in shadows.

Not good.

“Um…no I-I’m not, I’m actually l-looking for something,” he stuttered, while taking small steps backwards.

“Oh? Anything I can help out with?” A quiet, hoarse cackle followed these words and Yugi swallowed hard.

“No, I’m good.”

“Well then, you know where to find me if need be,” the man said quietly.

“Uh….right.” Yugi didn’t much like the quiet volume of his voice. It scared him more than if the man was a screaming lunatic. He turned around jogged across the deserted road. Small shops selling a variety of things lined the road and he scanned the names of them until he found the one he wanted; Amopre’s Pawn shop.

Unlike the other stores showcasing their stock, this one had no windows to the front and only a very small door that Yugi eyed curiously but pushed in anyways. Inside the store was dimly lit from one light bulb in the ceiling, but Yugi was thankful. There were shelves upon shelves on the walls, and all of them were packed with various –things- in jars.

He didn’t even want to imagine what they were. There was a counter and inside the glass, he could see a moderate collection of Jewelry.

“Hello?” It was apparent that no one was there. The shop was so small, there was no where that they could hide. Something banged on the door and as soon as Yugi turned to it, there was a voice behind him.

“Hello little one, how may I help?”

Yugi looked around so fast that his neck hurt. “What did you just say?!”

“I asked, how may I help?” The man repeated slowly. He looked at Yugi for a long time, running his eyes all over him.

Yugi noted the water dripping from his hair and cloak. He’d been outside. But how did he get it? There was no other door that he could see… Yugi pushed it to the back of his mind. His heart was racing.

“Right- I-”

“Come closer,” the man interrupted lightly, “I don’t bite.”

“Anymore,” he added in an undertone with a chuckle that made Yugi’s hair stand on end. He obliged and walked up to the counter that the man was leaning on.

“…Um…” he suddenly felt stupid standing there not knowing how to ask for something he thought he needed.

“Yes…” the man prodded, raising an eyebrow.

“I’d um- I heard t-that you sold…things…magic things-”

“I sell a variety of things. It can be said that they do possess a certain amount of supernatural qualities, yes.”

“Do you think…- would you have something that could-” Yugi tugged at the collar of his shirt. “Help bring back… a spirit?”

The room was silent as death when the words left Yugi’s mouth and he refused to meet the shopkeeper’s eyes. He fumbled with the edges of his sleeves until the silence became unbearable and he looked up.

The man’s face was unreadable, eyes hidden behind dark glasses and mouth set in a thin line. He only then just realized how close the man was leaning on the counter over to him.

Feeling a little more than uncomfortable, he attempted to break the silence but the man did it for him.

“A spirit you say?”

He walked away to back Yugi, pulling off his hood and letting his hair fall free.

“Y-Yes.”

“Someone… special?”

A moment of silence.

“Yes, someone very…very special to me.”

The man flinched but Yugi - looking pointedly at his shoes - didn’t notice.

“Spirits… cross over to the other side to find peace…I wouldn’t advise…”

Find peace?! It was the same thing that Yami had said. Didn’t he have peace there with him already? Couldn’t he find peace with them?! At lease he would be there.

‘At lease he would be with me.’ When he looked back at the man with narrowed eyes, he found that he had stopped talking and was watching him intently.

“Do you have anything that can help?”

“Did you not hear what I just said?” The man asked a little irritably.

“No, actually I blocked out what you were saying.”

“You should have listened.”

“Why? So you could tell me about finding peace and- whatever else you were saying?!” Yugi scoffed. His blood was boiling. “You wouldn’t understand anyway.”

“You think that you’re the first person to loose someone?” the man demanded in a low voice that almost shook. Yugi could only assume that he had lost someone as well.

“It’s not the same,” he pushed weakly, fighting back those damn stupid tears. “And why do you care so much anyway?”

The question seemed to catch the man by surprise even though Yugi didn’t even appear curious. He wanted to divert the attention off himself so that he would not loose his composure.

The man adjusted his glasses. “I do have something.”

Yugi’s heart nearly stopped beating in his chest.

“Do you have something to trade for it?”

“Trade?”

“How about that pretty little thing on your neck?”

Yugi clutched at it instinctively “No, never. I have money.”

“I doubt you have enough to afford such a thing as you desire.”

“How do you know? How much is it?”

“Four thousand.”

“What!” Yugi was almost hysterical. He didn’t have that kind of money! What would he do? He was so close; giving up the puzzle wasn't even an option. The man seemed to sense his desperation.

He slid open the glass doors on the display cabinet and pulled out something. Yugi barely had a moment’s warning before the man flung it at him. He had only just caught it in time.

He opened his hand and saw a thick gold ring adorned with a large black stone in the center. It certainly had the look of a four thousand dollar piece of jewelry.

“But I don’t have the money to pay for this….”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s on me.”

“But…why?”

“You look like you really need it.”

It wasn't the answer he was looking for but it satisfied him. He looked at the ring one more time, too giddy to care.

“Will it really help me bring my spirit back?”

The man took his time in replying.

“You are lost, and it is clear that you need to find your way. This will help you. I assure you that it will make your path clear over time.”

“How do I use it?”

“You will know when the time comes.”

“I will?”

“Yes,” the man said simply, “you will. Here-” He gestured for the ring. Yugi tentatively handed it over but when the man beckoned for his hand as well, he withdrew.

“If I wanted to hurt you, young one, I’d have done it already.”

There it was again …that name…

He hesitantly placed his small hand in the man’s large outstretched one. It felt strange to be touching an unfamiliar person like this, and even stranger when the man shivered. By the contact or was he just cold? He took the ring and slid it too carefully on Yugi’s index finger, admiring the way it caught the light.

He released Yugi but not before brushing his fingers over the boys in a not too obvious way that Yugi seemingly missed because he casually began to examine the ring without comment.

He finally dropped his hand to his side and looked at the man in front of him gratefully.

“Thank you…uh, you never told me you name.”

The man’s eyebrows knitted together as if in silent debate if to tell Yugi his name.

“The name’s Heath.”

“Well, thank you Heath, I’m really grateful to you.”

Heath bowed his head in acknowledgement to Yugi and finality of their transaction. Yugi smiled and was out the door in a hurry, anxious to get home. As soon as the door slammed, Heath took off his black sun glasses and rubbed his eyes, hoping to sooth the burning sensation.


{}


Yugi tried to keep his hand in his pocket but he just kept feeling the need to admire the ring. He had never worn jewelry before and his finger felt funny. ‘Should it be this heavy?’

Yugi was walking rather slowly. Two hours he had waited for a taxi until he’d finally given up and decided to walk. It was getting quite late. By his watch, it was already nearing 1 a.m. He was more worried about his grandfather waking up and finding him gone without a word, than about the actual time.

But he couldn’t fight the smile that surfaced when he held the black diamond up to his eyes. It was a strange colored gem but it evoked a sense of hope. This ring on his finger was a beacon in an otherwise dark wasteland. It would help him bring Yami back and in comparison to that, nothing else really mattered.

A feeling of contentment filled his chest and he closed his eyes. His feet hardly felt like they were moving and in reality, they weren’t. He walked a few short paces and stopped every once in a while in a blind haze.

And then someone screamed. An ear piercing thing that shattered the silence. A woman’s scream.

Yugi froze and scanned his surroundings quickly, someone was in trouble. He knew that that person needed help, but his knees felt weak. Such a horrible scream it was. A confident voice inside of his head would have had his feet moving instantly, propelled by adrenalin, but that voice was gone. He was alone, and alone, he was weak.

He stepped back uncertainly. The least he could do was call the police or something. The sound of a trash can colliding with something startled him and he whipped around. Running as fast as she could, a woman emerged from an alley, high heels clicking loudly.

She wasn't screaming; all her energy was put into running but she looked terrified. Before Yugi could even move or make a sound, she spotted him and ran to him, clutching his jacket tightly and falling to her knees.

Her hands were shaking terribly and blood stained the front of her coat. She looked up at him with pleading eyes. “It…it killed him…p-please…I need help…It’s after me,” she begged.

Wide brown eyes and rows of straight white teeth; it had been the woman that he had watched earlier but she looked anything but happy now.

“Are you okay…” There was so much blood in her hair and on her face, mingling with her tears. She sobbed loudly and shook him.

“IT’S AFTER ME!” She screamed. “It k-killed my boyfriend-”

“It? What do you mean?” Yugi whimpered. He was scared and confused now. Someone was dead?! And she kept saying ‘it’. Was it an animal or something?!

He couldn’t think properly. The woman was shaking him too roughly; the air in the musty alley was to stifling, there was too much pressure for him to act.

He was almost glad when she released him. The first thing that came to his mind was to grab her and run far away but that thought floated away when he felt arms tighten around his thigh.

“Hey!” He didn’t even have time to blush at the close contact.

It sprang from the darkness, trapping them both in its sight. Yugi gasped. It was clearly a man, and yet its animalistic features were outstanding.

Red pupils made more eerily prominent by the blood that soaked its shirt. Sharp fangs protruded from its snarling mouth and equally sharp looking claws dripped blood. Its body was crouched down ready for attack. Something about t looked vaguely familiar.

Yugi heard the woman squeak behind him and as soon as he broke eye contact with the beast to look at her, it sprang forward with a loud growl. Yugi barely had time for a noise of surprise and try to shield his face with his arms before he felt it’s full weight crashing down on him.


A/N: Well what'd you think of it ?*looks nervous*
Does anyone know of a format I could use to keep my words in italics? I'd be ever grateful:)