The Dead of Night
Chapter 3
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Yami’s Princess, Mario, Michela, Shinigami,
Cherry-wolf,
*waves at old reviewers*
Thank you for following me here ^^
Beta-d by Shinigami
Tenshi!
Chapter 3
“I’m
clenching at his sides. The small teen was stood with Yami and his grandfather.
Yami had hoped the added support would convince his little light of what needed
to be done, but Yuugi was having none of it.
“Yuugi, you
commanded in reply, posture visibly straightening. Yuugi huffed.
“I said no, and I
meant no. You can’t force me to do something I don’t want to!”
“That’s what
caused the problem in the first place!!” Yami screamed, the dark, threatening
voice resounding off the walls. Yuugi tried to still his trembling. “Maybe if
you weren’t so stubborn and irresponsible, none of this would be happening!”
Yuugi lowered his head, tears threatening to spill. Yami was the last person he
expected to say something so hurtful.
“Yami!”
snapped, sending the taller version of his grandson a frosty glare. Yami nodded
regretfully.
“So you’re
blaming me for everything that happened last night?” Yuugi said, biting his
lower lip. Yami shook his head.
“No,
I just wish you’d have listened to me,” he kneeled in front of his
“please see the doctor…for me…” Yuugi sighed in defeat.
“Ok, if it makes
you happy, but I want to go alone.” Yami was about to shake his head when Yuugi
stopped him. “Please Yami. I need to do this on my own. If you were there I’d
feel pressured.” Yami was hurt that Yuugi thought such a thing, but let it
slide for the sake of his little Light. At least he’d agreed to go. That was
the main thing.
~*~*~*~*~
Yuugi didn’t come
home until later that night. His face was drawn out and lagging, eyes that had
lost their vibrancy from the wear and tear of his complicated existence. How
much he just wanted to wake up the following morning to find it had all been
one long, horribly traumatic nightmare, and see that Yami was holding him in
his arms, quashing all fears dead.
Instead, Yami had
been the one creating the fears.
“
the latch on the door lift, “is that you?”
“
kitchen. Yami materialised in the doorway, body wrought with concern and
anxiety.
“Did you go?”
Yuugi nodded, eyes drifting closed momentarily, “and?”
“Nothing…” Yuugi
mutteredrlinrling his small frame around the taller.
“Nothing?
Yuugi frowned
into his darker half’s chesYamiYami, I don’t want to talk about it…”
“Please Yuugi…” the
Shadow knelt down, gripping Yuugi’s shoulders tightly, “tell me what he said.
Does he think you were…?”
“No,” Yuugi
interjected, pulling away from him. Relief flooded through the taller, a silent
smile spreading from ear to ear. He was still untouched, still his perfect
little Light in ever way. Yami couldn’t have hoped for better news. Why wasn’t
Yuugi as happy as he? “I’m going to go to bed, school tomorrow.”
Yami trailed the
other upstairs, expecting to tuck him into bed. He had no intention of letting
him go to school that following day, but for the moment he didn’t mention it.
How could he let him out of his sight again.
“
time--”
Yami’s eyes
focused on Yuugi’s trousers, a dark crimson stain oozing from the middle hem
down the teen’s thigh. He froze. That was not
what he thought….was it? It couldn’t be. Realising Yami had ceased talking
mid-sentence, the smaller turned round, confused by the horrified expression on
his darker half’s face.
“Yuugi…come
here,” he said softly, no hint of concern or alarm. Yuugi nervously moved
forwards.
“Turn around for
a second.” Yuugi’s eyes opened wide. He reached behind him, touching his damp
trousers with his fingertips, tears immediately springing to his eyes. No. Not
again. He thought it had stopped! Why was it happening again? He took a step
back from the taller, a familiar stinging sensation assailing him. Yami was
expecting him to run. He was prepared for his endeavour. He lunged forward as
his hikari bolted for the bathroom, gripping his elbow in an iron tight grip.
“Yami,
no!” Yuugi cried,
struggling profusely against the offending arms, arching, twisting to escape,
ignoring the pain in his hind, “let go! Please…please!” Yami ignored the pleas, thrusting his aibou down to the floor as carefully as the writhing teen would
allow him, and sat astride his hips, pinning him to the floor with very little
effort. Tears streamed down his cheeks, his body convulsing, eyes squeezed
closed in dread and despair. He could feel Yami unfastening his trousers and
still, he struggled against him, begging and pleading and whimpering, but Yami
would not relent. “Stop! Yami, I’m begging you not to
do this, please! Don’t do this.”
The Shadow
ignored him, as difficult as it was to shut out the pleas he normally responded
to with love and affection and sweet comforts, tugging the trousers down off
Yuugi’s slender hips. Rolling him over, he found to his dismay that his blue
boxers were in much the same condition as his trousers – bloodied, stained with
an act of sheer cruelty and malice. He could feel the body beneath him
trembling; all fight in him having drained any energy he had. It was never any
use resisting him. The thought made him want to sob more and he did, crossing
his arms beneath his head. Yami’s own eyes teared,
but he blinked them away furiously. Poor Yuugi.
“
“I never…went to
the doctors,” he wept, “I went to see Anzu. I told
her what happened, I – told her about the blood this morning…” Yami relinquished
his grip, rolling Yuugi onto his back again.
“What blood? What
are you talking about?” Yuugi averted his gaze, turning his head to the side,
voice suddenly lost. Yami gripped his chin, forcing him to look at him. “Yuugi,
I want to know what you’re talking about.” Yuugi’s bottom limp trembled.
“When I was in
the bath this morning...a-and yesterdater ter I came home…I…there was some
blood. I washed it off and just forgot about it until you mentioned the doctors…I
couldn’t go…I already knew. I just pretended I wanted to go on my own and I
went to Anzu’s. She offered to…help me…”
“
“She gave me some
healing cream. It had stopped by then and I didn’t think it would start again…”
Yami blinked vacantly.
“Yami?”
“Why do you keep
lying to me?” he mumbled, sliding from his hikari’s thighs to the floor. Yuugi
no longer cared enough to put his trousers back on. Yami was hurt, he could
sense, and it was all his fault. He met his eyes,
heart clenching in his chest. How forlorn he looked. There were some elements
of himself in the darker entity that he’d never
noticed before. That look was one of them. No wonder Yami so often gave him
whatever he wanted…if that was the expression he gave him, he would too.
“I…didn’t want
anyone to know…”
“But you told
“That’s
different!”
“How is it
different?!” Yami shouted, gracefully lifting from the floor.
“Yami, it doesn’t
matter!” Yuugi cried, standing. The clammy mess soaked into his boxers was
making him increasingly uncomfortable.
“Of course it
matters! You confided in her and not me, and not only that, but you lied to
me—again, so don’t tell me it doesn’t matter because I can’t think of anything
more important than us not keeping secrets from each other! Do you think our
bond is a joke, a game? I can’t believe this is even happening…”
“I wasn’t
purposely keeping it from you – I…I just didn’t want you to know!” Yuugi
explained, feeling too late that such a comment would only serve to make the
situation far worse. Yami looked hurt, upset and angry. It was an expression
Yuugi had never witnessed before. It frightened him somehow. “Don’t be angry
with me Yami, I hate it when you’re angry.”
“What do you
expect? All you ever do just lately is lie to me and keep secrets. You
challenged my wishes, completely ignoring what was good advice – and then you
just lie to me again, expecting me not to be angry about it! Sometimes I wonder
why I love you so much!” Yuugi’s face scrunched up in pain.
“Yami, please
stop saying things like that. I don’t need this to be happening…”
“Well, then you
should have thought about that before, shouldn’t you? I tried to warn you
explicitly, but apparently you’re now too high and mighty to listen to
you any. That should make you happy!” And with that final blow to Yuugi’s
heart, Yami turned around and fled, slamming the door shut behind him in an
uncharacteristic fit of pure fury. That hurt the younger. It really, truly hurt
him. Yami had not once said anything like that to him before…
What had he done?
~*~*~*~*~
none'>Yuugi peered up at the shelves looming above him, to the ladder on his
left and back again. He wasn’t a massive fan of ladders, it had to be said, but
his grandfather had asked him to stack some of the shelves whilst he went to
see the suppliers. This time last week, Yami would have already stepped in to
help…he saw little chance of that happening.
none'>It had been two days since the initial argument. Neither had spoken to
the otherYami and Yugi have sex – Yugi starts getting memories of being
‘violated’ by other guy in club – Yami feels awful, too afraid to touch him
anymore. At breakfast they’d sat in silence, Yuugi offering
his darker half subtle apologetic
glances, gentle coercion he hoped Sugoroku
couldn’t see, but it wasn’t as though the old man hadn’t yet twigged
they weren’t talking. During the day, Yami avoided Yuugi as best he could- or
it at least appeared that way to the hikari and in the evenings the three would
sit in front of the television in morbid and uncomfortable silence, the only
voices that spoke belonging to Sugoroku trying his best to rile a conversation
and Yuugi who merely grunted replies.
none'> Yuugi sighed. It was going to be a
long and difficult day, as Sundays often were. Ironic.
It was meant to be the day of rest.
He mounted the ladder, gripped the cold sides, and ascended; a pack of
them to the back of the shelf and descended again, pleased that his task was
almost complete.
none'>The sound of the door opening, the little bell hanging above it ringing,
made him jump.
none'>“I’ll be with you in a minute!” he called, sliding the last part of the
shipment onto the bottom shelf. Brushing his hands, he turned, seeing a man in
the doorway, hands in his pockets. “Can I help you, sir?”
none'>“That’s what I’m here to find out,” he replied, smirking. Yuugi frowned.
What an odd thing to say.
none'>The teen wandered behind the counter. “Feel free to look around.”
none'>“It’s alright, I can already see what I want,” he replied, licking his
lips. Yuugi’s brow furrowed further.<
none'>“Erm…well do you want to bring it up to the
counter to pay – do you have a membership card. You get discounts if you have
one,” Yuugi said nonchalantly, trying not to feel alarmed. The man’s face
seemed to brighten. He seemed to randomly pick something off the shelf and
strutted down to the counter, tossing it in front of the teen with a smile.
none'>“You work here all the time?” he asked, pulling his wallet from his back
pocket.
none'>“I sometimes take over from my Jii-chan when he
has something to do. I only do weekends and evenings- I have school the rest of
the time,” Yuugi replied, finding a bag from beneath the counter.
none'>“You’re in school? You must be, what, in year eight?”
none'>“Year eleven,” Yuugi retorted. The man proclaimed a silent ‘ah’, handing
over a five pound note in exchange for his purchase. “Why do you ask?” He
shrugged, grinning crookedly.
none'>“Just wondering…you’re Yuugi Mutou aren’t you?” Yuugi nodded, mentally
rolling his eyes, “I heard you lived somewhere around here. Must
be luck that I happened to stumble on this store.”
none'>“Hmm,” Yuugi murmured. He was used to making small talk with the
customers, but this man…well he didn’t really feel inclined to do so. There
were a few oddities who wondered in and out of the store and this one was no
exception, so he kept the talk to a minimum.
none'>“Are you planning on entering any tournaments soon? I’ll come and see you
play,” he said whilst Yuugi slid the box into a bag, handing it, the receipt,
and his change over to him.
none'>“Aibou, do you know where-oh,
excuse me.” Yami had walked in through the back door to ask Yuugi a question,
carrying a load of boxes in his arms. He stopped short when he saw a customer
there, placing his stack onto the floor beside the counter.
none'>“That’s alright, I’m going now anyway,” the man replied without looking
at Yami, smiling at Yuugi, the corners of his eyes wrinkling. He waved a little
to the youngster before he slipped outside into the sun.
none'>Yuugi didn’t turn to look at his other
self.
none'>“Aibou?”
none'>
none'>“Did you want something?” Yuugi snapped.
none'>“I wanted to know where jii-chan keeps
that label machine.” Yuugi dug around under the counter and produced the said
item, handing it to Yami without meeting his eyes, and them Yami disappeared
into the store room again, speaking no other words.
none'>~*~*~*~*~
none'>The following day, Yuugi had met with no objection to him going back to
school. There was nothing physically wrong with him, aside from a distant
stinging every so often, but he had it under control. Jounouchi hadn’t come in
that day. The two hadn’t spoken to one another since Friday. Yuugi was becoming
concerned. It was rare they went a weekend without seeing one another.
none'>The bitch of Yuugi’s year, Taiese Takashi,
was standing down the other end of the hall, proclaiming to her friends how
she’d recently passed three of her final exams a year early. It wasn’t until
she stopped speaking that she noticed young Mutou Yuugi walking towards his
locker, the usual distant, day dreaming glint in his eye. She hated him so
much, ever since he got a higher grade than her in the English
someone, but a reason, none-the-less, that was good enough for her.
none'>She strode down the hallway, bringing her sheep-like friends with her and
laughed syllabically, elbowing one of her comrades in the ribs. “I didn’t think
you could get any lower Mutou!” Yuugi ignored her, opening his locker so he
couldn’t see any faces, but as soon as he did, it was slammed shut again and he
was face to face with his class
representative, “so is it true?”
none'>“Leave me alone.” Yuugi didn’t feel any inclination to find out what she was
talking about. He didn’t try to open the locker again. He would just have to
make up an excuse and say he forgot his text book for science.
none'>“Ooh, I don’t think I like your attitude Mutou. Maybe I should see the
head about your behaviour.”
none'>“Fuck you.” She gasped dramatically, momentarily reminding Yuugi of
Pegasus. In comparison to this torture, he
was a walk in the park. “I have to get to my biology lesson.”
none'>“Oh no you don’t,”
shoulder with a painful amount of force, “I want to ask you something.” She
squeezed and Yuugi winced. Apparently there was still a bruise there. “Is it
true you were…” she leaned down to whisper in his ear, pulling back with a
malicious smile on her face. Yuugi’s eyes watered. How did she know?! Who would
have been cruel enough to tell her of all people!? The look on Yuugi’s face
gave him away, and she laughed, a high-pitched, whiney sound, “And by a guy
too! God Mutou, you really are pathetic, aren’t you?”
none'>“Let go of me!” He slapped her hand away from him, glaring viciously. She
glared back with equal ferocity.
none'>“So what was it like, Mutou? Did you enjoy it? I’d always thought you
were gay anyway, but now I have proof.”
none'>“Leave me alone!!”
none'>“Aaw, what’s wrong- that idiot Jounouchi not
around to look after you? Then again, from what I heard he wasn’t doing a very
good job of it. He was probably too busy doing normal things to care about a little freak like you-”
none'>Smack!
none'>The girl recoiled, a burning red hand print marring her skin.
none'>“You will regret that you fucking weirdo!” she seethed, gripping a clump
of Yuugi’s hair in her fist. She pulled, hard, and Yuugi yelped in pain. She
smiled in satisfaction. “So tell me what it was like Mutou? I bet you were on
the bottom of course. Whoever did it must have been pretty desperate.” When
Yuugi didn’t answer she tugged his locks again, letting him fall to the floor
with a thump, her, still clutching his hair. “I’m warning you, Mutou, if you
don’t answer me…”
none'>“Stop it…please!” Yuugi whimpered, hands curled
around hers weakly. She smiled; highly entertained that she was getting such a
reaction. It wasn’t often she could say anything to him, not with
It was the perfect opportunity to say everything she wanted to say, and for her
to find out the details of what she’d been told.
none'>“I’ll stop when you answer.”
none'>“I don’t remember anything!!” Yuugi screamed. Why wasn’t anyone helping
him? The halls were empty, but why had no one heard.
none'>“Liar!” she jeered, persuading him to clamber to his feet by pulling
again, “come on, we want to hear the details. Don’t be shy.” Yuugi was silent. Taiese frowned,
“do you want me to tear your hair from your head?!”
none'>“Put him down!!”
none'>Taiese
with you, so if you don’t mind-”
none'>“It’s everything to do with
me,” Anzu replied, taking hold of the wrist holding
Yuugi’s hair. She dug her nails into the skin, and the other girl yelped,
withdrawing her hand in a flash and letting Yuugi slump to the floor in a heap.
“You absolute bitch! How dare you be so
none'>“It’s quite easy really,” she simpered, rubbing her abused wrist, “I
mean, look at him…he’s pathetic.”
none'>“He is not pathetic!”
what he’s done in his life you wouldn’t be saying that. For god’s sake, he’s a
DM champion!”
none'>“That stupid card game doesn’t stop him from being a little wimp!” the
other retorted. For the second time that day, Taiese
was holding her cheek where a hand had created a bruising red mark, fuming that
Anzu had had the audacity to hit her. Feeling her
work was done, she knelt down to Yuugi who was trying to gather the strength to
stand up, and hooked her arms beneath his, heaving him to stand. His head was
pounding.
none'>“Yuugi, are you alright?” Yuugi nodded unsteadily, eyes closed.
none'>“I’m fine,” he said, trying to smile. Anzu
smiled in reply.
none'>“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” she sniffed at Taiese,
making a gesture with her hand.
none'>“Wouldn’t want to hang around you losers anyway,” she scoffed, turned on
her heels, and vanished down the corridor with her crew of miscreants trailing
behind.
none'>~*~*~*~*~
none'>“We shouldn’t have just skipped school like that, Anzu,”
Yuugi said as he pushed his key into the backdoor, allowing her inside before
he followed.
none'>“No, but I’m glad we did. I need to talk to you about something and I
don’t really think school is the appropriate place for it,” Anzu
said, sounding suddenly serious. Yuugi placed his bag down on the kitchen table
whilst Anzu hovered in the doorway, for the first
time in her life feeling uncomfortable around the small teen. “It’s…it’s about
what happened to you.” Yuugi busied himself in the fridge with getting drinks,
hiding the look of concern on his face, “I…I told Honda about it.”
none'>Yuugi stood back, startled.
none'>“Please don’t be mad!” Anzu continued
immediately, leaning down to grasp his hands. They were cold. “I just think it was
best that he knew what with me and Jounouchi knowing about it and I just didn’t
want anything awkward to happen so I-”
none'>“Anzu, it’s ok,” Yuugi said softly, placing his
hand over hers, “I’m glad you told him. I don’t think I’d have had the courage
to go through it a second time.” Bursting into a smile, the brunette hugged him
tightly, but as she stood back, the same distress was clear.
none'>“There’s something else…” she said, biting her bottom lip, “I think it
might have been my fault Taiese found out…you see, I
told Honda when we were at school. I’d checked no one was around, honestly! I
want to the most private place I could think of, but she must have followed
me.”
none'>“Y-you let her overhear…” Yuugi said, placing his soda down on the
kitchen table.
none'>“Yuugi, I’m really, really sorry!”
none'>“So…it was your fault she found out?” Yuugi said, voice growing in
intensity, “Anzu, do you have any idea what you’ve
done – it’ll be around the whole school by three o’ clock!!? Don’t you think I
get bullied for enough things already?”
none'>“I know, I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to. I’d never hurt you on
purpose, you know that!”
none'>“Get out!” Yuugi yelled furiously, “I can’t believe you were
so….thoughtless! I trusted you! I trusted you over Yami!! We argued because I
told you what happened and not him and now we’re not even speaking to one
another! So just get out before you cause any more trouble!”
none'>“Yuugi, please!” she whined, eyes watering. Yuugi growled impatiently.
none'>“I said go!!” he yelled. He
hated shouting at her. Hell, she’d been his only friend when they were younger
and she’d never cared what other people said about him, but she’d hurt him,
deeply. In a way, be it by accident or not, she’d betrayed his trust. She
nodded, whispering ‘I’m sorry’ and left.
none'>Yuugi let his anger filter out the moment she’d gone and sighed. Feeling
another presence he turned.
leaning up against the doorframe with his hands buried in his pockets, watching
Yuugi with the intensity of a blazing fire, but the teen didn’t feel unnerved
because he knew better than to fear what he loved. Yami was everything to him.
If only he had the strength to realise it. Yuugi didn’t want to grow up if this
was what he would have to endure, but who was he to stand in the way of living?
The hairs on the back of his neck tingled, and he felt a blush creep across his
cheeks, but what use was their in hiding it when Yami could feel every
sensation like they were his own? Either way, the shadow ignored it. His usual chuckle of amusement went unheard. He was
frowning, but for what reason Yuugi couldn’t say.
at school?” Yami said, voice deep, hoarse, sounding
almost as though he’d only just woken up. Perhaps he had. Yuugi blinked slowly,
mulling over the question. Would the shadow even care what had happened to him?
Did he care for him at all anymore? “Aibou?” Are you alright?”
best efforts, Yami let his concern overcome him and subconsciously Yuugi’s
question was answered. On the inside, he smiled. “Were you and
edge of the kitchen counter. Yami walked towards him, standing almost between
his legs.
she found out about…everything… and it was because of Anzu,”
he said softly, suddenly regretting losing his temper so quickly with her. It
seemed to happen a lot lately. He looked up to find Yami’s gaze still focused
on him, and blinked, wide-eyed, a familiar hint of a forgotten innocence
sparkling in the depth of the other half of Yami’s soul. His little hikari
would always be innocent, no matter what.
arching suspiciously. Yuugi hated these moments. He didn’t want to lie.
nothing else,” he answered quietly, averting his eyes, “Anzu
stopped her, but…I can’t help feeling she did it to relieve herself of her own
guilt.” Yami looked thoughtful for a moment.
did it because she wanted to right a wrong,” he said after a few seconds, hands
gripping the counter on either side of Yuugi’s thighs, “what else is bothering
you?”
Yuugi snorted resentfully. He could feel Yami probing his mind and he didn’t
have the energy to stop him. No doubt he would get it out of him sooner or
later.
guilt and blame,” Yami said, tapping his chin, not everyone in school is as
cruel as that girl. Most of them will sympathise, perhaps even treat you with a
little more respect.”
back to school,” Yuugi said, eyes watering, “I feel humiliated enough as it
is.”
on letting them beat you?” Yami’s challenging expression befell the teen and he
sighed.
going to work Yami.” Yami’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
stubborn than usedused to be ::
people pushing me around ::
have fooled me ::
the comment registered. That was way below the belt.
stubborn, then I’m just like you,” he said darkly, hopping down from the
counter, expecting Yami to move aside. He didn’t. He was trapped between the
Shadow and the sideboard, “Yami, move before I hurt you.” Yami laughed. Was
that mocking? “Yami, I’m warning you.” A sudden image flashed into Yuugi’s eyes
and he gasped. Someone had kissed him, pinned him into his seat, laughed in the
same jeering way. The same emotions rushed to the forefront of his mind and a
yell passed his lips. “I said move!!”
Yami screamed in his mind, reaching out to calm Yuugi’s fear with a soft caress
you’d forgotten¸ Yami, I was raped!
::
about that! This goes further back than last Thursday. You’ve been this way for
months. The lies, the secrecy, shutting me out of everything you do!! Did I
upset you in some way that made you so hostile towards me?”
hostile towards you?!” Yuugi snapped. A fine eyebrow arched again.
would serve as a good example.” Yuugi huffed obnoxiously.
of my way. I have homework to do.” Yami remained where he was
about you. I’m just…frightened of what you might do when you’re like this.”
Yuugi almost laughed.
overdose or something?” he said, smiling in a jeering, sarcastic way. He
swallowed slowly. “No, I think I’d rather drink myself into a stupor actually -
much more interesting. At least that way I can do it and not remember a single
thing the following morning.” Yuugi smiled conceitedly.
funny.”
Don’t like being spoken back too?”
aren’t you? If you don’t have me, you won’t have anyone,” Yuugi was speaking
quickly, but he wasn’t smiling, he was angry, growing angrier, “tell me, what
exactly would you do without me, no one to protect, no one to mother, no one to
smother with unwanted affection!” It
was there. That single second of heartbreak that flickered in the back of
Yuugi’s mind before Yami blocked it, stepping out of the way for the younger to
pass. Yuugi’s hand rose to his mouth in shock. “Yami, I’m sorry – I didn’t mean
that, I-”
Open the link…you’ll see…”
there anymore? Am I not just a hindrance to you? A fretting parent,
overprotective and controlling,” Yami listed, gaze flitting around the kitchen,
a battle to not look into his aibou’s eyes and
relent, “half the time you don’t want me to feel what you feel.”
time when you didn’t care…”
long time ago…I barely knew you existed.”
to find out…”
sha his his head, “why are you bringing this up?!”
die if you hated me…I’d die if I lost you…I just get the feeling that one day
you’ll- you’ll leave me…”
“Didn’t you just say I’d have nothing without
you?” Yami said, turning to leave, “you’re right. I wouldn’t. What use would
there be in me leaving when I have nowhere else to go…….”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
TBC