Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Dueling ❯ Darkness Rising ( Chapter 5 )

Dark Dueling

By FlikFreak

 

Chapter Five: Darkness Rising

 

~*~

 

Black. Darkness everywhere. Yugi didn't know where he was, but he knew for certain he didn't belong there. He struggled at first to recall what had happened, but was unable to remember until he calmed.

 

Oh yeah! I finished the puzzle! There was that weird light and black mist…I thought I was ganna suffocate or something…

 

The details were slowly coming back to him. He had hidden in the storage room and a shadowy figure had led him to the last piece. Somehow his body had moved on its own accord to reach it, and when he did he had been released somehow, like whatever had controlled him had done its job just by showing him where the last piece was. When Yugi had slipped it in, the puzzle had begun to glow and the black mist - which had never really vanished - had grown unbelievably thick. Whenever he had breathed, that mist seemed to purposely substitute whatever oxygen he could have had. Then there was that strange sense of power that he had felt along with the mist and the light…

 

Wait a minute, am I dead? Did I suffocate?

 

Yugi's mind began to fall once more into panic, but slowly yet surely he found himself calming again. Something about this darkness was for his safety. It comforted him…or was it just forcing him to stay calm? Either way, Yugi was trapped in a tranquil state between happiness and exhaustion. It was not long before the latter began to take its toll on him...

 

~*~

 

The spirit opened his eyes, finally finding a physical form. It wasn't easy getting someone to follow his lead to the final piece of the puzzle, but he still managed to do it. It had been so long since he was able to freely move about like this…so long since he had a body of his own. That accursed man had deprived him of his last few potential hosts, but now he was finally free…at least for now. He disliked using an innocent boy for this, but there was no other way to set things straight.

 

“It's in here, Boss. We hid it; that kid'll never find it.”

 

His sensitive ears pricking up at the sound of the man's voice, the spirit rushed into the shadows, hiding in a far corner behind a small pile of stage speakers. Focusing his eyesight, he noticed three people entering the room: one of them a man in creamy robes, the other two in dark robes. The leader, no doubt Boss, glanced around. “You're sure it's in here?” he said.

 

“Yes, sir,” one of the men said. “I hid it on the top shelf. That kid is so short he'll never be able to reach it, much less see it.”

 

Boss nodded approvingly. “Then all we have to worry about now is that foolish spirit leading him in here.”

 

The other cloaked man shook his head. “I doubt the boy will be interesting enough for him. Besides, the chances of him even coming in here are slim.”

 

“He's pieced every bit of the puzzle together except for the last bit,” Boss uttered lowly. “The spirit has undoubtedly favored him.” He turned and began to exit the room. “It won't be long before his time limit is up. When it is, send for him and direct him to my chamber for his sealing. In the meantime, I want top-notch security on this room. Do not let anyone in, do you understand?”

 

The two men nodded, and the group exited the room. The spirit waited until they were completely out of the way and the door was shut before quietly and slowly getting out of the corner. The body he had chosen was a short one, but was perfect for hiding. Honing his power and watching closely in the dark, looking for some form of string or chain. Finally spotting a small rope, the spirit carefully maneuvered his host's body to wrap the rope around the loop in the completed puzzle, putting it around his neck and creeping lowly out of the storage room.

 

With swift movements, the spirit raced out of the hallway and through the lobby, stopping only when there were shadows to retreat to. The darkness was his weapon before, and even with a new body it could still be a weapon. As he made quickly for the exit, he drew upon his host's memory and recalled where he lived. Once he finally left the Duelist's Den, the spirit looked carefully around to make sure no citizens were nearby to give him a strange look for casually exiting a warehouse. Finally nodding in approval, he left, clutching his backpack tightly.

 

The walk back to his host's home was somewhat uneventful. The streets were completely empty for that time of night, so he went relatively unspotted. When he finally reached his host's home, he strode through the front door cautiously to see an old man sweeping the floor.

 

“There you are, Yugi!” The man said. “Where have you been? I was getting worried.”

 

So, his host's name was Yugi…interesting. The spirit nodded, and attempted to find words. After so many years of not having his own body, it was difficult to speak again, but he managed to talk. “I was out,” he said slowly and with a slight slur. By Ra, his host had the strangest voice…

 

“You can't be out this late,” the old man said, worry in his eyes. “It's dangerous.” After a moment, the man put the broom he was using next to a counter and felt the boy's head. “Are you feeling okay, Yugi? You seem a bit pale.”

 

That one would be easy to answer. “I am feeling tired,” came the answer, with a bit more energy this time. “I would like to go to bed.”

 

“Go on ahead,” the man said, gesturing to the back door of the shop. “I'll be up a little while longer cleaning.”

 

The spirit nodded and headed stiffly up the stairs past the door and quickly found the boy's room. How odd and sparse it was! There was only a bed, a small closet, a desk and bookshelf. Aside from the slanted window on the roof and the few posters of familiar creatures (familiar to the spirit at least), the room didn't have many features.

 

After once again delving into his host's memory, the spirit found the nightwear, changed clothing, and sat on the bed. What a unique boy he had chosen. Yugi loved games and wanted nothing more than to play them most of the time. When that accursed man had baited him with a reward, the boy had lost sight of it the moment he began working on the puzzle, only wanting to complete it just to have it finished. For someone with so much potential, he was incredibly meek and kind…calling him a host was starting to get uncomfortable.

 

Running his fingers over the puzzle once more, the spirit lay his host's body down to sleep on the mattress, and relinquished control to the boy, whose consciousness was already in a deep slumber…a slumber he would need, for much was to happen the next day.