Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Light of Ending Fire ❯ "Mystery Surprise" ( Chapter 2 )

Shadowfire: Reviews! ^_^

 

Asheth: Pathetic little girl.

 

Shadowfire: :glare:

 

Denatoth and Ramoth: :sigh:

 

Shadowfire: I don't own anything!

 

Denatoth: on with the story ^_^.

 

 

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Yugi woke up to the pinging sound that had haunted his days for so long. He looked around the room. Today was another basketball day and Yugi didn't really want to participate in it. Yugi looked around the room and his eyes fell about the almost completed puzzle. An idea flitted into Yugi's mind and he grabbed the puzzle and put it into a small bag full of sports equipment that the Overseers provided. He climbed down the ladder and walked alone to the main assembly hall.

 

The Island was slightly chilly and there was a mist rolling in from the sea. The palm trees swayed and the sound of the nearby sea reached Yugi's ears. After a few minutes Yugi heard the sound of Ushino and his gang going to breakfast. Yugi stopped and waited to until he was sure that Ushino was well ahead of him. Ushino took some private pleasure in tormenting poor Yugi and using him as a private punching bag. Finally the sounds of the laughing teenagers faded into the distance, and Yugi made his way to the assembly hall. The small squat building rose to greet him as he walked towards it.

 

A long line was already there when Yugi came up. Yugi sighed and took his place in line as some girls came up. The serving crew slopped a disgusting mass of something unto Yugi's plate as he came up.

 

“What is it?” Yugi asked the serving girl.

 

“Mystery Surprise,” the girl said shooing him along.

 

Yugi sat down alone at a table in the back. Yugi was used to eating alone. Anzu had plenty of friends, and no one really ever came near Yugi. Ushino had picked Yugi as a target and no one hung out with Ushino's targets. Not unless you yourself were a target.

 

“Hey, Yugi,” a soft voice with a British accent said as a boy with long white hair and soft brown eyes sat down next to Yugi.

 

“Hi Ryou,” Yugi said with a smile.

 

Ryou Bakura was another of Yugi's only friends. He was a gentle, soft-spoken boy who was also often tortured by Ushino and his followers. Ryou had been on Kiri Island only a few days before Yugi, but he seldom talked about what life was like for him in the outside world. Yugi only knew that his father had been an archeologist and was killed in an accident in Egypt. After that Ryou had come to the Island. His had also a golden pendent with a pyramid in the center that he sometimes wore. When asked about it, Ryou become very quite and answer in short one-word answers. Most people thought that some girl that he had liked gave it to him. The problem with that theory was that when Ryou came to the Island he was seven years old.

 

“Did you hear, Yugi,” Ryou said, “There's someone else who is going to be coming to the Island in a few weeks. The rumors say that it's a boy around our age.”

 

Yugi was surprised. It was very rare for someone their age to turn up. Normally they were around ten. Yugi picked at the Mystery Surprise for a while as he thought of that. He noticed with disgust that the food looked like it had been left out all night. Whenever there was a cooking class this happened. Yugi guessed that the serving crew had too much real food that was given to the Overseers to stick some unknown horror into their refrigerators.

 

“That's really great, Ryou,” Yugi said at last. He wasn't quite sure what to say. For all Yugi knew this new guy could just be another installment in Ushino's already huge group of followers.

 

“By the way, Yugi, how are you doing with that puzzle of yours?” Ryou asked.

 

“I'm almost done, and I'm going to complete it today,” Yugi said with a smile.

 

“Great!” Ryou said happily, “but don't let anyone see you. You never know what will happen.”

 

The bell rang and Yugi and Ryou got up and put away their bowls. There was no school on the Islands. There was only constant play and fun. Almost no one was capable of basic reading, and only Yugi and Ryou could do some math. The pair of them occasionally tried to learn more, but there was little to work with. His father had once told Yugi that if people had no education then they would believe what ever they were told. Yugi believed it after seeing that most of the kids on the Island thought whatever they were told to think and looked at Yugi strangely if he disagreed.

 

A bell tinged to say that breakfast was over and Yugi and Ryou spilt up. They had learned that if they were together it was like walking around with a sign that said `We are weak and pathetic. Please beat the crap out of us.'

 

Yugi went off to his favorite part of the Island. It was pretty much deserted except for the trees and bushes in the area. Most of the Island had some kind of sports arena, but not this part. It was just ignored by most people and that was what had allowed him to complete as much of the puzzle as Yugi had. Yugi sat down on the sand and took out the golden box that had the puzzle. He listened to the waves and slowly began to work on the last section of the puzzle.

 

…Yu…gi…

 

Yugi looked around franticly for the speaker, but saw nothing. A chill ran down Yugi's spine as he looked around. Yugi was starting to wonder about his sanity.

 

“Ey, look what I found!” Joey said as he grabbed Yugi by the scruff of the neck and dangled him two feet off the ground.

 

Honda ran up to meet his friend and the pair of them exchanged evil looking grins.

 

“Whacha got there, Yugi?” Joey asked as he lifted the puzzle from the sand.

 

“It's some kind of puzzle,” Honda said looking at it, “Aren't you a little old to be playing with puzzles?”

 

The pair of them got a good laugh at Yugi and the fact that he had a productive hobby. Joey and Honda were famous for never doing anything but whatever they thought was fun. Joey never talked about where he came from and Honda had been on the Island for years. The pair were nearly inseparable wherever one was the other would be. They didn't really like Ushino, but they went along with him most of the time. Most people thought that Ushino had something on Joey and he was blackmailing him to do his dirty work. Whatever the reason Joey was known to be the one who beat up some poor kid that Ushino hated.

 

The pair of them were exchanging looks that were making Yugi sweat.

 

“Whadda think we should do to `im `Onda?” Joey asked?

 

Honda got a dark grin on his face, “I think that we should take his wittle puzzle away,”

 

Yugi was terrified. When they said `take it away' they might mean `throw it in the ocean'. That would mean that all the work of eight years would be gone along with the only thing that reminded Yugi of his family.

 

“Please don't,” Yugi pleaded, “It's the most important thing in the world to me.”

 

Joey looked at him in a disgusted fashion for a second, picked up the puzzle and held it up as far as he could reach.

 

“You make me sick,” He said, “Punch me in the stomach and maybe I'll give it back.”

 

Yugi hated violence. Whenever he saw it he remembered his grandfather. It was hard for him to even watch the other on the Island in their chicken fighting. Yugi had never participated and most people thought that Yugi was a coward, or somewhat effeminate.

 

Yugi shook his head and turned away.

 

“I hate violence,” He said.

 

Joey grinned and took out a piece of the puzzle. It was the piece that was suppose to go in the center. The piece had an eye on it that toYugi it seemed to watch its surroundings.

 

“Then I'm gonna throw dis into the ocean,” He told Yugi, holding his hand in a way that verified the threat.

 

“Please don't,” Yugi pleaded.

 

Joey kept grinning. Yugi could see that Joey was enjoying tormenting Yugi as much as he did throwing the puzzle piece in the sea.

 

“Sorry twerp,” Joey said and threw the piece with everything that he had.

 

Yugi ran into the ocean and dived towards the spot where he thought he had seen the piece fall in. He went down and searched the ocean floor. He had to come back up for air empty handed, and after and few more tries Yugi started to sob quietly.

 

`I'm sorry Grandpa…' Yugi silently said.

 

He stood in the water for a long time, occasionally diving down to try to see the missing piece, but once the bell rang Yugi trudged back up the beach felling completely miserable. He had failed his grandpa, and he had failed that invisible speaker who had always pleaded for help. Yugi had always had the feeling that if he could solve the puzzle he would be able to help that person, but now there was nothing he could ever do. Yugi stifled the sob of despair that had welled up inside up him and continued towards the dinning hall.

 

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“That was hilarious,” Honda said as the pair of them walked to the dinning hall, “did you notice that the twerp didn't notice that you didn't let go of the piece?”

 

Joey grinned as he tossed and caught Yugi's grandpa's puzzle piece. He had thought that it was a particularly dramatic performance since the kid had jumped in after it. Joey wouldn't have admitted it to Honda, but he felt slightly guilty for taking the piece at all. He knew how it felt to have something that meant more to you then anything else.

 

Joey's sister, Shizuka, had meant everything to him, and now she was on one of the other Destiny Islands. Joey had no idea if he would ever see her again. Ushino had family in all of the Destiny Islands and for some reason the Overseers allowed all of them to converse when they didn't allow anyone else to. Joey suspected that there was money involved somewhere.

 

Ushino had told Joey once that if he didn't do what Ushino said. Shizuka would be beaten up so badly that no one would be able to recognize her. Ushino also said that if he really got mad he would blind Joey's poor, gentle sister.

 

Joey had consented to doing Ushino's will for that reason and that reason alone. If he ever was able to he would beat Ushino to within an inch of his life and then leave the Islands with Shizuka and Honda. Honda would get on somehow and Joey knew it, so he never concealed the fact that Joey was looking for a way out.

 

Joey didn't really remember most of his family other then his sister. He knew that his mother and father had split up because of his father alcoholism. Joey vaguely remembered running away from his father's house and trying to rescue Shizuka. Joey's mother had remarried and her new husband abused his wife's daughter all the time. Her mother was unable (or unwilling) to do anything about it, so in the dead of night Joey had snuck into Shizuka's room and smuggled her out. After that the pair of them had lived on Joey's street smarts. He had been ten when the Pharaoh's men had found them and Shizuka had only been seven. Joey hadn't seen his sister since that time.

 

When he had come to Kiri Island Honda and Joey had become partners in the task of getting of the Island and making it back to the mainland. They had quite a stock of canned foods, and the boat would be done soon. All they needed now was some kind of sail.

 

“Well,” Joey said still tossing and catching the puzzle piece, “what are we going to do with this?”

 

“Sell it,” Honda said shortly, “Ushino would pay us big for that. It looks like it's solid gold. I wonder what that Yugi kid was doing with it.”

 

Joey shrugged and pretended that he didn't feel guilty at selling something that meant so much to someone.

 

`He was too weak to fight for it wasn't he?' Joey asked himself as he walked.

 

`Maybe, but at least he isn't being Ushino's little puppy dog to control,' something answered.

 

Joey shook the feeling off and kept going. As the pair turned another corner they ran into Ushino, who was waiting for them.

 

“So, you boys got my money?” Ushino asked in a silky fashion.

 

Joey and Honda stared at each other for a second and remembered that a while ago they had borrowed some money from Ushino a while ago. Joey started feeling slightly nervous. They didn't have a single yen on them.

 

“Actually, Ushino,” Honda said, “We have something better then money!”

 

“Oh no,” Joey muttered.

 

“We got this solid gold thing from some kid,” Honda said waving it around.

 

Ushino was completely unimpressed.

 

Three of Ushino's thugs came out of the bushes and pined both Joey and Honda's arms behind their backs. The pair rolled and kicked trying to get free, but to no avail. Ushino was grinning.

 

“Now you punks are going to find out what happens to people who don't pay off their debts to Ushino Wantabe,” Ushino said with a dark smile.

 

Honda and Joey knew what was going to happen. They had seen it enough times and done it even more. The pair of them were about to get the crap knocked out of them by three of Ushino's biggest guys, maybe Ushino himself would join in for once. It seemed that he would because he was the only one cracking his knuckles trying to look threatening. Ushino did many things for show.

 

Joey and Honda were too busy to notice the figure walking down the beach. Too busy watching Ushino's advance to see that the figure was running closer until they heard it.

 

“No! Stop!”

 

 

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Yugi was back on his way when he had heard the voices.

 

“So, you boys got my money?” Ushino's voice asked in a silky fashion.

 

“Actually, Ushino,” Honda said, “We have something better then money! We got this solid gold thing from some kid.”

 

A spark of hope lit in Yugi's heart. They had it. That had to be what they were talking about. Joey could have thrown a rock instead of the puzzle piece. That was why he hadn't found it.

 

Yugi turned a corner and saw three of Ushino's thugs come out of the bushes and pin both Joey and Honda's arms behind their backs. Yugi started to walk faster. He knew as well as anyone what was about to happen.

 

“Now you punks are going to find out what happens to people who don't pay off their debts to Ushino Wantabe,”

 

Yugi didn't really know why he did it. He didn't have one reason to do it. In fact if he hadn't done it he could have snagged the piece in the fight and non would be the wiser. All Yugi knew was that he found himself running and he stopped in front of them.

 

“No! Stop!” Yugi yelled.

 

Yugi was just in time to catch the blow. He flew back into Joey and Honda and tried to stand up.

 

“Get out of here, twerp,” Ushino said, “I'll beat you up later.

 

“No,” Yugi gasped out, “these are my friends.”

 

Yugi really didn't where he had come up with that idea. In fact he was wondering if the Island had finally drove him up the wall. Ushino obviously thought that too because he was laughing his head off. His goons were chuckling stupidly along with him, but Yugi didn't notice Joey's eyes open and look at him in shock.

 

“They were trying to help me be stronger,” Yugi defended and wished that he would just die and get it over with.

 

“Well,” Ushino said between snickers, “if you're friends then you should share each others punishment and debt. I'll give you a deal: if you can get me ten thousand yen by tomorrow night then I'll let you guys off with this little beating, but if you don't…” Ushino let it hang there and flashed a knife threateningly.

 

The goons fell on all of them and left them with so many cuts and bruises that all of them looked like they were poka-dotted. Yugi lost contiousness sometime in the middle of the beating and when he woke up Ryou was standing over him and Joey and Honda were no where to be seen.

 

“What happened, Yugi?” Ryou asked him in a concerned fashion.

 

Yugi sat up and fought the wave of dizziness that threatened to push him back down. He shook his head and looked at Ryou.

 

“Ushino and his friends…” Yugi trailed off.

 

Ryou smiled gently and helped Yugi to his feet. Yugi wobbled a little at first but Ryou kept him steady.

 

“Well, when I got there they were long gone. You were lying there looking dead. I was really lucky to see you,” Ryou told Yugi softly.

 

As they walked Yugi realized that it was after dinner and everyone was going to bed. He ignored the growling of his stomach and let Ryou hold him up and walk him toward the area where the tree houses were

 

Ryou supported Yugi all the way to his tree house and asked him if he needed any help to get up the ladder. Yugi told Ryou that he could manage and clambered up the ladder. The little room was somewhat comforting after Yugi's day. Yugi unpacked the things in the sports bag and looked at the puzzle. Surpressing tears Yugi tore his eyes away and looked out the window.

 

There was a figure standing there in the dim light. It seemed to notice Yugi because it gave a little wave and tossed something up through the window with very good accuracy. Yugi caught it, gave a little wave back, and the figure walked back towards the more populated area of the Island.

 

Yugi looked at the puzzle piece in his hand and felt like dancing a little jig. Wrapped around the piece was a piece of paper and on it in Joey's untidy scrawl were the words: Sorry for acting like a jerk and swiping this.

 

Yugi ran up to the puzzle and clicked the final piece into the slot. The puzzle began glowing and the eye started to move. It shifted directions and finally focused on Yugi. Entranced, Yugi leaned closer and brought the puzzle to his face.

 

I wish that I had friends Yugi thought, Friends that I could look out for and who would look out for me.

 

At that moment something hard hit Yugi's hand and he staggered. He fell against his bed and lay there, unconscious. On his forehead the symbol of the Eye of Horus glowed in it's own light.

 

Am I…alive?

 

 

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Far away from the Destiny Islands a group of doctors looked at the limp body of there new creation. They had been laboring over it for months, and it seemed that it was almost finished. Doctor Nasaki smiled as his workers finished there current project. This would be their finest creation.

 

“Do you think that it will be successful?” one of the nurses asked.

 

Nasaki smirked.

 

“Of course it will. Our last project was completely from scratch and some DNA that we thought would be strong enough to survive the process. This subject was captured, his memory erased, and with that he will do as he is told,” Nasaki told the nurse condescendingly

 

The nurse looked very impressed.

 

“But is there a way to undo what we have done?” another asked.

 

“Not unless this person had a strong attachment to anyone before his memory was erased, and isn't the reason that Pharaoh chose to let him live because this boy's father and mother died when he was young and his brother is dead.

 

The body stirred and groaned slightly.

 

Nasaki ordered that a drug to but his to sleep be administered immediately. His project was not to move about until Nasaki was sure that nothing had gone wrong.

 

“Patience, Seto Kaiba, you'll have plenty to do soon,”

 

 

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The streets of the downside of Domino were cold and dark. Figures hunched over small fires to keep warm and others stayed at the entrance to watch for Pharaoh's police squad. Children played amongst the general destruction of the city, glad to have a night's rest from constant darkness and stillness of the Underground. Adults and older children huddled together dreaming of better days.

 

The streets were torn up from the constant gunfire and bombs going off. The constant smoke coming from the factories where those less lucky were taken to work until they dropped dead hid the moon and stars. Most of the buildings were empty and falling down with bits of plaster chipping off in high winds. The downside of Domino was a wasteland on memories of what once was and might have been to those who live there.

 

Crouched in the hall of the decaying high school a young black hair boy sat by a small dying fire with a flicking laptop in front of him. Mokuba Kaiba was thankful that the battery was still alive after all this time, and he was sure that Seto had had something to do with it. That laptop was almost all that remained of Kaiba Corporation.

 

At one time they had been making the most amazing game technology in the world, and even after Pharaoh had taken over Seto had opened it for a shelter to all those who had lost their homes to Pharaoh and his laws. Mokuba and Seto had stayed in their mansion and made sure that the refugees had all that they needed or wanted. Those days were gone now.

 

Two weeks ago, Pharaoh had sent one of his military delegations to KaibaCorp to disband it completely. Seto had told Mokuba to run and had stayed to get the refugees out in time. That was the last time that Mokuba had seen him. Now he was searching franticly, hoping to find even a hint of his brother's being alive. He was very grateful to the fact that Seto had taught him how to hack into computers if need be. Mokuba had made it to Pharaoh's mainframe and was checking out all the information on Seto Kaiba.

 

“Please, big brother, you can't be dead…” Mokuba whispered.

 

As he searched, Mokuba found that Seto had been captured and his memory erased. Seto was bound to reach Kiri Island the next day and retrieve something for Pharaoh. Mokuba clenched his fists and closed down the computer. He would not let this happen to Seto. He had always been there for Mokuba and now it was time for Mokuba to do something in return.

 

“I'm gonna get you back, Seto, I promise,” Mokuba whispering into the darkness as he left the remains of Domino High School and made his was for the docks. There would be a boat waiting for Seto, and Mokuba was going to go along for the ride.

 

“I promise,”

 

 

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Shadowfire: Well…that was dramatic.

 

Asheth: And boring.

 

Shadowfire: :glare:

 

Ramoth: Well it's better then the stupid romance that she's trying to do right now.

 

Shadowfire: WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY ROMANCE ><#

 

Both: …oh nothing except it's boring.

 

Shadowfire: I hate both of you.

 

Asheth: But you have to put up with us.

 

Shadowfire: Gr.. alwell, review me and tell me who you think that the Pharaoh is. I'll give you some hints: it's not on OC or Marik, Bakura, or Yami. Who do you think that it is?