A Sequel of Decay

by Elanor Pam

         Yuugi sipped his coffee, alone at the kitchen table. His grandfather wouldn’t come for breakfast - he had died some years ago; his mom took care of the store now. He was a professional Magic & Wizard player (as well as chess, igo, Magic the Gathering…), and, with the money he got from tournaments and classes, he could live alone with no financial problems at all… but still, he liked the store too much. And his mother, although still sound and healthy, and still in mid fourty’s, wouldn’t last forever – he should be there, and keep the store going… he smiled, sadly. Time was merciless.

         He was nineteen, and had passed with top grades to a History University. Maybe, aside from being professional player, he could be an archeologist, uh? Sounds nice. He poked his golden pyramid, making a metal sound. He smiled again, kindly, this time.

         His eyes still had an innocent light, that refused to go away… but some tears added to that light, transforming his eyes in glittering jewels. He missed the old times. His friend were still his best gift from life, but all of them were busy with their own life right now, and the times they could see each other were limited – tournaments, parties at Kaiba’s, organized meeting at the Shop downstairs – that had grown to be one of the official M&W tournament arenas –, and… well, meeting occasionally on the street and such.

         Once, they had spent more than three months without hearing much from each other. Crowding Yuugi’s living room, they talked a bit, telling what they had been doing, etc, etc… and all looked at each other awkwardly, without knowing what to talk about anymore. The silence kept on… and suddenly, they were all crying, hugging each other in a big mess. Even Kaiba cried…

         By far, the ones he got to see the most were Jounouchi, Kaiba and Bakura. To begin with, all of them were professional players like him, so they always saw each other at Tournaments. Kaiba also played the other games Yuugi did, and Bakura was studying medicine at a campus nearby Yuugi’s. Jounouchi needed no comments; he passed to Yuugi’s same History University, played tag duels at the campus with Yuugi, hung around at Yuugi’s, played in Tournaments with/against Yuugi, and had gotten to like chess and took some classes with Yuugi. They were still like brothers…

         But he didn’t see Anzu that much anymore. The worst of all, he still had a massive crush on her. Crush? Who was he trying to deceive? Like hell crushes lasted that long. Jounouchi knew all of it, of course; each time the gang met, he’d throw him knowing glances, poke him whenever she passed by, push him towards her lightly and etc… he was surely amusing himself. But he understood it perfectly, and at the worst times he gave him a support he wouldn’t manage to go on without. So Yuugi kept being “just a friend” to Anzu, and breaking down whenever she was far enough not to hear him…

         He sipped the coffee again, tasting the tears that had fallen into it. Maybe they should gather the old gang again; he missed not only Anzu, but them all…

         Someone banged on the Shop’s door downstairs, desperately. It was a bit early to open it, his mother hadn’t even waken up yet… who would come so early in the morning?

In decadence I take thee by the hand

too frail...to gain the promised land

too frail...to take your pain away

too frail...a sequel of decay

         He went downstairs to the Shop, opening the door and letting a figure soaked in rain stumble in and fall on the floor, sobbing.

         “A… A… Anzu…?” he muttered, crouching down by her side, eyes wide. She was scratched and bleeding, clothes torn, and couldn’t stop crying…

         “Y-Yuugi… help-p me…” her voice trembled. “P-please… Yu-u-ugi…”

         She made an effort to get up on her hands, but was shaking too much. Yuugi didn’t even know what to think or do, but held her by the shoulders, to help her stand; she leaned on him, sobbing at his shirt. “S-save me-e… hi-i-de me…” she sobbed, hugging him.

         “Wha-what happened to you?”

         “Y-Y-Yuugi… they… they… hide me… please…”

         Yuugi felt himself freeze, the girl sobbing on his chest. Scratched… torn clothes… oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no…

         Something inside Yuugi’s chest squeezed painfully, and his breath came out in a shaking, shocked sob, tearing his throat and heart mercilessly. He didn’t want to know… he didn’t want to know… please, it was just his sick mind…

         The problem is, Yuugi’s mind was never sick.

         “S-save me… Yuugi…”

May millenniums gather

on the mirage of desolated souls

far between departure and sorrow

I breed my afterthought

In thy hours of vast dejection's haunt...wane

         Yuugi tried to get her up, but she still held him in the same place. “Anzu, you need to rest—”

         “He-elp me, Yuugi…”

         “Let’s get you to the couch, then…”

         “Please don’t let them get me…”

         “Anzu, can’t you please let me take you somewhere less hard than the floor?! Oh… so-orry, I’m being too harsh…” he tried to equilibrate himself on the edge of a nervous breakdown, his body starting to shake. “Anzu, please… l-look, I can’t ask you to calm down, but please let me calm down for a minute…” he asked, his voice trembling as much as hers. He hugged her, and let his tears flow freely – it was the only thing he could do at such a time…

         For a long time, they both cried together, Anzu dampening Yuugi’s whole shirt, Yuugi’s tears falling on her hair. For a long time, there was nothing more to the world… nothing more around them… they were the only ones who existed, for that long time.

         Yuugi’s mother appeared on top of the stairs, and gasped at the sight of his son holding his weeping friend. Yuugi lifted his head to her…

         “Call the police.”

         She was frozen in place for a minute, but understood a bit of what had happened, and nodded. Something serious had happened to the girl, and she needed help.

An angel strays upon my door

so frail and lost within

To weep upon her days of yore

my decadent come in

         With a new sense of responsibility, Yuugi managed to lift Anzu’s body, gathering all the strength he could. She could only keep on sobbing, hugging him as if she was falling from a cliff. He took her to the living room of the house, and did his best to lay her down on the couch without dropping her from his straining arms. His mother was giving the address of the house to the police, and finally hung up the phone, turning to his son – that had to stay beside the couch, because Anzu wouldn’t let go of him. “Can you tell me now what happened to her?”

         Yuugi sighed, looking at his mother as if that was the wrong question at the wrong time. “Take a look at her and imagine what happened.”

         The woman approached the fallen girl, taking notice of the bruises and torn clothes, and also from a trail of blood running down her legs - she paled noticeably. “Oh my god…” The woman had to sit on a chair, breath trembling.

         “Yes,” said Yuugi, wisdom glittering in his eyes “he could surely give a hand right now… but, as he seems to be busy, I guess we’ll have to manage on our own.”

         The police arrived, and Anzu was taken to the hospital – although some sleeping drugs were needed to make her let go of Yuugi.

         As he looked at her broken figure, a feeling of death gripping and clutching his heart, his mind would repeat in a kind of stupor ‘I… guess I… won’t study… today…’ He made an effort to look away from her, to find another thing to absorb himself with, another thing to think about… only to face a picture on the TV. A picture of the gang, together…

         Seeing her smiling face, he suddenly couldn’t take it anymore – he fell on the floor, crying in despair. One of the policemen saw the picture, and squeezed his shoulder in understanding. It would be a while till he calmed down.

         His mother put the picture face down, sadly. She didn’t think words would be of help.

Her stain and tears upon my floor

the sorrow that she brings

Devotion of a life outworn

in decadence come in

         A party was sent to check out the neighborhood, since, in her state, Anzu wouldn’t be able to walk a great distance. Two of the policemen stayed.

         The young man would have to be interviewed, and University wouldn’t be a good idea for the troubled lad that day; he was a lot calmer, and back to his senses, but didn’t know for how long. He grabbed the phone and dialed some numbers, as his mother was being questioned.

         “Hello, Jounouchi residence.” hearing that voice brought Yuugi great relief. He could almost smile – almost…

         He tried to talk calmly, although he felt that another nervous breakdown was on the way. “It’s Yuugi.”

         “Hi, man! You should be going right now, not phoning me. I was already at the door.”

         “Well, sorry… something happened” Yuugi said faintly, his eyes losing themselves at the wallpaper pattern. He couldn’t really bring himself to talk about it on the phone, he couldn’t… that pattern on the wall was Baroque… no, Surrealism… no, it was… emptiness…

         For a moment, the phone was silent. “This dark tone of your voice isn’t a good sign, Yuugi. Tell me what happened.”

         Struggling through his scrambled mind, Yuugi found some words to say, as he gripped the phone table with all he had. “Come here.”

An angel strays upon my door

so frail and lost within

To weep upon her days of yore

my decadent come in

         A big group of late teens was sitting on the hospital hall, all looking very dark and serious. Some of them cried, but all seemed to be trying to comfort one.

         One that was looking ahead with large dazed eyes, as if the shock had taken his senses.

         A tall, serious, relatively calm (although somewhat pale) blue-eyed lad arrived, a young teen by his side; he walked to the dazed boy and placed a hand on his head.

         “It seems that, although he has faced reality, it had never hit him like that before” Seto looked to Jounouchi, sitting by Yuugi’s side. “Is it what he told you? That Anzu was…”

         “Yeah” answered the blond lad, his voice shaking. “He’s been like this since then…”

         He shook the boy for emphasis; Yuugi didn’t even blink.

         “I ask myself” Jounouchi kept on “which one is going to need more help through this…”

         Suddenly Yuugi stood up, almost making Jounouchi fall, and ran towards a doctor that had just walked down the stairs.

         “Is she ok? May I see her? Please!” he cried, pulling his coat in despair.

         The group followed him, and Seto and Jounouchi, together, managed to make him let go of the doctor. “Calm down” Seto whispered “You don’t even know if that guy is in charge of Anzu or not…”

         “Are you family and friends of Anzu Masaki?” asked the doctor, to their total surprise. It was in charge of Anzu – how Yuugi knew it, it was a mystery.

         “Her parents are coming from Shikoku by now” Yuugi’s mother told him. “This is my son” she put a hand on Yuugi’s shoulder “, and he’s a childhood friend of Anzu Masaki. Can he see her? He’s very worried.”

         “Miss Masaki is allowed to be visited, but only by a person at a time” said him. “Who will be the first?”

         All of them looked at Yuugi, that looked hopefully at the doctor. “May I go?”

Her stain and tears upon my floor

the sorrow that she brings

Devotion of a life outworn

in decadence come in

         He sat heavily on the only chair of the room, shaking uncontrollably. A quivering hand reached out to the one resting on the blanket, and held it, almost as if afraid to do so.

         Anzu was sleeping – blissful, merciful, dreamless drug-induced sleep…

         She looked so calm, brown hair spilled on the snow-white pillow, framing a snow-white face - ‘She’s so pale…’

         His own thoughts seemed to stumble and trip on themselves, as a sense of unreality took control of him, surreal images floating up on his mind, mixed up, dark, dreadful, bloodied… he looked again at her beautiful, terribly pale face and tried not to imagine that pale face in a coffin—

         Death, demons, suddenly it was all choking him, drowning him, tears slipping through his face, unnoticed, his body slipping from the chair and falling on his knees, unnoticed… holding her hand and sobbing on it, unnoticed…

         The hand moved.

         That single movement was enough to wave half the panic away. He looked up at her face with pleading eyes; and his pleading was attended, as her eyes slowly opened.

         Heavens, they were so, so full of pain… he felt as if a million claws were tearing his heart apart and then stepping on it. ‘Anzu, please, don’t like look this, please, smile…’

         “Yuugi…” she breathed, weakly. “You’re here…?”

         “Yes,” he nodded, in a silly, almost despaired, way.

         “I… had a bad dream,” she kept on, a bit oblivious to his nervousness “I don’t remember what it was about though…” she trembled, squeezing his hand weakly. “Only that it was… horrible…”

         Almost in a daze, Yuugi crawled to her, his lips quivering. He held her hand again, holding it against his face, feeling cold… “Rest… rest, please, Anzu…”

         “Are you okay, Yuugi?” her voice was still a whisper, delicate, sweet… so sweet… Yuugi thought he was going to cry again, but the tears were already falling by the time the thought crossed his head. Anzu wiped them from his cheek with the back of her fingers. “Yuugi, your lips are so pale… your eyes are puffy… did something bad happen? Where am I?”

         “A…” Yuugi had to try again to get his voice out. “A hospital…”

         Anzu kept on looking at him, comprehension dawning in her eyes – as well as the already forgotten terror. Yuugi felt he should go on, that it would be better to tell her already.

         “D…don’t you re…member…?” his voice was shaking, and he needed more and more effort to talk through his tears. “Y…you we…ent to my house this… mo-orning all scratched and… asking for he-elp and… cry-ying and…”

         He couldn’t go on, bursting in tears. Normally, Anzu would jump out of the bed to calm him down, but that was no normal day, no normal tears…

         The memory, and with it the terror, awakened in a blast, leaving her powerless against it; her glassy eyes showed that she was repeating the scene over and over – she squeezed Yuugi’s hand in despair, enough to make him snap out of his own little nightmare; he quickly jumped to her side, hugging her, kissing her forehead, caressing her back as if she were a child…

         “Shh… shhh… easy… easy…” he choked. “I’m here… a-although that’s not much…”

         To his own surprise, though, he felt shaking, yet warm arms around his neck; her head buried itself in his chest…

         “Yuugi… stay here… they… they…” her voice was barely audible, muffled by the fabric of his clothes. “It… it was terrible… they…” she held him tighter. “I’m afraid… stay with me…”

         “I will,” he muttered. And he meant it; not even a crane would be able to take him from that place.

         “Forever?” in his state of mind, Yuugi couldn’t grasp the hopeful tone of her question.

         “For as long as you want me by your side,” he whispered in a cracked voice, holding her closer “it would be my light, my life and my happiness…”

         That was when he noticed he had said it out loud. Looking down, he stared back at her blue eyes; despite the fear and the tears that clouded them, they were shining a warm light. For a long time, they just looked at each other’s eyes, lost, dizzy, drowning; suddenly, Anzu spoke.

         “I’m glad… glad that it’s you here, and not anybody else…”

         Yuugi tried to say something romantic or at least comforting, but could only sob, the tears spilling from his eyes and falling on her gleaming face; with a shaking hand, she wiped them from his face.

         “Your eyes…” she said.

         He didn’t know what to say. Maybe if he kept on looking at her like a famished mute child, she’d understand what he wanted to tell her so badly…

         “Your eyes” she repeated “are so beautiful… and pure…”

         “I…” he stuttered, his chest moving with his heavy breaths; he wanted to tell her so badly… so much… “I… you… I… I… Anzu… Anzu, I…”

         A soft finger touched his lips. That finger was the loveliest finger of the world…

         “Pshh…” the girl whispered, smiling softly, the haunted look almost fading away. “I know…”

         She lay back on the bed, feeling suddenly tired, but still smiled at him. “…And I’m happy… to know you do…” she caressed his shocked, disbelieving face. “…Because I do, too.” She closed her eyes to rest, and drift off into sleep.

         The doctor entered to say the time was up, just to see the first visitor crying almost despairingly. He rushed to the lad, knowing what had happened to his patient, and patted his back.

         “I’m sorry, Mutou-kun…” he tried to help him stand up, but he wouldn’t let go of the girl. “Mutou-kun, your time is up… time for another visitor… her parents arrived…”

         “S-she…”

         “What?”

         “She-e… she… too… s-she d-does… too… she does…” he cried, clutching her hand to his chest, sobbing heavily.

May thy lids desorb from emerald seas

a pending solitary

Though thy pain redeems, life it seems to be

a fragile sanctuary

~*~*~*~*~

         WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! SO SAD!! Anyway, this is my fist try at an R-rated fic (if I did one before, I didn’t notice it was). Really dark, just like the song. I like this song. It’s from Tristania, great group. No, Tristan Taylor isn’t in it. Could anybody kill the dubbers? Well, I thought this song was good for this kind of fic because of the part “An angel strays upon my door, so frail and lost within”…

         Anyway, I advise you to download this song or buy the CD with it. It’s just great to hear while drawing Medieval Fantasy pics. You almost feel in there. And there is an amazing choir at the beginning (if anybody knows what the choir is singing, could you send me it in an email or a review? Thanks.).

         After writing this, I don’t really know what to say, just that it’s kinda lame; such a fic needed a more experienced writer. The romantic part in the end seems a bit rushed… at least for me, a fan of the slowpoke-romance, that one that takes months to build up, and when you notice it, they are already marrying. But I’m growing a bit sick of this fic, since it’s not the kind I would normally read (I’m not even old enough to do so!), and it has a hard theme. But I felt I just couldn’t let the idea fade.

         I hope it’s not that bad. As always, reviews, critics and flames are all welcomed. Ja!