Work Text:
Yugi heard laughter. The sound of it stirring the spiked haired teen out of his deep sleep.
Why was he sleeping? He had been walking home right? He must have blacked out again. They had become more frequent lately.
Turning his attention back to the ongoing laughter, Yugi felt nervous. Yugi usually liked the sounds of laughter, at least during the rare times it was with him rather then aimed at the poor boy he did. But this was…different.
The sound of it was strained and broken, a loud cackle forced into harsh sounding giggles with small gasps of air in between. It vaguely reminded Yugi of the sound a broken engine makes when it’s kickstarted.
Despite the glee in the laughter, there was no warmth in its sound, instead it was sardonic and mocking.
after years of middle and highschool Yugi know that tone by heart by now, and it made him instinctively shake. It was a bully’s laughter.
The type he laughter Yugi heard while he was being beaten senseless by boys twice his size or called a worthless runt.
As the laugh quickly unfurled into cackles, Yugi tried to come to his senses.
He had likely been best up again, though he had no memory of it. His memory of…everything was a bit fuzzy actually, but that seemed to be a common symptom strange, increasingly frequent blackouts.
He came to find himself standing, hand over his mouth and eyes with small giggles escaping between his fingers.
Had…the laughter been coming from him? Why had Yugi been laughing?
He should have recognized the sound of his own voice, but it just sounded so different, so twisted, so…cruel.
How was he even standing anyway? He should be in bed, or even at his desk if he was sleeping. was he sleepwalking? Did people laugh when they were sleepwalking?
As he regained control of his senses, Yugi sat on the ground beneath him. he caught the strong scent of copper mixed with the usual assorted scents of domino city.
He was outside…how did he get here? And what time was it? Grandpa would be worried about him.
Yugis mind continued whirling and twosting neneayg the layer of post-sleep fog. Why could he hear whimpering beneath the sounds of nearby traffic?
The fingers covering his face were wet. In his mouth he could taste the metallic tang as it trickled between his lips.
Okay, so he was hurt and bleeding. That was bad, very bad, but nothing new. Yugi had been getting beat up since the 3rd grade, Slowly Yugi opened his eyes to see the damage. Oh, god, oh god, OH GOD-
Blood wasn’t just on his hands, it coated the alleyway walls like paint and pooled on the ground beneath still bodies.
The bodies him had large gruesome tears in their flesh, with organs spilling out onto the ground like fleshy bouquets, scissors clenched In their grips.
Yugi gagged at the sight, reeling backwards unt his head knocked against a wall. He pressed himself flat against the metal surface. Who had done them? Why????
Then he looked down at himself. His uniform was stained so very red you would never guess it was once blue. It was on him, his hear, his clothes, his face m- oh god-
Yugi retched again, fear and disgust unraveling in his gut and devouring him as he attempted to comprehend everything.
He didn’t even realize he was screaming this whole time until his throat began to feel like it would tear from the strain.
Oh god. Had…he done this???? How? He was just Yugi Mutou. A wimpy high schooler who was afraid of the shadows just out of eyesight. He couldn’t possibly-
Yugi tried to think of an explanation- ANY other explanation. He was kidnapped and forced to watch, it was just some….cruel trick, a very, very elaborate way for a bully to torment him. That had to be it.
All those times Yugi lost memory, was this what he was doing?! Horrible, terrifying things like this?
How much blood was on his hands? all of those missing posters of people he only met earlier the same day, the scent of smoke or chemicals caked into his uniform. It was all him??
It couldn’t be! Why would he?
This couldn’t happen to him! It only happened in those horror manga he read or games he played. Not in reality.
Then a thought struck him like lightning, filling his veins with ice water.
The puzzle. Grandpas warning about ancient dark power. Was…the puzzle doing this?
He felt himself grasp at it, shape edges digging into his palms as he tightly gripped it. Cursed weren’t supposed to be real, only Joey believed them. But…the blackouts only started when he put it on.
Yugi began to lift the pendant, and the string around his neck along with it. He’d….hed hide it, put it somewhere only he knew about and tell grandpa everything. He’d have to know what to do. Yugi needed him too.
Even if Yugi had to be locked up for a hundred years, he wouldn’t let himself be a danger to anyone anymore!
Then a strange sensation washed over him. Like….when you get that falling sensation randomly when trying to sleep.
“Urgghhh.” Yugi said beginning to sway on his feet, releasing his grip on the gold pendant “can’t sleep. Need to call…police.”
It got stronger, evolving into a plummeting sensation. Yugi jolted awake.
No! He couldn’t black out again he needed to-
Yugi blinked
————
That…was too close.
He breathed in and out, letting the unnatural feeling of air filling his hosts lungs soothe him.
He’d gotten sloppy. Let his joy distract him from his loosening grip on Yugi and allow the boy to rouse and takeover.
The spirit was Ashamed at how long he was out in his room, Yugis terror had overwhelmed him, making it hard to lull his soul back to sleep.
He’d need to be more careful, poor Yugi had been terrified and nearly thrown him away! He didn’t blame Yugi of course, the boy was soft and gentle. Startling or confusing scenes caused humans to act irrationally, it was a habit he took advantage of often in his games.
He would wipe the entire thing from Yugi’s memory, as he did with all traumatic memories. What he didn’t know couldn’t hurt them, as he heard some say.
Yami gazed around at his work, rock-paper scissor tag was the game. If you were caught and lost, Scissors would split you.
It was another colorfully game-themed domino city gang who attempted to seize his and his hosts puzzle for cash and took Yugi along with it when he refused to give it up, a foolish move on the scissor-wielders part . They had been easy work, though his host could use more exercise.
Sport began to cast his magic, seeking out any trace of magic.
He hoped Yugi would have sweet dreams, tucked away in his soul room.
————
Another average school day in domino city, or it should have been at least.
Yugi had barely sat at his desk when Joey charged over.
“Ey Yug! You heard that weird serial killer struck again?” Joey said, leaning in.
“I just got here Joey….”
“Everyone’s talking bout it! Creep took out another gang, cops won’t give out details yet but they say it’s gruesome..” Joey said, with the air of someone telling a ghost story
“Be serious Joey! People were hurt! And we could be next.” Tea said, wandering over.
“You be serious! If that guy tried to take out any of us, I’d just beat him off!” Joey said, punching an invisible person.
“Don’t do anything stupid Joey! These people are really dangerous!” Tea pleaded earnestly.
“Whaddaya mean ‘people’ it’s obviously just one guy getting kicks off creeps! Imagine if I was the one who turned him in, I’d be famous and set for life.”
Tea knocked him on the head “get your head out of the clouds and stop listening to silly rumors.”
“Ey watch it!”
Yugi chuckled as he watched two of his friends go at it. He hoped tea would be able to talk sense into Joey somehow, though doubt was low. Joey could be reckless when he had his mind set.
The idea of people (or a single person if you believed Joey) being capable of such awful things like setting people on fire or tearing them open was heart-wrenching to Yugi. He was sorry for the members family who’d have to hear the news today.
He also had sympathy for the victims themselves. It could have been him, had he not gone home early .
Guess it was his lucky puzzle at work!