Don't Fear the Reaper-Chapter 12
Title:: Don’t Fear the Reaper
Author: eachainn or Spirithorse on FF.net
Rating: T
Pairings: YamixYugi, with hints of SetoxKisara, BakuraxRyou, YugixMana and YamixTea
Warnings: Character death, blood, violence, swearing
Spoilers: Ending for the movie, The Frighteners
Summary: Yugi is a reaper, one who separates the souls from the body at the moment of death. Yami is a man who can see and talk to ghosts. Yugi is sent to the town of Fairwater to investigate a recent increase in deaths and find out more than he ever wanted to. Based on the movie the Frighteners.
Disclaimer:I don’t own Yu-Gi-Oh, The Frighteners, Dead Like Me or the song Don’t Fear the Reaper, they are all owned by their respective owners. Original plot bunny was offered up by shamise
Prologue- 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9- 10- 11-12
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Chapter Twelve: The Last Night of Sadness
Yami peered around the corner of the third floor, glancing around for any signs of Vivian before walking out into the open, clutching the urn to his chest. He could feel Yugi's hand on his back, encouraging him onward and providing him the reminder of which world was real. He swallowed nervously, not looking forward to the next time that he was thrown into the past. If this kept happening, he would have to ask the others to go on without him, he would just slow them both down. But he didn't like the thought of being left behind to act as a distraction for Vivian.
He had already died once today, he didn't want to repeat the experience.
Serenity slipped ahead of him to check one hallway, coming back quickly and shaking her head. Yami nodded and turned to walk down the next hall, freezing as it went back to being green and clean again for a moment before he stopped himself. He shook his head and handed the urn to Serenity before walking forward again. At least this time he had a warning. Sometime soon, he would be distracted by images of the past.
The hand on his back dropped away for a moment, Yugi turning to stare towards the window. Yami reached back for the reaper, earning a shudder as his hand touched Yugi's shoulder. "What is it?"
"Someone else is here."
"Vivian?"
"No." Yugi narrowed his eyes. "That agent."
"Can you tell where Vivian is?"
Yugi glanced over at Serenity and shook his head. "I could tell you that she was in this building and that's about it. I'm not that useful here."
Serenity gave him a long look before walking away again, Yami inching forward before jerking, watching all of the walls fade to green. He thought he heard Yugi curse before he lost sight of the two of them, stumbling forward to avoid another doctor as the man was shot down. He swallowed and hopped awkwardly over the body, trying not to step in the blood that was pooling around the man.
Yami carefully picked his way down the hall, hoping that he would see a sign or a clue that could help them. He just heard the sound of screaming, coming to a stop as he watched people running towards him, automatically pressing himself up against the wall to avoid being trampled. Even then the people passed right through him. Yami sucked in a quick breath, glancing around, his eyes widening as his gaze landed on a figure walking down the hall.
It was Vivian, the fifteen-year-old Vivian who had taken so much joy in killing these people with her boyfriend. She was holding a knife in her hands, blood still dripping off the end as she strolled towards him. Yami stepped away from the wall, backing down the hallway and hoping that he would run into someone and the shock would jolt him out of this.
"Yami!" He was grabbed by someone, pulled away a second before someone lunged at him. Yami stumbled into the wall again, staring at Noa Kaiba as the agent tried to get to his feet. "Yami, come on!"
He nodded, turning and running after the others as they raced through the halls, hearing Noa rushing after him. Yami cursed under his breath, reaching to the side to send the screens that were propped up on the walls crashing down behind them. While the noise would draw Vivian, it was worth it for the time it would cost Noa. The agent would just slow them down or try to drag him back down to the jail and Yami didn't think that Noa knew about Vivian.
Yami ducked under a collapsed doorframe before taking a sharp turn, hearing Yugi run off in a different direction, realizing seconds later that he was alone. He glanced back over his shoulder before slowing down, panting for breath. He had to keep his head and not panic. He was sure that the others were finding places to hide until they could regroup, so that meant that he should stay close. Yami swallowed and walked forward, freezing at the sound of laughter echoing down the hall in front of him.
Vivian was coming.
He ducked into the nearest room, quickly grabbing a blanket from one of the beds before sliding under another, pressing himself back up against the wall and holding the blanket up in front of him, hoping that it would look lumpy enough to have been propped up there by something.
Footsteps announced Vivian's arrival, Yami turning his head to the side to see out a small hole in the blanket, watching as the crazy woman turned to stare at the other side of the room only to back into a bed. Vivian wiped around and the walls were back to their clean state.
Fifteen-year-old Vivian shot the person in the bed beside him before turning and shoot the one in the bed that he was under. Yami forced himself not to flinch back as a hand still cradling a rosary danged over the bed, the cross at the end clacking against the floor. He swallowed, hand tightening on the blanket that wasn't there. He was sure that this Vivian couldn't see him, but the one from the present day could spot him at any minute, and he would never know until the bullet hit him.
Johnny walked into the room, still dressed as an orderly, although his uniform now had splatters of blood on it. He walked up to his girlfriend, wrapping his arms around her. Immediately, Vivian melted into his embrace, laughing and looking up at him with a smile.
Something knocked against the bed that he was under, Yami startled back into the present. He could see the edge of Vivian's leg, praying to God that she didn't check under the bed for him. He saw her move closer out of the corner of his eye, swallowing before glancing back towards the door, surprised to see that the past Vivian was still there, except she had moved away from Johnny to stand next to the bed that he was under, leaning over to do something to the victim.
"N-now hold on, son." Yami turned his head slightly to see the old man shuffling towards Johnny, Vivian straightening up and turning to look at the old man as well. "The police are on their way."
Johnny seemed to consider what the man said for a moment before turning around. "How many, baby?"
"Eleven."
"Eleven?" Johnny's eyes widened as he laughed, Vivian stepping out of the way so Yami could see who was talking. His jaw dropped open as he found himself staring at Henry Saint-Claire, the old man backing away slowly as Johnny swung the shotgun in his direction. "Let's see if we can beat Starkweather."
Henry began to scream, the sound drowned out by another, higher pitched scream and a clatter. Yami was jolted back to the present by the sound, remaining perfectly still as Vivian ran out of the room, only then daring to lower the blanket and crawl out from under the bed.
He took a deep breath, regretting it a moment later as he inhaled dust. Yami leaned over, trying to muffle his coughs. A hand landed on his back, Yami glancing over to find Serenity giving him a nervous smile, plucking at the back of his shirt to encourage him to keep moving. "Come on."
Yami stared at her empty hands, swallowing before straightening up. "Where's the urn?"
"Yugi has it." Serenity walked over to the door before motioning him onward, Yami falling into step with her. "He found one of those old elevators and hid in it. I couldn't get in fast enough with Noa chasing me, so I passed if off and ran, hoping that I would be able to come around again."
"Then what was that noise?"
Serenity blushed. "I pushed him down the stairs. He didn't fall far, but it was enough to deter him."
"Thanks. That probably saved my life." Yami didn't explain further, walking quickly to where he could see Yugi peering out of the elevator, the reaper smiling and opening the grating to pass the urn to him. "Here, the chapel is just ahead. I'll stay here so we have an escape ready."
Yami nodded, taking the urn and creeping forward, Serenity at his back. He hesitated, looking back at her before motioning for her to stay. "I don't want you getting caught in whatever happens, alright?"
She glared at him, but stayed put, Yami smiling at her before creeping forward again, glancing down the hall and finding himself looking at the stairs. If they had taken that second hallway when they had come up here, they would have found the chapel more quickly. He bit back a curse, moving as silently as he could over the old floor boards and towards the chapel door, staring at the wood that had been nailed over the door.
There was one break in the barricade, Yami peering through it before relaxing. The entire aisle of the church was bathed in a soft blue light, the light getting stronger the closer to the front it got. He would have plenty of time to dispose of the ashes. Although, to be safe, he wanted to be standing right at the alter as he did it. Yami nodded to himself and turned around, looking for something that would help him break through the rotting wood. He spotted a wooden cross, walking towards it and absently reaching out to settle a statue of Mary as he passed.
He stumbled as a board broke under his foot, quickly stepping to the side to avoid falling all the way through. He gave the hole one last wary look before setting the urn down on the bench. The cross was propped up against the wall just a few steps away. It would be the noisy way of getting in, but he was sure that Vivian would give up the fight as soon as Johnny was gone for good.
Yami knelt on the ground, checking to see if the cross was holding anything up before lifting it, freezing at the sound of somebody walking into the room. He snatched up a smaller piece of wood and turned around, expecting to see Vivian.
Noa Kaiba smiled back at him, holding the urn as he backed away towards the stairs shaking his head. "Let me guess, getting the ashes to a holy place? You are so predictable, Yami."
Yami glanced around before stepping forward, walking around the hole and holding out his hand. "Give that to me, Noa."
"We could make a deal." Noa gave him a smile. "You could stand trial for what you did and I'll give you this to let you live out one more fantasy as a hero. How about that?"
Yami hesitated, staring at the government agent before shaking his head. "I'm innocent."
"Someone has to take the fall for this."
"How about you give me the urn and I'll tell you who's really killing people?"
Noa stared at him before giving a short bark of laughter and twisting the top of the run open. Yami lunged forward as Noa tipped the urn over, the ashes scattering on the ground. He thought he heard insane laughter, stumbling back a step as he stared at Noa. "What have you done?"
"Whoops." Noa glanced at the urn in his hands, turning it over before tossing it to the side. "I find you pathetic, Yami. You're willing to let someone else take the fall for you, all so you can carry out your existence here. And why are you here doing this? Is this to somehow make you feel better about the people you've killed?"
"Shut up."
"No, I want to know the truth. I deal with your kind of psychopath nearly every week and I want to know what goes on in those silly little heads of yours."
Yami shook his head, staring at the wood in his hands. Rushing Noa now sounded good, especially now that they had to get out of here before Vivian or Johnny found them. He didn't know what they would do now that both of them were loose again, but he was sure that Yugi would have a plan. But it wouldn't take a minute to hit Noa over the head and make sure that the government agent wouldn't follow him. He sighed, changing the sound into a laugh. "You are such an asshole."
Noa seemed to be proud of the insult, drawing himself up. "Yes, I am. But at least I'm well prepared."
The gun was out and had been fired faster than Yami could process that Noa had a gun. Another shot was fired, hitting the same spot.
Yami screamed in pain, dropping the piece of wood and stumbling back, turning around and clutching his left arm. He felt blood seep out of the wound, pressing against it to try and stop the bleeding. He stumbled forward another step catching himself before he stepped into the hole in the floor, staring at it as he tried to regain his balance, tipping his head to the side as he heard Noa walking towards him. "Turn around. I want to see your face when you realize that you've been lying to yourself."
He coughed, looking up as he saw a light bobbing closer. Yami felt a smile cross his face, glancing down at the hole in front of him and then looking back up as Vivian came running around the corner. He gave her a moment to recognize him, turning around as she fumbled to bring the shotgun up to the proper firing position. As he turned, he saw Noa smirk, the government agent raising his gun again.
Then Yami stepped back.
His body tilted backwards as he stepped into the hole, his foot going through the floor even as he fell back. He watched the look of surprise on Noa's face as he got away, replaced with pain as the shotgun slug hit him in the head. Noa slumped against the chapel barricade blood smearing over the boards. And then Yami was falling through the floor.
He grunted as the wood broke beneath him, barely having time to realize that he had fallen through the floor instead of coming to a stop. He fell through the second floor before he could begin to react. Yami had the chance to turn, trying to claw his way free only to twist his body so he hit the first floor with his good shoulder. The weakened boards couldn't take his weight either, Yami falling to the basement and rolling on impact, shouting in pain as he rolled onto his injured shoulder.
Yami gasped for air, looking around before trying to stand up, his legs giving out before he could gather them under his body. Everything hurt from his fall through the floors. He coughed and crawled forward, trying to push past the pain that had taken over his mind to think. All he knew was that he had to keep moving, escape from this place before he was caught.
He managed to crawl from the center of the hall towards the door to the morgue, his strength giving out there. Yami slumped to the floor; panting for breath and watching the dust swirl up in a small storm from the puffs of air. At the sound of laughter he looked up again, watching Vivian and Johnny race around the clean morgue, dodging around the tables filled with dead bodies.
Vivian was thrown on the empty examination table, laughing as Johnny crawled over her to crush her against him, the two kissing and smearing the blood from their victims and the table all over themselves. Yami forced back the bile that rose at that sight, letting himself go limp on the floor, closing his eyes and waiting for the sound of the couple's laughter to go away.
"Yami!" There was a mechanical whirring from down the hall followed by a thud. He opened one eye to stare down the hall at the elevator, watching as Yugi tried to pull the doors open, but they wouldn't move. "Shit!"
He heard someone rushing down the stairs, Serenity appearing a moment later and running over to where Yugi was, trying to pull the final door of the elevator open. "It's stuck."
"Doesn't matter. Help Yami."
She turned around and noticed Yami on the floor for the first time, gasping and running over to him. Yami tried to smile up at her, feeling Serenity running her hands over his back, probably searching for a break. "It's going to be alright, Yami. It's going to be-"
A scream caught their attention, Vivian appearing from another hallway. The woman rushed out and hit Serenity with the butt of the shotgun, Yami's eyes widening as he watched her fall to the ground. It was Serenity one moment and then it was Tèa.
He was back on Holloway Road on that day, watching Tèa fall to the ground as she was hit by something. He watched his wife claw at something holding her down, unable to move and trying to remember why. It had been the door; it wouldn't open right because it was stuck against a tree. The windshield was broken on her side, which is how Tèa had gotten out. She had crawled a bit away before waiting for him, like he'd asked. He wasn't sure if she could make it to the street all by herself.
The door wouldn't budge, no matter how Yami had thrown his weight against it, so he had been forced to watch as Tèa fought against the thing holding her down, staring as a black figure appeared over her, yanking its hand out of her heart a moment later. The figure turned to look at him, green and yellow eyes shinning before it shook the black cowl off, Yami finding himself staring at the ghost of Johnny Bartlett. Then Vivian emerged from the woods…
The light from the flashlight shining in his eyes brought him back to the present, Yami licking his lips and staring blearily up at Vivian and Johnny. "You killed her."
Johnny laughed, looping his arm around Vivian's waist and pulling her in to a hug. "You're next."
---
Serenity stared in horror as Yami fell through the floor, barely hearing Yugi shout out his name as she turned and ran. She had to get down to where Yami was; she was the only one with medical training. She heard the elevator moving as she ran; sure that Vivian would be after her since Yugi had the fast way down. Instead, she heard Vivian running away in a different direction. That made her sigh in relief. At least they would have the time to get Yami out of here before her next attack.
They would have to regroup and plan what to do now, although she was useless at this moment. Right now, she was running down the lists of things that she would need to check for or need to do to help Yami over and over again. Anything to keep her from dissolving into complete panic.
She clattered down the stairs to the morgue, glancing around before spotting Yugi. He looked up at her, yanking on the door to the elevator before shaking his head. She rushed over, throwing her weight against it in an attempt to pull it back, panting for breath after a few tries. Serenity stopped as she felt Yugi give her a small push, biting her lip and looking up at him. "It's stuck."
"Doesn't matter. Help Yami."
Serenity turned, noticing where Yami lay on the floor. She glanced up at the ceiling to see the hole that he had fallen through as she rushed over. She knelt on the floor, staring at his bleeding arm before forcing herself to begin to check for breaks. If they could get out of here with Yami running on his own, then they could move faster.
She thought she saw the beginnings of a smile from Yami, trying to smile back. "It's going to be alright, Yami. It's going to be-"
Her head jerked up at the sound of a scream, Serenity leaned back as Vivian rushed out of another hallway. Serenity had a moment to curse her idiocy before she was hit by the shotgun, falling over onto the floor. Of course Vivian would know the hospital better than she did, Vivian had lived here all of her life. Serenity groaned and went to sit up, stopped by Yami's soft gasp.
She turned to find him staring right through her, a look of horror on his face. He remained like that until Vivian turned the gun in his direction, shining the flashlight on Yami's face. He moved at that, staring up at Vivian. "You killed her."
Vivian just laughed and took better aim at his head, Serenity trying to get to her feet only to be pushed back down. She turned to look at the empty air above her, reaching up to push at it in the vain hope that whoever was holding her down would move. She didn't have much luck, twisting in the hold on her before reaching out for Vivian. If she could throw Vivian off balance… Her hand was yanked back as well, Vivian smiling at the thing on top of her before taking aim at Yami again and pulling the trigger.
Serenity winced, expecting to hear the shotgun fire and the sickening sound the bullet would have made as it had slammed into Yami's head at this close range, but there was nothing. She opened her eyes, seeing Vivian stare at the gun before screaming in rage, flipping the gun over to slam the end into Yami's wounded shoulder.
Yami rolled away from Vivian with a scream, Serenity going back to her struggles. Behind her, she could hear Yugi trying to get that door open again, mentally cheering him on. If it was just Vivian and Johnny down here, then Yugi could save Yami.
She turned to watch as Yami tried to get to his hands and knees, thrown to the ground as Vivian hit him again, the crazed woman moving fast enough to get the barrel of the shotgun under his chin, pressing it up against Yami's throat. She used that hold to haul Yami to his feet, smirking as he tried to pull the gun away from his neck, trying to throw Vivian from him. Serenity flinched as Vivian backed into a wall, using it to brace herself as she continued to pull on the gun, Yami still fighting against it.
Serenity felt tears begin to fall down her cheeks as Yami gasped for breath, her friend looking over to where Yugi was before he slumped forward, his hands slipping from the gun to dangle limply. Vivian smirked, keeping the pressure on for a moment more before tossing Yami to the side, staring at the body before giving it a kick.
"No!" Serenity wasn't sure if she had screamed or Yugi had screamed, turning back to her struggles. If she could get to him, then he could be saved. He had to be saved. She sobbed as she flipped over onto her back, clawing at the ground to try to move, but Johnny wouldn't let her. Serenity shot a glance over her shoulder, her eyes widening as she saw something flickering in and out of sight above her. And then the thing spoke.
"Ah, Viv, you didn't let him have the chance to scream out his lover's name. Baby, that just doesn't have style." Vivian blushed, but Johnny just laughed, Serenity watching him tip his head to the side before turning to look at Yugi. She found herself following his gaze, staring at Yugi.
The man was clinging to the grate of the door, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed. The sight made Johnny laugh, the ghost leaning forward to pin Serenity to the ground. "On the other hand, the other one didn't have time to scream out his name either." Yugi twitched at that, Johnny laughing. "Have I really done it this time, Yugi? Have I finally killed your balance? First Mana and now this one, I have to have done something. And you couldn't save either of th-"
A loud scream of rage filled the hallway, Serenity staring at Yugi as he screamed, the man suddenly surrounded by twisting tendrils of black. She felt Johnny jump from his place sitting on her, the ghost obviously as surprised by this. But she couldn't tear her eyes away from Yugi, watching as the black crashed over him before ripping through the metal, twisting and turning to form a creature, the black tendrils forming into a black cloak with a cowl. Skeletal hands emerged from the sleeves, one of them gripping a staff. The cowl jerked up, Serenity finding herself staring at angry purple eyes, the exact color of Yugi's eyes before the sharp snap of a blade echoed through the hallway.
Johnny laughed, standing up and pulling Serenity with him. He shoved her towards Vivian, turning to face Yugi. "Well now, this is interesting."
"Dartz."
"Took you long enough to figure it out." Johnny shivered, the body and face of Johnny Bartlett falling away to be replaced by a young man with long hair, bound back in a ponytail, with one green eye and one yellow eye. The image only lasted for a moment before Johnny was back, still smirking.
It looked like Johnny had something more to say, but Yugi was already moving, floating across the floor and turning the scythe in his hands. Johnny dodged out of the way, but Yugi didn't turn to face him, Serenity's eyes widening as he charged right for Vivian.
She ducked her head at the last moment, shivering as she heard the blade pass through flesh, Vivian's scream cut off abruptly. The hands that had held her loosened, Serenity whimpering and scrambling away from Vivian's body, watching the woman's head roll over the ground. She glanced over at Johnny, surprised to see him staring at the woman's body with a look of shock, taking the chance to scramble over to Yami.
She didn't get too far, Yugi turning to her and threatening with the scythe. Serenity backed off, shuffling to stand by the counter, watching as Yugi turned to face Johnny.
"Y-you killed her."
"And she didn't have time to scream her lover's name."
Johnny stared at Yugi, looking scared for the first time. He stumbled down the hall, Yugi floating after him, the blade of the scythe dripping blood. The sound seemed to annoy Yugi, the weapon giving a hard shake to throw the blood onto the walls. Then, his full attention was back on Johnny, the ghost stumbling down the hall. He didn't get another chance to speak, Yugi lunging forward and pushing the scythe into the ghost's body, Johnny screaming in pain as Yugi jerked the blade out, cutting Johnny neatly in half.
The ghost sagged to the floor, Yugi stooping to cut through Johnny again, before reaching into the mess of ectoplasm on the floor and picking up a tiny pulsing orb. Serenity watched Yugi consider it for a moment before crushing it in his hand, turning to face her.
Serenity gasped and pressed herself back against the counter, sobbing as Yugi leveled the scythe at her. "Save him."
She looked down at where Yami's body lay, shaking her head. "I can't. I can't."
"Save him or you will die."
She stared up into the purple eyes that blazed under the cowl, nodding and quickly walking over to Yami, kneeling by his body. The hair on the back of her neck rose as Yugi moved closer to her, Serenity not daring to glance up at him as she carefully turned Yami's body over, shivering at the blank look in her friend's eyes. She reached up to close them, just so she wouldn't have to feel their stare before looking at Yami's throat, staring at the bruising there. "Yugi…I-"
Serenity cut herself off as Yugi stared at her, swallowing nervously before shaking her head. "I can't. Even if I could, he wouldn't survive here. He would need something to help him breathe while he healed and-"
"Take him to the hospital then."
"But his throat..." She trailed off as the scythe was pointed at her, Serenity nodding and leaning over to pick up Yami.
She struggled to stand at first, holding him close to her and waiting for Yugi to go first. He glared at her before moving out of the way, taking up a position behind her as she walked towards the stairs. Serenity tried to hold back her tears, not wanting to blind herself while she was holding Yami. One misstep could send them tumbling to the ground, and she wasn't sure of Yugi now, whatever he had become.
The trip back to the police cruiser was made in silence. Serenity clutching Yami to her for dear life as she listened to Yugi moving behind her, waiting for the strike that would kill her. Thankfully, Yugi held himself back, Serenity breathing a sight of relief at that. But Yugi did nothing to help, standing behind her as she carefully put Yami in the backseat of the car, settling him in before running around to the front and starting up the car.
She didn't see Yugi the entire ride back to the hospital, Serenity busy wiping the tears from her cheeks. Eventually she would have to explain this to her superiors, but she didn't think she could without sounding crazy. Serenity bit her lip, forcing herself to drive a bit over the speed limit, part of her hoping that Joey would catch her and take over from here. She was sure that her brother couldn't see what Yugi had become; he would be able to work without being paralyzed in fear.
Serenity took a deep breath when she pulled up to the hospital, surprised to see the front room cleared of people. She shivered, going around to the back doors to get Yami and walking into the hospital. The quiet reminded her too much of when she and Yami had come here earlier. Had Noa called another alarm while they were gone? Serenity glanced around before slipping into a vacant room, quickly hooking up Yami to the equipment there before staring at him.
Worrying about the hospital staff could wait until later, she had other things to do. Like figure out how she was going to keep Yami's windpipe from collapsing again, or how to bring him back to life period.
She jumped as she heard the door open, her eyes widening as Yugi floated in, staring at the scythe that was still in his hand. "W-what did you do with the people here?"
"Nothing." Yugi tipped his head to look at her. "Everyone is fine."
"Then why weren't there people in the front."
"There were. You just didn't see them." Serenity stared at him as Yugi moved around to Yami's side, figuring that she would force a full explanation from him later. She slumped, sitting on the end of the bed that Yami was on.
"I can't bring him back to life."
"Can you help him remain alive?"
"If his windpipe doesn't collapse, then yes." Serenity shook her head, turning to look at Yugi. "But even then that's a big if. He's dead, Yugi, there's no question about it."
Yugi glared at her before reaching to press his fingers against Yami's throat. For a moment, they remained there and then Yugi's hand was sinking into Yami's throat. Serenity stood up quickly from where she sat, watching as Yugi work, seeing the skin bulge slightly in places. Yugi worked his way around slowly, Serenity waiting for the moment when the windpipe would collapse again, surprised when it never came.
She released her breath in a long sigh, glancing over at the machines before shaking her head. "It won't work."
"His soul knows the shape of his body." Yugi stared at Yami for a moment before brushing his skeletal fingers over Yami's chest. "We just have to encourage it."
Serenity let out a short cry of shock as Yugi plunged his hand into Yami's chest, remembering all too well the descriptions of how the people had died, their hearts squeezed until they gave out. She slapped a hand over her mouth as Yugi glared up at her, the reaper turning back to his work inside Yami. Serenity stared at him before inching forward, curious as to what he was doing. But Yugi didn't explain, he just looked between Yami and the machine, waiting for a few moments before drawing his hand out and floating back. She glanced over at the heart monitor, waiting for any signs of life.
She was about to turn away from the machine and beg for her life when she heard the first faint beep, her mouth dropping open as she watched the line begin to move in its normal pattern, turning back to Yami to see him struggling to breathe. Serenity laughed, watching her friend breath. She could even forget for a moment that Yami was having oxygen given to him through a tube, he was alive.
There was a thud from the other side of the bed Serenity looking up as Yugi fell to his knees, the black cowl that he wore and the skeletal fingers disappeared, leaving the man that she had met just a day ago. He didn't even seem to notice her presence, staring at Yami for a long moment before leaning on the bed with a sob of relief, reaching out to hold one of Yami's hands.
Serenity watched them for a moment before ducking her head to walk out of the room. She would leave the two alone and go to talk to the hospital staff. There had to be a way to explain her behavior. And she had to call Joey to get the police out to the old hospital. Although, how she was going to explain the authorities was beyond her. Serenity sighed, pushing a strand of hair out of her face and stopping at the squeak that came from the room, turning to stare at Yugi as he stood up carefully, still holding Yami's hand. "Serenity?"
She glanced around before nodding and stepping forward. "Y-Yugi?"
Yugi flinched at the tremor in her voice, turning to face her and finally letting go of Yami's hand. "There's one more thing I have to do. Could…could you watch Yami for me?"
Serenity hesitated before giving a slow nod, making her way back over to the bedside. She pulled up a chair, watching as Yugi lingered over Yami, seeming reluctant to leave. He met her gaze, giving her a small smile before leaning over to kiss Yami on the forehead before backing away, "I'll be back soon."
"And I'll be here." Yugi gave a sharp nod before turning and walking out of the room. Serenity turned to watch him go, staring at the man before shivering and slumping in the chair. She didn't know what had happened back in the old hospital, when Yugi had suddenly became a monster. Some part of her didn't want to think about it, to just place it in the back of her mind and never visit it again. But she had to know about this, about why she could see ghosts suddenly and how Yugi had done the impossible of bringing Yami back to life.
She sighed and leaned forward, placing her chin in her hand and staring down at the man lying in the hospital bed, watching his chest rise and fall. Serenity shook her head and smiled, reaching out with her free hand to brush her fingers across Yami's hand. "You're a lucky man, Yami. He cares a lot about you."
There was no answer from Yami, not that Serenity expected one. She expected that he would be out for a long while. She glanced around, listening to the steady pulse of the heart monitor before jumping as something vibrated in her pocket. Serenity frowned and pulled out her phone, berating herself for forgetting that she had it on her during the chase through the hospital. Then again, it wouldn't have done her again good except for a one time weapon.
She flipped the phone open and held it to her ear. "Hello?"
"Serenity?" Joey sounded worried, Serenity sitting up with a frown. "Are you alright? I haven't heard from you or Yami since… Is that a heart monitor?"
Serenity glanced over at the machine, glaring at it before taking a deep breath. "Just come over to the hospital, Joey, I have some things to explain to you."
---
Alister jumped as the door to the small house they had been hiding in slammed against the wall. He heard Raphael jump out of his seat as well, the two of them staring at the shape in the doorway. The man walked in slowly, the black coat around him settling down the further he walked in, but Alister couldn't take his eyes away from the scythe that the man held, not until Raphael spoke. "Yugi?"
Then Alister recognized the small man that they had picked up from about three days ago. He straightened up, flashing Raphael a smile before taking a step forward, stopped in his tracks by the glare Yugi shot him. "You lied to me."
"W-what?" Alister took a step back, raising his hands as Yugi pointed the scythe at the two of them.
"You said you were reapers, and you aren't. I've checked. So, what are you?"
Alister looked over at Raphael, sidling over to the larger man and lowering his voice to a whisper. "Listen, that Johnny kid never said anything about-"
"You mean Dartz." Alister froze at the name, staring at Yugi as the reaper walked forward. "You must know that Johnny and Dartz are the same, after all, he's the reason why you are here. I've figured that much out, but I'm giving you this chance to come clean."
They remained silent; intimidated by the weapon that Yugi was holding and the glare on his face. Yugi stared at them for a moment before taking a step back, never relaxing his guard. "Fine then, I'll tell you what I know and you'll fill me in on what I get wrong.
"I know that you two aren't reapers, you're not in any of our records. I know that the reapers that once were in charge of the area disappeared, probably killed by you. And I know that Dartz escaped from the afterlife. Did he take you with him? Or were you already here?"
Raphael stepped forward, Alister lunging to grab the back of his shirt, trying to tug him back. "Don't say anything! What if Johnny comes back to-"
"Dartz is dead. I killed him myself. Now," they both flinched away as the scythe was pointed at them again, "I suggest that you start talking."
Raphael glared at Alister before pulling away from him, Alister crouching against the wall and shivering. He saw Yugi raise an eyebrow, obviously waiting for the explanation to begin. "Dartz told us that there was a way to escape from the afterlife and asked if we were willing to take it. We agreed, but we were told that we had to wait, Dartz went ahead to be reincarnated as someone else, he said something about the reapers being after him."
Yugi gave a curt nod, Raphael straightening up. "We didn't know what he would do, so we waited until we found ourselves pulled into this world. We came to staring at two dead bodies. Apparently, all that was needed to escape was the death of someone in the world…and the fact that our names were carved in their foreheads. After that, we stuck close to Dartz, just in case, but decided to get out of town when he started going crazy. Three deaths wasn't enough, he wanted more. We were long gone when he went on his killing spree and got himself killed again."
"Then who brought him back?"
"Vivian." Alister ducked his head, staring at the floor as he spoke. "She managed to contact him in the afterlife, and he didn't bother to try and get a real body this time, he just slipped out. We always thought that it was impossible."
"So did I."
Alister stared at Yugi, his mouth dropping open at the thought of a reaper not knowing about what was going on in the afterlife before he shut it with a snap, clearing his throat. "We only came back here after Maximillion went insane and killed all of the reapers here. We disposed of the bodies and posed as the reapers after killing Maximillion and it was the perfect cover until Dartz got out of control. He wouldn't stop killing, so we hid and helped you when you came."
"You say that like it should count for something." Yugi stepped forward, Raphael backing up again, the reaper glaring at the two of them. "You say that like I should just forgive you for what you've done."
"We haven't done anything!"
The scythe swung back to Alister, the dull edge of the blade hovering at his throat, but the threat was still there. "You encouraged a killer to come out into the world. Because of you forty people were killed and four ghosts were completely destroyed." Alister's mouth dropped open in shock, Yugi continuing on. "Because of you my balance was almost taken from me. That alone gives me the right to do this. But, even worse, the same reaper destroyed the one person who could have been my balance one hundred and sixty-seven years ago. You'll find that I have every right to do this."
"But you won't." Alister looked over at Raphael, watching as the blonde man smirked down at Yugi. "You won't because then you'll be just like him."
"No. I won't be just like him." Yugi took a deep breath, switching his grip on the scythe so the sharp edge was facing them. "Because I won't enjoy myself; I'll hate it."
Alister felt Raphael tense beside him, the two having a moment to stare at Yugi before the reaper struck.
Author: eachainn or Spirithorse on FF.net
Rating: T
Pairings: YamixYugi, with hints of SetoxKisara, BakuraxRyou, YugixMana and YamixTea
Warnings: Character death, blood, violence, swearing
Spoilers: Ending for the movie, The Frighteners
Summary: Yugi is a reaper, one who separates the souls from the body at the moment of death. Yami is a man who can see and talk to ghosts. Yugi is sent to the town of Fairwater to investigate a recent increase in deaths and find out more than he ever wanted to. Based on the movie the Frighteners.
Disclaimer:I don’t own Yu-Gi-Oh, The Frighteners, Dead Like Me or the song Don’t Fear the Reaper, they are all owned by their respective owners. Original plot bunny was offered up by shamise
Prologue- 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9- 10- 11-12
---
Chapter Twelve: The Last Night of Sadness
Yami peered around the corner of the third floor, glancing around for any signs of Vivian before walking out into the open, clutching the urn to his chest. He could feel Yugi's hand on his back, encouraging him onward and providing him the reminder of which world was real. He swallowed nervously, not looking forward to the next time that he was thrown into the past. If this kept happening, he would have to ask the others to go on without him, he would just slow them both down. But he didn't like the thought of being left behind to act as a distraction for Vivian.
He had already died once today, he didn't want to repeat the experience.
Serenity slipped ahead of him to check one hallway, coming back quickly and shaking her head. Yami nodded and turned to walk down the next hall, freezing as it went back to being green and clean again for a moment before he stopped himself. He shook his head and handed the urn to Serenity before walking forward again. At least this time he had a warning. Sometime soon, he would be distracted by images of the past.
The hand on his back dropped away for a moment, Yugi turning to stare towards the window. Yami reached back for the reaper, earning a shudder as his hand touched Yugi's shoulder. "What is it?"
"Someone else is here."
"Vivian?"
"No." Yugi narrowed his eyes. "That agent."
"Can you tell where Vivian is?"
Yugi glanced over at Serenity and shook his head. "I could tell you that she was in this building and that's about it. I'm not that useful here."
Serenity gave him a long look before walking away again, Yami inching forward before jerking, watching all of the walls fade to green. He thought he heard Yugi curse before he lost sight of the two of them, stumbling forward to avoid another doctor as the man was shot down. He swallowed and hopped awkwardly over the body, trying not to step in the blood that was pooling around the man.
Yami carefully picked his way down the hall, hoping that he would see a sign or a clue that could help them. He just heard the sound of screaming, coming to a stop as he watched people running towards him, automatically pressing himself up against the wall to avoid being trampled. Even then the people passed right through him. Yami sucked in a quick breath, glancing around, his eyes widening as his gaze landed on a figure walking down the hall.
It was Vivian, the fifteen-year-old Vivian who had taken so much joy in killing these people with her boyfriend. She was holding a knife in her hands, blood still dripping off the end as she strolled towards him. Yami stepped away from the wall, backing down the hallway and hoping that he would run into someone and the shock would jolt him out of this.
"Yami!" He was grabbed by someone, pulled away a second before someone lunged at him. Yami stumbled into the wall again, staring at Noa Kaiba as the agent tried to get to his feet. "Yami, come on!"
He nodded, turning and running after the others as they raced through the halls, hearing Noa rushing after him. Yami cursed under his breath, reaching to the side to send the screens that were propped up on the walls crashing down behind them. While the noise would draw Vivian, it was worth it for the time it would cost Noa. The agent would just slow them down or try to drag him back down to the jail and Yami didn't think that Noa knew about Vivian.
Yami ducked under a collapsed doorframe before taking a sharp turn, hearing Yugi run off in a different direction, realizing seconds later that he was alone. He glanced back over his shoulder before slowing down, panting for breath. He had to keep his head and not panic. He was sure that the others were finding places to hide until they could regroup, so that meant that he should stay close. Yami swallowed and walked forward, freezing at the sound of laughter echoing down the hall in front of him.
Vivian was coming.
He ducked into the nearest room, quickly grabbing a blanket from one of the beds before sliding under another, pressing himself back up against the wall and holding the blanket up in front of him, hoping that it would look lumpy enough to have been propped up there by something.
Footsteps announced Vivian's arrival, Yami turning his head to the side to see out a small hole in the blanket, watching as the crazy woman turned to stare at the other side of the room only to back into a bed. Vivian wiped around and the walls were back to their clean state.
Fifteen-year-old Vivian shot the person in the bed beside him before turning and shoot the one in the bed that he was under. Yami forced himself not to flinch back as a hand still cradling a rosary danged over the bed, the cross at the end clacking against the floor. He swallowed, hand tightening on the blanket that wasn't there. He was sure that this Vivian couldn't see him, but the one from the present day could spot him at any minute, and he would never know until the bullet hit him.
Johnny walked into the room, still dressed as an orderly, although his uniform now had splatters of blood on it. He walked up to his girlfriend, wrapping his arms around her. Immediately, Vivian melted into his embrace, laughing and looking up at him with a smile.
Something knocked against the bed that he was under, Yami startled back into the present. He could see the edge of Vivian's leg, praying to God that she didn't check under the bed for him. He saw her move closer out of the corner of his eye, swallowing before glancing back towards the door, surprised to see that the past Vivian was still there, except she had moved away from Johnny to stand next to the bed that he was under, leaning over to do something to the victim.
"N-now hold on, son." Yami turned his head slightly to see the old man shuffling towards Johnny, Vivian straightening up and turning to look at the old man as well. "The police are on their way."
Johnny seemed to consider what the man said for a moment before turning around. "How many, baby?"
"Eleven."
"Eleven?" Johnny's eyes widened as he laughed, Vivian stepping out of the way so Yami could see who was talking. His jaw dropped open as he found himself staring at Henry Saint-Claire, the old man backing away slowly as Johnny swung the shotgun in his direction. "Let's see if we can beat Starkweather."
Henry began to scream, the sound drowned out by another, higher pitched scream and a clatter. Yami was jolted back to the present by the sound, remaining perfectly still as Vivian ran out of the room, only then daring to lower the blanket and crawl out from under the bed.
He took a deep breath, regretting it a moment later as he inhaled dust. Yami leaned over, trying to muffle his coughs. A hand landed on his back, Yami glancing over to find Serenity giving him a nervous smile, plucking at the back of his shirt to encourage him to keep moving. "Come on."
Yami stared at her empty hands, swallowing before straightening up. "Where's the urn?"
"Yugi has it." Serenity walked over to the door before motioning him onward, Yami falling into step with her. "He found one of those old elevators and hid in it. I couldn't get in fast enough with Noa chasing me, so I passed if off and ran, hoping that I would be able to come around again."
"Then what was that noise?"
Serenity blushed. "I pushed him down the stairs. He didn't fall far, but it was enough to deter him."
"Thanks. That probably saved my life." Yami didn't explain further, walking quickly to where he could see Yugi peering out of the elevator, the reaper smiling and opening the grating to pass the urn to him. "Here, the chapel is just ahead. I'll stay here so we have an escape ready."
Yami nodded, taking the urn and creeping forward, Serenity at his back. He hesitated, looking back at her before motioning for her to stay. "I don't want you getting caught in whatever happens, alright?"
She glared at him, but stayed put, Yami smiling at her before creeping forward again, glancing down the hall and finding himself looking at the stairs. If they had taken that second hallway when they had come up here, they would have found the chapel more quickly. He bit back a curse, moving as silently as he could over the old floor boards and towards the chapel door, staring at the wood that had been nailed over the door.
There was one break in the barricade, Yami peering through it before relaxing. The entire aisle of the church was bathed in a soft blue light, the light getting stronger the closer to the front it got. He would have plenty of time to dispose of the ashes. Although, to be safe, he wanted to be standing right at the alter as he did it. Yami nodded to himself and turned around, looking for something that would help him break through the rotting wood. He spotted a wooden cross, walking towards it and absently reaching out to settle a statue of Mary as he passed.
He stumbled as a board broke under his foot, quickly stepping to the side to avoid falling all the way through. He gave the hole one last wary look before setting the urn down on the bench. The cross was propped up against the wall just a few steps away. It would be the noisy way of getting in, but he was sure that Vivian would give up the fight as soon as Johnny was gone for good.
Yami knelt on the ground, checking to see if the cross was holding anything up before lifting it, freezing at the sound of somebody walking into the room. He snatched up a smaller piece of wood and turned around, expecting to see Vivian.
Noa Kaiba smiled back at him, holding the urn as he backed away towards the stairs shaking his head. "Let me guess, getting the ashes to a holy place? You are so predictable, Yami."
Yami glanced around before stepping forward, walking around the hole and holding out his hand. "Give that to me, Noa."
"We could make a deal." Noa gave him a smile. "You could stand trial for what you did and I'll give you this to let you live out one more fantasy as a hero. How about that?"
Yami hesitated, staring at the government agent before shaking his head. "I'm innocent."
"Someone has to take the fall for this."
"How about you give me the urn and I'll tell you who's really killing people?"
Noa stared at him before giving a short bark of laughter and twisting the top of the run open. Yami lunged forward as Noa tipped the urn over, the ashes scattering on the ground. He thought he heard insane laughter, stumbling back a step as he stared at Noa. "What have you done?"
"Whoops." Noa glanced at the urn in his hands, turning it over before tossing it to the side. "I find you pathetic, Yami. You're willing to let someone else take the fall for you, all so you can carry out your existence here. And why are you here doing this? Is this to somehow make you feel better about the people you've killed?"
"Shut up."
"No, I want to know the truth. I deal with your kind of psychopath nearly every week and I want to know what goes on in those silly little heads of yours."
Yami shook his head, staring at the wood in his hands. Rushing Noa now sounded good, especially now that they had to get out of here before Vivian or Johnny found them. He didn't know what they would do now that both of them were loose again, but he was sure that Yugi would have a plan. But it wouldn't take a minute to hit Noa over the head and make sure that the government agent wouldn't follow him. He sighed, changing the sound into a laugh. "You are such an asshole."
Noa seemed to be proud of the insult, drawing himself up. "Yes, I am. But at least I'm well prepared."
The gun was out and had been fired faster than Yami could process that Noa had a gun. Another shot was fired, hitting the same spot.
Yami screamed in pain, dropping the piece of wood and stumbling back, turning around and clutching his left arm. He felt blood seep out of the wound, pressing against it to try and stop the bleeding. He stumbled forward another step catching himself before he stepped into the hole in the floor, staring at it as he tried to regain his balance, tipping his head to the side as he heard Noa walking towards him. "Turn around. I want to see your face when you realize that you've been lying to yourself."
He coughed, looking up as he saw a light bobbing closer. Yami felt a smile cross his face, glancing down at the hole in front of him and then looking back up as Vivian came running around the corner. He gave her a moment to recognize him, turning around as she fumbled to bring the shotgun up to the proper firing position. As he turned, he saw Noa smirk, the government agent raising his gun again.
Then Yami stepped back.
His body tilted backwards as he stepped into the hole, his foot going through the floor even as he fell back. He watched the look of surprise on Noa's face as he got away, replaced with pain as the shotgun slug hit him in the head. Noa slumped against the chapel barricade blood smearing over the boards. And then Yami was falling through the floor.
He grunted as the wood broke beneath him, barely having time to realize that he had fallen through the floor instead of coming to a stop. He fell through the second floor before he could begin to react. Yami had the chance to turn, trying to claw his way free only to twist his body so he hit the first floor with his good shoulder. The weakened boards couldn't take his weight either, Yami falling to the basement and rolling on impact, shouting in pain as he rolled onto his injured shoulder.
Yami gasped for air, looking around before trying to stand up, his legs giving out before he could gather them under his body. Everything hurt from his fall through the floors. He coughed and crawled forward, trying to push past the pain that had taken over his mind to think. All he knew was that he had to keep moving, escape from this place before he was caught.
He managed to crawl from the center of the hall towards the door to the morgue, his strength giving out there. Yami slumped to the floor; panting for breath and watching the dust swirl up in a small storm from the puffs of air. At the sound of laughter he looked up again, watching Vivian and Johnny race around the clean morgue, dodging around the tables filled with dead bodies.
Vivian was thrown on the empty examination table, laughing as Johnny crawled over her to crush her against him, the two kissing and smearing the blood from their victims and the table all over themselves. Yami forced back the bile that rose at that sight, letting himself go limp on the floor, closing his eyes and waiting for the sound of the couple's laughter to go away.
"Yami!" There was a mechanical whirring from down the hall followed by a thud. He opened one eye to stare down the hall at the elevator, watching as Yugi tried to pull the doors open, but they wouldn't move. "Shit!"
He heard someone rushing down the stairs, Serenity appearing a moment later and running over to where Yugi was, trying to pull the final door of the elevator open. "It's stuck."
"Doesn't matter. Help Yami."
She turned around and noticed Yami on the floor for the first time, gasping and running over to him. Yami tried to smile up at her, feeling Serenity running her hands over his back, probably searching for a break. "It's going to be alright, Yami. It's going to be-"
A scream caught their attention, Vivian appearing from another hallway. The woman rushed out and hit Serenity with the butt of the shotgun, Yami's eyes widening as he watched her fall to the ground. It was Serenity one moment and then it was Tèa.
He was back on Holloway Road on that day, watching Tèa fall to the ground as she was hit by something. He watched his wife claw at something holding her down, unable to move and trying to remember why. It had been the door; it wouldn't open right because it was stuck against a tree. The windshield was broken on her side, which is how Tèa had gotten out. She had crawled a bit away before waiting for him, like he'd asked. He wasn't sure if she could make it to the street all by herself.
The door wouldn't budge, no matter how Yami had thrown his weight against it, so he had been forced to watch as Tèa fought against the thing holding her down, staring as a black figure appeared over her, yanking its hand out of her heart a moment later. The figure turned to look at him, green and yellow eyes shinning before it shook the black cowl off, Yami finding himself staring at the ghost of Johnny Bartlett. Then Vivian emerged from the woods…
The light from the flashlight shining in his eyes brought him back to the present, Yami licking his lips and staring blearily up at Vivian and Johnny. "You killed her."
Johnny laughed, looping his arm around Vivian's waist and pulling her in to a hug. "You're next."
---
Serenity stared in horror as Yami fell through the floor, barely hearing Yugi shout out his name as she turned and ran. She had to get down to where Yami was; she was the only one with medical training. She heard the elevator moving as she ran; sure that Vivian would be after her since Yugi had the fast way down. Instead, she heard Vivian running away in a different direction. That made her sigh in relief. At least they would have the time to get Yami out of here before her next attack.
They would have to regroup and plan what to do now, although she was useless at this moment. Right now, she was running down the lists of things that she would need to check for or need to do to help Yami over and over again. Anything to keep her from dissolving into complete panic.
She clattered down the stairs to the morgue, glancing around before spotting Yugi. He looked up at her, yanking on the door to the elevator before shaking his head. She rushed over, throwing her weight against it in an attempt to pull it back, panting for breath after a few tries. Serenity stopped as she felt Yugi give her a small push, biting her lip and looking up at him. "It's stuck."
"Doesn't matter. Help Yami."
Serenity turned, noticing where Yami lay on the floor. She glanced up at the ceiling to see the hole that he had fallen through as she rushed over. She knelt on the floor, staring at his bleeding arm before forcing herself to begin to check for breaks. If they could get out of here with Yami running on his own, then they could move faster.
She thought she saw the beginnings of a smile from Yami, trying to smile back. "It's going to be alright, Yami. It's going to be-"
Her head jerked up at the sound of a scream, Serenity leaned back as Vivian rushed out of another hallway. Serenity had a moment to curse her idiocy before she was hit by the shotgun, falling over onto the floor. Of course Vivian would know the hospital better than she did, Vivian had lived here all of her life. Serenity groaned and went to sit up, stopped by Yami's soft gasp.
She turned to find him staring right through her, a look of horror on his face. He remained like that until Vivian turned the gun in his direction, shining the flashlight on Yami's face. He moved at that, staring up at Vivian. "You killed her."
Vivian just laughed and took better aim at his head, Serenity trying to get to her feet only to be pushed back down. She turned to look at the empty air above her, reaching up to push at it in the vain hope that whoever was holding her down would move. She didn't have much luck, twisting in the hold on her before reaching out for Vivian. If she could throw Vivian off balance… Her hand was yanked back as well, Vivian smiling at the thing on top of her before taking aim at Yami again and pulling the trigger.
Serenity winced, expecting to hear the shotgun fire and the sickening sound the bullet would have made as it had slammed into Yami's head at this close range, but there was nothing. She opened her eyes, seeing Vivian stare at the gun before screaming in rage, flipping the gun over to slam the end into Yami's wounded shoulder.
Yami rolled away from Vivian with a scream, Serenity going back to her struggles. Behind her, she could hear Yugi trying to get that door open again, mentally cheering him on. If it was just Vivian and Johnny down here, then Yugi could save Yami.
She turned to watch as Yami tried to get to his hands and knees, thrown to the ground as Vivian hit him again, the crazed woman moving fast enough to get the barrel of the shotgun under his chin, pressing it up against Yami's throat. She used that hold to haul Yami to his feet, smirking as he tried to pull the gun away from his neck, trying to throw Vivian from him. Serenity flinched as Vivian backed into a wall, using it to brace herself as she continued to pull on the gun, Yami still fighting against it.
Serenity felt tears begin to fall down her cheeks as Yami gasped for breath, her friend looking over to where Yugi was before he slumped forward, his hands slipping from the gun to dangle limply. Vivian smirked, keeping the pressure on for a moment more before tossing Yami to the side, staring at the body before giving it a kick.
"No!" Serenity wasn't sure if she had screamed or Yugi had screamed, turning back to her struggles. If she could get to him, then he could be saved. He had to be saved. She sobbed as she flipped over onto her back, clawing at the ground to try to move, but Johnny wouldn't let her. Serenity shot a glance over her shoulder, her eyes widening as she saw something flickering in and out of sight above her. And then the thing spoke.
"Ah, Viv, you didn't let him have the chance to scream out his lover's name. Baby, that just doesn't have style." Vivian blushed, but Johnny just laughed, Serenity watching him tip his head to the side before turning to look at Yugi. She found herself following his gaze, staring at Yugi.
The man was clinging to the grate of the door, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed. The sight made Johnny laugh, the ghost leaning forward to pin Serenity to the ground. "On the other hand, the other one didn't have time to scream out his name either." Yugi twitched at that, Johnny laughing. "Have I really done it this time, Yugi? Have I finally killed your balance? First Mana and now this one, I have to have done something. And you couldn't save either of th-"
A loud scream of rage filled the hallway, Serenity staring at Yugi as he screamed, the man suddenly surrounded by twisting tendrils of black. She felt Johnny jump from his place sitting on her, the ghost obviously as surprised by this. But she couldn't tear her eyes away from Yugi, watching as the black crashed over him before ripping through the metal, twisting and turning to form a creature, the black tendrils forming into a black cloak with a cowl. Skeletal hands emerged from the sleeves, one of them gripping a staff. The cowl jerked up, Serenity finding herself staring at angry purple eyes, the exact color of Yugi's eyes before the sharp snap of a blade echoed through the hallway.
Johnny laughed, standing up and pulling Serenity with him. He shoved her towards Vivian, turning to face Yugi. "Well now, this is interesting."
"Dartz."
"Took you long enough to figure it out." Johnny shivered, the body and face of Johnny Bartlett falling away to be replaced by a young man with long hair, bound back in a ponytail, with one green eye and one yellow eye. The image only lasted for a moment before Johnny was back, still smirking.
It looked like Johnny had something more to say, but Yugi was already moving, floating across the floor and turning the scythe in his hands. Johnny dodged out of the way, but Yugi didn't turn to face him, Serenity's eyes widening as he charged right for Vivian.
She ducked her head at the last moment, shivering as she heard the blade pass through flesh, Vivian's scream cut off abruptly. The hands that had held her loosened, Serenity whimpering and scrambling away from Vivian's body, watching the woman's head roll over the ground. She glanced over at Johnny, surprised to see him staring at the woman's body with a look of shock, taking the chance to scramble over to Yami.
She didn't get too far, Yugi turning to her and threatening with the scythe. Serenity backed off, shuffling to stand by the counter, watching as Yugi turned to face Johnny.
"Y-you killed her."
"And she didn't have time to scream her lover's name."
Johnny stared at Yugi, looking scared for the first time. He stumbled down the hall, Yugi floating after him, the blade of the scythe dripping blood. The sound seemed to annoy Yugi, the weapon giving a hard shake to throw the blood onto the walls. Then, his full attention was back on Johnny, the ghost stumbling down the hall. He didn't get another chance to speak, Yugi lunging forward and pushing the scythe into the ghost's body, Johnny screaming in pain as Yugi jerked the blade out, cutting Johnny neatly in half.
The ghost sagged to the floor, Yugi stooping to cut through Johnny again, before reaching into the mess of ectoplasm on the floor and picking up a tiny pulsing orb. Serenity watched Yugi consider it for a moment before crushing it in his hand, turning to face her.
Serenity gasped and pressed herself back against the counter, sobbing as Yugi leveled the scythe at her. "Save him."
She looked down at where Yami's body lay, shaking her head. "I can't. I can't."
"Save him or you will die."
She stared up into the purple eyes that blazed under the cowl, nodding and quickly walking over to Yami, kneeling by his body. The hair on the back of her neck rose as Yugi moved closer to her, Serenity not daring to glance up at him as she carefully turned Yami's body over, shivering at the blank look in her friend's eyes. She reached up to close them, just so she wouldn't have to feel their stare before looking at Yami's throat, staring at the bruising there. "Yugi…I-"
Serenity cut herself off as Yugi stared at her, swallowing nervously before shaking her head. "I can't. Even if I could, he wouldn't survive here. He would need something to help him breathe while he healed and-"
"Take him to the hospital then."
"But his throat..." She trailed off as the scythe was pointed at her, Serenity nodding and leaning over to pick up Yami.
She struggled to stand at first, holding him close to her and waiting for Yugi to go first. He glared at her before moving out of the way, taking up a position behind her as she walked towards the stairs. Serenity tried to hold back her tears, not wanting to blind herself while she was holding Yami. One misstep could send them tumbling to the ground, and she wasn't sure of Yugi now, whatever he had become.
The trip back to the police cruiser was made in silence. Serenity clutching Yami to her for dear life as she listened to Yugi moving behind her, waiting for the strike that would kill her. Thankfully, Yugi held himself back, Serenity breathing a sight of relief at that. But Yugi did nothing to help, standing behind her as she carefully put Yami in the backseat of the car, settling him in before running around to the front and starting up the car.
She didn't see Yugi the entire ride back to the hospital, Serenity busy wiping the tears from her cheeks. Eventually she would have to explain this to her superiors, but she didn't think she could without sounding crazy. Serenity bit her lip, forcing herself to drive a bit over the speed limit, part of her hoping that Joey would catch her and take over from here. She was sure that her brother couldn't see what Yugi had become; he would be able to work without being paralyzed in fear.
Serenity took a deep breath when she pulled up to the hospital, surprised to see the front room cleared of people. She shivered, going around to the back doors to get Yami and walking into the hospital. The quiet reminded her too much of when she and Yami had come here earlier. Had Noa called another alarm while they were gone? Serenity glanced around before slipping into a vacant room, quickly hooking up Yami to the equipment there before staring at him.
Worrying about the hospital staff could wait until later, she had other things to do. Like figure out how she was going to keep Yami's windpipe from collapsing again, or how to bring him back to life period.
She jumped as she heard the door open, her eyes widening as Yugi floated in, staring at the scythe that was still in his hand. "W-what did you do with the people here?"
"Nothing." Yugi tipped his head to look at her. "Everyone is fine."
"Then why weren't there people in the front."
"There were. You just didn't see them." Serenity stared at him as Yugi moved around to Yami's side, figuring that she would force a full explanation from him later. She slumped, sitting on the end of the bed that Yami was on.
"I can't bring him back to life."
"Can you help him remain alive?"
"If his windpipe doesn't collapse, then yes." Serenity shook her head, turning to look at Yugi. "But even then that's a big if. He's dead, Yugi, there's no question about it."
Yugi glared at her before reaching to press his fingers against Yami's throat. For a moment, they remained there and then Yugi's hand was sinking into Yami's throat. Serenity stood up quickly from where she sat, watching as Yugi work, seeing the skin bulge slightly in places. Yugi worked his way around slowly, Serenity waiting for the moment when the windpipe would collapse again, surprised when it never came.
She released her breath in a long sigh, glancing over at the machines before shaking her head. "It won't work."
"His soul knows the shape of his body." Yugi stared at Yami for a moment before brushing his skeletal fingers over Yami's chest. "We just have to encourage it."
Serenity let out a short cry of shock as Yugi plunged his hand into Yami's chest, remembering all too well the descriptions of how the people had died, their hearts squeezed until they gave out. She slapped a hand over her mouth as Yugi glared up at her, the reaper turning back to his work inside Yami. Serenity stared at him before inching forward, curious as to what he was doing. But Yugi didn't explain, he just looked between Yami and the machine, waiting for a few moments before drawing his hand out and floating back. She glanced over at the heart monitor, waiting for any signs of life.
She was about to turn away from the machine and beg for her life when she heard the first faint beep, her mouth dropping open as she watched the line begin to move in its normal pattern, turning back to Yami to see him struggling to breathe. Serenity laughed, watching her friend breath. She could even forget for a moment that Yami was having oxygen given to him through a tube, he was alive.
There was a thud from the other side of the bed Serenity looking up as Yugi fell to his knees, the black cowl that he wore and the skeletal fingers disappeared, leaving the man that she had met just a day ago. He didn't even seem to notice her presence, staring at Yami for a long moment before leaning on the bed with a sob of relief, reaching out to hold one of Yami's hands.
Serenity watched them for a moment before ducking her head to walk out of the room. She would leave the two alone and go to talk to the hospital staff. There had to be a way to explain her behavior. And she had to call Joey to get the police out to the old hospital. Although, how she was going to explain the authorities was beyond her. Serenity sighed, pushing a strand of hair out of her face and stopping at the squeak that came from the room, turning to stare at Yugi as he stood up carefully, still holding Yami's hand. "Serenity?"
She glanced around before nodding and stepping forward. "Y-Yugi?"
Yugi flinched at the tremor in her voice, turning to face her and finally letting go of Yami's hand. "There's one more thing I have to do. Could…could you watch Yami for me?"
Serenity hesitated before giving a slow nod, making her way back over to the bedside. She pulled up a chair, watching as Yugi lingered over Yami, seeming reluctant to leave. He met her gaze, giving her a small smile before leaning over to kiss Yami on the forehead before backing away, "I'll be back soon."
"And I'll be here." Yugi gave a sharp nod before turning and walking out of the room. Serenity turned to watch him go, staring at the man before shivering and slumping in the chair. She didn't know what had happened back in the old hospital, when Yugi had suddenly became a monster. Some part of her didn't want to think about it, to just place it in the back of her mind and never visit it again. But she had to know about this, about why she could see ghosts suddenly and how Yugi had done the impossible of bringing Yami back to life.
She sighed and leaned forward, placing her chin in her hand and staring down at the man lying in the hospital bed, watching his chest rise and fall. Serenity shook her head and smiled, reaching out with her free hand to brush her fingers across Yami's hand. "You're a lucky man, Yami. He cares a lot about you."
There was no answer from Yami, not that Serenity expected one. She expected that he would be out for a long while. She glanced around, listening to the steady pulse of the heart monitor before jumping as something vibrated in her pocket. Serenity frowned and pulled out her phone, berating herself for forgetting that she had it on her during the chase through the hospital. Then again, it wouldn't have done her again good except for a one time weapon.
She flipped the phone open and held it to her ear. "Hello?"
"Serenity?" Joey sounded worried, Serenity sitting up with a frown. "Are you alright? I haven't heard from you or Yami since… Is that a heart monitor?"
Serenity glanced over at the machine, glaring at it before taking a deep breath. "Just come over to the hospital, Joey, I have some things to explain to you."
---
Alister jumped as the door to the small house they had been hiding in slammed against the wall. He heard Raphael jump out of his seat as well, the two of them staring at the shape in the doorway. The man walked in slowly, the black coat around him settling down the further he walked in, but Alister couldn't take his eyes away from the scythe that the man held, not until Raphael spoke. "Yugi?"
Then Alister recognized the small man that they had picked up from about three days ago. He straightened up, flashing Raphael a smile before taking a step forward, stopped in his tracks by the glare Yugi shot him. "You lied to me."
"W-what?" Alister took a step back, raising his hands as Yugi pointed the scythe at the two of them.
"You said you were reapers, and you aren't. I've checked. So, what are you?"
Alister looked over at Raphael, sidling over to the larger man and lowering his voice to a whisper. "Listen, that Johnny kid never said anything about-"
"You mean Dartz." Alister froze at the name, staring at Yugi as the reaper walked forward. "You must know that Johnny and Dartz are the same, after all, he's the reason why you are here. I've figured that much out, but I'm giving you this chance to come clean."
They remained silent; intimidated by the weapon that Yugi was holding and the glare on his face. Yugi stared at them for a moment before taking a step back, never relaxing his guard. "Fine then, I'll tell you what I know and you'll fill me in on what I get wrong.
"I know that you two aren't reapers, you're not in any of our records. I know that the reapers that once were in charge of the area disappeared, probably killed by you. And I know that Dartz escaped from the afterlife. Did he take you with him? Or were you already here?"
Raphael stepped forward, Alister lunging to grab the back of his shirt, trying to tug him back. "Don't say anything! What if Johnny comes back to-"
"Dartz is dead. I killed him myself. Now," they both flinched away as the scythe was pointed at them again, "I suggest that you start talking."
Raphael glared at Alister before pulling away from him, Alister crouching against the wall and shivering. He saw Yugi raise an eyebrow, obviously waiting for the explanation to begin. "Dartz told us that there was a way to escape from the afterlife and asked if we were willing to take it. We agreed, but we were told that we had to wait, Dartz went ahead to be reincarnated as someone else, he said something about the reapers being after him."
Yugi gave a curt nod, Raphael straightening up. "We didn't know what he would do, so we waited until we found ourselves pulled into this world. We came to staring at two dead bodies. Apparently, all that was needed to escape was the death of someone in the world…and the fact that our names were carved in their foreheads. After that, we stuck close to Dartz, just in case, but decided to get out of town when he started going crazy. Three deaths wasn't enough, he wanted more. We were long gone when he went on his killing spree and got himself killed again."
"Then who brought him back?"
"Vivian." Alister ducked his head, staring at the floor as he spoke. "She managed to contact him in the afterlife, and he didn't bother to try and get a real body this time, he just slipped out. We always thought that it was impossible."
"So did I."
Alister stared at Yugi, his mouth dropping open at the thought of a reaper not knowing about what was going on in the afterlife before he shut it with a snap, clearing his throat. "We only came back here after Maximillion went insane and killed all of the reapers here. We disposed of the bodies and posed as the reapers after killing Maximillion and it was the perfect cover until Dartz got out of control. He wouldn't stop killing, so we hid and helped you when you came."
"You say that like it should count for something." Yugi stepped forward, Raphael backing up again, the reaper glaring at the two of them. "You say that like I should just forgive you for what you've done."
"We haven't done anything!"
The scythe swung back to Alister, the dull edge of the blade hovering at his throat, but the threat was still there. "You encouraged a killer to come out into the world. Because of you forty people were killed and four ghosts were completely destroyed." Alister's mouth dropped open in shock, Yugi continuing on. "Because of you my balance was almost taken from me. That alone gives me the right to do this. But, even worse, the same reaper destroyed the one person who could have been my balance one hundred and sixty-seven years ago. You'll find that I have every right to do this."
"But you won't." Alister looked over at Raphael, watching as the blonde man smirked down at Yugi. "You won't because then you'll be just like him."
"No. I won't be just like him." Yugi took a deep breath, switching his grip on the scythe so the sharp edge was facing them. "Because I won't enjoy myself; I'll hate it."
Alister felt Raphael tense beside him, the two having a moment to stare at Yugi before the reaper struck.