Missing Pieces Pt. 6 (Yami Yugi x reader)

The moon had risen by the time Yami was finally able to excuse himself from the group. He’d truly enjoyed catching up with everyone, but the thought of a certain person and the guilt and worry surrounding them had been eating away at him since the moment he’d noticed their absence. That person was you, and he knew he wouldn’t sleep tonight until he saw your face and knew for definite that you were safe and well. He shuddered and gripped his jacket closer to his lithe frame, the wind was bitterly cold against his face and he could feel the tip of his nose burning at its biting touch. Besides him Yugi chattered absentmindedly, clearly much more relaxed than he had been earlier, even after the slight scare with Joey (which of course the blonde boy had apologised for abruptly afterwards) Yami shot his lighter side a sideways glance, politely smiling at a joke that didn’t quite reach his ears. His mind was far too clouded to fully enjoy what would otherwise have been a quaint walk home with his best friend. After spotting a familiar crossroad, the taller teen stopped in his tracks, his short companion stopping mid sentence to stare up at him in bewilderment. Before Yugi could speak, the former pharaoh shook his head,

“There’s something I really need to do, head on home without me.”

Yugi gave him a doubtful look in response, but nodded never the less. He trusted that Yami wouldn’t do anything stupid, and it certainly had seemed like something in particular had been bugging him the entire time they’d been at the park. With a sigh, he delved into his pocket and fished out a spare key, thrusting it in Yami’s direction,

“Alright Yami,” the short teen smiled, though the perplexed expression was still present across his features, “Just please be careful.”

Yami took the key gently, humming gratefully as he did so. The metal dug into his palm as he waved goodbye to Yugi, the bite of its serrated teeth doing little to distract him from the task that lay ahead.

Rain began to fall against the pavement and the teen quickened his pace as he walked in solitude across the streets of Domino. Several of the droplets collided with his exposed skin, goose bumps formed in tiny mounds across the numbed flesh – though at this point he wasn’t even sure if it was because of the cold. A flutter of nervous energy shuddered through his hunched frame as he glanced at the diminishing skyline of buildings. He’d been walking for well over half an hour now, the pavement had become littered with tiny patches of weeds and wildflowers that jutted out from between the cracks in the concrete; a telltale sign that he was in the outskirts of Domino city. The various houses and apartments that led away from the walkway were smaller and much more traditional looking than the looming structures that made up the majority of central Domino. They reminded him of the game shop and how out of place it looked against the grey wash of corporations and skyscrapers. He smiled at the thought. Here it was much more comforting; he remembered all the times that he’d spent here with everyone back when he still shared Yugi’s body. He stopped to take in his surroundings; nothing much had changed since the last time he’d been here, it was almost as if the place had been suspended in time, unlike the city – he barely recognised the winding streets and the new buildings that sprung up out of seemingly nowhere every day. Here it felt like home.

Yami’s eyes softened as his gaze drifted over to a familiar grassy patch, its lush hue tinted a deep mossy green under the velveteen night. So many nights he had spent lying there staring up at the stars with his best friends, simply watching the sky turn from puce to an endless midnight blue as the hours passed. There were some nights that Joey and Téa would drift off in the clutches of the warm summer evening, and it’d be just him and _____ tracing constellations together until the sun rose again. His heart ached at the memory, and he was brought back to the reality of the situation. To why he was here in the first place.

The key bit into his palm again as he walked towards a lone house on the corner of the street. It was the only one whose lights still shone through the windows; the artificial glow almost dragged him towards it like a mosquito to a bug zapper. Upon reaching the metal gate, Yami’s keen eyes scrutinised the garden with caution, searching for a familiar flurry of white fur hiding amongst the trees and bushes that grew besides the building. There was no one but him here it seemed, the violet eyed teen let out a sigh of relief he didn’t realise he was holding. No car in front of the house, no dog in the garden. Everything seemed promising so far, though he had to admit that he wasn’t used to seeing the white painted house looking so... lonely. Yami hoped it was simply his imagination warping his sense of vision.

Slowly, he pushed the iron gate aside, cringing slightly as it groaned at his touch, the sound echoing through the stillness of the night air. His chest felt tight as he worked his way towards the door that he’d knocked on so many times in the past, but now seemed so foreign to him. His fist quivered as he raised it against the wood, knuckles scraping the varnished surface slightly yet still frozen in place, refusing to make a sound. He felt so much more uneasy now than he had at the game shop, and the reason why was so painfully etched across his mind; all he could think of was your face; twisted in anguish as his lifepoints had hit zero on that faithful day, the realisation of what was to come had manifested itself in the tears that had rolled down your flushed cheeks. Your eyes had betrayed you as you’d sent him that final smile, and he knew it, yet he’d smiled back despite the agony burning within his chest. A sensation that had stayed with him long after he’d ascended to the afterlife and that was reappearing with a vengeance right now. He needed to do this; he needed to make it up to you. Yugi’s key cut into his palm as he pounded against the door, he was sure that it was bleeding, but at this point he didn’t care, he just wanted to see you, to make sure you were alright, to apologise for just leaving you like that when you obviously weren’t ready to let him go...

But his efforts were met with silence. There was no shuffling of feet down the stairs, or the sound of nimble fingers working against the door chain. Nothing but the sound of his own heavy breathing. Not even the birds spoke now. His heart dropped and he slammed his fists against the door in frustration, warm blood trickled down his wrist from the wound the key had made, yet he hardly felt the pain. All he could think of was you and how much of an idiot he was for not checking on you when he had the chance. For all he knew you might not even be living here anymore, and Téa and the others had simply lied to him to spare him the guilt. His arms slumped limp against his side as the feeling of loss powered through his veins. This was it - he’d lost you for good, just as he’d lost so many of the others....

The sharp sound of metal hitting the stone step beneath him momentarily snapped Yami out of his almost comatose state; his dull eyes glanced down at his feet where his bloodied house key sat beside a small flowerpot. Its tarnished tip almost appeared to be pointing towards its dirtied clay surface, at which point it hit him – you had always kept a spare house key under the pot in case of emergency. A small glimmer of hope resonated in his chest as he scrambled to his knees, fingers clawing at the flowerpot in a hurried effort to upturn it and retrieve the prize beneath. With a shuddered breath, Yami brushed away the dirt and moss that had accumulated over time to reveal a rusted key. He scooped it up with trembling digits before holding it in front of his face.

Oh god, please let this work.

Holding his breath, the teen forced the key into the lock, almost missing due to the shakiness of his hands. After a brief struggle with the ancient looking lock, the door cracked open and Yami was left staring into a familiar smelling hallway. The buzz of a television set greeted his ears, illuminating the entrance to a room on his right. Sweat beaded on the back of his neck as he quietly shut the door behind him, it was at this point that he realised he’d pretty much just broken into your house and the last thing he wanted was for you to mistake him for a burglar and attack him. Seeing him was no doubt already going to be a big enough shock as it was. Slowly and cautiously, the former pharaoh approached the living room where he’d spent so many evenings in the past. The house itself had changed beyond his recognition, the wallpaper and photos that decorated the hall were alien to him. A portrait of a baby he hadn’t seen before hung besides the doorframe and he pondered what relation the child was to you. For all he knew it could even be your own. A shiver ran through him at the thought.

The door to the living room was half closed, obstructing his view into the room where the television spoke in garbled tones. With a deep breath, Yami pushed the door open. Like the hallway, the living room was a mere shadow of what he remembered, though that didn’t stop a wave of nostalgia from coursing through him as a comforting mixture of vanilla and elderflower reached his nose. His gaze drifted from the television screen where an old black and white film was playing, over to the sofa facing it. His breath hitched in his throat as his eyes finally came to rest on your figure; you were stretched out across the cushions, clearly asleep and completely unaware of his presence. His expression fell as he studied your face, you looked exhausted, even in the midst of sleep he could tell just how... tired you were, Téa hadn’t been lying when she said you’d been going through a hard time, that much was clear just by looking at you. The dim light of the TV illuminated the dark circles under your eyes, and your arms loosely held a jumble of textbooks and papers. You looked so much different from how he remembered, and that stuck something inside him that made his stomach churn in knots.

A distinct growl caught his attention a moment later, and Yami snapped his head in the direction of the harsh sound. A large german shepherd squared up to him from its position on its owner’s lap, teeth bared and body rigid with protective apprehension. Yami blinked in surprise, there was no way that this beast could be the tiny Alaska that _____ had brought home three years ago.... could it? The dog let out a sharp bark, causing the tri colour-haired teen to jump slightly, adrenaline shooting through his joints in case the need to run surfaced. Beneath the weight of the growling dog, you stirred from your slumber; a yawn dragged itself from your lips before you leant up to soothe the angered canine.

“Alaska! What on earth has gotten into you?.....!” your sleep hazed voice trailed off as you glanced in the direction your dog was barking at, shock washing over your face.

Yami gulped nervously as his eyes met yours, you looked as if a scream was about to tear itself from your throat, your frame shaking as you took in his form. Your digits curled around Alaska’s thick mane and Yami could see the tears begin to form in the corners of your eyes. There was a pause before at last, you moved.

“....This can’t be happening,” your hands flew to your face, nails clawing at the flesh as if you were trying to wake yourself from a nightmare, “I’m going crazy, this can’t be happening, I-I’m going insane....”

A chocked sob ripped itself from your lips as you continued to babble incoherently into your palms, the tears ran freely down your flushed cheeks now. Yami’s heart fluttered in panic against his chest as he rushed over to your side, doing his best to ignore the snarling dog that’s eyes were still trained restlessly on his knelt form. His slender hands gripped at your shoulders in an attempt to comfort you, your flesh shook under his touch, as if your skin itself was trying to reject the feel of his palms.

“_____, please look at me, I promise you this is real, it’s me. Please, just look at me,” Yami tried to keep his voice level and calm as he spoke to you, desperate to make the situation seem normal so you would stop panicking, “you’re not hallucinating, I promise.”

With bleary eyes and lashes brimming with tears yet to fall, you peaked through your fingers at him and he smiled comfortingly despite the sweat that rolled down his temples. For a second your expression almost seemed relived, at peace even – the way he remembered your face all those years ago. Yet in the blink of an eye your face soured angrily as you lashed out at the boy, slapping him hard across the face. Yami stumbled backwards with the force of the blow, his cheek raw and stinging. The two of you sat in silence after that, a tear stomped girl staring down a shocked boy with accusing anger dancing in her eyes. Your lips moved but no sound came out other than a strangled sob as you closed in on yourself once again.

“How could you....” the words struck Yami deep, “how dare you, now of all times....”

You drew your knees up towards you chest, hugging them protectively, your face hidden behind their bony surface. Beside you, Alaska whimpered and clambered over your rigid body to lick your face – her own personal attempt to soothe you. It felt like the blood in Yami’s limbs had been replaced by concrete. This was torture, being forced to watch you close in on yourself in anguish and know that he was the cause of it. Your words echoed in his mind ‘how dare he?’, he truly was selfish, he should have just stayed dead where he belonged – anything other than being the culprit behind his friend’s agony. The salty taste of tears slipped over his parted lips and he realised that he was crying too.

“I’m sorry,” the words slipped out in a whisper, “I truly never meant to hurt you like this, I’m sorry, _____....”

He crawled towards you once again, hands gingerly brushing against the flesh of your legs. He could feel your eyes watching him from behind your fingers and he reached to grab them softly. He pulled them away from your face to reveal two wide, watery orbs staring up at him. The malice had disappeared from their gaze, only to be replaced with an emotion akin to fear. Yami wasn’t sure which he disliked less. Your digits flexed in his grasp and for a second he braced himself for another slap, only for utter surprise to wash over his tired bones as you threw yourself against his chest. His entire body rumbled with the force of your sobs as you clutched at him, fresh tears soaking his shoulder as you all but screamed against the fabric of his jacket. He buried his face in your hair, arms circling around your waist to support your shaking frame. A myriad of emotions bombarded his thoughts but one stood out the most.

He was happy. Happy that he hadn’t lost you like so many of the others, happy that you didn’t hate him for what he had done,

Happy that you were still here.