Atemu Fanfiction

Title: False Accusation
Author: Shadowesque13
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Mystery/Horror
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is © Kazuki Takahashi. Any books, movies, television shows, etc. mentioned belong to their respective owners.

“So much for relaxation…” Yugi, now sufficiently stuffed, was sitting at his desk, lamp shining down on a few papers. His grandfather wanted all homework finished before Yugi was to step foot outside the house for his own amusement.
This was all well and good, he had attempted some of the evil writing assignments before, so only three pages remained, but it still seemed like cruel and inhumane punishment, as any teenage student would.
“Wracking my brain more just to figure out why Odysseus didn’t tell his wife he was back from 20 years of cavorting with other women…” He resisted the urge to slam his forehead onto the desk or the book itself.
After much deliberation, he closed all books and put away all of his papers, turning off the desk lamp with a click. He leaned back in the chair, putting it up on only two legs, and stared out the windows into a clear night sky, stars like small gems.
“Now this,” he lazily said, yawning through his words (and therefore making them sound unintelligible), “is calming.”
“I can tell. You’re about to fall over in your chair, but you’d probably be asleep before you hit the floor.”
Yugi snickered at his spirit, not turning his head to look at the see-through reflection. “At least I don’t sleep like Joey. Sounds like a talking bulldozer, sleeps like a rock.”
Yami stared into space like Yugi. “Hey, who says you sleep without a peep?”
Yugi thudded the chair back on all four legs, crossing his arms. “And just what,” he asked, trying to keep from laughing, “is that supposed to mean?”
Yami smiled and disappeared with a fractional shimmer of the eye piece of the Puzzle.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Yugi changed into his pajamas and crawled into his soft bed, laying his head on top of the firm pillows.
“Nothing more about Kaiba. Until Monday,” he added. “Can’t just let it go.” As much as everyone would like me to, that is…

And his day of relaxation thus began when his eyes cracked open, light pouring in buckets through the glass plates. He didn’t bother changing, not expecting to do anything until the others decided to stop bickering about what they could do for the day. Or maybe he’d just tell them to leave him alone for once and they all just not do anything together for just one day during a weekend. Only in not so many words, of course.
His grandfather was very easy on him, not making him do a thing, even letting him eat what he wanted to. Yugi soon changed his mind about the whole doing nothing thing about his day. If he had nothing to do, how would he ever keep his mind on fun and off of the crime?
He had made sure the night before to place the hair in a safe place so it wouldn’t get lost. Yami, too, seemed to be trying to relax. Which was a rather welcome change, even if it was for only a day.
Like clockwork, and as expected, around lunch Téa arrived. Yugi discussed a few things with her in private while the others hadn’t shown up yet.
“So,” she said, “did you tell Joey?”
“Not that I thought he was a criminal,” he replied. “I just asked him some questions about where he was and such. He didn’t suspect a thing, I think.”
Téa rolled her eyes. “He wouldn’t notice if you even came right out and said it.”
Yugi chuckled. “With signs.”
“Yelling it.”
“Showing him the hair.”
“Wish it wasn’t so easy to make so much fun of poor Joey,” she sighed.
“Even behind his back.” He shrugged. “At least he’s a decent duelist.”
“That much I can agree with.”

“I was hoping to do some real relaxing today, taking a few wise words of wisdom.” Yugi shifted his weight, getting more comfortable. “I was seriously considering not doing much of anything at all, period.”
“But you changed your mind quickly once you realized that there’d be nothing to keep you from obsessing over that mansion?” Téa supplied.
“So…”
Tea got the hint by the tone of his voice. “So let’s stop talking about it. Right. Sorry.”
Tristan banged open the door wide open. “Hellooooo, Mutou family!” he cried.
Yugi raised a curious eyebrow. “Who forgot to lock his stash of caffeine?”
“I heard that!” Tristan nodded to Téa, then continued talking. “Can’t a guy feel good for a day?”
“I hear ya, Tristan! That’s just what I want today.” He added, “Just not…quite like you today.”
Téa playfully shoved Tristan across the room. “Watch, in an hour, he’ll be whining about taking a break and eating something.”
“Very funny…” He looked at the next figure coming through the door. “And speaking of funny…”
Joey smirked. “Yeah, I’m the funny guy, aren’t I?”
“Especially when you’re not trying to be.”

“Har har. So, any ideas? Movies? Mall?”
“Oh,” Yugi said, perking up, “movies sounds like a great idea!”
“Yeah, some popcorn with extra butter and salt, a nice big blastin’ action flick…”
“No, what about that one movie with the two people who end up falling in love even though one’s a-”
“Tea,” interrupted Tristan, “while I’m sure your chick flicks are very popular amongst your life forms, let me say for all of us when I say NO.”
Téa pouted. “Well, you didn’t have to put it so very rudely.”
“If it’s the only way you’ll get it.”
“Not all guys are the same, you know.”
Yugi hated when his friends fought like this. Which was a lot, really. “Now, now, let’s just pick a movie we can all agree on, get some snacks, soda, popcorn, and enjoy our afternoon.”
The other three looked at each other. “Yeah, he’s right.”
Joey said, “I’m sure there’s something playin’ at the theaters that has everything we all want. Just hopefully not too much of Téa’s.”
“I heard that.”

So the gang ended up seeing a comedy and pigging out on all sorts of junk food. Laughing until he felt like he was about to pass out and pleasing his taste buds made Yugi feel like he had never thought of incriminating his best friend of a murder or even about the crime itself.
Stepping back into the sun as opposed to the dark and frigid interior of the theater, Joey was still chuckling at a certain scene, which he and Tristan began to (again) act out. As the group laughed, Bakura waved to them.
“Hello, guys,” he cheerfully said, walking over to them. “Didn’t think I’d see you around here.”
“Hey, Bakura. What are you up to?” asked Yugi, all smiles.
“Oh,” he began to reply, “just getting home. Just coming from a place I needed to visit today. Nothing major or of much consequence.” He pointed nonchalantly towards the theater. “I see you’re amusing yourselves well.”
Tristan beamed. “Yeah, it was a great movie! If we’d have known you’d be nearby, we might’ve invited you.”
“Though I doubt I’d have had enough money to get you in,” added Yugi hastily. “If you guys would just help me out once in a while…”
Téa rolled her eyes. “Oh, take it like a man, Yugi.”
Yugi blushed.
Bakura, after talking for a minute more, waved again, only this time because he was back on his way. “I suppose I shall see you all tomorrow, correct?”
“Yeah,” Joey said, waving as well, “see ya later, Bakura.”

The group began walking and discussing, or really, arguing. “I say we hang at my place,” suggested Tristan.
“Nah, let’s hang by the harbor,” countered Joey.
“What’s wrong with my place?”
Joey became defensive at the question. “Well, what’s wrong with the harbor?”
“Maybe some of us don’t particularly want to go there!”
“Maybe some of us are just idiots who can’t agree on anything their friend suggests!”
“Yes,” said Tristan, knowing Joey walked right into this one, “you are!”
Joey whacked him on the back of the head. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah!”
“Guys?”
The others rounded on Yugi. “What?”
Téa sighed. “Maybe he just wants to get your attention to tell you to stop acting like little kids!” She changed her direction. “I’m going to Duke’s game shop to browse. Feel free to join me.”
“Duke’s shop?” Tristan asked, a small angered spark flashing in his eyes. “Is he there by any chance?”
“No, spaz, he went back home months ago.”
Tristan sighed. “Oh, yeah. I forgot.” He turned to Joey. “What do you think? Wanna get your own Dungeon Dice Monsters stuff?”
Joey scoffed. “Right. As if I’d do that.”

Yugi followed Téa. “It’s not like that’s the only thing there. Besides, if you’re gonna get anything,” he added, “you’ll have to use your own money.”
The two leftover members looked at each other and shrugged, following the other two.
So the rest of the afternoon was spent looking at the things in their friend’s shop. It was true, there was more than Dungeon Dice Monsters, even though Yugi was beginning to be fascinated with the game. There were some cards, little figurines, and even some ingenious RPG gear.
Joey and Tristan sniggered and made fun of the “dorks” and “dweebs” who were ogling at these particular items. Téa found herself joining them, looking intently at a few sets of these RPG adventures, which gained her added ridicule from the others. Yugi ended up buying with what little money was left over from the movie going a pack of cards and offered to buy Téa one of the RPG objects, however, she declined, lest the rowdy boys never let her live it down.
As the day waned, a bright orange sliver of sun quickly setting, letting night chase it away, the four wandered their separate ways. Yugi fondled the small pack of cards, which he would open once he got back up to his room, while reveling in the thoughts of the day. /Well, I’ve nearly made it 24 hours, huh, Yami.
Yami nodded. “Yes.” Before Yugi started thinking about it before his entire day of relaxation was ruined, he added, “Better hurry home so you can see what you got. I hope you didn’t waste money on cards we already have too many of.”

Yugi laughed. “Like I need anymore Kuriboh! But I’m comfortable with my deck as it is now. But…maybe the Heart of the Cards will bring me some good cards I could really use in my deck.”
“The Heart might just grant you that.”
When the pack was opened, there was nothing but disappointment for the two hopeful people. Only two of the cards were new to Yugi’s collection of cards, but he felt that he didn’t need them at the present time, and put them into a small pile of unused, yet unique for him, cards. It lay beside the ever growing pile of repeat cards that he didn’t need and had too many of already.
“Better luck with the next cards, Yugi,” consoled Yami as night descended on the city. The moon shown brightly around dimmed stars, giving and eerie glow to the moonlit areas of the room which had no light on. Yugi let the moonlight hit him, hoping somehow to gain some comfort from it, before going over to a wall and flicking a switch to make the room well lit with the overhead light.
“It’s a nice night tonight,” he commented.

Yugi shrugged. “It’s probably freezing out there.”
“Always managing to see a downside to everything nowadays, aren’t we?” Yami laughed as Yugi inwardly rolled his violet eyes.
Those same eyes gazed at the clock. “Well, I guess I can think more about Kaiba, huh.” He shrugged and hopped onto his bed. “It’s too quiet for me to have much fun right now anyway.”
“It’s better than depressing yourself, isn’t it?” Yami leaned against the bedpost. “But it is strange.”
“I refuse to believe that Joey did it,” Yugi stated flatly.
“I’m not sure he is the criminal we’re after, either, but he should still remain a suspect until we can prove otherwise.” Yami sighed, showing slight signs of frustration with this case.
“Yet we have nothing else.”
Yugi’s eyes were glazed over as he stared into space. Yami recognized the look.
“Yugi…what are you planning…? Surely you won’t go back there tonight?”
Yugi looked at him. “But…”
“Yugi,” he said, trying to reason with him, “I doubt that’s a wise idea. Searching the whole area? We might be there all night. And if your grandfather got word of that, or you were caught…?”

Yugi sighed. “I’m sure you’re right. What do you suggest?”
“After school, just like before, seems like a good time.”
“Okay. Maybe I’ll just tell the guys that I feel like a little alone time now. I mean, they won’t take it hard, since we’ll obviously see each other on the weekend.” He lay back on his back and stared upward.
“What happens if we don’t find anything? No matter how many more times we look?”
“Then we just accept that he died of natural, unexplainable causes.” Yami’s image had faded, but his voice still was clear in Yugi’s mind.
“What if,” Yugi asked quietly, “I just can’t accept that…?”
“You will. In time. Because we all heal, and we all get over these kinds of events.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.” He smiled. Even though Yugi couldn’t exactly see him, he knew Yugi knew the smile was there. “Goodnight, Yugi.”
“’Night, Yami.” He turned onto his side, closing his eyes. “And thanks.”

He awoke the next morning to his alarm clock buzzing that it was time to get up before the school bell rang. He yawned and stretched, soon finishing off his breakfast and quickly stuffing his school things into his backpack. He then was on his way to school. Yami’s words invigorated him. If this search, and any others he decided to make, turned up nothing, he would be happy with just dropping the whole subject.
“Yugi!” Joey bounded up to the shorter teen. “How are ya?”
Yugi shrugged. “I’m okay.” Joey seemed to be ready to say something else, so Yugi cut in before he could do so. “Before you start asking if I want to do anything, I just-”
Téa and Tristan spotted the two and came up to them. “Hey guys.”
Yugi greeted them and continued. “Yesterday was great, but I think I just need a few days, say, maybe the school week? Just to myself, you know, get my head and thoughts straightened out.”
The three regarded him for a moment, then nodded. They still walked to class together, but beyond that, they pretty much left him alone. Yugi wondered how he got such great friends.
Speaking of friends, he might want to talk to Bakura in case, somehow, he wanted to talk with Yugi during the week. In between class, he met Bakura at his locker. “Hey, Bakura.”
“Oh, hello, Yugi.”
“Look, I just wanted you to know something. I told the others, so I figured, you being a really good friend as well, I’d tell you, too.”
“What is it?”
He sighed. “I just want a little alone time for a while. About a week. So if you don’t see me around much…”
“Oh, right. I understand.” Bakura gave a sad smile. “Unfortunately, I understand very well. Unless it’s about something totally different, then I’d be way off.”
He laughed softly and shut the locker door. “Well, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. Shall I see you every now and then, though?”

“Yeah, I’ll still be at school and stuff. Well, we’d better get to class before we’re late.” He repositioned his backpack and went down the hallway.
Well, I guess that takes care of that, he thought. Now all I need to do is get back into the building.
There still had yet to be word on the youngest Kaiba brother, so Yugi assumed that the mansion was still unoccupied by anyone. That would also, if this assumption was correct, mean that the door would still be unlocked, giving him easy access to the inside.
I did go through that room pretty thoroughly,/ his mind muttered. /What are the chances that I’ll find anything more?
“The hair couldn’t have been there before, remember?” Yami reminded him.
Yeah, you’re right. Maybe we’ll find some other bit of evidence that was left behind over the weekend by the possible killer. He took his seat in the classroom. But it is really weird that the killer—we assume it’s the killer, really—would come back to that place in the first place. And if we find more, why he came back a second time. Criminals don’t normally do that, do they?
Yami nearly chuckled. “Perhaps you’ve seen one too many Bond movies. This person, if he or she is the perpetrator, may just have a different frame of mind. And now I suggest you pay attention to the teacher instead of speculating on things that actually concern either of us.”

Yugi rolled his eyes at this. He did, however, do as he was told, even though he would rather tune out his 20th century history class.
When the final bell rang, freeing many students from what could be considered by them imprisonment, Yugi was ignored by the group barring a few good-byes as they passed.
He waited by a street corner, wondering if he should first head home so as to not worry his grandfather, or just go straight to the foreboding mansion. Feeling the weight of the backpack, he went for the former and jogged the rest of the way home. He said hello to his aforementioned grandfather and avoided some customers on his way up to his room. He tossed the offending backpack onto the bed and went back down. Before he left, he advised a younger kid that his mentality that a deck full of mainly magic and trap cards wasn’t the best strategy.
With a small smile on his face, even knowing the grim duty he was about to perform, Yugi went in the direction of the secluded Kaiba mansion.
Once he got there, he climbed up the dark gate once for the second time. The stone path seemed even longer this time as he walked up to the large front doors. Without hesitation, he opened the doors, but closed them this time, being used to the dimmer surrounding. The imprint of Seto’s body was slowly fading as the carpet was regaining its shape.
This spot was the first thing he looked at. No sign of anything at all. He increased his area of search according to the body, looking around a foot away from it, then two feet, and so on. Nothing showed up that was odd to him. Perhaps this was all for naught, he began to think, until he reminded himself of the frustration he felt before finding his first clue. He suppressed laughter at how much he sounded like he was a part of some demonic version of Scooby Doo.

Nothing. Nothing odd or out of place in the entire room. It was clean. Yugi shook his head, sighing. Perhaps in the next room? Was he going to search the entire mansion for any little scrap of a clue he felt didn’t belong there? He scanned the room once more, hoping for a miracle like the first time. Something he missed, there had to be something he overlooked.
He decided there was nothing to be gained looking through here. So he chose the room at the far end of the room to search next. This room seemed like another kind of living room, yet far less formal than the former. The first was probably for the guests to see and use.
There were some odd knick-knacks, some obviously belonging to Mokuba (an assortment of Duel Monster related action figures and toys). It was, of course, darker in here being so far away from the bright windows. So he discovered the looks of the room only when he felt the left wall for a light switch. He silently cursed not planning ahead for this kind of thing, no flashlight, only pockets to carry anything he might find.
The comfortable room was still dimmer than he figured the other room was when lit. This added to the relaxed and comfy feel to it, although Yugi thought that for the situation, it was more frightening and foreboding.
Overstuffed and beanbag chairs, a few decorative lamps, a shelf of books, a game system and a plasma t.v., it was a like a whole other place completely to the formal, yet expected, living room feet behind him. It looked like neither Kaiba cared what happened in the room, either that, or the smaller had quiet a breakdown with the already mentioned toys and a few books strewn around like a typhoon blasted in and swept the room away. How was he ever to find anything in this mess and in this light?
He groped for the lamps and switched them on, alleviating this slight sight problem. The room, however, was still cluttered and crowded. He found himself putting things away or just up off the floor. A thought came to mind then as he thought again about the mess. Perhaps there had been a struggle here?

A fight between Kaiba and his now infamous yet still anonymous killer? He had no way of knowing unless he found a few clues pointing in that direction. Yet, if a fight had broken out, why were there no sign of such an act in the first room? Was he already dead and ragged to his resting spot?
As he examined book after figure before placing them in a better spot than where he found them, his mind construed a few speculative scenes supporting each new theory. It rather scared him after a minute, so he kept himself occupied with looking at everything intently. Unfortunately, there was yet anything to be found. Once about half of the mess was tidied up, he started to inspect the floor.
He did this, while cleaning, for a few minutes before heading for a corner of the room. It was relatively clean, so he decided to take a break. In that corner, however, there was discovery to be made.

There was a small, almost square imprint in this room’s carpet, indicating something had rested there about an hour or two before being moved. Beside that was a book. A book that didn’t belong with the classics and novels and reference books on the back shelf. It was a schoolbook, having a plain brown book cover wrapped around it. Yugi, intrigued, picked it up. “What’s this?” he asked rather stupidly. He opened it up to where the cover page was. It was a science book, from the same course he and at least half of his grade took. The others were either geniuses who went to the far harder coursed, or had failed science the previous year and were being held back. /Very strange…/ he wondered. /That must mean…someone else I know is a suspect!/ He flipped back to the front cover and lifted one of the flaps holding the protector of the book in place and scrolled through the list of names of owners of old. The newest name on the list was…

“No way!” He nearly dropped the book. “Bakura?! But…how? He wouldn’t hurt an insect, much less kill a man!”
Yami’s also shocked expression appeared next to him. “Yes, this is very startling indeed…”
The two read the name Bakura Ryou printed there again, not believing their eyes.
“There must…be some kind of logical and reasonable explanation,” he tried to say, though the tone of his voice lied to his words.
“Yeah, that Bakura’s the killer and framed my best friend so we wouldn’t suspect it was him!” Yugi tried to sound angry, but failed as the shock still was numbing and amazement at how harmless little Bakura might just be the criminal mastermind they were after.

“Now,” started Yami, regaining his sense, “let’s not be overly hasty. We found perhaps one of Joey’s hairs out there but we don’t think he did it anymore, even if he is still a suspect.”
“But now we have more definite proof.” Yugi carried the book under his arm, in the back of his mind reminding him that he still had homework of his own to do, and walked out of the room after turning off the lights.
Yami had a thought. “You’re leaving your own evidence behind, you know. Fingerprints, cells, perhaps some frayed ends of your clothes.”
“Your point being, Yami?” asked Yugi, more than a little annoyed at the whole situation.
“My point being that they might have been here trying to find something, too, just like you.”
“Good point.” Yugi then chuckled sarcastically. “A flaw in your reasoning, though.” He whirled around and pointed at the book. “How do you explain this? Hmm? Why on earth would Bakura have brought it here?”
“Maybe,” said Yami, trying to calm him, “he came here directly after school and it dropped out of his backpack, which rested there obviously in that corner. Maybe someone stole it to frame him, if I may be so bold as to go that far.”
He thought for a moment. “He had it with him at school today, didn’t he?”
Yugi stopped to ponder. “I…don’t know. I wasn’t looking at his books.” He turned back and walked out the front door. “But still, compared to the hair, this is far more compelling evidence. Do you remember yesterday when we saw him?

Yami nodded. Then he saw where Yugi was getting at. “Oh, you mean to say that he might’ve been coming from here?”
“He seemed pretty secretive about it.”
“Everything with Bakura seems to be shrouded in a hint of mystery and secrecy,” agreed the spirit. “Perhaps we shouldn’t have trusted him as well as we thought we could…?”
“We’ll see.” Yugi closed the large wooden doors and walked back down the path to the gate. “Because tomorrow I’m going to give him a little piece of my mind…and his book.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to confront him like you did with Joey?”
“Bakura’s smart. He’ll string the questions together and realize where I’m getting at and we’ll just end up being where we’d be if I just accuse him outright.”
He looked back at the building for a moment, making sure everything looked in order. A shimmer, a glint of something pale made him look at an upper floor window. Whatever it was, it was gone now, or wasn’t even there in the first place.
Yami raised an eyebrow at the boy. “Something wrong, Yugi?”
“Nah, I just thought…” He rubbed the back of his neck as he restarted, slowly, back on the trail. What had he thought he’d seen? If he didn’t know better, he’d have said a ghost.
“Nothing. It was just the sun’s reflection on the window.”
At least, he hoped that’s what it was. Unless the very cranky ghost of Seto Kaiba was haunting a semi-abandoned, dark, creepy like building, waiting for someone to find the murderer and avenge his death so he can pass on to the other side in peace…but what were the chances of that?

Man, he laughed to himself, I need to lay off the late night horror movies…