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.

He was right, he hadn’t missed supper. He tossed the book up into his room and came back down to greet his grandfather, who was closing up the shop.
“You’d think kids today would have better things to do than hang around here ogling at games,” his grandfather said slyly.
Yugi nervously laughed and apologized. “There was something I needed to do.”
Supper was soon served, but no matter how much his stomach begged for sustenance, he just couldn’t bring himself to eat. The thought of Bakura, a trusted and beloved friend, was his new number 1 suspect in this case.
“I’m sorry, grandpa, I’m just not feeling that good right now. Excuse me.”
His grandfather gave a concerned look at the young boy stood from the table and went up to his room. He did manage to sneak a candy bar up to at least give himself some food. It’s not like he wanted these bizarre happenings to interfere with his own physical, and for that matter, mental, health.
Yami mentioned that maybe a break of more than a day was needed, but this book couldn’t be ignored. Yami was deep in thought for the rest of the night. Yugi couldn’t seem to get him out of his Soul Room and out of this stupor. It was a bit depressing, really.
How would he talk to Bakura? He certainly didn’t want to make a big scene at school, especially if he was wrong, which he certainly hoped he was. Maybe before school, he could go to his house or run into him while he walked to school, then show him the book, talk about these thoughts of the crimes in his head, and see where it goes from there.
Would Bakura admit to the crime? If he did, would he kill Yugi for knowing too much? Was he overestimating the importance of these items once more and Bakura would be taken aback by this finger pointing? Would he lie? Yami might see through them if he did. He would get the answers he’s looking for, no matter how painful they might be.
He looked at the bar of candy and unwrapped it, chewing on it. His grandfather knocked on the door about an hour later, checking on him. He lied and said he was feeling better, he just needed a little rest was all. He wasn’t sure if his grandfather bought it, but he was left alone, so he took it as a good sign. Why do grandparents always seem to know when someone’s lying? he thought, slightly amused by this.

“Are you mocking grandpa?” asked Yami with his own chuckle. “You should never make fun of your elders.”
“I was not. It just seems that way.”
“You know how much you make fun of me sometimes? Bad.”
“What? Oh, I guess…you would be considered my elder, wouldn’t you…”
Yami rolled his eyes. “At 5,000 plus years, I would think so.”
“But,” countered Yugi, glad Yami came out of hiding to cheer him up, “we’re practically the same person.”
“Not quite.”
“But the same souls, you know? I was you in the past, so you’re really not my elder, you’re me.” Yugi seemed content that he had won this round.
“No, no, no,” Yami tried to argue, but Yugi wouldn’t have it. “Fine, have it your way. You win for now, but I’m right. You know who else you shouldn’t make fun of?”
“Who?”
“Ancient, powerful rulers who can do unbelievable magic.”
“…Point taken.”
“Round 2 belongs to me,” Yami said, taking a mock bow.
“Drama queen.”
“Pharaoh.”
“Whatever.”
Yami sat on the bed. “So, I see you’re coming up with ways to talk with Bakura.”
“Yeah…” Yugi sighed. “I guess I’ll finish up my homework. Thanks for cheering me up some.”
“Only to be even more depressed by homework. Wonderful.”
“You think you’re very funny, but you’re not,” joked Yugi, pulling his chair out from his desk so he could sit on it.
“Mine is a dry wit,” said Yami before going back into the Puzzle with a chuckle.
“Laugh while you can, pharaoh boy,” sighed Yugi as he pulled out his science homework, only more so reminding him of the book laying on the top shelf of the aforementioned desk.
“Man, Bakura’s going to kill me when I start accusing him of murder.” The irony of his phrase hit him as his head then hit the desk. Repeatedly.
“And now…a headache. Such a lovely day,” he added, every word dripping with deadly sarcasm.

It was rather late for him when he went to bed that night. And a dream or two left him feeling less than rested. He even got up a little earlier to get on Bakura’s route to school to cut him off.
But it’d be kind of…not in his best favor to look like a zombie who fell asleep in his cereal, which he nearly did. He reassured his grandfather that he was only tired, not sick, and quickly went off, book in hand and a determined look on his face.
He spotted Bakura walking slowly to school. He called out to him to grab his attention.
“Oh, good morning, Yugi.” Bakura noted that Yugi was obviously not in a good mood. “Fancy seeing you here. Is…there something you want?” While he was thinking about it, he added, “Oh, and did you happen to find my science book?”
Yugi shoved it in his face. “Oh, you mean this?”
Bakura tried to grab it, but Yugi pulled it away. “Yugi, thanks for finding it. I think someone stole it.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, and my backpack. When I woke up this morning, my backpack was in a different place than where I put it that night, and my science book had disappeared.”
Yugi eyed him smugly. “Fancy I should find this…in the Kaiba mansion.”
“Say what?”
“Just what were you doing up there, Bakura?” asked Yugi, a bit of anger and suspicion creeping into his voice. “This dropped out of your backpack. You know, the one you left in the back room? While you were doing who knows what?”
“Have you gone daft?” Bakura took a step back, sounding hurt. “Just what are you trying to say?”
“I’m trying to say that you killed Kaiba!”
“You…why would you ever think such an awful thing! I told you, someone must have stolen my stuff while I was asleep!”

Yugi chuckled dryly. “Oh, so someone broke into your house in the middle of the night just to take your science book to the mansion? I highly doubt that.”
Bakura snatched the book. Then he pleaded with the shorter boy. “Yugi, please, listen to me. You know me. Do you take me to be the murderous type?”
“I didn’t,” spat Yugi, “until I found that.”
Bakura raised an eyebrow. “And what were you doing at the Kaiba mansion, anyway? How’d you even get in, weren’t there guards and locks?”
“You would know that answer to that, wouldn’t you? And I bet you planted that bit of Joey’s hair to throw me off! So that whoever found it would blame Joey! Well, I fell for it at first, but-”
“Yugi!” Bakura yelled, which he hardly ever did. “I’m telling you, please believe me! I never had a quarrel with Kaiba, and how could I get in to kill him anyway? Have you ever seen me hurt anyone? Raise my voice even as much as you?”
Yugi looked at the ground, not knowing whether to think he’s lying or to feel ashamed. “I…”
Bakura sighed and put the book in his backpack. “Look, you seem like you’ve been on edge for the past week. You look like you’re about to pass out. Now, I take this accusation very seriously, and if you take it to others, they will, too. I didn’t do it. I swear to you, I did not kill him. Maybe you should just go home for the day.” He began to walk off.
“Bakura…Bakura, wait, I’m sorry, I just…” He trailed off. “I don’t know, I feel like I have to find out who did it, no matter what. And that was the first big bit of credible evidence I’ve found. I’ve been snooping around and looking around the place, trying to find things. I’m sorry, I’m so messed up, but I still find it really weird. I thought Joey was a suspect, but even I wasn’t so harsh on him.” Inwardly, he turned to Yami.
Yami just shrugged. “I doubt he’s lying, Yugi, but his Millennium Ring prevents me from looking into his heart and soul.”
“Can we just…look, can we forget this happened?” Yugi asked, looking sorry.
Bakura smiled softly. “I’m sure we can. Just as long as you take me off of this crazy suspect list of yours. See you later, I suppose?”
“Yeah, sure, later.” Yugi had no plans of taking him off the list, of course, but it’s not like Bakura would ever know that. He shakily began to follow him to school, but thought that maybe he was right, and started back home.
After “admitting” that his grandfather was right, he went up to his room and was asleep even before his head hit the pillow.

It was about 10 in the morning by the time he woke up. It sounded like there were a few customers downstairs conversing with his grandfather. This wasn’t the biggest or most popular game shop, but it was like some mom-and-pop coffee shop.
Nice, quiet (normally), and full of great things at great prices; it had regular customers that hung out with near clockwork timing. Or perhaps his grandfather just ran into a few old friends of his. Not that it was any of Yugi’ business, but…
He yawned and stretched, clambering out of bed. He realized he didn’t need to change, as he had gone back to bed that morning with his school uniform still on.
For a moment, he wished he still had that book to put with the hair in his “evidence drawer” as he soon came to call it. He felt well rested, which was a decent change from this morning. Yami stirred at his motion.
“Yugi, I’ve been doing some thinking lately.”
“You think too much, Yami, why don’t you give it a rest for once?” He laid back, propping his head up with his hands on the pillow.
Yami knew he was only kidding and moved on. “So far, we have two people we’ve considered the dastardly criminal.”
“Yeah, Joey and Bakura.”
“The both of them are good friends who we have an incredibly hard time believing any such thought of the sort would cross their minds.” Yami paced a little. “And we have evidence against both.”
“We haven’t proven the hair, though,” added Yugi.
“A valid point, but let’s assume for the moment that it is Joey’s.” He continued back on his original course. “Both plead innocence. Neither had opportunity, while one had what one might call a motive.”
“Are there long enough times in shift changes for the guards that someone stealthy and ingenious enough could have slipped in?” inquired the young one.
Yami shook his head slowly. “I don’t know.”
“But…Yami, if it’s not them, then who is it?” The two were deep in thought. Yugi looked up, determined. “We need to go back there again.”
“Yugi?”
“That’s twice,” said Yugi as he rose, “That we’ve gone there and twice that we’ve found something.” He gave a slightly amused wink. “Third time’s a charm, right?”

Yami looked at him gravely. “And where do you propose you look? How long will you be there? If this keeps happening, people are going to get suspicious. And what will you do about grandpa? Sooner or later, you’re going to run into some snags.”
Yugi, chuckling to himself that this is normally what one who is grounded would to instead of one who is sick, started trying his bed sheets together. “I’m so original. With any luck, grandpa won’t see me.”
“He might see the sheet rope hanging from your bedroom window.”
“Well, there’s not much I can do about that.” He tightened a few knots. “And he won’t know where I am anyway. He may be smart, but he still hasn’t figured out where I’ve been going off to.”
“You’re either gong to scare him and worry him sick, get into astronomical trouble, or both, you realize.”
“But if we solve this case,” said Yugi, more rushed now, “do you have any idea what will happen? As if I’d be in any trouble then…”
“I’m not sure this is your wisest idea ever.” Yami sighed and thought it over for a moment. “If you’re sure that’s what you want to do-”
“Which it is,” said Yugi as he finished the last knot.
“Then I will help you as much as I can without regret.”
“Good,” the smaller one replied, “because no matter what, you’re coming with me on this trip anyway.” He poked the Puzzle hanging as per usual around his neck.
Yami rolled his eyes. “You could take it off, you know.”

Yugi opened the window. “…Oh. I guess you’re right about that.” He stuck his head out the window.
“I think the coast is clear,” he muttered. He listened for a moment to see if his grandfather was about to threaten his chances of slipping away. Only some feet belonging to others scurrying across the bottom floor and more discussion was all he heard.
He turned back to the window and threw out one end of the makeshift rope. The end he still held on to was tied to the bedpost nearest the window.
“I hope you don’t fall and break your neck,” warned Yami as he faded from his sight.
“While I could be ignorant and say ‘it always works on t.v.’, I’ll have to hope for the same.”
He gave the rope a tug. It didn’t seem to budge, none of the knots slipped. A fairly good sign if Yugi ever saw one. After hopping onto the window ledge and firmly grasping the rope, he began his steady descent. He paused once or twice when he heard someone enter or leave the store, but as for as he knew, he had not been seen yet. His not so treacherous journey once again to the formidable Kaiba mansion began and he, once more, scaled the metallic gate and went inside. He had been smart this time.

His backpack, now devoid of items (“Don’t want to make the same mistake Bakura did,” said Yugi with a sneer), fell to the floor by the door. It wasn’t totally item less, but it became that way once he retrieved the flashlight from it.
He was pleased that he wouldn’t need to complain about those anymore. Now he just needed to find something else he forgot to bring that would end up make all of this much easier. Or a clue. Whichever came first, and he was hoping it was the clue.
The shadows of the large trees just outside danced gracefully in the square of light from the window. He flicked on the flashlight, which he was sure to put fresh batteries in, just in case.
When he was sure it worked, he turned it off. No sense in wasting good light in case he needed it later when the sun shining was all he needed. He realized he had grown used to the lack of hard, overhead light bulb light. He wondered if the lights were powered by solar energy.
Kaiba probably could have afforded enough to run most of the building. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised to find solar panels lined up in the back yard.
But enough about the lap of luxury, he told himself as he reset and restarted his search to where he had started the day before. The imprint had nearly disappeared already. That would be good for Mokuba to know when he came back. The last thing he needed was to see exactly where and how his brother was when he finally expired.
“That’s the last thing I need right now, too,” mumbled Yugi. “Unless it gives me a clue.”
The search went on until the room had been thoroughly looked over with a fine-tooth comb twice over.

“Oh, I give up, there’s nothing to find in this room.” Yugi took a break and sat heavily on his backpack, leaning on the doorframe.
“No one ever said detective work was easy,” murmured Yami.
“I’m a regular Encyclopedia Brown over here,” replied Yugi sarcastically, not caring if Yami got the reference or not.
Yami continued. “Maybe we should go home, try this again tomorrow and see.”
Yugi shook his head. “No, I’m staying right here.” He leaned his head back and looked up the stairs. “Hey…we didn’t find a clue in this room yesterday, but in a different one. Maybe if we look somewhere else again…”
It was Yami’s turn to shake his head. “You’re thinking about looking in every room. That’ll be very difficult and take hours depending on big this place is and how closely you want to inspect each one. The outside might be deceiving when it comes to size.”
“It’s not like the maze of your Soul Room,” said Yugi with a shrug. “We’d end up finishing the search sometime.”
“I suppose you’re right. But what about home?”
Yugi stood up. “Good point.” He was about to open the door when he stopped. “But grandpa will kill me for this.”
His stomach gave a small rumble. “On the other hand…” He reached into his pockets. “Only 50 cents,” he muttered. He searched his backpack. “Hey, 78 cents is good enough to get something somewhere.” He opened and shut the door again quietly. He could only hope that the killer didn’t come back while he was gone.

When he came back, hardly filled by a small container of chicken nuggets and some ice he snagged from the ice machine of a local fast food joint, he found everything right where he had left them.
Not a single thing was out of place; nothing had been touched. He was glad but a little frustrated. Nobody had come and discovered his presence, yet nobody came to leave any evidence either.
He sighed and went into the back room. While he was getting his food, he discovered that he had been there about two and a half hours already. Spent on only one room. This day is going to drag out forever.
“It was your decision,” reminded Yami with a bit of an ‘I told you so’ hint in his voice.
“Oh, can it, I know already.” He opened the door to the back room. Half of the room was clean, the other still a bit of a mess. It had obviously been untouched by a single soul (he made a mental note to stop using that expression) since finding Bakura’s science book.
He wondered if he should even bother and choose a different room, but ended up going back to picking up what had been tossed carelessly onto the floor and looking at them and the floor space they inhabited before putting them away somewhere where they wouldn’t bother him.
Even after spending his time doing this and making the room spotless, aside from any forming dust, he found nothing. His amethyst eyes gave a quick scan of the room again and shook his head, going back to the first room.

“Now, where to go next?”
He figured he’d tackle all of the first floor rooms first, leaving the trip up the stairs for later. To the left of the front door was a hallway that led to the next room. He followed this, scattered windows illuminating his path, until he came to a dining area. There was a table with a few chairs and a vase of roses.
A chandelier hung from the ceiling over the table made of a stunning arrangement of crystal, making any kind of light source that hit it turn into majestic multi-colored strands, rainbows on the floor, table, chairs, and walls. This seemed rather small, perhaps it was only a breakfast nook. Nearby, the floor changed to cold white tile, leading to an equally as small kitchen.
After giving these areas a look through as well, he deemed them clue free and moved onward.

In an adjoining room was the main dining hall. An even bigger and obviously more expensive chandelier was over this table attached to the high ceiling. The table looked as if it could fit 30 people at once. Paintings were on the wall, minor works, copies of famous pieces and the like.
Trees and plants in drab pots were along the walls. It was rather open; perhaps it was used more for a party atmosphere. Rather than speculating on the functions of the ever so cliched huge dinner room and table, he looked through this room. It was soon after this room that he figured he could use a handheld magnifying glass.
Yes, and while I’m at it, he joked inside of his head, I could get a pipe and a Sherlock Holmes hat. I’ve always wanted more reasons for people to make fun of me.
There was nothing gained from the search here either. He resisted the urge to slam his fist on the well-polished wooden table to vent a little growing and intense anger for the failure this whole idea was producing.

“Yugi, it’s okay, we still have many more rooms to go through.” Yami thought for a second. “I think we’ve burned another hour or two. Want to go back and grab the flashlight?”
Yugi nodded slowly. Although he didn’t really need it; he didn’t care about turning on all the lights in the house instead of just keeping everything off and using a flashlight.
That’s how he was able to see so well in this windowless, closed off environment. So he glumly went back through the breakfast nook and to his backpack, which had yet to be moved in any way shape or form in his absence.
“I don’t know why you keep expecting that to happen,” said Yami. “Do you really want the killer to come and find you here?”

Yugi shuddered. “Fine, fine.” He snatched the flashlight (and tested it just in case again) and headed back to the main dining hall. Through the next set of double doors was a hallway filled with door after door.
He sighed and began with the closest on the right. This happened to be the main kitchen. It was surprisingly smaller than he had expected, but it still took the longest, save for the first room, to examine.

He marveled at the fact that any of the cutlery in the cold feeling room could have been used to kill then simply washed. But Yami was quick to remind him of a fact that made this whole murder strange.
“There were no wounds on him at all. For someone to use one of these,” he motioned toward the knives, “there would have been some wound.”
“What about using a large pot,” asked Yugi, starting to grasp for something, anything at all, that could explain this. “Or something big and hard to knock him out?”
“Wouldn’t the forensic scientists or whoever examined the body have found some kind of fracturing in his skull?”
Yugi gave an annoyed sigh.
“Yugi, I’m sorry, I’m just trying to be realistic here. I can’t figure anything out either.”
“But why not?” Yugi declared the kitchen a clean area and walked back out into the hallway.
“And that, my friend, is the million dollar question.”
He waltzed into the very next room just across the hall from the aforementioned kitchen to continue his search.
They had gone through as much as they physically felt they could. Leaning against a wall, Yugi suppressed the thought to whack his head against it. Computer rooms, more living rooms, a few offices, what seemed to be maids’ bedrooms, broom closets, all kinds of things.
And they still had the second floor to do. After walking back to the entrance room, the sky had grown far darker than last time he had seen a window.
“Think we should go?” he asked his alter ego.
“Might be for the best, Yugi.”

He was thinking of heeding Yami’s words when he shook his head. “No, I’m going upstairs.”
“Yugi-”
“Whatever happened to helping me without any regrets?”
“I’m starting to regret saying that.”
“No time to be funny. I’m going upstairs to search all of those rooms. And a third floor, if there is one. An attic. A basement. You name it, I will look there. And then we’ll find a way to get into that other basement room.”
There had been one room that remained locked. It seemed to need security and top level clearance, perhaps a retina scan, which normally couldn’t be gotten passed, yet Yugi was still ever determined to continue his tiring quest.
“You’re tired, you’re hungry, grandpa’s probably called the cops to look for you.”
“Yes, but I’ll camp out here if I need to. Not really, I got something in the kitchen. And I doubt it, but if I’m not back by tomorrow afternoon, he might.”
Yugi had replied to Yami and shone the flashlight up the stairs where rooms like the bedrooms and more offices were most likely located.