Falling to Darkness

VIII

Yes, I am aware that this fic is extremely lacking in the Blindshipping area. We've only seen, what, two little sections with Atemu in it?

In complete honesty, I think I'm going to cut the Shipping crap and just center this on brotherly Yuugi/Heba-ness. Y'know, family-centric.

It'd be a nice little change from all the Shipping, don't you guys think?

Give me your opinions? Because at this point, I honestly have NO idea on how I'm going to squeeze in Atem for Blindshipping.

Well, either way...

Enjoy the chapter!

o.o.o.o.o

"B... Bakari?"

That single name jarred Yuugi from whatever insomnia-ridden daze he had managed to fall into. He was laying prone, having been coaxed into bed by his grandfather after his little... episode, in the kitchen.

Hearing Bakari Mutou's voice had sent a shockwave of bitter memories and sour emotion through his body. It had shot every nerve, stunned every brain cell, and sent all emotion his body contained completely haywire. He had fallen into an unresponsive stupor, simply curling in on himself on the kitchen floor, face hidden behind bloody hands.

It had taken nearly forty-five minutes of his grandfather's patient words to stir the distraught teen enough into responding. Another five minutes later, Sugoroku had successfully led Yuugi into the bathroom. Ten more was what it took to convince the boy to remove his jacket- an object that had become an obvious safety-blanket for him. After the clothing had been removed, he had run his grandchild's blood-stained arm below a stream of lukewarm water, gently rubbing away the drying scarlet from scarred flesh.

Yuugi recalled the heartache and grief in the old man's eyes as he exposed his pale arms, flecked generously in the remnants of self-inflicted cuts. But, though Yuugi had been extremely hesitant- maybe even a bit frightened- on how his grandpa would react, never before had he felt so... safe. So secure.

He recalled Sugoroku's small words of encouragement at Yuugi's childlike reactions to the simplest of touches. The way he would flinch, and try to pull back, attempting to shrink in on himself and hide his face away from the world. How his wrinkled fingers had carefully washed away blood to swirl pink in the faucet water, and drain away. How he had wrapped and bound the wound to the adolescent's hand. There had been a tender, parental glow to the elder's eyes that Yuugi had never seen before- not even in the gaze of his very own mother.

Then, he had been led to his room, and left to change into his pyjamas (which really only involved Yuugi stripping down and putting on a pair of sweatpants), when the phone rang. Sugoroku had excused himself, promising to return and say good-night.

And the caller just-so-happened to be his father. The source of his currently-unhinged state.

How ironic.

Yuugi blinked, purple eyes gazing around his bedroom. He tried to focus in on what his grandparent was saying.

"What do you mean, you want to see him?" Sugoroku's tone had a defensive edge to it, almost hostile-sounding. "You haven't bothered to make contact with him before now."

There was a pause.

"I'm not sure whether I find the idea that you actually think that Yuugi will want to see you, after all you and Saya put him through, to be funny or just pathetic." Yuugi blinked widely at the harsh wording. Never before had he heard his Ojii-chan sound so feirce, so bitter and loathing. "The idea of you having the nerve to call and say you want to see him after the very sound of your voice sent him into a panic attack- yes, Bakari, a panic attack- It-It... To put bluntly, it infuriates me!"