Emerald eyes looked up in terror at the man above him. Even tied as he was, he struggled to get away from the man afraid for the first time in his life that this would be the end. It wasn’t supposed to be this way; if he was going to die shouldn’t he be with the one he loved? He screamed again as his body bore the assault from the other man. It only seemed to encourage him more, laughing at the cries while increasing the force of his thrusts into the teen. The man reached up grabbing the collar around the boy’s throat constricting his breathing further than he thought possible. As he surrendered to the darkness that surrounded him one thought crossed his mind, why…


*****

Six months prior…


The old man pulled him aside as the others left the game shop, telling them he needed to speak to the Dice Master alone for a moment. As Yugi and gang stepped out to wait on him, Otogi leaned up against the counter in the shop wondering what the man could want. It wasn’t as if they shared anything in common. Well that is except the obvious interest in games but still, that hardly called for them to speak away from the others. His curiosity was immensely peeked to say the least.

He watched in silence as Yugi’s grandfather finished his task of closing the game shop, pulling down blinds to cover the windows, letting anyone who passed know it was closed for the night. The old man worked quickly and quietly not saying a word to the boy, looking as if he forgot Otogi was even there. When done, he turned looking at the boy with strange interest. He walked over to the counter to stand next to the dark haired boy.

“I’ve watched you for sometime now young man. You are undisciplined, brash, stubborn and in need of a strong hand to guide you.” The boy raised an eyebrow at the statements, not denying them; instead, a smile appeared upon his face in acquiescence.

“On your knees,” he spoke the words firmly, commanding without room for refusal but without raising his voice.

It took a moment before he realized he had obeyed without question, his body reacting without thought to the tone. He looked up at the older man puzzled over what had come over him, why did his whole body feel as if it were controlled by the other.

“A little hesitant, but not bad but next time I expect you to move faster when I tell you to do something.” The old man leaned closer to the boy, placing a hand under his chin to bring his head up further. Looking into the emerald pools of light the boy called eyes, he continued. “You will be here tomorrow night at closing. Come to the back door, do not knock. You will wait for me to let you in. Do not tell Yugi or anyone else of this ‘meeting’ of ours. Be on time and you will be rewarded; if you are late…” he didn’t finish the thought aloud but the boy understood the words left unspoken. “Go now, Yugi and your friends are waiting for you, but do not forget what I’ve said.”

He got up off the floor, moving quickly this time afraid the old man would be irate at him again for his hesitation. Backing away from the man towards the door, Otogi bowed his head slightly at him before opening the door and stepping out into the night air. As he shut the door behind him, he let out the breath he hadn’t even realized he had been holding. His body shivered, even though it was not a cold night, as the cooler air blew over his heated skin. Taking a deep breath he stepped away from the doorway then started walking across the street to where his friends where waiting.


part 2