The Eye of Loss

Chapter 8

Crimson shifts from one target to the second. In the room that grows dimmer ever so slowly, the two goons stand there, staring at Tea for another moment before the older one rounds on the other and starts shouting. Their words are unimportant.

The girl is important, though. Her life deserves his attention. Crimson eyes shift again to catch a glimpse of her. Their eyes catch, and recognition and relief enter Tea's. Within the locked gaze, the spirit can see her thoughts. He will save her, she believes. The belief fades, but not due to a faltering conviction. The girl cannot keep awake enough to feel, so she falls to the side. There is no sound as she comes to a rest on the carpet; only the soundless flickering of embers that glow behind her.

The words of the targets silence. Their existence in the Puzzle Spirit's world ceases to register. There is only the girl, faintly breathing and asleep when she must not be.

The Puzzle glows. Something chips; long cracks grow on the planes of Dark Yugi's mercy until pieces fall down into the cold abyss.

The two men arguing amongst themselves fail to notice the darkening of the room. One by one, the embers die as shadows stretch out across the floor and showcase shelves. The eyes of the awakened spirit glisten like the blood on the girl's shirt.

The light half's soul door waits for the Puzzle Spirit. From the outside, a dead bolt slides into place.

Yugi is asleep still. He did not see what happened. He will never have need to.

A psychotic touch manifests in his surface features but then sinks in deep through to his bones. As the touch vanishes beneath the surface, all that is left on the dark spirit's face are hollow eyes and a mask that does not try to look human.

When the older one steps towards the girl, his eyes lack the compassion that would signal the intention to help. Behind the two, a figure pushes himself out of the chair. His rise is silent, so neither human turns around.

The darkness of Yugi has decided their Game. It may be a little unfair, but that is acceptable.

A hand reaches forward, and the older goon jerks when a small, warm hand grasps his arm.

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Shibutaku jolts at the sensation of ants crawling by his elbow. He knows that there are no ants in this place, but that does not stop him from swiping at the spot while turning around. The hand that he hits is the first thing Shibutaku feels. A spike of adrenaline is the second.

As the boy's, who was supposed to be unconscious, hand falls away, Shibutaku gets a good look at his eyes. The hollowness in their depths means next to nothing to one who sees killers' eyes every day when he walks into work. Yet, that color, that crimson glint that glistens like blood, brings on a reflexive aiming of his gun.

"You're it." The words of the demon-eyed boy are out before the gun has even risen a foot. By the time Shibutaku shoots, the boy has already disappeared past the doorway. A bullet hole mocks the gang member from its place in the frame.

That kid was too fast. That kid was too fucking fast!

The sensation of ants has disappeared, but Shibutaku knows that he is going to purify his arm later.

"Kiichiro-" Shibutaku turns and feels only confusion when he sees his companion's face. Fear twists its features as the younger man stumbles back screaming. Three bullets fire, but Shibutaku only stays around to hear the first.

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Kiichiro's heart pounds loud enough in his ears to muffle the sound of his gun blasting. He does not understand. He just does not understand. One minute, his senior was standing there, and the next...The next, Shibutaku's brown eyes darkened into all-encompassing black. His skin morphed into a blotched corpse grey, and his hair thinned and sloughed off with pieces of scalp.