Scared

Chapter: Dreams of the Past

Rating: M

Note: Music that was used to embodied this chapter was the song Scared by Three Days Grace


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He could hear the footsteps climbing up the stairs growing ever so closer. The creaks of the wooden stairs heavier than normal. The person was carrying something. He stayed in bed his eyes shut in hopes of making the noise go away. He didn’t want the man to be angry with him. The night was cold and he only had a thin blanket to keep him warm along with the sheets that made up his bed. Holding his breathe in wait, he heard the door slowly open. Heavy thuds of the footfalls stumbling through the doorway and toward his bed. His mind begged for it to all be a dream as his heart lurched forward as the sound of heavy breathing came from next to his small bed.

The young boy yelped as the blanket was torn away from his body viciously. “Get up boy…” The older man said gruffly. The boy quickly obeyed and sat up not wanting to the man mad. “Come m’ere!” The man slurred as he grabbed the kid’s ear and dragged him out of bed. The boy’s mother wasn’t there to stop him, she had left him there with the deranged man. Alcohol perfumed the taller male making the younger gag at the scent. The man backhanded the boy onto the ground. “I told you to make sure my dinner was warm when I came home! The only reason I keep you is because you can cook better than me! You bastard…” He said in a surprisingly sober voice.

The younger boy knew that he wasn’t this man’s child, but couldn’t really do anything. The man’s hair was blonde, while the boy’s was black. He had green eyes while the kid had brown. As the kid was contemplating this, the man smacked him again. The beating turned violent as the man started to kick and punch the young boy until he bled. The young boy opened his mouth, giving a wordless scream. Blood dripped from his mouth when the man finally stopped. The dark haired kid looked at the blonde as he contemplated what to use next in his abuse. That’s when the man glanced down at his belt and the kid knew the next beating was going to be more painful.

The brown-eyed boy watched emotionlessly as the man, who was suppose to be his father, undo his belt with great difficultly. He silently prayed for the man to stop in his mind, but he knew it was futile. Obediently he lay on the bed as he was ordered to. Biting his lip, he tried not to make a sound as the man whipped him with the metal of the belt. He knew he would have to explain his wounds to his friends when he got to school and not wanting to feel ashamed, he would lie and say he got into fights on the street.

The metal object came down on the boy’s back with excruciatingly painful strength. The young boy gripped the sheets under him tightly. His head turned into the pillow to try to muffle the low cries he unconsciously gave. The torture continued until his back was bloody and full of cuts. The young boy was then picked up by his hair as the man leaned over him.

“You better clean yourself up by the time you have to go school…” The man breathed into the kid’s face. His breathe stank of cigarettes and alcohol. The young boy nodded slowly, not wanting to bring any further abuse to his body. The man threw his head back into the pillow and promptly left the room.

Slowly sitting up, the kid pulled out the medical kit out from under his bed carefully. He stared blankly into the kit as he pulled out everything he needed. This happened day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. It never stopped. He thought to himself as he awkwardly bandaged his back. He took the sheets off of his bed and put them in the hamper he had in his closet, along with the torn shirt that he threw into the corner.

Looking at the clock, he noted he had thirty minutes before school. He had to leave now if he wanted to make it to first period. He quickly grabbed a white sweater his friend, who was a girl, gave him for his birthday along with a different pair of jeans. Leaving quickly, he avoided the man that was his guardian and headed toward school.

He could hear the whispers from everyone around him as he walked down the sidewalk.

“Look, there’s Yusuke…look he got into another fight.”

“You know what I heard? He’s a bastard child…”

“If I were him I’d kill myself, I mean I heard he doesn’t even win the fights.”

Yusuke never even bothered to lift his head. What was he suppose to tell them? That his step-father beats him? Who would believe him?

“Yusuke!” Keiko called as she ran toward him. “Where were you yesterday?” The young boy blinked. That’s when he remembered that the man dislocated his shoulder and it took him all day to figure out how to relocate it.

“I was sick, what’s it to ya?” He lied with his tough mask firmly on.

“Sick my butt!” A boy said as he walked up to them. Keiko hid behind Yusuke as he looked on with a blank expression. “I bet he was ditching. So he could stuff like his mom! I hear she’s into drugs…that he’s a drunk and a prostitute!” The older boy laughed. “Urameshi is such a loser.”

Yusuke’s teeth grinded together as his fists clenched at his sides.

“Yusuke-kun…” Keiko whispered gripping the back of his sweater as he took a step forward. “Don’t…”

“What’s this?” The boy leaned forward smirking at Yusuke. “Looks like witty Yusuke wants to play!” Yusuke dropped his bag and gently pushed Keiko back so she wasn’t in the way when he lost his temper. But that was his mistake. He had his back to the kid. The older boy tackled Yusuke to the ground, jarring his back. Yusuke yelped in pain as the boy sat up and began to punch him. Raising his leg, he used his foot to push the taller boy off of him. Rolling up, Yusuke watched as the boy charged at him. He ducked under it and returned a punch in the kid’s stomach. Keiko’s yell went unheard as Yusuke felt the blood dribble down his back as the kid sucker punched him in the eye. Growling, Yusuke performed an uppercut before punching him again. He was then kicked to the ground, where his back was attacked by vicious kicked from the boy. Yusuke didn’t yell in pain, but stayed on the ground. He turned quickly, grabbing the boy’s foot and pulled him onto the ground too. Getting away, Yusuke climbed to his feet at the same time his opponent did. They continued to go at it not noticing the children gathering around them. It was only when Yusuke heard someone shout that the adults were coming that he stopped, but the other boy didn’t. He took a cheap shot and punched Yusuke so hard that it caused Yusuke to spin around and knock into someone.

“Yusuke!” An older female voice said as the woman held Yusuke’s shoulders. The young man looked up as the woman smiled at him and took out her handkerchief to wipe the blood from his face.

“Mommy?” Yusuke blinked at her. She nodded and looked at the principal as he reprimanded the other kid. “Why are you here?” Yusuke asked.

“I am fighting to win your custody Yusuke.” She replied as Keiko walked over to her, handing her Yusuke’s bag. “Thank you Keiko.” She smiled at the young girl before turning back to her son. “I know I might not be the best mother Yusuke, but I am a better parent than that man. I won’t let him hurt you anymore.” Yusuke stared at his mother for a long time before flying into her arms hugging her. As she hugged him back, she questioned him. “So what started this fight?”

“That jerk said bad things about you mom!” Yusuke said as he turned and glared the boy. He tried to hide the grin as he saw the other boy’s bloody face. He turned back to his mom. “Do I have to go home to dad?” He asked quietly.

“No, I came to pick you up to go to court right now…” She said as she lifted the young boy up. The principal looked at Yusuke and crossed his arms.

“Yusuke…just so you know, for fighting in the name of your mother, I will only suspend you for three days. Okay?” He said. Yusuke nodded and apologized for fighting. Not like he meant it. Yusuke’s mother apologized too and then left to take Yusuke into her car.

At the court, Yusuke’s so-called father was glaring at him the whole time since they entered. When Yusuke went to sit in the witness box, his glare darkened. Yusuke looked at the man in the gray suit that started to question him and was his mother’s -- Atsuko’s lawyer.

“Now Yusuke, may I call you Yusuke?” He asked. Yusuke nodded and watched him warily. “I’m Mito-san, I would like to ask you a few questions is that okay?” Yusuke nodded again. “I noticed in your medical records that you’ve been to the hospital quite a few times. Why is that?”

“Because daddy said I was bad…” Yusuke replied barely loud enough for them to hear.

“Bad? Do you mean he put you in the hospital?” Mito asked. The young boy nodded again. “Yusuke, what do your father do at home?”

“Nothing…he drinks, smokes and watches TV. He makes me do everything and if I don’t do it right I get punished.”

“In what way does he punish you Yusuke?” The lawyer asked again.

“Objection!” The other lawyer shouted.

“Overruled!” The judged exclaimed. He turned to Yusuke and questioned in a softer voice. “Yusuke will you answer the question?”

“He would either leave me to sleep in the cold, or make me miss a meal…most of the time he just beats me.” Yusuke replied with a little more courage. He wanted nothing more than to get out of his step-father’s house.

“Do you have any proof of the beatings Yusuke?” The good lawyer asked. Little Yusuke nodded and stood on his chair. He turned around as he lifted his shirt to show Mito and the judge his back. The scabs from last night’s beating as well as scars from old beatings showed brightly against his skin. “Dear god...”

“Yusuke, you sat your step-father did this to you?” The judge asked. Yusuke nodded and put his down as he turned back around. The judge looked down at Yusuke’s step-father. And Yusuke was silently thanking the gods that he didn’t have the same last name as the evil man. “Takimori-san is this true?”

“The boy is obviously lying, don’t you know his reputation? He gets into fights on the streets.” Yusuke’s step-father said trying to nonchalantly pass it off. Yusuke glared at him and leaned on the railing of the podium angrily pointing at the man.

“LIAR! You called me a bastard child and whip me with your belt all the time like you did last night!” The young boy shouted. “I hate you! I hate what you did to me!”

“Why you little brat!” Takimori lunged over his table and tried to go for Yusuke. The young boy’s eyes widened at the move, but Atsuko got into the way and fought against him.

“LEAVE MY SON ALONE!” She shouted. The judge slammed his hammer onto his desk shouting.

“ORDER! ORDER IN MY COURT ROOM! SECURITY GET IN HERE AND RESTRAIN THIS MAN!”

The guards were able to pull Yusuke’s step-father from his mother and subdue him. Atsuko took Yusuke into her arms and led him away from where Takimori was being held. The judge nodded and slammed his hammer on the desk again bringing everyone’s attention to him. “I here by give full custody to Urameshi-san. As for Takimori-san, you will be sent home for the night, under supervision, before returning tomorrow when I will then decide your fate. Yusuke, the police have already given your mother your possessions they could find within your former home. So you may leave with her.” Yusuke nodded to the judged holding his mother’s hand tightly. Takimori glared at Atsuko and Yusuke as they walked out of the court room.

That night Yusuke and his mother were watching TV when they saw it. Atsuko covered her mouth in shock as Yusuke just stared on. The new reporter was talking about a car crash off the highway when they showed the victim’s face. It was Yusuke’s step-father. He was the victim of the car crash. “His can ran through the railing and off the cliff side killing him. As of yet no one knows why, but there is residue of alcohol within the debris of the car.”

Yusuke could sum up the energy feel anything for the news of Takimori’s death. The man had caused Yusuke trouble for years and that he was dead, it all seemed like a dream to the traumatized young boy.

A week later at Takimori’s funeral, Yusuke stared blankly at the urn as it was lowered into the ground. Those were the ashes of what the cops suspected were Takimori’s remains. That was the last time Yusuke ever saw anything that had to deal with that man ever again.

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Yusuke jolted awake, his body drenched in sweat and his breath ragged. “Holy shit…” He said, throwing an arm over his eyes. Why would Yusuke remember all that stuff now? It’s been almost thirteen years since everything has happened. The young fighter was now eighteen and it has been almost two years since he’s beaten Sensui and found out that he held demon blood within. So why was he dreaming of things that happened when he was six? Yusuke sighed and pushed himself into a sitting position and ran his hand through his hair. The sheets fell down his naked chest onto his lap. The wind blew through the opened window chilling the sweat on his body. What a way to start the day…


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Author's note: Let me explain real quick. This is my rewrite of an old story. I'm changing it from First person to Third person. The Details will be better and so will everything else such as plot and in-character personas. Enjoy.