Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Fragile Love
Yugi sat down on his bed sighing. Ever since Yami had managed to get his own body, he was never around anymore. Always out with his old friends, well they couldn't really be called his friends anymore. They never talked to him and if they did it always was something like: Where is Yami? Can you get Yami for me?
Quite fed up with the ignorance, Yugi sighed again and wondered what he should do about it. It hurt that Yami no longer paid the littlest bit of attention, since they used to be partners in everything.
The old mind link that had been so strong when they had still been sharing his body was withering away from the once thick-coiled rope to the last threads barely hanging them together.
It hurt not only his feelings in general, but as he looked back on the past, Yugi was startled by the thoughts that came to mind. They had only been friends with him once Yami had come into his life, never before that. Now that Yami had his own body and life, they went back to ignoring his once more.
They had never actually wanted Yugi at all. They had only ever wanted Yami. Yami the strong and proud one, not the weak little Yugi who couldn't even protect himself from the school bullies.
As the realisation-hit home, a small whimper escaped Yugi's lips; he lay back down, not wanting to believe what he had just thought. It wasn't right; it couldn't be, but he facts all-adding up to the same result, no matter how he looked at it.
Oh his life, what a misery it had been before Yami had entered into it. Now that Yami, the 5000-year-old Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt was once again free in his own body, it was slowly but surely slipping back into the rut it had existed in before.
Rolling slightly onto his side, Yugi ignored the light pain that he felt coming from the bruise on his side as he stared at the wall near the window. The bright sun of the early afternoon shone in through the window, only making him feel worse.
Why couldn't the weather reflect his own inner turmoil, why did it have to reflect the way that everyone else was feeling?
The pain from the bruise, that a bully had caused only hours before finally got to Yugi, and he moved so that it was no longer causing a problem. The pounding pain in his head lightened and he could think clearer now. Ever since the bullies had found out that Yami was no longer as close to Yugi as before they had taken their chances and started to corner him once more and beat him up.
Not wanting to worry Yami, now that he had his own life to continue with, Yugi had remained silent. The façade that Yugi had put up for Yami was as clear as water to see through, but Yami obviously didn't want to see through it. Yugi had never been able to lie before and now was no different.
The only one who seemed to have noticed that anything was wrong was Grandpa and one of the most unlikely people, Seto Kaiba. Grandpa was worried and he already knew that something was wrong, but he wasn't sure how to approach Yugi about it.
He had tried to, that was for sure, but Yugi had denied that anything was wrong and wasn't going to let himself say anything else to Grandpa.
Kaiba had seen it happen at school, Yugi was sitting alone, watching Yugi for a week, he noticed that he no longer sat with his 'friends' at all. Yami was always with them and Yugi whenever he was close to them, seemed to look like he shouldn't be there. It had worried Kaiba immensely. Not only that but Mokuba had also notice and he was on Seto's case about it. Seto wasn't the stone cold emotionless person that everyone believed he was, he just acted like that to keep away the people who would try to use him to their own ends.
Yugi remember when Kaiba had finally come up and asked him what was wrong. He had at first tried to refuse that anything was wrong, but Kaiba bit straight back at him with what he had observed over the week, demanding the truth. Afraid of Kaiba's wrath, Yugi had quickly told him what had happened.
Then when the bullies started up again Kaiba didn't know, Yugi had hid all traces of the bruises just encase. Though the bullies were smart, just encase of Yami coming back to kick their butts, they always hit where it couldn't be seen, the face and hands were off limits.
It was actually an accident that Kaiba did find out. He had been driving past in his limo when he had seen a gang from school beating up what looked to be a young boy with multi coloured hair. Quickly it clicked in his mind that it was Yugi, and stopped the car, rushing to Yugi's aid. Beating the bullies off, so that they left, Seto picked up the unconscious Yugi and carried him back to the car.
Yugi had later woken up in Seto's bed, of all the places he could have woken up. Afraid, he immediately heard when the door opened, and seemed almost to have shrunken in on himself.
It had hurt Seto to see Yugi so small and helpless. Once Yugi had realized that it was Seto and he wasn't going to hurt him, he told Seto everything. Seto from that time on had made it his ambition to make sure that Yugi was all right and nothing bad happened to him.
Unfortunately that afternoon Seto had not been able to take him home and he had had to walk. The bullies had found him and given him a hard time.
Staring into the bleakness of the wall, Yugi wondered why he had been abandoned, only Seto his rival actually cared, everyone else who was supposed to be his friends had dumped him like trash.
A bang came from downstairs as the door opened and shut. He felt a tweak come from the mind link to Yami. It appeared that Yami had come home.
Not moving from the position that he was in, Yugi stared vacantly at the wall, not really caring.
Unknowingly Yugi's shirt had lifted slightly and was showing off a rather nasty looking purple and yellow bruise on his lower back.
Yami came up the stairs and knocked on the door, Yugi gave no reply, so Yami entered.
Noting the way that Yugi was lying on the bed not moving at all, he wondered what was wrong. Then he saw the bruising that the lifted t-shirt was showing.
It hurt Yami deep inside that Yugi had such a bruise on him, and from the looks of it, it was recent but not within the last day or two, perhaps half a week or so old.
"Yugi, aibou?" a pained voice called from Yami.
"Yami," a small and tired voice called timidly from the bed.
Turning over, wincing slightly, Yugi looked at Yami who appeared to be somewhat distressed.
"What happened to you aibou?" Yami managed to ask.
"Yami, nothings happened to me, why do you ask?" Yugi replied.
"Yugi, please don't deny it," Yami requested firmly. "I saw the bruise on your lower back, what happened to you?"
"It's nothing Yami, don't worry about it," Yugi attempted to lie to his other half.
"Yugi, you are a terrible liar, please tell me what happened," Yami almost growled.
Hearing the slight threat in his tone, Yugi shank slightly and quickly gave up to Yami, quickly telling him everything that he wanted to know.
"Oh Yugi, why didn't you tell me earlier," Yami moaned. "I care about you Yugi, nothing is ever going to change that, not now and not ever."
Yugi couldn't help it and started to cry. Yami might have meant his words but he wasn't exactly doing what he was saying.
"Yami, you have your own life now, you have your own body, I didn't want to stop you from having your own life. You shouldn't have to protect little weak pathetic me. I'm nothing but the dirt under foot, the rubbish that is no longer wanted. Don't feel like you have to protect me for any reason, you have for filled any debt you had to me for setting you free at least ten-fold. I don't mind having to go back to the way my life was before I can live with it. I didn't want to cause anymore trouble than I am worth…" Yugi ranted with his eyes averted.
"Yugi," Yami growled lightly.
Taking the tone the wrong way, Yugi tried to shrink in on himself.
"You are worth more than you realize to me. You are not the dirt underfoot or the rubbish no one wants. You're the light that I need to survive; you are the most precious item that I have. And nothing that anyone says will ever change that. You shouldn't have to go back to the way that your life used to be before I arrived. You are absolutely no trouble at all, I want to protect you, I want to make sure that you are alright." Yami countered.
"Then why aren't you ever around anymore. You are always out with the others. Ever since you got your body, I never see you at all?" Yugi demanded.
"…" speechless, Yami realised that Yugi was right. Ever since he had gotten his body, he never did see Yugi.
"See!" Yugi said defiantly. "How can you say that, when you can't even see that this has been happening to me and yet Seto can see it?"
"Yugi, I don't know what to say except that I am extremely sorry. I can't do or say anything to make you forgive me for what I have unknowingly done to you. It should never have happened aibou. I hope one day that you can forgive me for what I have done." Yami said with tears beginning to trail down his cheeks.
"Yami," Yugi whispered. "I don't need to forgive you, you haven't done anything wrong."
"But Yugi, that's the thing, it was my neglect, what I haven't done that is my mistake. You should never have gone through such a beating as you obviously have," Yami murmured painfully.
Carefully, Yugi sat up, the pain from his bruises seemingly not there at all and hugged Yami.
"It's alright Yami," Yugi spoke softly as Yami sobbed into his chest.
"No it's not," Yami replied through the sobs. "It's all my fault. It's my entire fault. Everything I do is wrong, I can never get anything right!"
Soothing Yami with merely his presents and a light circular rubbing on his back, Yugi hummed hoping to calm Yami down.
"Yami, don't say such things. It's not your fault that I am the way I am, if anything I would most likely be dead by now if it weren't for you. When we were together we had wonderful adventures, I met new people and made friends, and to feel love, even though the one I love will never know. I would have never have experienced these things if I had never met you," Yugi alleged.
"Not true little aibou, in time you would have done all of the above things. I'm glad you have enjoyed my time with you. I'm glad that you feel love, but you shouldn't keep the love from the person that you feel it for. You never know, they might like you back. Even love you." Yami said a little down heartened.
That was the exact reason why Yami had tried not to be around his little aibou since he had gained his own body back. He loved Yugi dearly, and it hurt to hear that he loved someone since it was only a slight to non-existence hope that it was him that Yugi loved.
Every time Yami was around Yugi, every time Yugi moved, every time he spoke, Yami took it to heart never wanting it to end. Wanting to tell Yugi about his love for him but not doing it for the fear of being rejected. The rejection would be beyond anything that he would ever be able to handle. It he was rejected he would have no reason to live. Yugi would abandon him, afraid of what he might do.
Yugi misinterpreted the way that Yami said his words, the words themselves were nice, but the words were not in question but the tone in which they were said. Almost as if he didn't want that to happen.
"Yami, what did you mean by that," Yugi asked confused. "Don't you want me to find love, aren't you happy enough with the loneliness that I already endure?"
"NO!" Yami fervently exclaimed. "No, I want you to love and to be happy,"
Yami turned slightly to the side, not wanting Yugi to see him as trying to turn away, but not wanting to look at his face either.
"I just wish that you were in love with me," Yami whispered.
Yugi having heard it, although Yami didn't know it, he had heard the words that his heart had been yearning for, ever since he had realized his love for Yami.
Yugi sucked up all his courage, and hugged Yami tightly.
"I love you too," he confessed whispering in Yami's ear.
A shocked Yami didn't move, but remained still, as if thinking it was a dream, and not wanting to be awoken from it.
"Do you really mean that Yugi?" Yami asked unsure.
"Yes," Yugi reassured him. "I have for a long time, but I was too scared to tell you. Afraid that you would leave since you have your own body now and no longer need me."
"I could never do that to you Yugi," Yami said.
Pulling Yugi around into a hug, Yugi happily hugging him back. The pair sat back content to remain in the company of the other, if necessary until the end of time.