It's been almost five years since the ceremonial battle. Yami has stayed, but as both his and Yugi's 21st birthday approach, Yami seems distant. Will Yami blow everything and push Yugi away?
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. However, the storyline is mine, and any OCs that may come to visit ARE mine. Also, any quotes of such are not mine, and will be attributed to the original authors.
Info: Eventual YxYY, multiple YxOC up to that point. Semi AU, however, follows anime/show history to a point…
Normal Talking-narration
"Character Talking"-character talking
/mind talking/-mind link
Quote talking-quote or lyrics OR thinking to one's self (it will be obvious which)
It was just another usual summer night in Domino City. Hot, muggy, and relatively quiet. The average person had long since given up on trying to keep cool and had henceforth retired to stuffy upstairs bedrooms and fitful slumbers, where heat dampened hairlines with sweat and left window fans gasping for breath as they churned away with the familiar hum of summer.
For the city's teens, even this late evening heat was too much to keep them on the streets, with many darting into air conditioned clubs and bars, to create heat of their own.
So as long as one is able to find an escape, the summer heat is not a problem.
But the heat also has a way of making small problems into bigger ones.
As it is in a small apartment at the back of a local game shop.
Twenty year old Yugi Moto slammed down his fist on the table, as he simultaneously slammed down the phone, abruptly ending the conversation on the other end.
"My God, Yami, if you would simply hear yourself talk sometimes, I swear," Yugi muttered under his breath angrily. "But of course, you wouldn't realize anything's wrong. Typical pharaoh attitude."
But of course Yami wouldn't know what was wrong. He had simply told his hikari he was going to a movie. He simply forgot about the plans that Yugi and him had made to go to dinner for their birthday with Grandpa. And when Yugi, being the sweet, understanding light that he is, reminded him gently of those plans, of course, there was no way for the Dark to know just how frustrated Yugi was for blowing off plans again, and was completely unaware of how standoffish he sounded when he told Yugi that their dinner was no big deal and that they could reschedule some other time.
But summer heat can do that. Make a small problem seem all the bigger. But Yami had been doing this more and more lately. Blowing off Yugi lately. At first Yugi understood. After all, Yami celebrated his birthday a week before Yugi's, and as Yami's 21st was only a few days awayYugi could easily understand why Yami was going out all night without him. They were going to 21+ clubs. Well, that fantasy worked for all of two minutes, until Yugi obviously realized that Yami wasn't 21 yet either. No matter, he thought, but upon asking the ex-pharaoh as to where he was going, Yugi would get less and less unique answers as the week went by, as the day go closer. And tonight, one night before Yami's 21st, here Yugi was again, plans canceled last minute by the impulsiveness.
"He should really be more considerate," Yugi thought darkly. "I mean, Grandpa booked one of the nicest restaurants in the city. After all he's done for him, giving him a home; a place to live, he should at least not stand Grandpa up."
But of course, Grandpa had made no such plans. Yugi told Yami that in a last-ditch effort to spend a little more time with his dark half. He could easily convince his Dark half that Grandpa had wanted to give them time alone. And he truly did. Grandpa knew that Yami was Yugi's best friend. They were like brothers, and for the last almost five years, they had done almost everything together.
But as they had grown up, Yami increasingly seemed more distant. He and Yugi developed some different friends and habits. Yami was still the competitive duelist, while working for Grandpa in the Game Shop on time off, while Yugi had taken to going back to school, and had picked up the piano, playing in bars a night or two a week. But as time ticked closer to the present, Yami almost seemed condescending towards Yugi, never wanting to spend more than a few minutes at a time with his light. Yugi didn't tend to see it as bad as he did, but all of their mutual friends did. But to prevent any other tension from arising, they made a point not to speak of it. But the tension was present, and they resolved this by spending less and less time with the two of them together, and as Yami was already the more outgoing one, they began to spend less and less time with Yugi.
Now however, was when Yugi clearly noticed a darker aura coming from his mou hitori no boku, his other half. He wasn't flat out rude, but he always seemed to speak in a slow, patient tone, that just dripped sarcasm. And now as their birthday's were coming up, Yugi was unsure of how exactly to go about approaching him for celebration.
Rising slowly from the kitchen bar counter, Yugi walked across the kitchen tile and glanced at the clock while gazing out at the late-fading sunset over the dirty kitchen sink. 9:27 PM. Yugi sighed heavily. Something was truly bothering his Yami and he didn't know how to handle the problem.
"But maybe I'm the problem," Yugi thought. "I'm probably just overreacting. Or not. God, I don't know. Everything is just so freakin' confusing lately. I wanted our birthday to be a fun time. Not all this stress. Maybe we're just all growing up. I mean, apart from Yami, I haven't seen much of the gang all summer. Everyone's so busy. Maybe I just need to take a vacation. Just get outta town for awhile. Reevaluate life. I mean, apart from Grandpa and this Game Shop, what else am I going to do with my life?"
Backing away from the window and casting one more glance at the clock, Yugi turned and walked out of the kitchen into the front room and fell into one of the large arm chairs in front of the large bay windows at the back of the shop. God the heat was oppressive. With a final sigh and turn of his head, Yugi shut his eyes and drifted off into a fevered sleep, waiting until his Yami would come in the door with a bang, unaware of the racket he made, waking Yugi and Grandpa up, as he had every night for the last week he'd been out late.
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(5 hours later)
Yugi jumped up with a start as he heard glass shatter. He quickly groped around for his cell phone, reading the time in the dark. 2:49 AM?
"God, Yami, you moron," Yugi cursed under his breath, as he slowly got to his feet to let his Dark half in, "Can you be any less quiet?"
As Yugi went to the door, he suddenly realized. 2:49 AM? It was officially Yami's birthday!
Yugi quickly doubled his step, dashing into the closet in the tiny kitchen, as the pounding continued, to grab Yami's gift off the top shelf. He wanted to be the first one to wish Yami a happy birthday, and hopefully resolve some tension between the two of them and make Yami's birthday the happiest day he'd had in awhile.
"I'm coming Yami, I'm coming," Yugi muttered darkly, as he knocked some other boxes off the top shelf. "Seriously, between the two of us we'll wake the whole neighborhood."
Finding the small, neatly wrapped box, Yugi grabbed it, kicked the door shut and ran into the front room. Setting the box on the end table, Yugi grabbed the door handle and opened it to reveal one disheveled, annoyed ex-pharaoh standing there.
Seeing the angry expression on Yami's face made Yugi falter for a second, which is why he said rather shyly, "Happy birthday Yami."
Yami's crimson eyes narrowed in frustration as he brushed past Yugi, throwing his jacket over a chair.
"About time you came to the door," he said, low, while keeping his back to Yugi. "I was out there for a good five minutes before you showed up!"
Yugi whipped around, slamming the door shut much louder than he intended to, while turning to speak to the ex-pharaoh.
"Seriously?!" he replied loudly, feeing his dander rising, along with the color in his face. "I wait up for you every SINGLE night this past week waiting for you to come home later and later because you are too lazy to remember your keys! And now you're blaming me? When I come to greet you on your BIRTHDAY? Are you seriously talking to me like I'm a child?"
The ex-pharaoh in turn whipped around and crossed the living room and now stood glaring at Yugi from across the room.
"You think I need you?" he nearly shouted, completely forgetting about the time of day (or night for that matter). "That it's your JOB to wait up for me? I was out having a fun night for my birthday and you are here to ruin it? I am responsible enough to find my own way in whenever I so choose, not to be baby-sat by you!"
Yugi couldn't believe the words Yami was saying. He knew things were a bit tense lately, but this was entirely unprecedented. But before he could reply, the ex-pharaoh continued.
"And seriously Yugi! You are being remarkably foolish if you think that I have to answer to you as to when I come home or not! I am perfectly entitled to have fun with my life, a life I chose to spend here! I didn't come here to be ruled by you!"
Yugi shot back, "Hear yourself talk! We were supposed to go out tonight with me for our birthdays and you just totally blow that off! Blow of Grandpa and the plans he mad! You are totally selfish and don't care about anyone but yourself! You know I have summer class, and you have a job, but NO! who cares that Yugi has to stay up to the crack of dawn waiting for his majesty to come home at god-knows-when! That's all you've been doing lately!"
Tears began to well in the corners of Yugi's eyes as he continued. "Don't even give me this bullshit about going out with friends every night, you gave the same damn excuse every single night. 'Yugi I'm going to the movies,' 'Yugi I'm going to the park,' 'Yugi, I'm going over to Joey's'. Blah, blah, blah, pharaoh! You can't even lie about it! You never even ask if I want to go! You think you are too good for me you selfish, ungrateful…"
Yugi was cut off, by a sudden slap to the face. Too stunned to cry out in pain or in anger at the fact that Yami had just hit him, Yugi just stood there, fists balled, tears of anger streaming down his face. Yami had never hit him before. They had never fought like this…
"Shut up Yugi!" Yami bellowed. "Get out of my way and stay out of my way! I owe no fucking explanation to you, or to anyone else!"
And with that, Yami staggered out of the room in the direction of the stairs.
As Yami went stomping up the stairs, Yugi finally collapsed on the floor, sobbing. After everything I did for him, he is so ungrateful! If he's looking for an excuse to never speak to me again, hell, he got it now! Screw him! Screw all of them! Why the hell am I still here? I have no reason to even be here anymore! I'm almost 21, I can do things on my own! Grandpa will understand, I hope. But I can't let him know why I'm leaving, I don't want the high and mighty pharaoh taking it out on him!
Yugi wiped the tears from his face as he got to his feet shakily, but determined. He needed a plan. He went into the kitchen and grabbed the can of money that his Grandpa stashed away for emergencies behind the microwave. Counting it quickly, he pocketed the whole $750 inside. Enough for a few night's rent or food he thought. Trying to be as quiet as he could, Yugi crept back through the front room into the back hallway connecting the living area with the Game Shop. Scrounging frantically, while looking for a small bag he could stuff some things in, Yugi glanced back and forth, making sure Yami didn't come back down the stairs. But upon hearing the shower flip on up there, Yugi knew he had some time.
Watching from around the corner up the stairs, Yugi saw as the ex-pharaoh dragged himself back into the bathroom and close the door. Knowing he had only a minute or two, Yugi dashed upstairs, flew into his room, and grabbed a few pairs of clothes out of the closet. Grabbing too his wallet, cell phone, and on last thought, his new dueling deck, he ran down the stairs, just as he heard the shower click back off.
"I'll call Grandpa later, and tell him everything." Yugi thought quickly. "I can't let Yami know where I'm going. But I just gotta get outta here. God, I can't do this anymore!"
Walking quickly back into the front room, Yugi expertly twirled the lock on the safe and pulled out his passport. Satisfied, and with one last look around the place, Yugi nodded, set his jaw, and walked with deliberation out the front door, a loud enough slam for emphasis, but not enough for Yami to hear.
"I'll show you, I'll show everyone!"
From his upstairs window, Solomon Moto watched his grandson walk out into the moonlight.
"Oh Yugi," he thought. "If only you knew…"
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(7 hours later)
With a loud bang from the grandfather clock downstairs, Yami rolled out of bed with a start.
"God damn it," he thought darkly. "Ah, fuck, my head…what the hell did I do to it, ahhh!"
Yami bit down and closed his eyes as bright sunlight streamed through the window, and then proceeded to bury his head under the pillow as the clock continued its tenuous assault on his head. God, he had never experienced this level of agony before.
As the clock stopped ringing, Yami tried to sit upright again, but rolled back on his side as now a wave of nausea from his head hit him.
"Oh god," he muttered, as he realized what was about to happen. As he dashed for the bathroom, he thought, "God, I hope Yugi's out of there…"
What the ex-pharaoh didn't know, as he was bending over the toilet, was that Yugi WAS out of there. Almost two thousand miles out of there. Because Yugi had hopped on the first flight from the airport, heading for America
Out of the summer heat.
A/N: Okay, long first chapter I know. But it will get better, I PROMISE :)
Please Review and let me know thoughts, ideas, suggestions. I know this SEEMS like your generic "Yami-pisses-off-Yugi" fic, but I promise you it's not!
Thanks for reading!