Title: The Photo Effect
Author: starlight2005
Pairing: … surprise (oh fine) Seto/Yami
Summary: People say it's best to be loved and be loved in return. Once upon a time, there was a story. And immediately after that once upon a time came the end.
A/N: To those who know, I'm sure you also know the reason why I'm writing this. I just couldn't stop thinking about it. So there… This is only a test. A chapter to uhm… check the waters, so to speak. If you want me to continue, please drop a word.
A/N 2: No, I am not going to stop writing Blood is Red or In Explanation. I just have to get this out of my system. Apparently, a handful of people think I'm going to do something stupid or something. :sigh:
Chapter 1: Once upon a time…
It's too late to apologize, it's too late.
- Apologize, One Republic
XXX
Few, if not none, could surprise the 'great' Yami Motou; and with reason. The King of Games had been through many ordeals—villains, end-of-the-world plots and basically just about anyone who's insane enough to threaten the lives of those he cared about. After he had gotten his own body with the help of Ishizu, Yami had moved on from being the past-less pharaoh and gotten himself a life. He went back to having whatever level of education he still needed and graduated with flying colors.
'You're off to college, Yami! How cool is that?' His aibou had greeted him immediately after he had received his diploma.
College. They didn't have one of those in Ancient Egypt. Okay, granted that he did receive the best of education there was in his time… this was different, wasn't it? And who would think that a former 3000-year old spirit would actually enroll now in one of the most prestigious universities in the country? The degree wasn't really as important as settling in, though. Yami was convinced that he could handle the pressure and the load but what about Yugi and the other friends he had left behind? Were they not due for one more year in high school? And Grandpa! Who's going to look after him?
"Yami, open up!"
Yami blinked, realizing that he had just dozed off for the nth time that day. Beside him, his cellular phone beeped. It was 9 o'clock already?
"I'm coming!"
The college student yanked the door open and was met by a hug. Daniel Grey smiled drunkenly at his dorm mate.
"It's 9 PM and you're already drunk? You're unbelievable," the former pharaoh remarked as he guided the other boy to the bathroom. From outside, he could hear the snickers from Daniel's friends. That guy… Yami shook his head.
"What? I aced his test! That is reason for celebration, mind you." Daniel explained; well, that would have been the explanation if the boy hadn't been slurring. Apparently, any sense of reason had flown out of the window. The former pharaoh could have laughed if he weren't busy worrying about his own set of tests tomorrow.
"I trust you can get out of the bathroom alone?" Yami asked, leaning on the doorway as he watched Daniel lean on the sink. Honestly, if the guy was going to throw up, it would have been better to lean on the toilet bowl, wouldn't it? Daniel nodded at the question. "My head hurts," he muttered.
Yami sighed.
"Listen, I'm going out, okay? Don't bolt the door. I'll be back by midnight," he called to his drunken friend. He heard a grunt in response. Daniel Grey was exasperating most of the time—how the guy handled both his studies and his escapades at night was something Yami wanted to ask—but on those rare but sober moments, the guy proved to be rather… reasonable and less judging. About one particular matter, anyway. Or two, Yami thought.
XXX
The night air was chilly, to describe it best. Yami cursed, he should have brought a thicker jacket. In the first place, he shouldn't have left early. He planned on going at 10:30, after he was done researching about gang violence for his Sociology report. Unfortunately, the moment Grey knocked on the door, drunkenly mind you, Yami was convinced he wouldn't be able to concentrate on whatever task was at hand. He might as well leave, right?
Wrong.
Yami shivered. After high school, he decided to cut his night trips to a minimum (borderline none). It just wasn't worth it. In a more practical point of view, why go out when he could have done so many things inside his dorm room? Like studying… or chatting with his aibou. He missed Yugi and the rest of the gang. He even missed the Tomb Robber, and that was saying something. College was nice and all—pursuit of higher education and what-not—but what was the point if you couldn't even find the time to spend time with family and friends?
The former pharaoh realized just how stupid the question was. Of course college was important! Yugi did his best just to find a way for Yami to be sent to a good university. Grandpa had agreed profusely, claiming that his 'other grandson' must not waste his talents. From a distance, Yami could see the darkened path leading to the park. A walk in the park would be nice, he thought to himself.
Wouldn't it be better if he was here to walk with you?
Gods, Yami must be losing his mind right now. Granted that he was in the mood to follow the schedule in his planner, he should be going eastward—not west, as he was doing right now—and he should be looking for someone to buy white lilies from. If he took the train, he would have been to that place in ten minutes. Then why didn't he? He really didn't know.
It would be the last thing he could do, to apologize, wouldn't it? If it weren't for him, he wouldn't be stuck there for who-knows-how-long. If he would even get out, Yami had no idea anymore. Yami sighed for the umpteenth time. If anyone saw him right now, kicking dirt like the dirt had done something horrible to him, and sulking when he could be doing something else, they would have thought he was just another pathetic excuse of a student. Wouldn't they? Many would kill just to enroll in the university; many would do just about everything to maintain their grades and retain their position in the same university. And here was Yami trudging in the dirt.
"You study too much."
"Not all can afford the tuition fee. They have to work it off through their scholarship, if I may point out?"
"The point remains. It's well past 1 a.m., Yami! Anything you would study from now wouldn't even stay in your mind. You're going to forget them eventually," the other remarked, playing with the desk lamp's switch. On, off, on, off, light, dark, light, dark, light, da—
"Cut it out, Lance!"
Lance wrapped his arms around Yami's neck and dragged him down for a kiss.
"You're adorable when you're annoyed. Do you know that?"
Yami pouted and looked away. "I'm serious. I really have to study. The prof's going to kill me if I don't have this report finalized by tomorrow."
"What? That man's sadistic, I tell you. Your class with him isn't until 6:30 in the evening, right?" Lance asked. The former pharaoh crossed his arms and glared at him. Lance laughed before stealing a quick kiss. "Alright, alright. I'll leave you alone. I'll just sulk in that corner over there—" Lance pointed at the dark corner to the east of the both of them, "and wait until my Yami pulls me away and kisses me goodnight."
"Fine," Yami conceded, standing up to approach the smugly smiling figure on the bed. Lance sat up and patted the space beside him. The former pharaoh shook his head in amusement then crushed their lips together.
"That's more like it," Lance grinned, falling back into what was Yami's formerly neatly made bed, dragging the other with him.
"Lance!"
"Oh, fine. Spoilsport."
Lance was a foreign exchange student, along with Daniel. And it had been through Daniel that Yami met him. Of course, after accidentally insulting him, Yami wasn't able to react much when Lance insulted him about his choice of hair color in return. Regardless if it really had been done on purpose (as his rather helpful dorm-mate had pointed out), Lance and Yami had hit off right away. After a mishap in their Economics project, they decided to spend the rest of the night in a bar. Who would have thought that Yami, former pharaoh of a great kingdom, would be receiving his first kiss from an almost complete stranger?
But it had been fun. He couldn't stop talking when Yugi had called the next day. Immediately, the protected light became the overprotective guardian. Yugi demanded that he meet this Lance guy as soon as possible. The call was made one month ago and as soon as possible was meant to be today.
XXX
Daniel Grey swore the moment he heard someone pounding on the door. Glancing at the clock and realizing it was only 6 bloody AM, he grumpily sat up, grabbed one lump pillow and threw it at the door. The knocking hadn't stopped, however.
"Yami Motou, you open up this instant!"
Oh God. What is she doing here?
Don't get him wrong. Daniel didn't like prying on people. Other people's business is well… their business. He didn't like interfering except if it concerned him, or any immediate member of his circle of friends. His family was not really included in the list anymore, seeing that they all died in a fire seven years ago. Not that it was important. But the moment he met Yami Motou, a brave soul—who would have thought that a freshman would have the guts to contradict a professor's statement about Ancient Egypt?—and an unfortunately, extremely studious one, Daniel was quite convinced that this one was really special.
And like all special people, Daniel just had to tell his best friend, a.k.a. Mr. All-around Friendly Guy (Daniel gagged; friendly?!), Lance O'Neil about it. Lance's girlfriend didn't like it at all. Why Lance even went out with her is something Daniel didn't understand, or would ever want to, in this case. That girl was just about hilarious and extremely infuriating! Thank God Lance broke up with her and went out with Yami instead. Hallelujah.
"MOTOU!"
"What in the hell is your problem, woman?!" Daniel shouted after opening the door.
"Where is that—"
"He isn't here. Thank you for asking, bye now."
"Wait, don't close the—"
Daniel smirked. Too late, he already closed the door. Off to sleep now.
"It's about Lance!"
Lance? He went back to opening the door. "What about him?" He demanded, headache and hang-over forgotten. Where was Yami anyway? He was supposed to be in the dorm a couple of hours ago. Midnight, Yami said. "Come on, spill."
The woman sobbed.
"Lance's dead."
No. Daniel blinked. That wasn't possible. They just visited him two days ago and the doctors said he'd be alright! "You're lying. I suggest you leave us alone now, unless you want to be chased down the hallway with knives. You wouldn't like it if I catch you," Daniel warned darkly, glaring at the obviously distraught woman before him. It was really about deciding who has the credibility to bring such news—the doctors, who themselves told both Yami and him that Lance would be okay, or this… bitch.
The woman stopped, brought out her phone and slammed it on his chest. "You don't believe me? Call the hospital. Call the doctor now!"
Daniel took the phone and dialed the phone number he knew by heart now.
"Hello?" came the voice from the other receiver.
"Yami, what's going on?"
TBC?