Light Dark
by Kurohi Tatsaki
Chapter One: The Bright Yami
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! You can't sue me cuz I have no money!
Summary: A boy who is hated by his parents, and hunted by Rare Hunters on a nightly basis, flees to Domino City, which he has spent unsuccessful time with Battle City Tournament. Two people he meets changes his life, how he views it, and learns the full meanings of friendship and... love...?
Warning: This fanfic is all-out-you-name-it Yaoi/Shounen Ai! Don't like it, then get the heck outta here! Last and ONLY warning! You know where the "back" button is!
Pairings: OC's yami/OC, Seto/Jonouchi, Yami/Yugi, Bakura/Ryou, Marik/Malik(?) Anzu bashing!
Note: At long vowels of "o" I'll add "u" (ex. aibou, arigatou, etc). With "e," "a," I'll add an "h" (ex. eh, ah,) with "i" and "u" I'll leave them the same, since one really can't drag it out. Besides, "ih" and "uh" might seem a bit odd... if you get my drift.
"speech" [thoughts] /Hikari to Yami/ //Yami to Hikari// (author notes)
***********************************************
It was rather, a nice day out. The boy in the park stared emotionlessly at the sky above him, as if lazily blaming that endless stretch of blue that this boring life of his was an effect of that never near, yet never far air above and around. His eyes were a deep shade of blue that rivaled even Seto Kaiba's in depth and darkness.
He never knew that man, Kaiba; he only heard of him.
"I think it's getting late, aibou. Shouldn't we be getting back?"
(A/N: aibou, spelt "aibo". "o" is longer than "ai". Means "associate", "partner", or "buddy". Pronounced: ah-ee-bohh)
The boy didn't even flinch at his darkness, or, was it, his light? He couldn't even figure THAT out anymore. He used to believe it was HE that was the light, and the man-boy before him, his dark, but over the course of weeks, it seemed quite the contrary.
And lately, he didn't really care what he was anymore.
"Aibou?"
The male remained silent. He, also, wasn't doing too well at the Battle City Tournament. He continuously faced defeats, before and after his reign in the Tournament, until, at long last, he gave up, but not by choice. He just... lost his locator card, as well as his favorite card: Seiyaryu. (He lost the same day he got in). He only had a few more dragon cards left in his beloved dragon deck.
After all, only half of his deck was made of dragons.
He suddenly sat up, grass rustling softly beneath his movement. He sent a blank stare at his yami and proceeded to trudge home. His parents would be SOOO pissed when he got back.
(A/N: yami. Means "darkness". Pronounced: yah-mee)
The dark streets, lit by only lanterns, gave off an eerie presence to the boy. However, he kept his distance from his dark half, making sure to be at least half an arm's length away. His darkness retreated into the armlet across the boy's right arm with a low flash, sensing his hikari's desire to be alone.
(A/N: hikari. Means "light". Pronounced: hee-kah-ree)
The blue-eyed one trudged on, deaf to any sound that may try to tickle his ears save the whispering wind.
A voice proved his being deaf in any category incorrect.
"What are you doing here, boy? Danger bodes to just about anyone who stays out this late."
The boy stopped walking as soon as the word "what" came out of the person's throat. He turned to the source and blinked. "Who are you...?"
The voice chuckled from the darkened alley. "My name is none of your concern. May I see that silver thing attached to your arm?" He offered one robed hand.
The boy frowned. "Iya." He turned to walk away.
(A/N: iya. Means "No!". Pronounced: ee-yah)
"Matte yo, wouldn't you want your future told?"
(A/N: matte. Means "wait". Attaching "yo" means "Wait!". Pronounced: "maht- teh yoh".)
The brown-haired male shook his head. He stated calmly, but with a blue fire, "My ACTIONS pave my future. I have no use for your pointless crystal ball tricks." To be perfectly honest, that voice scared the piss outta him. He started to step away, when he felt a cold pressure to his neck and sucked in a breath.
"Kuso..." He recognized the feel of a gun's barrel near that point all too well.
(A/N: kuso Means "Shit!", or "Damn it!". Pronounced: k'-soh - The "u" is whispered.)
"Hey, babe, why don't you let my buddy here have what he wants?"
[...Wha? "Babe"? I'm no gal...] He gulped, but stubbornly cried, **"Iya!"**
The man behind him chuckled darkly. His buddy, another man in dark robes, gripped his armlet and tugged.
It didn't budge, but it set off his darkness to a blind rage.
Bad move. Very bad move.
You NEVER, piss off, a YAMI!
"Leave my hikari alone!!" he growled. Twin dragon eyes appeared on the sides of his face, glowing brightly, and a third eye opened up in his forehead. That third eye eyed them soullessly, and sent them flying back a long distance that covered three blocks at a very minimum.
His darkness stared blankly at their now gone forms, at the precise place they would be. He raised an eyebrow. "Damn. I just barely failed my next record of five blocks. It was one block short of one house and half a sidewalk tile." He turned to his light. "Hikari, daijoubu desu ka?"
(A/N: daijoubu desu ka, spelt "daijobu desu ka". The first "u" is longer than everything else in this case. Means "Are you okay?". Pronounced: dah- ee-johh-boo deh-soo kah. Full translation is: Light, are you okay?)
The boy nodded twice. "Hai." His hard gaze softened to something remotely tired or relieved as he gazed at his yami. "Demo, I'm just getting so sick and tired of having to deal with all these people out to get the Seikinen Armlet..." he sighed, running a hand through his spiky hair. [That was too close... I could almost sense them say, "Kill him"...]
(A/N: hai. Means "Yes" or "here" [ when in class]. Pronounced: ha-ee.)
(A/N: demo. Means "but". Pronounced: deh-moh.)
His yami watched the action carefully, but quickly redirected his gold eyes to the towering buildings around them. The two additional eyes on his cheeks faded into oblivion. The third eye on his forehead closed horizontally, and disappeared.
"Shirokoori?"
The darkness turned to the light with a curious gleam in his eyes. "Hm?"
His eyes drooped. "Could we PLEASE go home?"
Shirokoori snorted amusedly. "Sure."
The hikari suddenly leaned against the slightly taller yami, catching him off guard. "A-ah, daijoubu??"
(A/N: daijoubu. Means "Are you okay?" or "I'm okay")
"Hnnnn..." the boy sighed softly, pressing the side of his face more urgently into the other's left biceps.
This was odd. He was hardly ever this exhausted. And it wasn't even a tough day at school, either. His eyes were knit into a small frown and his eyebrows were slightly dipped into his eyes, almost as if he were crying.
[Daijoubu desu ka? Kanashii no?] were the questions that burdened the yami's mind. Was he okay? Was he sad? What made him so sad? Instead, he asked, his voice going a little off at the strange tingles that his hikari's touch was causing, "Kurohi..." He ran his tongue over his suddenly dry lips. "c-can you walk?"
(A/N: kanashii no. Read it from a Yu Yu Hakusho song; Yukina says it. Means "Are you sad?")
No reply. He had drifted to sleep.
The yami sighed, and took over his hikari's form. He marched his way home, careful to not awake Kurohi's soul.
***
"Where the hell have you been, chibi?!" His father was pissed as hell. Enough to call him a shrimp! They lived in an area about a mile from his favorite card game shop, which was the area where Kurohi had been spending his time MUCH too often lately. (No, it's not Kame Game Shop)
(A/N: chibi. Derogatory term. Means "short" or "shrimp" as said in YYH. Lately, it has also been used as a good term to describe those two-head- sized character drawings.)
Shirokoori, or rather, his mind controlling the boy's body, had been too much in shock to dodge the blow to his angelic face. The blow connected with his jaw, sending him tumbling backward, into the street.
The male growled and flitted inside fast enough to not even be detected for the moment. He dashed up the stairs to his and his hikari's room, snagged several changes of clothes from his dresser, his dueling deck, and one other item, before jetting out the window.
***
Kurohi gulped his tea with vengeance before crumpling the can with one hand. How DARE his old man kick him out?! Wait, he wasn't kicked out... He fled.
[DAMN!]
He bashed his fist against the lonely school table for emphasis, and drew a few curious glances in the process. His dark side was annoying some teachers somewhere else, and he felt happiness from his part of the link. After a moment, he felt a brief prick of panic tear across the mind link before a relieved sort of glee replaced it.
[He must have had to run from a teacher...] He allowed himself a slight chuckle, but..
The five-foot-five-inches boy only felt depression. He needed to find some friends, as he never had any in his life that stuck around and at the time, he didn't care.
Now, it seemed, he did.
Boy, was he lonely.
Wandering through the hallways, he came into one that was occupied by one student. A brown-haired boy a bit taller than he was. His brown hair was into a nice-looked bowl-type cut, and long lashes veiled his eyes. Kurohi came into the room on cat-silent feet and sat down sideways in a chair in front of the other boy.
He was sleeping, arms folded against his chest and chin pressed against his collarbone. Poor guy. He looked very exhausted, but there were no traces of lack of sleep. With a blank mind, he pulled a strand or two of hair out of the boy's face, who awoke with a start to the unusual touch.
"...?" Blue eyes fluttered open. "What do you want, brat?" he clipped. "I'm in no mood for your..." He stopped and looked at the boy with a frown. "Oh. You're that new punk. Your name, again?"
The brown and silver-colored hair boy gave him a sideways stare. His lips were stuck in a blank line. "Tatsaki Kurohi. I'd prefer you calling me by my first name if you intend to get to know me... Though, you seem the kind of type I am, so I will let you call me 'Tatsaki'."
[The fuck is this kid saying?] asked Seto Kaiba's groggy mind. "Fine then. Tatsaki, could you kindly go away so I can sleep?" He tried being polite to this newcomer, and was highly surprised when he said, "Sure. May I get your name before I leave?"
"Kaiba."
The boy nodded with a mild grin, and left without a word, closing the door behind him with inhuman silence. [So... THAT'S Seto Kaiba...]
"Kon'nichi wa-----, hikari--!" chirped a loud voice.
(A/N: kon'nichi wa. Sometimes spelt "konnichi wa". Means "hello" or "good afternoon". This case, it means "hello", so I intend for it to translate as, "Helloooooo, light!" with waves in the tone. Very, very cheerful.)
The male jumped at the voice and pressed a finger to his lips. "Shhh!" He frowned deeply and led his hyperactive yami away from the classroom. "Kaiba's resting. Wake him up, and you'll regret it from both his side AND mine."
Shirokoori snorted once and stretched his neck, relishing as the tensions in it were released in a popping explosion. "Okay, fine. I'll shut up." [Damn. I wanted to annoy that billionaire prick.]
Kurohi stopped walking and closed his eyes. He opened them tiredly after a moment and trudged on. His yami was alarmed at the sudden show of fatigue - "weakness," as his hikari called it - , and immediately asked touching a delicate hand to the other's slender shoulder, "Light, are you okay?"
The hand was shrugged off and his hikari's pace increased for a grand total three seconds before another body rammed into his own, sending both the assailant and the defender sprawled on the floor.
The blonde sat up, rubbed his head with one hand and groaned. Kurohi sat up and shook his head free of the dizziness that bombarded his skull, using his hands to continue sitting up. His short bangs dangled into his eyes, and one of his proud, thick spikes had nearly come undone. However, the spike's condition was beyond his mind, and he kept on staring at the floor between his long legs.
"Yo, kid, ya alright?" asked the blonde, honey-colored eyes gazing at dark blue. [Like Kaiba's and Yugi's all merged into one...] he noted. The boy did not look back.
He wore the school's uniform and a silver... thing, attached to his lower right arm. It had a dragon's eye in the center. A chain bound the item to his arm, and spiraled all the way up to his neck. There seemed enough leeway so movement of the tendons and muscles would not be interrupted.
Kurohi blinked at the question and looked up. "U-um, I'm.. I'm okay." His voice sounded like a matured woman's, but it had a slight "growl", so there was no doubt he was male.
The blonde didn't seem convinced and reached up to inspect the boy's rounded face. His blue eyes were just about as large as Yugi's amethyst ones, and his lashes twice as long. His slim eyebrows were quirked into a small "frown", as were his lips when he realized just how close they were. The boy's head instinctively jerked back as Jonouchi tried to touch a bruise that had begun to form on his forehead.
"Hey, what was that for? I'm jes tryin' ta help!"
The boy seemed tired again. "Gomen nasai." His eyes lowered, half-veiled under his long lashes. "I'm not used to non-threatening human contact."
(A/N: gomen nasai. Means "I'm very sorry" or "I'm sorry" Very polite form.)
Jou knew about that, what, with his drunken father an' all. "Oh, well, who are ya?"
"Tatsaki Kurohi," he replied softly, eyes locking with Jou's again. "And you?"
"Jonouchi Katsuya. Call me Jou." He offered his hand.
Kurohi found it difficult NOT to smile and shook the other's hand... once. "Call me Kurohi."
"Okay, Kurohi, have ya seen Kaiba?"
"Yes, but he's resting. I wouldn't bother him," he replied with a sober tone.
Jonouchi smacked his head. "I KNEW I told him not ta stay up workin'! Where is he?"
Kurohi jerked his thumb. "Two rooms back. If anyone, YOU should know that, ne?" [I wonder what he wants with Kaiba?]
"Arigatou!! Ja!" He dashed off, feet hitting the ground quickly without missing a beat.
(A/N: arigatou. Spelt "arigato". You know the drill. Means "Thank you!" or "Thanks!".)
(A/N: ja! I've heard it, in its full form, "ja ne!" means good-bye, so I believe "ja" means "bye")
"Ja..."
"Light?"
Kurohi looked up into golden eyes. "Eh?" he asked, slightly startled.
(A/N: eh. Spelt "e". Means "Eh? What?")
He chuckled good-humoredly. "Don't 'what' me like that! You like Jou?"
The male nodded. "Yeah. He seems nice enough. I think I'll go follow him."
Shirokoori laughed. "Okay. I'll see ya next hour!"
The blue-eyed one waved and nodded. "Okay! Ja!" He stood up and dusted himself off... not that he needed it. He walked near the classroom Kaiba had been in and peeked inside...
~~~POV switch~~~
"Hey, Seto."
One blue eye opened to inspect the intruder, then the other one slid awake as well. "Hey, pup."
Jou grinned at the nickname. He used to loathe it when Seto called him a puppy. Over the course of a year, he had felt himself becoming attracted to THE Seto Kaiba. After all, he had the looks and everything, but the first thing that attracted him was how puzzle-like he really was. The blonde found it intriguing and most fun to see all the unique sides to the billionaire. "I heard ya were sleeping."
"And you saw it, too."
Katsuya leaned against his boyfriend's desk and gazed at him with his expressive honey eyes. "Stay up late again?" he asked.
Kaiba shrugged noncommittally. "Work."
The puppy pouted. "Ye're *always* working!" He lightly emphasized the word "always" with a slight sigh. "When will ya just let up for a little while?"
"When people slack off as much as you." He allowed himself a small smile to show he meant no broken feelings. "Nah, I'm just kidding. How about now?"
He pulled the blonde into a demanding, but somehow tender kiss. Jou felt Seto's hand come to rest on his neck, pulling him closer. Jou closed his eyes, lost in the sensations. Too quickly, however, they pulled away, resulting in a slightly irritated Jou. Before he could complain, Seto merely pointed at the door's window. Jonouchi twisted his head to see what it was his boyfriend pointed at.
But no one was there.
He sent his boyfriend a confused look. "No one's dere. Stop pullin' tricks, Seto."
"I'm not tricking you. Tatsaki was there a few seconds ago."
[Shit! He might bust our cover, bein' a new kid an' all!] "Which way did he go..?!"
"Left from out of here."
Jou nodded once and took a left turn out of the classroom. He dashed and followed Kurohi. After a few long minutes, the honey-eyed boy had the blue- eyed one pinned at the wrists and was straddled from behind at the waist.
Kurohi snorted and went as limp as he could to limit the pain of his chest falling to the floor. "What?"
"You were spyin' on us!"
"I only went to see what you had to do with Kaiba. What I saw and what you both did will not escape my lips. You have my word. Besides, I can relate."
Jou wasn't expecting this long a speech from the one below him. The longest string of words he managed to remember were a few sentences that added up to ten words. This string was over three times as long! He released the boy's arms but continued to pin him down at the waist with his weight. "Relate?" he echoed.
Kurohi moved his hands so they supported his head by the chin. "I've read a lot of stories with the romance you and he have acquired. I'm very accepting and tolerant. I will not interfere with any of you, and, again, not a word will escape these lips. You have my word. I assure you."
"And by how will you assure me?"
"...By being your... friend?" He tested the word carefully. He never had any use for it for a long time until now.
"Sure! The more the merrier!"
This confused Kurohi. "You mean, you, have more than one?" He avoided the phrase "can have" because he didn't want to sound like someone who slept under a rock all their life.
"Of course! Don't you?"
This struck a chord, but Kurohi didn't let it show. Or, at least, he tried not to let it show. "No... Even before I fled my parents' house, I hadn't a single friend. Sure, I'd make friends for a while. When I felt they could listen in to one of my secrets, they suddenly said they didn't want my friendship. I've been friendless ever since... and that was a few years ago. My secret spread like wildfire, and so, no one wanted to go near me..."
"Can you tell me this secret?"
"You might never want to see me again. I'm a freak... Everyone else said so..."
"Damn, man... Are you fucked up in the head or something...?" He gently swatted the other boy's head.
Kurohi frowned. "I'm perfectly sane."
"Wha? Hikari?"
Two heads turned. A short boy, slightly higher than Kurohi's height, stood before them. His right hand was placed on his hip and the other hand dangled idly by his side. A chain rattled, which went from a silver object, up his right arm, and around his neck. On his right side, a flow of milk chocolate hair touched his shoulders in gentle spikes. His bangs dangled in his eyes. Large spikes of hair swooped across his entire head like a wing, and a silver patch of hair also spiked upward like a crown, open at the front. His uniform jacket was half undone, revealing the violet undershirt.
His gold eyes reminded him of a cross of Bakura and Yami.
"Shirokoori!" He beamed and tried to get Katsuya off his waist.
Shirokoori laughed. "Getting new friends?"
"Yeah. I spied on him by accident... hehe."
His yami frowned.
"I'm not hurt and I promised to keep a secret for him."
"But, you're always doing that. Even after all the pain those other twerps gave you." He stifled the urge to glare at the blonde.
Kurohi managed to stand up and helped up Jou. "Yeah, but YOU flung them several blocks away. That's why I was then home schooled." He shuddered at the memory. "Don't do that anymore, okay?"
Shirokoori nodded. "Okay. Can I still do it to those Rare Hunters?"
The light snorted. "Of course!"
"You fling Rare Hunters blocks away from their previous place?"
Both yami and hikari smirked. "Yeah. Shirokoori started making records. Five blocks, so far."
"So, is Shirokoori your older brother or somethin'?"
The brown and silver-colored-hair boys looked at each other. "Weren't you listening, Jou?" asked Kurohi. "He called me "hikari". I'm his hikari, he's my yami."
"So, you have a Sennen item?"
(A/N: sennen. Literally means, "thousand-year"
"More like Seikinen item."
(A/N: seikinen. Literally means, "hundred-year")
The darkness nodded in agreement, both mouth and eyes smiling back at the blonde. "Hey, you know that annoying chemistry teacher what's-her-ugly- face?"
"Ah, Ms. Chikame?"
Shirokoori nodded vigorously. "Yeah! Do'ya have that class next hour?"
"Yeah! With Honda!"
The dark grinned. "Cool! Hikari, you have that same class, ne? Hehehehehe..."
Kurohi sighed and shook his head. "Don't do anything stupid..."
"Oh, I don't think I will, Hikari..." [Psyche!]
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Wow! First chapter is done! I just HAD to take a momentary break from 10 Years of Waiting... I have pictures of Kurohi I did with the mouse available for anyone to see, but you'd have to e-mail me first so I can send the picture in reply. (we have a kinda slow computer)
Finished: 6/6/03
Translations added: 7/6/03
by Kurohi Tatsaki
Chapter One: The Bright Yami
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! You can't sue me cuz I have no money!
Summary: A boy who is hated by his parents, and hunted by Rare Hunters on a nightly basis, flees to Domino City, which he has spent unsuccessful time with Battle City Tournament. Two people he meets changes his life, how he views it, and learns the full meanings of friendship and... love...?
Warning: This fanfic is all-out-you-name-it Yaoi/Shounen Ai! Don't like it, then get the heck outta here! Last and ONLY warning! You know where the "back" button is!
Pairings: OC's yami/OC, Seto/Jonouchi, Yami/Yugi, Bakura/Ryou, Marik/Malik(?) Anzu bashing!
Note: At long vowels of "o" I'll add "u" (ex. aibou, arigatou, etc). With "e," "a," I'll add an "h" (ex. eh, ah,) with "i" and "u" I'll leave them the same, since one really can't drag it out. Besides, "ih" and "uh" might seem a bit odd... if you get my drift.
"speech" [thoughts] /Hikari to Yami/ //Yami to Hikari// (author notes)
***********************************************
It was rather, a nice day out. The boy in the park stared emotionlessly at the sky above him, as if lazily blaming that endless stretch of blue that this boring life of his was an effect of that never near, yet never far air above and around. His eyes were a deep shade of blue that rivaled even Seto Kaiba's in depth and darkness.
He never knew that man, Kaiba; he only heard of him.
"I think it's getting late, aibou. Shouldn't we be getting back?"
(A/N: aibou, spelt "aibo". "o" is longer than "ai". Means "associate", "partner", or "buddy". Pronounced: ah-ee-bohh)
The boy didn't even flinch at his darkness, or, was it, his light? He couldn't even figure THAT out anymore. He used to believe it was HE that was the light, and the man-boy before him, his dark, but over the course of weeks, it seemed quite the contrary.
And lately, he didn't really care what he was anymore.
"Aibou?"
The male remained silent. He, also, wasn't doing too well at the Battle City Tournament. He continuously faced defeats, before and after his reign in the Tournament, until, at long last, he gave up, but not by choice. He just... lost his locator card, as well as his favorite card: Seiyaryu. (He lost the same day he got in). He only had a few more dragon cards left in his beloved dragon deck.
After all, only half of his deck was made of dragons.
He suddenly sat up, grass rustling softly beneath his movement. He sent a blank stare at his yami and proceeded to trudge home. His parents would be SOOO pissed when he got back.
(A/N: yami. Means "darkness". Pronounced: yah-mee)
The dark streets, lit by only lanterns, gave off an eerie presence to the boy. However, he kept his distance from his dark half, making sure to be at least half an arm's length away. His darkness retreated into the armlet across the boy's right arm with a low flash, sensing his hikari's desire to be alone.
(A/N: hikari. Means "light". Pronounced: hee-kah-ree)
The blue-eyed one trudged on, deaf to any sound that may try to tickle his ears save the whispering wind.
A voice proved his being deaf in any category incorrect.
"What are you doing here, boy? Danger bodes to just about anyone who stays out this late."
The boy stopped walking as soon as the word "what" came out of the person's throat. He turned to the source and blinked. "Who are you...?"
The voice chuckled from the darkened alley. "My name is none of your concern. May I see that silver thing attached to your arm?" He offered one robed hand.
The boy frowned. "Iya." He turned to walk away.
(A/N: iya. Means "No!". Pronounced: ee-yah)
"Matte yo, wouldn't you want your future told?"
(A/N: matte. Means "wait". Attaching "yo" means "Wait!". Pronounced: "maht- teh yoh".)
The brown-haired male shook his head. He stated calmly, but with a blue fire, "My ACTIONS pave my future. I have no use for your pointless crystal ball tricks." To be perfectly honest, that voice scared the piss outta him. He started to step away, when he felt a cold pressure to his neck and sucked in a breath.
"Kuso..." He recognized the feel of a gun's barrel near that point all too well.
(A/N: kuso Means "Shit!", or "Damn it!". Pronounced: k'-soh - The "u" is whispered.)
"Hey, babe, why don't you let my buddy here have what he wants?"
[...Wha? "Babe"? I'm no gal...] He gulped, but stubbornly cried, **"Iya!"**
The man behind him chuckled darkly. His buddy, another man in dark robes, gripped his armlet and tugged.
It didn't budge, but it set off his darkness to a blind rage.
Bad move. Very bad move.
You NEVER, piss off, a YAMI!
"Leave my hikari alone!!" he growled. Twin dragon eyes appeared on the sides of his face, glowing brightly, and a third eye opened up in his forehead. That third eye eyed them soullessly, and sent them flying back a long distance that covered three blocks at a very minimum.
His darkness stared blankly at their now gone forms, at the precise place they would be. He raised an eyebrow. "Damn. I just barely failed my next record of five blocks. It was one block short of one house and half a sidewalk tile." He turned to his light. "Hikari, daijoubu desu ka?"
(A/N: daijoubu desu ka, spelt "daijobu desu ka". The first "u" is longer than everything else in this case. Means "Are you okay?". Pronounced: dah- ee-johh-boo deh-soo kah. Full translation is: Light, are you okay?)
The boy nodded twice. "Hai." His hard gaze softened to something remotely tired or relieved as he gazed at his yami. "Demo, I'm just getting so sick and tired of having to deal with all these people out to get the Seikinen Armlet..." he sighed, running a hand through his spiky hair. [That was too close... I could almost sense them say, "Kill him"...]
(A/N: hai. Means "Yes" or "here" [ when in class]. Pronounced: ha-ee.)
(A/N: demo. Means "but". Pronounced: deh-moh.)
His yami watched the action carefully, but quickly redirected his gold eyes to the towering buildings around them. The two additional eyes on his cheeks faded into oblivion. The third eye on his forehead closed horizontally, and disappeared.
"Shirokoori?"
The darkness turned to the light with a curious gleam in his eyes. "Hm?"
His eyes drooped. "Could we PLEASE go home?"
Shirokoori snorted amusedly. "Sure."
The hikari suddenly leaned against the slightly taller yami, catching him off guard. "A-ah, daijoubu??"
(A/N: daijoubu. Means "Are you okay?" or "I'm okay")
"Hnnnn..." the boy sighed softly, pressing the side of his face more urgently into the other's left biceps.
This was odd. He was hardly ever this exhausted. And it wasn't even a tough day at school, either. His eyes were knit into a small frown and his eyebrows were slightly dipped into his eyes, almost as if he were crying.
[Daijoubu desu ka? Kanashii no?] were the questions that burdened the yami's mind. Was he okay? Was he sad? What made him so sad? Instead, he asked, his voice going a little off at the strange tingles that his hikari's touch was causing, "Kurohi..." He ran his tongue over his suddenly dry lips. "c-can you walk?"
(A/N: kanashii no. Read it from a Yu Yu Hakusho song; Yukina says it. Means "Are you sad?")
No reply. He had drifted to sleep.
The yami sighed, and took over his hikari's form. He marched his way home, careful to not awake Kurohi's soul.
***
"Where the hell have you been, chibi?!" His father was pissed as hell. Enough to call him a shrimp! They lived in an area about a mile from his favorite card game shop, which was the area where Kurohi had been spending his time MUCH too often lately. (No, it's not Kame Game Shop)
(A/N: chibi. Derogatory term. Means "short" or "shrimp" as said in YYH. Lately, it has also been used as a good term to describe those two-head- sized character drawings.)
Shirokoori, or rather, his mind controlling the boy's body, had been too much in shock to dodge the blow to his angelic face. The blow connected with his jaw, sending him tumbling backward, into the street.
The male growled and flitted inside fast enough to not even be detected for the moment. He dashed up the stairs to his and his hikari's room, snagged several changes of clothes from his dresser, his dueling deck, and one other item, before jetting out the window.
***
Kurohi gulped his tea with vengeance before crumpling the can with one hand. How DARE his old man kick him out?! Wait, he wasn't kicked out... He fled.
[DAMN!]
He bashed his fist against the lonely school table for emphasis, and drew a few curious glances in the process. His dark side was annoying some teachers somewhere else, and he felt happiness from his part of the link. After a moment, he felt a brief prick of panic tear across the mind link before a relieved sort of glee replaced it.
[He must have had to run from a teacher...] He allowed himself a slight chuckle, but..
The five-foot-five-inches boy only felt depression. He needed to find some friends, as he never had any in his life that stuck around and at the time, he didn't care.
Now, it seemed, he did.
Boy, was he lonely.
Wandering through the hallways, he came into one that was occupied by one student. A brown-haired boy a bit taller than he was. His brown hair was into a nice-looked bowl-type cut, and long lashes veiled his eyes. Kurohi came into the room on cat-silent feet and sat down sideways in a chair in front of the other boy.
He was sleeping, arms folded against his chest and chin pressed against his collarbone. Poor guy. He looked very exhausted, but there were no traces of lack of sleep. With a blank mind, he pulled a strand or two of hair out of the boy's face, who awoke with a start to the unusual touch.
"...?" Blue eyes fluttered open. "What do you want, brat?" he clipped. "I'm in no mood for your..." He stopped and looked at the boy with a frown. "Oh. You're that new punk. Your name, again?"
The brown and silver-colored hair boy gave him a sideways stare. His lips were stuck in a blank line. "Tatsaki Kurohi. I'd prefer you calling me by my first name if you intend to get to know me... Though, you seem the kind of type I am, so I will let you call me 'Tatsaki'."
[The fuck is this kid saying?] asked Seto Kaiba's groggy mind. "Fine then. Tatsaki, could you kindly go away so I can sleep?" He tried being polite to this newcomer, and was highly surprised when he said, "Sure. May I get your name before I leave?"
"Kaiba."
The boy nodded with a mild grin, and left without a word, closing the door behind him with inhuman silence. [So... THAT'S Seto Kaiba...]
"Kon'nichi wa-----, hikari--!" chirped a loud voice.
(A/N: kon'nichi wa. Sometimes spelt "konnichi wa". Means "hello" or "good afternoon". This case, it means "hello", so I intend for it to translate as, "Helloooooo, light!" with waves in the tone. Very, very cheerful.)
The male jumped at the voice and pressed a finger to his lips. "Shhh!" He frowned deeply and led his hyperactive yami away from the classroom. "Kaiba's resting. Wake him up, and you'll regret it from both his side AND mine."
Shirokoori snorted once and stretched his neck, relishing as the tensions in it were released in a popping explosion. "Okay, fine. I'll shut up." [Damn. I wanted to annoy that billionaire prick.]
Kurohi stopped walking and closed his eyes. He opened them tiredly after a moment and trudged on. His yami was alarmed at the sudden show of fatigue - "weakness," as his hikari called it - , and immediately asked touching a delicate hand to the other's slender shoulder, "Light, are you okay?"
The hand was shrugged off and his hikari's pace increased for a grand total three seconds before another body rammed into his own, sending both the assailant and the defender sprawled on the floor.
The blonde sat up, rubbed his head with one hand and groaned. Kurohi sat up and shook his head free of the dizziness that bombarded his skull, using his hands to continue sitting up. His short bangs dangled into his eyes, and one of his proud, thick spikes had nearly come undone. However, the spike's condition was beyond his mind, and he kept on staring at the floor between his long legs.
"Yo, kid, ya alright?" asked the blonde, honey-colored eyes gazing at dark blue. [Like Kaiba's and Yugi's all merged into one...] he noted. The boy did not look back.
He wore the school's uniform and a silver... thing, attached to his lower right arm. It had a dragon's eye in the center. A chain bound the item to his arm, and spiraled all the way up to his neck. There seemed enough leeway so movement of the tendons and muscles would not be interrupted.
Kurohi blinked at the question and looked up. "U-um, I'm.. I'm okay." His voice sounded like a matured woman's, but it had a slight "growl", so there was no doubt he was male.
The blonde didn't seem convinced and reached up to inspect the boy's rounded face. His blue eyes were just about as large as Yugi's amethyst ones, and his lashes twice as long. His slim eyebrows were quirked into a small "frown", as were his lips when he realized just how close they were. The boy's head instinctively jerked back as Jonouchi tried to touch a bruise that had begun to form on his forehead.
"Hey, what was that for? I'm jes tryin' ta help!"
The boy seemed tired again. "Gomen nasai." His eyes lowered, half-veiled under his long lashes. "I'm not used to non-threatening human contact."
(A/N: gomen nasai. Means "I'm very sorry" or "I'm sorry" Very polite form.)
Jou knew about that, what, with his drunken father an' all. "Oh, well, who are ya?"
"Tatsaki Kurohi," he replied softly, eyes locking with Jou's again. "And you?"
"Jonouchi Katsuya. Call me Jou." He offered his hand.
Kurohi found it difficult NOT to smile and shook the other's hand... once. "Call me Kurohi."
"Okay, Kurohi, have ya seen Kaiba?"
"Yes, but he's resting. I wouldn't bother him," he replied with a sober tone.
Jonouchi smacked his head. "I KNEW I told him not ta stay up workin'! Where is he?"
Kurohi jerked his thumb. "Two rooms back. If anyone, YOU should know that, ne?" [I wonder what he wants with Kaiba?]
"Arigatou!! Ja!" He dashed off, feet hitting the ground quickly without missing a beat.
(A/N: arigatou. Spelt "arigato". You know the drill. Means "Thank you!" or "Thanks!".)
(A/N: ja! I've heard it, in its full form, "ja ne!" means good-bye, so I believe "ja" means "bye")
"Ja..."
"Light?"
Kurohi looked up into golden eyes. "Eh?" he asked, slightly startled.
(A/N: eh. Spelt "e". Means "Eh? What?")
He chuckled good-humoredly. "Don't 'what' me like that! You like Jou?"
The male nodded. "Yeah. He seems nice enough. I think I'll go follow him."
Shirokoori laughed. "Okay. I'll see ya next hour!"
The blue-eyed one waved and nodded. "Okay! Ja!" He stood up and dusted himself off... not that he needed it. He walked near the classroom Kaiba had been in and peeked inside...
~~~POV switch~~~
"Hey, Seto."
One blue eye opened to inspect the intruder, then the other one slid awake as well. "Hey, pup."
Jou grinned at the nickname. He used to loathe it when Seto called him a puppy. Over the course of a year, he had felt himself becoming attracted to THE Seto Kaiba. After all, he had the looks and everything, but the first thing that attracted him was how puzzle-like he really was. The blonde found it intriguing and most fun to see all the unique sides to the billionaire. "I heard ya were sleeping."
"And you saw it, too."
Katsuya leaned against his boyfriend's desk and gazed at him with his expressive honey eyes. "Stay up late again?" he asked.
Kaiba shrugged noncommittally. "Work."
The puppy pouted. "Ye're *always* working!" He lightly emphasized the word "always" with a slight sigh. "When will ya just let up for a little while?"
"When people slack off as much as you." He allowed himself a small smile to show he meant no broken feelings. "Nah, I'm just kidding. How about now?"
He pulled the blonde into a demanding, but somehow tender kiss. Jou felt Seto's hand come to rest on his neck, pulling him closer. Jou closed his eyes, lost in the sensations. Too quickly, however, they pulled away, resulting in a slightly irritated Jou. Before he could complain, Seto merely pointed at the door's window. Jonouchi twisted his head to see what it was his boyfriend pointed at.
But no one was there.
He sent his boyfriend a confused look. "No one's dere. Stop pullin' tricks, Seto."
"I'm not tricking you. Tatsaki was there a few seconds ago."
[Shit! He might bust our cover, bein' a new kid an' all!] "Which way did he go..?!"
"Left from out of here."
Jou nodded once and took a left turn out of the classroom. He dashed and followed Kurohi. After a few long minutes, the honey-eyed boy had the blue- eyed one pinned at the wrists and was straddled from behind at the waist.
Kurohi snorted and went as limp as he could to limit the pain of his chest falling to the floor. "What?"
"You were spyin' on us!"
"I only went to see what you had to do with Kaiba. What I saw and what you both did will not escape my lips. You have my word. Besides, I can relate."
Jou wasn't expecting this long a speech from the one below him. The longest string of words he managed to remember were a few sentences that added up to ten words. This string was over three times as long! He released the boy's arms but continued to pin him down at the waist with his weight. "Relate?" he echoed.
Kurohi moved his hands so they supported his head by the chin. "I've read a lot of stories with the romance you and he have acquired. I'm very accepting and tolerant. I will not interfere with any of you, and, again, not a word will escape these lips. You have my word. I assure you."
"And by how will you assure me?"
"...By being your... friend?" He tested the word carefully. He never had any use for it for a long time until now.
"Sure! The more the merrier!"
This confused Kurohi. "You mean, you, have more than one?" He avoided the phrase "can have" because he didn't want to sound like someone who slept under a rock all their life.
"Of course! Don't you?"
This struck a chord, but Kurohi didn't let it show. Or, at least, he tried not to let it show. "No... Even before I fled my parents' house, I hadn't a single friend. Sure, I'd make friends for a while. When I felt they could listen in to one of my secrets, they suddenly said they didn't want my friendship. I've been friendless ever since... and that was a few years ago. My secret spread like wildfire, and so, no one wanted to go near me..."
"Can you tell me this secret?"
"You might never want to see me again. I'm a freak... Everyone else said so..."
"Damn, man... Are you fucked up in the head or something...?" He gently swatted the other boy's head.
Kurohi frowned. "I'm perfectly sane."
"Wha? Hikari?"
Two heads turned. A short boy, slightly higher than Kurohi's height, stood before them. His right hand was placed on his hip and the other hand dangled idly by his side. A chain rattled, which went from a silver object, up his right arm, and around his neck. On his right side, a flow of milk chocolate hair touched his shoulders in gentle spikes. His bangs dangled in his eyes. Large spikes of hair swooped across his entire head like a wing, and a silver patch of hair also spiked upward like a crown, open at the front. His uniform jacket was half undone, revealing the violet undershirt.
His gold eyes reminded him of a cross of Bakura and Yami.
"Shirokoori!" He beamed and tried to get Katsuya off his waist.
Shirokoori laughed. "Getting new friends?"
"Yeah. I spied on him by accident... hehe."
His yami frowned.
"I'm not hurt and I promised to keep a secret for him."
"But, you're always doing that. Even after all the pain those other twerps gave you." He stifled the urge to glare at the blonde.
Kurohi managed to stand up and helped up Jou. "Yeah, but YOU flung them several blocks away. That's why I was then home schooled." He shuddered at the memory. "Don't do that anymore, okay?"
Shirokoori nodded. "Okay. Can I still do it to those Rare Hunters?"
The light snorted. "Of course!"
"You fling Rare Hunters blocks away from their previous place?"
Both yami and hikari smirked. "Yeah. Shirokoori started making records. Five blocks, so far."
"So, is Shirokoori your older brother or somethin'?"
The brown and silver-colored-hair boys looked at each other. "Weren't you listening, Jou?" asked Kurohi. "He called me "hikari". I'm his hikari, he's my yami."
"So, you have a Sennen item?"
(A/N: sennen. Literally means, "thousand-year"
"More like Seikinen item."
(A/N: seikinen. Literally means, "hundred-year")
The darkness nodded in agreement, both mouth and eyes smiling back at the blonde. "Hey, you know that annoying chemistry teacher what's-her-ugly- face?"
"Ah, Ms. Chikame?"
Shirokoori nodded vigorously. "Yeah! Do'ya have that class next hour?"
"Yeah! With Honda!"
The dark grinned. "Cool! Hikari, you have that same class, ne? Hehehehehe..."
Kurohi sighed and shook his head. "Don't do anything stupid..."
"Oh, I don't think I will, Hikari..." [Psyche!]
***********************************************
Wow! First chapter is done! I just HAD to take a momentary break from 10 Years of Waiting... I have pictures of Kurohi I did with the mouse available for anyone to see, but you'd have to e-mail me first so I can send the picture in reply. (we have a kinda slow computer)
Finished: 6/6/03
Translations added: 7/6/03