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Chapter 9
Yuugi was pissed. No, scratch that. Yuugi was beyond pissed.
During the majority of the past week, Yami had finally succeeded in what he had been saying for over a month now; he had put an end to his sweet comments and gentle touches, and had treated Yuugi like he had all of his other students. Being deprived of Yami's attention alone was enough to send Yuugi to hell and back. And its not like they had gotten a chance to talk, either, since Yami was always slipping out of class as quickly as he could, usually out of the door before any one of his students. Not to mention that he had been increasingly late to homeroom, which meant that Yuugi didn't have a chance to talk to him before school. The part of him that wanted to give Yami the benefit of the doubt felt like the elder was ignoring him. The other part of him that had half a brain, knew that Yami was.
This was the reason why Yuugi had snuck out of his sixth period class a few minutes early, in hopes of catching Yami in his English class before any of the other students could interrupt them. He noticed with some level of satisfaction that Yami was in the classroom already, writing something on the board.
He closed the door behind him, and walked up to Yami's desk, knowing that the other was well aware of his presence. "So, are you just going to continue to ignore me?" he asked, cutting to the point.
Yami sighed, pausing in his writing. "Yuugi, I'm not—"
"Is pretending I don't exist the only way to please that delusional part of your brain that keeps telling you that we can't be together?"
"Damnit, Yuugi, what the hell do you expect me to do?!" he hissed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I don't know, Yami, but not this! I..." he sighed, letting his guard down completely, his strength and desire to argue leaving him. "I miss you."
"Yuugi," Yami whispered, glancing over his shoulder. "I can't do this anymore." He looked back at the board. "I'm sorry."
Yuugi stared at him for a moment, making sure he'd heard right. When he confirmed the other's words—all pointed sharp like knives so that it cut his heart in two—to be real and not a sadistic figment of his imagination, he looked off to the side, pain glittering like jewels in his hurt amethyst eyes, which were now on the verge of tears.
"You know that I love you, right?" he uttered softly.
A sharp intake of breath was all he heard, before he sensed Yami turn around, the elder gazing at Yuugi, the shining irises still to the side at a downcast.
"Yuugi…" Yami choked, the murmur forcing Yuugi to raise his eyes.
They stared at each other, and Yami instinctively reached forward, only to pull his hand back when the classroom door opened, and a line of students flowed in. He let his eyes wander over to the chattering teens, before drifting back to Yuugi, who had already begun to turn away.
"Yuugi," he whispered, but either Yuugi didn't hear him or ignored him, for he continued walking to his desk. Soon enough, his friends trickled in and surrounded him, talking and laughing. He saw Yuugi smile at them, and nod occasionally at whatever it was they were telling him.
Yami frowned. Could they not see how upset he was? Could no one see how fake that smile was? That it didn't reach his beautiful eyes?
The bell sang loudly, signaling the beginning of class, but Yami's mind was at a blank, the words he had planned to say during class lost somewhere in the back of his head. He looked at the class, who all had attentive eyes glued to him, and sighed.
"Um...you guys can do whatever today, maybe try to get your poems finished up if you haven't already completed it. I have to take care of a few things. Behave until I get back," he said, then without another word, walked out the door.
Yuugi bit his lip as he watched the door close behind Yami's retreating form. He held back the urge to go after him, and instead, reached down in his bag, and pulled out a clean sheet of paper. Truth be told, he hadn't even begun his poem. How could he? The only thing he'd been thinking about the past two months was how to make this dysfunctional relationship with his teacher work.
Almost ten minutes into class, Anzu nudged him. "Hey, remember the vineyard we went to?"
Yuugi nodded distractedly. "What about it?"
"Well, a lot of people from town are going there today. Not really teens, more likely adults, but I heard that the owners set up a really nice little party in the garden area."
Yuugi raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"You should bring Mr. Atemu," she said. "It was a pretty relaxing place. He might loosen up a bit. He seems stressed lately."
He's not the only one. "Yeah," Yuugi said. Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea. He smiled. "Thanks, Anzu." When she nodded, Yuugi turned back to his empty sheet of paper and scribbled random phrases down, most of them not even making any sense. He didn't have the heart to write anything, for anything that he did write would only be about one thing, or in his case, one person. And, to be honest, he was too confused to form a single, coherent stanza.
Yami hadn't returned until a minute before the dismissal bell, and when he did slip back into the room, he wore a defeated expression, his usual stunning russet irises dull and tired.
"Everyone, remember that your poems are due tomorrow," he reminded, then let loose a sigh of relief when the bell rang.
The students scurried out like ants, anxious to get home on this dreary Thursday afternoon. Jou and Honda groaned, and muttered their goodbye's to their other two companions, before heading to detention for their latest stunt in the chemistry lab. Anzu shook her head, and turned back to Yuugi.
"So, call me, okay? You know, when you get home," she said.
Yuugi nodded. "I will."
The brunette smiled at him then turned and waved goodbye to Yami, who managed to flash her a small smile and return the gesture, before walking out. Yuugi, along with the last bit of students, packed up his belongings. When he finished, he slung his bag over his shoulder and walked down the few steps, and, instead of stopping at Yami's desk like he usually did, he glided right past it. It was only after the room was empty, when he was at the door, that he stopped, turned, and caught Yami's gaze. "Come with me," he said.
"Where?" the elder inquired, but he had already grabbed his coat and briefcase, deciding that the answer was irrelevant. He would follow Yuugi to the end of the world if the boy so asked.
The younger eyed him curiously. "Does it matter?"
Yami couldn't help but smirk as he shrugged on his jacket. He looked over at the doorway, into Yuugi's expectant eyes. "No," he said, and Yuugi smiled. It was the first honest thing Yami had said all week.
--
The garden was filled to capacity with people, a lot of women and men in their middle twenties. A small porch was set up by the back, where tables and chairs were placed, a handful of people crowding over there just chatting. Due to weather reports, the owners had covered the porch with a long green drape so that their belongings remained dry, along with anyone who didn't want to get wet.
This is where Yami eventually found his way to, settling in a chair with Yuugi hovering over him, the younger refusing to sit. Instead, Yuugi stood in front of the other and took his hands in his own, brushing over the elder's knuckles with his thumbs absentmindedly. "Thank you for coming, Yami."
He received a small nod in reply, drawing a long sigh out of Yuugi's lips. "I know you think what you're doing is right. I'm not that stubborn, you know."
Yami closed his eyes. "I know, Yuugi." He tightened his grip on the hands holding his so tenderly.
When Yuugi realized that this was all the other was going to say on the subject, he turned to look at all the other people around them, a lot of them now drifting to the center of the garden and dancing to the slow music that resonated from a small radio on one of the tables. Yuugi watched them with a small smile, then he raised his face to the sky. "It's going to rain," he said.
Yami glanced up, noting the dark clouds that painted themselves across the sky. "Yes, I suppose it is."
Yuugi grinned at the other, letting go of his hands. "Perfect time to dance," he commented, before turning around and walking down the porch stairs. "Feel free to join me," he said over his shoulder.
It was at that moment that the gray sky opened up, a downpour of rain showering the earth's soil, creating little puddles around Yuugi's bare feet as he made his way into the center of the yard, bypassing the laughing individuals that danced around him. When he reached the middle of the crowd, between all the cherry blossom trees sprouting pink and red petals, he turned around, and lifted his eyes towards the sky, letting the rush of water wash over his face.
Yami watched him from his seat underneath the small shelter, his eyes never leaving Yuugi as the boy raised his hands above his head and clasped them together. Slowly, with the same sensual rhythm of the rain, Yuugi swayed his hips from side to side, his eyes closed as he breathed in the purifying air. The rain clung to his skin, the drops like diamonds on his pale arms. The outstretched limbs followed the same, slow movement of the boy's lithe waist.
Yami couldn't tear his gaze away, and he didn't even realize that the strings of his heart had pulled him to his feet and out into the rain. It pelted down around him and soaked him to the core, numbing his entire existence. Through all the smiling and dancing men and women, who were now nothing but dark blurs in the surrounding mist, there was a straight, clear path that led to Yuugi, who just continued to sway, and breathe, and live.
When Yuugi opened his eyes, he looked right at Yami, his half-lidded amethyst jewels piercing Yami's soul as the crystalline drops dripped off his golden bangs, ran down his face, and hung off the tips of his eyelashes. Suddenly, all went silent and the only thing that Yami could hear was the pitter-patter of the rain, and the light, slow music that was never really there.
It was then that he moved forward, his dark scarlet eyes locked with Yuugi's own as he walked directly towards his destination, his steps never faltering under Yuugi's alluring gaze, because, in that moment, everything was just so damn simple.
It all happened in slow motion. Yami circled Yuugi, and traced his fingertips down Yuugi's arms, still raised over his head. His eyes followed the rain that slid down the fair skin and, slowly, he removed his fingers and replaced them with his lips, soft and gentle. Yuugi leaned his head back onto Yami's shoulder as the elder continued to leave a trail of kisses up his arm. Yami grasped the other's hand and brought Yuugi's wrist to his lips, placing a chaste kiss right on the creamy, soft skin that rested over his vein.
He let his lips linger for a moment before pulling Yuugi's arm back and wrapping it around his neck. He let his other hand come around Yuugi's hips to rest on the boy's stomach, and for a while, they both just leaned against each other in the rain, eyes closed in utter bliss and cheeks nuzzled together.
"Yuugi."
The murmur, the plea, made Yuugi turn around fully, both of Yami's arms immediately encircling the frail waist, holding him close. Yuugi let his arms, folded at the elbow, rest in between them, pressed against their chests as raindrops continued to drip off his lips, his bangs, his lashes. Their reason for living, their hearts, their lungs became one as Yuugi breathed out and Yami breathed in, neither able to survive without the other. Their bodies shook with anticipation, trembling in each other's heat and flawless warmth.
Yami stared into the luminous eyes of his smaller counterpart. "Tell me, Yuugi," he said.
Yuugi leaned up, the back of his heels raising off the ground, and pressed a soft kiss against the corner of Yami's mouth, keeping the other's intense gaze the entire time. "I love you, Yami," he whispered. "I love you."
Yami watched Yuugi's lips move, listened to the beautiful words. Slowly, he reached his hand up, and brushed the back across Yuugi's cheek, wiping away the single tear that escaped the wide, purple eyes and mingled with the rain. He glanced down at Yuugi's parted lips, then looked back up to lock onto the other's softened gaze. And then, with one single last breath, he closed the space between them.
--
The rain murmured softly against the roof of the two-story apartment complex. Its sing-song voice blew through the open window, swaying the creamy white curtains that hung over the large frame. It was behind these curtains that Yami peeled Yuugi's wet shirt off, touching the smooth skin, memorizing the contours of the lithe figure. The soft blankets of Yami's bed settled around Yuugi's naked body, protecting him, cocooning him. But nothing was safer, nothing in the world was warmer, than Yami's embrace.
The protective arms snaked around his waist, and pulled him close as Yami whispered how much he cherished him, that he was his light in the world, his partner, his heartbeat, his faith and desire. His everything. The words never ceased, the sweet murmurs continuing well into the night, until the very first break of dawn.
Never had Yuugi felt more loved.
To Be Continued...
Reviews/comments appreciated as always.
