Y.A.R.: Chapter eleven? Man, I didn't expect to get this far in my stories!

Amy: Maybe because you haven't been that far to even start with.

Y.A.R.: What's that supposed to mean?

Seto: It means that you shorten almost every single story to a capacity that you wanted so badly.

Y.A.R.: Nobody asked you...Wait a second. Where's Yami?

Seto: He caught a cold last week.

Y.A.R.: -thinking- I'm screwed. One bad word about Seto and I'm about to head into "lecture" city...


Chapter 11-Scars of the Heart

Things that happened in the past can leave a very open scar in your heart; how can you recover if more than one scar has been carved straight into your very soul?


~Thursday afternoon, at the Kame Game Shop- 3:18 p.m.~

"Finally! We get a week off from school!" Joey cheered. "Those teachers complicate a whole lot of shit every year!"

"Joey, they're just getting rid of some unwanted pests in the classrooms. They didn't want to be in trouble due to health code violations." Yugi explained.

"Who cares, man? No school for a week!" Tristan said. "Though, it didn't help me escape that accursed math test I had this morning!"

"Sucks to be you in that class, Tristan!" Joey laughed.

"Says the one that failed his math class three years in a row!" Tristan countered.

"Oh, you wanna a piece of me, pal?" Joey barked.

"Bring it, man!" Tristan taunted.

"Guys, no fighting in the house!" Yami stated. "Remember what happened the last time you guys fought in here? Grandpa had to be taken into the hospital for that concussion you guys accidentally put on him!"

"We'll settle this later at the arcade!" Joey said.

"Onto other matters," Yugi redirected. "Did you get the chance to ask Amy two days ago about her love life, Yami?"

"Not yet, Yugi." Yami answered. "She did, however, asked me about what I was like back before I changed as a person. Amy heard it from Tèa, and I guess it wasn't the right time to ask her about her love life."

"Sheesh, man." Duke said. "Things aren't gonna go smoothly if you don't know anything about her back-story with all of her relationships. Even if we ask somebody that she knows, they wouldn't tell us anything rather than what they think about her."

"True, but in the end...Amy could end up in a very emotional state that might jeopardize her current mental condition." Yami assumed. "I don't want to cause her any more pain if my theory is accurate enough."

"What do you mean by that, Yami?" Yugi asked.

"Well, we don't know what happened to the men in Amy's past that she was arranged to marry in the future. Supposed that the current war for her heart was truly a violent one to see; did all of the men dumped her right after a week of being engaged or something much more horrible happened to them?" Yami presumed.

The boys looked at one another as the questions piled up within their minds. The mere reflection of what happened in Amy's past was still in their minds as they were now at the game shop since their school shut down due to some mishaps that left the building quarantined until further notice. However, Yami was quite worried about asking Amy about this very subject. If he was this fragile when he lost Ayame, what were the chances that the emotional toll that the woman he cherishes as a friend was even greater than what he experienced? Plus, he needed to get some kind of history about the men that were lucky enough to earn the right to her heart.

Yami was really contemplating whether or not on pursuing Amy's background in past relationships. To him, Amy was already a splendidly, but yet very fragile treasure just waiting to be shattered. He could tell of the signs during the date at the gala, and when he got to the door, Yami saw her body shaking to the core. Did Amy's relationships really took a devastating mark on her heart or did these men left her after discovering her temper to be impossible to live with? Until he discovered the truth, Yami would have to confront Amy on the matters.

Fifteen minutes into their little conversation, the door opened to make the guys head downstairs, seeing Ryou and Tèa arriving shortly after their errands were done. Tèa was still furiously angry at Amy in her mind, and she needed to convince Yami that going after the girl wasn't worth it. All she needed to do was to tell him about the rumors that she heard from Amy's female haters and everything would be set into motion.

"You guys are late!" Duke chided. "The Dueling News Network is about to start in a few minutes!"

"Hey, you try having dance class in the afternoon! We'll see how long you'll last in that room for hours!" Tèa argued.

"My uncle was in town today." Ryou explained. "You have no idea how hard it is to get away from him once he starts talking!"

"Anyways, c'mon!" Joey shouted. "I need to know if I made the cut into dueling history!"

"Dude, you never won a single tournament. Why should they report on you when you have no dueling skills to prove their point?" Tristan asked.

"You fucking bastard! You don't even know to play the game at all!" Joey barked.

"And this is coming from the guy who lost his very first and last duel in the Virtual World that Noah built." Duke sighed.

"Why you..." Tristan growled.

"Guys, really, c'mon already!" Yugi panicked. "Let's just find out what they're covering today and then you can argue."


~Several minutes later...~

As the hour-long program still continued with their broadcast, everyone was getting anxious about the current topic that they were discussing. It appears that for the duration of today and tomorrow, they'll be discussing about dueling prodigies from old and new, including legends that made their way into history. Yami was downstairs in the kitchen trying to prepare a simple recipe that Amy taught over the weekend at his cooking class. At least his grandpa lifted the ban so long as he continued going to those classes. Stepping near the entrance way, Tèa knew that she had to get Yami to question Amy's character himself and most important of all: the results of her past relationships. Yami looked to his left, put the tasting dish on the counter and folded his arms in confusion.

"Don't you think that you bothering me every chance you get is getting a little out of hand, Tèa?" Yami asked.

"Why are you always hanging out with that girl, Amy?" Tèa redirected. "She's nothing but bad news if you continue to go see her!"

"Amy has done nothing to me but offer her insights and friendship." Yami said. "She was even generous enough to teach me how to cook for my own. I just don't understand why you hate Amy, Tèa. She didn't do anything to you, and you're treating her like some criminal."

"But, she is one!" Tèa lied. "You don't even know what happened to all of the men that she's been with over the past several years!"

"But, you barely talked to Amy since you first met her!" Yami countered. "The only time you two ever said anything to each other was two days ago!"

"Then, you truly don't know Amy like you think you do." Tèa said. "Her love life's been covered in blood since she was a preteen."

"What...did you just...say?" Yami stuttered. There was no way that Amy could have...? But, that would mean that his own theory could actually be true!

"This is what I heard from girls that had been in contact in Amy's personal life." Tèa said. "Apparently, once she started puberty, the battle for her heart evolved into a war and a deadly one at that. Every guy that does get the chance to get engaged to her...well, suddenly their lifeless bodies were found hours before the announcement of the engagement. Amy was considered a curse to every man once they lay their eyes upon her body. The girls gave her a nickname: the Black Goddess. In fact, thirteen unlucky men had met their untimely fate just by being near her."

"You-You're wrong! Amy's not the killing type! She's not that kind of person!" Yami denied, adamantly.

"You don't even know that; I'm saying this for your own safety, Yami. Out of concern as a friend, I had to tell you about this unsettling news about Amy's past." Tèa pointed out. "I'm telling you, now. Back away from her, or you'll end up being murdered just like the rest of them."

And with that, Tèa left the former Pharaoh to contemplate on her very words, placing a dark, sinister smirk on her face. She knew that Yami was in the dark about Amy's love life, and taking that into advantage was going much more smoothly than she thought.

'Score one for me, you bitch.' Tèa thought, wickedly.

Back in the kitchen, Yami was distraught about what Tèa said to him about Amy's personal love life. There was no way that the girl he knew for quite a while could harbor such a dark secret. She wasn't the murdering type at all; sure, her temper was truly scary, but that didn't mean it could lead straight into execution. Did it really mean that behind the sweet, maternal girl was actually a sadistic person who was out for blood? The silence broke when the phone started ringing, prompting Yami to pick it up and hear whoever was on the other end. To his surprise, it was the girl in question that Yami wanted to ask about her personal life.

"Hey, Yami. Didn't expect me to call, huh?"

"Amy? How did you get this number?" Yami asked.

"It's pretty obvious when you look in the city directory for phone numbers."

"...I see." Yami said.

"Sounds like someone got a case of the blues; tell me what's on your mind...Please?"

"...I want to talk to you, personally and directly." Yami said, troubled.

"Hmm...have you heard of a café called Indigo Flora?"

"I think so; it's located at the center of the shopping district in Domino. Do you want to meet there?" Yami asked.

"Yeah, because you really sound kind of disturbed about something. Are you sure you don't want to me coming over to the game shop?"

"I...want us to talk alone. Privately." Yami stated.

"Alright, I'll meet you in about an hour."

"See you then." Yami said.

Hanging up the phone, Yami knew he needed to confront Amy about her love life to disperse any doubt lingering in his mind. Back when Ayame was still alive, he asked her if she had any troubles dealing with any other men in her life. His own lover told him back then he was her first ever love, but there were times that when she was standing above the living world, that she saw the violence that was caused over one's very affections. Yami could remember her words very well:

"My Pharaoh, love itself is a truly complicated issue to deal with. However, I couldn't forgot how many men were fighting for the one that they are smitten with, before they commit the sins that they did. Even though I wasn't there to see them physically, those battles left me a scar that will never heal until the end of time itself. You can say it left me in a very vulnerable state. Yami, heed my words: If someone produces tears, that means that they are at a state that requires a long period of time to heal properly. However, if one has a scar that is permanently carved into their soul, that means that no matter what, they can't be able to move on from what happened, even if they found happiness."

'Ayame...Do your words of wisdom really mean the truth of when I speak to Amy?' Yami thought. 'You speak of age, yet you and me were practically young lovers before...the day of darkness arrived and took you away from me. Is there a chance in this life that I'll be able to hear your voice once more? I wish there was a chance between me and Amy, but when that chance comes, what will be the outcome of the decision that could decide my fate?'


It took a lot of time to get to the shopping district at this time of the day, let alone talking to Yugi about letting him leave to meet up with Amy. Yami needed to know the truth from Amy's mouth; if she was trying to hide her love life from him once more, how was he going to trust her again when he revealed so many of his secrets to her? There was also the possibility of asking Seto and Mokuba, but what were the chances of them even telling him anything about their childhood friend's life when they themselves haven't seen her for almost an entire decade since she left Domino? He didn't want to believe Tèa's words since the girl hardly liked Amy since the very first day that she came into their lives.

Once Yami arrived at the café that Amy told him about and where to meet her, a waiter came over and directed him to the exclusive table; openly seated at the other end of the table was no other than Amy herself. It looked like while she was waiting, she helped herself to some treats until he arrived. The pink beauty looked up from her vanilla-raspberry pudding, and noticed that something was completely off when she called an hour ago. Amy didn't know about what was causing Yami any troubles; the guy had no troubles with his family and friends!

As the two sat across from each other, the air was uneasy since neither of them didn't know what was on the other one's mind. Finally, Yami summoned up enough courage in his heart to speak to Amy. He opened his mouth to speak, but met with a spoonful of pudding placed inside his mouth.

"You needed something sweet to relax your body." Amy smiled. "Don't get so nervous over something so big."

"Amy," Yami started. "Please tell me the truth."

"About what, exactly?" Amy asked.

"...Is it true that thirteen men met with death when they were around you?" Yami redirected.

Amy widen her eyes; she didn't expected that topic to come up around this time when they gotten so close in such a short time. Her eyes became shallow, and placed her right hand under her chin, with her expression changing from happiness into sorrow. Yami noticed the transition, and wondered if he really hit a major button inside her heart.

"Tèa told you about it, huh?" Amy inquired.

"I didn't want to believe it at first, but after she told me about your past relationships...I guess you can say that I started to have doubt inside my own heart." Yami explained.

"It didn't matter whether or not she told you about that part of my life. It was bound to come up sooner or later." Amy said. "See, all of those men did die, but only right after they became engaged to me."

Yami was completely shocked about what he was hearing; was Amy actually admitting the truth to him?

"But, why? They didn't deserve to die!" Yami exclaimed.

"You're right; they didn't deserve it." Amy whispered. "All of those deaths; every bloody body that I see with my very eyes, it just becomes one more scar added to that of my already shattered heart."

"A scar...in your heart?" Yami gasped. He realized that Ayame's words were becoming clearer as he listened to Amy clarifying everything that has happened to her in the past years.

"Yes; so many scars carved into my heart, and they rarely have the time to heal properly. But, there is one scar that can never be repaired, no matter what I do to avoid thinking about it." Amy sobbed. "This whole damn love war for my hand in marriage...It's gotten completely out of hand! No man can truly understand the emotional damage that they did to me just because I didn't choose them to be my fiancé. All those dreams that they had; ruined by those fucking selfish idiots! My temper truly grew from all of those tragedies, but even with all of that anger flying out of my body, I can never take a life even if they took one in front of my own eyes. I saw enough bloodshed in my lifetime...I'm sorry. I've forgotten that you lost Ayame back then, Yami."

Her tears kept falling from her face, absolutely shaken from retelling her tale of the lost lives that left her all alone in her very world. Amy didn't want to tell Yami about her true love yet, until she was ready enough to move on. She felt someone holding her body close to his body, helping her calm down with reassurance that made her feel secure and safe. Yami didn't expect that the girl was truly unstable when it came to her love life; to think that in the darkest of nights, she lost so many potential husbands and gained so much hatred on the men that took them away from the living world. He knew that Amy wasn't the killing type, but the fact that she kept her personal affairs from him was understandable. Although Yami told her everything about him, Amy wasn't ready to let any man into her life yet until she was emotionally stable enough to love once more.

"Why did you keep this from me until now?" Yami asked. "I would've helped you recover from the damage within your scar."

"There's one scar that can never be repaired, no matter how long it takes to heal in my heart." Amy whispered. "I didn't want anyone into my love life until I was ready to move on with my life. But, after fiancé number thirteen's crazy kidnapping plot, I haven't been able to find any man that I could trust completely without lying to me."

"What about Kaiba? Mokuba?...Or even, me?" Yami pressed on.

"Those two I can completely trust, and you're full of surprises." Amy said.

"I guess on a romantic level, then." Yami chuckled.

"Does this removes all of your doubts on my relationships of the past?" Amy asked.

"Well, yes...but I know more will come in the future." Yami said. "Why don't we spend the rest of the day here at the café? You need something sweet to relax your body."

"You using my own words to comfort me?" Amy giggled. "Anything sweet will calm my nerves any day."

"Especially when it comes to chocolate." Yami smirked.

Amy puffed her face and pouted; she knew that Yami was going to play the chocolate card.

"There's something I want to ask you, Yami." Amy said.

"Yeah, what about?" Yami said.

"Well...you haven't gotten the chance to be at my home since we started hanging out, right?" Amy asked.

"That's true. You know the way to my place after one visit, but I don't know anything about where you live at." Yami said. "Is there a chance that my friends can come too?"

"Sure; I know very well that they'll love to see how a Rivers go through every day of their lives." Amy said. "Of course, Seto-kun and Mokie are going to be there also since brunch is going to be served at my mansion."

"But, Kaiba would never..." Yami started, but then remembered about Amy and Seto's friendship. "Did you force him to come?"

"The boy needs a day out of that office; Mokie says that he hasn't been able to take his health seriously ever since I left years ago!" Amy sighed. "Even if he looks perfectly fine, I know the truth when I see it with my very own eyes."

"Still, how did you convince him to leave?" Yami asked.

"...I promised Seto-kun that I'll make the dessert that his mother made for him before she passed away." Amy said. "It was a dessert made only on Valentine's Day that he never grew out of, despite the fact that he wouldn't have that same experience every day. But, he cherishes me like a secondary mother, so you can say that the memories never went away."

"I barely knew my mother the moment I was born." Yami said. "So, I guess I can relate to Kaiba in some way..."

"I'm sure that even if you never knew about your mother, she lives within you." Amy spoke softly. "Many women would become devastated when they lose their children, but when they pass on into the afterlife, their spirit lives within the souls of their children."

"This coming from a maternal figure." Yami said.

"C'mon, let's have some sweets added to that our flavored sparkling water." Amy said. "Waiter! Bring this table some more pudding and cheesecake! And throw in some flavored sparkling water!"

As the day came to a close, Yami and Amy became closer than ever, knowing each other's difficulties through their lives.

One knew the trials of endeavoring throughout her love life.

The other was trying to pick up the pieces of his shattered heart.

Little did each other realized that the mutual feelings they have for each other will soon come into question when the seeds of romance starts to blossom.


Finally done! I'm hoping to get something for Valentine's Day soon...or maybe not.

R&R, people!