Star: OH MY GOOD GOD! I am so sorry everyone! I never meant to take this long on updating! I just completely lost my inspiration! And then I didn't even touch my laptop for weeks. And then school started. And then I got my senior ring which didn't fit and had to be sent back. And I'm making so many excuses, but OH MY GOD! I can't believe it's been almost three months without an update! I promise not to take too long ever again if I can help it!
So since I took far far FAR too long to update, I'm not going to keep you with a boring author note. So enjoy this long overdue chapter, and please watch for the next one of Bright Shadows and A Mask Over My Heart
Disclaimer: don't own. Can't sue
"Speech"
"Shadow Language"
'thoughts'
(p.s. Special treat for all my readers at the bottom for being so patient with me)
--------------Revelations-----------
"Yami? What are you doing here?" Yugi was more than confused. What was going on? Hadn't Yami said yesterday that he wouldn't be able to come back? Was this really him, or had Yugi finally gone crazy?
"I'm sorry," the Shadow said quietly, his body still shaking. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so, so sorry."
"Sorry for what?" Now Yugi was even more confused. What could he possibly be apologizing for? He had done nothing wrong…or… "Yami, what's wrong?"
The Shadow didn't answer him. He just kept mumbling 'I'm sorry' over and over. He held the human as tightly as he could, and yet his body was still trembling. His breathing was irregular, and his voice kept breaking, as if he was trying to hold back sobs. His eyes were clenched shut, and it looked like tears were trying to escape. Yugi could hear the pain in his voice each time he spoke, and it felt like with each sob the other took his heart broke into pieces.
Yugi had absolutely no idea how to react. He wasn't used to seeing Yami act like this. Yami was normally so calm and collected, but now…he was so vulnerable. He looked like he could shatter any second. Yugi's once strong, confident Shadow was now shaking in his arms, and there it seemed as if there no way to stop him. So Yugi did the only thing he could think of at the moment. He slowly wrapped his arms around the other and held him close, softly stroking the King's hair and whispering soothing words to him. He needed Yami to calm down, otherwise he'd never figure out what was wrong.
Finally, after a few minutes, Yami started to calm down a little. His breathing was becoming normal, and his body wasn't shaking as much. For this, Yugi was glad. Though Yami still kept repeating 'I'm sorry' all the time. Yugi would get to that part later, but for now he just wanted Yami to relax. Quickly looking at his watch, Yugi mentally groaned when he saw it was past ten thirty. 'Jii-chan's going to be worried if I don't get back soon. But I can't just leave Yami. Not when he's like this. What to do?' "Yami, listen to me," he said softly, "I have to go back inside."
And suddenly Yami began shaking again, his grip tightening so Yugi couldn't escape. He began to shake his head, and muttered 'no'. It was obvious that he wasn't going to let Yugi go, and the human sighed. Great, just when he finally got Yami to calm down. "Yami, my jii-chan will get worried if I don't go back. I'm going to go to my room and open the window, so you can come in. It'll only be a few minutes, I promise. So please let me go."
Yami didn't reply and for a second Yugi thought he wasn't going to listen, when the King slowly withdrew his arms. Yugi looked up at him, but Yami turned his head, refusing to open his eyes. Yugi stood there a second before taking off towards his house. Quickly he ran up the stairs into the living room where Sugoroku was sitting on the couch watching TV.
"What's the rush, Yugi?" he asked.
"I just remembered I forgot to do my math homework," Yugi said rapidly as he went upstairs to his room, closing the door and locking it. He leaned against the door to catch his breath before rushing over to the window. He opened it then stepped back. Suddenly Yami dropped from the roof and jumped into the room, immediately rushing over and pulling Yugi back into his arms. Yugi led him to the bed where they sat down.
"Yami, what's wrong?" he asked again. But the Shadow still didn't respond. "Yami, please tell me what's wrong. Did something happen?" The King shook his head. "Then what?"
"I'm sorry," was all Yami said.
"Sorry for what?"
"I'm sorry for everything."
"What do you mean 'everything'? You haven't done anything at all."
"No, I did," Yami said, shaking his head. "I hurt you last night. I keep hurting you, I keep making you cry. I don't want to do that."
"Yami, don't blame yourself for that. It's not your fault."
"Yes, it is! Because of me, you are unhappy. I know it! I could sense your sadness a mile away, and I hate it! I hate that I'm the reason you are sad."
"You aren't!" Yugi said. "I'm sad because you left. I didn't want you to leave me. I'm happy when you are here, don't you get that?"
"You can't be happy. You can't possibly be happy with me," the Shadow mumbled, resting his head on Yugi's shoulder. "Not with someone like me."
"What do you mean 'someone like you'? You are my friend, Yami."
"But how? How could you possibly consider me your friend? I mean, you're human and I'm not! You should hate me, fear me. You should throw me out, not embrace me like this! You shouldn't…you shouldn't…" Yami stopped before he broke down completely.
"How could you think that?" Yugi asked quietly, hugging Yami tighter. "How could you think that I would hate you because of what you are? I don't care at all about any of that stuff. I never did. All I care about is that you are my friend. I could never hate you, no matter what happens."
"But why? I don't understand why," Yami said, finally looking at Yugi. "Why do you care for me?"
"Because I do," Yugi replied, looking into the King's cheerless eyes. "You are my friend, no matter what. I will always care about you, because you are a special person to me. I'm not going to abandon you because of some stupid fights of the past. You mean too much to me, don't you get it?"
Yami didn't reply. He just hung his head and looked away. Yugi sighed and began to gently stroke the Shadow's hair, hoping it would calm him down some more. Something must have happened to make Yami act this way. Could it have been during their meeting yesterday? Why was he suddenly so confused about their friendship? Didn't he want to be friends anymore?
Yugi was confused, but he also felt hurt. Did Yami really think that he would suddenly start hating him? Did Yami think that he would push him away just because of him being a Shadow? Yugi would never do that. He wasn't going to be like the humans of the past who detested the Shadows for no good reason. He could never hate Yami. Even if Yami destroyed the world, Yugi would never hate him. Because love was stronger than hate.
They sat in silence for a while, each lost in his own thoughts. What could they do? What could they say to make things better? Where could they go from here? It was true that keeping their friendship would be hard, but did that mean it was impossible? Couldn't they overcome this? Or were Shadows and humans destined to be enemies forever? Couldn't they make that choice for themselves? So many questions that they didn't have the answers to.
"Do you think it's wrong for us to be friends?" Yami suddenly asked.
"No," Yugi replied immediately. "Do you?"
"Of course not. But other people do. Too many people."
"Your people?"
Yami nodded. "They all hate humans. I can't change that. If given the choice, I probably wouldn't anyway. I still don't like humans. I can't help but hate them. But not you. You are different. I can't hate you, no matter what the others say. I can't leave you either. I don't want to leave you. I don't ever want to forget you…and…I don't want you to forget me."
"I would never forget you, Yami." The Shadow didn't reply. He just sat there, a despondent look on his face. "Yami?"
"Last night…the real reason I came was…because I was supposed to erase your memories of me," Yami said quietly.
"Erase…" Yugi repeated with a frown. "But why?"
"Because it would be for the best. Not just for my people, but for you as well. If anyone found out you knew about us, you would be in danger. I don't want anything to happen to you because you met me."
"Then why didn't you do it?" Yugi asked, looking away from the other. 'Is that the reason he came back today? Because he didn't do it yesterday?'
"Because I couldn't. I didn't want to. I never wanted to do it in the first place. But I would do anything to keep you safe, even if it means you forget all about me forever." Yami cupped Yugi's chin and lifted the boy's face towards him. "I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you because you were trying to protect me. I'm not worth it."
"Yes you are," Yugi defended. "I would do anything to keep you safe. I'll carry your secret till the day I die."
"But it's too much pressure. I can't give you such a burden."
"It's not a burden! I want to keep you safe! You are my friend, and I'm doing this because I care for you."
"I just don't understand," the Shadow said with a sigh. "How can you think of me as your friend?"
"How can you do the same?" Yugi replied.
"Because…you are different from others. You are kind, and gentle, and you are the only human I've ever met that accepted me for who I really am."
"And I always will. I don't care what others thought in the past. I'm never going to believe those lies. You aren't evil, or a monster. You are a wonderful person, and you will always be my friend."
Yami pulled him into another hug, and held him close. "Thank you," he whispered. Yugi nodded and placed his head on Yami's shoulder. "I just don't know what to do," the King said. "I'm torn between you and my people. No matter what I do I have to sacrifice something. But I don't want to give you up."
Yugi stayed silent for a while, thinking things over. It really wasn't fair that Yami had to give up something he cared about. He was forced into doing this, and he was suffering. But what could Yugi do? He was just a human. There was only one thing he could do, but he didn't really want to do it. 'I have to do it, for his sake. I don't want him to suffer through this anymore.' "Yami, erase my memories."
"WHAT!" the Shadow exclaimed. "No! No, Yugi, I won't do it!"
"Yami, listen to me," the teen said calmly. "It's for the best. You know that. Everything will be fine."
"No! I don't want to! I can't, don't you see? I just can't do it!" the Shadow said, pushing Yugi away.
"Yami, you know that it has to be done."
"But why? Why does it have to be this way? Why do I have to lose you?" Yami said, biting his lip in a desperate attempt to keep his emotions in check.
"You won't really lose me," Yugi replied, wrapping his arms around the Shadow again. "You'll still remember me. And even though my memories will be gone, I know a part of you will still be with me. You'll always have a special place in my heart."
"No! I won't do it! I refuse!"
"Yami, you are being selfish," Yugi reprimanded.
"I don't care if I'm being selfish!" the King yelled, standing up. "All my life I've had to give up things that were important to me. But not now, not you. I won't give you up no matter what. I'd give everything else up just to keep you."
"You won't be happy," Yugi said quietly.
"Yes I will! I don't need anything else. I don't need to have these powers. I don't need to be king. I don't need anything at all if I can keep you in my life."
Yugi stood up and walked over to the other. "You know that's not true," he said as he pulled the other into another hug. "By saying that, you set yourself up to be hurt. I don't want you to have to deal with this. Not because of someone so insignificant as me."
"You aren't insignificant! You are very important! I don't give a fuck about anything else anymore. But I will not give you up. Not you. Anything but you!" The Shadow's body began to tremble again, and he was finding it harder and harder to stay calm. He just wanted to rant and scream and cry and curse fate as loud as he could for screwing him over yet again.
"It can't be, Yami," Yugi said softly, pushing the other away gently. "As much as I want it, it just can't be. You have to put your people first, not me. It is for the best if we both forget about each other and never see each other again."
"Are you giving up so easily?" Yami asked sadly. Was this the end? Was it all over for good?
"What else can I do? No matter what you say, we both know that it can't be. You have to erase my memories to keep your people safe."
"There are other ways," Yami replied, almost desperately.
"There is no other way," Yugi said with a sad smile. "You know that this is the only option. You knew from the beginning that things wouldn't work out. We both knew, but neither wanted to admit it."
"No one has to know."
"It won't work."
"We can keep it a secret."
"It won't work!"
"We don't have to sacrifice our friendship."
"Damnit, it won't work!" Yugi yelled. "Why are you being so stubborn!"
"I'm not being stubborn! I'm just trying to save our friendship! Unless you don't care anymore!" Yami yelled back.
"Of course I care! But what the hell do you expect me to do?"
"I expect you not to give up so easily! If I had known you were so willing to end it, I wouldn't have come!"
"Maybe you shouldn't have!"
"You don't mean that," Yami said quietly.
"Of course I don't," Yugi said, sitting back on his bed. "But what can we do? Everyone is against us."
"So what? I don't care what they think. They can fuck off for all I care!"
"You are so stubborn!" Yugi said, tears of frustration beginning to form. "You aren't the only one who has to give something up. You're only thinking of yourself! But what about the people who depend on you? What about the people who care for you? How can you be so damn selfish at a time like this?"
Yami watched silently as the tears began their descent down Yugi's cheeks. With a sigh he knelt down and gently wiped them away. "I'm sorry," he said tenderly. "I made you cry again. This is what I'm afraid of. I don't want to hurt you ever, but that's all I ever do."
"Idiot," Yugi mumbled between sobs. "You make things so hard for me. I cry when you leave. I cry because I don't know if I'm ever going to see you again. I cry when I realize that it's impossible for us to be friends. I cry because I worry about you. I cry because life is so unfair, and I cry because I can't do anything but cry."
Yami opened his mouth to say something when a knock at the door came. "Yugi, are you ok?" Sugoroku asked.
"I'm fine!" Yugi answered a little too quickly, rubbing vigorously at his cheeks to erase the tear tracks.
"I heard you yelling before."
"Everything's fine, jii-chan!"
"Alright. But it's late. You should go to bed."
"Ok!" Yugi replied as he watched the other head over to the window. "Don't leave," he pleaded.
"What else can I do? I refuse to erase your memories, but by being here I'm hurting you. I don't know what to do," the Shadow replied.
"If you leave now, you're not going to come back, are you?"
"No."
"Then don't leave," the teen said, latching onto Yami's right arm. "Don't leave me again."
"I thought you wanted me to erase your memory."
"I do…I mean…I don't know anymore. I don't want you to have to deal with this anymore, but I don't want to lose you either."
"Now you know what I'm going through. But either way, I can't stay any longer. You need to sleep, and I have to get back to the palace."
"Promise me, Yami! Promise me that you will come back! Please promise me! I won't let you go till you promise me," Yugi begged, another tear falling down his cheek.
Yami smiled kindly, and kissed him gently on the forehead. "I promise. I'll come back no matter what. But you have to promise me that you won't give up on us yet."
"I won't! I promise I won't give up!" Yugi responded. "Goodnight."
"Night," the King said. His wings then burst from his back, and he climbed out the window. He then turned around in the air, and floated in front of the window. "Yugi, promise me something else," he said seriously. "No more crying."
Yugi blinked before letting out a smile, and wiping away the remainder of his tears. "Ok. I promise."
"Good." Yami then reached over and hugged him again. "I love you, Yugi," he whispered in the Shadow language. He then pulled back to see Yugi looking at him in confusion. In a way, Yami wished the human could understand his people's language. He didn't know if he'd ever have enough courage to speak it in Japanese. "Bye," he said with a smile before taking off into the night.
--------
Hours later, back at the palace, Bakura was sleeping deeply in his large, yet messy, bed. He was laying on his back with his left arm covering his eyes from the sun. Shifting slightly in his sleep his black sheets slipped from the edge of the bed, leaving him completely exposed save for his boxers. A cool breeze wafted through the open doors to the balcony, and Bakura shivered. Reaching around for the sheets with his right hand, he knocked against the bedside table, causing the alarm clock to fall to the ground with a loud thud, setting off the alarm.
Bakura shot up when he heard the piercing ring of the clock. Looking around angrily, he finally found the noisy machine and with a flick of his wrist the clock became nothing more than a pile of smoldering ashes. 'Stupid clock! Waking me up from such a good dream!' Ah yes, his dream. The first time a human was in his dream and didn't die. Of course that human was the pretty, little Ryou. But he'd never tell anyone that. Especially since many not so innocent things happened in said dream. 'This is just wonderful,' Bakura thought with a smirk. 'I've had a wet dream of a human. Things can't get any more fucked up than that.'
With a sigh, he lay back down on the bed. He wasn't disgusted so much as confused. Sure he thought Ryou was cute for a human, but that didn't mean he was going to change his entire outlook on the human race. Especially not because of one of that Yugi kid's friends. He wasn't about to turn into Yami, going completely crazy over some human boy. He hated humans, would always hate them. Ryou was no different.
"I wonder what Marik thinks of his double," Bakura mused quietly. According to Marik, his human counterpart was shorter with light lavender eyes and non spiky hair. Apparently he also had a short temper, but became embarrassed easily. His name was Malik or something. But that was all he knew, since Marik refused to tell him anymore. He just smiled and said 'it's a secret'. How annoying.
Letting out a yawn, Bakura flicked his right wrist and a new alarm clock appeared on the bedside table. Turning over he glanced at the bright green numbers. 'Almost eight. I should get up. I should…but I won't. I feel like being lazy today.' Just as he thought that, someone knocked at his door. "What is it?" he snapped.
"Lord Bakura, a young priestess is here to see you," a maid said.
"Is it Reika?" Bakura asked, sitting up immediately when he heard priestess.
"Yes, my Lord. She is waiting in your study right now."
"Fine," the Shadow said, jumping out of bed and heading to his closet. "Tell her I'll be there in a few minutes."
"Very well," the maid said before leaving.
'I wonder if she finally figured out those visions,' Bakura thought hopefully. 'I hope they aren't bad omens. It's bad enough that she couldn't figure them out at first. The last thing we need is for more shit to happen. We can't deal with that. Yami can't deal with that. Not in the state he's in.' After getting dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans, Bakura rushed out of his room and ran down the hall to the grand stairway. Opting to jump over the railing instead of going down the steps, Bakura fell past the third floor and landed gracefully on the second floor and dashed off towards his study.
Once he neared the room he slowed down. He didn't want to come in out of breath and exhausted. Standing outside the door, he took a deep breath before opening the doors. "Hello, Reika," he said, flashing a dazzling smile at the blonde priestess.
"Good morning, Lord Bakura," she said while she and her two companions bowed. "I hope I did not disturb you."
"Nonsense, I always have time for you," he replied with a wink. Inwardly he smirked when he saw the blush that painted her cheeks. If she wasn't a priestess, he'd probably date her. She was his type. But then, Ryou was his type too. But he was human, so that didn't count…did it? "So why have you come?" he asked, hoping to get his mind off the human teen.
"I have finally been able to decipher a part of the vision," Reika said happily.
"That's great!" Bakura replied, sitting behind his desk. "What has my Aunt said?"
"Well…I still have not been able to contact her," Reika said, her demeanor faltering a bit. With a sad sigh she sat down in the chair before the desk, the two other women standing next to her. "I believe there is something blocking me from speaking with her. I do not know what it is, but I can definitely sense a barrier of some sort. But what confuses me is that Lady Aine does not seem very concerned about it."
"Well, if she's not concerned then obviously it's not a big deal," Bakura said after some thought. "If it was important she would be trying as hard as she could to get through to you. Give it some time. But now tell me, what have you seen in your vision?"
Reika nodded and closed her eyes. "I see a great field of flowers," she said after a minute. "Flowers as far as the eye can see. Big flowers in full bloom with dazzling colors. This signifies happiness."
"So there is happiness to come?" the male Shadow asked. "That's good. Yami needs to get his mind off depressing things. What else?"
"There is someone standing in the field facing away from me," the young priestess continued. "It is a male. A young boy, I believe."
"Is it Yami?"
"No. I do not know who it is, but it is not the Master. All I know is that there is a gentle aura around the boy. It is comforting and warm, and very kind. He is a kind soul. This boy is special, I know for sure. When I look at him I feel as if my troubles are washed away, and I feel at ease," Reika said with a fond smile. "He is a friend. Someone very dear."
'Yugi,' Bakura thought. 'It has to be him. There is no other person Yami cares more for. It's not a good thing that he's in her vision.' "But what's the bad part?"
Reika frowned and lowered her head. "I see dark clouds forming on the horizon. Black shadows crawl through the flowers towards the boy. Trouble is coming, big trouble. I sense that we are no longer alone. Someone is there with the boy, but I do not know where nor who it is."
"That boy is going to die, isn't he?" Bakura asked gravely.
"I do not know," Reika replied quietly. "That is as far as I have been able to see. I cannot even see who the other person is. That boy with the gentle aura brings a great evil with him, but not willingly. The evil will seek him out and try to destroy him. He will either die along with the entire Shadow race, or he will save us all."
"Are you positive?" Bakura asked, staring her in the eye. "Are you absolutely positive, Reika? I want to know if that boy will die or not. And what exactly do you mean by 'save us all'?"
"I believe he will give strength to the Master. Strength to defeat these new enemies that have appeared. But I fear that it will not be enough. This boy, this pure soul, will give all his strength to the Master to help him. But that may be his downfall. The Master will be defeated and the boy's death will be in vain. Or he may give his life to save the Master and in turn save everyone."
"But either way he dies, am I right?"
"Sadly, I believe that is his fate," Reika replied.
'Damnit! That's not good at all!' Bakura thought as he turned to look out the window. 'Why Yugi of all people? Why does it have to be him in the vision? If it were anyone else, it wouldn't matter. But of course it has to be the one person Yami loves. He's going to die, there's no way around it. He's going to die and destroy us all, or die and save us all. But either way his fate is sealed. Yugi is going to die.'
"This troubles you," stated Reika.
"Of course it does. Someone is going to die, and his death may very well ruin us all. Worse, it's someone innocent. He's going to be sacrificed, and for what? For the hope that maybe everything will turn out right? It's ridiculous!" Bakura yelled, slamming his fist on the desk.
"Should I inform the Master?"
"NO!" Bakura yelled, startling the three women. "Do not tell him anything. I don't want him worrying about this, not until I know for sure what will happen to the boy."
"What will you do about the boy, Lord Bakura?"
"What will I do? What can I do? I can't change fate. If that boy is destined to die, what am I supposed to do about it?"
"But do you want him to die?"
"…no," Bakura said quietly. "I don't want him to die. I wouldn't want him to be used as a sacrificial lamb. But there is nothing I can do. I could try my hardest to protect him, but in the end it would be a waste."
"I do not wish to see that boy die. He is far too gentle and pure to suffer that way," Reika said with a sigh. "But maybe things will change. Hopefully they will change once I see the rest of my vision. But for now all I get are colors. Colors and noises."
"What about the person who is screaming?"
"There are still no words. It's just a loud, pain filled scream."
"Reika, could the person who is screaming be the boy?"
"I hope to the gods it isn't," she replied. "I do not even want to think about that. If it really is the boy who is screaming, then there is no doubt he will die."
'He can't die. Not Yugi. If he dies it's all over. Yami won't live without him, that's obvious. There must be a way for his fate to be changed. There has to be a way!' "Reika, try as hard as you can to see if there is a way to prevent this boy's death. That boy cannot die!"
"Do you know who he is, my Lord?"
Bakura sighed loudly and covered his eyes with his hand. "I can't tell you anything right now, Reika. Just trust me when I say that he's important. If he dies then our race dies with him, but not for the reasons you think."
"I will try my hardest to figure out the rest of the vision, my Lord. And I will try to contact Lady Aine."
"Good. This is very important, Reika, and I'm putting all my faith in you to figure this out," Bakura said while standing.
"I promise that I won't let you down, my Lord," Reika said as she stood up as well.
"Do not tell a single person what was said in here," he ordered. "Same goes for you two," Bakura said, looking at the other two women. The women bowed and vowed to keep the secret. "If this got around to Yami, all hell would break loose. Worse if the enemy found out." The four walked out of the study, down the hall, and down the grand stairway. Now in the great entrance hall, Bakura stopped Reika, and pulled her close. "If you can, try and get a description of the boy," he whispered to her. "I want to make sure it's really who I think it is."
"I will try, but the boy was too far for me to make out details," Reika responded just as quietly. "However, what should we do if the Master finds out?"
"Leave that to me. You just concentrate on the visions." Bakura then ordered two guards to accompany the women back to the temple. After they had left, the silver haired Shadow decided to go back to his room to try and figure things out. It was obvious that the human would play a big role in their lives. Which was completely unexpected. A human held the fate of the entire Shadow race in his hands, and he didn't even know it. And not just any human, the one Yami happened to be in love with.
'Damnit all. Why him? He can't die, he just can't. If only there was something I could do! But I can't without getting Yami suspicious. Yami won't give up on him, and that's putting Yugi in danger. There has to be something I can do to change all this. Though telling Yami is out of the question. I can just imagine that conversation. 'By the way, Yami. The person you love more than anything in the world is going to die soon and it's all your fault.' Yea that would go over real well. He would never leave Yugi's side if he knew Yugi was going to die.'
Reaching the fourth landing, Bakura glanced to his left down the hall where Yami's bedroom was. The King's bedroom plus his private drawing room next to it took up most of the left side of the fourth floor. Seto's room took up the rest of the space. Bakura and Marik's bedrooms were on the right side on the fourth floor. It was arranged in order of rank so it would be easy to find the rooms. Bakura stood at the top of the stairs for a minute, just looking down towards Yami's bedroom. With a sigh he started to make his way down there. 'This isn't going to be easy.'
Once he reached the large oak doors, he knocked twice. 'Please don't answer, please don't answer,' he repeated in his mind. Sadly he heard Yami tell him to come in. Taking a deep breath, Bakura opened the door and hoped that Yami wouldn't notice anything wrong. "Hi," he said calmly.
"Hi," Yami repeated, not getting up from where he was lying on the bed. "What's got you so worried?"
'Damnit, he noticed!' "Nothing," Bakura lied, still trying to act calm. "Its just some minor thing of mine."
"I see," Yami replied, staring at the ceiling.
"So," said Bakura as he lay down on the bed next to the King, "you went back to him."
"Yes, I did."
"What happened?"
"You won't believe it," Yami replied, shaking his head. "I still don't believe it. I told him that I was supposed to erase his memories."
"You told him?" Bakura asked.
"Yea. I told him I was supposed to, but didn't because I didn't want to. And then he told me to do it!"
"…what?" Bakura was now confused. He figured Yugi wouldn't want to forget about Yami.
"My thoughts exactly. He said it would be best for both of us if we forgot about each other and moved on. But I couldn't do it. I don't think I'll ever be able to do it. I just can't bear to lose him."
"You really do love him."
"More than anything in the world. He means everything to me," Yami replied with a soft smile. "I love him."
"More than you love me?" Bakura teased. "I'm hurt."
"At least he's not an annoying prick like you," Yami mumbled, turning over so that he was spooning Bakura's left side.
"You are so mean," Bakura whined, reaching over with his left hand and grazing his claws over a certain spot on the back of the King's neck.
"It's a perk of being the King," Yami purred in reply, his eyes drooping half way shut and becoming foggy with delight. "Damn you."
Bakura chuckled as he continued to run his claws over that one spot. "You purr like a little kitten," he said. Yami tried to growl at him, but instead it came out a soft purr to his annoyance.
"I hate you," Yami said, trying and failing to sound menacing.
"I know you do," Bakura replied, still caressing that one spot. "So what are you going to do about the whole thing?"
"I don't know. He tells me to do it, but I know he doesn't really want it. Yugi thinks that if his memories are erased things would become easier for me."
"So he's being selfless about the whole thing?"
"Yes. But I still don't want to do it."
"Aren't you worried something might happen to him?" Bakura asked.
"Of course I am! It worries me every minute. And the fact that I can't be there with him the whole time worries me more. And I can't help but blame myself a bit for putting him in such a position. Being friends with me is dangerous for him, but I just can't give him up. I really don't know what I'm going to do about it."
"And he has no idea about how you feel?"
"No. He doesn't have a clue," the Shadow King said, tilting his neck to give Bakura better access.
"Are you ever going to tell him?"
"At the rate things are going, I don't think we're going to be friends long enough for me to get to that point. Besides, he doesn't feel the same."
"How do you know that?"
"I just know. I'm nothing more than a friend to him. I'll never be anything else."
"You could be wrong you know."
"No, I'm not," Yami said, shaking his head. "I know I'm not. He doesn't think of me that way."
"Don't you think it's a bit unfair that you are keeping something like this from him?" Bakura asked, using his left hand to move a strand of hair from his eye. Yami whined in disappointment, and Bakura resumed grazing his claws on the King's neck.
"Why do you care so much?" Yami asked as he began to purr again.
"I don't really care," Bakura replied with a shrug. "But you're always so depressed now. It's no fun teasing you anymore."
"Jerk," Yami replied, reaching up and yanking a strand of Bakura's hair.
"Bad kitty," Bakura said, batting Yami's hand away. "But really, you've been so down lately. I don't like this change in personality."
"I can't help it. Every moment away from him is hell, but I'm afraid that if I stay with him I'll hurt him. I've already made him cry too many times. It's like the worst form of torture." Yami closed his eyes and sighed. "But you don't know what that's like."
'I have a bad feeling I will very soon,' Bakura thought. "You have to deal with this one day, you know. If you keep putting this off you'll only hurt him more."
"I know, but…right now, I'm fine with just being his friend. I don't need to be anything else. Just knowing I have a place in his heart is fine."
"You lie," Bakura simply stated.
"I know," Yami replied with a sad smile. "But I'll have to settle for it. There's nothing else I can do."
'You don't realize you are putting him in danger. Don't wait too long to tell him the truth, or you'll never get another chance,' Bakura thought. 'I shouldn't want him to pursue a relationship with the human, but I can't help it. If the kid is going to die soon, then they should at least have one chance to be together.' "If you wait too long, you'll never get another opportunity to tell him."
"I realize that. And I'm afraid that one day he'll fall in love with someone else and forget all about me forever."
'He's not going to live long enough to fall in love with someone else.' "But you still aren't going to tell him."
"No. I can't do that to him. I can't burden him anymore. It's bad enough that he has to carry our secret. If I told him how I felt, it would be too much for him to handle. I can deal with never telling him. It'll be hard, but I can do it."
Bakura sighed. "You will regret it in the end," he said quietly. "You only have one chance. After that, it'll be gone forever."
"What do you mean?" Yami asked, sitting up a little.
"Nothing," Bakura replied, pushing the King back down. "I'm just babbling." 'For your sake and his, hurry up and tell him. So you'll have one less regret when he dies.' "So you plan on just staying friends forever?"
"It's better that way. I can watch over him and he doesn't have to be burdened with my feelings."
"If you think it's the best course of action, then go ahead."
"What else can I do?" Yami asked with a yawn, Bakura's slow, constant caressing making him sleepy.
"You have to figure that out on your own. Do what you think is best," Bakura said as he closed his eyes. 'But whatever you do, do it quickly.'
"I want to tell him I love him. But I want to keep him safe," the Shadow King said as he slowly drifted off to sleep, his purring slowing down into deep, even breaths.
'You better keep him safe as long as possible. If he has to die, at least make sure he's had a good life. And as your friend, I promise I'll protect him anyway I can.'
-------
Lunch that day at Domino was very quiet compared to usual. There was no laughter, no loud chattering, no pointless arguments, and no random glompings. It was just silent. Not an uncomfortable silence, just strange. It wasn't normal for that particular group of friends to be quiet for very long, especially during lunch. But today the three who usually made the group loud, Yugi, Ryou, and Malik, had spaced out looks on their faces. It was as if they were lost in their own worlds.
This, of course, made Honda, Jou, and Anzu curious as to why they were so quiet. Numerous attempts to get them to talk proved to be futile as the three refused to say anything about what was wrong. Occasionally a small conversation would begin, but it would end quickly as the boys drifted back off into their thoughts. Which got annoying to the others eventually.
"Seriously, guys! Why are ya all so quiet!" Jou yelled, unable to take the silence anymore. All he got in reply was stares from the boys before they turned away again. "Ugh! Why won't ya answer!"
"Did something happen?" Anzu asked.
"No," the three boys replied in unison.
"That's total bull," Honda said. "Otherwise you guys wouldn't be acting like this. What happened yesterday?"
"If you have to know," Malik said bitterly, "some jackass was hitting on me at work yesterday. And he had the fucking nerve to kiss me!"
"Did you tell your boss?" Anzu asked.
"No. I was too shocked to do anything. It wasn't until I got home that I realized what he'd done. Isis gave up on calming me down after ten minutes."
"What are you going to do if he comes back today?" Ryou asked.
"I don't have work today. So that guy can go molest someone else. Annoying bastard," Malik muttered.
"I ran into someone yesterday," Ryou said. "Three times actually. And I really ran into him. But he didn't really care, which was weird. He just said it was ok and smiled."
"Where did you meet him?" Yugi asked.
"Once in the park, and twice in the library. At the park I ran into him and made him land on his leg. And at the library I ran into him and dropped a book on his arm. I was so embarrassed!" the teen said, a blush forming on his cheeks.
"You weren't looking where you were going, were you?" Honda asked.
"No," Ryou replied sheepishly.
"How many times have we told you to look? And you still never do," Anzu said with a sigh.
"I can't help it! I forget!" Ryou defended. "Besides, he said it was ok."
"Did ya apologize?" asked Jou.
"Of course I did!"
"Good. And what about you, Yugi?" Malik asked, turning towards the teen.
Yugi just smiled a little and shook his head. "It's nothing. Just me being me."
"But you aren't normally this reserved," Anzu said.
"Anzu, stop," Honda whispered. "Don't push him."
"Did something happen while I was away?"
"No," Yugi said. "Nothing's happened. I've been a little less hyper lately, and they all think something's wrong."
The other boys exchanged glances but didn't say anything. They weren't going to start anything, especially since Anzu didn't know what had been going on. If she were to find out, she would pester Yugi constantly to find out the reason behind his change. Which would only make Yugi angry again, and then he would definitely never tell. They would tell her about everything when Yugi wasn't around. Then they would make her swear not to bring it up.
"So what are you guys gonna do this weekend?" asked Jou, once again trying to start a conversation.
"Nothing," Ryou replied. "I'm going to be bored all day.
"Well, I'm gonna go ta Honda's house ta swim," Jou said.
"Who said you were?" the brunette exclaimed.
"I did! So deal with it!"
"Hey, Yugi," Ryou said, turning towards the other. "Want to come over and be bored with me?"
"Jii-chan might need me for the shop," Yugi said. Actually that was a lie. He wanted time to think over what had happened last night. It was still so confusing to the human teen. The fact that Yami seemed to be troubled was of great concern to Yugi. It looked like the King was being torn apart inside. He had such a hard decision to make, one that would affect both their lives forever.
Besides, if he spent time with Ryou the teen would surely start asking him questions. He hadn't mentioned anything since the day Isis came, but Yugi knew it was only a matter of time. And if they were going to be away from their other friends, then Ryou would definitely take the opportunity to bring it up. And Yugi didn't want to talk about anything. Not just because he couldn't, but because he just didn't want to talk about it.
"Aww, you don't want to share in my boredom?" Ryou whined. But the truth was that Ryou had already figured out Yugi was lying. It was totally obvious. Especially since Yugi hadn't looked him in the eye. But that didn't matter. Ryou would get him to come over. But he wouldn't try to get Yugi to talk about the bracelet or the mysterious guy that gave it to him. In fact, he was going to try to get his mind off of all that. Though that might be hard with Yugi expecting the topic to come up all the time.
"I'll see what I can do," Yugi replied. "But who knows what might happen." Hopefully he would be able to see Yami again before the weekend. But since it was Friday, the probability of that happening was very low. And it wasn't as if he could go looking for Yami either. He had no clue where he lived, or even in what direction he lived in. He hated having to wait for something to happen. For once he wanted to take action and take things into his own hands.
"If you want, you guys can come to my house and swim, since apparently I'm having guests over," Honda offered.
"No! I claimed him first!" Ryou defended, clinging to Yugi. "You missed your chance, 'cause he's hanging out with me!"
"Well, apparently I'm hanging out with Ryou," Yugi said, attempting to pry Ryou off him with little success.
"Yes, you are. And don't try to get out of it with some half assed excuse either," Ryou warned, glaring at his friend.
"I have never done such a thing!" Yugi defended.
"Lies!"
"Yeah, well…bah!"
"Forgive me for interrupting this intellectual argument," Malik said, "but the bell just rang, and I don't feel like getting yelled at for being late."
The friends looked around and noticed that everyone else was getting up and heading back inside the building. Not wanting to be left behind, they quickly threw away their trash and rushed to their next classes. Ryou and Yugi had the next class together, so they rushed all the way to the other side of the school, just making it in the classroom before the tardy bell rang.
"Good thing we have western drama last," Ryou whispered from behind Yugi as he pulled out his binder and his Classic Greek Plays book.
"As long as she doesn't give us back our tests from last class," Yugi whispered back. "I didn't study, and I know I failed."
"I hate that she makes us write such long answers for the discussion questions. I never know if I've written enough."
"When you've used up two pages, then you've written enough," Yugi replied. The teacher then called for their attention as she began to explain how she graded the tests. She then handed them out row by row, finally coming to Yugi and Ryou's row. Yugi groaned when he saw the score on his paper. "I got a twenty out of fifty," he complained. "That's a forty. That's below an 'F'."
"I missed three questions," Ryou said, flipping through his paper. "And she took off points on a discussion because I 'didn't have enough points to support my statement'."
"At least you didn't fail," Yugi mumbled, completely annoyed. Sure he hadn't studied, but still it was annoying to see the bright green marks all over his test.
"You know we have another test next class."
"Don't tell me that!" Yugi said. "I'm not going to remember to study for that one either and then I'm going to fail yet another test."
"If you come over tomorrow we can study for a bit."
"You're like a slave driver when it comes to studying, you know that," Yugi muttered, passing his and Ryou's tests back up to the first person in the row. "Besides, I thought we were going to be bored tomorrow."
"What's more boring that studying?"
"Boys, stop talking," the teacher reprimanded from the front. The teens apologized then turned to listen to her lecture. It was something on how Greek plays influenced medieval plays or something like that. No one was really listening to her. Especially not Yugi, who, once again, was caught up in his thoughts on the Shadow King and the trouble Yugi was causing him.
'It's all my fault that he has so much to deal with now. If it weren't for me he wouldn't have to worry about the secret getting out or anything. If he would just get rid of my memories everything would be fine. For him anyway, but that's what's important. I don't care about myself at this time. All I want is for him to be happy and not have to bother with me. What good am I to him? I'm just a human who can't do anything and who's not important. He has more important things to deal with.'
Doodling on a piece of paper, Yugi continued to think about the problem at hand. What could he do to help Yami? Nothing really, but that wasn't going to stop him from thinking about it. There must be something he could do. Anything! But at the moment the only thing he could think of was having the Shadow erase his memories. And that was obviously not going to happen. Though Yugi wasn't quite sure he understood why Yami refused to do it. Sure, he didn't want to lose Yami as a friend either, but Yami was adamant about not getting rid of his memories. He had been protesting far too much. It was almost as if he were afraid to do it. But why would he be afraid? What would he be afraid of? Shouldn't Yami be relieved that he doesn't have to bother with Yugi anymore?
"You know," Ryou whispered to him, jerking Yugi from his thoughts, "if you aren't going to pay attention in class, don't complain about getting bad grades."
"Sorry, I'm just thinking about something," Yugi replied. Ryou raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. "Don't give me that look. I'm just thinking about nothing in particular Just random stuff."
"Liar."
"It's not nice to call people liars," Yugi muttered.
"But you are lying. So I'm right in saying that."
"How do you know I'm lying then?"
"Because you are getting defensive."
"I am…well I wouldn't be getting defensive if you would stop accusing me of lying about something." 'Stupid Ryou. Calling me a liar. Just because I'd rather not tell him that I'm thinking of Yami. Because then he's going to start all over with asking me what's been going on when it's none of his business.'
"Fine, fine, I won't accuse you anymore," Ryou said. "And if you are going to 'think about nothing' as you put it, try not to stare at the teacher. Because then she's definitely going to know."
"Sure." 'Not like I care what the teacher does anyway. There are more important things than stupid drama class.' Reaching down to his wrist, Yugi began to twirl the bracelet around slowly, trying hard to think of a solution to his problem. 'I wish there was a way for me to see him. Instead of having to wait for him to come to me. But he probably won't come often anyway, seeing as how I'm the root of his problems. Damnit, if he would just erase my memories he wouldn't have a problem anymore! That stubborn, selfish fool. How can he think of himself at a time like this? Doesn't he know how much I'm worrying about him? Idiot. Goddamn idiot.'
Suddenly, Yugi felt a tear trickle down his cheek. 'What the…?' he thought as he wiped it away. 'Why did I start crying? Man, this is so lame. I can't believe I'm crying over this again. And in school! I promised Yami that I wouldn't cry anymore. And I can't let the teacher or anyone else see. Especially not Ryou. I'll just have to try harder not to cry again. I have to be strong. For his sake.'
Fortunately for Yugi, the rest of the period went by quickly, and soon it was almost time for the last bell to ring. Which was great, because Yugi really just wanted to go home and have some time to himself for a while. The past two days had been…very frustrating in every way. What with Yami coming to see him twice, and all the problems that arose because of his visits. And the fact that with each visit, the harsh fact that they could never be together stung even more. It felt like it was chipping away at his heart, and crushing his hope into tiny pieces.
Finally the bell rang, distracting him from his thoughts for a few minutes. Silently, Yugi headed towards his locker, Ryou following him. "Are you still mad at me?" the teen asked.
"No," Yugi replied. "I'm just tired, and annoyed that I failed that test."
"Well, now you know of the next test. So you can study."
"I never study," Yugi replied, throwing books into his locker and not caring if they got bent.
"Have you finished your history paper yet?" Ryou asked while leaning against the lockers, straightening Yugi's books for him.
"No. I have one paragraph left to do, but I don't know how to word it."
"I hate when that happens."
"When does that ever happen to you, Mr. 'I get straight 'A's all the time'?" Yugi asked as they began to walk to the exit.
"I don't get straight 'A's," Ryou said. "I've gotten a few 'B's."
"How many in the last year? Three? Five?"
"...two. And only on progress reports."
"And the rest were?"
"…'A's."
"My point exactly," Yugi said as they walked outside. They saw their friends standing at the gate and went over to them.
"Hey, Yug', ya busy today?" Jou asked.
"I don't know. Why?"
"Ya want ta go see a movie?"
"I don't know. I'm not really in the mood. Besides, I have to finish that history paper before I forget about it."
"I see," Jou replied, glancing at Ryou who just shrugged. "Well, maybe tomorrow den. If ya and Ryou aren't too busy being bored."
"Maybe. But now I have to get home and sleep. I dead tired," Yugi responded. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ryou. Bye guys," he said, quickly running out the gate and disappearing around a corner.
"It's happening again," Ryou said unhappily. "He's getting distant again."
"Today he seemed really depressed," Malik commented. "Like he was that Saturday we went to the mall."
"Guys, what's been going on since I left?" Anzu asked, a hint of worry in her voice. "Is there something wrong with him?"
"Your guess is as good as ours," Honda answered. "One day he just became really quiet and distant. When we asked what was wrong, he would get angry and yell at us to leave him alone. He'd been acting strangely that whole week."
"So no one knows what happened?" Anzu asked.
"Nope. But we think it might have something to do with why Ushio and his gang are unconscious in the hospital. They didn't come to school on Friday of that week and neither did Yugi," Malik responded.
'I don't think dat's the reason he's been acting dat way,' Jou thought. 'It has to be because of dat guy from da park. I will find out who dat guy is, an' what he's done to Yug'. Too bad I can't tell anyone else. But if I told den Yug' would find out. Den I'd never get anywhere. But I swear, I'll find out what's goin' on if its da last thing I do.'
------
'I can't wait to get home,' Yugi thought as he walked through the park. 'So I can finally relax. It has been a long, long week. At least no one can bug me anymore.' Heading in the direction of the tree, Yugi felt some of his worry fade away. Strange how just being in the place where he first met Yami made him feel so much better. Yet it had become his favorite spot in the whole park.
Sitting down beneath the tree, the boy leaned back and let his head rest on the bark. Here it felt like he was sheltered from the world. Like nothing could get him as long as he was near the tree. It was silly to think that way, but that was how he felt. It was the closest he could get to being near the Shadow. Then again he really could be going crazy. It was all possible. After all, finding out that he was going crazy wouldn't be a big surprise after finding Yami. Nothing could possibly top discovering the King of a secret species then falling in love with him. And Yugi dared anyone to try.
Checking his watch, he sighed when he realized he would have to go home soon. 'If I don't, I'll get in trouble. I can't believe I left my phone under my bed.' The one time he really needed a phone and he leaves it at home. Very smart. With another sigh he stood up and ran his hands across the damaged bark. 'I can't believe he only broke his wing. The entire tree is damaged. Well, I'm glad it was only his wing. If he had been hurt anymore…' Yugi stopped his thoughts there, before he started to get worried for no reason. The last thing he wanted to do at this time was picture Yami hurt badly. He would probably crack under the emotional stress, seeing as he was already at the breaking point.
'Well, time to go,' he said, slowly walking away from the tree. He hated leaving that spot, but he'd rather not get in trouble. Besides, he had no valid excuse for being late. 'I was obsessing over a tree where I found the love of my life who just happens to not be human.' Nope, that wouldn't work. 'I was distracted by a tree that was damaged because I met someone important to me there.' No, still wouldn't do. Either way, he had no excuse, because any excuse he created would surely mention Yami. And that was a BIG no no. Best to just stick with the 'I lost track of time' excuse.
Yugi pulled out his mp3 player and was about to put the headphones on when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to face a young man holding a map. "Yes?" he questioned.
"Sorry to bother you, but do you know where the library is?" the young man asked, his bright green eyes shimmering in the light.
"Actually, I'm heading in that direction. I'll tell you where to go when we split up," Yugi replied. Normally he wouldn't be so open to strangers, but the bracelet didn't seem to be reacting to him, so that must mean he wasn't threatening. Besides, there was something about this man that seemed kind. Like he had a gentle aura.
"Are you sure? I don't want to be a nuisance," the man said, laughing sheepishly. "I'm kinda lost though."
"It's no problem," Yugi said heading off towards the end of the park, the man following him. "Did you just move here?"
"Not really. I'm doing some traveling around Japan, and happened to come here."
"That sounds fun. I wish I could do that, but I'm still in school," Yugi replied. "Why are you traveling?"
"I like adventure. I like looking for 'interesting' things. It's a…hobby of mine," the man replied, tightening his long ponytail. "Has anything interesting happened in this town lately?"
"Nope. Not a thing. This place is so boring," Yugi answered, hoping he hadn't answered too quickly. Figures the man would come looking for something exciting. And it figures he would run into the one person who was keeping the biggest, most exciting secret in the world. Coincidence? Or was just fate screwing around with his life again? It seemed to like doing that nowadays.
"Are you sure? Something about this place…it seems to be full of interesting things. But to find excitement, you have to know where to look. I have a feeling something big is hiding somewhere. I'm hoping to find it soon. It's just thrilling to think about it. That this big city could hide such a big secret."
"Oh?" Yugi asked, getting a bit nervous. But why should he get nervous? The man couldn't possibly know anything about the Shadow race…unless…'Calm down! I'm just getting paranoid for no reason.' "And what exactly would that 'big secret' be?"
"That I don't know yet. But I'm hoping to find it. There are always secrets everywhere. You might find them anywhere. The mall, the alleys, maybe even the park. Are you sure you don't know anything?" the man asked, his green eyes boring into Yugi's. "Haven't you ever experienced anything strange in this town? Haven't you ever witnessed something so strange and exciting, that you just wanted to tell the whole world?"
"Nope! Absolutely nothing," Yugi replied, trying to act as normally as possible. What the hell was this? It was as if fate WANTED him to spill about the Shadow race. But he swore to Yami he would never tell anyone, and he would carry the secret to his grave. Hopefully it wasn't an early grave caused by stress. "Lived here all my life and the most exciting thing that has ever happened was when a car ran into a flower shop and lit the pesticides on fire."
"Well, maybe I'll find something exciting in this town," the man replied. "A flower shop, huh?" he added with a chuckle. "I bet that was the gossip of all the old ladies in the city."
"People kept going back to the site for weeks after just to see it. That's how boring this place is. Well, this is where we have to part," Yugi said, partially thankful that they would be splitting up. The man was nice and all, but Yugi was about to go crazy with all his talk about 'interesting things'. It made him even more worried about Yami, and Yugi couldn't take much more. He gave directions to the man quickly, hoping that he could finally get home and relax. It seemed as if someone wanted to give him a hard time. "Hope you find it quickly," Yugi said, turning to walk in the opposite direction.
"Thanks again, and sorry for bothering you," the man called out.
"No problem. See you around sometime," Yugi replied with a wave before turning a corner and disappearing, leaving the man alone on the sidewalk.
The man smirked, and turned in the other direction. 'So that's the kid, huh? He's cute. No wonder the King fell for him.' Pulling out a cell phone from his jean pocket, he dialed a number and waited for the line to pick up. "Hey, Leader. It's Tsuno. I met the kid," he spoke into the phone. "Yea, he's exactly like I thought. Kind, helpful, and completely innocent." A pause. "Yea, don't worry, Leader. You'll get your info soon. And I've decided to lower my rates. This has just become an interesting job for me." Another pause and Tsuno pulled out a pair of sunglasses from his back pocket and put them on. "Don't worry. He doesn't suspect a thing. Ok, I'll contact you soon. Later."
Tsuno closed the lid of the phone, and began to walk back towards the park. No way was he going to stay in this human city any longer. But suffering the stench of humans for a while was worth it, since he finally met his target. 'That kid has no idea what's coming. I almost feel sorry for him. But then again, it's not my problem if his life becomes a living hell. As long as I'm being paid, I don't care. So you better watch out, Yugi Mouto, because you haven't seen the last of me.'
----------tbc----------
Star: Ha! Who expected that one? Bet you all thought it was Otogi, huh? I haven't put in any bad guys for quite a few chapters, so I knew they had to show up in this one. ;huggles Tsuno; I absolutely adore my villain!
Ok anyway, I hope you all enjoyed that one. Once again, I was not really pleased with the way it came out. In my opinion it was lacking something, especially in the first scene, but try as I might I couldn't figure out what it was. But as long as you guys liked it. ;shrugs; Anyway, hope to see you at the next update! Bye!
But wait! There's more!
I finally found the picture that gave me the idea for this story. I had to look all through my album for that little bugger. So now I shall post it for everyone to keep.
http/ img.photobucket. com/albums/ v76/kuramasgrl /Yami20and20Yugi20yaoi /yami-yugi5.jpg
Just remove all the spaces, and put percent signs before the 20s. If that link doesn't work, pm or email me and I'll send it to you.
EDIT! (9/13/06) If the link doesn't work, send me a pm. Don't ask for it in the reviews. It's harder to keep track of ;sweatdrop; Just go to my profile and pm me.