Alright, so since I'm not getting hardly any song requests, I'm going to stop doing the character songs. I'm sorry, but them's the breaks.
Anyway, I'd like to extend some well-deserved thank you's. To Luna's Eclipse, for motivating my lazy butt to write when I didn't think anybody was reading. To SangNoire, Actus Rea, Applejax XD, heartsneverfall, OMGuava, bookworm2131, and BookWorm2543 for reviewing, and finally, to Anshu, for the amazing feedback and encouragement. Thank you all, I appreciate your input and your views so much!
For once, I didn't feel like reading during the flight. I simply sat back and watched the sun slowly setting, the scenery passing by below us. I thought about all that I had learned during my last trip to Domino; the truth about Yugi and his Puzzle, the possibility that my ring was in fact the Millennium Band, the deeds committed by my father during his tournament, Bakura's wicked determination to possess me, and the idea that my heart, as human and breakable as it was, could be falling for another.
Magic was not outside the realm of my imagination, as it was with people like Kaiba, so I could believe that spirits could live within enchanted objects.
As my ring was extremely old and had come from a land known for its connection to the supernatural, it was no stretch to think that it could be a Millennium Item.
I had forgiven my father, and I only loved him more for his faults.
I was convinced that I would be safe as long as I was around either Yugi and his group of friends, or Kaiba.
The only new development that I was having trouble wrapping myself around was the possibility that I was in love with Yami.
Yami, who didn't even exist in a physical sense.
Yami, who knew nothing about his past, his life, or even himself.
As much as I wished it was different, Yami wasn't much more than a shadow within Yugi's mind. I relished the feeling of being in his arms, but I could not convince myself that those arms would always be open to me.
The subdued hum of the chopper blades and the dimming light caused drowsiness to steal over me, and soon, I was asleep, slumped in my seat with my hair falling over my face.
This world was different. Yet it was not unfamiliar.
I had been here before.
I could feel the sensation of silk rippling sensuously over my skin, felt the cool breezes of the desert night weave in the long strands of my hair.
Desert? Night? I'd never been to the desert. What was going on?
"My love."
That voice. I knew that beautiful, deep voice.
"That's right. Come to me."
Where was he? I saw nothing but cool darkness and shadow.
"Lie back."
I found myself doing as he commanded, wanting only to please the owner of the voice. I was lying on something soft; a bed perhaps. The voice spoke again.
"Close your eyes, dear one."
I did. I felt a hand weave itself in my hair, combing through the strands with unmistakable tenderness.
"My little dove."
The words were spoken in my ear; he was so close that I could feel his breath on my skin. I shivered, but it was not an unpleasant sensation. I felt tender kisses on my closed eyelids, on my forehead, my cheeks. Then, gently, a pair of lips covered mine. His mouth felt like warm satin, incredibly soft and undemanding. I found myself kissing him back, wanting the taste of him seared on my lips forever. One hand was still tangled in my hair. The other curved to fit my waist. His touches were soft, as if I was very fragile.
I knew him.
I knew every word he spoke, the feel of his skin against mine.
I recognized his kiss.
He spoke something, a whisper against the corner of my mouth, and it sounded like a name.
My name.
Not Naomi, but something else that I knew belonged to me. I strained to hear what he'd said, but I couldn't. However, as his lips moved from my mouth to my neck, it didn't seem to be of much importance. His teeth scraped lightly against my pulse-point, the sweep of his tongue following to soothe away any pain that the slight nip might have left. Between kisses, he murmured in a low voice that sent pulses rippling through my core.
"Fear not my touch, dear one. So my arms held you in the past, so they always will."
I couldn't speak. There was no need. Somehow he could hear every thought, every doubt that crossed my mind. As they came, as the darkness seemed close to overwhelming me, he would place an earnest kiss on my face, my lips, my throat. It made the darkness small, unimportant; his kisses made me forget everything that I had ever feared, everything that had ever caused me sadness or anger or regret. His kisses brought only light and love.
(Who are you?)
I could hear the smile on his face when he spoke. "You know me. I am the one that you loved, who loved you in return. I am the one that you shall love again."
(Bakura?)
There was a slight burn of anger in his voice now. "No. That fiend will never lay a hand on you again. I will always protect what is most precious to me. You will always be safe, my love."
(Is this a dream?)
"I'm afraid so. But only for now. Soon, we'll be together again. I ache for the day when I can see your shining smile, can taste your kiss."
(I want that, too.)
Warmth burned in my chest and stomach, and I knew it was simply him showing me how happy I had just made him. "Little dove, thank you." There was a twinge of sadness in his voice as he continued. "It is time for you to return to your world."
(No. I want to stay with you.)
"In time, we can spend eternity together. But now, you have business elsewhere. Worry not, I am always with you."
(Please…)
"I know it's hard. But you must return. You must open your eyes."
I bit my lip and did as he instructed, hoping that I could at least catch a glimpse of him before he was gone. All I saw was a flash of golden light and the design of an Egyptian eye, and then he vanished, leaving no trace that he was ever there. The darkness of the shadows swooped toward me, and I cringed.
I woke with a jolt.
It was a dream. I could still feel the softness of his kiss, the gentleness of his touch, but it was only a dream.
I looked out the window. The sky was dark, but I could see electric lights in the distance. We must be close to Domino now.
Close to Yami.
It might have been the lingering effects of the dream, but I felt now as if with Yami was where my heart belonged. If it felt so right to be in his arms, then they must truly be my shelter, my home. Even when Kaiba had held me all that time ago, I'd never felt as if it was where I truly belonged. Perhaps this would all seem foolish when we landed, but now it felt as if my heart was swelling with conviction that my feelings for Yami were the truth, and that they should be allowed free reign over me. Was it love? I wasn't sure yet. But something deep inside me, perhaps my romantic side, said that if it wasn't, it would quickly become so.
But was this new awareness shared?
Did Yami have feelings for me?
My instincts said yes, but with the infallibility of the human spirit, one could never be certain of what truly resided in another's heart. If I let myself get wrapped around the idea of Yami and I, just to be crushed when he didn't reciprocate, my heart might not survive the blow.
If you're afraid, just ask him.
How simple it seemed. Too simple. I sighed as we slowly began descending. It would be worth a shot. If I got it out of the way before things got serious, it would spare us both a lot of distress and bad feelings.
I stretched languorously when I extracted myself from the helicopter. Eight hours was much too long to be sitting in one spot. I left the pilot with instructions that he was to return within a week unless I radioed in with other orders. Another helicopter had taken my things to the hotel I'd stayed at previously. I wasn't concerned with lodgings at the moment. All I wanted was to see my friends again.
My friends. The words sounded lovely together. I smiled and started to walk, knowing that eventually I'd find my way to Yami.
However, when I turned a corner and found myself face to face with someone, it wasn't Yami.
It was Joey.
He was stunned into silence for a moment, something that was quite rare for him, then his face lit up in that big, goofy smile I'd been dying to see.
"Naomi! Is it really you?"
"Joey, of course it's me!"
Before I could say anything else, or even move, I was swept up into the biggest and most enthusiastic hug I'd ever experienced. Joey was swinging me in a circle, and I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on, laughing. "Put me down!"
"No way!"
But of course, he finally did, stumbling a little. No doubt he was dizzy from spinning us both; I certainly was. I put my hands on his shoulders and looked him over. His hair was a little longer, but he still had the same mischievous gleam in his eyes.
"It's so great to see you! How've you been?"
"I'm great, Naomi! Never better!"
I felt something hard against my side, and I looked down. Joey had grabbed my waist to steady me when he's set me back on my feet, and there was something on his left arm that was pressing against me.
"Um, Joey? What is that?"
"Oh." He held up the plastic contraption. "It's a Duel Disk. Kaiba invented them. Only top duelists get to wear one." His chest puffed out, and I could almost feel his ego swelling.
"I don't mean to sound rude, but I was under the impression that Kaiba doesn't regard you as a top duelist. How did you get one?"
His grin disappeared. "I just happen to be a contestant in good standing at Battle City! I've already got two locator cards!"
I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Joey? What are locator cards? And what is Battle City? I don't live here, remember? I haven't heard about anything that's been going on."
"Oh. Right." His cheeks pinked a little in embarrassment. "Well, Kaiba's hosting this huge Duel Monsters tournament, and he's calling it Battle City. These Duel Disks mean that contestants can duel anywhere."
"So you don't have to use the dueling arenas anymore?"
"Nope."
Kaiba, for all his faults, was undeniably brilliant. I made a mental note to congratulate him on his accomplishment when I went to collect the ring.
"Anyway, how've you been, Naomi?"
I ran a hand through my hair. "Well, since my father stepped down from running Industrial Illusions, it's sort of become my job to do it for him."
"You've been running the company all by yourself?"
"Basically."
"Wow." He looked astonished. I didn't understand why. I was only a few months younger than Kaiba, and he'd run KaibaCorp single-handedly for years. We stood in a rather awkward silence for a moment, before I saw a question dawn on Joey's face. I smiled to myself; it was really kind of adorable just how readable and open his expressions were. "Hey, what exactly are you doing in Domino?"
I held up my right hand. "I'm here to get my ring back from Kaiba."
"Oh." He looked crestfallen. "I thought…maybe…"
I touched his arm. "Joey, just say it."
He sighed. "I thought you'd come back to see us."
I smiled. "Well, of course I did. Getting my ring back just gave me an excuse to come."
"But do you really need an excuse? We're your friends, Naomi."
"I know."
"So why did you leave without saying goodbye?"
There. It was finally out in the open. I sighed and lowered my gaze. "Look, can we go somewhere and talk?"
He nodded and led the way. For the most part, he was silent, which caused guilt to twist in my stomach. I felt awful for just leaving them, but after that talk with Yami, staying any longer than was absolutely necessary didn't seem wise, both for my safety and my sanity's sake.
When we came to a park, Joey led me inside and sat on a bench, inviting me to sit beside him. I sighed and looked at my hands in my lap. "Joey, did Yugi tell you about what happened with Bakura?"
He nodded.
This was going to be tough to say. "I know that this is a bad excuse, but I was…really scared of him. I can't explain it, but there's something evil about that boy."
Joey put a hand on my shoulder. "Naomi, we wouldn't have let that creep get anywhere near you." He grinned. "Maybe we need to have Tea give you her friendship speech."
I smiled back. "Thanks, but I'll pass."
Slowly, Joey put his arm around my shoulder. I smiled; he was so sweet and so awkward. I decided to lean against him, taking the comfort he was offering.
"So, you were scared. Was that all? 'Cause to me, you don't seem like the kind of girl that runs and hides when she gets scared."
Ah. Now we were getting to the heart of it. I twirled a lock of my hair around my finger. "Joey, we're friends, right?"
"Yeah."
"And I can tell you anything, right?"
"Sure."
"Okay." I blew out a breath. "I think I'm falling for someone."
He immediately stiffened. When he spoke, his voice was strained. "Who?"
"You're going to think I'm crazy."
"Have you met Tristan? I hang out with crazy on a daily basis."
I laughed softly. "Alright. Joey, I think I'm starting to have feelings for Yu-"
"I knew it!"
His arm tightened around me, crushing me against his side. "Naomi, you don't have to worry about it anymore! Believe me, I feel the same way about you!"
I disentangled myself from his arms. "Oh, Joey…no. You didn't let me finish."
"Heh?"
"I have feelings for Yugi's spirit friend, Yami."
"O-Oh."
"I'm so sorry, Joey. I kind of guessed that you liked me, but I just don't feel the same way. You're like my brother, you know?"
He sighed. "I guess. I'm sorry for just blurting that out."
"It's alright. I'd rather you be honest with me."
He was silent, then grinned in a way that told me everything was good between us. "So, you think you're falling for the Spirit of the Puzzle?"
I nodded. "I know it sounds insane and impossible, but…if I'm not, then I really don't know what's wrong with me." I raised my hands in frustration. "I just need to talk to him, you know?"
"Then what are we waiting for?"
"Hmm?"
"Let's go find Yugi!"
He pulled me to my feet and began walking in the direction of the game shop, chattering good-naturedly the entire way. I smiled to myself; as anxious as I was to find Yami, I was really enjoying this time spent with Joey. He truly was like my brother, my friend. I was glad I'd met him; even if his feelings toward me weren't exactly brotherly, he was willing to put them aside so I could explore my own feelings for Yami. It felt wonderful to have him as a friend, and I hoped we would remain so for a very long time.
And there you are! Hope you like! Sorry about the wait, I've been very busy and my wireless is...less than functional. Oh well. Cheers!
