Right, to Lady Europa, I'd just like to thank you for being observant enough to pick up on the obscurity of what I'd written, and I hope that the addressing it receives in this chapter will clear it up for good. Ta for pointing it out basically.
A little more Ryou/Yugi detail, Kurama no Miko2003? Well, this is a Darkshipping fic and I don't have a huge fondness of that relationship, but I'll try and chuck the limelight their way every once and a while. This will all remain in Bakura's POV though. And I'm not going to 'ditch' this fic. This is just my 'relaxing' fic that I add to every now and again without too much pressure. I don't really know if it'll ever 'finish', but no, I'm not planning on leaving it anytime soon, and certainly not on a cliffhanger.
Yes, Sailor Comet, there is now officially a new story arc. But this is still not a series. (Shifty eyes)
Thanks go to Amiasha Ruri for pointing out a gaping hole in the fic where the uploading thingy went wrong. Tis fixed now for anyone who was wondering what the missing paragraphs were. And Stu is quite cool, yes. He's growing on me so he might pop up again in the future.
Ah, good ol' Blue September, who loves Yami-whumping as much as I do. Yes, the shit's gonna hit the fan for him. I'm practically skipping with glee over it too.
Impish Pixie, I regards to 'Spawn', it's pretty much dormant at the moment. But, it has been showing signs of life so there'll probably be a new chapter within the next few weeks. Pachelbel and I have both been quite busy for the last few months, hence the silence on the co-fic front.
And thanks to everyone else! And even greater thanks to everyone who left long reviews! Really perked me up. Very pleased. I hope you enjoy this new chapter, and lemme know what you think.
Videotape
The walk home was awkward to say the least. I went with Yami to get his bag and let him change his shirt before ushering him out of the back of the building. If he could dance in those trousers then he can bloody well walk home in them, and the urge to get him home had been growing disconcertingly.
Maybe I just wanted him away from all these people, like he's dangerous, or maybe I just wanted to get admitting that which I've been deceiving him about for months over and done with as quickly as possible.
I kind of knew that I'd end up doing this. Don't misunderstand me; I was convinced that Zel was dead, but I've found that secrets like this tend to end up getting shared for some reason at a later date. I just hadn't expected to have to explain this one just yet.
Either way, he put up a fight. Yami was quite intent on changing, or at least getting some of the makeup off. He gave in though eventually; I think he's still pissed at me for my comment earlier as well as confused and has just resigned himself to me. Whatever it was ensured that he didn't talk to me all the way home, outside or inside the bond. That suited me fine; I had needed the time to organize my thoughts and plan how exactly I was going to do this. It took me until the front door to come up with my first sentence.
The house is dark and empty and I've never been more grateful for that. Ryou said something about staying over Yugi's tonight and as it's only 10 now I won't have to worry about them walking in. I'm glad of that; I don't know how long this is going to take, or at least the worst of it.
Not turning on any light as I navigate the bottom floor of the house, I decide that our shared room would be the best place for this discussion. Reassuring and all that. Yami follows silently a few feet behind me, his bag still slung over his shoulder as he moves around the furniture and then up the stairs.
I flick on the light and leave Yami to close the door once we've gotten to the bedroom. He drops his bag to the floor before facing me with crossed arms, his expression practically screaming 'what now?', which is a damn good question. Should we be sitting down for this? Or would that be too normal; too relaxed? But standing feels tense and impersonal, and we're both tired. By Ra, this is so fucking stupid. I haven't even opened my mouth and this is already overcomplicated. It doesn't bloody matter. Sod it. The sooner I start this the sooner it finishes.
"The Puzzle?" Yami suddenly speaks, and at first I think he's prompting me. Looking up I see that he's extended a hand. Oh yeah. I'd forgotten about that.
Lifting the concealing magic off of the Items, I take the Puzzle up from around my neck and hand it back to Yami. He puts it back on instantly and I see it glow warmly when it drops into its usual place. If it were sentient I'd say it looked happy, but I think it's just correcting a few things after that seizure earlier. Then again, if it were sentient I'd also say that it didn't like me much. I seem to have bad luck stubbing my toes and the like whenever I'm wearing the damn thing.
Puzzle back in its correct place and an interrogating look fixed on his features, Yami tips his head to the side slightly and narrows his eyes at me. "Now, if you'd like to tell me what exactly that energy surge was earlier, I'd appreciate it. Because I know what it feels like when you try to suppress things and it isn't like that. And you might as well explain why you felt the need to thump me for no apparent reason after I helped Kaiba."
Oh yeah, he's pissed off, tired and suspicious. Not a happy combination. I sigh a little, but it's from mental fatigue more than physical. Still, I wish I were sitting down.
"Okay. I did lie to you about the energy surge. I didn't do it; it caught me off guard as much as it did you. It's…" Fuck, why is this so hard? I trust him, he trusts me, we're in a pretty solid relationship, so where is the 'hey presto! You can be open and honest unconditionally with each other' lark that's rumoured to be a part of all this? "It's part of something that I've been hiding from you for a while."
My words do the exact opposite of what I'd intended to be the outcome of this entire conversation: he looks even more confused and a lot more pissed off. This is going to be tougher than I feared.
"I never told you why you were so sick a few months back, or what I did to cure you at the time. Well, now's as good a time as any. It was Zel. Zel was doing all that to you, and I think it's him that's started things up again tonight." There. I said it. I'm already bracing myself for the impending emotional breakdown that's going to occur. I don't see it as weakness in Yami; I know exactly how badly Zel fucked him over. This is going to be a nightmare for him…
I'm completely dumbfounded when Yami shakes his head in confusion and holds up a hand to stop me from saying anything else. "I'm sorry, 'Zel'?"
I blink, as that's the best I can manage at the moment. "You know, short little psycho? Very well endowed in the magic department? Annoying as fuck with hair that keeps changing colour?"
Both of Yami's brows have disappeared into his hairline. He must think that I've lost my mind. "Bakura, I have no idea what you're talking about."
There's a general fuzziness in my mind for a few moments before it clicks with an astounding amount of obviousness. Of course Zel wouldn't have been called that back in Egypt, and I doubt he could do half the stuff he did to me back then. Hell, Yami doesn't even remember his own name from back then, so even if he had been the same Yami still wouldn't remember him. I'm going to have to try a different tact.
Putting my palms together and bringing my fingers to my nose, I take a second to think about this before approaching Yami. He doesn't move, and I tentatively take both his hands between my own. I don't know why exactly; it just feels like something I should do right now. Maybe it'll help. He doesn't seem to mind overtly.
"Love, do you remember how all of this, 'us', started? When I took you into the Shadow Realm? Spoke to you? Touched you?" A nod and I can feel from him that he's sensing that he's not going to like where this is heading. He still doesn't know what I'm getting at yet though. "You remember what I told you at the end, my final conclusion?"
Another nod before he freezes completely, his gaze cast down. Eyes clicking to me for confirmation, he looks away again before prying his hands away from mine and walking around behind me. I let him have his space. He doesn't look upset, just shocked.
On the other side of the room from me now, he brings a shaky hand to his head and touches his temple lightly, massaging it minutely with his fingertips. "I think you should explain this to me," he murmurs without looking at me.
Yeah, I should. I sigh and my hands form fists. "He called himself Zel last time I spoke to him." Yami's frowns for half a second before his eyes widen crazily. I ignore it. "I found him through the Shadow Realm, connected to you."
Shaking his head viciously, Yami's entire body snaps about to face me again. The bond's hot with his anger, seemingly directed at me. "That's impossible. He wasn't in my Soul Room, I would have known."
"Not your Soul Room, love," I soothe before he can get too agitated about this. Having your assaulter existing in a place as personal as that… By Ra, I'd have trouble sharing mine with *Yami*. I take a step towards him but he takes one back, so I flash my palms and stay still.
"He had his own, it was just connected to you. Zel was stealing energy from you so he could form his own physical body, or take yours, I don't know."
Yami's looking off somewhere to the right and I can see every tendon in his throat and shoulders. The bond's searing now and it's turned bitter.
I take a breath, still sorely tempted to go to him. He won't let me. "He would have killed you, and I thought that I'd killed him when I went in there." The last part of my admission was more growled than spoken. I've got a lot of anger directed towards myself at the moment but I can indulge in some sort of masochist behaviour later for that. Besides, I think Yami's angry enough at Zel, me and life in general at the moment for both of us.
"This is a lot to take in," Yami say shakily, still not looking at me. "How long has he been there? I take it that someone put him there as some sort of weapon? Malik perhaps..." His expression melts into one of concentration, and I can hear the cogs turning as he compiles a list of his enemies, of which there are many, and which of those would be able to pull something like this off.
I grit my teeth and decide to stop him before he gets too fixated on this idea. "When the Shadow Realm was sealed away… He said he got pulled in at the same time you did. He's always been there; it was only recently that he really started having an impact. I… I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."
A buzzing starts up in the bond the second those words have sunk in, steadily getting louder and more intense as Yami gets even angrier, his glare at the floor worsening. It sounds like a swarm of wasps that have had their nest walloped something awful with a cricket bat. Not a nice sound, and its made worse combined with the heat.
I let him get angry though. He has the right to be, and it's best to let him get it out of his system than allow it to bubble away beneath the surface for months.
Yami doesn't seem to agree. Before I can realize what he's done, he's opened the door and vanished from the room. I bolt after him, catching him by the arm at the bottom of the stairs only to get my hand thrown back at me. He gives me a firm look that almost makes me recoil before walking away from me again towards the front door.
"Where the Hell are you going?" I shout, frustration finally kicking in.
"Out. Away from you," he bites back, his hand already reaching for the door. I whack my hand into the wood by his head and press firmly, so he couldn't open it even if he tried. He glares at me heatedly. It doesn't take much for me to keep a similar expression off my own face.
"I am not letting you go off gallivanting about like this. We have to talk," he say firmly, staring into his eyes. I mentally wince at the backlash I get from the bond.
"You mean like how we've been talking before? With you knowing everything and not saying anything to me? Not this time." He pulls at the latch and opens the door a good inch before my weight shuts it again. "Damnit, why are you doing this?"
My eyes narrow without my meaning them to. "Because I care about you, and he's still there, in your head. I want to help you."
He snorts to himself and rolls his eyes, his hand tensing to try for the door again. "You seemed to do a bang-up job of it last time if he's still here, so I'll take care of this myself," he bites out sarcastically, his tone tight and controlled.
I sigh heavily, my eyes closing now for a long second. "It doesn't work like that, and I did my best. I tried-"
"You knew he'd been inside me for centuries and you didn't tell me?" Yami snaps at last, finally taking his hand off the door. His hands drop into fists at his sides as he stares at me with nothing less than fury in his eyes.
I open my mouth but nothing comes out. What the Hell could I say to *that*?
"How could you?" he shouts, taking a step towards me so that I'm practically under his boots. I won't cow down to him though. I hold my ground and stare back at him steadily, letting some understanding and compassion show in my eyes. It doesn't do much for him though.
"You of all people know what he did to me, and you say *nothing* when you find out that he has been that close to me for centuries?" He wants to hit me; I can see that he does. Shock gets in before he can raise a fist though, all but screaming the words at me allowing them to finally sink in.
The anger drips out of his face and leaves him looking gaunt. Pale and wide-eyed, he's wearing the one expression that I really can't deal with. It feels like something's dying a painful death in my chest. "All these years…"
I close my eyes and reach blindly behind him and take a fistful of his hair, pulling him closer to me as I wrap an arm around his waist. He doesn't move, his posture still rigid and arms by his sides. I place a kiss on his forehead before pressing his head into my chest. He isn't crying, and I wouldn't judge him if he were.
His mind is ablaze with new information and he's shaking from the force of it. This is going to take some time for him to absorb, and I have every intention of helping him with it. It's partially my fault that this is all coming as such a shock; if I had just told him what I knew from the very start he might have coped better. But there's nothing I can do about that now, just be here.
"It's alright love, I've got you. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you, and I sure as Hell am going to figure this out. It'll be alright." My words are soft and muffled strangely in his hair, and the gentle sound of the resulting tone almost has me putting absolute faith into my words myself.
****
Yami fell asleep about five hours ago. I'm still wide-awake, still thinking. I'm tired, but that's just because of the sex after we finally finished talking. It was comfort sex, neither of us will dispute that, but it was what was needed. It renewed a few things between us, got Yami's mind away from emotionally destroying thoughts for half an hour and tired him out enough for him to sleep. We're both adults and have got past the lovelorn notion that sex is strictly an expression of love. It doesn't have to be; it can be a powerful gesture of reassurance, of comfort. And that's what we had both needed.
I had told Yami everything I knew about Zel, and I can state that honestly. He knows as much as I know and when he wakes up, he'll soon know all the theories I've come up with in the last five hours. We're working as partners in this now; none of this lone ranger shit. I couldn't destroy Zel on my own last time, which is a clear indication that I'll need Yami's help this time. It'll also be good therapy for him to have a hand in it.
I think I've got a pretty solid idea of what's happened with Zel, which isn't bad for seven in the morning when my mind is rarely ever working. When I thought I'd killed him, I distinctly felt him disintegrate. That is, I felt him divide up into a great many small particles and spread out over a very large area at a rapid pace.
I took this for his immediate demise, but now I'm thinking that he might have become absorbed somewhere. I haven't quite gotten so far as to what might have absorbed him as his Soul Room broke down seconds later, but he's definitely still alive.
And still in Yami by the looks of it. I think he's having a go at taking over Yami's body, which is easier now than if he was trying to do that last time. Being in many small pieces (yet still connected by magic and whatnot) rather than one big one means that he can permeate Yami's entire being at once. He can force control, but it's obviously very unstable. Physical shock can knock control back to Yami, who doesn't seem to remember afterwards that he ever lost control. Or at least that's my theory based off the one incident of possession that I am aware of.
But we've decided to just tackle this as it comes. We've planned to 'scan' the Puzzle this afternoon and then carry on from there. If that doesn't raise anything, then we'll go into the Shadow Realm and see if a new tunnel has emerged, or if anything is out of the ordinary in general.
The mattress shifts at my side and the quilt pulls around me. Yami's sitting up. I don't open my eyes, listening to the sounds of his breathing and the sheets moving as he gets out of the bed altogether. I frown, my eyes still closed. He's never done that. He's usually curling into me with force to wake me up, or bidding me a good morning. He never just gets up and walks away.
I can excuse that though; after last night, I'm willing to forgive anything and everything he does over the subsequent few days. He was thoroughly pissed at me last night and I have no assumptions that that evaporating completely in one night. The way he moved though has raised my guard.
I could feel through the bedding that his motions were too jerky for him, even at this hour and with an ache. He also put both feet on the floor to stand at the same time, and I know for a fact that he always steps out of bed.
The bond's also not woken up. It fizzles to practically nothing during sleep and so I didn't notice its existence whilst Yami slumbered, but it should be bursting back into life now that we're both awake. But it's still full of static. Something's very wrong.
My eyes finally snapping open, I jerk upright and look about myself. Yami's not in the room. This is strange, and not in a good 'Dr. Who' kind of way. If I had spideysense, it would surely be tingling right now. As it is the Ring's picking up something it doesn't like, humming at me and glowing from its place on the nightstand.
I put it on as I get up, dragging away and wrapping a sheet securely about my waist as I walk towards the door. I don't usually bother with this; I'm not modest by any means. I just don't know if Ryou's in the house at the moment. It's not really him that I'm wearing the sheet for; we're both pretty much the same physically. It's just that I don't know if he's brought Yugi back home with him and I just know that my Hikari wouldn't appreciate me walking around when Yugi's here wearing nothing but the Ring.
Stepping out into the hallway, I look up and down it but see no sign of Yami. Damnit, where did he go? Both Hikaris might be in the house and if Zel's in control again… The sheet trailing behind me, I stride towards the stairs and descend them rapidly. Glancing into the kitchen, I finally find him.
The table and chairs are between us but I can tell he's completely nude. That doesn't bother me in the slightest. What does bother me is the fact that he's stood right next to the fridge, his face so close to the plastic surface that his temple is practically touching it, looking at one of the photos stuck there with. It's a group shot of Yami, Ryou, Yugi and me, and his blazing green eyes are staring at it with great interest.
"Such a happy group. Snowdrops and firelights," he murmurs, his voice the same but the tone setting my teeth on edge. Eyes drifting in my direction, his open mouth tugs into a smirk and he steps away from the fridge. "So long since Zel was with a group. Is it pleasurable still?"
My jaw tightens impossibly and I feel one of my teeth crack. I swallow the chip without a second thought, watching my possessed lover step towards the table with alien eyes.
/Yami? Is everything okay?/
Damn, Ryou… 'Yami' tips his head back in mild alarm, his eyes widening as he looks at me down the length of his nose.
Stay up there, Ryou.
/Yugi's really worried. What's going on? Never mind, we're coming down/
"Yes, Ryou, please come down." I swear to Ra, if he so much as thinks it…
If you value your lives you will stay where you are
"Aw, Snowdrop won't share his friends." The acid green eyes narrow as his head dips, his voice dropping to a violent hiss. "Greedy Snowdrop."
I've had enough. 'Yami' doesn't do anything as I round the table and grab his shoulders. Incensed, I slam him back into the fridge as hard as I can before punching him in the face. His skull snaps back into the fridge with a resounding crack, his eyes rolling before his whole body goes limp and he drops to the floor. Whoops.
Kneeling and taking hold of Yami's face, I can't decide if I've knocked him out or if its Zel's temporary departure that has left his unconscious. Checking under his eyelids I can see that the green glow has gone, so at least one thing's gone right this morning.
"Yami? Bakura, what have you done?" Yugi's increasingly alarmed voice suddenly appears behind me, and I can hear Ryou's rapid intake of breath. Aw, fuck.
"It's not what it looks like," I say quickly, gathering Yami against my chest with one arm and wrapping us both in the sheet with the other. I can at least preserve his dignity, even if he is out of it.
"Why'd you hit him?" Ryou demands in an uncharacteristically strong tone. Must be feeling all protective on Yugi's behalf. How sweet.
"He's wasted and he was pissing me off. That was the only way to shut him up," I bite out, figuring that me going back to my old psychotically abusive self was a better answer than Yami being possessed by an insane rapist. There is a sting though as I feel the dismayed shock flare off of Ryou. Looking at him as I stand with Yami in my arms, I can see that Yugi doesn't know what to do.
Walking past them both without a glance, I carry my lover back up into the bedroom and slam the door shut behind me with my foot. I Distantly feel Ryou quietly close the link between us.
Laying Yami down on the bed and throwing the obstructing sheet aside, I take a seat next to him and gently brush back part of his fringe. Wow, that's going to be a good bruise. It's the same Goddamn place where I kicked him a few months ago too. Sodding irony.
Crimson eyes open blearily a few seconds later, and I put a hand silently on his shoulder as I wait for him to get his bearings back. Yami looks about himself once before groaning and putting a hand to his face, gingerly touching the blossoming discolouration around his eye.
/What happened?/ he asks groggily after a few moments, closing his eyes again.
I exhale heavily. /Zel/
That's all it takes. His eyes snap open instantly and he bolts upright in blind fear. He meets my cool gaze with a panicked one. "I didn't… Did he hurt anyone?"
I shake my head. "No, love. He didn't. You came out of it when I hit you so Yugi and your Hikari think that you're in an abusive relationship now, but everyone's okay. Do you remember anything?"
"No, nothing." He's shaking. Ra, this is going to get so much worse before it gets better.
I bring a hand up to his face, tracing it about his check and then up through his hair. I can't think of anything else to do to comfort him. He leans into my hand, closing his eyes with a dismayed sigh. "What are we going to do?"
Part of me takes pleasure in the fact that he's going to let me help him, but the majority of me just breaks a bit more at the tone in his voice. Quirking a brow, I realize that I don't really know what to do. Hunt Zel down, yes, but that may not remove the danger for days. I don't really want to lock Yami up for risk of possession… "I guess I'll be hitting you a lot, at least until we get this all sorted out."
He 'hmm's with a nod, opening his eyes and looking up at me. "That's not fair on you."
A shrug. "Why? What everyone else thinks of me doesn't matter, so that's not an issue." He still looks uncertain. "I don't want to have to hit you, but I don't want him in control so I'll have to. There's not really anything else we can do until we know more."
Yami sits back, his hands going into his lap as he stares off at some point on the wall ahead of him, shaking his head despairingly. "It took weeks for them all to accept our relationship. If he takes control when I'm around them, you'd have to do something. He's dangerous. But then we'd be back at square one with them again."
I slide the hand that has been caressing him around his shoulders and pull him against my chest, tipping my head down to look him in the eye seriously. "Is that the main issue though?"
A pause as Yami reviews himself before his gaze drops. "No."
"No. They'll deal with it, and if they respect you at all they'll offer their support. They won't shun you. Hell, they'll all be up in arms to keep you safe, and then it'll just be like old times, although without me getting stuck in a cupboard with Wheeler. This won't be permanent, and we'll still have each other at the end of it, and then we can just rebuild relations with the motley crew." I consider that a moment. "Or we could just tell them what's going on. The Hikaris at least."
Yami's answer nearly overlaps my words with the speed he speaks, and he pulls away to jab a finger at me. "No, I don't want anyone knowing about this. It would just scare Yugi, and he doesn't even know how this all, started. Just us if it can be helped."
"Alright, just us then. We'll check out the Puzzle later and take it from there. I think you'll need to arrange to live over her for a bit though. Although that might be tough considering the little display a few minutes ago downstairs," I trail off thoughtfully. I might have to do some experiments with how to stun Zel out of control.
I don't know yet if it's pain or shock that makes him loose control, and there's only so much that I'm willing to do to Yami either way. If it's shock, I'll start carrying around paper bags and treat him like an aggressive form of the hiccups. If it's pain that does it… I'll think of something. I'm only willing to inflict so many bruises, but I've got a lot of experience so an alternative wouldn't be hard to come up with.
"What little display?"
"I think Yugi saw me deck you, or he came in just right after."
"Ah." A pause. "That does make things difficult."
"It does, but we'll get round it. Hell, I'll just hang around your house if I have to. I doubt that the old man will like that though."
There's silence for a few minutes as each of us drifts off into our own thoughts, me scheming and Yami probably wondering how many countries he must have destroyed in the past to possibly deserve all this. The bond's silent, each of us keeping to ourselves. That's fine. I can respect that.
Yami leant back into my chest at some point and now I'm just supporting his weight, running my fingers across his scalp rhythmically as my mind wanders. There's not even a warningly loud inhalation of air before he speaks. It's just out of the blue.
"I love you."
My chest does something funny and I can distinctively feel my voice-box swell up or something. Wow. He's never said that before. Actually, neither have I.
Tightening my arms around him and dipping my head into his hair, I close my eyes a little. Sensation is always enhanced if you cut off that sense, and I want to savour the moment.
"Yeah, love you too."
****
(Frowns at last part of chapter. Shrugs.) Yeah, I was feeling a bit bad so I thought some fluff would be applicable. Meh. Whatever. As always, reviews are always appreciated. This saga's going to get quite dark again but I'll do my best to keep the sarcasm coming. Don't know when the next chapter will be up, but it'll likely be after Christmas. So, Happy Holidays everyone!! Thanks for reading so far!