Masaka:drowning in a pool of plot bunnies Glub glub glurrrrrgh
Yami Masaka: ACK!! Aibou!! What the heck!!dives into the pool and yanks Masaka back onto solid ground Are you okay?
Masaka: spitting out pink marshmallow bunnies This story is eating me whole. I am so lost it is getting ridiculous
Masaka: absentmindedly watching the bunnies bounce their way back to the pool Just write 'Saka, you always settle things better on paper then in your mind
Masaka: Okay but don't blame me if it turns out awful
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Like most any occupation guardian angels had a manual. It described all the rules of conduct between angels and demons and it explained what could and could not be done with angelic powers.
According to the guidelines agreed upon in the latest meeting of the Great Council for Heaven/Hell Co-existence and said Manual Of Angel/Daemon Conduct section XXI, paragraph 12, item ii paranoia parasites were limited to whispering malicious suggestions into the minds of the fully-conscious only.
As such, while Yugi lie still in a drowsy not-quite-awake not-quite-asleep state his mind was completely free of demonic-spurred thoughts.
The parasite took this time to browse through the memories in Yugi's mind that it had previously skipped over. It also spent this time adjusting itself to sound more like a part of Yugi instead of some outside voice. It was more devastating to be yelled at by yourself.
The only thing going through Yugi's mind during this time wasn't quite a thought. The little synaptic spark bouncing around the Prince of Game's mind was a happy indulgence of an as-of-that-moment unknown sourced pair of hands stroking his face.
As Yugi drifted closer and closer to consciousness the sensation became more concretely defined and the first few sparks of association and curious speculation arose.
How do I know this feeling?
When was the last time someone looked after me like this?
Faintly an old grainy memory floated to the forefront of Yugi's mind. It was a memory of a woman who Yugi hadn't seen in a long, long time. A woman who had broken Yugi's heart years before the boy had even seen the Millennium Puzzle.
"M-Mom," Yugi called out, slowly opening his eyes.
The figure above him, to his sleepy mind, looked exactly similar to his mother. The familiarity faded, however, as full consciousness caught up with Yugi once again.
"Yugi-sama," Nero sighed in relief from above him.
'You idiot! Your mother won't have anything to do with you! Why on EARTH would you think she'd show up now?' the parasite in Yugi's body hissed even as Yugi smiled back at the little angel.
"Hey Nero. . .wh-where are we?" Yugi asked, his body almost too weak to sit up because of all the emotional trauma he'd been through.
But sit up Yugi did and as the short boy looked around he realized that he was most definitely not in the Game Shop.
Not that Yami or he were slobs but this place was just too clean to be the shop. Everything around him had been cleaned and pressed and starched to a point where it seemed even the residual aura had been scrubbed off the furniture. This level of cleanliness was actually kind of scary in how anonymous it made everything seem.
The color-scheme of the room was different than the Game Shop too. Here everything was shades of gray and blue with little dollops of white and mahogany.
At the game shop hues dipped into the reds and yellows, with emeralds, purples and chestnut brown playing a great part in the design as well.
The supposedly loud colors of his home had always given Yugi a sense of warmth and a sort-of family-like spirit of security and unheeded acceptance.
This room didn't give Yugi any particular sensation that he hadn't brought in with him. This place was as emotional as a black sheet of drawing paper.
Frankly it kind of gave Yugi the creeps.
"You're in Ryou's house, Yugi," another voice said from behind him, nearly causing Yugi's heart to break out of his chest in fright.
He whipped around to look over the top of the pearl-gray couch and saw Nizuki standing in the slated sunlight pouring through the shutter-covered windows.
Much to Yugi's surprise the angel was standing there completely undisguised, dressed in her heavenly robes with her wings fully extended.
'Oh shit,' the voice hissed.
"Do you remember what happened just before you passed out?" Nizuki asked as she walked further into the room.
Not unnoticed by Yugi Nero rose from his kneeling position beside Yugi and moved to stand a good six feet away.
"I-I…ran into you under our lunching tree," Yugi stammered.
"Fell on her is more like it, you stupid klutz. And you landed on her chest to boot. Too bad it wasn't someone like Mai, huh, you pervert,' the voice sneered.
"You did and you tried to fight away when I reached up to touch you," Nizuki agreed continuing her trek over to Yugi.
"I-I'm sorry," Yugi whimpered.
'Stupid damned jerk! Hitting an ANGEL of all things! That's GOTTA ensure you a nice plot in Hell!"
"Silence," Nizuki said, though for some odd reason Yugi didn't think she was talking to him. Stranger still that menacing voice deep inside gave a short curse before going mute.
The angel finished making her way to Yugi's side and she knelt down in the place Nero just vacated.
"Yugi. . .answer me truthfully. Are you hiding any particular marks on your body . . . underneath yourwrist-cuffs?"
A burst of absolute terror so profane it wasn't even a proper feeling but rather an awesome physical pain made up of horrible memories, past sensations, scared assumptions and soul-deep agony bloomed within Yugi's mind.
Nero, being so closely connected to Yugi and generally just too empathetic, whimpered and slid to the floor.
"I-I. . .I c-can't.. . I mean I-I don't. . .I-I mean I-I j-just," Yugi whimpered.
Nizuki just smiled with sad acceptance and unsnapped the boy's wrist-bands.
Revealed fully to the world stood two almost unnoticeable and faint scars. They were only slightly raised from the skin, showing the cut had been precise and to the point rather than an emotional driven drag of steel on flesh.
Still despite their clinical straight-forwardness, it was all too easy to see what they were
. . .suicide cuts.
"I had a feeling that you were hiding something like this. That demonic parasite in your chest needed some unsheltered part of your body to get in, and metaphysically speaking your wrists are wide-open to any invasion," Nizuki sighed, her long soothing fingers caressing and massaging Yugi's wrists and palms.
The action caused bile to rise in Yugi's throat from self-disgust.
"Yugi-sama. . .cut himself," Nero croaked from his place on the floor.
That comment, in Nero's sweet voice, caused Yugi to go over his tolerance level. The boy darted to the bathroom he'd spotted early and threw up.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT SCHOOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was good fortune that Yugi had closed his mind-link with Yami earlier because in the state he was in if Yami had sensed Yugi's distress the ex-spirit would have committed a murder. . .or maybe gouged his eyes out with a spork or something equally violent.
Yami had it in his mind that any and all distress that came from Yugi must have roots in some physical thing, like bullies picking on his hikari for example.
And it was then Yami's duty to 'fix' that problem in whatever way he saw fit.
Having Yugi just up-and-leave school in the middle of the day was playing havoc with Yami's head. The ex-pharaoh was so upset he was now enshrouded in a haze of anxious-to-act shadows that not even Tea, with all her Yami-centered charm and talent, could dispel.
"I just don't understand why Yugi wouldn't contact me if something was wrong," Yami grumbled from maybe the hundredth time in the last ten minutes.
"Yugi isn't a child, Yami," Tea interjected, "he doesn't have to come reporting to you every time he feels a little off-key."
"But-" Yami started to say. The tri-colored haired teen then let the sentence drop off. Truthfully he had nothing he could add to the end of his exclamation that would appropriately explain why Yami felt so hurt and why what Tea suggested was so wrong.
To Yami it was inconceivable that he should be barred from Yugi (mentally or physically) or be kept in the dark concerning Yugi's well-being.
Yami was vital to Yugi's welfare, in his mind if no one else's. According to Ryou, Nero and Nizuki were looking after Yugi.
To most anyone else, that would have been enough of a reassurance that the issue could have been dropped. Not Yami.
The whole of Kaiba's medical staff could be looking after Yugi and Yami would still consider it insufficient.
Yugi needed attention from someone who knew him.
He needed someone who understood that Yugi didn't like to be held until whatever Yugi thought needed to be confessed or discussed was thoroughly talked over.
Yugi needed the attention of someone who would know to run his fingers through Yugi's hair, pulling the hair away from the nape of his neck to calm the boy down.
Yugi needed someone who knew just where to wrap his arms around the boy to bring him the most comfort.
In short, Yugi needed Yami.
Of course it had never occurred to Yami that someone else COULD tend to those needs and that Yami's reasoning probably stemmed from his own need to tend to Yugi.
Just then, in that moment, Yami let his emotional guard down and all his emotions became clearly visible. This wasn't perhaps the worst thing that could ever happen, but it wasn't the best either.
Yami forgot he was friends with three very rambunctious teenage boys (Ryou not included because he was quiet and mature; Kaiba not even entering thought) and teenage boys are notorious for making awkward confessions of emotions even more worse.
"Oh Yami, if I'd have known how important this was to you I would have told you all about my stomachache!" Otogi said in a breathy falsetto that wasn't even close to Yugi's voice while clutching Honda's hands in his own.
"Yugi, you are so important to me that I can't stand anyone getting close to you! Why don't you ditch Nero and come start a three-way with Tea and me," Honda replied in a deep, deep voice that sounded more like a growling dog than any human voice.
The two boys then sighed in pseudo-joy and nuzzled their cheeks together.
"Oh stop it you guys, this is embarrassing to watch, stop!" Joey said with an effeminate lisp to his voice with one hand held to his face like a star struck girl and the other hand waving limp-wristed in a sort shushing motion.
Tea snorted in laughter against her will while Ryou woefully rolled his eyes skyward.
Yami showed a much more immediate reaction by wrapping his powers around the three boys and shoving them via spine jarring hard against the shade-tree.
The three teens let out identical yells of 'oof' and winced their eyes shut.
"My behavior isn't at all comparable to your disrespectful little pantomime and I rather resent what you three are implying," Yami said with an icy calm voice that was almost scarier than his usual heated anger.
"W-we didn't mean anything by it," Otogi said kicking his legs out by instinct in an attempt to break the grip holding him captive.
"Y-Yah man, we were only t-teasing," Honda said, flailing in much the same way.
"Why the heck are you gettin' so defensive?" Joey wailed as he pressed his weight against the tree, trying to wrench away instead of fight against the shadows like the others.
"I'm not acting defensive," Yami said plainly.
Joey may have been about to comment but Yami chose just then to press the shadows against all three boy's throats so the words were never spoken.
"Listen closely to this you three," Yami growled soft and sinister. "You can have your fun mocking my stature, my skills, my past or even my personal life but you are to never ever mock, in any way, my and Yugi's connections, understand?"
The three teens croaked out garbled appositives and Yami let them flop to the roots of the tree. Tea took the opportunity to grab the ex-spirit's attention and drag him off into a shadier area where they could 'cool off.'
Joey, Honda and Otogi gladly took the moment to try and bring circulation back to their crushed limbs and force air down into their lungs.
". . .He was defensive though. . .right?" Joey croaked rubbing his reddening throat.
Otogi and Honda nodded as one but didn't say anything further.
Being friends with a super-powered former pharaoh really sucked at times.
!!!!!!!!!! BACK AT BAKURA'S HOUSEHOLD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yakking up his breakfast did help Yugi relax. His heaving and gagging had sapping his of the energy needed to be upset.
Nizuki came in, helped Yugi rinse out his mouth, and then carried him back to the couch.
Once on the cushions again, Nero took it upon himself to embrace Yugi physically, wrapping his cherub arms around the teen's shoulders.
While normally Yugi didn't like anyone holding him when he was upset, Nero's touch soothed Yugi so perfectly that nothing within Yugi could bring voice to protest this intimacy.
"Brave Yugi-sama tried to hide awful secret from us, just so we wouldn't be upset," Nero sand gently into Yugi's ear. "Yugi-sama must've been so scared though . . .so scared. .."
Nizuki watched the two hold each other for awhile then cleared her throat to gain their attention.
As much as she wanted to let Nero just keep comforting Yugi things had to be done, confessions had to be declared, wounds needed to be tended to and all that.
"You don't seem the suicidal type, Yugi. . .you have strength within you to handle great threat and even greater heartache. So I have to ask. . .why?"
Inside Nizuki was a mass of conflicting emotions. The great unrelenting light within her was greatly agitated at the youth for doing something so wasteful and selfish.
The other more embracing part of her was sympathetic; understanding that because of his natural distance from Divine Grace the pain of something might just be too much for Yugi to handle.
Mixed together these feelings were making Nizuki slightly jittery and soul-sick. She wouldn't feel good again, she knew, until she sliced that damn bug out of Yugi's body.
And even she probably wouldn't feel right for a while. Nizuki had bad memories connected to a protectorate who had suicidal tendencies . . . a case she couldn't properly remember for the life of her.
"I... I never meant to …I …" Yugi tried to start. It was clear to Nizuki the boy was only confused and not trying to make excuses. That made Nizuki feel more comfortable.
"Just speak what is in your heart," Nizuki suggested. "Let the feelings flow, open up the callous and we'll keep it from bleeding too badly."
"He left me," Yugi finally managed to start. "I-I had been a part of him and he just left! I-I-I t-tired to get over it, I really did! I w-worked so hard trying to get him off my mind . . . but . . .The silence in my heart and mind was terrifying! After so much noise, so much emotion, so much thought. . .it was terrifying! I-I didn't ever plan on doing it, even at my lowest the idea of cutting myself was just too. . . b-but one night I-I accidentally stepped on one of grandpa's razor-blades and I. . .I-I was so empty that. . . death seemed so unthreatening in comparison. . .it was like I could f-feel anything at all without my other-half. . ."
Yugi shuddered in pain and squeezed Nero tighter to his body. Nero responded by holding onto Yugi tighter.
"I woke grandpa up when the bleeding didn't stop. . .God, it must've been like walking into a nightmare for him. . .me walking into his dark bedroom. . .b-bleeding all over the carpet like that. . .
T-the hospital g-gave me all these drugs before stitching me up. . .
When I came to the next day Joey and Honda were at my bedside. Joey looked particularly awful, with stress-lines all over his face and a mangled appearance that looked almost wild . . .
He made me s-swear to. . .to come to him if I ever got so low again. . .he made me swear that I would get stronger. . .so that he'd never have to see me so broken ever again. . .
But I was still so empty inside. . .I didn't understand why everyone had gotten so upset, I thought . . .I'm not sure what I thought really. . .maybe I was thinking that they should have understood my pain more. . .that they should have let me do what I wanted. . .to stop that pain. . .
But I've always been good at putting on the happy act for others, so I went through therapy, I took all the pills, I let my friends guard me and watch me as close as they wanted. . .
All that time I could still feel the void within me that Yami's departure had left. . .
And then. . . Ishizu found a ritual that would offer Yami a choice of coming back to this world. God,"
Yugi ignored the two angels' shivers,
". . . I remember hearing his voice echoing from the other-side. It had sounded as empty and lonely as mine had . . .I had thought that as long as we were together than everything else would work itself out. We could lead totally different lives, completely separate from each other. . .as long as we were whole again. . .and I would be happy. . ."
Yugi paused in his story to pull away from Nero and unbutton his shirt. He shrugged it down over his shoulders to the crooks of his arms.
Nizuki arched a curious brow to ask why then she noticed a scar almost identical to one on Ryou's body.
Underneath Yugi's left pectoral, the symbolic location of the heart, was a moon-pale scar, like a crack in a marble statue that had been filled in with builder's putty.
Nizuki had thought the scar had been unique only to Ryou and that it had been a memento from Bakura.
"We had to cut our yamis from our hearts. . .both Ryou and I," Yugi whispered softly as he watched Nero's curious fingers trace across the mark. "I thought that was unusual because I had wanted to put Yami back inside of me, not cut away what little remained there. . .
Despite having cut my wrist I was very squeamish about cutting myself that time. . .I tore through the muscle in my haste. . . Ryou apparently scrapped bone . . .
A blinding flash and a mega-drain of energy later, Yami was sprawled across the ground in front of me, naked, disorientated but oh-so real. . .Just like that the emptiness was gone and I felt as if the last few months had all been some type of sleep-walking experience. . .
Joey and the others all backed off and. . . really I think they thought like I did, that I would never attempt to kill myself and that it was just my stupid Sennen Link that had messed me up. . .
The scars were embarrassing to me, like the reminder of a stupid prank gone wrong. . . I never totally forgot it and the memory had started to nag at me by the time Yami and Tea got together and. . .then . . .you guys came and. . ."
Yugi trailed off and silence overcame them all.
Nizuki looked long and hard at Yugi then smiled tersely. "Then the fault lies within the puzzle and not you. . .Silver Clouds Across the Moon those stupid items have always been a stain on the fabric of the universe but some times I forget . . .I'm glad you didn't do something so vile of your own provocation."
"You mean. . .you don't hate me?" Yugi whimpered in relief.
"We could never hate Yugi-sama!" Nero cooed warm as chocolate-chip cookies from the oven, "We couldn't hate you for something you could not help. Your soul was hurt. You should not have been made to face such bad ickiness."
Yugi leaned heavily back against the couch as his whole body slumped in relief. He didn't even notice that his shirt was still almost completely off.
Nizuki quirked an appreciative eyebrow at the sight, something that Nero gave her an angered pout for.
"But you know . . . that because you did this . . . you will always be vulnerable to attacks by demon parasites," Nizuki said.
"I was kind of figuring you'd tell me something like that," Yugi smiled weakly.
"But. . .you don't have to suffer indefinitely. . . I am going to cut this bug out of you now Yugi," Nizuki said getting to her feet and taking a step back.
Nero yelped and dove behind the couch. Yugi looked over at the tuft of hair that was still visible then turned to Nizuki.
"Uh what do you mean-"
"Put out your arms, Yugi," Nizuki almost cooed.
Still riddled with confusion Yugi said his arms out in front of him. Nizuki smiled wickedly and in the twinkling of an eye whipped out a sort of light from nowhere.
It glowed and pulsed like a miniature sun while the outline of an Arthurian sword still shone through.
"WHAT THE HELL??? EXCALIBER??" Yugi spluttered, offering up the first thought that popped up in his mind.
"I Nizuki Gabriel, of the Light of the Lord, now command this dark spirit to depart from this mortal youth, Yugi Moto!" Nizuki said in a voice that was as deep as the ocean and as high as the whistling wind.
Yugi didn't even have the time to scream before Nizuki's mighty weapon whipped through the air and right into his wrists. It glided through the flesh like a ghost, bringing along with it the disgusting bleeding and cut tendrils of what Yugi figured must have been the demon parasite.
The body-parts of the demon were flicked off Nizuki's blade and the angel turned her weapon around for another pass.
It took nine whole passes before the head of the disgusting little sucker was finally pulled out. Yugi only saw the almost roach like face for a second before the thing burst in a disgusting explosion of inky black blood and sticky purple goop.
"YUCK!" Yugi wailed, jumped off the couch and shaking his wrists like crazy.
Nizuki sighed heavily, stabbing a single twitching tendril with her sword, and then collapsed to her knees obviously exhausted.
"Pheew, I am definitely out-of-shape if it took this much effort to take out a parasite," Nizuki panted heavily as she dismissed her sword into the elements.
Nero popped out from his hiding place and bounded over to Nizuki's side.
"Nizuki-nee, are you okay? You not really hurt bad are-"
Nizuki just patted Nero's side reassuringly with one hand and weakly rose to her feet.
"That took more energy than I had expected to use in a month here on earth," Nizuki moaned.
"I'm sorry," Yugi said as he sheepishly put his wrist-guards back on and buttoned his shirt up again.
"What do you have to be sorry for?" Nizuki smiled reassuringly. "You did nothing wrong, I was the one who didn't use enough foresight to plan my day correctly. I'm going back to the attic to pray and recharge . . .um would you and Nero mind cleaning up this mess?"
Nero and Yugi looked over to the wall beside the couch and noticed it was completely soaked with demon juices.
"Ewww," Nero and Yugi blanched.
Nizuki laughed warmly and stumbled off up the stairs.
"We can't let Ryou come home to this mess. He'd cut us up into meaty little cubes then bake us into a pie to get rid of the evidence," Yugi wailed.
"EEEEEEWWWWW!!" Nero blanched. Yugi laughed more freely than he had all week. He felt so relieved now that his deepest darkest secret was no longer his to bear.
"Let's go get the cleaning supplies from the kitchen," Yugi said taking Nero's hand in his own and turning to the door Nizuki had come in through. He figured that room had probably been the kitchen though he wasn't sure.
"Okay," Nero smiled warmly giving Yugi's hand a reassuring squeeze.
Just by the way Nero was so willing to drop the conversation about Yugi's scars and get on with life made Yugi think that Nero was going to be one heck of a guardian angel.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RYOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Despite his great reluctance to do so Ryou went to the discount gym right after school got out.
It was probably his imagination but the dragon on the building's front seemed to be snarling at him, daring him to try and enter.
"Why oh why am I doing this? I don't have one single confrontational bone in my body," Ryou grumbled as he looked at the building.
He had a gym bad all ready for this. He had his gi, a towel, a water-bottle and a whole range of first-aide items. But being ready materially and being ready psychologically were two different things.
"Bakura. . .is that you Bakura Ryou?" a voice called out from behind him.
Surprised at the unfamiliar voice addressing him Ryou turned around to come face to face with Darrin Zubarro.
Just like the last time Ryou had seen him the man was unhealthily handsome looking. His dark brown hair curled over one half of his face like a sheet of silk. His emerald eyes glittered like the precious stones they shared their shade with.
He was dressed in another button up shirt today, this one the same green as his eyes. And on his legs were a pair of faded jeans that looked so tight that Ryou figured there couldn't be any room underneath for underwear.
And horror of horrors the man was carrying a gym-bag just like Ryou was.
Darrin could be . . .
It couldn't be possible . . .
Nizuki wouldn't put him in a place where . . .
"D-Do you come to this gym too. . .Z-Zubarro-san?" Ryou stammered in horror.
"Yah I do, you mean you go to classes here? How long? If you say more than two years I am going to hang myself, I refuse to believe I've seen you around here before," Zubarro laughed openly.
"I-I just s-started. . .y-yesterday," Ryou blushed fuchsia.
"No kidding? Well I've been coming here for four years; in fact I help the new-comers work on their form. I don't have money to spare on membership fees so the manager makes me work with the newbies as payment. Hey! How about you and I pair up? It's your first class right? I'm sure you'd feel more comfortable working with someone you know."
The last thing Ryou thought Darrin would cause him feel was comfortable. In fact Ryou was pretty sure that as long as Darrin was around Ryou would feel decidedly UN-comfortable.
"O-Oh I-I wouldn't w-want to t-trouble you," Ryou stammered as his face went from fuchsia to maroon.
"No trouble at all," Darrin said wrapping an arm around Ryou's shoulders and stirring his towards the door. "Trust me; once I get through with you karate practice will be the thing you look forward to everyday. Like sex, only less fun."
'Okay God, if it's you that is doing this I have to say that I REALLY want it to stop,' Ryou thought hysterically.
"Hey, you okay Bakura? You're face is red enough to make a fire-truck look pale."
Things were going to be very interesting.
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Masaka: eyes covered, tail between her legs is it done, can I open my eyes yet?
Yami Masaka: Yes, it's finished you can open your eyes now.
Jason: sneak glomps Masaka Come on little writer girl, open your eyes. You did great
Yami Masaka: death to dog glare Wha- I just said-
Masaka: pries eyes open Hey you're right Jason it is okay!
Yami Masaka: charges out in a huff I HATE DOGS!!!!!!!!