Hello, everyone. Once again, I am bringing you a new chapter. I also want to announce that I'm going back to work so my updates may be even more erratic. I'll try my best to update as much as possible, though.
Thank you for being interested in my story. I hope you all continue enjoying it.
Julia and Kathy, finally you get to see one of your favorite characters. My dear Bakura, thank you for everything!
Okay, my brain is lagging. has stopped working. Enjoy.
Chapter 12:
The cat on Yuugi's lap hissed once, breaking the silence that had fallen in the living room. The tricolor haired boy placed his hand on her back, reassuringly, and that seemed to quieten the animal for a while. Still, Yuugi knew it wouldn't last for long. With the atmosphere so tense, Mana was sure to react to it once again. Or maybe the cat knew that something was going to happen soon, the same way Yuugi did. Call it intuition or a sixth sense, the young boy had learnt long ago to trust these feelings he would get from time to time. So, he knew something would happen soon the same way he knew it was something the three boys wouldn't expect; it was something that would change things again.
"You know about the Millennium Items?" Atem tested the waters, feeling his body as tense as a bowstring before releasing an arrow.
How could Yuugi know about the Items? If Yuugi knew, it meant his grandfather knew, too. Yuugi said he suspected his grandfather was working for someone else. For who? Was he working for the people that were after him and his best friends? He had been so sure Yuugi was not involved in this case and here the young boy was proving him wrong. What if by capturing and questioning Yuugi, Bakura had actually brought their enemies to their door?
"Don't panic." He told himself, slowly willing his body to relax. Surprised, he noticed that he had been holding on the counter without realizing it. He immediately let his arms rest to his sides.
He couldn't allow himself to jump to conclusions. He eyed the beautiful boy across him. As their eyes met, he felt a soft shiver run down his spine. Yuugi had been nothing but sincere since the very beginning. He had been exceptionally calm for a person who was almost abducted and threatened. It was such a pity they had met under such circumstances.
"Yuugi, tell us what you know." His voice was almost a whisper but full of authority. He leaned on the counter, his crimson eyes trained on the boy.
Yuugi was about to speak, but then his phone started ringing. Knowing that it had to be Joey or his grandpa and that ignoring the call would be more problematic than answering it, he apologized to the others and picked it up, sighing.
"Are you safe? Answer yes, or no." A familiar cold voice filled Yuugi's ears. He hadn't heard that voice in years. Automatically, he answered yes. "Are all three idiots in the room with you?" Yuugi answered yes again. "Don't say another word. I'll get you out of there."
"What…?" Was all Yuugi could say before the line went dead.
The amethyst eyed boy stared at his phone, not sure what to make of the phone call he'd just received. Why had he called him? How did he know where Yuugi was? What did he mean by saying he would get him out of there? Or did he actually mean all of them? What the hell was going on? His head hurt thinking of all these questions he had no way of answering…yet.
"Yuugi…" Marik hesitantly asked, seeing Yuugi's lost look. The boy kept staring at his phone as if it was a difficult math problem he had to solve. "Is everything alright?" Concerned, he touched the boy's shoulder, getting the boy's attention.
"I think so." Yuugi tried to organize the thoughts in his mind. Was he listening to his every word? He'd told him not to say another word. He felt his lips going dry. "Could I have some water, please?" He stalled for time.
Bakura filled a glass with tap water and offered it to the boy, carefully looking at him. His eyes were clouded with confusion but the white haired boy could tell the boy's mind was working hard to solve some kind of riddle. His posture was guarded. The phone called he had received had done that. Bakura was no fool. That brief call was trouble.
"Who was on the phone?" He asked, forcefully, standing in front of the young boy, blocking the path. Not that Yuugi had tried to escape, but it was better to make it obvious he couldn't go anywhere.
Surprisingly, Yuugi didn't seem to mind it. In all honesty, Yuugi seemed to be quiet at ease with all three boys, even him. It was unnerving. They had spent the last years getting used to the fact that their shadow magic affected their aura. Instinctively, the people around them knew that there was something about them; something different. In a crowd it could be muffled, but being in a room with all three of them should have had the boy fidgeting on his seat or at least be nervous. On the contrary, the boy didn't seem intimidated or scared. Even after Yami's magic touched him, he hadn't reacted with fear.
"Quite an interesting boy." Bakura thought, but his expression didn't give anything away.
"An old friend." Yuugi answered Bakura's question, slowly. He placed his phone back in his pocket and took a sip of the water. "The line went dead, though." That wasn't far from the truth. He had been a friend of his at some point, or so he had thought. And the line went dead when he hang up on him after his cryptic message. "I was surprised because I hadn't heard from him in a while."
Bakura narrowed his eyes but the boy didn't flinch. "What do you know about the Millennium Items?" He asked, moving even closer to the boy. "Don't play games with us, or you'll regret it."
Yuugi stood up before anyone could even blink. "Listen, Fluffy. I'm pretty sure you're dangerous. I feel it. I know all three of you are more than what meets the eye. But don't you think even for a second that I'll let you push me around." Yuugi's voice cracked with power and his amethyst eyes flashed.
Yuugi wouldn't allow anyone to bully him. He had been the bullies' target since he was young. Even protected as he was, the bullies would always find him an easy target. People were envious of his beauty and inner strength. They wanted to approach him but didn't know how. They often tried to hurt him, just to get a part of him. And his family couldn't always be present. Even his relationship with Joey had started that way. Yuugi would always smile and try to make them stop. But they wouldn't. Defiance was paid with pain but Yuugi wouldn't just be silent and do nothing about it. He wasn't a pushover.
The bullies soon learned to avoid the boy with the beautiful amethyst eyes. Hurting him brought them no satisfaction, only bad luck. And it was definitely not worth coming face to face with his blonde bodyguard. But Yuugi ended up feeling more confident and stronger with every encounter to a point he knew no matter what, he wouldn't allow people to push him around. They didn't have a right to.
Bakura was taken aback by Yuugi's words but he masked it better than his roommates did. He thought he had imagined a strange kind of power coming off the boy before but now he was sure this boy was special. The energy he emitted was nothing like their shadow magic but it was as strong. However, before he could question it, three things happened at the same time.
Mana started to loudly hiss, the door to the apartment opened with great force while Atem and Marik both reached for a very calm Yuugi pulling him down. Bakura barely had enough time to move to the side as Atem dived to grab the younger boy from his position across the room. Therefore, the white haired boy was the one who had the best view of the four guys in black uniforms entering the apartment with quick professional movements, taking a careful look around and assessing the situation.
"Who the hell are you?" Bakura hissed, his body in a position that made it apparent he was ready to fight. He could feel his palms getting warm as the shadows gathered around them. "What are you doing in our flat?"
Meanwhile, Marik and Atem both stood up, dusting themselves. Atem was sure he had acquired a set of bruises on his body from his leap but that was unimportant. Marik, who had been closer to Yuugi and had been in a better position to pull the boy out of harm's way, had protected Yuugi from Atem's unnecessary jump. Atem rubbed the arm he had scrapped on the coffee table and narrowed his eyes at his friend. Marik returned the glare. What the hell had made Atem leap that way from all across the room? He could have hurt all of them.
In the meantime, Yuugi remained on the floor where Marik had pushed him, taking in the two boys. He didn't try to stand up, as if he was used to having people barged into the place he was or being grabbed and thrown down. Seeing Atem and Marik both collide was fun and he couldn't stop a giggle from escaping his lips, earning a surprised look from both boys.
The sound seemed to attract the attention of one of the uniformed men, too. His eyes were on the young boy as he took out of his pocket a small device that looked much like a cell phone and pressed a button, filling the small apartment with a buzzing sound. Satisfied, the man ignored the looks he got from the owners of the apartment as well as Bakura's question and addressed the youngest of the boys.
"Are you alright, Mr. Mutou?" He moved closer to the boy but Atem blocked his access to him. The man didn't seem to notice. "Are you injured?"
The amethyst eyed boy slowly stood up, dusting himself. "I'm perfectly fine. I suppose this was what he meant by "I'll get you out of there"". Yuugi sighed, placing a hand on Atem's back, willing him to relax and move. Even though his leap was totally unnecessary, Yuugi was touched by the boy's move. "Couldn't you just knock? You destroyed the door." He scowled at the man.
The man raised an eyebrow at the boy's words but if he was amused by them, he didn't show it. His voice stayed business-like. "We'll make sure to fix the door before we depart, sir. But now you need to follow me. My boss is waiting for you." His eyes took in the other three boys, finally acknowledging them, "All of you."
"The hell we'll come with you!" Bakura spitted the words, his palms itching to unleash his magic. Without taking his eyes off the four men, he directed his next words towards the youngest boy. "You've been hiding things from us, Yuugi, and I'm not pleased."
Feeling a headache building, Yuugi tried to think of what to say. "I've no idea how his boss is involved in this mess or what he wants from me or any of you or how he even knew how to find me, but I know I should better go with them."
Atem pulled him back as the boy started walking towards the uniformed man. Yuugi found himself being held close to Atem's body and he had such a hard time masking his expression not to reveal how nice it felt. "Who is this he you keep referring to?" the crimson eyed boy asked through clenched teeth. They boy's proximity and soft touch was soothing but he was still on edge. "We are not going anywhere until I have some answers."
Yuugi and the leader of the uniformed men exchanged a look. "Is this place bugged?" Yuugi asked the man.
This time the man couldn't mask his surprise. The boy was smart. "We're safe right now, but we need to move, quickly. Else they will know something is wrong."
Yuugi sighed once again. "Seto Kaiba." The name echoed in the room as the three roommates looked at the boy astonished. Before they could stop him again, Yuugi left Atem's arms and moved towards the man and his team. "You better fix this door."
The man swallowed a laughter and led the boy out of the building, placing his hand on the smaller boy's back. Yuugi thought he heard someone growling so he turned to check. He was relieved to see that the other three boys followed him, even reluctantly. Outside the building stood another three men who instantly surrounded the boys and hurried them out of the neighborhood where a black van waited for them. They all got in and the van immediately started moving. Yuugi didn't miss the fact Bakura had brought with him a backpack. He would have laughed if only the situation wasn't so serious.
"Seto Kaiba was on the phone. He asked me if I was safe, if you were all there and told me he would get us out of there." Yuugi immediately started explaining. "I wasn't and still am not sure what to make of this, but it seems like your place is bugged." Bakura was about to ask something, but Yuugi had already predicted his question. "That device Hinata had," he pointed towards the leader of the two teams, "I have seen it used before. It blocks people from eavesdropping on you." His eyes sparkled as they stayed on the man. "Of course, the head of security can be paranoid and think you're there to spy on their boss even if you're just a high schooler invited in the building by said boss but hey…having your apartment bugged seemed like a normal explanation in this case."
There was some sarcasm mixed with humor in Yuugi's voice that didn't go unnoticed by anyone. Layer by layer, Yuugi proved he wasn't the simple soft spoken boy Atem and Marik had thought he was. Patiently, they waited for the amethyst eyed boy to continue but Yuugi simply looked out the window, apparently done with the explanations they believed he owed them. He seemed so lost in his thoughts that he almost jumped when Marik touched his shoulder.
"How comes you know Kaiba?" the older boy asked, instantly regretting his question when he noticed Yuugi's haunted look.
"Can anyone really know Seto Kaiba?" Yuugi whispered, unconsciously tightening his hands he had rested on his lap. "We were friends, once, or so I thought. We haven't talked in years." He shook his head and turned towards the others as if the lights of the city tired him. "He seemed to know you, too." An amused smile came to rest on his lips. "I believe he called you 'the three idiots'."
Yuugi was pretty sure he heard Hinata chuckling but the guy quickly turned it into a coughing fit. The amethyst eyed boy raised his eyebrows but let it go, waiting for the other three boys to explain themselves. He was quite sure this would be an interesting story.
Bakura decided to answer the unasked question. "We don't." The white haired boy pointed to Atem who sighed. "He does." Bakura seemed to be amused by the situation all of the sudden. "They are second cousins."
"We haven't spoken in years as well." Atem explained, not really enjoying the whole thing as much as Bakura. "There was never any great love between our families. I think my father and his father had an argument when we were kids. I don't remember seeing Seto around a lot growing up." He wasn't even sure when was the last time the two families had been together under one roof. "As a kid, Seto was always so serious. He was competitive when we played games, but that is all I remember of him as a child. Even though he was only two years older than me, he was never interested in being friends so talking wasn't in the cards when his family would visit. We would usually play chess or a board game with minimum talking. Then, one day the visits just stopped and I didn't see him again."
In all reality, Atem wouldn't have been surprised if Seto didn't even remember him. Of course that wasn't the case. It seemed the older boy was keeping tabs on him and his friends. Not only that, but he was most probably involved in the whole mess that haunted the boys' lives. The crimson eyed boy was quite curious to learn how that had happened. And of course, how Yuugi was involved as well.
"I guess tonight is the night of revelations." Yuugi whispered, his voice soft but his eyes flashing with energy. No matter what, he would get answers. If facing Seto Kaiba was the way to do that, he didn't care. "We are almost there." He informed the three boys. "After passing those gates," he pointed to the shadow of a pair of dark gates a small distance ahead of them, "we'll be in Kaiba's kingdom. Beware of the dragon prince."
His words were playful but Atem was sure the warning was real. What did Yugi know about Seto and what had his cousin done to the young boy for Yuugi to have this reaction? The crimson eyed boy didn't know but he had a feeling soon he would find out.
Beware of the dragon prince. Finally, Seto Kaiba makes an appearance. And what an appearance.
What do you think of Yuugi's reaction when Bakura tried to push him for information? What about Atem's leap? I think that was funny. Also, can anyone guess who Hinata is? Fun fact…I first called him Shinichi from Detective Conan but in the end, I changed my mind.