Here, I am again. Hello, everyone. How are you? I hope this chapter finds you well. I don't have much to say here but that I'm slowly getting back to writing this story, and that I keep adding more and more characters from other franchises in this story. As if working with all these Yugioh characters wasn't enough. See me bringing all the Danganronpa 2 characters here soon.
As always this story and chapter is dedicated to my Bakura who is my greatest supporter. If one day I could longer access AO3 or fanfiction anymore, I'd keep writing this story just for her. I also want to dedicate it to Kathy who is always on my mind, and Julia who one day will come back to this story and be surprised there are new chapters out. And of course, I want to thank here all my readers who read this story and sometimes even leave a comment! You're all great.
Chapter 19
The first thing Joey's sleepy mind noticed sometime during sleeping was that one of his pillows was trying to escape. Carefully, almost stealthily, it was moving little by little, with the intension of slipping from beneath his arm. Why did his pillow want to leave? It was so soft and warm; warmer than the one beneath his head. He wasn't even squeezing it too hard. Now that he thought about it, shouldn't his pillows be all still? Were they supposed to move?
"Joey," a voice called his name, pleadingly. "I'm trying to get up. You can sleep some more but let me go."
"No."
The blonde's arms tightened around the youngest boy's body, effectively trapping him once again. A squeak left Yuugi's lips as Joey squeezed him. It wasn't a particularly painful squeeze but Yuugi hadn't expected it.
"Joey!" Yuugi whined, loudly. He tried to pull himself out of Joey's iron grip. "Move!" He whined again, and then with a last push he finally managed to extract himself from his brother's arms, quickly placing a pillow in his place. That ought to keep Joey calm for a while. He was so deeply asleep that he wouldn't notice the replacement until he was fully awake.
Taking a deep breath and rubbing his sides, the boy quickly checked his clothes. They were a bit wrinkled but he was presentable enough to leave his room and walk around the mansion. Quickly, he straightened them the best way he could and brushed his hair. Then, he wrote a quick note to Joey telling him he was going to eat breakfast, even though it was noon already, and left the room to find Hinata.
He found the man in his office which was the room closer to the entrance, talking on the phone. Politely, he waited until the head of security was done with his call and then informed him he would be ready to leave as soon as he had a bite. After finally resting for some hours, he felt really hungry.
"Come have a cup of coffee with me, Hinata. We can discuss our outing while I eat. "
He didn't wait for an answer. He just turned and started walking towards the kitchen with sure steps. Hinata followed him without saying a word as the boy led him through the halls as if he knew the mansion as well as he did.
"You still remember the way." The bodyguard said as they were about to enter the kitchen.
"Mokuba and I spent quite some evenings here cooking together. I don't think I'd ever forget how to get here." Fondness was evident in the boy's voice. Then, he turned towards Hinata, biting his lower lip. "Is Teruteru still...ehm..his usual self?"
Hinata had a hard time not laughing at Yuugi's discomfort. "I'm afraid he is still the same." He actually felt bad for what was about to happen. After years of absence, Yuugi's entrance would cause quite a stir for sure.
Resigned, Yuugi sighed and opened the door entering a huge spotless room. The place had nothing to be jealous of a professional kitchen in the best restaurant of Tokyo. Equipped with the best of the best and decorated in shades of silver and gold, that kitchen was the kingdom of Teruteru Hanamura, a really talented young man from a small village who had managed to impress Seto Kaiba during a dinner party five years ago. Teruteru's food was creative and delicious. Yuugi still couldn't forget his tamagoyaki and he had only tried it once.
"Mokuba, you've already had enough for breakfast. Your brother..." A voice greeted them obviously expecting the younger Kaiba brother but stopping when he saw Yuugi and Hinata instead.
Teruteru hadn't changed at all. He was still a plump guy with thin short legs and round dark eyes which always shone with excitement. His hair was brown and always styled to the side. Yuugi remembered how the older man would always run a small comb through it to keep it there.
"Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Could this be little Yuugi? Well, not so little anymore. You look even more delicious than last time, mon cheri."
Yuugi fought the need to escape. The way the older guy was looking at him made him red from the tip of his ears all the way to his toes. Teruteru was quite open when it came to flirting and had no qualms talking to both females and males he found good-looking. The way he always looked at Yuugi was as if he was a delicious dessert and Teruteru was a sugar-addict.
"Ehm…thank you?" Yuugi once again was at loss on how to reply to such a compliment. "If it's not too much trouble, do you think we could have some coffee?" The tricolor-haired boy looked around the place. He was pretty sure nothing had changed since the last time he had visited that place. "Do you mind if I make myself some breakfast?"
Teruteru seemed taken aback. "Hasn't anyone told you that breakfast was served in the dining room, mon cheri?" He moved his hand dismissively as if it wasn't important. "Or were you that impatient to see me again?" A lewd smile was directed towards the amethyst eyed jewel. "I missed those beautiful eyes of yours. Such an inspiration they had always been to me. Such a delight to look at."
Hinata groaned hearing the chef shamelessly flirting with the young boy. "Teruteru, you were almost fired last time for flirting with Mr. Mutou." He warned the chef.
"That's because no one warned me that the boss had entered my kingdom." Teruteru pouted, his round face looking like that of a child denied his favorite toy. "I'll get you some coffee and breakfast so make yourself at home. You always liked the kitchen more than the dining room anyway."
It was the truth. Yuugi always felt more at home in the kitchen than in the big room that served as a dining room. The long table that could sit two dozen people seemed too cold and impersonal. He much preferred the kitchen with Teruteru's chatting and Mokuba's love of baking.
"I don't want to inconvenience you. I guessed there was breakfast served somewhere else but I thought it'd be quieter here." Yuugi felt his cheeks redden. Maybe he should have gone straight to the dining room. Between risking the chance of meeting Atem again and being Teruteru's object of attention, Yuugi felt caught between a rock and a hard place. "I can make my own breakfast." He wasn't used to having people serve him in any way or form. It had been so long…so long.
Hinata slid on one of the chairs around the enormous counter and motioned for Yuugi to do the same. "It's alright, Mr. Mutou. I'm pretty sure there are plenty of leftovers for you here." The brown haired man with the deep hazel eyes waited until the boy took a seat as well before talking again. "Mr. Kaiba asked me to accompany you to Ryou Bakura's place. Owari is joining us. I believe it's an easy mission so we won't need more people."
Two cups of coffee were placed in front of them and Yuugi eagerly reached for his. Teruteru still remembered how he liked his coffee sweet and that made him smile. Soon a plate of marmalade filled croissants followed. The young boy thanked the chef and turned his attention to Hinata.
"I'd like you to start calling me by my first name." He requested while nibbling on a croissant and pushed the plate towards the man. "If it makes you uncomfortable saying it when Seto is around, at least do it when we're alone. Grandpa is the one referred as Mr. Mutou so it feels weird having someone else calling me that."
Hinata hesitated. It wasn't the first time the boy had asked him to call him by his name but it was the first time Hinata considered it for real.
"You aren't that much older than me." Yuugi tried to reason with him. At Hinata's raised eyebrow, he quickly added. "I'd asked Seto back then. I was curious."
"This curiosity of yours may one day be your downfall." Hinata chastised him. "You're persistent, though. I give you that." He sighed and let himself relax a bit. "Mr. Kaiba is right. There's no winning against you. Quite honestly, you remind me a bit of my fiancé. Once he makes up his mind about something, there's no way he can be moved. He'll do whatever it takes to get what he wants." Yuugi perked up at the mention of the bodyguard's private life. Seeing that there was no surprise on Yuugi's face, only polite interest, Hinata continued. "I guess Teruteru mentioned my fiancé?"
"Once he said that it was a pity you were taken." Yuugi admitted, sheepishly.
What a polite guy, Hinata thought as Yuugi clearly didn't try to pry on his relationship. The bodyguard took some sips of his coffee watching the tricolor haired boy eating his breakfast. He even let the boy coax him into eating one of the croissants while they were discussing their plan. Not that it was anything complicated. It was a simple in and out mission to retrieve the other boy, but given how last night's mission had gone, Hinata wanted to be thorough.
"I know Mr. Kaiba said you should come with us but are you sure you're alright?" The bodyguard ended up asking as they made their way out of the kitchen; quite some time later than what Hinata had expected since Teruteru kept flirting with Yuugi. "Yesterday was quite an eventful night. We should have checked your apartment."
They've always known that their informant could only do so much but they hadn't expected that someone would already be in the apartment by the time they placed their people around the game shop. Hinata and Kaiba had spent quite some time the same night trying to find out how the man broke into the apartment minutes after Yuugi had entered Atem's apartment. The timing was wrong. The enemy hadn't even decided to target Yuugi before he mentioned the Millennium Items. That made Hinata think that the attack wasn't planned by the enemy but someone else. Of course that opened a whole new can of worms but the boy didn't need to know that.
"I was well protected." Yuugi graciously offered with a smile. "Pekoyama entered the apartment moments after we found the intruder. I just wish Joey hadn't stepped forward to protect me. The man pushed him so hard." He winced as he remembered the way his brother's back hit the wall. "But we're all alright. I'm glad I can help somehow, even if all I have to do is reassure Ryou Seto hasn't kidnapped me."
He followed his statement with a smirk and then rushed upstairs to quickly change, not forgetting to grab his jacket and gloves. He quickly wrote another note for Joey, discarding the older one, and gently placed it under his brother's extended arm that was still snuggling the pillow. Joey could hibernate better than a bear, and he really needed his sleep. Yuugi sent a silent prayer to any god or goddess hearing him that the blonde would find the note before he started panicking, and slipped out of his room. Thankfully, he didn't meet any of the occupants of the mansion and was able to leave with Hinata and enter a black car without any disturbance. He was quite sure most of the residents of the Kaiba Mansion would have something to say about him going out.
"Good morning, Miss Owari." Yuugi greeted Owari with a wide smile upon spotting the woman on the seat by his side.
She was an impressive woman. Busty, with arms and legs full of muscles, and a huge smile that lit up her dark grey eyes.
"Morning, cutie, though it's almost lunch time. I told you! Call me Akane." The brown haired woman greeted him back, pulling him into a bear hug and messing with his hair. After releasing him, much to Yuugi's lungs' relief, she placed her face really close to his, observing him. "Yes. I was right. You're still the cutest ever. That twin of yours is quite good looking too, but you're my one and only cutie."
"He isn't my twin!" Yuugi protested, loudly. Realizing what the woman told him, he added. "So, you met Atem, Miss Akane." The boy decided that he'd take the young woman to her offer and call her by her name. Maybe it'd help Hinata to do the same with him. "I guess you accompanied him and Bakura last night."
Akane was more than ready to tell him all about the previous night's mission and Hinata allowed her to. There was no reason to hide it from the boy when he could easily ask Bakura or Atem. It could even give him a healthy amount of cautiousness while they were out. Hinata had to agree with his boss that Yuugi was adapting way too easily to the situation he was presented with. Since no one wanted him to be an active part of the chess match at hand due to excitement or a need to help, maybe it'd be better to remind him of how dangerous things could be. So, he allowed Akane to tell him all about the explosions and how things had played out the previous night, and he didn't ask the question burning his throat; how did Yuugi know Atem was in danger?
They reached Ryou's house after quite a drive. It was a beautiful one floor residence painted white with a small rose garden that Ryou took care of on his own. The flowers were asleep during winter but Yuugi knew that in spring the garden would be filled with pink and white roses. The tricolor haired boy was a usual visitor to the Bakura residence so he knew everything about it; from where the spare key was hidden to how many teacups Ryou owned. After all, Ryou's house wasn't actually far away from Yuugi's which was one of the reasons why Solomon decided to employ the boy. Or so Yuugi had thought. With all the new information at hand, he wasn't sure anymore that was the truth.
Yuugi wore the hat Hinata gave him and walked out of the car as soon as they parked across the house. Instead of knocking on the door, he took the spare key from under a fake rock and opened the door. He had just taken off his shoes when a body collided with his and suddenly he was on the floor. A cloud of white obscured his vision and for a while, Yuugi could only feel the hardness of the floor and the warmth of his friend on top of him. Then, Ryou moved.
"You're safe!" Ryou's beautiful voice was like a soft blanket being wrapped around the tri-color haired boy's body.
"I'm safe." Yuugi's voice was reassuring as he wrapped his arms around the other boy. "I'm sorry if I worried you."
The amethyst-eyed boy wasn't sure how involved his friends were in the story or how much Seto had told Ryou but he didn't like seeing the white haired boy destressed. Why was Ryou so worried? Even though someone had broken into his house the previous night, Yuugi had barely been in dangerous. Nevertheless, he kept his friend close as they stayed on the floor for some minutes.
"Hinata will be worried. I'm supposed to assure you I've not been kidnapped, help you pack and escort you to the car." Yuugi tickled Ryou forcing the other boy to pull back, laughing. "Will you give me trouble?" The tri-color haired boy tried to be serious but he couldn't.
"Have I ever?" Ryou answered him with a question and a raised eyebrow when he managed to stop laughing. He stood up and offered his hand, helping Yuugi up. "I've already packed my things." Now it was Yuugi's turn to raise an eyebrow. "I've never believed Kaiba had kidnapped you."
"I think Malik did something to him." Yuugi whispered conspiratorially, even though there was no one else there to hear them. "I knew it wasn't you." He titled his head to the side, observing his friend. "Why didn't you come straight to the mansion then? I'm sure Seto offered to send someone to get you early in the morning."
"Oh, we're back to calling him Seto." Ryou teased, and Yuugi had the decency to blush before pouting. "I wanted to talk to you before we got there and I think Kaiba knew it." The white haired boy worried his lip for a while. "You know about Malik, too. Things are getting out of hand."
Yuugi reached for Ryou's hand. Malik and Ryou were Yuugi's best friends. Malik wasn't in Japan anymore and both dearly missed him, but Yuugi always felt that those two people were part of himself. It was as if they were entwined by the red string of destiny and none of them ever wanted that string to break. They naturally gravitated towards each other and were quite comfortable touching and hugging.
"You want me not to ask questions, right?" The tri-color haired boy asked, gently. Ryou slowly nodded, barely surprised that the other boy knew what he wanted to tell him. "I won't. I won't ask you to tell me more than you can tell me. I won't force you to give away your secrets."
Ryou hugged Yuugi again, whispering thank yous in his hair. A great weight seemed to be lifted from his shoulders. "I don't want to lie to you, Yuugi. You and Malik are my dearest people. I'll never do anything to hurt you. You know that, right?"
"I know." And Yuugi knew. He knew that his friends would never hurt him. He knew he wouldn't push Ryou to tell him anything. "But you could tell me what Malik did to Seto." He grinned, lightening up the atmosphere.
Ryou pulled back once again, matching Yuugi's grin. "I won't confirm anything but he may or may not have kicked Kaiba in a place that certainly hurt him for a while and bruised more than his ego and pride."
That did it. After a moment of shock, Yuugi started laughing so hard that he was sure Hinata would be able to hear him all the way from the car. Soon, Ryou joined him. In fact, it took quite some time for the two boys to come back to their senses and by then both their stomachs' hurt from all the laughter and their eyes had tears of mirth on their edges.
"I'm not sure if I'm more surprised or horrified by what he did." Yuugi admitted when he was sure he wouldn't burst back in laughter.
"Horrified." Ryou quickly answered. "Don't tell me you're actually surprised."
Yuugi thought about it for a moment and then shook his head. No. It sounded exactly like something Malik would do. "Let's go. I'll help you with your things."
Together they walked to Ryou's room that was filled with a mixture of beautiful trickles and replicas of dark artifacts. The white haired boy had always loved the ocean and the dark arts; two things that didn't seem to match but who could tell what kind of darkness was hidden in the depths of the ocean?
Yuugi raised an eyebrow at the tactical rucksack and the backpack that Ryou had prepared but didn't ask what exactly the white haired boy had packed. He knew that Ryou wanted to be well prepared for any situation so probably he had packed extra things just in case he had to stay at Seto's for longer than expected. Sighing, the tricolor haired boy grabbed the rucksack, wincing at its weight, and, before Ryou could protest, started walking towards the door.
"Wait!" Ryou shouted after him and Yuugi stopped. "Here. This fell when I knocked you down." The white haired boy placed the hat Hinata had given Yuugi on the head of the boy with the amethyst eyes. "Ready."
Together the two boys walked out of the house, and, after Ryou locked the door, they walked towards the parked car. The driver opened the trunk of the car and the boys placed Ryou's belongings in before getting in the car.
"Hello. My name is Ryou Bakura. It's nice to meet you." The white haired boy introduced himself as soon as he took a seat by his friend's side.
"Isn't he a cutie? And really polite in compare to his twin." Akane gushed over the boy, trying hard to resist the urge to run her hands through his silky hair.
"Miss Akane, once again...none of us is related." Yuugi hid his face in his palms. "But yes, Ryou is nothing like Bakura."
Ryou seemed to be uncomfortably at the mention of the other white haired boy and Yuugi wondered how much his friend knew about him. However, the car wasn't the right place for them to discuss that matter. So, Yuugi settled for squeezing Ryou's hand and answering his questions about what had happened during the previous days and how he had met Atem and the others. Hinata had said that most of his team knew the basics of what was going on so Yuugi could mention magic and the items without worrying.
That kept them busy during the drive back to the mansion. Ryou had heard some of the news from Mr. Mutou or better say Grandpa as the man had accepted the white haired boy as one of his own but hearing it from Yuugi made it more real.
"You walked into a car with them without telling anyone where you were going or with who you were!" Ryou was appalled looking at his friend with wide horrified eyes. "It's those three so they wouldn't intentionally hurt you but back then you couldn't have known it!"
Yuugi had the decency to look down, embarrassed. "Joey's already scolded me about it. But to be honest, I felt like I could trust them. Maybe I should have at least told Joey that I was with Marik, though. However, back then I wasn't sure how that would be helpful."
"Mr. Kaiba suggested placing a chip on you." Hinata casually said, turning back to face the two boys. Seeing Yuugi's horrified look, he grinned. "I'm joking." Then, he added as an afterthought. "Still, it could save us some time next time you're in trouble."
"I am not planning to be in any trouble any time soon, thank you very much." Yuugi answered back with as much dignity as he could master, but secretly he was happy seeing how relaxed the head of Seto's security was around him. He actually really liked Hinata.
"I noticed that you convincingly left out the part in which you were more concerned about the way we entered those three's apartment rather than the fact we were supposedly there to rescue you." Hinata continued teasing him. "What were your words again? Hmm, oh, yes. "You better fix this door.""
Maybe having Hinata so comfortable around him wasn't such a good idea. Ryou was laughing by his side with Akane, and Yuugi didn't know if he wanted to hide or join them. "What's my name?" He asked as soon as Ryou and Akane stopped laughing.
"Yuugi." The bodyguard answered after some thought, knowing too well what the boy was trying to do. "You're still Mr. Mutou when others are around."
Yuugi grinned widely and Hinata swore to try his best to keep this convincing sweet boy away from his fiancé. He definitely didn't need his future husband to learn more tricks from Yuugi. And his boss wouldn't be happy if his fiancé taught any of his own tricks to Yuugi. It'd be better if those two never met.
I totally loved writing this chapter. From Joey's need to trap his brother in bed to Yuugi's talk with Hinata and Teruteru's appearance and from Akane's love for little Yuugi to Ryou's appearance, I had so much fun writing such a relaxing chapter. Writing Yuugi and Ryou's interactions always makes me happy. This is such an innocent friendship they have. There is so much love and devotion there. If we all had such friendships, the world would be such a beautiful place.