Author's Notes: *munching on Ravioli and sipping Mountain Dew (DO THE DEW!)
while checking to see if any reviews have come up* OH MY GOD!!!! *squeals
and spits out the Dew all over the place* I got 7 reviews less than a day
after I posted this!! EEK! One of my favorite authors reviewed! *faints*
Ryou: *sweatdrop* Oooookay, I guess I'll have to answer the reviews for Dragon Mistress. O.o;;;
Author: Nope! I can answer!
Ignis Aqua- Weeellllll, see, there's a problem. You're the only one who wants it turned into a lemon. Just invite all your lemon-loving friends to come read and review, and I just might do that! ^^
KawaiiBlackMoon: Sorry 'bout the cliffhanger thing. *sweatdrops* I don't know how to end my chapters any other way.
AngelHideki: WOW! You liked it that much? Wai!
Blue Diamond: Woah, long review. ARIGATOU! In your favs? Really? *blush* And this is my first Yu-Gi-Oh fic too. I'll admit that Ryou is definitely accident-prone. I'm really that good? Thanks!!!!! I'll have to read some of your fics! Oh, sorry about that little thing. I didn't realize how FF.Net would convert my Microsoft Word format. I've changed it now, so don't worry. ^_^
Wildwolf: WOW!!! You reviewed for lil' ol' me? *sniff* That's sweet. And you were already in my favorites list before I checked the reviews. ^^ *LOL* Don't worry, Bakura-kun won't let them hurt his hikari!!
grr...: *raises an eyebrow* *sarcastically* Nice nickname. Did you come up with that all by your puny little self? Look, I was just like you once- stubborn, prideful, and seriously narrow-minded. It JUST SO HAPPENS that the only gay stories I like are of Yu-Gi-Oh, Sorcerer Hunters, and Card Captor Sakura. If you hate gay stories so much, then quit reading them and telling people how sick they are! They're only going to write more just to annoy the hell out of your ass! It's not MY fault they made Tea/Anzu a stuck-up girl who rants about friendship and then doesn't live up to it, and that Mai is a total whore!! Besides, those are the only females in the show except for Jounouchi's sister Serenity (dunno Japanese name...). It's not my fault that the makers of the show left us with only guys to pair up. SO. GET. A. LIFE. And quit flaming my story with sentences that have no backup points. If you want to prove your point, give us some hard evidence. Oh, and, by the way, it seems as if you are outnumbered by people that like my story. It's 10 to 1. Or, actually, *looks over at the two enraged yamis* make that 12 to 1.
Bakura: *glares at "grr...", holding Ryou protectively, while Yami does the same with Yugi*
Anyway, this is a Yami x Yugi pairing story, which is now becoming a Ryou Bakura x Yami Bakura. In this story, Bakura will be called Ryou and Yami Bakura will be just Bakura. For us Americans, Joey is Jounouchi, Tea is Anzu, and Tristan is Honda.
I made this an R just to be safe. It MIGHT be NC-17 later on if I get enough reviews of people wanting it. *blinks* If I give a warning that this is a gay story, then don't fucking read it if you're just gonna flame with no point to the flame.
Yu-Gi-Oh: Soulmates
Chapter Three: The Rescue
/Hurry, yami!/
Bakura had been looking through his aibou's eyes and listening through his ears, and had heard everything. It was more than enough to get him moving. He ordered everyone but Yami to stay outside the building, and then entered the abandoned storage building as silent as a cat stalking a mouse. Since Bakura and Yami were both ancient spirits who lived within a Millennium Item, it was easy to talk telepathically.
Do you know where Ryou-kun is?? Yami questioned anxiously.
I have a pretty good idea, Bakura answered absent-mindedly, using the last traces of Ryou's aura to locate the boy. We need to hurry. His captors are going to hurt him soon.
Nani?!?!?
SHHH!!!
Ryou looked fearfully from one face to the next, furiously trying to shred the rope tying his hands together with the stick, telling himself over and over that his yami was almost here. Before he could completely shred the rope, one of the men lifted him by his shirt collar.
"Hello again. Miss me?"
It was the one who had knocked him out. Ryou spat in his face.
"You just wait till Bakura gets here!"
//That's right, Ryou! FIGHT!//
It felt weird saying his own last name as if it were a different person. He didn't have time to dwell on that thought, however, as the man he'd spat at slapped him roughly.
"No one can save you. If they even try getting near, we'll tear 'em to pieces, just like we will with you when we're done."
"You don't know Bakura," Ryou whispered, ignoring the pain and furiously scrubbing the stick against the binding rope. Ryou felt it slide off his hands, and he whipped the stick around in front of him, scraping it against his main captor's face. He howled with fury more than pain, accidentally dropping the boy. Ryou scrambled away hastily, clinging to the stick as if it would save his life.
Which it just might end up doing anyway.
Ryou tugged the rope binding his feet together off his legs and leaped into a standing position just as his main captor recovered and advanced toward him, his flunkies following. Ryou looked around frantically for a means of escape or something to fight with, and found nothing.
"We'll teach you to fight back!" one of the men snarled, and leaped upon him. Ryou jabbed the stick into something, he didn't know what, but he felt it splinter against skin.
Oh shit. It was broken.
The man grunted with pain, and punched him, hard, in the stomach. Ryou felt the wind in his lungs forcibly leave, and he slumped to the ground, clutching his wounded middle. His captors congratulated themselves on their victory, and ripped his shirt off. Upon seeing the many bruises and scars, they figured he had endured this kind of treatment before, and merely continued their work.
Ryou looked dizzily at the doorway, thought he saw an Angel-Demon standing within it, and then went limp.
Bakura's eyes glowed with the fire of hatred as he stepped into the room. Everyone in the room immediately felt his presence, and turned.
"What the hell?!" one demanded upon seeing the exact replica of a slightly older version of their captive.
"How dare you hurt my hikari." Bakura snarled, not noticing that he was glowing a dark blue color that moved as if it were flames. Yami stepped away from him, knowing exactly what was happening, and teleported next to Ryou's slumped form, wrapping his arms around the boy and setting up his shield.
"Take 'im," one commanded, and they all advanced toward the yami. Bakura smirked sadistically, and let go of the control on his power.
Yugi, Jounouchi, Anzu, and Honda all cried out in horror as part of the building exploded.
"Yami." Yugi breathed, praying that his love hadn't been killed.
Yami let his shield drop once he was sure it was safe to do so. He let go of Ryou, who was unconscious, and stood aside, letting Bakura take over. Bakura kneeled next to the wounded boy, and traced a gentle hand over all of the wounds he'd dealt just a day or two ago. There was even one from this morning. Bakura let the tears fall for once, and scooped up the albino boy in his arms, standing and turning towards the exit. Yami picked up Ryou's torn shirt, and draped it over the boy, who was shivering even in his sleep. Yami noticed that it was, indeed, a little chilly in here, and summed up that it was probably from Bakura's power eruption.
Everyone stared as Bakura came out of the building, holding their unconscious friend, and were shocked to see tear trails on his face. Yugi immediately ran to Yami's side, not even pausing to wonder how Bakura could cry.
"Are you okay?!" Yugi breathlessly demanded. Yami smiled slightly, and nodded, still a bit unnerved at being near his hikari when Yugi had chosen someone else.
"Bakura did all the work," Yami replied, smiling slightly at the retreating form of the ancient spirit. "I didn't even need to go inside, except to protect Ryou from Bakura's power eruption."
Yugi cocked a quizzical eyebrow, and turned to watch Bakura. Everyone began to follow the ancient spirit, who didn't seem to notice them. It seemed as if he was only interested in carrying his hikari home.
And indeed he was.
"Alright, I can't stand it anymore!" Anzu finally burst out after a few minutes of walking in silence. Jounouchi, easily telling what Anzu meant, asked the question for her. He ran in front of Bakura, arms spread to stop the spirit.
"We have ta know- did you make those wounds on Ryou-kun?!"
Silence ensued, though only for a moment. It seemed, however, like an eternity before Bakura answered.
"Yes," he whispered broken-heartedly. "I did give him most of these wounds."
Yami saw the punch coming before Yugi did, and Yami stopped Yugi from jumping into the fray. Jounouchi's fist connected with Bakura's chin with a resounding THOCK! sound, and Bakura hit the ground, his hikari's limp form draped over him. Bakura gritted his teeth against the pain.
"I know I deserved that, Jou-san, but can we please settle this." Bakura looked up at Jounouchi, dried tear trails on his face, ".after we get Ryou home and we know for sure that he's safe?"
Jounouchi was rooted to the spot, staring down at Bakura, whose chin was getting a purplish tinge to it. Yami moved forward finally, scooped Ryou up, and hefted Bakura to his feet.
"Come on, everyone, Bakura's right. Let's go to my aibou's home. We'll talk there later," Yami instructed with a note of finality not even Pegasus would have dared challenge, and everyone went to Yugi and Yami's home in complete and utter silence.
Yami laid Ryou down on Yugi's bed as his aibou's Grandpa went to find the first-aid kit. Ryou began to shiver again, without his shirt on (Grandpa had also gone to wash it), and so Yami covered the boy with the bed-sheets. Yami straightened, and turned, facing the people gathered in his and his aibou's room. Jounouchi still seemed in shock, and was sitting down on the floor, staring at nothing in particular. Honda sat next to him, silent, glaring at the floor. Anzu and Yugi kept giving each other worried glances. Bakura was sitting on the exact same windowsill that Yami had been sitting at just last night, and was, like Yami before him, staring at the horizon.
Yami cleared his throat, and everyone looked at him. He took a deep breath, and sighed.
"This has been a long day for all of us. I want every single one of you here to know that Bakura is on our side. While he may not have been like us before today, I spoke with him, and now he is just as kind as any of us."
Bakura mumbled something, and Yami shot him a glare, easily hearing it.
"Or as kind as some of us, anyway," he growled, frowning at the spirit as if to say, 'Happy?'.
"Now then, I want everyone here to know that I was exactly like Bakura before I met Yugi."
Those who's gazes had drifted away from Yami now snapped back, surprised. Yami gave a small smile at Yugi, who returned the smile, and Yami broke the gaze.
"Every spirit who now lives inside one of the Millennium Items had horrible lives in Egypt. Some, like me, had better lives than most, like Bakura, and are easier to turn nicer. I, for example, was the Pharaoh-"
There were gasps from some who didn't already know like Yugi and Bakura, but Yami continued as if he didn't notice.
"-and I ruled over Egypt as best as I could. There was nothing wrong with my life, though it may have been lonely at times, and I constantly played Duel Monsters to distract me from that loneliness. Which is how I earned the title 'King of Games'. However, there were many enemies of mine who wanted me dead, and they killed me horribly, in a very cruel way. I was then sealed within Yugi's Millennium Puzzle, the ones who did so wanting a strong spirit to help seal the Shadow Games, now called Duel Monsters. Bakura, on the other hand-"
Bakura made a disturbed noise as if he didn't want Yami to tell everyone, but Yami silenced him with a glare.
"Do you want everyone to believe you've changed or not?!"
Bakura mumbled something, and looked out the window again, tuning out of the conversation. Yami frowned slightly, and continued his tale.
"Bakura, on the other hand, was a slave his whole life. His master constantly beat and whipped him for his own troubles, which were usually with me, which is probably why he so seems to hate me in this life."
There were a few half-hearted snickers.
"Because of Bakura's horrible treatment, Bakura turned out the way he did, while I, who had a better life but a hard death, turned out nicer, especially because of aibou."
Yugi blushed, but there was a brilliant smile on his face that he tried to hide.
"Now that you know this tale, you mustn't tell anyone else."
"Who would believe us anyway?" Honda inquired quizzically. Yami opened his mouth to answer, and paused, shutting it.
"Good point," Yami answered after a moment, and everyone gave soft smiles. There were interrupted by a knock on the door, and Yugi's Grandpa came in with the first-aid kit.
"Arigatou gozaimasu, Jiichan!" Yugi chirped before closing the door and running over to his bed where Ryou lay. Yugi knelt and began to clean and bandage Ryou's wounds and bruises.
"So, therefore," Yami concluded after a moment of thought. "I don't want anyone being mean to Bakura-kun for what he did before now."
A few people nodded.
"Jou-kun?"
Jounouchi nodded.
"Alright, now that we're settled on this subject-"
"Let's eat, I'm starving," Yugi supplied, and everyone laughed despite the situation.
"I'll stay here and watch over Ryou," Bakura announced, bringing a chair over to the bedside and sitting in it. Jounouchi paused as he went out the door, but Yami pushed him out with a stern look. Everyone went downstairs, leaving Bakura alone with his other half. Or so he thought.
Bakura sighed, and whispered, "How could you even begin to forgive me? Not even you are that pure-hearted and unselfish."
"You'd be surprised."
Bakura paled, recognizing the voice, and he whirled around, fixing the young woman with a wide-eyed gaze.
"B-But you.you were sealed!" he cried. Yuumei smiled at him.
"I was released from my seal when your heart changed," Yuumei answered. "I am, after all, the Change of Heart Card."
And indeed she was. The right side of her body (left side from Bakura's perspective) was dark and foreboding, with dark, dirty blonde hair, deep purple eyes, and a large demon wing, looking like it belonged on an evil dragon more than this odd woman. Her left side (again, right from Bakura's perspective) radiated cheerfulness, with light blonde hair, shimmering blue eyes, and a large angel wing. Her sorceress's gown was light blue on her hikari side, and a rich royal purple on her yami side.
Her voice was the oddest thing about her, despite seeming as if her body was split in half. Her voice was the happy, childish lilt of a little girl, but at the same time, it was the cold, icy sneer of an evil woman. The two sides of her voice weaved in and out among the other, so you couldn't tell which side you were speaking to- the one that was compassionate or the one that was cruel.
Bakura blinked. "What do you want with me?"
Yuumei giggled childishly. "Nothing. I brought a friend with me, she's the one who wants to meet your aibou."
Bakura's eyes widened as the Lady of Faith appeared next to the Change of Heart. The Lady of Faith, Mikomi, materialized next to the young woman. Mikomi had long cerulean hair, and kind ocean blue eyes. She had on a blue robe just like Yuumei, only with the sleeves rolled up, and a forest green cape, with two small armor plates on each shoulder. She also had on a large hat, its original color pink, but it had purple stripes and purple linings. There was a golden star in the middle of it, with a jade green gem in the center of the star, and on the bottom purple edge of the hat was another yellow star, this time with a smaller black star within.
"She has come to heal your hikari," the darker half of Yuumei said, and then the little girl voice inquired, "Is that alright with you?"
"Of course," Bakura replied, relaxing. Mikomi stepped forward to the side of the bed, smiled briefly at Bakura, and then placed her hands together, the tips of her fingers touching each other. She began to chant in a soft, soothing voice. (Anyone have the card? If not, this is what it says, "Soothes the souls of others by chanting a mysterious spell." I figured it was perfect for this moment.)
Bakura heard someone coming up the stairs, and he and Yuumei turned to the door as it opened. Yugi cried out in shock.
"Bakura-kun, who are all these people?!" he demanded in a hushed voice, so his grandfather wouldn't hear. Yami looked over his other half's head, saw Yuumei and Mikomi, and smiled, placing a hand on Yugi's shoulder.
"It's alright, Yugi-chan. That's Yuumei, the Change of Heart Card, and the one putting a spell on Ryou to heal him is Mikomi, the Lady of Faith." (By the way, Yuumei means Dream, and Mikomi means Hope or Prospect. I couldn't find the word Faith in Japanese, so I settled for Hope. *grumbles*)
Yugi looked up at his yami. "The Cards can come to life?"
Yami grinned. "You should see what the Dark Magician looks like. He was a good friend of mine. He looks a lot like Xelloss Metallium from that show you really like -Slayers, I believe?- when he takes off his armor."
Yugi stared. "Really?"
Yami chuckled. "Hai. His name is Kage." (Which means Shadow and is pronounced "Kah-gay". Mikomi is pronounced "Mik-oh-mee" while Yuumei is pronounced "You-may")
"Could I meet him?" Yugi questioned excitedly. Yami chuckled.
"If his seal is broken, then yes."
"Seal? What're ya guys talkin' about?" Jounouchi inquired from behind them. Yugi and Yami stepped into the room, and turned around, looking at their friend as he walked into the room. The rest of the group followed. They all stared at Yuumei, who just smiled back at them. Mikomi stopped chanting her spell, and a bright light surrounded Ryou, which directed everyone's attention away from the real-life Change of Heart Card.
The light faded, along with Yuumei and Mikomi.
Ryou opened his eyes, and looked around the room.
As soon as he saw Bakura sitting next to the bed, he cried out in fear and jerked away, hitting the wall that the bed was leaning against. Bakura's hopeful expression fell, replaced by a mask void of emotion, and disappeared into Ryou's Millennium Ring. Ryou had an expression of confusion on his face as he looked at the remainder of the room, his eyes focusing on Yugi-tachi. ("-tachi" basically means Yugi and co.)
Yugi and Yami gave him a smile full of barely contained sadness, and the rest of the group were beaming at his recovery.
"Yugi? Yami? May I please speak with the two of you.alone?" Ryou questioned. Yugi and Yami looked at each other, then at the three people behind them. Jounouchi, Anzu, and Honda all shrugged, turned, and walked away, going downstairs to look at all of the Duel Monsters cards in Yugi's Grandfather's shop. Yugi his bedroom door as Yami went over to Bakura's former chair and sat in it.
"Daijobu ka, Ryou-kun?" Yami questioned as Yugi locked the door before coming over to sit on his bed next to Ryou.
"Hai." Ryou answered, still confused. He suddenly looked down at himself, examining his arms and chest. He looked up at Yami. "When did-?"
Yami interrupted him. "The Lady of Faith Card came to life and healed you."
Ryou blinked. "But weren't all of the Cards sealed because the Shadow Games got too powerful?"
"That's the way the Legend goes," Yugi replied. Yami smiled.
"Yes, that's the way it happened. Legends are often true. It's the myths you have to worry about. Anyway, point is, the only way to unseal a card is if it has some special significance to you the moment it happens."
Ryou still stared at him, confusion on his face. Yami sighed.
"To put it simply, the Change of Heart Card was unsealed because Bakura's heart changed, and the Change of Heart Card -Yuumei-, brought the Lady of Faith -Mikomi- to life to heal you."
"But how was she able to do that?" Ryou inquired curiously. He was always interested in why or how things worked.
"Because Bakura wanted so badly for what he'd done to go away. While his subconscious couldn't erase it from anyone's memory, especially your own and his, his subconscious could at least find a way to heal your wounds."
Ryou sighed. "Thanks for your help, guys, but I think I want to be alone now."
Yugi smiled and gently hugged Ryou. "Sure thing."
"Want me to transport you home?" Yami inquired. Ryou smiled, relieved.
"That would be great," he replied. Yami nodded, and Ryou disappeared.
"What now?" Yugi inquired seriously. Yami fixed him with a solemn gaze.
"We wait for either Bakura or Ryou to make their move."
Yugi smiled slightly. "I have the feeling Bakura will be the first one to do so. Ryou is too shy."
Yami nodded, looking away from him. Yami wished his aibou would make a move on him. But, alas, his hikari's heart belonged to another.
Unknowing to Yami, Yugi was thinking the exact same thing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Author's Notes: O.o; Another chapter ended with Yugi and Yami thinking the same thing. Is it just me, or is that kinda weird?
Disclaimer: *Yami and Bakura begin to run before they even say anything*
Yugi: *sighs*
Ryou: *shakes head sadly* Dragon Mistress does not own Yu-Gi-Oh, or its many characters.
Author: Come back here, you two!! I'll sick Amelia's Justice Speech on you!!! *more screams follow, and Yami and Bakura instantly return, looking pale*
Bakura: Please, ANYTHING...
Yami: ...but HER!!
Author: *cackles maniacally*
Yugi: *sighs* Next chapter will be Six Flags and silliness!
Ryou: ^^ And expect some Karaoke!! Ja ne!
Ryou: *sweatdrop* Oooookay, I guess I'll have to answer the reviews for Dragon Mistress. O.o;;;
Author: Nope! I can answer!
Ignis Aqua- Weeellllll, see, there's a problem. You're the only one who wants it turned into a lemon. Just invite all your lemon-loving friends to come read and review, and I just might do that! ^^
KawaiiBlackMoon: Sorry 'bout the cliffhanger thing. *sweatdrops* I don't know how to end my chapters any other way.
AngelHideki: WOW! You liked it that much? Wai!
Blue Diamond: Woah, long review. ARIGATOU! In your favs? Really? *blush* And this is my first Yu-Gi-Oh fic too. I'll admit that Ryou is definitely accident-prone. I'm really that good? Thanks!!!!! I'll have to read some of your fics! Oh, sorry about that little thing. I didn't realize how FF.Net would convert my Microsoft Word format. I've changed it now, so don't worry. ^_^
Wildwolf: WOW!!! You reviewed for lil' ol' me? *sniff* That's sweet. And you were already in my favorites list before I checked the reviews. ^^ *LOL* Don't worry, Bakura-kun won't let them hurt his hikari!!
grr...: *raises an eyebrow* *sarcastically* Nice nickname. Did you come up with that all by your puny little self? Look, I was just like you once- stubborn, prideful, and seriously narrow-minded. It JUST SO HAPPENS that the only gay stories I like are of Yu-Gi-Oh, Sorcerer Hunters, and Card Captor Sakura. If you hate gay stories so much, then quit reading them and telling people how sick they are! They're only going to write more just to annoy the hell out of your ass! It's not MY fault they made Tea/Anzu a stuck-up girl who rants about friendship and then doesn't live up to it, and that Mai is a total whore!! Besides, those are the only females in the show except for Jounouchi's sister Serenity (dunno Japanese name...). It's not my fault that the makers of the show left us with only guys to pair up. SO. GET. A. LIFE. And quit flaming my story with sentences that have no backup points. If you want to prove your point, give us some hard evidence. Oh, and, by the way, it seems as if you are outnumbered by people that like my story. It's 10 to 1. Or, actually, *looks over at the two enraged yamis* make that 12 to 1.
Bakura: *glares at "grr...", holding Ryou protectively, while Yami does the same with Yugi*
Anyway, this is a Yami x Yugi pairing story, which is now becoming a Ryou Bakura x Yami Bakura. In this story, Bakura will be called Ryou and Yami Bakura will be just Bakura. For us Americans, Joey is Jounouchi, Tea is Anzu, and Tristan is Honda.
I made this an R just to be safe. It MIGHT be NC-17 later on if I get enough reviews of people wanting it. *blinks* If I give a warning that this is a gay story, then don't fucking read it if you're just gonna flame with no point to the flame.
Yu-Gi-Oh: Soulmates
Chapter Three: The Rescue
/Hurry, yami!/
Bakura had been looking through his aibou's eyes and listening through his ears, and had heard everything. It was more than enough to get him moving. He ordered everyone but Yami to stay outside the building, and then entered the abandoned storage building as silent as a cat stalking a mouse. Since Bakura and Yami were both ancient spirits who lived within a Millennium Item, it was easy to talk telepathically.
Do you know where Ryou-kun is?? Yami questioned anxiously.
I have a pretty good idea, Bakura answered absent-mindedly, using the last traces of Ryou's aura to locate the boy. We need to hurry. His captors are going to hurt him soon.
Nani?!?!?
SHHH!!!
Ryou looked fearfully from one face to the next, furiously trying to shred the rope tying his hands together with the stick, telling himself over and over that his yami was almost here. Before he could completely shred the rope, one of the men lifted him by his shirt collar.
"Hello again. Miss me?"
It was the one who had knocked him out. Ryou spat in his face.
"You just wait till Bakura gets here!"
//That's right, Ryou! FIGHT!//
It felt weird saying his own last name as if it were a different person. He didn't have time to dwell on that thought, however, as the man he'd spat at slapped him roughly.
"No one can save you. If they even try getting near, we'll tear 'em to pieces, just like we will with you when we're done."
"You don't know Bakura," Ryou whispered, ignoring the pain and furiously scrubbing the stick against the binding rope. Ryou felt it slide off his hands, and he whipped the stick around in front of him, scraping it against his main captor's face. He howled with fury more than pain, accidentally dropping the boy. Ryou scrambled away hastily, clinging to the stick as if it would save his life.
Which it just might end up doing anyway.
Ryou tugged the rope binding his feet together off his legs and leaped into a standing position just as his main captor recovered and advanced toward him, his flunkies following. Ryou looked around frantically for a means of escape or something to fight with, and found nothing.
"We'll teach you to fight back!" one of the men snarled, and leaped upon him. Ryou jabbed the stick into something, he didn't know what, but he felt it splinter against skin.
Oh shit. It was broken.
The man grunted with pain, and punched him, hard, in the stomach. Ryou felt the wind in his lungs forcibly leave, and he slumped to the ground, clutching his wounded middle. His captors congratulated themselves on their victory, and ripped his shirt off. Upon seeing the many bruises and scars, they figured he had endured this kind of treatment before, and merely continued their work.
Ryou looked dizzily at the doorway, thought he saw an Angel-Demon standing within it, and then went limp.
Bakura's eyes glowed with the fire of hatred as he stepped into the room. Everyone in the room immediately felt his presence, and turned.
"What the hell?!" one demanded upon seeing the exact replica of a slightly older version of their captive.
"How dare you hurt my hikari." Bakura snarled, not noticing that he was glowing a dark blue color that moved as if it were flames. Yami stepped away from him, knowing exactly what was happening, and teleported next to Ryou's slumped form, wrapping his arms around the boy and setting up his shield.
"Take 'im," one commanded, and they all advanced toward the yami. Bakura smirked sadistically, and let go of the control on his power.
Yugi, Jounouchi, Anzu, and Honda all cried out in horror as part of the building exploded.
"Yami." Yugi breathed, praying that his love hadn't been killed.
Yami let his shield drop once he was sure it was safe to do so. He let go of Ryou, who was unconscious, and stood aside, letting Bakura take over. Bakura kneeled next to the wounded boy, and traced a gentle hand over all of the wounds he'd dealt just a day or two ago. There was even one from this morning. Bakura let the tears fall for once, and scooped up the albino boy in his arms, standing and turning towards the exit. Yami picked up Ryou's torn shirt, and draped it over the boy, who was shivering even in his sleep. Yami noticed that it was, indeed, a little chilly in here, and summed up that it was probably from Bakura's power eruption.
Everyone stared as Bakura came out of the building, holding their unconscious friend, and were shocked to see tear trails on his face. Yugi immediately ran to Yami's side, not even pausing to wonder how Bakura could cry.
"Are you okay?!" Yugi breathlessly demanded. Yami smiled slightly, and nodded, still a bit unnerved at being near his hikari when Yugi had chosen someone else.
"Bakura did all the work," Yami replied, smiling slightly at the retreating form of the ancient spirit. "I didn't even need to go inside, except to protect Ryou from Bakura's power eruption."
Yugi cocked a quizzical eyebrow, and turned to watch Bakura. Everyone began to follow the ancient spirit, who didn't seem to notice them. It seemed as if he was only interested in carrying his hikari home.
And indeed he was.
"Alright, I can't stand it anymore!" Anzu finally burst out after a few minutes of walking in silence. Jounouchi, easily telling what Anzu meant, asked the question for her. He ran in front of Bakura, arms spread to stop the spirit.
"We have ta know- did you make those wounds on Ryou-kun?!"
Silence ensued, though only for a moment. It seemed, however, like an eternity before Bakura answered.
"Yes," he whispered broken-heartedly. "I did give him most of these wounds."
Yami saw the punch coming before Yugi did, and Yami stopped Yugi from jumping into the fray. Jounouchi's fist connected with Bakura's chin with a resounding THOCK! sound, and Bakura hit the ground, his hikari's limp form draped over him. Bakura gritted his teeth against the pain.
"I know I deserved that, Jou-san, but can we please settle this." Bakura looked up at Jounouchi, dried tear trails on his face, ".after we get Ryou home and we know for sure that he's safe?"
Jounouchi was rooted to the spot, staring down at Bakura, whose chin was getting a purplish tinge to it. Yami moved forward finally, scooped Ryou up, and hefted Bakura to his feet.
"Come on, everyone, Bakura's right. Let's go to my aibou's home. We'll talk there later," Yami instructed with a note of finality not even Pegasus would have dared challenge, and everyone went to Yugi and Yami's home in complete and utter silence.
Yami laid Ryou down on Yugi's bed as his aibou's Grandpa went to find the first-aid kit. Ryou began to shiver again, without his shirt on (Grandpa had also gone to wash it), and so Yami covered the boy with the bed-sheets. Yami straightened, and turned, facing the people gathered in his and his aibou's room. Jounouchi still seemed in shock, and was sitting down on the floor, staring at nothing in particular. Honda sat next to him, silent, glaring at the floor. Anzu and Yugi kept giving each other worried glances. Bakura was sitting on the exact same windowsill that Yami had been sitting at just last night, and was, like Yami before him, staring at the horizon.
Yami cleared his throat, and everyone looked at him. He took a deep breath, and sighed.
"This has been a long day for all of us. I want every single one of you here to know that Bakura is on our side. While he may not have been like us before today, I spoke with him, and now he is just as kind as any of us."
Bakura mumbled something, and Yami shot him a glare, easily hearing it.
"Or as kind as some of us, anyway," he growled, frowning at the spirit as if to say, 'Happy?'.
"Now then, I want everyone here to know that I was exactly like Bakura before I met Yugi."
Those who's gazes had drifted away from Yami now snapped back, surprised. Yami gave a small smile at Yugi, who returned the smile, and Yami broke the gaze.
"Every spirit who now lives inside one of the Millennium Items had horrible lives in Egypt. Some, like me, had better lives than most, like Bakura, and are easier to turn nicer. I, for example, was the Pharaoh-"
There were gasps from some who didn't already know like Yugi and Bakura, but Yami continued as if he didn't notice.
"-and I ruled over Egypt as best as I could. There was nothing wrong with my life, though it may have been lonely at times, and I constantly played Duel Monsters to distract me from that loneliness. Which is how I earned the title 'King of Games'. However, there were many enemies of mine who wanted me dead, and they killed me horribly, in a very cruel way. I was then sealed within Yugi's Millennium Puzzle, the ones who did so wanting a strong spirit to help seal the Shadow Games, now called Duel Monsters. Bakura, on the other hand-"
Bakura made a disturbed noise as if he didn't want Yami to tell everyone, but Yami silenced him with a glare.
"Do you want everyone to believe you've changed or not?!"
Bakura mumbled something, and looked out the window again, tuning out of the conversation. Yami frowned slightly, and continued his tale.
"Bakura, on the other hand, was a slave his whole life. His master constantly beat and whipped him for his own troubles, which were usually with me, which is probably why he so seems to hate me in this life."
There were a few half-hearted snickers.
"Because of Bakura's horrible treatment, Bakura turned out the way he did, while I, who had a better life but a hard death, turned out nicer, especially because of aibou."
Yugi blushed, but there was a brilliant smile on his face that he tried to hide.
"Now that you know this tale, you mustn't tell anyone else."
"Who would believe us anyway?" Honda inquired quizzically. Yami opened his mouth to answer, and paused, shutting it.
"Good point," Yami answered after a moment, and everyone gave soft smiles. There were interrupted by a knock on the door, and Yugi's Grandpa came in with the first-aid kit.
"Arigatou gozaimasu, Jiichan!" Yugi chirped before closing the door and running over to his bed where Ryou lay. Yugi knelt and began to clean and bandage Ryou's wounds and bruises.
"So, therefore," Yami concluded after a moment of thought. "I don't want anyone being mean to Bakura-kun for what he did before now."
A few people nodded.
"Jou-kun?"
Jounouchi nodded.
"Alright, now that we're settled on this subject-"
"Let's eat, I'm starving," Yugi supplied, and everyone laughed despite the situation.
"I'll stay here and watch over Ryou," Bakura announced, bringing a chair over to the bedside and sitting in it. Jounouchi paused as he went out the door, but Yami pushed him out with a stern look. Everyone went downstairs, leaving Bakura alone with his other half. Or so he thought.
Bakura sighed, and whispered, "How could you even begin to forgive me? Not even you are that pure-hearted and unselfish."
"You'd be surprised."
Bakura paled, recognizing the voice, and he whirled around, fixing the young woman with a wide-eyed gaze.
"B-But you.you were sealed!" he cried. Yuumei smiled at him.
"I was released from my seal when your heart changed," Yuumei answered. "I am, after all, the Change of Heart Card."
And indeed she was. The right side of her body (left side from Bakura's perspective) was dark and foreboding, with dark, dirty blonde hair, deep purple eyes, and a large demon wing, looking like it belonged on an evil dragon more than this odd woman. Her left side (again, right from Bakura's perspective) radiated cheerfulness, with light blonde hair, shimmering blue eyes, and a large angel wing. Her sorceress's gown was light blue on her hikari side, and a rich royal purple on her yami side.
Her voice was the oddest thing about her, despite seeming as if her body was split in half. Her voice was the happy, childish lilt of a little girl, but at the same time, it was the cold, icy sneer of an evil woman. The two sides of her voice weaved in and out among the other, so you couldn't tell which side you were speaking to- the one that was compassionate or the one that was cruel.
Bakura blinked. "What do you want with me?"
Yuumei giggled childishly. "Nothing. I brought a friend with me, she's the one who wants to meet your aibou."
Bakura's eyes widened as the Lady of Faith appeared next to the Change of Heart. The Lady of Faith, Mikomi, materialized next to the young woman. Mikomi had long cerulean hair, and kind ocean blue eyes. She had on a blue robe just like Yuumei, only with the sleeves rolled up, and a forest green cape, with two small armor plates on each shoulder. She also had on a large hat, its original color pink, but it had purple stripes and purple linings. There was a golden star in the middle of it, with a jade green gem in the center of the star, and on the bottom purple edge of the hat was another yellow star, this time with a smaller black star within.
"She has come to heal your hikari," the darker half of Yuumei said, and then the little girl voice inquired, "Is that alright with you?"
"Of course," Bakura replied, relaxing. Mikomi stepped forward to the side of the bed, smiled briefly at Bakura, and then placed her hands together, the tips of her fingers touching each other. She began to chant in a soft, soothing voice. (Anyone have the card? If not, this is what it says, "Soothes the souls of others by chanting a mysterious spell." I figured it was perfect for this moment.)
Bakura heard someone coming up the stairs, and he and Yuumei turned to the door as it opened. Yugi cried out in shock.
"Bakura-kun, who are all these people?!" he demanded in a hushed voice, so his grandfather wouldn't hear. Yami looked over his other half's head, saw Yuumei and Mikomi, and smiled, placing a hand on Yugi's shoulder.
"It's alright, Yugi-chan. That's Yuumei, the Change of Heart Card, and the one putting a spell on Ryou to heal him is Mikomi, the Lady of Faith." (By the way, Yuumei means Dream, and Mikomi means Hope or Prospect. I couldn't find the word Faith in Japanese, so I settled for Hope. *grumbles*)
Yugi looked up at his yami. "The Cards can come to life?"
Yami grinned. "You should see what the Dark Magician looks like. He was a good friend of mine. He looks a lot like Xelloss Metallium from that show you really like -Slayers, I believe?- when he takes off his armor."
Yugi stared. "Really?"
Yami chuckled. "Hai. His name is Kage." (Which means Shadow and is pronounced "Kah-gay". Mikomi is pronounced "Mik-oh-mee" while Yuumei is pronounced "You-may")
"Could I meet him?" Yugi questioned excitedly. Yami chuckled.
"If his seal is broken, then yes."
"Seal? What're ya guys talkin' about?" Jounouchi inquired from behind them. Yugi and Yami stepped into the room, and turned around, looking at their friend as he walked into the room. The rest of the group followed. They all stared at Yuumei, who just smiled back at them. Mikomi stopped chanting her spell, and a bright light surrounded Ryou, which directed everyone's attention away from the real-life Change of Heart Card.
The light faded, along with Yuumei and Mikomi.
Ryou opened his eyes, and looked around the room.
As soon as he saw Bakura sitting next to the bed, he cried out in fear and jerked away, hitting the wall that the bed was leaning against. Bakura's hopeful expression fell, replaced by a mask void of emotion, and disappeared into Ryou's Millennium Ring. Ryou had an expression of confusion on his face as he looked at the remainder of the room, his eyes focusing on Yugi-tachi. ("-tachi" basically means Yugi and co.)
Yugi and Yami gave him a smile full of barely contained sadness, and the rest of the group were beaming at his recovery.
"Yugi? Yami? May I please speak with the two of you.alone?" Ryou questioned. Yugi and Yami looked at each other, then at the three people behind them. Jounouchi, Anzu, and Honda all shrugged, turned, and walked away, going downstairs to look at all of the Duel Monsters cards in Yugi's Grandfather's shop. Yugi his bedroom door as Yami went over to Bakura's former chair and sat in it.
"Daijobu ka, Ryou-kun?" Yami questioned as Yugi locked the door before coming over to sit on his bed next to Ryou.
"Hai." Ryou answered, still confused. He suddenly looked down at himself, examining his arms and chest. He looked up at Yami. "When did-?"
Yami interrupted him. "The Lady of Faith Card came to life and healed you."
Ryou blinked. "But weren't all of the Cards sealed because the Shadow Games got too powerful?"
"That's the way the Legend goes," Yugi replied. Yami smiled.
"Yes, that's the way it happened. Legends are often true. It's the myths you have to worry about. Anyway, point is, the only way to unseal a card is if it has some special significance to you the moment it happens."
Ryou still stared at him, confusion on his face. Yami sighed.
"To put it simply, the Change of Heart Card was unsealed because Bakura's heart changed, and the Change of Heart Card -Yuumei-, brought the Lady of Faith -Mikomi- to life to heal you."
"But how was she able to do that?" Ryou inquired curiously. He was always interested in why or how things worked.
"Because Bakura wanted so badly for what he'd done to go away. While his subconscious couldn't erase it from anyone's memory, especially your own and his, his subconscious could at least find a way to heal your wounds."
Ryou sighed. "Thanks for your help, guys, but I think I want to be alone now."
Yugi smiled and gently hugged Ryou. "Sure thing."
"Want me to transport you home?" Yami inquired. Ryou smiled, relieved.
"That would be great," he replied. Yami nodded, and Ryou disappeared.
"What now?" Yugi inquired seriously. Yami fixed him with a solemn gaze.
"We wait for either Bakura or Ryou to make their move."
Yugi smiled slightly. "I have the feeling Bakura will be the first one to do so. Ryou is too shy."
Yami nodded, looking away from him. Yami wished his aibou would make a move on him. But, alas, his hikari's heart belonged to another.
Unknowing to Yami, Yugi was thinking the exact same thing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Author's Notes: O.o; Another chapter ended with Yugi and Yami thinking the same thing. Is it just me, or is that kinda weird?
Disclaimer: *Yami and Bakura begin to run before they even say anything*
Yugi: *sighs*
Ryou: *shakes head sadly* Dragon Mistress does not own Yu-Gi-Oh, or its many characters.
Author: Come back here, you two!! I'll sick Amelia's Justice Speech on you!!! *more screams follow, and Yami and Bakura instantly return, looking pale*
Bakura: Please, ANYTHING...
Yami: ...but HER!!
Author: *cackles maniacally*
Yugi: *sighs* Next chapter will be Six Flags and silliness!
Ryou: ^^ And expect some Karaoke!! Ja ne!