"Sins of the Father"
By: Beloved/Shadow
Yugi sighed as he set his pencil down and took the moment to rub his eyes. He had been working late into the night on the work he missed from school and he was almost done he just had to catch up with his math work. It was a good thing Tea had the same class because Joey either didn't take notes or his handwriting was too difficult to understand. But still the guy's heart was in the right place and he did always find time to give him the latest news on campus grounds. Thinking about school he thought about everything that had happened so far in the past several weeks.
Arago was now gone. The souls he had imprisoned were free. The Millennium Items, yamis, and Gods were returned to their rightful owners. And Sasaki had made amends with Solomon. By all rights things should have gone back to normal so everyone could live happily ever after right?
'I wish,' Yugi thought sadly to himself. Getting up from his desk he went to his bed, pulling out a slender book he had been using as his journal for a while and making himself comfortable, flipped it open to the very first entry.
June 4th~ Hi! I'm Yugi and I'm 4 years old! Mommy and daddy took me to the park and then I had a party and I got lots of presents and mommy gave me a book! She says I can write in it and stuff! Daddy is helping me write now! I hope I can eat lots of cake and ice cream!
The small entry brought a smile to his face. The wording was a bit hard to read to the sloppy handwriting but it was his first time writing. He remembered that day… his parents had gone all out for it and had invited all his classmates to come. They went to the park and then later his grandfather visited and took him to the zoo. Instantly he fell in love with the wolves but the lions scared him when he got too close to the cage and it roared at him. Sighing he flipped a couple of pages and read the entry.
March 17th~ Daddy's crying and I can't find mommy. I asked daddy what's wrong and he said that mommy was hurt and that she was with the doctors. I said I wanted to see her but he said it was too late. He wouldn't let me see mommy. Daddy is crying and I start crying to. I want mommy…
Tears filled his violet eyes as he remembered that day all to well. It was when he found out that when you died, you couldn't come back to life. His mother had gone out to get something from the store and had died because of a man went drinking and driving. He remembered how he had gotten upset when his father refused to take him to the hospital to see his mother, how he had thrown a tantrum and kept shouting he wanted mommy. He shut his eyes tightly before the tears could fall and flipped the page to glance at the next entry.
March 31st~ Mommy isn't coming back… Grandpa says she's in a place called Heaven. It's where good people go when they die. I wanna go with mommy but that made grandpa cry. Why is everyone crying?
Daddy has been quiet. He doesn't cry like me and grandpa but when I cry he just hugs me tightly. It rained and it sacred me. I want to daddy's room and crawled into bed. I don't see mommy but she's not here. She's in Heaven.
I asked daddy if I could go to Heaven to be with mommy. He says I'm too little to go. I wish I was bigger so I could be with mommy.
That had been the first time ever that he saw his father cry or his grandfather as well. He was young at the time so he didn't quite grasp the concepts of dying, Heaven and Hell. But what he did know was that when you went to Heaven or Hell, you never came back. Blinking back tears he noticed that the page had several wrinkled blotches and the pencil marks were smeared a bit. He frowned as he ran his hand down the page before realize they were his dried up tears.
Sighing he flipped a few pages, skimming past the entries where his father began to beat at him. There wasn't much since most of the entries were a single sentence or several words expressing how he felt. As he read he remembered everything that had happened, bringing a small wave of pain but that was in the past. Sasaki had asked for forgiveness and he gave it to him.
'Regardless of what he's done he's still my father,' he thought to himself as he looked at his desk where an old photograph of his mom and dad was sitting in a simple, silver frame. They looked so happy and carefree. He just wished his mother could see him now and meet his friends; especially Yami.
Yami.
He sighed a bit sadly as he leaned back against the headboard. The former pharaoh of the puzzle and the darker half of his soul had risked his being just to save him and been so patient as he struggled to heal. He knew that no one would hurt him, especially his family and friends but his body scorned the touch of nearly everyone. Several days after Arago was punished for his crimes he had returned to normal. That mysterious blonde swordsman, Seiji, had done a wonderful job in healing all his injuries and miraculous enough returned his sight to his left eye where the Millennium Eye had been placed but he had still been weak. Solomon wanted to take him to the hospital immediately but Sasaki wouldn't let him. He had fallen in and out of consciousness as the two argued but when he awoke the next day Seto was in his room with his private doctor. He had been sworn to secretcy and also threatened by Yami by not saying anything about this to anyone. All the doctor said was to feed him plenty of healthy foods and drink lots of fluids so his body could use the nutrition to replenish his body's energy. He also explained that he was weak due to blood loss but since going to the hospital was out of the question and he couldn't bring a donor here, he instructed that the young boy try to eat or drink something sweet to raise his blood sugar and white blood cell count back to normal. During the bed rest he had gained just a tiny bit of weight but he had the healthy glow on his face. Now that his body was at full recovery his mind decided it was time he relive the nightmare over and over.
For the first few nights it wasn't that bad. He would be in a dark room, all alone without his puzzle when he would begin to feel strange hands caress him. More often that not he would escape them and wake up in a slightly cold sweat. But after the first weak he could hear voices that came with the hands, calling him a filthy whore and slut, that he was good for nothing but being someone's fuck-toy. Those dreams had been harder to wake up from but when he did he didn't go back to sleep. They had felt too real even for him.
Just thinking about them now he shook his had roughly and flipped several pages ahead. Looking down he didn't bother to suppress the groan that fell free from his lips. There, taking up nearly a page and a half, was an entry on his nightmares. Curling up a bit he held the book, propped against his legs and began to read silently to himself.
August 13th~ I just had another nightmare but this time, it was about Arago and those men he called the Mashos. I dream that they had me tied up somewhere really damp and cold. I think it was where Yami and the others rescued me but there was no light at all. I could feel the harsh rope cutting into my skin but that's when I realized that I had absolutely no clothes on.
I don't know who started but I could feel a pair of hands reaching out to touch me. I tried to squirm away, to cry out for help but I didn't have a voice. I didn't like their hands touching me. They felt so cold and they gripped me painfully hard. I think I was crying because I felt someone licking my face but I didn't care.
Although I didn't want to be there my body began to response to their touch. I felt so embarrassed as I tried fighting it but it was no use. More hands joined the first now I could feel the body heat of other people in the room. They were all men I know but how I knew… I'm still not sure about that.
(Due to the NC17 ban this chapter has had the lemon edited out. Sorry everyone but thanks to idiots who banned me the first time and other people, whose stories I loved to read, this was forced to fall right on our necks. If you want to read the lemon then please look for the following Screen Names at the following sites: Shadow of Light @ MediaMiner.org or ShadowofLight @ AdultFanFiction.Net)
Yami was at my side in an instant but when he tried to hug him I screamed so loudly I think I scared both of us. At that moment I heard frantic running and the door to my room slammed open. Dad flipped the lights on and grandpa was just behind him, holding a baseball bat. Seeing that I was awake they come over to me but I couldn't stand for dad to touch me. I don't know I just couldn't. Grandpa lowered the bat and asked if I was alright. What could I say? I get off while having a nightmare while I was raped all over? With a heavy sob I threw myself at him, begging for him to make the nightmares stop. He didn't say anything but he hugged my back tightly, trying to reassure me that everything would be alright. I didn't get any sleep that night but grandpa, dad, and Yami stayed up with me all night. We sat around the living room, watching anything that come on TV from infomercials to old black and white movies. By the time the sun was rising I fell right back to sleep and dreamt of nothing.
By now Yugi was crying so much that he felt tears roll down his cheek and landed with a gentle plop right onto the pages. He didn't care though as he angrily threw the book across the room, getting up he threw everything off his desk and shelves, thereby making a mess but eh didn't care. He went up to his wall and was about to rip up the Duel Monsters posters on his wall but stopped. Despite how upset he was he couldn't do that. Closing his eyes tightly he dropped to the floor and cried heavily into his hands.
"Oh gods… what am I doing?" he asked himself softly but no answer came to mind. He shut his eyes tightly as the tears still fell but he didn't notice as they landed on his puzzle or cards that were scattered around the room. He didn't even notice they were glowing until he opened blurry eyes and found himself looking at someone's feet.
Actually, it was two pairs of feet then as his eyes traveled up he gasped and scrambled back. He stopped when he ran into something and slowly, fearfully tilted his head back and looked up. He gave a yelp in fear as he skittered back like a crab on his hands and feet until he hit the desk but he just pulled the chair out of the way and crawled underneath. There, standing in his room, looking at him with deep concern were the Dark Magician, the Dark Magician Girl, Celtic Guardian, and Mystic Elf. But they weren't holograms, they were real! He blinked when he saw a furry face peek in under his desk that he cried out in fear and tried to get up only to ram his head under his desk.
Silver Fang seemed distressed as she backed away and lay on the floor just within his line of sight. She rested her head on his front paws and her ears were laying flat against her head. No one said anything but when they took a step forward eh whimpered and tried to melt into the wall.
"Master Yugi… we won't hurt you…" the male spell-caster said in a gentle tone. Slowly he eased himself down on one knee but made no move to get closer. "We just want to help."
"T… This is just a dream… It's just a dream and once I wake up you'll be gone," eh said in a tight voice as he hiccupped softly.
"Do you want us to leave?" the blue skinned elf asked gently as she too, eased herself onto her knees.
"… I don't know what I want…" he admitted softly.
"Master?" The blonde, green-eyed spell-caster knelt next to her teacher and rested her staff at her side, holding her hands in her lap. "We just want to help you. We would never, could never hurt you."
He sniffed back the tars as he ran the back of his hand over his face, looking at them each in turn. "H-How did you get here?"
"We're not sure ourselves but we felt your tears as if they were our own," the warrior elf explained where he was sitting cross-legged on floor, his sword sheathed at his side.
~Understand that we love you and respect you because you treat us as family,~ a gently and soothing voice said in his mind. Yugi blinked and looked around, wondering where it came from when his violet eyes meet the gentle gold of the wolf. She lifted her nod only to nod slowly. ~You can trust us but if you are unsure, then simply listen to your heart.~
"O-Okay…" he closed his eyes tightly, lifting a hand to rest on his chest and soon he could hear the gently beat of his heart.
They were telling the truth. They meant no harm they just wanted to help him get over his trauma and they would do everything in their power to do so. They loved him, cared for him, respected him for everything he had done. They would never hurt him no matter what and would always stand by his side.
Opening his eyes he smiled weakly as he slowly crawled out from under his desk and knelt before the wolf. Reaching out hesitantly he stroked the silvery fur, marveling at how soft and silky it felt he didn't realize tears were falling until the wolf slowly sat up and licked at his face. Without another word he wrapped his arms around her neck and buried his face into the warm fur as the tars began to fall yet again. Silver Fang just let him, growling deeply in her chest in order to try and give him some more comfort. Slowly and one by one the others joined in the embrace.
Yami had gone to the Istar's apartment with help from Sasaki and Solomon was in the storage, taking inventory. He needed some advice and had come to them for help. He didn't want to lave Yugi all alone but the boy couldn't stand being near him or any of his friends for that matter. He didn't show it but that had hurt.
They had been talking when he felt a wave of anger and frustration flare through the link that he almost fell off the couch. After he was able to stand on his own feet he quickly told everyone that he needed to get back to Yugi as of ten minutes ago. The drive from the apartment complex to the Kame Game Shop was about twenty to thirty minutes if traffic was good. They made it there under a fraction of the time.
Solomon greeted them, saying he heard a faint noise coming from Yugi's room when everything when silent. He had tried to knocking or going in but the door was locked. Fearing the worse he was just calling the police when Yami, Sasaki, Isis, Malik, and Rishid came running in.
"Yugi!!" Yami immediately ran up the stairs, taking them three at a time that he almost fell against eh the door. He pounded at it as hard as he could, calling out his aibou's name. He kept ramming into it when he heard no answer form the other side. Had he have enough sense he would have noticed that the room was protected by a sort of shield of dark magic but the only thing on his mind was to get to his hikari. By the time everyone managed to get up the steps Yami yelled as loud as he could, throwing all his weight into the door when suddenly it swung open and he felt in.
"Ouch damnit!!" the former king cursed as she got on his hands and knees, looking around but what he saw he could only… well stare.
Yugi was sleeping on his bed, his head pillowed by the warm bulk of the golden-eyed wolf. Humming softly under her breath was the Mystic Elf as she stroked the soft spikes of her master's hair, making sure the nightmares stayed at bay. But what surprised hi the most was the fact that two spell-casters and a warrior had their weapons drawn, all three weapons directed at his face. Even as realization dawned on them they didn't let up.
"I don't believe this…" Yami breathed.
"Yami! What's-" Sasaki acme in and immediately jerked back until he hit the wall as a sword pointed was pointed at him. If he hadn't have moved back it would have taken off his nose.
"Yami! Are you alright…" Solomon stood in the doorway and like the others stared but only for a moment as he entered the room and went to Yugi's side. The monsters watched him carefully but refused anyone else to enter. "Yugi… is he alright?" the old man asked, finally taking notice of the mess.
"He is fine, just tired," the elf said with a gentle smile, her hand never missing a beat as she continued to stroke the highlight hair.
"Why are you all here?" Yami asked as he slowly got to his feet as the magicians lowered their staffs but refused to let him get close to their young master.
"His heart called out to us," the male spell-caster explained simple as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"We could feel him suffering and we just came to help," the young apprentice said as she picked up a blanket and covered Yugi with it, gently brushing the blonde bangs from his face. "He's going through a lot right now he isn't sure who to trust."
"After what those assholes did to him can you honestly blame him?" Sasaki snorted, growling when the elf warrior glared at him. "But he seemed relaxed around you guys. How come he isn't afraid of you all like he is of us?"
"Because we would never hurt him," the amber eyed monster snapped at the two of them had a stare-off. "We would lay down our lives for him during a duel and outside."
"I would do the same thing, he's my son!!"
"After what you did to him and let happen you don't deserve the title!"
"Boy you had better what your mouth."
"Care to repeat that?" Before a fight could break out though Solomon told them that if they wanted to fight they would have to take it outside but he was not going to stay for it in his home.
"And how would Yugi feel right now if he woke up to see the two of you bickering worse than children?!" he scolded, making the two fighters flush in embarrassment and apologize for acting so immature "Now then, since he's sleeping I suggest we let him have some peace and quiet so everyone, out."
"Solomon, what if he has another nightmare?" Sasaki asked worriedly.
"He won't. For now I am keeping them at bay, the elf woman said softly.
"See? Now let's go, let her handle her work now out. Out out out!" he practically pushed everyone out of the room, making the monsters laugh until he pushed the Celtic Guardian and Dark Magician out as well. "It's crowded and I'm sure the ladies can handle things from here."
"Grandpa? Can I stay here, in case he wakes up?" Yami asked softly, pleading with him with his eyes that the old man sighed and nodded him head. Closing the door behind him Yami took the chair from the desk and sat down, resting his arms over the back and looked down at his little light.
The female spell-caster looked at him closely, tilting her head to the side before sitting on the edge of the desk, silently kicking her feet back and forth.
"You really love him." It was more of a statement than a question but for some reason, Yami wasn't surprised by it. He took a deep breath and let it out through his nose as he nodded.
"He's… my light, my tenshi no korin (angel of light). But I don't deserve his love or forgiveness," he said angrily, more at himself than anything. "If I hadn't been so jealous then this wouldn't have happened. He would be safe."
~I'm afraid it would have happened but you were lucky,~ the wolf said in his mind as she raised her head, looking at him. ~If any of us had waited any longer he would have taken all seven items and the gods under his absolute control. Sacrifices were made but at least it was one night instead of a lifetime of being used.~
"You mean like what his father did," he growled.
"Sasaki didn't know how to vent out his grief and frustration. Would you have rather he ignored our young master, letting him fend for himself in the streets?" Mystic asked firmly.
"Master Yugi has a bright and shining soul with a pure heart, despite all that has happened he still holds onto it," DMG explained then his bright green eyes grew dark with worry. "But now… he blames himself for what happened."
"None of this was his fault!!"
~You know that, we know that, but he refused to acknowledge it.~ Silver Fang sighed deeply as she carefully shifted her body, now laying on her side as Yugi shifted some, rubbing his face in her fur. ~His mind believes that he is now worthless, that the ones he care about will take advantage of him.~
"We know you and the others would never do that but his trust has been broken," DMG said sadly. "It's actually a miracle that he trusts us although he still tenses when touched."
"…" Yami wasn't sure what to say but they were right. The young boy had been through so much in so little time that he was surprised he hadn't gone mad with grief. Getting up he slowly, and very carefully made his way over to the side of the bed. The young elf smiled as she stood and sat at in his now vacant seat as he sat next to his sleeping charge on the bed.
He looked like an angel, his skin unflawed with rosy cheeks, pink lips, and thick lashes reaching against high cheek bones he couldn't help but smile and with feather-light caress brushed his fingers along his face and hair. His heart melted when the young boy leaned into his hand, seeking warmth behind it. Being bonded with the young boy for so long had stirred an emotion deep in his heart he never thought he would be able to feel again.
Love.
"I will do everything in my power for him to trust myself and the others again, but more importantly, I will help him learn to trust himself once more," he vowed softly. He didn't notice the way the monsters smiled at each other softly, knowingly.
The struggle in rebuilding trust was a hard and at times, very frustrating job but the others were doing their best. Yugi also tried his best but he found it so difficult with fears of the past over whelming his future. But despite the loving care friends and family were doing they knew that Yugi needed professional help. So calling around they located a Youth Center where young adults went when they had been abused, either mentally or physically. At first the young boy had reacted violently towards it, saying he didn't want anyone else to think he was worthless and locked himself in his room. For the moment they let the matter drop but what else could they do? Nothing like this had ever happened to the group so how could they even begin to help?
"Master Yugi they're only trying to help," Mana, the Dark Magician Girl, tried to explain to him where he sat at his desk, doing homework.
"Some help. It's bad enough having to relive the nightmare over and over but to tell a complete stranger about it?" he said in a tight voice, pressing his pen harder in his work book as he continued writing.
"Sometimes talking to a stranger helps than talking with your loved ones," Mahado, the Dark Magician, said softly. Both spell-casters jumped though when their young master slammed his hands on his desk, rattling his books as he abruptly stood up.
His shoulders were shaking lightly as he curled his hands into tight fists, resisting the urge to yell and scream at them for even mentioning a thing. Sure it would help just a bit but what good would it do him in the end?
Mana looked nervous as she reached out to touch his shoulder but pulled back when her teacher shook his head. It was best if they left him alone for right now. They watched as he silently left his room, heading out as he closed the door behind him and padded down the hall. Soon they heard the sound of water running through the pipes and knew he would be busy for a while.
"Sensai what are we going to do?" the young girl asked with bright eyes. "Every time we try to get close and help him he pushes us back!"
"I know but we cannot help him anymore," he said wearily as he rubbed his eyes. "If we continue to push him we will end up doing more harm than good."
"Why doesn't he just accept outside help?"
"You heard what he said. Can you imagine how it would feel like to talk with a stranger about how you were violated? To tell someone you don't know how it felt? How it's tearing you up inside?"
"But… it's the only choice we have left!"
"Enough!" Mana was taken back at his tone she fell back on the vacant chair, holding her staff tightly across her knees. "… I know how you feel but we cannot make him do something he doesn't want to. We have no other choice but to wait and hope he makes the right decision."
"But we're only trying to help! Even Yami is nearly at his end! Do you know how it's tearing him up inside that our master doesn't trust him like he used to??" she accused. "He continues to blame himself for not protecting him like he should have and now that guilt is eating him up inside! If we don't help then we're going to lose both of them!" Crystal tears fell from her eyes despite how hard she had tried to keep them back. Closing her eyes tightly she thought her teacher would get mad at her for talking back and expected a scolding but it never came.
A hand came up an gently brushed the tears aside, making her open her eyes in surprise. The Dark Magician's pale blue eyes looked deeply into her bright, green depths even as slender fingers gently brushed the tears away. He could see how all the tension was getting to her but her words had a ring of truth in them. Yugi needed professional help, the likes that he nor the others could provide. Although no words were spoken it wasn't needed as the Dark Magician Girl reached up and held her teacher's hand, silently apologizing for her outburst. He understood and promised they would help the light and dark get over their grief with the best of their ability.
Yugi stared at his door, having heard everything when he realized he had forgotten to take some clothes with him. Silently he removed his head fro the knob and padded back to the bathroom. There he closed the door and locked it behind him, still thinking about the conversation he heard.
'Yami… this was never your fault…' he thought to himself as he began to remove his clothing that when he was just in his boxers he glanced at the mirror and looked at his reflection. There were no visible scars on his fair skin and no sign of the massive bruising he had suffered but he could still picture them in his mind's eye. How could the spirit of a great and powerful king still care about him? He was damaged goods and he was so weak. Shaking his head he removed his boxers and stepped into the shower.
The hot water beating down on him brought some comfort as it washed over him like a blanket. The heat soothed away tense muscles, helping him relax just a bit but sadly, it could not wash the images out of his mind nor the thoughts.
'Why do the others care so much? I thought they would have left me by now,' he argued with himself as he picked up the bar of soap and began to lather it over his body. 'I'm weak and I always need someone to help me out just because I can't seem to keep myself out of trouble. Everyone would be better off without me.'
'Would they?' his heart countered as he stepped under the shower head and let the gentle stream of water wash over him. 'They care too much about us. They have been with us since our first duel with Seto to the final battle with Marik.'
'And your point? They probably had nothing better to do,' his mind argued back.
'They stayed because they cared. They risked their lives to prove how much they love us.'
'They stayed because they felt pity for me.'
'They came to rescue you from Arago.'
'They came to rescue Bakura and Malik, I didn't matter.'
'Yami risked his own life energy to save us and bring us back.'
'Why would he do something that stupid?'
'Because he loves us. Always have, always will.'
'…'
Yugi sighed as he leaned his head back, letting the water dampen his hair before reaching up and began to run his fingers through. Did his hitori no boku (other self) really love him that much? Or was it because if eh died, the puzzle would shattered and he would be imprisoned once more? Frowning he pushed the thought back to the far corner of his mind and picked up a bottle of shampoo. He took his time as he washed his hair, sighing softly in content as his fingers massaged his scalp before letting the water rinse it out. Picking up the bottle of conditioner he repeated the same action. By the time he had finished the water was lukewarm so he turned it off and grabbed the towel that was hanging on a hook on the wall. He wasn't sure how long he had been in the bathroom but it had been a while. Drying himself off he wrapped the large towel around himself and opening the door quickly peeked out. The hallway was empty so being quiet as he could he quickly went to his room and silently shut the door behind him.
Both magicians were gone but why did his heart seem to twist in pain? 'They're just giving me some space to myself,' he reasoned. That and he didn't like the fact that he was wearing nothing but a towel even if he was in his own room. Shivering lightly he rummaged in his drawers to grab a clean pair of boxers and his pajamas. He didn't care if they were kinda childish; his sky blue pajamas with the pale yellow stars were very comfortable to be in and if anything he could always remove the top if he grew too hot.
Toweling his hair dry he hung the towel on his chair to dry and quickly ran his fingers through his hair several times. Looking at he clock eh realized that he had been it the shower for about forty-five minutes and dinner had just started but he wasn't hungry. In fact, the hot water had made him feel so sleepy.
'I'll just take a nap and finish my homework later,' he thought to himself as he turned his bed down and climbed in. As soon as his head hit the pillow he was fast asleep.
Yami carefully made his way up the stairs, making sure not to slip anything on the tray as he took his time. Balancing the tray on one hand he knocked on his hikari's bedroom door.
"Yugi? It's Yami, I brought you something to eat," he called to him. No answer. "Yugi? Are you alright?" Still no answer. Frowning he wrapped his hand around the knob and slowly turned it. Opening the door a crack he peered in and couldn't help but smile gently. His young charge was sleeping so rather than wake him up he came in and set the tray of food on the dresser. Smiling at his light he turned to leave but he heard a whimper coming from the figure lying on the bed.
"No… Please stop…" the young boy whimpered as he curled up in bed, hands clenching at the blanket tightly. "I don't want this…"
"Yugi…" Yami grew worried as he went to his side, reaching out to give his shoulder a shake. "Yugi wake up."
"Gods please, no more… I can't take it!"
"Yugi wake up! It's a nightmare!"
"Someone help!!" he yelled and failing his limbs around he unfortunately hit the former king in the face. Yami fell back with a cry of his own as a hand went to his eye but that seemed enough as Yugi sat up in bed, panting and looking around wild-eyed.
"Y-Yami? W-What are you doing here?" he asked in a fearful voice as he pressed his back against eh wall, holding his blankets to his chest tightly.
"I… I brought you dinner," he said as he pointed to the tray of food on the dresser. It contained a bowl of soul with a sandwich and a coke, all of his favorites. "I was about to leave but you ere crying in your sleep and I tried to wake you up."
"Yugi!!" Solomon came running into the room and nearly fell when he stopped abruptly and Sasaki ran into him. Seeing there was no danger the old man quickly made his way to his grandson, asking if he was alright and what had happened.
"I-I'm fine grandpa, I just had a nightmare and Yami was just trying to help," he said softly, "I'm sorry I'm such a bother…"
Shocked, light violet eyes blinked as a wrinkled hand gently tilted his face up. "Where would you get such an idea? You have never been a bother, Yugi. No listen to me for a moment. I would never consider you a bother or any such thing. I love you very much and I know things are going rough right now but know that I will always be here for you so will everyone else." The look in his eyes meant that he had said nothing but the truth. Yugi sniffed and embraced his grandfather tightly, softly crying into his shoulder.
Sasaki sighed as he helped the spirit up and looked at his face. "Your eye is going to be slightly swollen tomorrow," he said softly as he carefully examined the red bruise. "How'd you get it anyway? I thought you couldn't touch anything."
"I can't. I was trying to wake Yugi up and his fist came in contact," he said in a quiet tone, wincing when pressure was applied to the bruise. "I'll be fine. I can heal myself later."
"Alright." Releasing him he turned to his son and went to him, kneeling next to the bed. "Hey Yugi, you alright?" At his nod he smiled and almost reaching out to ruffle his hair but didn't least he scare him. "Okay. Well do you want us to leave you alone so you can eat in peace?"
"Please?"
"Okay. You need anything just call okay?" Nodding the older men left and Yami was about to leave but he stopped when Yugi asked him to stay. Nodding he closed the door, picked up the tray and rested it on his lap before sitting on the only chair in the room, making sure he didn't see the bruise.
"So… I see you're almost done with your school work," he started to say before realizing how much of an idiot he sounded like.
"Almost. Yami? I… I'm sorry I hit you," he said softly as he played with his blanket.
"It's alright, I'm sorry I startled you I thought I was helping," he admitted softly.
"You did help. You woke me up before anything more could happen." Looking down he saw that the soup was his favorite, mushrooms with chicken. Dipping his spoon in he took a sip and smiled. "Funny how your favorite foods can make you feel a bit better."
Yami chuckled softly as he agreed. It had been so long since he saw his light smiling that soon they were talking about everything and anything that came to mind. They talked about school, their friends, their family; they talked about the duels they had won, the people they went against, who was the worse duelist and who actually challenged them; they also talked about what the future held for them. Yugi wanted to run the game shop when he grew older so he loved it more than anything. Yami said that whatever he wanted he would always be there for him. Soon, the food was all gone and the young man was beginning to feel tired. His darker half helped him under the covers after setting the empty dishes on the tray and placed that on the dresser. He couldn't help but chuckle softly when he yawned.
"What's funny?" he asked sleepily.
"When you yawn, you remind me of a little kitten, aibou," he said with a smile, gently tracing his face with a fingertip. Smiling he then realized how close they were and mentally calling himself an idiot pulled back. "I'll let you get some sleep."
Yugi blinked before reaching out and grabbed his hand with his own, squeezing tightly. "Yami please… I want you to stay." Puzzled ruby-red eyes looked down at him but thankfully, didn't pull away. "In case the nightmares come back, you can wake me up."
"… Only if you promise not to hit me again." He smiled to show he was only teasing as he pulled the chairs closer to the bed and sat down. He knew that laying in bed with him, even if he slept on the covers, was just a bit too soon. It was a big step and he knew that neither of them were ready for it just yet.
Let him get used to me being in the same room with him, then slowly woke his way up to touches and embraced when he's fully awake, he said to himself. We're taking this one step at a time, one day at a time.
Young Motou stuck his tongue out but he curled under the blankets, smiling sleeping at the ancient pharaoh before closing his eyes, within moments he was fast asleep. Yami sighed as he leaned back in the chair, watching his light he couldn't help but smile softly. Yes he loved this boy so very much and he would wait as long as he had to just to show him just how much he cared for him. Why? Simple enough answer.
"Ai shite'ry yo (I love you)."
Author's Note: Okay I know I know. You're all wondering why I'm doing this so lemme tell ya. A reviewer on aff.net gave me some very good criticism and she made me think. Chapter 8 was kinda rushed and in doing so I kinda screwed up everything. I'm sorry and yes I am still working on the last chapter. It will contain a lemon but I just had to work up to it. I hope this chapter makes things a bit clear to understand and I wanted to point out that the road to recovery isn't as easy as one may think. Trust is a very fragile thing and poor Yugi… well, I just had to make this chapter more realistic. So this is a kind of make-up chapter and a thank you to Sashii.
Cast: Thank you Sashii *bows*
*makes a face then sneezes*
Yami of Puzzle: Um shouldn't you be in bed?
I've been sleeping all day and my sinus cavity hurts and my throat hurts and I'm hungry but I can't swallow anything and I have class tomorrow and I can't miss them and today was my birthday and I had the worse birthday ever- *sneezes several more times*
Yugi: *hands over a box of tissues*
*nods thanks and grabs a handful to blow nose* Being sick bites.
Yami of Ring: See it pays to be dead! *smirks*
Yami of Rod: Speak for yourself. -.-;
Okay *sniffs* I'm ending this note now. So everyone enjoy this and tell me whacha think. I was gonna try to get chapter 9 out today but I don't have the energy. Okay I'm going to wish myself a pathetic happy birthday to me. Bye *sneezes again*
Malik: Eew germs!! *runs away*
Malik you brat!! C'mere!! *chases after him while sneezing head off* Ooh headache!!
Bakura: Wait you should be in bed or it'll get worse!!