First and foremost, my apologies for this massive wait for another chapter. I knew what was going to happen, however I had zero inspiration at all. Last night there was a flicker of excitement about writing it, but soon it was lost to watching Samurai X with ice-cream instead. +sigh+ But tonight I got ultimate inspiration because I made myself sit down and watch Yu-Gi-Oh! I haven't watched the series much lately, and even seeing the last ten minutes gave me the zip to sit down and write. Hope you like the plot twist.
Yami woke up bright and early on Saturday morning. Actually, it was dark and early. He was so anxious for his day that he woke up at five-thirty, and he was, surprisingly, peppy.
Yami had a plan.
He did everything possible to get ready to greet the—later—morning, and found himself twiddling his thumbs at eight. Yugi, naturally, was sleeping in. Hey, it was Saturday after all.
Yami, in an angelic mood, decided to get everything ready to go for a spectacular breakfast for Yugi. He also decided to clean the kitchen. Now, at nine-thirty, he went to the phone, flipped through the ID for a number, and dialed.
"Hello?" A female voice greeted on the other line. Yugi summoned his courage. He was a powerful, magical pharaoh…however talking to girls on the phone was never something he had to work on in his previous life. Sure, talking to girls…but he never had to impress; he was pharaoh, they had to impress him and, well…
He had never had to be someone else.
"Mai?" He tried to make his voice sound like Yugi as best as he could.
"Hey, what's up?" Phew, it had worked.
"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out today…?"
* * *
Yami's plan was perfect, at least he thought he had every detail worked out into minute attention.
When he heard Yugi begin to get up and get ready for the day, he dashed around humming in his head an old song from his previous life.
When the sun shines its last ray upon the sands,
The moon rising high above the land,
The mystery of the Nile shall appear,
The god's instruments all men shall hear,
Then come into the moonlight she will,
And all, in reverence, will be still,
She is the goddess of the night,
Her face shall never see the light,
But beauty has never been so fair,
Dark silken waves are her hair,
Shining as the midnight star,
All who hear of her travel far,
Goddess of the night look upon me,
Let your love shine upon me,
For I dream of you in night and day,
Words of you are all I can say,
Love me now as I love you,
Let your love for me be true.
He paused to reflect on memories of his past, memories that were bittersweet. He did not have long to ponder, though, because Yugi began down the steps, and Yami rushed to make sure everything was in place.
Yugi's expression was neither irritated nor excited. Instead, he looked from Yami, to the table laden with breakfast food, to Yami, and then to the table again.
"I know it isn't what you're probably used to for breakfast, but it's some things like I used to eat…before." He gave a weak kind of smile, and Yugi sat down slowly, taking in the massive feast the Pharaoh had prepared.
"I—I hope you like it." Yami began. "It's just, I was sorry about that—my outburst." Yugi looked around the table once more, then to Yami, and smiled warmly.
"Hey, that's OK, Yami, I'm sorry myself. I've…I've been…I've not been myself lately."
* * *
Yami casually leant against the wall of the large building. He glanced at his watch for a flicker of a moment to see if she was late.
In his anticipation he soon realized he had arrived early, and paid the fee by being even more anxious than before, standing there, his eyes darting here and there for a sign of her.
And then he saw her. Bouncing blonde hair, short skirt, baby-doll tee, a purse slung casually over her shoulder. Her feet slapped the pavement and her head turned right and left, looking for Yugi.
She saw him, or she thought she did, and approached with a happy smile.
"Hey! Have you been waiting long?" He shook his head, trying so very hard to keep every single detail of his persona like Yugi, but he seemed to pass the test. She took his hand and they started down the street.
"Where do you want to eat?" He asked casually, and she seemed thoughtful, glancing down one of the main streets of Tokyo.
"Somewhere different?" She asked, her face totally unguarded, her expression sincere. Yami had yet to see this side of Mai, and it surprised him.
"Sure." Rain started to sprinkle, and she pulled her lips inward with thought. "Where should we go—" She got a smile across her face, and she took his hand tighter, dashing down the street as the rain began to pour.
"Let's go wherever our feet take us!" She exclaimed, dodging through the crowd that formed to cross the street at a blue light. "Wherever we find the best shelter, whichever restaurant has an interesting name." She giggled, and people made their way around the running couple.
Finally, when their breath became harder to draw, they ducked into a dark little café and looked around. She turned to him with a smile, and he returned one, knowing she was asking for approval.
They sat down in a comfy, cushy booth, and a waitress spread menu's out before them. Her keen eyes scanned the rows of entrée's, her bottom lip pinned between her teeth. She furrowed her brows for a brief moment before closing her menu and setting it down upon the table.
They ordered and she looked at him for conversation. Yami struggled with a topic that Yugi would approach, but he guessed she had waited long enough, for she started one herself.
"What about this rain, eh?" She sighed and looked at the window. "I think rain is romantic, but we're due for a tsunami." She laughed, and he nodded. "Yugi, what's wrong with you?" He looked at her quickly. "Are you sick?" She leaned across the table, touching the back of her hand to his forehead.
"I'm sorry if I seem weird today, Té—Mai." She lifted a brow.
"Téa?" She returned in disbelief. "Téa?" She sighed. "Is that it, Yugi? Are you seeing Téa? Is that why you've been weird lately—why you're weird today?" Her eyes brimmed with tears, and Yami cursed himself. He wouldn't let his plan ruin Yugi and Mai's relationship. There wouldn't be any plan anyway if they broke up.
He took drastic actions. He got up and sat next to her on her side of the booth, smoothing back her hair.
"Mai, I'm so sorry. No. No, I'm not. I'd…I'd rather die." He looked into her eyes, and she looked back at him.
"But why? Why are you acting so weird? You're edgy, Yugi, and nervous around me. And your eyes always dart everywhere when I take you home. You won't even let me come in, barely. And when you do you shoo me out before I get close to your room."
Until then, Yami hadn't realized what Yugi had been through. Keeping their secret had taken a toll on him as well, and Yami had been too caught up in his own sadness to realize it.
He had always thought Yugi was embarrassed, but he realized Yugi was protecting him. Never letting anyone realize the freak show that was happening. Protecting him from prying eyes who would…why had he been so foolish?
And he was supposed to be an all powerful pharaoh?
It was time to fix Yugi and Mai, and further his plan in the process.
* * *
Yami and Mai spent the entire day together. They went wherever they felt like going, ate wherever they wanted, did whatever struck their fancy.
Now, when the moon was full above them, they strolled casually to the gameshop, ice-cream in hands, laughing and joking with each other. Yami's discomfort was long gone, replaced by a casual feeling, a comfortable feeling that made him talk freely.
They entered the gameshop and tossed their empty cups and spoons in the kitchen, and an idea struck Yami like a lightning bolt.
Grandpa was out of town for the week, and Yugi was due to stay out late with the guys.
It was a crazy, lunatic idea, but it was perfect.
"Come upstairs," He offered casually, and she looked to him. "Come on up." And she trotted up the stairs, both surprised and not that her footsteps followed his.
He entered his room and didn't bother to flick on the light, but turned to her expectantly, awaiting her inspection.
She looked around, noticing the little touches that showed Yugi's personality outwardly. The Duel Monsters touches, the old computer, the desk with several notebooks and a couple stray gaming magazines. Clothes neat and tidy, a near empty closet, simple shades on the windows.
"So this is where the King of Games lives?" She teased, looking around, and he smiled.
Silence followed that statement, and Yami made up his mind to go through with the plan in a split second and acted upon it.
He grasped her wrist and swung her around, lying her on the bed. She looked up at him, surprised and questioning before he kneeled over her, arms on each side of her form.
"Mai…" She raised a brow, and he could hear her breathing become shallow, darting in and out as she looked at him expectantly and yet wary.
He gave up being Yugi now. He knew it wouldn't work, knew he'd be more aggressive. Instead he did what came natural as he leaned closer, forgetting about everything except that he was in a dark room with a beautiful girl.
He pressed his lips to her and took in a deep breath, absorbing her aura, taking in the scent of her hair and her rich perfume. She reciprocated without hesitation, and soon he was lost in the moment, his fingers sliding through her hair, along her neck, shoulders, and arms.
He let his lips skim along her cheek to her jawline, taking it in before moving to her neck where they skimmed and left barely-there kisses before nibbling.
It had been far too long since he had kissed a girl, and he was almost tempted to admit that this was a mistake, that he was enjoying it too much. He darted from her lips to her neck, back and forth as he pleased and then, finally, he knew it had been a mistake.
* * *
Their lips parted and their eyes met. This wasn't the Yugi she was used too, and yet there was no hesitation, no question in her eyes.
"Mai." He breathed, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes, kissing her forehead with a kiss that was light and lingering. She sighed, looking at him, seeming to see him as someone who knew the very pit of his soul.
"That was it." She said, and he looked at her, confused. "That was why you never brought me up here. It was because you knew this would happen, wasn't it?" Yami, wise to not agree nor deny, simply looked at her. "You weren't ready." The tone held no question, but yet she asked one. Again, he neither agreed nor denied, but looked away in silence, and she brought herself up to sit on his lap.
She leant her head in the crook of his neck, her arms around his waist, and he could feel her heart beat against his own chest.
He resisted the urge to push her down and attack her with another barrage of kisses, and instead left one last one slow and soft.
"I have to go." She said after he pulled back, and he nodded in silence. "Goodbye, Yugi." That sentence hit him with a guilty feeling in his gut, and he said his goodbye's without thinking of his words before she left through the door.
She thought he was Yugi. She had never known he wasn't, he had never given her reason to believe it, and he had never told her. And yet he had made out with her. It was unfair of him, dishonorable, and he undressed into his pajama's mechanically, over and over thinking the same thoughts.
She was indescribable to him. He reveled in every aspect of her. He knew he was betraying Yugi. Yugi, who had always been so good, always loved Yami so much…always loved Mai. And now he was happy, with her, ecstatic that now they were together. And now Yami had betrayed him, had kissed her, had enjoyed every second of it…and who now knew he couldn't live without her.
He crawled into his own futon and pulled up the covers, but didn't fall asleep for a long time. Yugi came in, quietly so as not to wake him. And he changed and curled into bed without a word while Yami lied under his covers, too ashamed to even look at him.
Yugi quietly and sweetly said to Yami's assumed sleeping form, "Goodnight, Yami", thinking the pharaoh was asleep.
Yami had never felt so utterly revolting, so utterly despicable.