With that in mind, welcome to the final chapter of the Young and the Beautiful. This is where it (finally) ends. Will it be happy? Will it be sad? Well, you'll know in, like, a few minutes. If I shut up and let you read it. So...
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh is not mine. Nor is Konami. Nor is Toyota. Nor is Kodak. I do, however, own the watch.
Chapter 37: Stay Another Day (I love that song! So it's by a boy band. I don't care! It's sweet as!)
* * *
The first warm tangerine rays of sunlight seeped through the large bay windows of Seto Kaiba's bedroom. The room was silent, except for the shallow breaths of the two occupants. Seto himself was still sleeping like a babe. Yami, meanwhile, was still trying to muster the strength to get out of the bed. But looking at Seto; his priest, his love, his *world*...
It was just so hard.
He checked his watch. 5:36. Three minutes since he had last checked it. It really was a very nice watch. It had a thick leather band, a couple of inches wide. Silver studs lined the edges, while the middle held a loop. Hooked to it was a silver padlock, with a black clock-face on it. He flicked the clock-lock backwards and forwards affectionately, admitting to himself he was just stalling for time. 5:37. His eyes trailed further, to the sleeping teen beside him. They lingered on his face; the soft smile playing about his delicious lips, the long eyelashes that laced his soft cheeks, the way his chestnut locks swayed back and forth as he breathed. Perfect. Perfect in every way.
He had to get out of there. He couldn't stand torturing himself anymore. His heart ached dully, thumping hard against his chest in protest. He scooped up his clothes from around the floor, trying not to think about the night before, when they'd been left there. He pulled himself into his leather hipsters, and bolted out of the room. Quietly, of course.
Halfway down the stairs he stopped, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He turned back, opening the door slowly and silently. He stopped beside the bed, gazing down at his Priest, just once more.
He leant over, and kissed him ever-so softly on his lips. "Seto... don't forget me. For I will never forget you."
He sprang down the stairs, and out of the mansion, pausing only to grab his bag (which he'd left behind a bush at the entrance). He hailed a taxi; and as they drove out of the street, his eyes never left the wing-mirror, watching the Kaiba mansion and it's occupant fade symbolically out of his life.
* * *
A sleepy Kaiba woke groggily, yawning. His eyes squinted at the excess sunlight in the room, flailing to get out of the sheets and close the curtains. There was something missing...
"Shit! Yami?" he called, shoving a shirt on and padding downstairs. He walked confusedly around his rather large house for a few minutes. There was obviously no-one else there. Mokuba was sleeping over with friends, but Yami...
He punched the game shop's number into the cordless, pacing as it rang. A rather tired-sounding Yugi answered the phone.
"Yaaaaahwngh - ello?"
"Yugi! Is Yami there?"
"Um... no. Why, should he be?"
"Yes! He's not here."
"I didn't know he went to see you last night, Kaiba, I thought he was going to... oh."
" 'Oh' what? Where is he, Yugi?"
Silence. Then - "I think you'd better ask Malik."
* * *
"Wait a second! Yami Motou?" You were in GossipGirl Magazine, right?" the pretty, yet slightly dim-witted girl behind the desk exclaimed.
"I wouldn't know, I haven't read it lately," he scowled.
"Is it true? About you and that billionaire Kaiba?"
"Absolutely not." His hand covered the bright red, uh, *battle scar* on his neck. Behind his eyelids he could still see Seto's face inches from his own; could still feel his hands upon his body... Yami made a conscious effort to pull himself back to the present.
"Egypt? That's a strange place for a holiday, especially in the middle of term! Why Egypt? Is it true you're an Egyptian witch?"
"No. There's a... dueling tournament being held there. I have to defend my title."
"Really? My nephew's a bit of a duelist himself, and he never mentioned it," she said, suspicion evident in her tone. Perhaps she wasn't a bimbo?
"It's very exclusive. Only good duelists, really." Yami realised a second too late what he'd said, and mentally kicked himself.
The woman glared at him coldly. "Your tickets, Mr Motou."
He shrugged, and walked towards the terminal, stopping at a newsagency. He grabbed one of the teenage-y girl magazines, and flicked through the pages, finally finding a two-page spread dedicated to himself and the CEO. There were pictures of them dueling, school photos (though where they'd got them was anyone's guess) and the famous strawberry desert photos. Also, it seemed someone at the night club they had visited on holidays had noticed a 'Kodak moment' and had sent it in.
He scanned the article, vaguely wondering what sort of pathetic people gave a shit who some cute, rich, total stranger chose to snog. He squinted at the club picture, ignoring the no-doubt ingeniusly witty caption. He remembered that night. Seto's lips had tasted faintly of banana, having just finished a Daiquiri of said flavour. Yami had teased him about having feminine taste in drinks. Seto had retorted that Yami had feminine taste in boys.
The Pharaoh had tried to point out just how flawed and hypocritical that argument was, but had found himself stopped short by the onslaught of soft, fruity lips. And suddenly, all logical thoughts and arguments whisked away, leaving him with a fuzzy, mushy pile of romantic and kinky Seto-thoughts. Which, admittedly, happened to him every time they kissed; the moment that enticing mouth greeted his own, every pain he had endured in his long life was suddenly worth it, just to be with Kaiba. He was his other half, the one thing that gave his current existence meaning.
Yami dropped the magazine back into the rack, and headed out, still lost in another world with his love.
* * *
"Where the fuck is Yami?" hissed a rather angry CEO into the cordless.
"Well good morning to you, too, sunshine," the amused voice of the younger Ishtal chirped down the phone.
"Cut the crap. Yugi told me you know where Yami has gone."
"What? How should I know where that stupid... oh. He's gone? He actually *left*?"
"No shit, Sherlock. Where is he?"
"Ra..." breathed Malik. "He left sooner than I'd hoped. He didn't tell you where he was going?"
"No, but you're going to, you screwed up piece of shit." Kaiba wanted his Yami back, and he wanted him back *now*.
"Language, Priest. If he obviously didn't want to tell you, and sneaked off alone, why should *I* tell you? He mayn't *want* you to know."
"You'll tell me because if you don't I'll rip your balls off and serve them to you on top of spaghetti."
Malik snorted. "And they called me crazy. All right, Priest. Yami has gone to Egypt."
"I beg your pardon?" Seto's mouth opened like a goldfish's.
"He's gone to save the world, without you it would seem. Perhaps he wants to try Egyptian men? We're terribly raunchy."
Silence from the end of the phone.
"Priest? Look, what he's gone to do is bloody dangerous. He obviously doesn't want you to get hurt."
"I'm going after him."
"What? No! No, Kaiba, don't be stupid. What about... What about Mokuba? He's too young to be left on his own." Malik knew he'd struck a chord. Especially when the line went dead.
"Don't you think you were a little... blunt, brother?" Isis suggested, a protective hand around her stomach and a little bump showing through her dress.
Malik shrugged. "Payback for punching Bakura."
* * *
Yami switched the dial on the aeroplane radio thingymabob. He wasn't having much success finding decent music.
"All you need is love, love... Love is all you need..." Yami growled at the station. He didn't need the Beatles to tell him that.
"Don't you say it's the final kiss! Won't you stay another day?" Some boy band or another. Church bells pealed in the accompaniment, and together with their voices created a sweet harmony. Yami span the dial faster.
"Your stupid love. Your salty skin. The heat within. I can't help myself." His nerves tingled, remembering the exotic taste of Seto's face and neck and chest and... other places. He attacked the button that turned the radio off, chancing the in-flight movie.
"Good night! Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow..." Yami glared at the screen and the stupid tart in the angel costume. She knew nothing of being torn from the only one you could ever care for. Of course, if he had paid any attention at all to the Shakespeare unit in English, he would have known poor Juliet's fate. But right now, the Pharaoh couldn't care less; he felt the whole world was against him and could do little else than wallow in self-pity. He tentatively opened a newspaper.
The Yen was up against the Greenback. Jolly good, then. He had no clue what that meant, but it was nice, safe, un-emotive reading. Several Japanese companies had increased profits in international markets, strong finishes in the end of the period recorded by Toyota, Konami and Kaiba Corporation...
Yami swore at the newspaper, his eyes suddenly stinging. He choked back a sob as the plane accelerated along the runway. This was wrong. He shouldn't be doing this. He shouldn't be here. He should be in Domino, with Malik and Yugi and the stupid Tomb Robber and the puppy. And his Priest. He hugged his knees to his chest, tears falling freely as the plane ascended. He glared at the paper again, noting the date. The 25th of October. It was today's paper.
His cheeks glistened, blonde strands hiding deep red eyes as they stared at the date atop the paper. The plane passed out of Japanese airspace, whispers from a lonely boy never to fall on the ears of whom he wished for.
"Happy Birthday, Seto Kaiba."
* * *
Awww. Thankyou, everyone, for your support of my first little ficcie. The sequel has been started, so it will come out soon. Naming competition still running, if you want first knab of the first chapter. It's a punk/rock sorta band, and it's a boy band, but not a boy-band, if u know what i mean. Featuring one of our favourite Egyptians! Have had a few real good suggestions already ^-^ so thankyou!
*waves* bye! see you soon!
oh, and review or drop me an email if you want!