CHAPTER ELEVEN

Yami froze. He desperately hoped it was all a nightmare, but this was very real. He hesitated before reaching down for the gun strapped to his belt. I'm sorry, Yuugi… I didn't want you to know…

Yuugi gasped as his eyes landed on the cold weapon, slightly releasing his grip on Yami's shirt, unsure of whether he could trust the boy any longer. He swallowed the lump in his throat, shaking in fear as Yami placed a gentle hand on his arm.

"I know you're in here," the voice continued. "You still owe me money, Mutou."

Money? Yami glanced at Yuugi, who was staring hard at the floor, his bottom lip trembling. Swallowing his curiosity, he refocused his attention back onto the intruder. The approaching footsteps suddenly stopped, less than yards away.

This isn't real… don't let this be real… Desperate for contact, Yuugi pressed his cheek against Yami's warm chest, closing his eyes and hoping everything would go away. Please let Grandpa be okay. Where are you, Grandpa? I don't want you to die… I don't want Yami to die… A wave of guilt washed over him, as if everything was his fault: his grandfather's debt, loss, pain…

The footsteps began to fade, and Yuugi heard the door open and close. It was safe now.

He sighed in relief and was just about to ask Yami if everything was okay, when he felt a strong hand clamping tightly over his mouth. "Shhh…" Yami blew into his ear, gently rubbing his shoulder. But Yuugi could feel Yami growing tense, even more so than before. The hand on the gun tightened.

The footsteps approached again, with new confidence. Yuugi weakened, falling further into Yami's comforting grip. His heart raced and his vision blurred. Not now… A warm hand grasped his cold and clammy one, and he looked up in gratitude. But Yami didn't turn back. Instead, he was facing the counter, his gun ready in his hand.

Yuugi's heart stopped as he heard another click, but this time, it was Yami.

"Don't move," Yami ordered, his gun held ready by an unwavering hand. The intruder was a middle-aged man, dressed in a business suit, For a long moment, it was so silent, he could hear the man's heavy breathing. A pair of small arms found their way around his waist, and he felt Yuugi pressing his face against his stomach. Yuugi… I promised…

The warmth of the body beneath him disappeared. He swallowed nervously, hoping Yuugi was all right, refusing the break eye-contact with the man. Suddenly, the man let out a cry of pain as a metal object flew directly at his groin. Taking his chance, Yami fired, but his gun wasn't the only one that sounded. The man doubled over, clutching his chest. Glancing backward, Yami found a dent in the wall, several inches from his head.

Hesitantly, Yuugi rose above the counter.

"No! Yuugi, watch out!" Yami cried, slamming Yuugi against the floor with his own body as another shot was heard. A sharp pain traveled down his arm as he instinctively fired three shots in a row at the man from the floor. The man dropped his gun and collapsed, gasping as blood poured from the holes in his chest.

Yami stood, his wounded arm fastened securely around Yuugi's waist, pressing the smaller boy against his chest. Trembling uncontrollably, Yuugi buried his face into Yami's neck, refusing to look at the man. "Don't kill him," he murmured, over and over again, but to Yami, it was only a slur of incomprehensible noise.

"Nobody messes with my aibou, and gets away with it," Yami growled. He aimed for the man's head, watching as the crimson blossomed from the wound. The body fell at his feet before going completely limp.

"Is he dead?" Yuugi whispered, tightening his arms around Yami. He closed his eyes as Yami sighed in response. "Oh, Yami… you shouldn't have…"

"I'm sorry, Yuugi, but I had to," Yami replied. "He could have killed you. People like him are better off dead, anyway."

Yami could feel Yuugi's tears against his neck as he placed his gun down on the counter and pulled the smaller boy into a warm embrace. His arm was searing, but Yuugi's tears hurt him even more as he ran his long fingers through the red strands, savoring the feeling of their heated bodies pressed together. Never had he felt so right… so complete.

Reluctantly, he released the boy, losing himself in the deep amethyst eyes.

A soft sigh escaped Yuugi's lips as he automatically leaned upward. He could feel Yami's breath caressing his face, washing over him like a sweet summer breeze. For a moment, he forgot everything that had happened…

"Do you have any unused bedsheets?" Yami interrupted uneasily. He watched as Yuugi gave a small nod and headed for the laundry room without giving him a second glance.

For a moment, Yami gazed after the boy. Then, he turned his attention to the body lying on the cold tiles, taking in the familiar image of death: nothing glorious, just cold and silence. As much as he wished he could have shown the slightest amount of compassion, he felt no regret in his heart. A jolt of pain in his upper arm brought him back to his senses. He swiftly shifted to one side as Yuugi returned, carrying a folded white sheet in his arms.

Without a word, they tightly wrapped the rigid body in the cloth. Yuugi could feel his head growing lighter as he studied the man's bloodied face. The pale eyelids were closed in agony, the lips parted in a helpless moan. Resisting the urge to scream his lungs out, he pulled the sheet over the lifeless face with shaky fingers.

They stared at the wrapped figure for what seemed like the longest time. Suddenly, Yuugi released a shuddering breath before looking down at his hands and feet.

Half his shirt was stained with dark blood.

"Oh, my god," he breathed, spinning to face Yami, his eyes pleading and full of fear. "Yami, what happened to the second bullet? What happened to it?"

Yami opened his mouth to answer, but his words were lost as he looked helplessly into Yuugi's concerned eyes. Suddenly, the smaller boy grabbed his left arm, spinning him around abruptly.

"Why?" Yuugi whispered, running his fingers alongside the bleeding wound. Through the fabric of Yami's school uniform, the glow of the bullet could still be seen inside. He froze for a moment before clutching Yami's arm to his chest, sobbing freely onto the shoulder. "Why didn't you say something, Yami? Why didn't you say anything?"

"Can you do me a favor?" Yami asked quietly, deciding not to answer Yuugi's question. Hearing no response, he managed to pry the boy off him. "Go upstairs and change your shirt. Then, call the police and tell him you shot this man in self-defense. Tell him what you want, but whatever you say, don't mention me." He paused and searched the large tearful eyes. "Please," he added, reaching into his belt and handing Yuugi his gun.

Before Yuugi could answer, Yami had disappeared somewhere into the house. He gave the wrapped body one last glance before heading upstairs.

- - -

"Where were you when he appeared at the door?"

"May I see your weapon again?"

"Do you know what the man wanted?"

Yuugi looked around helplessly as the police gathered around him in front of the shop, waiting for his answers. From the corner of his eye, he could see the paramedics carrying the dead body into the ambulance. Suddenly, a familiar old sedan pulled around the block. Completely ignoring the questions, Yuugi shoved through the crowd of police, running toward the car as fast as his legs would take him.

"Grandpa!" he yelled, throwing himself onto the old man as he stepped out.

"Are you all right?" Grandpa asked, patting his grandson gently on the back. "Shhh… It's okay. You can tell me what happened later. Are you hurt? Do you feel nauseous?"

Yuugi shook his head furiously. "That man came into the shop," he whispered. "The one you were going to see. He said you still owe him money. You promised… you promised you wouldn't try to help me anymore, that you wouldn't pay more than we could afford…"

"But I love you so much," Grandpa replied, gathering the boy in his arms. The police were beginning to move toward them. "Come on. Answer some questions so you can rest earlier."

Holding back his distress, Yuugi obeyed, telling the story the way he was told to do.

After what seemed like forever, the questions finally ended. "May we have your permission the search the house?" an officer asked. "We promise not to do any unnecessary damage to your property."

Yami… Yuugi's heart skipped a beat as his grandfather agreed. Where are you, Yami?

- - -

Yuugi took another sip of his warm soup before looking up. "Grandpa, I have to tell you something," he confessed.

"Drink your soup," his grandfather replied simply. "We'll talk about it tomorrow."

"I…" Yuugi paused and took a deep breath. "I wasn't alone. And I didn't kill the man."

Grandpa sighed. "I know, I know," he said. He suddenly looked very tired. "I told Yami to stay with you, but I don't know whether to be frightened or relieved about him. Did he leave before the police came?"

"No," Yuugi answered truthfully as he swallowed another spoonful. "He went into the house. I… I don't why the police didn't find him while they were searching. I guess he escaped. But his arm…" His bottom lip trembled as he continued. "Yami was shot in the arm."

"I'm sure he'll be all right," Grandpa said gently. "He can take care of himself."

Yuugi nodded in understanding, but a large part of him was still worried about Yami's safety. Where was he now? Was he safe at home with his cat? Did he walk himself to the hospital? Most likely not. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Yuugi secretly prayed for Yami, but he had no idea what to ask for.

- - -

He quickly stepped out of the shower and changed into his pajamas. For a while, he sat motionless on his bed, allowing what happened that night to sink in. The man was dead. His grandfather was safe and out of debt. He sighed and pulled the covers around himself.

A warm tear slid down his cheek and he wiped it away with his sleeve.

Someone was tapping gently on the glass pane of his skylight. He looked up abruptly and found Yami's silhouette against the night sky. Without hesitating, he untangled himself from the bedsheets and unlatched the window, allowing the cool air to pour in.

His eyes immediately flew the the wounded arm, but the same bloody sleeve covered it. Slowly, as if not to startle him, Yami reached into the room and took Yuugi's hand in his own, caressing it tenderly. Yuugi could feel his tears flowing freely down his face as Yami gave him a kind smile.

"Come in," he whispered, giving Yami's hand a light tug.

Yami shook his head. "I'm leaving. I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night."

"Wait," Yuugi said, tightening his grip. "Is your arm okay? Does it hurt a lot?"

"I'm fine," Yami replied. "But I hope you don't mind if I used up most of the bandages in the bathroom."

Yuugi felt his lips curve into a smile as Yami wiped his tears away with his other hand. Suddenly, something warm and smooth fell into his palm. "What is it?" he asked, not wishing to take his eyes from Yami's.

"You'll see," Yami whispered. "Keep it… as a souvenir."

Yuugi looked down at the heavy object in his hand to find a shiny bullet. When he lifted his eyes again, Yami had already left. He pressed his lips to the bullet for a moment before dropping it into the pocket of the leather jacket under his pillow.

- - -

Note: This whole chapter took just as much time as it took to write my other chapters. Wow, I be the laziest person in the world to not have finished it earlier. Hahaha. Please excuse the terrible unoriginal language and whatever technical mistakes you encountered. I don't feel like rereading it and making myself feel bad. Anyway, long chapter for you guys. And lots on Yami's past and personality. I guess Yami has a romantic side, don't you, Yami?

Yami: O_o

Yuugi: Yeeeeesh, he gave me flowers yesterday.

Yami: …

Yuugi: And the day before that… And the day before that… And the day before that, he gave me ten boxes of chocolate.

Yami: *mutters*

Yuugi: *gives Yami a big kiss*

Yami: ^_^

Thank you, Laurathecat, for giving me the idea for who the man should be (person Gramps owes money to). Again, this leads back to Yuugi's little issue. Yay! Please review, compliments or criticisms. Thank you! Also, check out my profile for my 'Undress Yami' game. =]