*AN: Konnichiwa! Fancy meeting you here, eh? J/K Welcome back to Chapter 10! I want to thank you for all of your reviews! They really keep me going and make me feel great! Aragoto all! Anywayz, is a romance finally starting to spur between Angel and Yami? Read this chapter and find out! Remember to R&R!!!*
Chapter 10 - A Shadow Over Hidden Love
"You guys, I'm worried." Anzu said in a shaky tome. "We haven't seen or heard from Yami in days!" Her friends nodded in agreement. They were all gathered at Yugi's house above the Kame Game Store.
"Yeah really, what's his problem?" Jonouchi put in.
"I've called a few times, but he was never there and never returned them." Anzu continued.
"He hasn't even been in the duel room." Mai added. Yugi kept silent not knowing what to say. He had seen Yami, he had also spent the weekend with the mysterious Angel. He had not mentioned her to anyone for he dark was being mysterious himself and didn't seem to want anyone to know about the strange girl. Was she still there Yami had said that she wasn't staying long, but he knew better. Why was his dark keeping things from him? Who was this strange girl living in his apartment? Should he go over there and demand information? Or should he go over and not let the pharaoh know he was there? *Spy? Should I spy on my yami?* Yugi thought almost disgusted with himself. But was it his only choice?
"Hey, Yug! Yugi?" Jounouchi's voice cut through his thoughts.
"Huh? What?" the boy jerked to attention.
"You're quiet over there." Anzu commented.
"Oh-uh, yah." he said looking to the ground. "I-I'm just worried bout him too."
"We all are." said Mai in an understanding tone.
"Maybe we should all go over there." Ryou suggested putting in his thoughts for the first time that day.
"Yeah." said Jonouchi. "I say we go over there and demand some answers!" The others nodded in agreement. *Oh no!* Yugi thought. If that girl was still there and Yami didn't want anyone knowing, this could expose everything!
"No!" he cried suddenly. He blushed crimson when all eyes turned to him.
"And just why not?" Mai asked.
"Er...um.." Yugi stumbled. "I just think that we shouldn't all go. I mean, if we all showed up and started demanding stuff, he might think we're accusing him of something and get mad." The others were silent, considering his words.
Off to the side, leaning against the wall, Malik stood. He had not said anything sine the subject of Yami had been opened. He too was curious about the pharaoh's absence lately. His friends were everything to the Master Gambler and the boy didn't haven any idea why he would suddenly abandon the thing that meant most to him. But as he stared at the nervous Yugi, another thought occurred to him. Something was up...something the small teenager was not telling. Malik narrowed his vivid violet eyes and remained silent. Something was going on, and he was going to find out what it was....
"I think he's right." Ryou said finally.
"I guess so." said Anzu. The other replied with similar answers of agreement.
"Well at least one of us should go." said Honda.
"yeah, but who?" Mai asked.
"I'll go!" Anzu volunteered immediately. *No! Not Anzu!* Yugi thought. * If she sees Angel, she'll be crushed!* Everyone knew that the girl was in love with Yami ever since he saved her from the fugitive murderer what seemed a millennia ago. But Yugi knew very well that his dark just wasn't interested in the high school hopeful. Now was the perfect time for her to be alone with him. But Yugi could let her do it.
"I'll go." he said. Everyone looked at him. Anzu looked angry. The expression on her face seemed to say that she was going to pound him if he took this opportunity from her. But he couldn't let her go and have her heart broken.
"Yugi," she said trying not to sound irritated. "I already said I would-"
"No. I'll go." he said firmly. Anzu's indignity grew.
"I think Yugi should go." said Ryou timidly, eyes Anzu fearfully.
"Yeah." Jonouchi agreed. "He is Yami's hikari after all." Anzu was barely able to suppress her fury.
"But-" she began to protest.
"It's settled then. Yugi's going to go talk to Yami." said Honda.
* * * * * *
Yugi's heart pounded as he cl8imbed the stairs of Yami's apartment building. He didn't know why he was so nervous. It was just Yami.....right? Then the what-ifs started outing into the boy's head. What if that strange girl was still there? What if he found out that she was Yami's girlfriend or something? What if Yami still thought that he was accusing him of things? What f he got mad and never spoke to him or the others again? Not! He just couldn't handle that! That was it, he wasn't facing the King of Games. But what would he do? He had to get some answers. His violet eyes scanned the hallway. There was a window that allowed the golden, late afternoon sunlight to poor in. The window! he hurried over to it and pulled it open. He poked his head out and his eyes widened to the size of plates. He had forgotten how high up he was! He gulped, hoisted himself up and out the window. The high wind blew his tri-colored hair back and made his eyes water. He tried his hardest not to look to the ground fifteen stories below. He looked ahead and saw Yami's balcony a few feet away. Fear gripped his innocent heart and he clung desperately to the rough walls of the building. He inched his sneekered feet slowly and cautiously, his heart echoing in his ears. The balcony seemed so far away. Sweat cascaded from his pores and he gritted his teeth. The squealing of tires screeched from below and a horn sounded. Yugi jumped and attempted to dig his nails into the grit of the wall. The wind chilled his skin and tears blurred his eyes. *C'mon, Yugi!* He encouraged himself nervously. *Just a few more feet!* Suddenly, there was nothing to step on and his balance wavered. He clawed for a firm handhold, but there was none, and he fell....
* * * * * *
"Gah! Angel!" Yami cried flinging himself at the demonic girl. She was playing around in the kitchen and suddenly turned on his gas stove! It had startled her, causing her control of fire to sore and now the small cooking flames were roaring. Yami beat at the flames but it wasn't doing any good.
"Make it stop! Make it stop!" he yelled. She just watched him and laughed at him trying to suppress her dancing fire.
"Angel! It's not funny! Make it stop!" She finally complied and the roaring flames seized. Yami stopped beating and stood back breathing a sigh of relief. Angel giggled.
"Ok, that was not funny! Don't do-" but his scolding was cut off by a knock on the door. They both froze, hoping that what they heard was just the wind. But Yami's heart rate accelerated as the knocking came again. He snatched up Angel's small wrist and practically tossed her into the a nearby closet. *Ra, who could that be?* he thought s he swung open the door.
"Ryou?" Yami said startled finding the ivory haired boy standing in his doorway. He looked as innocent as ever, with his striped shirt and uncertain smile, the Millennium Ring still hung around his neck.
"Hi, Yami!" he said happily. *For the love of Ra, why me?!* Yami thought bitterly. Any other time he would have been delighted to see his friend, but now was not the time.
"Hey. What are you doing here?" he asked awkwardly.
"Oh, I'm just visiting. But I think you should know, the landlord is coming up to investigate that awful racket coming form your apartment." The pharaoh's eyes almost popped out of his head and he raced out of his apartment without thinking.
"Uh-uh....erm..." Ryou stuttered uncomfortably as the Game King just abandoned his apartment and disappeared down the stairs in attempt to head off the nearing landlord. He stepped uncertainly into the apartment, unsure of what to do and feeling awkward just standing in the hallway. His brown eyes scanned the sunlit apartment. He then sighed deeply and closed his eyes, as if concentrating. He then slowly turned towards the closet closest to him, stepped forward and opened the door.
Curled up in the darkness was a small slip of a girl with long black hair and blood read tips, piercing emerald eyes and pointed ears. She was adorned in big black pants and a black and whit striped t-shirt that clung to her like a second skin. She stood up nonchalantly and stepped out of the closet as if the thing she was hiding from was gone. She let out a sudden gasp when she saw Ryou before her.
"Hi." he said innocently. She backed away with a look on her face that expressed complete fear. Suddenly, the flaxen haired boy's smile faded and he exploded forward seizing Angel by the arms and slamming her against the wall.
"Oh yes." he said menacingly, inches away from her distraught face. "You know who I am. And you're right to be afraid." She struggled feebly but he held her down. His grip was hard and rough and his breath was ragged on her face.
"What the hell have you been doing here so long?!" he growled. "I sent you here to kill the pharaoh! He doesn't look dead to me!" She wriggled feebly a desperate look on her face. "What's the matter?" he went on, bring one of his hands up to stroke her face. "don't want to come back to me? Don't want to return to your master?" She rubbed against the wall, as if hoping she would fall through it to get away from him.
"No." she whispered desperately. For a split second, the dark, who had taken over Ryou's body, was taken aback.
"So, you've learned to speak while you're here, eh?" he growled. He smirked at her, his blazing brown eyes bore into her.
"Well you're not going to need that where you're going!" he bellowed slamming her against the wall again. "Enjoying trying to be human, eh? Well, I have news for you! You're not human! You will never be human! You're a card! My card! And you will do as I say!: he continued to scream slamming her small body against the wall. He then threw her to the ground and seized her by her slim neck, drawing her to her knees. As soon as his fingers touched her, her modern clothing vanished and the black Amazonian outfit appeared. Her blood chilling scream filled the air as her wings exploded out of her back at lightning speed. Black mist appeared in the corners of the apartment and closed in fast; blackening everything. Roaring flames ignited in various places, stretching up to the ceiling. Small tears of pain and terror came to the demonic girl's shadowed eyes.
"No!" she whimpered. A sudden searing pain stung her forehead. She screamed again in agony as something pierced her flesh. The all too familiar blackened emerald appeared in the center of her forehead.
"You will kill the pharaoh! And now you will hear everything I tell you! You will kill that royal baka and then you will return to me!" Then Angel fell unconscious from the pain and Yami no Bakura released her letting her fall to the floor.
* * * * *
Yugi breathed heavily as he lay face down on Yami's balcony. His heart pounded as fast as a hummingbird's. He couldn't believe he made it! He slowly lifted himself to a sitting position and looked around. He had fallen onto Yami's balcony that was bathed in golden sunlight and a couple of chairs were set up for anyone who wished to lounge. He looked over to the sliding glass door and his eyes widened. *Oh man! I risked my life, almost died and all for what?! The curtain is closed!* he thought bitterly, staring at the opaque blood red curtain, drawn to block the viewer of the contents inside. But wait....what was that? Glee rose in the fifteen year old. There was a huge tear from the top down in the curtain. A large chunk missing. He bounced to his feet only to find that the rip stopped just above his eye level. *Damnit!* he cursed with a huge sweat drop.
* * * * *
Yami no Bakura sensed another presence watching him., He glanced around and his brown eyes fell upon wild, tri-colored hair poking out of the rip of the curtain that had been drawn over the sliding glass doors. *Damnit, what the hell is Yugi doing here?!* he cursed. *And why is he out on the balcony?* He stepped forward quickly, he had to leave before Yami came back and found him and his card on the floor. He ripped aside the crimson curtains and there was little Yugi pressed up against the glass, standing on his toes to see into the apartment. Shock came to his face when he saw Yami no Bakura. (posing as Ryou) The dark possessed boy opened the sliding glass door.
"Yugi." he said with fake innocence. "What are you doing here?"
"I-I-" he stuttered staring at Yami no Bakura with a shocked look in his violet eyes. "R-Ryou?"
"Yeah, why are you out on the balcony?"
"Uh-um er-"
"C'mon, you better get out of here before Yami comes back." He firmly tugged on the boy's arm and pulled him into the apartment. He then hurried him to the door deliberately blocking the boy's view of Angle's unconscious body with his own.
"B-but I heard a scream!" he squeaked.
"It's next door. I think the neighbors are arguing." the dark lied gritting his teeth
"B-but-"
"Hurry, take the elevator!" he said cutting off Yugi.
"But what about you?" Yugi managed to irk out as he was tossed out the door.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine! Now hurry!" he said. The boy game him one last uncertain glance, too shocked to come to his senses and ask what Ryou had been doing there in the first place. Yami no Bakura watched until the boy's small figure vanished behind the gold doors of the apartment elevator. He then heard heavily booted feet hurrying up the stairs. The flaxen haired boy jumped and quickly hurried back into the apartment. He stood over the body of Angel, casting once last glance at her, then he threw down some black dust, causing a swirl of purple, blue and black mist to rise and the entrance to the Shadow Realm (aka. Spice's bio ^.^) to flash briefly before he was gone.
* * * * * *
Yami flung himself inside his apartment, gasping for air and sweating.
"Ryou I-" he said running in, but he cut himself off when he found that his friend was no longer there. "Ryou?" He stepped slowly into his apartment his amethyst eyes scanning his home. His eyes widened when he saw Angel lying on the floor unconscious, blood leaving huge crimson stains on her shirt.
"Angel!" he cried running forward. He dropped to his knees next to her, at first only able to stare. She lay limp, almost lifeless on the carpeted floor. Blood stained her striped shirt and the remains of tears streaked her face. Her throat was red and swollen, as if someone had tried to strangle her.
"Angel?" he said feebly, reaching forward and touching her arm. Her skin was scalding hot, like it had when she was upset. What had happened to her? As gently as he could, he turned her over and took her upper body in his arms. His head swam and he thought his heart would break his chest. His breath was heavy and distraught. A slight anger rose inside him. Who had done this to her?! He would kill them! Then another thought occurred to him, why was he so upset? Why did he care so much if she was hurt? She was just a trouble-making card that had tried to kill him and was nothing by problems for him. Yet......he did care.....
As he brushed her ebony hair out of her eyes, he noticed something new adorned her face. A shadowed emerald in the shape of a small diamond stuck out from the middle of her forehead. He remembered seeing it when he first looked at her card and when she first appeared. It had vanished though at the end of the game. Why had it reappeared now? Suddenly, her eyes flew open, fear clearly visible in the depths of the green pools. She bolted upright and struggled within his arms.
"Angel! Angel, its just me!" he said trying to calm her. But he only made it worse. She jerked her head over to him, and sorrow mixed with the fear expressed on hr face.
"No!" she cried shoving him away and getting up only to fall a couple feet away. She buried her face in her hands and began to tremble. Yami was now completely confused. Why was she so afraid? He crawled forward towards her crimson back.
"Angel?" he said putting his hands on her arms. She jerked away, determined to hid her face from him. "Angel!" As carefully as he could, he rolled up the back of her shirt, his eyes widened when he saw dark red blood rushing from the bruises of her wings that were now gashes; smearing her pale skin and forming rivers of scarlet pain. But he could only stare for a moment before Angle jerked away again.
"Angel, who-" he started, then he forced her to look at him and he found he was at a loss for words. It was as if there was a different person staring back at him. Her pale cheeks were streaked with crystal tears and pain and fear scarred her black flecked eyes. No joy, no happiness even hinted her pretty face. She had become a creature of sorrow. Living in the shadows in fear, cringing away from everything.
"Oh my gods." he gasped. "Who did this to you?" She gave no answer, only stared at him with her painfully mournful eyes.
"Yami...." she whispered. Without even knowing what he was doing, he took her in his arms and held her. She struggled a bit, not only against him, but against a desire that had been growing inside her for something she could never ever have. But her struggles were futile and she just broke down and sobbed. She buried her face against his chest, losing herself in his arms. Yami held her, stroking her hair gently in attempt to sooth her, millions of question swimming in his head. Who did this to her? What had Ryou showed up for and then disappeared? Why was she bleeding? Where did the jewel come from? And why did holding her in his arms feel so right?
*AN: Dun dun dun! ohoo! Dramatic! ^.^ Anywayz, this chapter was kinda long and it had many points of view! Yes, in this story, Malik has gone back to being good (No more Yami no Mailk) and he is now friends with the YGO gang. ^-^ Hope you enjoyed! Remember to R&R!!!