Dark Crimson Night: Reunion
Author's note: And now, the reunion.
Warnings: Yaoi, cussing, death, blood, mass destruction, lots of dark things and who knows what else at this point. Also, because the quick-edit program won't take the stars I used for thoughts anymore, I'm using slash marks= /thought/
Pairings: Well… Bakura/Ryou, Seto/Jou, and Ishtal/Malik… others are still to come.
Disclaimer: /crosses arms and pouts/ I'm not doing these anymore… you already should get the drift…
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Yami paced nervously outside of the room Jou had led him too. The blond himself was watching with a mildly amused expression, entertained by the spirit's unusual behavior.
"Calm down Yami," he said. "It'll be fine." Yami frowned. He stopped and glanced at the blonde.
"What if…"
"Yugi might not remember his past," Jou's voice was unconcerned. "But I'm sure he'll recognize you." Yami sighed.
"I haven't seen him in so long."
"Then get your ass in there and see him!" Yami's head jerked up to see Bakura snickering at him, his own hikari and Shizuka behind his tall form.
"Nee-chan!" Shizuka ran to Jou and gave the blonde a tight hug. Jou returned the affectionate gesture, hugging his sister back and smiling broadly.
"Shall we introduce them?" Shizuka nodded and reached for the door handle. Ryou frowned, biting his lip and rubbing his hands together nervously.
"You'll be fine," Bakura murmured to him. "Even if I don't really trust these people, they always had an affection for you." Ryou smiled and nodded, twisting a lock of hair behind his ear. Shizuka smiled and at Jou's nod, swung the door open. As they entered the room, Yami immediately found himself pulled into a tight hug by a familiar brunette.
"Anzu?" he asked, blinking. The blue-eyed girl looked up with a huge smile.
"Welcome back Yami!" She had grown a bit, over the years and her hair now fell to her shoulders and was pulled back into a loose ponytail. Her blue eyes still held much of the cheerful friendliness she had possessed years ago. She released him finally, so he could see the rest of the room's inhabitants.
"Nice to see you too," another familiar feminine voice laughed. Yami turned around to meet the speaker, a confident smile on his face.
"You look good Mai," he told her. The blonde winked, holding up a mug of heated liquid in salute.
"What do you think?" she asked, spinning around. Yami chuckled at the woman's enthusiasm. Mai's long hair had been cut a little below her chin and eyes twinkled with a timeless light that all of her companions had seemed to gain from their extended years of life. She still had her usual affinity for violet leather, though her clothing was much more practical, probably from necessity, than it had been in the past.
"I like it," Yami said with a nod. Mai winked at him, before glancing around. Her eyes widened.
"Wait, don't tell me Bakura's actually acting civil!" She let out a laugh. Yami couldn't help but grin as he spotted the pale spirit. He was leaning against a wall, his eyes focused on his hikari. Ryou himself was talking happily with Honda. Yami could see Anzu making her way over to the tombrobber, a cheerful smile on her face.
"She's asking for trouble," Yami muttered, nodding towards the brunette. "He's acting civil, but he never liked public gatherings." Mai nodded and tugged on his arm.
"Then shall we rescue him?" she asked with a grin. Yami rolled his eyes.
"I can't believe I'm doing this for the tombrobber." Mai only grinned and dragged him over to where the pale spirit was standing, his eye twitching as he exerted all his self control to not slap the brunette girl next to him.
"I'm so surprised you're here!" Anzu was talking rapidly. "I mean, I thought you'd be hiding in your room still. I'm surprised you came in with Ryou too, I thought you too didn't get along, I mean… Even if he's been reborn I didn't think you'd get along very well anyway so…"
"Anzu, I think Shizuka wanted to talk to you," Mai told the girl, noting Bakura's twitching eye. The brunette stopped and looked around the room, spotting the redhead who had seated herself on the couch.
"Oh, alright. See you around Bakura." She left quickly, missing the pale yami's deadly glare.
"You should have just let me kill her," the thief growled. "Who the hell does she think she is? She knows absolutely noting about Ryou and me!" Yami frowned at Anzu's retreating back. What she had said had been uncalled for, but honestly, what did the spirit expect?
"You never gave us a reason to think otherwise in the past," the crimson-eyed spirit stated calmly.
"And you never took the time to learn otherwise." Bakura pushed himself off the wall and walked over to where Malik and Ishtal had just entered the room at Seto's heels. Mai frowned.
"You guys were a little judgmental of him back then," she murmured. "You gave nearly every one a chance, including Malik who came closer to killing you that Bakura ever did, even me who couldn't see past her own self interest and vanity. The only person you never really gave a chance, was him. You even had trouble trusting Ryou back then. Sadly, it turns out that he was telling the truth all along."
"How did you know?" Yami asked. Mai shrugged.
"Did you know Ryou kept a diary?" she asked. Yami shook his head. "We found it after you guys were… taken. Everything was in there, from when he first received the Ring, to the day he died. Not once did it mention Bakura ever lifting a hand to him. I never could figure out, why you were so hard on Bakura."
"We have a history," Yami stated coolly.
"Should that matter, 3000 years in the future?" Mai asked him.
"He came after me," was Yami's reply.
"He probably had a good reason for hating you so much," Mai told him. "Hatred that deep… it doesn't come from nothing. But he seems to be past it now. You should give him a chance. Or are you no better than him, for holding a grudge?" With that the blonde waltzed off, leaving Yami in a state of shock. Had he really been so hard on the thief? Was there really a reason behind the white haired yami's psychotic anger? Had he ever even bothered to try and find out?
Yami's thoughts were put on hold as the final members of this underground crew entered the room. The spirit's crimson eyes widened. There, walking deftly behind a smirking Otogi, was the small hikari he had been longing for so long.
"Yugi!" With a shout, he ran to the boy and swept him up into his arms, hugging him for all he was worth. The violet-eyed boy blinked in shock as he felt those warm arms around him. They were so familiar. When Yami finally put him down, Yugi couldn't help but stare into those compelling crimson eyes.
"Who…" Yami's eyes creased. He knew Yugi wouldn't remember him.. but still. The small boy blinked again, staring into his eyes. "Yami…" The dark spirit stared at him in shock.
"You… you remember?" Yugi shook his head.
"No… not really. But I remember feelings… your eyes… I know them. They make me feel safe," he replied. Yami smiled, wrapping his arms around the boy once more.
"I'm so glad you're safe."
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Off to the side, Bakura smiled sadly at the duo. Ryou would never have welcomed him like that, not after what had happened in the past. Ishtal too, seemed nervous at the display of affection. Though Malik was beside him, leaning his head on his darker's chest, there was still some sadness there at the memories that were flooding by. A thin arm wrapped around Bakura's waist, causing him to look up.
"They look so happy," Ryou murmured, snuggling against his yami. Bakura smiled at the boy.
"I only wish I had deserved such a welcome," he murmured. "I was such a fool." Ryou smiled at him.
"You may have been a fool, yami. But you were kind, in your own way." Bakura blinked, frowning at the boy.
"Have you remembered something?" he asked. Ryou nodded.
"I remember once, a long time ago, you sacrificed your victory to protect me despite the odds," he murmured. "I remember a great red dragon looming over me, Yami was yelling. Malik had told you it was the way to win, to use me as a shield. You were certain Yami would never attack me.
"But Yami couldn't afford to loose either. You stepped in at the last moment. Even if it was small, and if it was because you needed my body, you still saved me. My body wouldn't have died you know, only my mind. Then you would have been left the only conscious within my body, without my mind to resist you. But you still saved me."
Bakura stared at the boy. That memory… he hadn't realized that he was really saving the boy himself. He knew he would had been lost without Ryou's body. But really… had he been protecting something more?
"I don't remember that," Malik said with a frown. Bakura sighed, glancing at Ishtal. The tanned yami's eyes were haunted at the memories that time drew up.
"You will, eventually. Just remember something Malik, when you do remember it. What your own yami did then… you forgave him." Ishtal's eyes squeezed shut. "It was a difficult time, for both of you, and I made it no better. Just remember that Ishtal was trying to protect you, no matter how twisted his logic may seem." Malik glanced up at his yami, noticing the pained expression on his face.
"If I forgave you once, Ishtal… I can do it again. It can't be worse than what I've seen in this world," he murmured, brushing the tanned yami's cheek. Ishtal's eyes opened. He stared down at the boy.
"Hikari…"
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Anzu watched in astonishment from the other side of the room. Bakura… had she said something wrong to him?
"You were kind of being a bitch," Mai told him, noticing her gaze. Anzu glared back at the taller blonde.
"You know just as well as I do that Bakura was an evil fiend back then," she snapped. Mai glanced at her, her eyes level.
"Do I now?" she asked. "How much did we ever know of him, or of his relationship with Ryou?" Anzu froze.
"Nothing."
"Exactly." Mai let out a sigh. "Between you and Yami, that guy has no chance of trusting any of us. Whether you like it or not, we need him if we're going up against the Dark One." Anzu frowned.
"I guess I'll try," she said.
"See that you do."
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"So what now?" was the first question out of Jou's mouth the second they sat down for dinner. A few annoyed looks and others that appeared more emotionless turned towards him, but no one spoke. They were lost in their own thoughts, now that their long lost companions had been returned. It was the question on every one's mind. /What now?/
"I'm not sure," Seto answered the blonde quietly. "We've spent so much time on trying to find them… have we ever given a thought to where we go from here?"
"Shouldn't that be obvious?" The two looked up from their quiet conversation to see Bakura watching them coldly. His russet brown eyes were narrowed in annoyance and impatience and also a small hint of anger.
"What is obvious about it?" Seto replied, his own expression solemn. "The most direct course of action should be to plan our attack on him… but exactly how do you suggest we go about that?"
"I don't care about your plans," the thief hissed. "I'll go after him on my own if I have to. I owe him… and I won't let your plans interfere!"
"Please don't fight," Yugi asked softly. He let out a sigh, before looking at the two calmly. "Please. I don't really know what's going on. All I know is that he has been in control of this world for decades. How can anyone beat someone that strong on their own?"
"A direct attack would be useless…" Yami spoke up, fingers gripping his chin thoughtfully. Bakura glared at the former pharaoh.
"Do you expect me to just sit here?" he snapped.
"Thief wants revenge for white hikari?" A few surprised gazes turned to Ishtal. The blonde yami smiled almost childishly at them, meeting Bakura's impatient anger with an amused, challenging eye. "Will a clean strike be enough?" Bakura sat back with a devious smile of his own.
"No…" his eyes glittered maliciously. "A simple clean strike will not do."
Throughout this conversation, Ryou and Malik watched their dark counterparts carefully, Ryou with a slight blush on his cheeks.
"I don't really know whether to be embarrassed or flattered," he confided in Malik. Malik laughed and ruffled the boy's hair.
"Don't worry about it," he replied. Lavender eyes narrowed as he turned away. /All this talk of revenge… I won't ask why. Anyone in this world has enough reason to want revenge on him./ Malik's thoughts turned to the events of earlier… when they had been attacked by the shadow wraiths. He glanced down at his hands. /What was that power… /he wondered. /It felt like something was being drawn out of me… but there was more… it felt… hot…/ He looked up at the others, their conversation continuing along the lines it had been on. /Could the answer be right in front of us?/
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Author's note: Can you tell I got road-blocked?
Bakura: Yes….