Yugi: *rolls eyes* You act as if people actually want to read this.
Ari: *sighs* I know, I know… But I can be optimistic, can't I? ^_^
Yugi: O_o You're overly-cheerful right now.
Ari: Yep! I'm hungry, and the last thing I ate was chocolate. That usually does something strange… ^_^
Yugi: And you're putting smiles on the end of every sentence…
Ari: Yep! ^_^ Don't I always do that though? ^_^
Yugi: *blinks* Right. Whatever. Anyway! I would like to apologize for Ari's lack of update. She finally ran out of ideas. In fact, she's still out of ideas, but she'll manage. Don't concern yourselves too much. *smirks*
Ari: *sulks* That's not very nice…
Yugi: Anyway… Now, before she forgets, I think Ari has to tell you some stuff.
Ari: Right… It's about what I'm calling the people… Since they're mostly all guys anyway, I can't have the differentiation of "he" and "she", therefore, I have to come up with lots of fancy names to call them, which can become confusing. Just to say, the Japanese word "sennen" means "millennium". Therefore, I'm calling the Millennium Items "Sennen Items", 'cause it's much easier to type. And I'm also calling both Yami and Bakura (Yami Bakura) "Sennen Spirits". Just making everything clear…
Yugi: *ahem* You forgot something.
Ari: Riiiiight… Disclaimer… Who should I… Yo, Hisoka! Do the disclaimer for me.
Hisoka: *blinks* How did I end up here?
Ari: ^_^ You're one of my new favourite characters! Therefore, you get the honour (yeah right) of saying the disclaimer.
Hisoka: …Right. Ari does not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of it's characters. This fanfic will contain yaoi. If you decide to be rude, then Ari will bring Tsuzuki here to hit you with one of his summons (she likes Suzaku and Byakko, but maybe that's because they're the only ones she's seen so far…)
Ari: ^_^ Thankies!
Hisoka: Can I go back to my world now?
Ari: Yep! But don't worry, I'll write a fanfic for you soon. ^_~
Yugi: Alright, on to the fic!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter 1Flickering Emotions
/What do you mean by "again"?/ Yugi asked in his mind. /Yami-Chan, what do you mean by "they're back"?/
//I didn't say anything,// Yami muttered sharply.
/You were thinking it. You were thinking so loudly that I heard without meaning to./
Grandpa looked at them kindly. "I have a feeling that you have things to discuss that I should not hear. Why don't you finish dinner and talk in your room?"
The two, Yami and Hikari, resumed their conversation in Yugi's room. Their topic turned to the past, to when Yami was a Pharaoh. With a little wheedling from the little amethyst-eyed boy, the Puzzle Spirit spilled the story of his life. (A/N: Read "Learning to Love", please. ^_^)
"So Malik was there?" Yugi asked shakily. "And Pegasus was one of the advisors that wanted to kill me? But whatever for…?" (A/N: Uh, yea, I finally decided that the head advisor was Pegasus. ^_^)
Yami hesitated. He had not told the teen that they were in love, and that Pegasus was jealous of the boy's influence. "He was trying to get rid of you so he could have the throne. I… I named you my heir… Had you not been there, they could have snatched the throne after my death. I'm sorry to have dragged you into it, Aibou…"
Yugi cuddled up to Yami, suddenly aware of the intoxicating haze in his mind from the closeness. But with the news of his parents' murder, and now information of Yami's past, he needed the comfort that, somehow, only Yami could provide. Heir… Did Yami only view him as his child? Yugi was thoroughly proud to be thought of as such, but somehow, he was disappointed. A strange, elusive part of his mind wanted more. But what? What did he so desperately seek?
"Aibou?" Yami gently shook the tiny, frail body. "Aibou, what is it? Are you alright? I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" I'm sorry for making you love me… But I couldn't help it. How could I have done anything else? You are sweet, gentle, beautiful…
"Yami-Chan…" Yugi's voice held such… need… that the Sennen Spirit's heart felt squeezed. He wondered if the boy knew the feelings he was inducing with that honey-sweet voice, dripping with innocence, pure and sincere. "Yami-Chan, you won't let them hurt me again, would you? Don't leave me, Yami-Chan…"
Yami's arms encircled him, shielded him, protected him. "I'll kill them if they touch you," Yami promised. "And I will never leave you, no matter what." Now that I finally have you again… My beloved…
"You'll stay with me every single second?" Yugi asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Yes…" Yami wondered what his little hikari was getting at.
"Even at the dance?" Yugi's face was a mask of bland innocence.
"Even at the… Oh, you little monster!" Yami growled mockingly. He sighed inwardly. He had wanted to stay in a safe little corner during the dance. He certainly did not want to see Yugi dance. It was not that he did not like his Aibou's movements – he did. He just did not want to see Yugi, once his Yugi, with someone else. He knew his heart would break. Even more, he knew that if he were there, Anzu would be looking at him, not her supposed "boyfriend". Someday… Someday she would hurt Yugi…
"Aw, please, Yami?" Yugi begged cutely. "Dance with me!"
Yami stared incredulously. "What gave you the impression that I could dance?"
"You were a Pharaoh! Pharaohs know these kinds of things!" Yugi nodded perkily. "Really!"
"Pharaohs did not have to learn how to dance!" Yami exclaimed.
"They did too!" Yugi argued.
Yami smiled softly. "Don't you think I would know what I could or could not do?"
Suddenly, he was pulled to his feet as Yugi tugged him around the room.
"Follow what I'm doing," Yugi directed. Mystified, the 5000-year-old Pharaoh obeyed, sharply aware of the heat flowing through his Aibou's fingertips. He grinned, enjoying this. "See? You can dance." (A/N: Sorry, no descriptions. I can't dance.)
"I suppose I could," Yami whispered huskily. "You're a very good teacher, my little Aibou."
Yugi giggled and hugged Yami, rubbing his cheek against his guardian's leather shirt. It was an innocent gesture of friendship, but it sent fire through Yami's veins. More and more, he desired Yugi, but he pushed it down each time.
"Anou… Yami-Chan, why does Malik want to kill me? Why is everyone after your throne?"
The Sennen Spirit was surprised by this question, coming out of the middle of nowhere. How could he explain the struggle for power to one so young and innocent? How could he explain hatred and revenge to one who had never felt anything but kindness?
"The throne is power," Yami explained to his wide-eyed hikari. "Whoever is Pharaoh rules Egypt. I… I wasn't a very good Pharaoh. I killed thousands – tens and hundreds of thousands – of people. Malik wanted to kill me for the death of his father. He wanted to kill you, firstly because you look like me, and secondly because you defeated Bakura in a duel and saved my life." (A/N: Uh, that is, the story from LtL.)
"Oh." The little one could not suppress a yawn. Yami smiled gently, feeling his features soften, as Yugi cutely fluttered his eyes close and snuggled closer to his protector. "Yami-Chan, I'm tired. I wanna go to sleep."
"And you should," Yami murmured. "It's past your bedtime and you have school tomorrow."
Yugi made a face at him and Yami suddenly felt a pillow smash into his face. Then, something warmer pounced on top of him and little arms encircled his waist.
"Yami-Chan," Yugi complained, "I'm 16, not 6! And I don't want to sleep. I'm not tired."
The Pharaoh freed his arms long enough to push away the pillow covering his face and arched an eyebrow comically. "Who was it that said…" Yami mimicked his light's voice. "'Yami-Chan, I'm tired. I wanna go to sleep.' Hmmmmm, Aibou, who?"
Yugi giggled, the sound muffled by Yami's shirt. "Alright, but I'm cold, so you have to sleep with me. And you have to come to school with me tomorrow. We're having a kind of 'bring a family member to school' day."
"Hai…" Yami nodded absently. Going to Yugi's school might be fun. Suddenly, his eyebrows shot up and his eyes opened almost to Yugi's size as his mind digested the first half of what Yugi said. "Sleep?!"
"It's cold…" Yugi sulked and curled up to his dark half, giving him no chance to protest, not that he would have.
For a second, Yami froze. His mind wandered to a time, 5000 years ago, when a cold and shivering little Yugi crawled into his bed. He remembered what happened after. He remembered the love they eventually shared… He shook his head to clear the images, to calm his desires. Suddenly, his pants were too tight, his shirt too constricting. He kept them on. He wanted his little Aibou more than anything in the world, but he vowed to never break his innocence again. Gently, as to not disturb the little one, Yami pressed a light kiss to Yugi's hair. The little boy that had once been his slave now dictated his every move, and he obeyed gladly.
"Mmmmm…" Yugi turned, burrowing deeper into Yami's reluctant, but nevertheless passionate, embrace. "Go to sleep, Yami…"
No… Yami thought. No, Aibou, I would much rather watch you. Or maybe I'll sleep after all, for it's only in dreams and memories that I could ever be with you… Isn't it?
As Yugi slept peacefully in his yami's arms, Ryou was trying to shrink as far away from his as possible. His parents were out of town for the most part of the month, for which he was relieved and fearful. On the one hand, he would not have to hind the Ring Spirit and disguise his bruises, but on the other hand, Bakura could hurt him as much as he wanted to. He flitted to another corner of the room as his yami advanced, knowing that running would only make the Sennen Spirit hurt him more later. He did not care.
"Ugh, quit running!" Bakura growled. With a leap, he clamped a hand around Ryou's arm and pulled the boy to him roughly. "I don't beat you continuously, you little weakling! That's not the only da** thing I want when I come out!" He blinked. That sounded wrong. His anger spurred, he held Ryou's face close to his and glared. "But since you expected pain, I'll give it to you. But first, turn up the da** heat!"
Ryou blinked, ignoring the comment about beating him. He had no doubt that Bakura would. He was used to it. However… "The heat?"
"This house is freezing!" Bakura hissed through clenched teeth. "I'm going to catch a cold! You're going to catch a cold! I don't give a da** about how you're going to suffer, but I am not planning to take care of you!"
Ryou flinched. His yami was not going to be happy about what he was going to say next… "Bakura… the heat is as high as it can go. It… it can't get any warmer than this…"
Bakura looked his hikari up and down. Ryou was sickeningly sweet and pretty. He growled. Why does his hikari have to look so much like a girl?! Not that he minded, really. His fingers itched to entangle themselves in the boy's long, feathery, white hair, and he wanted to crush lips against those soft, pink… He opened his mouth, knowing he would fully regret this later. But that was later. Bakura learned to ignore the concept of "later". "Take of your clothes and get into the bed."
"Wha?" Ryou, in his moment of shock, failed to move. Bakura did not like it when people made him wait. Without offering an explanation, he tore the boy's white sweater off and threw it somewhere on the other side of the room and proceeded to do the same with his jeans, leaving a shivering Ryou dressed only in a light aqua shirt and boxers. (A/N: Meh, I dunno the colour of Ryou's underwear. Don't particularly want to know… ^_^) Bakura smirked inwardly. For all his face looking like a girl, Ryou's body was still masculine, if somewhat fragile. The ring spirit frowned at the dark bruises and scars marring his hikari's pale skin. He would have to remember to cut the boy's skin less often…
"Get in," Bakura nodded curtly towards the bed and proceeded to remove his own shirt. His tighter leather pants he would leave on, however uncomfortable. He was not going to let the teen see how… aroused… he was.
He turned and made a sound of frustration. Did his hikari not know how to follow orders?! Feeling that Ryou was taking too long to comply, Bakura grabbed him and roughly dragged him into bed, covering them up in the layers of blankets. He was glad he wore leather pants that day. He did not usually like to, because Yami always did, but their painfully tight constraints hid his arousal.
"Y-yami?!" Ryou was too startled to do much but stare dumbfounded. "Wh-what are you doing?"
"Shut up and don't you dare tell anyone about this!" Bakura warned. "It's the only way to keep warm, as I discovered 5000 years ago… Nights in Egypt were very cold when you didn't have a home." He turned away promptly and stared at the window, trying to ignore Ryou's warmth at his back. After all, he managed to ignore all the other people he slept with. He blinked. Slept with? That sounded wrong. The other people I shared warmth with, he amended. But he had never felt this way about any of them. On second though, what did he feel about his hikari? Did he feel anything? Why did it hurt him to see Ryou weak, and hurt even more to see Ryou in pain? He sighed. Sleep… He closed his eyes, falling, not into the shallow sleep of a tomb robber, but a deep, fitful slumber.
Ryou smiled faintly, pressed against his yami's back, face buried in Bakura's hair, which was surprisingly soft. His mind debated whether it was safe to be so close but he was too reluctant to move. Once again, he wondered just how much Bakura cared, if he did at all. He wanted Ryou to be warm, but he gave the explanation of not wanting to take care of the boy in his sickness.
I love you, Bakura-Kun, Ryou murmured silently, miserably. Why won't you care about me?
"Seeeeeeeeeeto!" Mokuba wailed loudly. "Big Brother, I wanna to got the paaaaaaark!"
The older Kaiba stared incredulously at his little brother. "At this hour?! Mokuba, go to sleep…"
"But Seto," Mokuba complained, "you were busy all day! You didn't play with me for a few weeks already, and you're gonna be busy again tomorrow. I wanna go to the park, Seto!"
Seto Kaiba hid an amused grin. Two days ago, he had taken his little brother to a new, cutting-edge arcade. But it was true, he had been busy working so much that he had, and would have for a few days, no time except at night. "It's cold, Mokuba. I don't want you to get sick. We can try out my new virtual game."
"I wanna go to the park!" Mokuba declared. "I wanna be outside! It's the perfect time to test your heat shield too!"
Kaiba sighed in resignment. "Alright, Mokuba, we can go for an hour. But after that, we're coming right home and you are going to sleep. You still have school tomorrow, Little Brother." He muttered under his breath, "And so do I."
Mokuba squealed and jumped up, pumping his fist into the air triumphantly.
The golden-haired boy wiped a stream of tears from his honey-brown eyes, shivering uncontrollably in the night air. He supposed that he would have to go home soon, but he did not want to face his abusive father, and the stink of smoke and alcohol. It had been only a few hours since his mother and sister left, and Jou was already covered with bruises. He suppressed a sniffle. Maybe he could go to Yugi's house. But he did not want his father somehow tracking him there. He did not want Yugi to get hurt, in case Jou's father found him and Yami was not around. Jou would never forgive himself, and either would the dark spirit.
If I don't go home, he mused idly, I'm gonna die from da cold. Did he care whether he did Yes… Yes he cared. He wanted to live, to see Shizuka, to someday defeat his best friend in a duel. To see… the blue eyes and brown hair of a certain CEO.
"What da heck?!" Jou yelped out loud. That was not him. No way. He did not just think about… Jou shook his head. No. He was not going to name the youth in his mind, because that would be admitting that he liked…
"I dun like 'im!" He declared, and snorted. He did not even manage to convince himself. He mocked me constantly, derided me, put me down. I have no reason ta like him. "I do not like Seto Kaiba!!"
"I know that already, puppy," a deep voice answered, dripping with scorn. "As I'm sure the rest of the world does too now."
Jonouchi wheeled around to stare up at the piercing blue eyes that haunted his dreams; the subject of his greatest fantasy, his greatest fear. "Wh-what're you doing here?!"
Kaiba regarded the fearful honey eyes coolly, his arms crossed. Though is own blue eyes were calm, his mind was fighting a horrendous battle that could decide the fate of the human race. Or, the fate of Seto Kaiba, at least. Because… If he did not stop staring at those golden-brown eyes, he was going to drown in their depth.
"I am taking Mokuba to the park," he somehow managed to say, sounding normal. "Is that a crime, Katsuya Jonouchi?" (A/N: I know that they usually put the last name first, meaning it should be "Jonouchi Katsuya", but I'm listing everyone by first name and then last name, so…"
"N-no," Jou stuttered. Taking Mokuba to da park? But it's freezing, an' he's wearin' nothin'! Jou blushed. Nothin'?! I meant, he's wearing no more den normal… I wonda what Kaiba'll look like in nothi— ACK, no! "B-but y'aren't wearing much. Arentcha cold? And ain't Mokuba gonna get cold?" (A/N: Meh, can't do accepts, sorry if it sounds stupid.)
"You're wearing less," Kaiba commented.
"But I'm freezing!" Jou glared.
"And I'm not," Seto informed him. "I, unlike you, have a heat shield. Mokuba and I are perfectly warm."
"Yea," Jou murmured bitterly. "Da oh-so-great Kaiba has everything while da rest of us freeze in da cold. Jus leave me 'lone, Kaiba, an' go ta yer park. How great it is ta have da great Kaiba deign ta speak to da rest o' us normal people."
Seto was about to deliver a crushing reply to Jou's sarcasm. In fact, his mouth was open, when, suddenly, something hurled out behind him and knocked him into a snow bank. Despite his heat shield, the physical contact with the snow sent a shock of cold up his spine. He gasped. Why was Jou out there, dressed like that, in this cold? Was his puppy trying to get pneumonia?!
"Jou!" The object that had crashed into Seto was, in fact, a very happy and hyper Mokuba. "Jou, whatcha doing here? Isn't it cold? Seto and I have heat shields! Do you have one?"
"Nah," the golden-haired boy put on a brave front, waving his hand dismissively. "It's ain't dat cold. I'll be fine."
"Why arentcha going home?"
Jou sighed. Normally, he loved the little boy's curiosity, but he was not up to answering questions this night. How could he tell the little black-haired, blue-eyed boy that his father was beating him senseless, that the biting winds were less cruel? He knew that Mokuba would take pity on him. He did not want pity. Furthermore, he did not know how much longer he could spend being this close to Kaiba and resist the desire to touch him.
"Stay with us tonight."
Honey eyes shot up, startled, to stare into cold blue. He blinked, not sure if he heard right. "Wha?!"
"You heard me," Seto said, annoyed. "Stay with us tonight. I don't want my favourite puppy to freeze."
Jou growled before realizing that jut made him seen more like the puppy that Kaiba termed him. So, that was it. Kaiba wanted to keep the object of his mockery alive. Jou would rather die.
"Why would I wanna do dat?!" Jou exclaimed, and tried to glare at the taller, brown-haired teen but failed horribly. His gaze wavered. Wasn't being scorned by Kaiba better than being abused by his father? But somehow, the former seemed more painful.
"Come… Jonouchi," Seto murmured. "Or else you'll freeze to death."
"Why do you care?" Jou asked softly. Was Kaiba being… nice?!
"I don't." Seto turned away, berating himself for almost letting out his feeling. He walked towards his limo, all thoughts of going to the park forgotten. "Now come. A master has to take care of his puppy, ne?"
Jou hesitated. Should he go with Kaiba? In a moment, the promise of warmth and food won him over. "Ah, sure, why not?"
Mokuba cheered. Having Jou over is even better than going to the park!
(A/N: Uh, this next part is a bit… Ummmmmmm… Semi-mature-ish. And semi-depressing-ish.)
"Mmmmm…" the young Pharaoh opened his eyes, forgetting, for the moment, where he was as he breathed in his lover's scent. Yugi's soft hair tickled his cheeks, and the boy's bare body was warm against his. He leaned down and captured the young one's lips with his own, tugging, caressing. They yielded to his kiss, and finally, Yami remembered where – and when – he was.
Amethyst eyes watched in amusement as he sprang back, startled, and the tiny body pressed closer, tempting. Yugi's sweet voice purred in his ear seductively as the boy caressed his cheek with his tongue. "Well, yami-Chan? Don't you have something to tell me?"
Yami shuddered pleasantly at Yugi's tone, wondering when the innocent boy learned to speak like that. "I…"
Yugi smirked. "You love me, don't you?" His hands reached lower to brush against Yami's butt. "Then take me."
To say the puzzle spirit was shocked would be an understatement. However, he had not time to think as Yugi stuck a leg between his, their soft sighs rubbing together.
"You know you want me," Yugi tempted, trusting his hips just a little. "Why don't you take me and make me feel… good…"
It was too much for the Pharaoh to hear his once-lover speak this way. His arms encircled the boy, crushing him close, his member searching for Yugi's. (A/N: -_-; It's not my fault. Yugi made me write it. No, it won't get worse than this though.) Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain between his shoulder blade, which quickly dimmed to a dull ache.
"N-nani?" Yami felt something warm and wet run down his back, and he reached a hand behind him tentatively. "Blood…?"
Yugi laughed, suddenly, cold, cruel laughter, as he pulled the knife out slowly, agonizingly slow, sending waves of searing pain through Yami's body. "You fell for it. I knew I could seduce you. How does it feel now, Yami? It was all your fault. You forced yourself onto me 5000 years ago and stole my innocence. You caused my death. And now, in this life, you were the first to make me cry. You think it's Kaiba's fault? It isn't. I cried because of your ruthlessness." (A/N: Ack, don't yell at me, I don't believe a word of that either. Personally, I think it's Pegasus's fault.)
"Aibou…" Yami's voice was choked with tears. Yugi's words hurt more than his knife. "Kimi… Aishiteru…" (A/N: kimi = you, aishiteru = "I love you")
Yami sat up, eyes flying open, to face darkness. For a second, he thought he was back in the Millennium Puzzle. As far as he knew, he could not be killed. Had Yugi sealed him back in the Puzzle? He let out a soft sob.
"Y-yami-Chan?" Yugi murmuredd, feeling his darker half stir. He snuggled closer and nuzzled Yami's chest. "Yami-Chan, what's wrong?"
"A dream…" the Pharaoh murmured. "It was only a nightmare. I… I'm fine, Aibou."
The little one reached up on impulse, stroking Yami's cheek reassuringly. His dark side had always been there for him. The least he could do was to return some of the comfort. "Want to tell me what it is? Maybe I can help you. Yami-Chan, you look so pale… I don't want you to get hurt… Please tell me?"
The Puzzle Spirit took a deep breath, trying to calm his shuddering body. Yugi was so warm, so soft… And clothed, and acting normal. But still, Yami hesitated.
"Please, Yami-Chan?" Yugi pleaded. He could not stand to see the proud Pharaoh in such pain. He knew that if he were to open his eyes just a little more and stare up like that… "Please tell me, Yami-Chan…"
No one in the history of the world had ever been able to stand up to those eyes, and yami was no different. He knew that he was going to regret this, but Yugi's eyes captivated him, like they always did. "I had a dream that you were trying to kill me, or at least hurt me… You stuck a knife into my back, and… And you said that everything was my fault, and that I caused your death and I made you cry, and…" Yami looked away, trembling. He did not tell about forcing himself onto Yugi, of course.
"That would never happen!" Yugi declared. "I never thought that it was your fault. After all, you were just doing what you thought was best. I know you would never harm me. And I would never hurt you! I love you!" Oh no, what did I…!!
Yami smiled at his Aibou sadly, wistfully. I truly wish you meant "love" that way, but I don't think so. You're so innocent… Even more so than last time… I can't let that happen again! "Thank you, Aibou."
Yugi yawned cutely. "Go back to sleep, Yami-Chan. We have school tomorrow." He thinks I only meant friendly love! I guess there are good sides to seem to be innocent. Yugi was almost upset. Would he ever have a chance with Yami?
The Pharaoh hesitated. If he slept, the nightmare might return. He did not think he could withstand it again.
Sensing his thoughts, Yugi nuzzled him gently. "When I'm afraid, I like to hug teddy bears."
"But there's none here…" The only one to hug is…
"You can hug me!" Yugi offered cheerfully, snuggling closer. Ack, what am I doing?!
Yami's arms went around him, and both relaxed, content in each other's warmth. Yami fell asleep almost instantly, lulled by his Aibou's sweet scent. Yugi, however, lay awake, blushing. Never talk to Yami when I'm half asleep… Then again, I would be talking to him if he wasn't lying here beside me. Ugh, never invite Yami to sleep with me. Uh, no, that sounded wrong. Oh, forget it. It was cold… Yami was warm. And besides, this is a very, very comfortable position…
(A/N: Forget about the dream, k? This story is not angst, and the dream was only the product of over-imagination in French class.)
Yugi woke with his cheek pressed against something firm and warm. And moving. His eyes flew open, and he could not help but stare at Yami' bare, tanned chest. It took quite a while before he noticed that Yami, too, was awake. The ruby watched with amusement laced with sadness as the little one sprang back.
"Gomen ne, Yami!" Yugi quickly apologized, blushing. Last night's events caught up with him and he turned even more red. Tears stung at his eyes. Would Yami be repulsed? If Yami were to leave, he did not know how he could live.
"Shhhhh, Aibou, it's alright," the Puzzle Spirit's deep voice murmured and his arms twined around Yugi gently. "Don't cry, Aibou, don't cry. Why would I be repulsed? What would I be repulsed by? Aibou, nothing you do could be repulsive."
"Yami-Chan…" Yugi stared up with such pure and sincere pleading that the Sennen Spirit felt his heart wrench. He remembered that expression. He remembered the love that followed it. But this time, there would be no love for him. He sighed. Yugi was always so kind, so open. He gave a piece of his heart to all who he deemed a friend – and that was a heck lot of people. It gave him joy, but Yami knew that it would hurt him someday. The amethyst-eyed boy was too innocent, too vulnerable. His protector feared that one day, one of Yugi's "friends" might betray him and tear his heart apart. He was surprised by his Aibou's next words.
"Yami-Chan, would you ever leave me? Would you ever hate me?"
"N-no!" Yami answered in shock. Hate him? He loved him! "Why would I ever do something like that?"
Yugi shrugged, looking away. "Because… Because I'm nothing special. I don't deserve you… What if one day, I failed you? What if… What if I made you lose? I'm sorry… I… I guess you wished that I never solved the Puzzle."
Yami gasped, and pulled Yugi close to him, holding him comfortingly, trying very hard to try to keep his hand from sliding under the boy's shirt and caressing his flesh. What had made his precious Aibou act like this? "Aibou, you are special! I chose you, not the Puzzle. You have never failed me before, nor would you ever. And why would I care if you did? We all make mistakes." The Sennen Spirit was rambling now. "You are the kindest, gentlest, sweetest, most wonderful, most loving, most caring, most beaut—" He blushed. Beautiful?! Was I about to say "beautiful"? Well, he is, but I can't let him hear that.
"But…" Yugi mumbled, still looking down but unconsciously shifting and almost melting into the spirit. "My parents… I couldn't…"
Ah. So that was it. Yami was relieved that his Aibou's sadness was not due to him. "You could not have done anymore, Aibou. They were murdered. My little angel, don't let the demons upset you."
"I couldn't do anything!" Yugi wailed, though softly. "For all the fame and glory I won from dueling, I couldn't save my parents. And… and even now, I'm just… going on… I'm not doing anything! I feel so… useless."
The Pharaoh was at a loss for words. He had certainly never learned how to comfort people. Instead, he just held the boy and nuzzled his hair, offering what reassurances there was by his warmth, his embrace. Thus they stayed until the alarm clock rang.
If Yugi had been surprised to wake up next to his dark side, Ryou was even more so. Bakura did not sleep deeply with an arm around someone. It was just… not done. In fact, Ryou was so shocked that he flinched back, breaking free of the Ring Spirit's possessive grip. As his mind caught up, he immediately regretted that action. First of all, Bakura was already getting ready to punch him. Second of all, he missed having the warm, muscular body next to him.
"Oh! Bakura…" Ryou remembered something. "Today, we're allowed to take a family member to school…"
"I'm not family!" Bakura growled. "However, I will go. It's time I take another shot at stealing the Millennium Puzzle."
Ryou sighed. Why must his yami try to steal all the Millennium Items? Was that the only thing he cared about? Why can't he care about me that much? Why can't he be wondering how to get me every second?
His desperate musings were broken as a bundle of… something… was thrown at his face. Clothes…
"Get dressed. You slept late."
Groaning in pain, the white-haired boy began preparing for another day alone with his abusive yami. As he dressed, he noticed the Tomb Robber's eyes on his body and blushed, quickly pulling on his clothes. So quickly, in fact, that he did not take the time to notice what was handed to him – a tight, snowy, knit sweater that showed the boy's strong but somehow delicate frame, and a pair of black pants – black leather pants that hugged his long legs.
Bakura smirked, though not cruelly, as his hikari, without realizing it, put on the clothes he had chosen. What was more, Ryou looked good in that apparel. Somehow, he looked taller, strong, more… beautiful.
The Tomb Robber blinked. Beautiful? When had he described anything as beautiful since the old tomb robbing days? When had he ever seen beauty except in the wealth he had taken from the old Kings' crypts? But now, he knew it was true. He found his hikari, his Ryou, beautiful. Kind of like that big diamond he stole once…
"We're leaving now!" Bakura announced as Ryou stuffed the last bite of his pancakes into his mouth. The boy looked up, syrup still dribbling from the corners of his mouth. Suddenly, Bakura felt the urge to lick away those sticky trails, to taste that honey sweetness.
"B-bakura?" Ryou stammered, backing away slowly. He knew his yami would not hit him right now. Bakura would not want the white sweater to become blood-stained, but soon, after the day was over, he would receive punishment tenfold. Still, the expression on the Tomb Robber's face was fearful. It was not of rage, but… hunger.
Without a word, the Ring Spirit grabbed the boy's arm and dragged him out of the door.
(A/N: Sorry, I usually write YxY, and I can't do the other pairings too well…)
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Oh! I almost forgot…
Yugi: You ALWAYS forget.
Ari: *grins* Anyway! Since you've all been so patient, I decided to upload one of my piccys for you to see. ^_^
Yugi: You act like if they want to see.
Ari: *shrugs* No harm. Anyway, for all who actually would like to see, here it is… http://www.arivess.web1000.com/yxy/hug.jpg It'll lead to a page with some words. Just click on the bottom link. Hope it works…
