Light of Fallen Darkness: Okay, this is-unfortunately-the final chapter. Mind you, I wasn't too proud of it. It's either because of the millions of scene changes or because of the shock of getting nine reviews in one day (A huge apology to all of you for last chapter!)... Anyway, I had to edit this chapter like sixty times so please forgive me if there are still some mistakes hanging around!
Review Responses:
Anime-Blade: Eek! Please don't kill me! Again, I am very, very, very sorry!
Amethyst-eyed Koneko: You're half right... Unfortunately, if I say anything more I'll be spoiling this chapter.
Kirazmin: No problem. Thanks for the advice! I'll definitely try to brush up on my writing style and timeline. Stupid English teachers, they always bug you on writing properly but they never give you the chance to since they're always limiting the number of words you can use in mini stories and such...
"His eyes are too damaged to be repaired. I am very sorry." The doctor said sympathetically after all our pleadings for him to repair Yami's eyes.
"Look doc, if it is money you want then just name your price." Otogi persisted.
The old man shook his head sadly, "You could pay me all the riches in the world and I still wouldn't be able to give your friend the proper surgery he needs. If he's lucky enough, all he'll see are blurry shapes and colors." He smiled softly at us, "But with many helpful friends like you, he won't even need it." With that, the grey haired adult closed the door behind him as he ambled down the hallway.
I sighed, "Other me?" I whispered and placed my hand just above the bandages wrapped around his eyes before gently stroking his wild hair.
Shizuka sobbed, "Why? Why do these things always happen to people who don't deserve it? It's so unfair!" Jonouchi and Mai were immediately by her side, doing their best to comfort the girl.
A sniffle escaped from Mokuba, I guess he still had some tears to shed. I patted him on the back, "Go ahead, it's okay to cry." He did.
Honda looked around, "Hey Mokuba, where's your brother?"
"B-big Brother said he would come later, that something came up."
Anzu folded her arms and grunted, "That creep. What could be so time consuming that he can't even visit Yami at the hospital?"
Everyone began leaving the hospital one by one, until only I was left. It took about three nurses to drag me out to go home. Visiting hours ended too quickly in my opinion. However, I couldn't keep Grandpa waiting anyway.
I hadn't even taken three steps out the door when a familiar blur of white and black sped past me to the nearby doctor. My mind vaguely registered to me that he was the one in charge of Yami.
Kaiba stopped in front of him, totally oblivious to me, and began talking at such a fast pace I decided to give up on listening into the conversation. Besides, something he had dropped on the ground caught my interest at that moment. I picked up the photo and gasped.
There was no doubt about it; this picture was obviously responsible for Yami's current state. Still, I could see why he and Kaiba were so desperate to get it developed.
Yami's head was resting on top of Kaiba's head with his hand cupping the latter's cheek; Kaiba's head was turned so only his profile was shown and his hand was stroking Yami's hair. They both had the largest smiles I had ever seen.
"…Don't worry Mr. Kaiba. I can assure you, his sight will be as good as new by tomorrow morning." I whirled around to see Kaiba and the doctor shaking hands. The doctor's face darkened a bit and he continued in a quieter voice, "Are you sure though?"
Kaiba nodded determinedly, "Yes, very." His voice cracked just slightly. Two years ago, I wouldn't have even noticed this change.
He turned around and seemed taken aback when he saw me, even a little nervous. I gulped, "You dropped this." Kaiba took the picture into his hands and his eyes twinkled for a moment.
"Thank you." He whispered.
He was cut off shortly by the doctor who appeared behind him with an excited expression written on his face, "Mr. Mutou! I'm so glad you haven't left yet…"
While all this took place, Kaiba quietly slipped into Yami's room. Surprisingly, none of the nurses even gave him a second glance.
I would soon find out why.
"Selfish bastard." Jonouchi muttered, taking in the interior of the Kaiba Mansion with awe. "He had all this room to himself yet never even invited us to come."
"Actually, I wouldn't either if I was in his shoes." Honda chuckled.
"Why I ought to-"
"Guys we're here to get Yami's surprise party ready, not start a fist fight! You can kill each other after we get everything done." Anzu yelled, a hint of tiredness in her voice.
Jonouchi and Honda reluctantly let go of each other's collars and began hanging up the streamers. The girls wasted no time in baking the cake after being led to the kitchen. I was given the duty to stand at the door and watch out for Mokuba and Yami, though Mokuba assured us that he would keep Yami busy for about three more hours. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Otogi arrived two hours later with the presents we had each chipped in for him to buy. Ryou was the last to arrive. However, when I opened the door to greet him, he just froze.
"What's wrong Ryou?" I asked curiously. He pointed to the staircase behind me.
"Isn't it bad luck?" He drawled. Apparently, Ryou is quite superstitious.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Jonouchi called from the stairs.
Ryou stepped in and eyed the staircase carefully like it was a blob of goop. "Well, it is considered bad luck to have the staircase facing the doorway of a house because it's like all your fortune will go right out the door." He inserted his own hand quotations.
Honda snorted, "That's crazy talk Ryou. Kaiba's way too rich to be bankrupt."
"Fortune doesn't always come in the form of money." Ryou muttered. I had no idea how right he was.
Yami carefully unfolded the bandages. We all hitched our breaths in anticipation, and nearly fainted at what we saw. The Game King's eyes were no longer the color of blood, but purple. It was almost identical to mine, only slightly darker.
"What? Don't tell me they screwed up my eyes." Yami joked nervously. Mokuba wordlessly handed him a mirror, and Yami nearly fell over.
"Exactly what did the doctor do?" I asked slowly. Yami shook his head.
"All I remember was how Seto held my hand," Cue in blush, "To comfort me and explain that the doctor would perform an operation on me."
"They must've given you some medicine." Shizuka explained. We all nodded in agreement, but a small feeling of dread rose in my stomach. I think that Yami felt the same way too.
"Hey Mokuba, where's Kaiba?" Mai suddenly asked. The room quieted and something flashed through the younger Kaiba's eyes.
"Um, he's a bit tied up right now," He answered. Then he turned to Yami and said, "But he wanted to know if you can meet him at the harbor tomorrow morning at nine. Can you?" Hope shone in his eyes.
Yami smiled, "Of course."
Grandpa taught me to never meddle in other people's business. However, I'd like to make this particular situation an exception. The next morning, Yami got up early to go to the harbor. I slipped after him quietly, making sure to not be seen.
When we got to the harbor, I only saw one other person with a dog. Yami was anxiously scanning the area for Kaiba. He suddenly let out a shriek and rushed to the person with the dog.
"Seto!" He exclaimed excitedly.
I blinked. Kaiba was hardly recognizable with his back turned, especially with the dog and the sunglasses and…
I quickly hid behind a crate, my stomach rising to my throat. Yami lunged at Kaiba as he turned around, oblivious to the white and red striped cane his boyfriend carried. Kaiba looked stunned at first, but his hand slowly found its way in Yami's hair.
"Seto! I'm so glad that I wouldn't have to-Seto? What are you looking at?" Kaiba was staring right over Yami's head in my direction. I tried to hold in the tears threatening to fall from my eyes, knowing that he can't see me even though I'm standing in plain view.
Yami cupped Seto's face with a worried expression on his face, "Seto?" He whispered quietly.
Kaiba leaned into Yami's touch and took both Yami's hands in his, "Yami, there's something I have to tell you."
That was enough. I couldn't stand it anymore and ran.
Yami came back home that evening with a far away look in his eyes. He didn't touch his food at all for dinner so Grandpa just let him go to bed earlier. Even then he just sat on his bed, staring at the picture of him and Kaiba.
It was well after midnight when I was awakened by the sound of a taxi horn honking for its customer. I rubbed my eyes and glanced out the window to see Yami ambling out of the game shop with a duffel bag.
My lips curved into a small smile as I shut my eyes to regain some sleep. There was no need for me to turn around to check on the empty bed beside mine. I already knew that when I wake up in the morning, the sheets will be neatly made and a letter of explanation will be sitting on top of it.
Any kind of stress or worry I still had suddenly left me, with only one thought to occupy my mind: Yami wasn't coming back. He was going to Kaiba and he was going to stay there with him for a long time.
For some reason, I knew that no matter what happens next, everything was going to turn out just fine.
Light of Fallen Darkness: Writing the last scene was actually harder than I thought. I wanted to make it just right and sentimental without making it sound corny or going overboard. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone caught the whole stairway facing the door thing back in chapter one. Well, I hope you all enjoyed the story! Please review! Constructive criticisms are welcomed and flames will be used to roast the two shrimps I had caught today! Don't ask... Before anyone asks, no, there will be no sequel. My friend's chameleon is already putting this huge plot in my head that I can't really do a lot about.