DISCLAIMER: I don't own YuGiOh. – the story is mine, however. This is all Usagi-loves-Duochan and my yami's fault, damnit…
Title: A Game of Masques
Chapter: 4/?
Author: Lee-Ann Shadowdancer
Rating: This chapter – PG-13. NC17 for later lemons and violence.
Note: This is partially inspired by Usagi's plotbunny and by a picture I have on my computer of a rather spooky looking Yugi. If you want to see it, go to the Yugi fanart section of .
Chapter 4 –Masks Unveiled
Yami woke slowly, feeling sleep release its grasp only reluctantly. He felt so relaxed and comfortable that he didn't want to move. Vaguely on some level he knew he should get up to go to school, but he couldn't summon up the will to care. He lay curled on his side, eyes burning from too long wearing his contacts, staring at a blurry red wall. He blinked again and the wall resolved itself into deep red fabric. His eyes drifted closed; his ears picked up unusual sounds. Music played softly in the background; slightly louder came the sounds of metal and wood colliding. Elsewhere the sound of tinkling water harmonized with the music. A draught stirred the fabric beside him; he caught a strong whiff of cinnamon.
Where am I? he wondered, mind slowly rising through the layers of sleep. Part of him just wanted to drift away, back into slumber – but something was poking at him, a tingling sense of alarm. This is not my bed…
The last thing he remembered…was Yugi in his room, talking to him…black despair so thick he'd wanted to die… and sleep, deep soothing sleep in some blissful dream lost beyond recall.
But the despair had vanished. He could, for the first time in a long time, think clearly.
Pushing the heavy covers off, Yami sat up and looked around. He could see now that the red fabric was a curtain – he was lying in an old-fashioned four-poster canopy bed. The covers matched the curtains – a thick, warm red plush. The bed was huge – a king-sized at least, and boasted enough pillows to denude a whole gaggle of geese. Someone had taken off his jacket, shoes and pants, leaving only his shirt and boxers to sleep in. Carefully, Yami reached out and twitched one of the curtains aside, letting in a draught of cooler air.
What little he could see revealed a fairly large room, floored in hardwood. The corner of an oak entertainment centre could be seen, as well as walls painted a pale beige. Poking his head out of the curtain, Yami saw that the walls were tastefully decorated with brightly-coloured hangings in abstract patterns. A small kitchenette, cordoned off by half-walls, filled one corner of the large room –some sort of wonderful scent wafted from it - his stomach growled painfully. Peeking out the other side of the bed, Yami saw that one entire wall was glass, covered in sheer curtains of palest gold. Footsteps caught his attention, and he glanced back out the first hole he'd made.
Yugi walked across the floor, barefoot, dressed in tight leather pants and loose silk shirt, both of deep midnight blue. He walked from a point around a corner, out of Yami's sight, towards the kitchenette.
The teenagerpulled the curtains closed, lying back on the soft pillows. How had he gotten here?
The curtains suddenlyswept back, revealing Yugi carrying a tray of food. Yami blinked at him; his mind warned him to be wary, but his stomach growled at the thought of food. He was so hungry that the simple poached eggs and toast looked – and smelled – like ambrosia.
"Good morning!" Yugi greeted him with a smile. "I'm glad to see that you're awake. How are you feeling?"
"What happened?" Yami asked instead, resisting the conflicting urges to grab the food and to slide away from Yugi. "How did I get here?"
Yugi cocked his head. "How about you eat and freshen up a bit first; then we'll talk. I promise to answer all of your questions – and if you really want me to, I'll even take you home."
Home. Yami winced as he realized he'd been gone without Father's permission for an unknown length of time. Father is going to kill me for this.
Yugi must have seen the change of expression on his face, because he immediately put the food on the floor and half-climbed on the bed to gather the shocked teenager in a soothing hug. "It's okay – you don't have to worry. This is my house, and as long as you stay here, with me, I promise you will never have to worry about your father. He can't reach you here."
Yami nodded. For some reason, despite part of his mind still babbling at him, he found it impossible to be afraid of the other teen. Yugi turned those glorious eyes on him and Yami blushed slightly.
Why am I fighting this? It's a dream come true… "Am I still dreaming?" he wondered aloud.
"No." Yugi smiled gently, tracing Yami's blushing cheek with a light finger. "Not unless we both are – and if it is, I don't want to wake up.
"But you need to eat – you've been asleep for three days." Yugi slid off the bed again, placed the tray of food on his lap and grinned. "I'll get you something to wear; then you can shower. I'm sure you'll feel much better then."
"Okay." Yami agreed. A few more hours won't make Father's punishment any worse, I guess.
He ate the toast and eggs quickly but neatly, making sure to take enough time that he wouldn't have a stomachache. Sliding out of bed, he took the tray to the kitchenette and put it on the counter.
Yugi came up with an armful of clothes. "Here. The bath's over in there," he indicated a door – "Get cleaned up – you'll feel much better. Give me those clothes and I'll get them laundered for you."
"Why are you being so nice to me? Especially considering you kidnapped me?" A thought occurred to him then. "And why should I trust you?" I fell in love with you, but how do I know you don't mean me any harm?
"Because." Yugi dumped the pile of cloth in his arms, turned him around and gently pushed him towards the door. "Go on."
"Okay." Yami walked into the bathroom and stopped in shock. It was HUGE and done in the traditional Japanese style; in one corner stood a tiled open washing area, for getting off the actual dirt and grime. The soaking tub - the second part of a traditional bath - was three times the size of a Jacuzzi; Yugi had already filled it with water that steamed invitingly. Unlike the bathroom at home – Western style, in shades of ecru and ivory- Yugi's bathroom was alive with colour. The floor was marble tile, white with blue veins; his walls were done in a thousand variegated shades of blue with ivy painted along the edges top and bottom. The counters matched the floors, with the tub, sink and toilet all in a rich blue-green. A ten-foot mirror adorned one wall above the counters. Living plants sat in the window and beside the door, tiny white flowers releasing a delicate perfume into the air. It had to be three times the size of the master bathroom at home, and more than five times the size of his ensuite.
Yami placed the clothing on the counters, looking around himself in awe. Yami washed quickly, finding cloth and soap ready for him. Idly he wished he could take out his contacts; a quick look around found a bottle of solution and a container ready and waiting by the sink. He sighed in relief as he took the lenses out – they really weren't meant to be worn for so long. He rubbed at his eyes as he climbed in the tub, sighing as he leaned back,the hot water reaching his chin. Warm and clean with a full belly, he fought the urge to go right back to sleep again. He still had a lot of questions for his host – and he had a decision to make. To stay here – the vote of his heart; or go home – the voice of his fears.
The water had begun to cool when he finally got out and dried off, his mind and heart still warring. Father would... but Yugi had said that Father wouldn't be able to punish him here. But when the inevitable happened and Father found him – Yami shuddered as his mind supplied the likely punishment. He hadn't been in the basement in years, and he really, really never wanted to go back there again.
His thoughts were distracted by the assortment of clothes that Yugi had provided. They were similar in build with only a couple inches difference in height, but that still meant Yugi's clothes would be a little snug…and he hoped the teen had something other than skin-tight leather to choose from.
As it was, the clothes were a pair of loose black jeans and a soft grey kangaroo top – casual clothing the like of which he hadn't worn since he turned twelve.
Dressing quickly, he put his contacts back in and left the bathroom. Yugi was sitting on the couch in the living area of the large single room, listening to his soft music and reading a book.
He looked up, amethyst eyes sparkling, and smiled. "Feel better?"
"Yes, thank you." Yami bit his bottom lip, feeling torn in two, but… "Can you take me home please?"
Yugi blinked. "If you like, but can we talk first? There are some things you need to know."
Sitting down on the red plush couch, Yami found it was one of those pieces of furniture almost impossible to get out of – thick cushions seemed to swallow him in warm softness. "So what is it that you want to talk about?"
"Yami…I know this is going to be hard for you, but I…" Yugi drywashed his hands in a nervous gesture. "I kidnapped you for a reason. I saw…what happened in your father's study."
"What?" The teenager pulled back from Yugi in shock. "You were spying on me?"
"For nearly a week." Yugi had the grace to look sheepish. "Listen... before you fly off the handle, just hear me out."
Yami bit his lip, shame and shock warring in him. "Go ahead. I may as well – it's not like you're stalking me or anything." That last came out sharp – a little sharper than he intended. Yugi blushed, lowering his eyes to the floor.
"There is no way to say this gently. I took you from that place because your father is abusing you, and I couldn't bear to see you in that situation any more."
A shocked silence descended while Yami's mind processed what Yugi had said. "Impossible." That came out flat. "Father never touches me. He's never laid a hand on me – he only punishes me when I've been bad or wrong. He knows what's best for me."
Now Yugi looked up, meeting his eye with a deadly serious expression on his face. "Do you really believe that?"
"Of course."
Yugi turned so he was facing Yami square on. "Really, you think that kind of treatment is normal? You think that punishment for breaking up with a girl your parents set you up with should include a week of silence? That a phone call from a prospective friend should demand a month of shunning?!" Yugi's voice never rose, but the intensity of his tone and gaze increased with every word until they were nearly tangible.
"Yes…that is what Father said. I disobeyed…I had to be punished."
"You didn't do a thing wrong…" Yugi growled, eyes narrowing in anger. Yami reflexively flinched away, and the other blinked in shock. "Oh, kuso. Yami, I'm sorry – I'm not angry with you. I'm angry at your father."
"Why?" Yami asked bitterly. He drew up his knees to his chest, wishing again that he could vanish. "I'm the stupid freak who can't even obey simple rules." He heard a choked sob and saw, to his utter surprise, thatthe otherhad tears in his glorious eyes.
Yugilunged over, grabbing the stunned teenager by the shoulders.
"You are NOT a freak, nor are you stupid." Yugi hissed through his tears. "Never believe it." He punctuated each statement with a small shake. "You are handsome, and clever, and damnit you are NOT a freak."
"Yes I am." Yami shook himself free of Yugi's grasp. With a shaking hand he removed one of his tinted contacts, revealing the true red-purple of his eyes. He ran his free hand through his hair. "Look. My eye colour isn't normal. These streaks are natural. I'm an ugly freak, Yugi."
But the other was staring at him, apparently not listening. Gently Yugi reached up, drawing Yami's head around until he could look into the revealed iris clearly. "Beautiful." He said softly, as though spellbound.
"What?"
"Your eyes. They're beautiful."
"But…Father said…"
"I really could not care less what your father said." Yugi brushed at the now disarranged hair that flopped into Yami's face. "You are not ugly by any stretch of the imagination, Yami. That is so far from the truth… You are beautiful." He brushed at Yami's other cheek. "Will you take the other one out for me? Please?"
"You…" Yami reached up and removed the other contact. "You mean that?" How could anyone…can he be telling the truth? He thinks…no, Father said…I'm so confused.
"Yes." Yugi breathed. "Understand this, Yami…Every lie, every harsh word, every disparaging comment, every punishment he gave you…that was abuse. When they were not deserved, when you broke a rule that you didn't know existed…"
Yami blinked. How did he know about that?
"…every time he kept you at home for weeks or months without being allowed to communicate with another living soul – that was abuse, Yami. Emotional, mental… abuse of the worst kind."
Yami tried to shake his head, to deny it, but the honesty in Yugi's eyes could not be gainsaid. "But…Father said it was because he loved me…"
"He lied." Blunt words that cut throughYami's worldview.
"No…you're lying. Tell me you're lying…" Father loves me, he must, or else…I'll have nothing, it was all for nothing…
"He doesn't love you." Yugi stood up from the couch. "Do you say such things to one that you love? I don't think so…"
He's right… Father never loved me. So… "He could never love a freak like me, could he?" Yami murmured, unaware of speaking the thought aloud. Burying his face in his knees, he could feel a shaking start in the core of his self; bitter salt tears burned his eyes.
"Didn't I just say you're not a freak?" Yugi's voice seemed to change, an odd catch in his tone that Yami couldn't identify. He looked up at the other, wiping the tears clear enough that he could see Yugi standing before him, his face oddly blank. Suddenly something dark emerged behind him, spreading nine feet to either side. It took a minute for his stunned, stressed mind to realize what he was seeing.
"I think you would have to go a long ways to beat these for freakishness, boyo." Yugi grinned, flexing his huge, black leathery wings.
-end of chapter-
Thanks for reading – let me know what you think.