A/N: Oh, no. I am crying here. I am going to hate writing this. This chapter is the start of many things to come. Oh, I am really tearing up here. Sorry if I am getting you all hyped up and it turns out these chapters suck, but I am very sad. Bold print is a flashback. Enjoy…
Disclaimer: continuation (even the disclaimer is depressing)
Rum bottles littered the floor like wildflowers in a meadow. Nectar leaked from their mouths to stain the grass carpet. My heart shattered like the bottle that fell from my bedside table. My soul had broken due to the constant tugging of two determined sides. One wanted to pick up the ringing phone. But Yami was sure to be on the other side. The other side couldn't talk to him. To talk to him would be sentencing him to a lifetime in Anime World. He would be alone, only to emerge from his hell to act in his show. No matter how many times Yami said he didn't care, that I was worth it, I couldn't let him make that sacrifice. Not for me. I was just a junkie gone prostitute gone gold digger. I was worth nothing. I closed my chestnut orbs and took a swing of whatever liquor was in my hand. I felt the bitter, hot liquor enter my mouth. It soon flowed from my mouth to my lips, mixing with my salty tears. Darkness overtook me as my consciousness left me.
((((((Space))))))
HeartacheHer eyes brighten as she saw Yami enter the first floor Game Shop. It was all going along so perfectly. Allison probably had told that stinking midget that Yami and Anzu were going to do it. Brilliant plan from such a dumb girl. Anzu didn't even know who… well, She didn't know who her boyfriend, what's-his-face, was. The midget was running to the store now.
Anzu walked over to the Game Shop.
((((((Space))))))
The wind chimes that Grandpa had hung over the door shook, creating a simple but lush sound. Yami saw Anzu enter.
"Anzu? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Yugi?"
A look of polite confusion came onto her pretty face. "With me? Today? No. I asked Yugi to meet me outside the school tomorrow, not today. Why?"
Yami sighed. "I left him at school. He said he was meeting you there today. He must have gotten the dates mixed up."
"Oh, he used to do that a lot." Anzu gave out a short-lived laugh. "We should go get him. But before I do, can you help me with something? You see, I wanted to get a couple of new fairy cards for my deck. I think I am going to start it up again."
"Well, good for you. But I think we should go get my little hikari first."
"Oh, come on Yami. I won't be able to come back here for a while. And by the time I will be able to come back, I would have spent all my money. It will only take a couple of minutes."
Yami bit his lip. "Fine, just come over to the counter. It is hard talking to you across the room."
Anzu leaned against the door. She took off her shoes. "They have been killing me all day." As Anzu pushed herself against the door, her hands flew over the doorknob, locking it in a swift movement Yami didn't see. She placed the shoes sloppily on the floor, one two feet away from the other. She took off her jacket next and threw it on a racket of magazines. "Okay, let's start."
The dark showed her some of the best fairy cards he could find in the front counter. He showed them to his friend, but she rejected them. "Anzu, we really need to get go-" Yami stopped as he heard someone try to twist the doorknob. It rattled a bit. "Come in." Yami yelled. He heard keys jingling. Grandpa was upstairs so that must be…
Anzu heard the keys enter the door. As she did, she grabbed Yami around the neck. She placed her back on the plastic counter and pulled him down so their lips met. She wrapped her legs around the Pharaoh as a final touch when the door opened.
((((((Space))))))
Time stood still inside the Game Shop. The music of an ice cream driving by echoed eerily inside the room.
Yami felt light headed. No. No. No. This is not happening. But it was. He finally got to his senses and tried to push himself off of Anzu, but the girl only wrapped her lanky arms around his neck. The dark wouldn't get away from the kiss. He couldn't escape the moist lips.
/I… I… I… c… c… I c… I can see… I can see you… you… you are busy, guard- Yami. Se… Se… See you./ Yugi's voice filled the dark's head.
/Love! Don't-/
/Love…/ Anger filled the link. /I am not your love anymore./
/Yugi, my love?/ Yami tried to pull away from Anzu again, but she only grabbed on harder. He closed his eyes.
/I was going to tell you, tonight…/ Yami continued to struggle. /… So badly had I wanted it… I had felt so strongly… But how could I have even thought about it… You are cruel as that man in the Home… I should have seen it… You disgust me…/ The Pharaoh stopped. Those words… they were from the dream…
/I was going to tell you, tonight, when we returned to the cabin… I was going to love you… But… How could I even have thought about loving you. You were always just as cruel as my foster father. I should have seen it… You disgust me…/
Raw emotions attacked the dark. /I can't believe I let you be my first kiss./ The words slapped the Pharaoh.
/I can't believe that I kissed you back./ With that, the door was slammed, causing the wind chimes to rumble.
As the shaking of the chimes died down, Anzu let go of Yami. She looked at him. A bit of lipstick covered his lips and mouth area. As well as saliva. His eyes of warm flames were shut. A single tear ran from them.
"Yami?" Anzu cooed. The male had stepped back into a poster of the dark magician and blue-eyes white dragon.
"Wha… Wha… How…" Yami stumbled on his words. He couldn't string two words together. The sheer impact of his love's words was causing his to burn with disgust… for himself. The Pharaoh shivered as he thought of the level of intensity his hikari's hate would be once it settled in. He covered his face with his hands and slide against the wall to the tiled floor.
Anzu sat up on the counter and peered down at Yami. He looked… broken. The brunette, so caught up in her jealously, never considered what would happen after she kissed him. Now, reality punched her squarely in the face. "Yami?"
The dark snapped his head upward, dropping his hands to his sides. He began to shake. Out of woe. Out of fear. Out of rage. "You fucking tramp." The sentence rolled out of his mouth like vomit. The dark hadn't thought of what he was going to do. He just allowed his body and anger take over. "You did that, didn't you. DIDN'T YOU, YOU WHORE."
Anzu gasped. Yami never yelled. Even at the most evil of a person. Pegasus. Bakura. Noah. Malik. Dartz. The dark had never yelled. He was always regal. He was so patient as he freed them of their evils. He was the Pharaoh. But now, he was no longer that person. Fury burned in his crimson pools as if they were gasoline.
"Yes, but… I did it for us." She managed to get out.
"FOR US? I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU! YOU KNEW HOW MUCH I LOVED HIM! YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN A PIECE OF SHIT! NO, THE PIECE OF SHIT WOULN'T EVEN HAVE DONE THAT! YOU FUCKING SICKEN ME!" Yami's voice boomed, making several packs of cards fall to the floor. He raised his hand and slapped the trembling teen in front of him. "GET OUT OF HERE!" Yami raised his hand to hit Anzu again. "I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU-"
"Yami! Stop!" The Pharaoh saw Grandpa appear at the bottom of the stairs to their house. He ran over and stood between the two teens. He tried to stand as tall as he can but fear still whirled in his purple eyes. "Yami, calm…" The old man paused. Agony shot through his face as he clutched his heart.
"Grandpa?" Yami said, his voice shaking. "Grandpa, what's-" His father suddenly began to shake. He fell to the ground, holding tightly to his shirt. "Grandpa!" Yami fell to his knees. Anzu sat frozen to the counter. "What's wrong?"
"My… my heart…" Grandpa sputtered.
"Anzu, call 9-1-1, now!" She didn't move. "BITCH, MOVE!" The girl stiffly pulled out a tiny cell phone from her bag. A microscopic kuribou hung from the antennae.
"Yami…" Grandpa whispered, tears running down his wrinkled face. "Yami…"
"What is it?" Yami stoked his father's face, leaning in to kiss the sweaty forehead.
"Remember… what… I said okay. Please…" Grandpa gasped for needed air that wouldn't enter.
"Okay. Just stay with us, okay? Stay here with us… dad." Yami felt warm liquid pour from his eyes like they were teapots. Grandpa's lips twitched upwards before his eyes closed. His breathing slowed down. "Dad? Dad? Dad!" The Pharaoh began to try to resuscitate the limp form lying on the floor. Sirens rang in the distance. They stopped in front of the Game Shop. A pair of hands grabbed the teen's shoulder, pulling him away. Three people in uniforms surrounded Grandpa, blocking Yami's view. The hands belonged to a weeping Anzu. Time was a surreal thing to Yami at this point. Minutes were seconds. Seconds were minutes. There was no distinction. He saw his father being put onto a stretcher.
"Do one of you want to come along?" A deep voice rumbled.
"I will." Yami whispered. He turned to Anzu. "Stay here, whore. Wait for Yugi. Take my car to the hospital when he arrives. The keys are on the counter in the kitchen." Yami ran to the ambulance waiting outside.
((((((Space))))))
Not a soul appeared to move in the cold waiting room. It smelled of cleaning fluid. A chill swam through the pre-summer air. The area, along with the rest of the dreadful, big building, had been cleaned thoroughly.
Seto looked around the squishy, multicolored couch-filled room, his eyes puffy. Almost everyone was there. Bakura sat directly across from Seto, stroking his somber eyed hikari's hair with a blank face, as if in a trance. Serenity was hugging Honda a little too tightly who in turn rubbed his face in her hair. Mokuba sat quietly in a corner. And the Seto's puppy had his head on the CEO's lap. Seto whispered sweet words of love into his puppy's ear but the teen only cried more. The older teen was helpless. But he couldn't possibly cheer up Joey now, now that he was crying along with his puppy. They waited for any news of Grandpa. It took them all ten minutes to come to the hospital after Anzu called them from the Game Shop. In one-way or another, the old man had been a father to each of them. They each had told the jolly-faced man their stories of the past. He had listened to each of them. He seemed like the only person on Earth who would ever understand. He was always there.
Seto felt more tears follow a familiar path down his cheek, only to land without a sound on the puppy's slightly tanned ear. The younger teen twitched as he tried to sit up using his left shoulder. The gash left by the drunk had hardly healed, but a least it wasn't infected. Grandpa had been the sweetest to Joey, after Yugi, of course. "Don't move, puppy. The wound will get worst if you force it open." Seto breathed.
"Seto. I'm scared." Joey whispered. Seto leaned in kissed his puppy's earlobe.
"I am too. Just relax, okay? We may not know anything for a while."
The blue-eyed teen looked up to look at his friends again. None had moved from the spots there were at. When Seto asked Anzu why she was at the Game Shop instead of on her way to the hospital over the phone, the brunette had said that she didn't know where Yugi was and was waiting for his there. Yami had been on the ambulance with…
Yami.
Seto scanned the room for the teen's tricolor hair. He wasn't there.
"Joey, have you seen Yami?" Joey was startled from hearing Seto calling him by his real name. He hadn't done so in a while. But that didn't matter to the CEO right now.
"Huh? The last time I saw him was at French. He's not here?" Joey looked around. He, like Seto, had been too caught up with Grandpa's health to think about the dark.
"I have not seen him, but I am pretty sure you will find him outside on the street near the front entrance smoking a cigarette." Bakura said softly, his face back to life. His words vibrated through the waiting room. Despite the grief they were feeling, everyone turned to stare at the yami. Seto had never heard his voice so kind. Nor, Seto thought, had anyone else, except Ryou, who was only mildly surprised.
"How did you-"
"Better leave soon, the cigarette is nearly half way burned out."
Seto nodded and looked down to his puppy. Joey frowned but lifted himself, using his right arm, and sat up. The older teen got up, rubbed his eyes, and made his way to Yami.
((((((Space))))))
Yami sucked at the light orange part of the cigarette. Uncomfortable warmth filled his pink lungs. As he opened his mouth, smoke rolled luxuriously out, creating many shapes in the light breeze that would never be made again.
"Okay. Just stay with us, okay? Stay here with us… dad." The words were fresh in the Pharaoh's ears. Dad. Yami had never even called his own father anything other than 'Pharaoh' or 'God'. But he was always busy running Egypt to pay much attention to a child Yami, or as he was called back then, Atemu. And Grandpa had always been so kind to the dark. And how was he rewarded… Because Yami couldn't control his rage, like he couldn't control his lust when he was with his love at night, the old man was lying in some hospital bed, being prodded and poked, barely living… Yami brought the cigarette to his lips to make sure he didn't cry. He needed to be ready to support his light once he arrived. If he even wanted even look at Yami…
"Didn't know you smoked." A voice said behind Yami. The Pharaoh turned slowly. Seto was standing two feet away. Though his face was its normal closed self, his eyes pink.
"I don't. Bakura gave me a pack Sunday. Said to keep it on me at all times now a days. Nearly half done with it." Yami said smoothly before breathing in more of the harmful smoke.
"Why did he give you them?" Seto winced as the cigarette smoke flew pass him.
"It cools the nerves. It actually does, along with heating up the lungs. Odd mix, but it still feels good. The old tomb robber said that he used to smoke a pack every hour when he had a crush on his hikari. He said that it might help me get through the day without wanting to go crazy at the end of it. I took the cigarettes, but told him I will stop once I told Yugi I loved him. But if that's case, I will be smoking forever." Yami stopped as he realized he was rambling.
Seto obviously tried to act surprised that Yami just said he loved the hikari, but he wasn't fooling anyone. "I already know you know. You could have been a little less subtle at the party if you didn't want me to know."
"Oh… I'll try to next time."
Yami took another long drag before flicking the bud into a gutter. He pulled out the pack of Marlboros from his pocket, took one out and lit it up. He took one more drag. "Smoke?" The dark said as he held out the cigarette.
"First off, I think we are a bit under-aged. Second, those things kill. And unlike you, I only got one body." Seto said smiling. He was, however, rather confused. He wondered why the dark was so calm and collected at a time like this.
"That is where you are wrong, Seth." Yami grinned as he drew back his hand. Seto always hated it when the Pharaoh talked about his past life as Yami's top priest. "You got some left in you."
"Don't call me that. I don't want to be reminded that a past me ever slept with you." Seto laughed. The smile on Yami's face vanished. He had told the taller teen that to get him mad. Fortunately, Seto, embarrassed, never told anyone the lie.
"Is that what the Pharaoh told you? Yami, I wouldn't think you would lie about something like this." Bakura said as he walked toward the two teens. Once he reached them, the grave raider took the cigarette from the dark's mouth. he took a drag. "Oh, good times. Just don't tell Ryou. He'll be pissed off."
"What do you mean? Lie about what?" Seto asked.
"Nothing." Bakura said playfully. Yami mouthed 'Thank you' before retrieving his cigarette. "Now, Yami…" The grave raider's voice grew serious. Yami looked at his grey eyes. "Why the fuck were you having sex with that tramp you call Anzu?"
Yami felt Seto's eyes widened towards him. "What? But you like-"
"I was not doing anything with that whore. She kissed me as Yugi came through the door. The tramp had planned it out so it looked like we were doing it. My love left after saying that he hates me and a whole lot of other things that didn't make much sense to me."
Seto bit down hard on his lip while Bakura laughed. "Really? That bitch is lucky I don't send people to the fucking Shadow Realm anymore. And Ra, here I thought that you guys were ruined forever."
"Dare I ask what you mean?" Yami said as he handed over the last huff of cigarette to Bakura.
"Nope. Come on. They'll start to get worried if we don't go in soon. And your puppy looked like he was about to collapse on the couch, crying, when I left... Oh, too late." Bakura said somberly.
"Damn." Seto turned and jogged toward the waiting room.
"Is he really crying?" Yami said once Seto was out of earshot. Bakura's eyes glazed over for a split second.
"He is now." The two yamis smirked. "Yami…" Bakura said awkwardly. "Are you okay?"
"I guess. Let's go inside. Something out here is reminding me of Yugi… Yugi…"
"He's okay. I was watching him in the waiting room. I don't know exactly where your hikari is, but he is safe. Closed the link on you?"
"He's trying. He can't do it as well or long as I can, but I don't think I should bother him."
"Finally, you did something good. Well, after telling me about your marriage, but whatever." Bakura lunched and the dark threw a punch to his arm. "I think my whore needs me. After you…"
((((((Space))))))
Itching for one more breathe of smoke, Yami paced around the waiting room. He dreaded the numbing rising in his legs. He needed to keep moving if he wanted to make sure he didn't cry…
"Stop it." The harsh tone startled Yami, but he didn't stop. It was until he realized that it was Mokuba who hissed it did he stop. It was only a matter of time…
"Mokie… Leave Yami alone." Seto said as he flicked his puppy's earlobe softly.
"No. He's is annoying me." Mokuba had taken the news quite badly. Seto had planned on leaving him with Victoria, the head maid, but the poor kid only began to cry. His brother had no choice but to bring him.
"Sorry, Mokuba. I'll be outside." Yami said quickly, turning his face away from Seto, as well as everyone else. He began to go for the door when Honda got off his couch, gently to make sure not to disturb a sleeping Serenity, who had fallen asleep on him.
"Yami…" He grabbed the Pharaoh's wrist as he reached the door. No one could see his face.
"Let me go, Honda." Seto's heart sank. The dark's voice was shaking.
"Let him go." Bakura ordered sharply when Honda didn't listen to Yami's request. Hesitantly, Honda released the Pharaoh. Once freed, Yami ran out of the room.
((((((Space))))))
Dried tears left salt on the teen's lip. His heart was floating on bubbles in his ribcage. Yami looked through the plastic window at the two-dozen smiling, giggling, crying, sleeping faces in the room on the other side. The walls were painted all three primary colors, but paler versions of them. Pink or blue blankets covered the bodies of the babies, the color determined by their gender. Yami wasn't paying attention where he was going when he started to cry. He knew that he had to get away from Honda, and everyone else. He had truly wept in front of them once. When the Seal had taken Yugi… 'It should have been me!'…Yami wanted to keep the total amount to one. He somehow got to the babies. He had been watching them for a while. How simple their emotions were. How simple their needs were…
"Cute aren't they?" A voice said behind Yami.
"Yes." The person was probably a nurse. Her chestnut orbs stood a least a foot higher than Yami's crimson ones. An old headband held her long hair back. She wasn't extremely pretty, but her friendliness radiated from her. A tag on her chest said, 'Billie Tiddle'.
"Which one is yours?" She said smiling. She, like the Pharaoh, didn't show her teeth as she grinned.
"Oh… uh… You see… I got lost and I… I sort of ended up here." Yami blushed.
"Thank God. Not to sound judgmental, but I hate to see how young some of the fathers are these days. Don't worry. One day you'll have a lot of the cute little things." Yami blushed. "Well, probably not. I am... gay so I will never have some of my own." He said sadly, dragging a finger down the glass barrier. "You can always adopt, right?" Billie said, trying to help. "I know. I thought of that." Yami scanned the nursery. "I even thought of names." "Really? What are they?" THe nurse said playfully. "Prior for a boy. Deb for a girl. I heard my little love say those names once. They have been stuck in my head ever since." "So you think in the future? That's great. Does your boyfriend think as far in the future as you?" Once again, the Pharaoh blushed. "Well..." The dark paused. He knew that he should say that he only has a crush but... "I don't know." "Well, that's okay. But you do know you're not supposed to come to this wing if you don't have anyone to see here. It's hospital policy."
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean-" The dark stopped as he heard the woman laugh. It was odd, to say the least. Like an arrangement of gasps, snorts, squeals and sighs done by someone on a large amount of crack.
"Don't worry about it. I'm not supposed to be here either. I work in the unit with patients who have to stay for a while. Sometimes I work in the emergency room for extra money. Matters where I am needed. I have break right now. I could rather be working though." Billie added grimly.
"Why?"
"I had E.R. today. A man came in. He had had a heart attack…" Yami froze and frowned. "… He was about to go into surgery when he flat-lined…"
"W… w… Was his last name Mouto?" Yami whispered.
Billie's face told him the answer. Yami closed his eyes, letting salty tears fall down his face. He felt an arm wrap around his shoulder as Billie pulled him to the nearest staircase.
"Oh, please stop… Oh please… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. Oh… stop crying…"
It took Yami five minutes to stop.
"Are my eyes red?"
"Not really."
"Once they are back to normal, can you take me to the waiting room near the main entrance?"
"Sure."
((((((Space))))))
A/N: OH! NO! WHAT DID I JUST DO! I CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST DID THAT! Oh! What did I do! He was always so nice. He was so kind. He was a freaking father to everyone! Oh, Billie Tiddle was based off of me (a bit) but that is not my real name. WAHAHAHAHA! My name is fallen-angel. I want to thank the writer of the fanfic, Secrets, for the idea to have Anzu kissing Yami and Yugi running off. But the scenarios are different, so I am not stealing the writer's work. I know I say "drag" fifty times in the cigarette scene, but I don't know any other slang words for it. And some things are probably inaccurate, like how Yami was able to get into the baby unit when there is supposed to be people asking what your business is in the unit, whom are you going to see… but whatever. Review! No flames, I think that's what it's called. Well, don't send angry reviews about killing off Grandpa. I needed to.
Tease: Yami, is that keys I hear? (you will get it later)