Make Yourself
Chapter 17: And Your Enemies Closer
By: Maiya Asuka

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, any of its characters, or any of the songs throughout this little FANfic.

Kuro sat on the long red sofa in the band's trailor. He was filing his nails (which were abnormally long for a male) and speaking to Tanak at the same time, who was laying in his bed still. "You and Ryou seem to be getting comfy with each other again."

"What makes you say that?" Tanak stared , obviously puzzled.

"What was going on with you two at Bakura's party?"

"I'm not even allowed to talk to my ex-boyfriend anymore? C'mon, Kuro-dono. I'm just being friendly."

"Tch. I'd like to be your friend. You were all over him with your eyes when he came to talk to you about the whole performance thing. I mean, he's just jailbait anyway. I think we all know that."

"You're right. I do know that. But I'm not interested in him."

Kuro sighed and looked back down at his nails, which were now more rounded and even. "Whatever."

Tanak smiled, crawled off of his bed, and leaped onto the sofa with Kuro. He wrapped his arms around him and murmured, "I think Kuro just needs a little self-esteem boost, ne?" He started to bite and kiss his boyfriend's neck, and Kuro could not help but guffaw at the sudden burst of affection; not that he had any problem with it.

"Boost away," he laughed, dropping his nail file to the carpet and holding his hands up willingly.

Below the small set of steps, a door opened and closed. There was Ran, standing at the front of the trailor and gaping at the scene of foreplay going on on the couch. She raised her eyebrows, diverted her eyes elsewhere, and muttered, "I've dealt with enough gayness for one day."

"Where have you been all evening?" Hirahara demanded impatiently when he saw that she had finally come home. "You promised you would be here for practice. Or did you forget what you told the four of us?"

"Relax, Double-H. Not like I went out and got knocked up or anything. I was helping Ryou with his date."

"Where'd they go?" asked Mike.

"Oh, that Italian place on the corner of the square. Damned if I remember the name."

"About time the two of them went on a real date," Tanak added from his position on the sofa.

"Tanak?" He held his hands behind his head, but turned to look at his wide-awake beau next to him.

"Kuro?"

"Is it stupid to go out with someone when you really have more interest in somebody else?"

Tanak heaved a big aggravated sigh. When he leaned over to try and kiss him, Kuro turned his back to him and edged away.

"I am not interested in Ryou, Kuro."

"Okay. Now try meaning it."

Slowly, he annunciated the words: "Kuro, I. Am. Not—"

"Yes you are! Don't lie!"

Tanak hugged him from behind, causing the other man to become stiff. "I'm only interested in you."

Kuro's body shook; Tanak could tell he was crying.

He hesitated with his next words, but they came. "Okay. So, I'm interested in you. But… I don't know if I can be the kind of boyfriend you want me to be."

"All I want is committment, Tanak. I don't expect anything more from you."

"But I don't think I can give you that right now. I guess I'm a bit distracted," he paused, nervous of what kind of reaction he would receive. "I guess there are people I have my eye on." He felt Kuro try to rip away from his embrace.

"Finally, he tells the truth about something!"

The drummer remained silent for a few minutes, looking around at the walls, which consisted of pictures of him and Kuro together. Still, he was not sure if this was really what he wanted at the end of the day. He was not sure that what he wanted was really Kuro.

I can't do this anymore. I can't be a boyfriend anymore.

"If you want honestly, then fine. I still have a thing for Ryou. I think he's cute, and I think he's sweet, and I can't help but feel distracted from you by him. Hell, I could very well be totally in love with the guy! Is that what you wanted to hear? Are you happy now?"

The other sobbed a couple of times. "The truth hurts."

"I can't do it anymore. I can't be your boyfriend, Kuro. You're too insecure, and I'm not ready for a long-term relationship. I won't be until I've gotten over the people who catch my interest. Or until I'm convinced you're really the one for me. I'm sorry! But I can't devote all of my time and effort into a relationship that isn't even real."

There were several minutes of silence.

"How could you leave me for your long-term ex?" Kuro whispered, climbing out of the bed.

Tanak leaned forward, grasping his hand. "Where are you going?"

Kuro whipped back around with a glare and a few thin streams of tears from his eyes. His right hand lashed forward and slapped Tanak harshly across the face, leaving scratches and undried black nail polish. The synth player leered back at the drummer, whose face appeared completely stupified.

"I'm going away from here."

He put on some sandals, pulled his duffel bag over his shoulder, and stormed out of the door.

"Are you having a good time?"

"Mm-hmm."

The couple of white-haired boys walked out of the restaurant and took their seats on a bench while they waited for their limo to return to the parking lot.

"We'll do this more often, alright? I'm sorry for everything."

Ryou smiled and hugged him around the shoulders. "It's okay. Don't worry about it." As he said this, he held out his left hand and gazed upon the silver band which wrapped around his ring finger.

Meanwhile, Kuro, now an unwillingly single man with foot-deep tension with his bandmate, sat behind the cover of a row of shrubbery. "What does he see in him," he mumbled coldly to himself. Inside of the bag which he had taken with him, there was a heavy metal pistol wrapped in a bright pink blanket.

It reminded him of Tanak with his flourescent-colored hair.

Ran said exactly where they were spending their date tonight. Did I come all the way here just to… He returned his stare to the gun.

He held the cold and sleek weight in his hand, considering the idea of using it. To use, or not to use? Put it away, he kept whispering to himself ever so softly. Put it away. Put it away. Put it away!

The dominant side of his mind was not convinced.

A huge BANG shot out of the night, roaring toward the unsuspecting couple. The bullet, which almost seemed to fly in slow motion, struck Ryou straight in the right thigh.

At that moment, the bullet that ripped through his skin was as if a giant pair of scissors was slicing through the previously peaceful atmosphere of the parking lot.

His pupils shrunk as he cried out in pain. He hunched over and held his leg tightly to his chest, and tears flooded out of his eyes and onto his once dry cheeks.

"What happened?" Bakura demanded in a momentary state of shock, even though it was quite obvious to him that somebody was playing target practice with his boyfriend. "What the hell!" He shouted toward the bushes, where he believed the shot had come from.

Upon getting closer, he saw exactly who it was. He coughed a couple of times in shock; then snatched the familiar person by the shirt collar and tossed him onto the other side of the bushes.

"Kuro?" He stared at the gun in his hands. "How dare you! I'll fucking kill you!" A punch landed square on Kuro's jaw, and the two fell to the ground, punching, kicking, shouting, and cursing.

"What's your problem! Are you crazy?" Bakura's numerous scolds could be heard while the two wrestled on the asphalt.

While trying his best to fight off the armed man, Bakura also tried his best to tell Ryou to run away; but when he saw Kuro's finger back on the trigger, he forced the gun down as far as he could. Another shot yelled out, but to Bakura's relief, Ryou had not received another blow. The relief was short lived, however, as Bakura leaned forward and peered incredulously at his abdomen, which had a fairly large bleeding and gaping whole in the center of it.

He only grunted and clutched his stomach, and fell forward onto the pavement. He scraped his delicate face.

And the two boyfriends grew deadly silent; all that was heard now was the gasping of nearby witnesses.

Kuro stood up slowly and gazed down at the scene he caused. His eyes widened in horror at the gun he held in his hands and the damage that he had so easily done. The more people he noticed surrounding the two injured young men, the faster he ran away from the lot.

"It's okay," Kuro could hear a stranger say to Ryou (who writhed on the bench and was completely unaware of Bakura's current condition) as he left the scene of the crime virutally unnoticed. "We're getting an ambulence. You'll be okay."