Potential

By RWThunder

Chapter Two – Use Me

The following day, Yami had what Yugi liked to call, "a lazy day." He slept in, didn't leave the house, and was usually either parked in a chair, the couch, or the foot of his bed each time his aibou encountered him.

"Are you okay, Yami? You've been so sluggish." Yugi asked, sitting down beside his dark on the bed.

"I'm fine, hikari. Just a little tired." He looked at his empty wrist. "What time is it?" Yugi glanced down.

"Er, almost six." He replied

"I'm going to the hospital—visiting hours have almost started." Yami's face lit up and he began foraging around their room for a jacket and some shoes.

"Oh, um...are you going to see Kaiba?" Yugi asked uncertainly, eyeing his other half with suspicion. Yami turned around.

"Aibou, do we know anyone else in the hospital or do you think I'm a morphine junkie?" He smirked, but Yugi nearly missed the joke when he saw the ghost of a blush on his guardian's face.

"Heh, right. When are you coming back?" The smaller boy stood up as well to escort Yami to the front door.

"When visiting hours are over."

"Oh…okay…" That was close to two hours. "Well, call if he wakes up or anything." Yugi said, remembering to mask his suspicion. Yami smiled and nodded his agreement.

After Yami turned the corner, Yugi slammed the door and practically ran to the phone, quickly dialing Ryou's number. Then, he waited—his heart thumping painfully in his chest. There was a click at the other end.

"Hello?" Ryou's gentle voice questioned.

"Ryou, it's me," Yugi said hurriedly.

"Yugi? Are you okay? You sound out of breath…" The albino asked worriedly.

"I'm fine—just shocked. Ryou, have noticed Yami acting differently since yesterday at the hospital?" The violet-eyed duelist asked excitedly.

"Well, he was a bit quiet…he must have been very concerned about Kaiba. It's very sweet, you know, I'm glad that he cares for him even though they're rivals and—what?" Yugi heard a quick whispered conversation on the other end before Ryou's voice returned.

"Sorry, Yugi," His fellow duelist said, sounding exasperated. "Bakura says he has to talk to you. Hang on." There was another pause before Bakura cleared his throat to announce his presence.

"Hey—Yugi? You've noticed too?" He sounded more high-energy than Yugi had ever heard before.

"About the way Yami's been acting? Yes, and he's been blocking our link lately." Yugi said, frowning as he tried again to dip into his darkness' mind unsuccessfully.

"It's about Kaiba," Bakura said excitedly. "I'm dead sure of that." The smaller boy blinked.

"Kaiba? What about him?"

"Look, I know it'll sound unfair, but I don't think I should say anything right now. If you want something to do I would suggest making Yami visit Isis." Bakura said slowly.

"Isis…?" Yugi repeated. "Does this have something to do with Yami's past?" He asked breathlessly.

"Look, kid, I said I don't want to give anything away—it's not really fair. Besides, what's the fun in knowing? Just suggest it to him—if he isn't already thinking about it." There was a click following the beginnings of Ryou's protest proceeded by silence.

Yugi sat down heavily on the couch. It had been a long time since things had been so fast-paced. Kaiba's accident, Yami's behavior…it made sense that they would be linked. Yugi just wished he knew how.

"The fun in knowing?" The fun in knowing what? He mused over Bakura's words. If this has something to do with Yami's past and all this is connected to Kaiba, maybe we'll finally find the last pieces of the puzzle and Yami will finally know…everything. Yugi smiled, already happy for his other half. Considering how much he'd suffered, it was the least that Yami deserved. I should talk to Isis…

--

Yami was laughing, his head thrown back as the wind blew through his wild hair. The afternoon chill had faintly colored his cheeks and he shivered slightly in his jacket. As the wind kicked up again, he pressed himself closer to Seto's body, smiling as the taller boy reached over zip his coat up a little higher.

Hand in gloved hand, the two duelists strolled the seemingly empty streets of Domino, a comfortable silence hanging in the air around them as they walked.

As they continued, Seto's consciousness began floating towards the surface of his mind, bringing with it uncertainty and doubt. He realized that not only was he completely baffled by the situation at hand, but that he had no idea where they were going. He didn't know the date, the time…

However, most of Seto's awareness was engaged in the moment and he was reassured by Yami's hand holding onto his tightly; it gave him a sense of security that felt oddly familiar.

Letting go of his curiosity, Seto realized that he had never experienced something like this in his entire life; spending hours on end out of the house, out of the office—just walking. He noticed with a faint smile that it was a beautiful morning.

As Yami continued to maneuver them through the maze of street signs and traffic lights, Seto let his mind wander. The young CEO felt himself thinking that he had never seen Yami laugh like that—at least not the Yami a part of him seemed to recognize. The person beside him was different somehow, yet familiar.

The more he sank into the moment, the more connected Seto felt to his companion. Yami would often turn his head slightly, just to look at him—then smile and look away when the other duelist met his eyes. It was a strange aura, one of innocence with an undertone of strong sensuality.

A few times, Seto was successful in holding Yami's gaze if only for a few moments—long enough to see an exciting tint of desire in those crimson eyes. He felt strangely as though they were courting lovers, awkwardly side-stepping their way towards the inevitable.

The owner of Kaiba Corp realized as they walked that he felt two perspectives: one was nervous and shy, yes, but the situation felt completely normal and there was no reason to question the it. The other view was stronger, it was as though he was watching the scene play out like a movie—only from his own perspective. Therein, he felt confused by the fact that the Yami he pictured in his mind and the Yami flirting with him did not seem to match up. Not that he was complaining.

Despite the strangeness of it all, Seto was enjoying himself. No words had been shared and yet the CEO was enchanted by his companion, completely and utterly bewitched. He was loving the feeling more and more.

They crossed a street and suddenly Yami stopped, halting their seemingly endless journey. Seto felt himself prepare to speak, the question already formed in his mind. He was so aware of his own curiosity that it came as quite a shock when he suddenly felt Yami kissing him.

A part of him instantly felt uncomfortable and unresponsive, a million more questions rising up behind the first. He was aware that he couldn't recall being kissed by Yami before—much less enjoying it. The stronger half of his mind dismissed his shock and drowned all other thought in Yami's taste as he kissed him back.

Suddenly, Seto felt strangely whole as a new feeling tickled its way up his spine. He felt desperate, passionate, and unbelievably starved. He kissed Yami fiercely and knew by this act that he was alive; alive and horribly in love—or falling fast.

They parted slowly, breathing out the previous tension bottled up inside. It was then that a subtle shadow fell across the street corner. Seto was so lost in the presence of the other that he hardly heard the sound of running feet approaching.

In his intoxicated state the CEO turned slowly, his eyes locking with the barrel of a gun just before he felt fire ripping through his torso. He looked down and saw a waterfall of blood issuing from several wounds in his chest.

Seto gazed at Yami in confusion, more affected by the anguished look on his love's face than the pain in his chest. Then his head swam and he felt his knees hit the ground.

Yami was kneeling in front of him, now a ruin of the person he had been seconds before—the image of utter and complete devastation. Seto felt himself truly bond with the spirit of the puzzle as he expressed every ounce of sorrow in his heart through his tears as he tried to speak—Seto didn't need to hear.

Suddenly he was watching himself fall forward into Yami's arms. He was removed, down-graded to an observer standing on the sidelines, watching as Yami mourned him.

The smaller duelist was absolutely still and his tears had ceased. He sat unmoving in the puddle of Seto's blood, clutching his body and biting his lip cruelly to keep from crying out. The echoing sound of footsteps slowly faded away. The sun returned.

It was then that Seto saw the gun.

There it was, dropped carelessly mere feet from his body; somehow, he knew that Yami had seen it too.

"Yami, don't…"

The former pharaoh slowly loosened his hold on Seto's corpse and arranged it carefully on the ground, arms over his chest. The CEO watched with anticipation as Yami placed a gentle kiss on his cold lips, sliding his eyelids closed with a loving hand. It was eerie to watch.

Exhaling a shaky breath, Yami crawled over to where the pistol lay. Without a moment's hesitation, he brought the gun to his temple and fired—immediately falling back onto Seto's torso, his face instantly covered in the gore of the deed.

"YAMI!" A thousand names surfaced in his mind but that of his companion and rival burned the most prominently. He screamed it over and over until the city was collapsing around him, everything falling into darkness until all he could see was Yami: splayed awkwardly over his respectfully positioned corpse.

"Seto?" A familiar voice sounded somewhere in the void.

Then, suddenly, Yami appeared—leaning over him in genuine concern. Seto blinked and found himself in a hospital bed, an IV in his arm and several bandages covering his chest.

"You…you're not dead?" He whispered in a hoarse voice. His rival leaned closer.

"What?"

"It can't be—I saw you die…! I saw myself die…" He trailed off, his eyes flitting nervously from one part of the room to another.

"Kaiba, you're not making any sense!" The king of games reached over and hit the "call button" remembering that this was the first time Seto had woken up since the attack.

"What happened, Yami?" Seto demanded, attempting to sit up in his panicked state. The smaller duelist forced him back down onto the mattress with surprising strength, breathing heavily.

"You left the mansion, someone shot you while you were walking—do you remember?" Seto blinked. He did. Suddenly regularity flooded his mind as he recalled waking up, showering, dressing—just like he always did. It was all coming back. He remembered telling Mokuba that was going out, he hadn't taken the limo…he had been—

"…going to see you."

"What?" Yami glanced at the door, wondering what was taking the nurses so long.

"I was going to see you." The CEO repeated tiredly, his eyes sliding shut. "Get this thing out of my arm, it's putting me to sleep…"

"No, that would be the massive amount of blood loss. I'll ask the doctors if you can take the IV out later. Don't you fall asleep, Seto Kaiba—" He shook him gently. "What do you mean you were going to see me?"

"When that crazy bitch shot me, you idiot…" The taller duelist replied groggily. Yami's eyes widened at this.

"Did you know her?" He asked eagerly. The CEO shook his head.

"No. Just some nutcase." He heard the other laugh quietly.

"Ra, Kaiba, you've been out for over a day…"

"You called me Seto, before." The brunette said absently. Yami blinked.

"What did you say?"

"You called me Seto in my dream…no, maybe in reality, I'm not sure…what are you doing here anyway? I have to sleep…" He slurred.

"Hold on. Why were you coming to see me?" His fellow duelist pressed.

"I don't remember." Seto muttered.

"Bullshit." Just then, the room filled with nurses.

"Oh, Mr. Kaiba, you've regained consciousness!" They immediately began checking his wounds and changing bandages feverishly.

"Yes, it would appear that way…" The CEO replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes as they fussed over him.

"You'll have to leave now, sir." One of the nurse's said to Yami, who was looking on in vague amusement.

"What? Oh, yes, I'll go." He turned around just before closing the door and was surprised to meet Seto's eyes. Yami paused, taken aback by the other's expression. "Talk later." He mouthed, and shut the door.

--

The song I used to write this chapter was "Use Me" by Garbage.

-Thunder