Title: Hope for Tomorrow
Author: Crimson Eyed Dragon
Rating: R
Pairing: Seto X Yami
Warnings: language (Yami has a dirty mouth), sexual content, violence, and yaoi.
Disclaimer: Yugioh does not belong to me
Summary: Yami is an 18 year old that has lived on the streets most of his life taking care of his brother, Yugi. Seto is a rookie cop that soon finds himself drawn into Yami's world
A loud buzzer sounded, alerting Seto that the dryer had ended its cycle. Sock covered feet carried him form the kitchen to the laundry room just in time for the tumbling action to completely stop. Grabbing the light blue plastic basket and placing it in front of the machine, he opened the door and scooped out the still hot clothes.
The lingering smell of a light summer's breeze drifted from the dryer sheet he had tossed in earlier. Picking up the basket, he walked back to the living room, placed the basket on the floor and sat down on the couch.
Seto scowled as he picked up a pair of worn out blue jeans. Even after Yami had been here for almost a month, the teen still hadn't been able to get out of the house yet until today, fully intent on surprising his younger brother when Yugi got out of school.
Smiling as he started folding another article of clothing, he couldn't help but be happy over the small but wonderful changes that had come over the teen these past couple of weeks. Ever since Yami had first placed his trust with something of his past, Yami had lightened up some.
The teen seemed to smile more, they would have friendly talks without Yami's usual smart mouth behind the words. They shared the same bed every night.
And Seto gave back in small doses, making sure not to over whelm Yami with too many feelings. The last thing Yami needed was to be pushed too fast, too soon.
He chuckled as he folded the last few remaining clothes. Yami had confessed to him that he knew of the nights that Seto had sneaked into his room to hold him. And it warmed his heart to know that even in his first week here, Yami had not pushed him away.
They had not had sex since that first time in the shower, but Seto wasn't a fool. He knew that it had been nothing more than 'comfort sex'. Yami had needed to know, needed to feel what it was like to be loved, cared for, to be treated like a human instead of a piece of trash.
And even though Seto would love nothing more than for Yami to say 'I love you, I need you', he knew that he might never hear those words coming from him. Yami didn't know how and Seto couldn't blame him for it either.
No one other than Yugi had shown him what love was, show him what friendship, trust, loyalty meant and now that he was faced with someone other than blood freely giving it to him, Yami was at a loss with what to do with it.
Yami's world had been turned upside down. No longer on the streets, Yami was getting bored and had come to Seto the other week and meekly asked him if he would teach him how to read and write. It had taken a day to figure out what level Yami was at, but once they had established that he was reading on a fifth grade level, things quickly got underway. Now it was becoming a regular occurrence for Seto to come home from his shift and see Yami laying down on their bed, books and notebooks laid out in front of him, chewing on the end of a pencil with a thoughtful look on his face.
Days like that, Seto had come to treasure. Those few moments when Yami was just being a regular teen with no death threats on him or his family, no worries about food, shelter, warmth or cold, no looming monsters stalking in the shadows.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Seto stood up with the now folded clothes in his hands and walked back towards his and Yami's bedroom. Walking into the brightly lit room, Seto went over to the dresser that he had given Yami and placed the folded clothes on top, being careful not to disturb the wooden box resting there.
He made quick work of the few clothes that were sitting on top of the folded pile, quietly shutting the draw closed as he finished. Looking over at the clock, he noticed the time and realized he needed to hurry up since his shift would start in less than an hour.
Being in a hurry now, Seto was careless as he picked up the rest of the clothes, dragging them off the smooth wood causing the wooden box to be knocked off. The sound of it hitting the floor caused him to pause and look down to see the now open box turned upside down covering up several things that had fallen out.
Cursing himself for his carelessness, Seto placed the folded clothes on the bed and bent down to retrieve the box. Picking it up, he spied several objects that caught his attention.
On the top of the small pile was a small navy blue savings account book from the local bank and once setting aside the box on the bed, he picked it up. Knowing he shouldn't look, he gave into his ever-growing curiosity anyway and flipped to the first page, his eyes went wide before they narrowed in confusion and suspicion. Stated clearly in typed letters was Yugi Mouto. Flipping a few more pages he came across the balance sum of over one hundred and eighty-four thousand dollars.
Stunned, he reread the amount several times before he closed the bankbook and tossed it on the bed. He turned his eyes back to the floor and saw the folded childish drawing that Yami had shown him a few weeks ago. Kneeling down, he picked it ready to place it back into the box when two small stone-like objects caught his attention. With a strange growing sense of dread, he picked up the one closest to him.
It was a small reddish clay 'stone', smooth and flat on the side facing him. Gently he turned it over, eyes widened at the sight of Taro's marking, the nied, etched in black in the center of the rune. Clenching the rune in his fist, he gritted his teeth and looked back down to the floor where he saw something that made his stomach turn.
There, lying before him, mocking him was the othel rune, in reverse, the mark of one of the killers he had been searching for. In a flash, his mind supplied the meaning behind the symbol.
When Othel appears in reverse it implies that the querent will have to face alone whatever troubles lie ahead. There is no recourse to outside help. It indicates a certain finality, that the querent will have to deal with whatever life decides to throw at them. This may well mean failure, but there is no way of fighting inevitability of events. The querent would be advised to understand that there is no avoiding 'Karma'.
All color vanished from Seto's face as he picked up the rune, looking at it as if that one little clay object had been mocking him all this time. It all made way too much sense now. All the cryptic words Yami had spoken, the nightmares, the vicious mark now etched on the back of the one he had come to love.
Yami was one of the Rune Killers.
Anger, pain, sorrow, flew through him as he got up and placed the object back into the wooden box. With gritted teeth, he picked it up and replaced it back on top of the dresser, just as it had been. He sighed, sapphire eyes turned dark as his finger absentmindedly traced the etched name on the side.
He had fallen in love with a killer.
"Do you honestly think this…us… could turn out like one of those sappy best selling love stories? We are like a terrible cliché don't you see? We come from different sides of the track, you're good, and I'm evil and all that other shit."
Yami had said it, had tried to tell him yet he had refused to see what the other was saying. He was right, they were a horrible cliché; one side fighting for life while the other was fighting to extinguish it.
Walking over to his side of the room, he opened the top drawer of his dresser; pulled out his gun the Force had issued him, checked to make sure it was loaded, before he pulled out his badge.
As Seto stormed out of his house, he had one thought on his mind; this cliché was about to come to an end.
Wide violet eyes blinked against the harshness of the sun as he stepped out of the large brick school building. Shielding his eyes with his hand, he looked around for Mai's car knowing it was her day to pick him up. Ever since he had met the blonde woman, Bakura had asked her to pick him up when ever he and Seto had to be at the station earlier than usual.
He scanned the parking lot and sighed when he didn't see her yellow Mustang. Turning his head to scan out towards the entrance area, he caught a glimpse of something….
"Atemu!"
With a gasp of shock, Yugi ran towards the lone, smirking figure leaning against a tree close to the school gates. Smiling, he launched himself at his brother.
"What are you doing here?" he asked as he felt his brother's arms wrap around him.
"I thought I would surprise you and take you to the park so we can talk."
"About what?"
Yami shrugged his shoulders, pulling back from Yugi to look him in the eyes. "Nothing, anything. Whatever you want."
"Just me and you?"
"Just me and you."
With a smile that covered almost all of his face, Yugi grabbed Yami's hand and began pulling him in the direction of the park, causing Yami to chuckle at his younger brother's excitement.
It didn't take long for the two brothers to reach the park. Once there, Yami led Yugi to the same bench that he had talked to Seto the day he was attacked.
"How is your back doing?" Yugi asked after he was settled on the seat.
"Better as you can see. I'm still stiff in the mornings but other than that I'm fine."
"I guess Seto is taking good care of you then."
Yami narrowed his eyes at the uncharacteristic smirk on the child's face. "And what do you mean by that?"
Violet eyes rolled. "Oh come on Atemu, I'm not stupid! I've seen the way he looks at you and trust me I haven't missed those certain looks you throw his way when you think no one is looking. You've grown to like him….maybe even love him?"
Crimson eyes widened at his brother's words before he shook his head. "You're crazy Yugi. I don't love Seto, I can't love him."
"Why not? Something has happened between you two of the last couple of weeks, even Bakura as noticed it."
"WHAT!"
Yugi smiled while he nodded his head; "Yep, we both know how Seto feels about you but I don't think you know how you feel about him. And besides, why can't you love him? You deserve someone like him. I think he can take care of you."
"I can take care of myself." Yami scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.
Again Yugi rolled his eyes at his stubborn brother and placed his hand over one of Yami's arms. "There are different types of 'taking care of someone' you know. Yes, you can physically take care of yourself but you need someone to help you in the emotional department Atemu."
Yugi sighed as he looked at his brother's scowling face then leaned over and wrapped his arms around Yami's trim waist. "Face it Atemu, you need someone in your life and I approve of Seto."
Yami relaxed muscles he didn't even know were tense when his brother hugged him. Yugi always seemed to have this effect on him. With a small smile on his face, he ran a tanned hand through the soft locks holding the other closer to him.
"So, I need your approval on who I'm with?" he teased.
"Of course!" Yugi pulled back, smiling when he saw amusement dancing in those crimson orbs. "I need to make sure I give my seal of approval on the one that will eventually take my place in your heart."
Yami shook his head and frowned at his brother. "No one could ever take your place Yugi. I…..I know I haven't said this enough and I know that I've been difficult with you but I only wanted what was best for you. I made mistakes along the way, many of which I'm not proud of but I just wanted to make sure that you didn't change, that…."
Yugi smiled at Yami's ramblings and cut him off, "I love you too Atemu. And I know what you did, you only did it because you love me. I never doubted that even when you sent me to live with Bakura."
His shoulders slumped and Yami averted his eyes from his brother, shame filling him. "Why is it so hard for me to say how I feel sometimes?"
"Because, you haven't had it easy. But you will learn in time but I don't think I'm the one to teach you that. I believe someone else is waiting, wanting to do that for you."
"You mean Seto."
"He's waiting for you Atemu. You need to make the first step then he will guide you the rest of the way."
Yami smiled a true smile as he ran his fingers through his brother's hair as they watched a movie on the TV, taking comfort in the fact that Yugi was with him and resting his head comfortably in his lap. It was amazing what a day with his brother had done for his soul.
When Mai had come to pick them up at the set time Yami had requested, he immediately asked for Yugi to come and stay with him awhile, which Yugi agreed to with joy dancing in his eyes. Their talk on the park bench had opened up Yami's eyes to things he realized he was trying to deny.
And now sitting here in Seto's house, on the couch with his brother close to him, he found that this was what he wanted. A nice safe place, with no worries, surrounded by ones he loved, or wanted to love in the case of the rookie cop.
Yugi was right, he was going to have to take that first step towards what Seto was offering. He had pushed the other away enough that it was going to be up to him to make it known he was willing to give a piece of his heart to Seto and let him be the one to take care of it, to shelter it within his own, with something he had never given before….trust and faith.
This one thought caused him to be nervous, something he had never felt before. He was actually afraid that maybe this little revelation of his was going to come to late and that Seto would reject him and even worse reject him when he told him the many secrets he had been hiding from the cop.
He wasn't a fool. Even he realized that for something to begin between them he would have to be honest with the Seto. But he was going to have to take that chance it seemed if he was to see if what he and Seto felt was true.
It all came back to trust and faith.
A sudden slam of the front door caused Yugi to sit up while both Mai and Yami looked over the couch to the front door. Three sets of eyes widened slightly at the blue-eyed cop that walked into the room. Instantly they all knew that something was wrong.
"Mai," Seto began as he laid eyes on Yami. "Please take Yugi home. Bakura should be there by now. I need to talk to Yami alone."
Mai nodded her head, stood up and took Yugi's hand and led him to the door only to stop when he felt the younger brother stop beside the cop. "Please don't hurt him, not now."
Whether Seto heard him or not Yugi did not know for those piercing sapphire eyes never left Yami. Bowing his head, he let Mai lead him out of the house.
"Seto?" Yami asked, coming around the couch to face the taller man.
"I know everything now Yami. It's time you came clean with me."
Dragon: Again thank you for all the wonderful reviews! Sorry for the cliffie again lol but I couldn't help it.