Yami stood nervously outside Yugi's bedroom door, unable to take that final leap by announcing his presence to his younger brother. Everything came down to this. Even with Seto by his side now, Yami still knew he would not be able to live if Yugi turned his back on him.
Casting an unsure gaze back down the hall to where Seto stood, he caught a reassuring smile from the older man before the ex-cop turned to leave. Yami had asked to be left alone with Yugi while he explained things and thankfully, Seto had agreed saying that he would just go back home and wait for Yami to call, using the excuse of needing to spend some time looking for a job.
That thought left Yami feeling slightly guilty, after all it was his fault the blue-eyed had given up a promising career for him. Even so, he was thankful for the gesture. It warmed his heart to know that someone was willing to put his life, his needs above their own, just as he had done for Yugi.
But that was no longer.
Never again would he have to give up everything for his brother. Sure he would always love him, protect him if needed, and care for him but now all that could be done as a brother and not a substitute father.
But would Yugi still want him as a brother?
A frown formed on his face as he felt unfamiliar wetness trail down his cheek. Raising a hand up, he swiped at it angrily. Why the hell was he doing this now? This was not how he needed to face his brother.
Slowly he backed up till his body came to a stop upon hitting the hallway wall. He closed his eyes as he leaned his head back, willing himself to calm down.
Suddenly, he heard the small brass doorknob begin to turn. Caught off guard, Yami could only watch as his little brother opened the door.
"Atemu?" Yugi blinked as if unsure of who he was seeing. "What are you doing here?"
Yami pushed himself off the wall. "I wanted to talk to you. Is this a bad time?"
Yugi shook his head as he stepped aside, allowing Yami to enter his room. "No, I was just doing some homework. You came just in time to save me from some rather nasty math problems."
Nodding, Yami took a seat on the edge of the bed, not noticing his brother studying him until he spoke.
"So spill."
"Huh?"
"Tell me what's bothering you. You look like hell. Does this have something to do with Seto? Did that bastard hurt you?"
Chuckling, Yami just shook his head in amusement. Yugi was rarely one to get mad or cuss, so when it happened most people thought it was cute.
"No, actually Seto's been wonderful."
"Then what is it? Why was he so pissed last night?"
Crimson eyes looked away from inquisitive amethyst. "He found out some things I had been keeping from him. But we talked and I think – no – I'm pretty sure everything is alright with us."
"Like our past?"
"That's some of it."
"Well that's good." Yugi murmured with a smile. "I don't mind that he knows about us. I mean Bakura knows so why shouldn't he?"
"No Yugi, you misunderstand me. I didn't just tell him about us, I told him about me."
The younger Mouto furrowed his eyebrows trying to figure out what his brother was exactly talking about. Why was Atemu, the strongest person he knew, acting like he was about to lose his most valued treasure?
Whatever it was, he didn't like this side of his brother.
"What exactly are you talking about?"
"He knows everything that I ever did to take care of you."
Yugi's eyes went wide. "Oh I see. So what's Seto going to do? He's not going to turn you in is he? Is that why you came to see me? That bastard! How can he do that to you! Doesn't he know that you had no choice in killing those people? Did you not tell him that Taro…"
"Y-you know?" Yami stared wide-eyed at Yugi, slightly shaken by what he had just said.
Yugi stopped his ranting and blinked at the pale look man before him before he smiled. "Oh please Atemu. Did you really think that you were the only one that learned the streets? I knew who to seek out just as much as I knew who to avoid."
"But how?"
"I learned from watching you. It always amazed me that you never failed to know when someone else was around you but I could follow you forever without you knowing. Never could figure that out."
"You were familiar I guess." Yami shrugged his shoulders before he lowered his head. "So I guess I failed in my most important job then. All this time I thought I kept you from what was going on."
Getting up from his chair, Yugi walked over to the bed and sat down beside his brother. Smiling amethyst met shameful crimson as he took Yami's tanned hand into his. "Atemu, you didn't fail. Don't ever think that. I'm alive aren't I? I'm healthy and happy. Is that not what you wanted?"
"Yes but…"
"But nothing Atemu. You didn't fail. You did what you had to do. I find no fault in anything you did for me…for us."
"So you followed me? You –he gulped- you saw what I did?"
Yugi shook his head fiercely. "No, never. But I did hear lots of conversations between you and that Taro person. I know that he forced you to do those things by threatening me. That's why I never said anything. I was afraid that if I told you I knew you would stop and he would come after you then."
Yami sighed, looking away from Yugi's bright eyes. "Yugi…I….I don't know what to say. Are you sure you don't hate me for what I did?"
"Hate you?" Yugi repeated shaking his head. "No! I could never hate you Atemu. I love you with all my heart. Nothing and I mean nothing you did or will do will ever make me turn away from you."
Yugi smiled, leaned over and wrapped his arms around Yami's waist pulling him closer. He gasped slightly when he felt his brother's head fall on his shoulder.
"You don't hate me…." Was repeated over and over again, muffled against Yugi's neck.
"Shh." Pale hands ran through Yami's hair as the younger tried to comfort him. "Never, I would never hate you."
Years of worry, stress, and anxiety seemed to lift from Yami, taking away all his strength, leaving him an emotional heap relying on Yugi to support him. Yugi didn't hate him, still loved him, they were still together and if this hadn't torn them apart then nothing would.
But Yugi had known. Yami had fought so hard to keep Yugi's life safe, innocent and almost naïve about the world and yet his younger brother had been protecting him all along also without him knowing.
Suddenly, Yami realized, he was one of the luckiest people alive.
Sure he had had a rough life, sure he had made some terrible mistakes –which at the time he thought was right- but he had a brother that was, after all this time, still standing beside him not judging him.
And now he also had Seto.
Seto… a selfless man that had given up everything to be with him, even when he knew what he was, what he had become. Yami didn't honestly think he was worth all of this…devotion, but it sure as hell made him feel worthy of something.
Seto… a man that had met him at his lowest and yet still fell in love with the worst part of him, the part that had most people either running away from or turning their nose up at him.
Seto… the one person that he was –no- had fallen in love with.
Yugi leaned back slowly, talking the limp form of his brother down with him as he lay back on the bed. He smiled when he felt Yami shift slightly to get comfortable, laying his head on his chest, pulling them impossibly closer. This had never happened before, usually it was Yami that comforted and held the younger one when he needed it. But this small reversal in roles was fine with Yugi. Let Yami be weak for once, let him take the time to find himself and fine out that he was not alone.
It would all be worth it in the end.
Everything was worth it.
Crimson eyes slowly blinked open, scowling at whomever the hell decided to be brave enough to wake him up. With a mixture of a growl and yawn, Yami tried to sit up only to find he couldn't. Confused, he lifted his head to find out that he had fallen asleep lying on Yugi's chest, the younger Mouto's arms wrapped completely around him, holding him tight.
A small smile formed on his lips as he slowly untangled himself, careful not to wake him.
"Yami?"
"Huh?" he turned his head to see Bakura standing at the edge of the bed, dressed in his uniform, white hair pulled back into a neat ponytail.
"What are you doing here?"
"Oh," he frowned. "I came to talk to Yugi. Seto dropped me…oh shit. I was supposed to call him so he could pick me up. What time is it?"
"It's after midnight. So Seto was here then? Do you know why he didn't show up for work then?"
Yami blinked. "You mean he didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"That he quit." Yami looked back at Yugi who was still asleep and motioned for Bakura to step outside before he made a scene.
"Why the hell did he quit?" Bakura demanded once they had reached the living room.
"Because of me." He sighed, walking over to the phone.
"Care to explain that?"
"No, not really, not now anyways." To cut off any further questioning, Yami began to dial Seto's number. A minute later he frowned and hung up the phone. "That's odd."
"What?"
"He didn't answer."
"Well he's probably asleep."
Yami rolled his eyes at the cop. "You should know he doesn't sleep through a phone call. How many times did you or the station call in the middle of the night only to have him answer by the second or third ring?"
Bakura made an affirmative noise as he went and gathered his keys from the kitchen table. "Come on I'll take you back to his place."
"So are you going to explain to me now?"
Yami sighed as he stared out the window, watching house after house pass by in a blur. He had hoped that the cop would have forgotten about that.
"Look, lets just say that me and him had a nice little heart to heart last night and I had one today with Yugi. I would rather not have one with you right now. Give me a couple of days to gather my thoughts and I'll tell you everything."
Bakura looked at Yami out of the corner of his eyes as he debated what had been asked of him. The younger man seemed to be a mixture of anxiety, confusion and relief. What had caused him to act this way?
"Fine, but I'm holding you to that."
"Just a few days Bakura I promise."
The rest of the twenty-minute ride was rode in silence, something Yami was extremely grateful for. Too much in such a short time had happened and he didn't think he could mentally or emotionally handle anymore.
He smiled slightly when Bakura pulled up into the driveway of Seto's home. Opening the car door, he stepped out and raised an eyebrow when he heard the cop step out also.
"What are you doing? Going to walk me to the door and give me a goodnight kiss and tell me you had a wonderful time?"
The white-haired man just rolled his eyes and shook his head in amusement, inwardly happy that some of Yami's old spunk was back. He didn't realize just how much he missed it until just now.
"If I knew neither Kaiba or Yugi would chop my nuts off I might consider it," he teased back.
Yami threw a smirk back at Bakura before he walked up to the front door, fishing the house keys Seto had given him out of his pocket. "Trying to tell me something Kura?" his voice was low and seductive causing Bakura to pause and blink at the shorter man.
"I… what I meant…"
Yami just smiled and waved him off as he entered the house, "I was kidding, besides Seto's big enough for me. Not sure if my ass could handle another lover. I do like to sit down you know."
"TMI Yami, TMI."
Yami snickered as he reached for the switch, engulfing the living room with light causing the crimson-eyed teen to pale at what he saw.
Everything before him and Bakura was either ripped to shreds or completely smashed. Lamps were turned over, books were scattered all over the place, and the TV was damaged beyond repair. Nothing was as he and Seto had left it…
On that thought, Yami forgot all about the cop beside him and raced towards his and Seto's shared bedroom, throwing the door open and flipping on the light switch. Nothing in the room seemed to be touched except for the bed. Stuffing, ripped silk sheets, and feathers from the pillows littered the floor. But what caught Yami's attention was the carved words in the sheetrock above the headboard.
'Punishment time'.
The message was underlined in a dark brown substance that left a feeling of dread in Yami stomach. With a growl, his eyes narrowed as he turned and began to walk back through the house only to be stopped by a firm hand that had gripped his shoulder.
"Fuck off Bakura," he snarled as he shook the cop off of him.
"You know what the hell is going on here and I have a right to know! He was my partner and my friend."
"Go find Mai and make sure she's safe. I'll go find him."
Bakura narrowed his eyes, "Where are you going and what are you going to do? And how do you know she wasn't taken also?"
"Taro wouldn't take Mai, he has no reason too. But he has every reason in the world to hurt Seto."
"You sure Taro did this? Kaiba and me have made a lot of enemies in our line of work. It could be anybody."
"Look," Yami sighed. "I don't have a lot of time to explain this so grab what you'll need. Also grab a cell phone so you can hunt for Mai and meet me out at the car.
"Why?"
"Cause I'm going to tell you everything on the way to where they are keeping Seto."