Disclaimer: I don't own Yuugiou… sadly y,y
Ryu: I had nothing to do at school and had a blank notebook so I started work on chapter 12. It's not very much into it and I don't know if I like it but I guess I'll just see where I takes me. (Please pardon the short spoken-ness, in a bad mood today).
Lady-Silverkiss: I'm glad you liked it. I know it was rushed but it was my first yaoi lemon and since my own past experiences with guys weren't that good either so I didn't have much to work from. But I think I did okay for a first time.
Adva Atreyu: I need to think of a good cameo that'll blow your head… Oh well. I just have to keep teasing all of you it's so fun. And as or sounding pervy, go ahead, being pervy is fun. I do it all the time but I'm not going to talk about that here. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chappy
Capricious Purple Clarity: Well someone enjoyed my yaoi. I guess that means my first one wasn't too bad (though, now that I think of it, I'm sure I did one before, Seto/Mokuba/Gozaburo – don't ask). Well, I hope you liked it because I have no idea if we'll get another.
Snapping Violet: That's what you call a review. I'm definitely gonna cry. (Just teasing… I guess).
Vera: New reviewer, new reviewer, yay! Yes, Bakura is Ryu's dad in this; I thought it would be interesting. The disorder: as far as I know I made it up but it may exist with some different name. Not sure if I like the "your story sucks" joke, I almost cried when I saw that but then read the rest and was happy you were so addicted so I guess it's okay. I'm not sure if the story will have a happy ending for anyone. I haven't even decided how long I'm gonna make it. Could go on forever. And I don't think I ever said Ryou and Malik were together; but like I said, I don't know where this story will go.
Ryu: I'm kinda mad. For some reason I couldn't access my account the other day and when I finally could the hit counter on all my stories was reset to 0. And I find had 1339 hits. Well, I'll start keeping track of it here. So, add on the 2 hits I got after the reset and I'm at 1341, I'll update the number at the beginning and end of each chappy. And speaking of chappys, let's get the next one going.
Chapter 12: Three's A Crowd
Malik squirmed in his bed as the sunlight shined onto him through the window in his room, trying to fin the lost warmth that had been with hm last night. His eyelids finally lifted and he found himself alone in his bed, in his room.
"Ryou-kun…" he asked sleepily.
Silence his only reply.
"Ryou-kun?" he asked again, sitting up in his bed.
'Maybe it was a dream…' Malik thought. 'A painful dream.'
He looked down at himself, checking under the blanket covering him, and found himself stark naked. Upon a closer inspection of himself he could see the thin layer of dried blood on his thighs.
'I couldn't have been a dream…'"Malik," came a voice and a knock at his door.
"Onii-san," Malik whispered to himself. "Just a sec," he called back, scrambling to get his pants on and cover the bloodstains on his bed.
He opened the door a second, his face a bit flushed embarrassment and from rushing around, and stared into the pair of matching lavender eyes outside his room.
"You okay?" Mariku asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.
"Hai," Malik replied, panting lightly. "Need something?"
"Just letting you know it's almost noon," Mariku replied. "You'd better get ready, the party starts in an hour."
"Oh… Arigatou," Malik said. "I'll go and take my shower now."
"Oh, and Malik…" Mariku started when the younger boy started closing the door.
Malik paused, waiting.
"Ryou-kun left early this morning."
/ACROSS TOWN/
"Do you have any idea how worried I was when I woke up and you weren't in your bed? I was ready to call the police if you hadn't showed up when you did," Bakura scolded his son who was sitting on the couch.
"I'm surprised you remembered I exist," Ryou muttered.
"So am I," Bakura admitted, his scolding tone not faltering. "But that's besides the point. Where were you last night?"
"Malik's…"
Bakura spent the next four minutes trying to place the name.
"Cute little Egyptian boy, lavender eyes, has that crush on you?"
"Yup."
"What were you two up to?" Bakura asked, his tone suddenly becoming that of a giddy schoolgirl.
"Otou-san," Ryou exclaimed, blushing.
"My son's been deflowered," Bakura said excitedly, beginning to dance proudly around the room. "We'll have to inform your mother at once and what about a wedding date?"
You do realize Malik-kun's a boy right?" Ryou asked flatly.
Bakura promptly stopped his dance, blinking in realization. "Good point… No!" he suddenly exclaimed. "My son's a fruitcake! How will I go on?"
"Would you grow up already?" Ryou demanded.
Bakura heaved a sigh and plopped down in an armchair near the couch.
"Gomen, Ryou-kun," he said.
"It's okay…"
"So… are you really…" Bakura tried to ask.
"I don't know," Ryou admitted. "Last night I was so sure I wanted Malik-kun. But when I woke up this morning and realized it wasn't a dream…" His head fell into his hands. "I just don't know anymore."
Bakura, seeing the pain his son was going through, got up from his chair and walked to the boy. He placed a comforting hand on Ryou's shoulder and his son looked up into a smiling face.
"Whenever you're sure just let me know son," he said warmly. "I'll support you and be proud of you no matter what."
Ryou smiled, taking comfort in his father's words.
"Glad that's out of the way," Bakura went on when he was sure his son felt better. "Now, let's finish setting up; the party starts in an hour."
"I don't know if I can face Malik-kun after last night," Ryou sighed, then gasped. "And Shizuka-chan…"
"Oh yeah. You liked her for a while didn't you?" Bakura asked as he walked to the kitchen to start getting the food ready.
"I still do…" Ryou said under his breath.
/AN HOUR LATER/
Most of the guests had arrived at the party. Ryou had taken the initiative to lock all the bedrooms doors after shooing Jou and Mai out of his bed three times. The couple was currently pouting together on the couch, watching Yami and Kaiba go at it in Soul Calibur 2 on the Gamecube Kaiba had brought over; Yugi, Miho, and Mokuba, Kaiba's 12 year old brother who'd tagged along, cheering for the one they wanted to win.
Shizuka had showed up with her brother, and Mai, and gone into the living room to watch Yami and Kaiba battle it out. She'd tried to take time to talk to Ryou but never got the chance. Ryou was spending most of his tie busy in the kitchen, preparing more of, what seemed to be, an endless supply of food.
"How long do you intend to hide out in here?"
Ryou jumped, almost cutting his thumb off with the knife he was using to cut fruit into wedges, and turned to see his father standing in the doorway.
"Who says I'm hiding?" he huffed; turning back to the apple he was working on.
"You've barely left the kitchen since Shizuka-chan got here," Bakura pointed out.
"I just wanna make sure we don't run out of food," Ryou lied. "You haven't seen Jou eat."
"If you say so," Bakura said, turning to go back to the living room. He got to play winner after Yami and Seto.
'I'm such a coward,' Ryou thought as the knife slice through the apple. 'I am hiding from Shizuka-chan; and when Malik-kun gets here I'll have to hide from him too.'
A tear fell from his eye, dripping down onto the metal blade and mixing with the juices of the apple.
'What was I thinking last night? I can't get that back… I'm a whore…'"Ryou-kun…"
Ryou's eyes went wide. He knew that voice; knew he couldn't turn to face it. If he looked he'd have to explain everything: what really went on last night, what he really felt, why he'd run out so early that morning; everything would come out.
"How come you left so early?" the voice asked.
"Well… I had to get ready for the party…" Ryou used as an excuse. "And I didn't want to wake up anyone at your place… so I let myself out…"
"You really think I'll accept that answer?"
"No," Ryou whispered.
"Do you have any idea how much last night meant?"
"To who?" Ryou asked.
"I don't know," the voice said. "What did it mean to you?"
"I… I don't know…" Ryou said, sobs starting to choke his words.
"Well, I can say this much. It certainly meant a lot to my brother."
Ryou finally turned and looked at Mariku, who was leaning, with his arms crossed, against the frame of the entryway.
"How is Malik?" Ryou asked.
"Well he's hurt that you left this morning before he woke up," the spiky-haired Egyptian replied. "Why'd you do it Ryou-kun?"
"I told you… I don't know…"
"My brother gave you something he can't get back," Mariku went on, uncrossing his arms and beginning to advance on Ryou.
"I know… I gave him the same," Rou defended.
"No you didn't," Mariku shot down. "Malik loves you, that's why he did what he did. But you… you just used him you whore." Mariku was standing directly in front of Ryou now.
"I did not…" Ryou managed to say.
"What?"
"I said I didn't use Malik-kun!" Ryou shouted. "I thought I loved him…"
He stopped, having earned himself a slap across the face.
"You thought you loved him?" Mariku spat. "Even I would do that without knowing I did love a person."
Ryou stood there, shaking of anger and sorrow.
"That's enough onii-san."
Mariku and Ryou both looked to the doorway where Malik stood.
'I didn't want to see him yet,' Ryou thought, a few tears passing his eyes. 'I just can't handle it.'
"Do you want me to stand up for you or not?" Mariku asked as his brother approached.
"I appreciate it, thank you," he said when he'd reached them. "But I'd like to talk with Ryou-kun."
Mariku scoffed at his brother.
"Besides," Malik went on, "I think Bakura-san needs a new opponent."
Mariku smirked, nodded, and started for the door. It truly was amazing how Malik could manipulate people, as if he could control their minds.
"I still want to talk," Malik said to Ryou, who was trying to get away.
Ryou stopped, but didn't look at Malik.
"I gave you my virginity," Malik said.
"And I gave you mine," Ryou replied.
"But I also gave you my heart… and didn't take it back," Malik finished.
Ryou couldn't reply to that.
"Do you love me?" Malik asked.
Ryou stayed silent.
"I thought so," Malik said after a while, tears falling down his cheeks.
Both boys stayed quiet for a time, neither knowing what to say.
"I love you…"
Ryou looked up at Malik, shocked at those words.
"You… what?"
Malik shook with tears, looking at the floor. "I said I love you." He looked up at the pale boy. "You can use me, abuse me, hurt me as much as you want, and I'll still love you. If using me or sex is the only way I can ever be with you… then I'll accept it, and love you through every moment of it."
Ryou couldn't believe his ears. Did Malik really love him that much?
"So where does that leave me?"
Both boys looked at the door, this time a brown-haired girl standing in it.
"Shizuka-chan…" Ryou whispered.
"Mariku-san told me everything… what happened last night…" she said, her eyes already glistening.
"Shizuka-chan…" Ryou could only whisper.
"Do I mean anything to either of you?" she asked.
"Of course," Malik said. "I value you as a close friend…"
"But I love you," she said. "And you Ryou-san, what happened to being confused? Does this mean you've figured it out?"
"I don't know…" Ryou said.
"I'm sick of 'I don't know'!" Shizuka shouted. "And I'm sure Malik-san is too. Quit playing with people's emotions."
"Who's playing?" Ryou shouted. "Do you think I'm enjoying this?"
"You've kept it up long enough to be," she retorted. "You said you fell in love with me at first site… Does that mean if you hadn't seen me again you'd still love me?"
"No but… I didn't know anyone loved me," Ryou said.
"So it's my fault?" Malik asked, hurt.
"I didn't say that," Ryou replied.
"But it's true!" Malik shouted. "Well I'm sorry I love you more than life itself; I can't help it!" He fell to his knees, sobbing. "Even now… I can't help but love you…"
More silence followed, none knowing what to say. Malik sobbed on the floor, Ryou before him with tears in his eyes, Shizuka still in the doorway, anger and letdown pushing salty crystals down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry… both of you…" Ryou said at last.
They both looked up at him.
"But right now… I can't be with anyone…" he decided remorsefully. "Right now… someone else needs me more…"
There was a knock at the front door.
"Ryou-kun…" came Bakura's voice. He appeared a second later behind Shizuka. "As much as I want you all to resolve this, Ithought I should let you know… you're sister's at the door."
Ryu: Okay, flame all you want. I did so horrible in this chapter. Everything went so fast, bad choice of dialogue, just everything. And Bakura… I know he's been kind of funny the last two chapters but that's because I haven't featured him nearly as much so I haven't really done anything with memory lapses. But don't worry; he's still got SMLD.
Well, I guess it'll do, I may replace it later. In case most of you forgot, the next chapter won't come from me but from Adva Atreyu, winner of m DM trivia. Adva, you can either write out the chapter fully and send it to me in an e-mail OR just sent me an e-mail or leave in a review an outline of everything that you want to happen and I'll do the actually writing (I'd prefer you send it in an e-mail so no one else peeks at it while reading my few reviews, but it's up to you).
Well, I apologize for the bad work on this chapter. As my relationship picks up more my life will pick up more, including my writing. By the time chapter 14 rolls around I'll be either much better or plotting my own death (not kidding), we'll see. Till then, ja or now.
PS: Current total hits - 1404