Disclaimer: Just own the words, not the folks.

Leaving For The Coast

I wonder that he never tires of seeing my scarred form.

I know he enjoys taking me from behind, but I don't know how he can stand to see them, the burns. Part of Gozaboro's legacy left on my skin. I forget about them until he's behind me. Even the exquisite feel of him inside me can't quell the raging torrent of emotions from knowing he's seeing them.

"Seto," he pants, firmly gripping my waist and thrusting erratically. He'll be done soon, having teased and tortured himself for many minutes after bringing me to climax. I love feeling him lose control like this. Love knowing I can drive him into such a frenzy. But despite that, I can't help my mind wandering to wonder what does he see in me when I know he's looking at those scars.

At his cry of completion, my mind returns to the juncture between us, reveling in his eruption into me. He pulls out with a shudder and we fall over on our sides, his arms holding me possessively, and his face right between the rows of cigar burns.

"I love you," he mumbles between them. It's too much. I pull away.

"Koi?" he calls, obvious distress in his voice.

"Shower," I mumble, heading into the bathroom.

I stand beneath the water and let the sobs wrack my body. What is he doing? Doesn't he know how much danger he's in? I can't…I can't do this. As much as I want to, I know I can't be happy with Atem. I'll tell him that I'm going back tomorrow.

This was his big plan, to run, to just leave Gozaboro and all of his crap behind and start a new life together. And I missed and love him so much that I wanted to believe we could do it. But we can't. I can't escape my father even if I wanted to.

After the limo dropped us off that day at some non-descript small office in the suburbs, he laid out his plan.

Where we'd live:

His parents had purchased a home for him under a false name on the other side of Japan.

The getaway:

Of course, he'd created a false identity for me as well. I would die my hair black, put in the green contacts he'd already gotten for me and take a train to a point 200 miles away from our final destination. Katsuya's girlfriend's niece would pick me up and drive me to a point 100 miles closer where Atem would meet me for another train ride. To add to the scheme, I told him about the money I'd been squirreling away for the last five years, which we could live off of for a while.

It was all very elaborate and well thought out and, in the end, worked like a charm. I drove to work one day, stopped at a random gas station and never looked back. We had a month of bliss before reality set in for me. I knew the longer I stayed away, the angrier my father would be and I didn't know what he would do once he found us.

And he would find us.

Atem had no concept of the man I knew. Gozaboro would stop everything just to find and punish me for such insolence and disobedience.

But maybe if I went back now, I could lessen the severity. I could say that I just needed to get away for a while. Escape. He's always thought he could break my will, maybe I could show just enough throat to make him think he'd succeeded enough to force me to run.

I could force him to lock me away for a while and them maybe he'd believe me.

I'll do whatever is necessary to keep Atem out of harm's way.

"Seto," he calls through the bathroom door, "please let me in."

I'd locked the door so I could grieve for this loss in peace. Maybe he won't be able to tell how much I hurt since the shower has washed away any evidence of my tears. I can hide anything else inside.

Turning off the water, I climb from the tub and open the door. Crimson bores into me as I dry off.

"I'm sorry, Yoshi," I mumble into the towel as I dry my face and hair.

A long pause.

"I'm going back with you, Seto," he announces.

"No, Yoshi," I reply, soberly, not at all surprised that he already knew my plans. Atem's uncanny ability to seemingly know my every though and feeling stopped amazing me sometime ago.

"And when we go back," he continues as though I hadn't spoken, "you're moving in with me. Your home is no longer the Kaiba Mansion."

"Yoshi…"

"It's settled. I'll shower and we'll start packing." He shoves me and my damp towel into our bedroom and closes the bathroom door.

As easy as he can read me, I have no ability in that area with him. To risk his safety for me is foolish. How can I make him understand that?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After several very heated arguments and my finally leaving him in the middle of the night, we still wind up back here in Domino living together in a large apartment outside of the city.

I couldn't sway him from his decision to be with me 'no matter what'.

My first day back at work after a 64-day absence went pretty smoothly. As did my second. And my third. By the 10th day of silence from my father, I'd stopped eating properly. By the 14th, I'd stopped sleeping. By the 20th, I wouldn't let Atem near me.

Gozaboro had to know what his indifference would do to me. He knows I don't believe for a moment that he's happy with all that's happened, or even accepting. I know he's planning a retaliation of some sort. I just wish he'd get it over with.

What's the saying? Be careful what you wish for?

I wouldn't let Yoshi leave the house unless it was with me, or one of the bodyguards I trusted implicitly from years of personal service. Ever.

So when his brother calls me in a panic saying he hasn't shown up for their lunch date, I leave work immediately, calling his bodyguard for the day as I speed home.

I nearly crash my car when my father's voice answers.

"I told you to stay away from him, Seto," he sneers and then hangs up.

I pull over and jump from my car, getting sick all over someone's manicured front lawn.

The next four days are agony as I sit in our apartment waiting to get the call that his body has been discovered. Instead, I get something almost as bad.

Late the forth night, I've collapsed from exhaustion on the couch in our living room, when a loud thump awakens me, followed by a painful moan. Throwing open our apartment door, I find my Yoshi. He's a beaten, bloody mess, but he's alive.

I remember calling the ambulance. I remember my relief at the hospital upon hearing he hadn't been…violated. And then nothing until Valon wakes me days later.

"This is getting to be a habit that I'm not fond of repeating," he grimaces as I sit up from my bed, IV in my arm. I guess the weeks of abuse to my body and those four days I stayed up finally caught up with me.

"Yoshi?" I mumble groggily.

Valon's silence frightens me.

"Is-is he…" I can't bring myself to say it.

"No," he assures, "but I don't think you'll ever see him again. His family came and picked up his things the day before yesterday."

Of course. Why would they leave him here with me where he'd be in danger of being beaten again?

I told him to stay away from me! I told him! Why wouldn't he listen? And now…

I hang my head in shame, knowing the pain I've caused him and his family. But it's all over now. He can't be foolish enough to come back to me again. I just hope he realizes that because I can't make him stay away. I have no will power when it comes to him. Anything he asks, I have to do.

"Please don't come back, Yoshi," I whisper as a prayer.

"What did you say?" Valon inquires.

Valon. How'd he get here? I'm sure I didn't call him. And Yoshi's in no shape to. So who…?

"Why are you here, Valon?" I question, looking up at him.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"Your father called me."

"WHAT!"

"A little over two weeks ago. He didn't say anything was wrong, just wanted to know if I'd heard from you. Of course I said no, then planned to head back here as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the earliest I could get away from work was Monday. When I got here to the apartment, you were passed out in the floor. It's a good thing you sent me that key. Who knows how long you'd have lain there.

"I called one of your personal doctors listed in your cell and he came over and checked you out, setting up the IV and arranging for a nurse to stay around the clock. She's around here somewhere."

"Have you seen Yoshi," I ask as I attempt to digest all he's told me. Why did my father call him? What else is going on?

"Not yet, though I've gotten the impression that I'm not any more welcome than you are. And I know they moved him from Domino Memorial."

"Idiots. That's the best hospital in the area. Whatever they feel about me, they should care more about their son's recovery. Do you know where he is now?"

"Kyoto General."

"They took him that far away?"

"Actually, they moved there."

I narrow my eyes at him.

"How the hell do you know all this?"

"A sympathetic ear. Two of them actually."

"What are you talking about?"

"Katsuya's girlfriend and her niece. The niece left me her cell phone number. I called her yesterday and spoke to her and Katsuya's girlfriend. Did you know she and Katsuya live with his parents and that she's having a baby?"

"No. Katsuya must be very happy."

I don't want to talk about this anymore. I don't want to hear about Atem's family or anything more about my lost love.

"I'm tired, Valon," I mumble. "Maybe we could talk later."

"You know, that lie didn't work the first time you told it, but I'll let you slide. You've had a rough week."

A rough month.

"Fine," I mumble, turning away from him and folding myself in the covers, careful not to pull out the IV. I'll sleep some more. Rest. Get my strength back. I'll need it to function without Yoshi.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I don't know why anything my Yoshi does surprises me anymore.

The four-day business trip had taken a lot out of me so when I walked into my apartment at 6:30 in the morning after getting off of the red-eye from Nagasaki, all I wanted to do was take a shower and go to bed. I dropped my coat, laptop and briefcase on the living room floor, shedding the rest of my clothes on my way into the bathroom.

The hot water beating on my head, neck and shoulders felt heavenly. I dried off and stumbled nude into my bed.

Something touching me startled me from my heavy slumber and I cried out as I awoke.

"Shhh, it's just me," he purred into my ear.

I snatched away and fell out of the bed. He laughed as though nothing was wrong. As though he hadn't been beaten severely for being with me. As though we hadn't been apart for the last two months.

"Yoshi…"

"I'm not leaving and we're not going to talk about it," he declared sternly. "Now come back to bed."

He flipped back the covers and opened his arms.

I crawled into them willingly.