Disclaimer: # sigh # Don't own YGO, or the lyrics to 'Open Your Eyes' by AlterBridge, just my own characters.
A/N: Heehee! I'm back OMG, THE 100 REVIEW MARK ALREADY? HOLY SHIT, I LOVE YOU ALL! Uh ok………… too much coffee again # sweatdrop #. Anyways, here I am again….. meh, not much to say at the moment just……… you know COFFEE RULES! # runs around in a circle singing the 'I love coffee' song # Wow, my head is filled with really random shit ne? Ok then………. shout-outs:
loathed wolf spirit: Honestly women, I'm not that amazing, lol. Actually, my paragraph structure sucks... anyways, I hope we can chat again soon! oh, and don'tforget to check "Open My Eyes' when you get a chance. Anyways, love ya!
CRAZYABOUTANIME: Um...dude, Sekka's not a safe person to admire, lol. And yes, if only all men were like Yami...wait, then they wouldn't be men lmao! Anyways, hope ya like the chapter girl!
Crystal56: Ahhhhhh, my loyal reader # hug# good to see you. Anyways, glad to see that you liked teh insight teh Sekka's life, I would help explain her character more and why she's well...a little 'disturbed'. Anyways, hope you like this chapter too.
WolfOfShadow: Hey, no sweat on a short review, I'm just glad ur reviewing at all! Anyways, hope you like this chapter as well...probably will...wait, gettign ahead of myself here, lol.
InsaneShadowFan: Hello new person! Ok, without trying to sound well...meish, lol, what do you mean by cliched? I'm sorry, but I've hard to make it not that way, but no matter, the ending won't be, I can gaureentee that. And as for the cuss words - that's merely Sekka's character, which at teh begining, was trashy, but as she changes, so do her language and actions. Anyways, hope you like this chapter.
serpent-vampfreak: OMG ur alive! # glomp # you had me worries there for awhile, lol. Anyways, glad to see your back, and try to stay outta trouble! Anyways, hope you like this chpater to!
GothPoetofDarkness15: I am updating - what the hell do ya call this? lol. Anyways, gotta say it again - love the name! Anyways, you like this chapter!
Alright, with that said I give you chapter 15 # bows and walks off stage #
# Runs back out onto stage as characters start assembling # Opps, heehee I just uh……. Forgot my coffee cup # grabs coffee cup and runs off stage again # # characters stare oddly # Ok, Ok here we go:
Like Petals From A Rose
Chapter 15
Rejection and Acceptance
Five days passed by as if a dream, blurring with reality and weaving it's own tale.
It would be a pity that that sweet dream would came to an abrupt halt.
Friday evening when we were upstairs, him chatting to Joey on MSN, and me writing a new poem that I intended for it to never see daylight.
"Joey says hi." Yami said out of the blue, eyes locked to the screen.
"Tell him he's a loser." I replied with a grin. Me and Joey had actually started to get pretty friendly over the past couple of weeks. It was strange because, when I was…….. well……. the way I was, I had hated Joey with the same passion that I had hated everyone who was popular.
Before he had been a loud obnoxious baka with a near feral appetite.
Now, I actually got along with the moron. And I mean moron in the friendliest way possible for me. Yami's fingers tapped on the keys and he laughed at the reply which Joey sent.
Looking back I clearly see
What it is that's killing me
"He says I love you too." I laughed at this too and grinned, walking over to the computer and typing me own message which was simply # glomp # Love ya too # Hits Arcade Maniac over the head with mallet and blows a kiss # I pressed enter, using his MSN nickname instead of his real name.
He sent back the action of seeing birds around his head, following suit with my cartoony actions.
When the door opened and closed, I thought nothing at all of it. Why would I pay such attention to a common household noise.
A knock on the door a few moments later, however, jeered me from the now three-way instant message conversation. The butler - whose name I had learned, was William - opened the door, instantly gaining our attention.
"Ya Will?" I said. Again, he had taken a likeness to me. Maybe because he saw that Yami was actually dating a real person and some phony, robotic, 100-pound sack of silicone.
Through the eyes of one I know
I see a vision once let go
I had it all
"Master Yami's mother and father have arrived from their vacation and are waiting downstairs." These simple words sent the feeling of a cold bucket of ice in my stomach.
"Thanks-you William." Yami replied and waited till he was gone before signing off MSN and turning to me.
"Wait here." He said softly. "It's best if I announce you properly instead of you just coming down right off the bat." I nodded weakly and watched him disappear to another part of this castle of a home.
I don't know how long he was, but I know that I was pacing back and forth nervously the entire time. I glanced in the mirror, straightened by shirt, my pants, brushed out my long brown hair and returned to pacing, only to do the same thing five seconds later.
This process repeated itself about seven more times before Yami re-appeared in the doorway. He looked nervous.
Bad sign.
"So?" I asked nervously. I felt like a fucking rabbit in a trap, needless to say, I didn't like the feeling at all.
"Come on." He said, leading me out of the room, down one hall that felt a mile long, past another turn and finally to the top of the stairs.
"Yami I-"
"Just relax." He whispered from behind me, his breath flowing over my neck, making me give an involuntary shiver. "You'll be fine." I took a deep breath, placed my hand on the rail, and began walking down the stairs in the most dignified was possible - Which probably made me look like a goddamn sewer rat next to Yami.
Constantly it burdens me
Hard to trust and can't believe
Lost the faith and lost the love
When the day is done
Over the years I've learned that when someone first lays on you, you can see their true thoughts shine through for just an instant before they mask it, quickly regaining their role on the stage of lies known as life.
I had seen glimpses of many things at me.
Lust, hatred, fury.
But never in all my life had I seen emotions burn so clean as now.
'Get away from us.' Her eyes said. 'Your not one of us and never will be so turn tail and leave now.' And I knew that if she were looking for the telltale glimpse of truth in my eyes, she would have seen three emotions clearly - doubt, apprehension, and finally, pride.
I forced a smile at her.
"Konban wa, ogenki desu ka Moto-san? Good Evening, how are you Mrs. Moto. " I asked, trying my best to be as polite as I could, which I was finding very hard under her hard stare. At least I had remembered to use to respecting term for her name.
"Fine." She replied swiftly. "I didn't catch your name." I would have expected her to show the same courtesy that I had shown her in referring to me as 'Ojousan', the respectable term for someone else's daughter, instead she had said no terms for me at all.
If there had been any chance in hell that I could have came up with a fake name that had even the shadow of a chance at being believable, trust me, I would have used it without a second thought.
I knew that she would probably have heard Yami's ex's talking about me - the rumors that might have reached her ears.
"Sekka." I said, trying not to falter, to keep my face a mask of calmness and confidence. "Sekka Tate." The moment my last name rolled of my tongue I saw that flash again, but this time it was yelling something else entirely.
'Slut!' It yelled. 'Get my son ten feet away from that walking piece of trash.'
She turned to her son, rebuking me entirely.
"Yami, can I talk with you for minute?" She asked sweetly, but I knew that there was nothing sweet about the women except for her fake sugar.
Yami nodded and followed his mother into a different room, his father in toe.
And here I was, standing here thinking 'See ya decent life it's been good to know ya.' If I wasn't so worried at the moment, I would have found that funny.
I nervously glanced at William before flicking my gaze back at his mother just as she rounded the corner and vanished from my sight.
Will they open their eyes
And realize we are one
On and on we stand alone
I heard voices, soft at first and then growing into what sounded like - and was likely to be - an argument. William left the room, clearly sensing the danger signs.
I, however, didn't have that luxury at the moment.
The voices got even loud enough so that I could hear them from were I was standing, and frankly, I wish I hadn't.
"What the hell were you thinking Yami? Bringing that women into our house! Our friends would have a fit if they knew that! And bringing her to school in the same car! How am I ever supposed to show my face in public again?" Yami's reply to that was exactly what I was thinking in my own mind.
"By not hiding behind your facade and money mother." He replied dryly.
"She's trash Yami, you should hear what their saying about that wretch!"
Until our day has come
When they open their eyes
And realize we are one
The words could have hit me like a physical blow.
The past was the past, and yet, always it was destined to haunt you, label you, even when the labeled was long dead and gone.
I both hated myself and loved myself as I stood there listening their argument.
The love for becoming what I was, a civil girl in love, and hated myself for the women I had been.
I love the way I feel today
But how I know the sun will fade
"She's not that way!" Yami's voice raised a little, signaling that he was angry. In a way I was glad let him defend me, I thought, let him make them understand me.
"A tiger can't change it's stripes." I didn't have to see Yami to feel the anger radiating off him like an oven that even I could feel from a separate room.
For a minute, I was again hurt, and I didn't realize that I reached of for the shoulder with the initials until I felt my skin against the scars.
A tiger can't change it's strips
But what if the tiger was dead after giving birth to young……….what then? Would that tiger still have the same strips? The same weakness?
Darker days seem to be
What will always live in me
But still I run
The words continued until a new voice entered deep and masculine. I could only assume it was his father.
I wanted to block out the words and rush into the fight all in one.
I wanted to run in and say 'Look at me! Do I look her? Do I look like a wretch. I'm no different then you!', but of course, I didn't.
And then the fear and shadows of doubt crept upon me like a disease.
What if they never understood my story - Yami sure as hell wasn't going to tell them, I knew that was a given - what if I was always Sekka The Hooker in their eyes?
Would they rip him away from me?
Would he stay with them, his family?
I didn't want him to leave, but I would selfish to tear him from the ones that had raised him since birth, making me wonder why he wasn't as shallow and materialistic as they. Maybe he was the black sheep too.
It's hard to walk this path alone
Hard to know which way to go
Will I ever save this day
Will it ever change
Their words floated over to me again, muffled. They must have moved further away from me.
Stay put, I told myself whenever the thought of getting up and hunting them down arose, believe me, your better off not knowing.
If only I had listened.
Then, that old spark of Tate pride that was practically bred into my bones ignited and before I knew it, my feet were moving, following their obscure voices.
They got louder and louder, fueling me only more, but I stopped dead with the next words, not even completely reaching the door.
Will they open their eyes
And realize we are one
"How dare you bring that whore into my house? And providing her with clothes? Well I guess her old ones would hardly have been appropriate, know would they?"
"Mother-"
"Don't even begin to tell me that she isn't the way they say. Everyone in the neighborhood has see that girl get into cars filled with men that drive off and return a few hours later. It's happened right outside the school!"
I covered my mouth and willed myself not to say anything, although I felt I might start crying and give myself away.
Still today we carry on
I know our day will come
When they open their eyes
And realize we are one
How could she sit there and shoot off her mouth like she knew me?
That bitch didn't know the first thing about me or the way I was!
"Son-"
"Don't." His voice was hard, angry. "I've heard all I want to." He made for the door, but his father stopped him.
"I know what it's like to be a teenager and have hormones, but picking up those kind of girls isn't the right way to go about getting what you want."
"Yes." His mother agreed instantly. "They'll suck everything out of you, your money and kindness most of all. After that, they'll go spreading their legs for a new man. That girl that you have here is a slut, get rid of her while you have the chance."
That was it, I couldn't hold this in anymore.
If I didn't get out of here now, I was going to do something I would seriously regret in the long run.
I tried to hold back the tears that threatened to suffocate me, but a small sob escaped anyway.
Instantly Yami's head snapped up, his gaze colliding with mine.
And then I ran.
Without even looking back I turned tail and ran without so much as a clue to where I was going. Somehow I found my way to the back door, throwing it open and running into the cold night air which felt like the arctic against the wetness of my tears.
Will they open their eyes
And realize we are one
(its hard to walk this path alone
hard to know which way to go)
"Sekka!" I turned to his frame silhouetted by the light coming from the door which he hadn't bothered to close.
I didn't say anything, or more to the point, couldn't say anything past the sobs that were closing off my windpipe.
"Sekka, don't listen to them! They don't know shit about you." If I hadn't been so distressed I probably would have fainted at his colorful language.
I turned into his chest, holding onto him, preying that I wouldn't have to let go.
"Come on." He said, reaching into his pocket and producing keys. "Were going." My head snapped up, staring at his face with was set with a delicate mixture of fury and determination.
"What?" I said, unable to believe my own ears.
"Get in the car - were leaving."
"But where? What-" I stumbled over my own words in shock.
"It doesn't matter, come on." He lead me to the car and practically threw me into the passengers seat. He started the engine and sped out of the driveway so hard that gravel flew from the back tires. We saw his mother leaning out the front door, but he didn't look back.
I wanted to tell him to stop, to turn back and rejoin his family, my mouth seemed to be sealed shut.
Finally, after a heavy argument with myself, I found my voice.
Will they open their eyes
and realize we are one
(lost the faith and lost the love when the day is done)
"Yami stop!" I yelled, and he instantly slammed the breaks, almost sending me through the fucking windshield.
"What?"
"Turn back." I said, and unbuckled my belt. "Go back with your family." I wasn't going to let him destroy his entirely family over me. I knew what it was like to have a divided family and knowing that you couldn't go back to save your soul.
I opened the door and stepped out into the warming night.
"Sekka!"
"I'm not going to destroy your entire household." I answered as I began walking back towards the main of the city. I didn't want to go, but I didn't want to destroy his life either.
I had destroyed one to many lives already.
"Sekka come back here!" He called, running after me. I didn't reply, in fact, I didn't even know just how close he was until his hand gently grabbed my arm, forcing me to look at him.
"I don't care about them." He said, his voice a deadly calm. "I never really did after I learned that if it came to image or money over me, I wouldn't stand a chance."
"But I don't want to make you go away from them! Their your family for God's sake!"
"Come on." He said, gently leading me back to the car, his hand pressed against my back. "Let's go."
And like a lamb leading a fellow lamb to the slaughter, I followed his lead until I safely back in the car.
"Where are we going?"
"Joey's." He answered without the slightest hesitation. "His parents are nothing like mine."
The rest of the way was in silence, but I could still feel the cold fury radiating from him. In a way, it scared me.
We pulled into the driveway ten minutes later and knocked on the door, their butler showing us in and announcing us properly. Not two minutes, I was tackled in the middle by a little auburn streak.
"Sekka!" She yelled, laughing then looking up at me with her brother's brown eyes. "I haven't seen since school!" I grinned down at Joey's little sister, instantly feeling better about the whole night. Serenity had a way of doing that to everyone around her when she smiled at you with that child-like innocence that was almost amazing for a fifteen year old girl just entering high school.
"Hey, how's it going?" But the answer never came as Joey came down the stairs, his voice blaring like a foghorn at four in the morning - in other words, completely annoying, but I couldn't help but smile. As much as I hated it, this monkey was my friend.
"Hey Joey."
"What the hell are you guys doing here this late?"
"My mother met Sekka." Instantly Joey's face wrinkled in dislike.
"That couldn't have gone well."
"Believe me." I groaned. "Not even in the same area good as 'going well'."
"Looks like your staying here tonight then." Serenity answered without hesitation. I smiled.
"Thanks." I answered, and before I knew it, she was practically dragging me upstairs to get me some clothes I could sleep in. "Serenity……..your smaller the me, I don't know if-" I might as well been talking to the wall for all the good my protests did.
She chose nice silk nightgown for me in white.
What was with this color and me?
I was thin…………. really thin, and only reached to my knees.
"Um…….Serenity, this is a little small………"
"Oh, no-one will see you in it, your just sleeping." She piped. Had this girl ever heard of decaf? I seriously had to wonder.
"But……"
"Here." She answered again, throwing me a bathrobe which I quickly wrapped around me.
"Thanks." She smiled and lead me back downstairs. "Serenity?" I asked her before we entered the room that the boys were in.
"Ya?"
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure." She answered with a sweet grin. As funny as this sounded, it was almost like a had Jo back. She wasn't tomboyish like Jo had been, but she had the same kind of air about her. Confident, sweet, so full of life.
At that thought, I didn't know whether to hug her or cry.
"Do you think that Yami…….." I fumbled for a minute. "Do you that me and Yami aren't good for each other, You know, me being the way I am and my background?" She smiled and shook her head.
"You shouldn't judge a book by it's cover." She answered quickly. "Even the most worn out and battered cover can contain a beautiful story."
Will they open their eyes
And realize we are one
I smiled and hugged her, willing myself not to cry with happiness that at last someone excepted me the way I was.
"Thank you." I whispered to her.
She beamed at me and without another word, lead me into the room.
A/N:
I know, kind of a crappy ending, but I liked the rest of the chapter! Next chapter I'm going to add a little sexual tension just because I'm evil! Heehee, coffee must not dance around again…… # twitch #, lol. Anyways, not much else to say except that I would love you forever if you left a pretty review! Just look at the button, ain't it pwetty? Ok, I'm just getting sad now, lol. Anyway # waves # see ya in the next chapter!