Well, here's the last chapter. Well, okay, not the last chapter. I have one more surprise, and it won't take two years to post it either. Heh.
Please read the notes! Before or after you read the chapter.
Nobody had anyway questions, like if something didn't make sense (Example: People kept asking why Joey suddenly knows French. 'Cause you know, that's so impossible. Or why Marik/Malik/Ryou/Bakura/Yami had problems with being chibi for longer. Those kinds of things). I know there are things, and hopefully I've answered the things I've caught myself, but if you find something, let me know. Private message me, email me, leave it in a review, I don't care which way. Thanks!
Thanks for reading.
Just wanted to point out that, yes, it did become very Bakura-centric. (Not sure which Bakura you meant, but yeah, I agree). It's 'cause my interest in the characters changed. When I first began to write this story, Ryou/Yami Bakura hadn't even been introduced yet, so Yugi and Yami were my 'favourite' characters. That obviously changed…twice. (cough, Malik/Marik, cough) So yeah…sorry if that upset anyone.
….and why do people always think I'm going to kill someone?
Chibi Yami Bakura: Ah…'cause you usually do stupid.
Chapter Forty-Eight
It's Over!!!….or is it?
- - -
The sun rose and the world turned as it did everyday and life began to awaken. In the Motou household, it was no different.
A boy with beautiful light lavender eyes and soft blonde hair smiled contently as the arm around his waist tightened slightly. The boy grinned as he cuddled closer to the warm body spread along his own.
Lavender opened at the same time as steel blue. The two forms were silent for a few moments as they both took the time to remember their time as children.
Seto was the first speak and move as he gently brushed a few soft strands of hair from Malik's eyes. "I would have kept my promise of being your friend even if you'd stayed a child, but I'm glad that you've grown…" He trailed off.
Malik was touched by the sincerity of those whispered words. "Why's that?" He whispered back to the 'cold-hearted' CEO.
"Because I'd feel dirty telling a mere child how beautiful they looked first thing in the morning." Came the reply.
Malik blushed darkly. Nobody had ever told him something like that before, and he doubted that Seto had said something like that too many people. "Thanks…" Was the only thing the Egyptian could utter.
"Do you remember a lot?" Seto wondered as he could recall Malik being younger than himself. He could also remember everything, and he didn't mind the fact that his…yes, he could call them friends now, had seen him as a child. At first, he'd wanted to keep that part of him private, but perhaps, it wasn't so bad.
"Some things." Malik seemed to think. "I mostly remember Marik…and you. I vaguely remembered the tomb robber and the pharaoh…Ryou and Yugi too…and why can I remember elephants and dinosaurs?" He asked, confused.
Seto chuckled to himself as he pulled the body closer for warmth. "All in good time. We took enough pictures, hopefully they'll fill in the blanks." He settled down with who he felt was his 'best friend'. "You know, a week ago, this would have been one of my worst nightmares." He confessed.
Malik yawned softly, nuzzling his nose against Seto's neck. "The one just a little less scarier than waking up next to a naked pharaoh?" He wondered, closing his eyes.
"Yes, that one." Seto closed his eyes as well, but not for long. He opened his eyes and narrowing them in sudden shock as he looked beneath the covers. "Naked?"
Soft brown eyes blinked opened sleepily as Ryou Bakura slowly woke up. Confusion clouded his blurry vision for a few moments as he found his yami cuddling with the pharaoh. He smiled softly, however, when the memories caught up to him. He even giggled to himself at a few of them.
A crimson eye opened at the sound. "It would seem your light remembers a few things." The deep sound of the king caused Ryou to look at him.
"Apparently not his current position." Yami Bakura muttered as he buried his head under the covers.
Confused, Ryou looked down at his 'bed'. Emerald eyes met his as a nose bumped a nose.
"Hi." The dark haired youth grinned sleepily.
"Duke!" Ryou gasped as he sat up, startled. Realizing the situation to its fullest extent, he pulled himself back down, blushing crimson. "I'm naked." He whispered.
Duke laughed softly, "Very naked." He stated, fixing the blanket and tucking it around them.
Groaning, Ryou buried his face within Duke's shirt with embarrassment. "Oh god…" He whimpered.
Duke just grinned and ran a hand through the messy white hair. "Don't worry about it kiddo, go back to sleep. Everybody can talk about it later." He promised.
Ryou glanced up through his bangs, "But…I'm naked." He muttered.
"So are we, now shut up and go to sleep." Yami Bakura growled from inside his cocoon. "Yugi went to find our clothes, don't worry about it."
Sighing, Ryou shrugged. "Fine." He lay his head back down to try to sleep a little more.
Joey sighed as he tried to stay asleep. Consciousness could be so annoying at times, especially the times when he was awake. Groaning to himself as he tried to block out the light that shined against his closed eyelids, he flopped onto his other side and proceeded to bury himself in blankets.
Suddenly, he seemed to remember where Marik had fallen asleep and jumped back, hoping he hadn't squished the little boy. To his slight relief, he found the bed empty. "Marik?" He wondered, turning over so he was facing the window. The blonde mortal's eyes widened as he spotted the full-grown spirit fast asleep in a rocking chair.
A smile tugged at the corners of Joey's mouth as he spotted the Serpent Night Dragon resting comfortably behind the spirit's body and the small D. Human plushie held protectively under a tanned arm. Joey idly wondered if Marik's experience as a child had changed him at all. Aside from the cuddling with stuffed toys part.
A pain suddenly stabbed at Joey's heart.
He'd never see Chibi Marik again, and while that meant that all the chibis were back to normal, Joey was going to miss the small boy who had unknowingly stolen his heart.
All the while Joey thought back, Marik's eyes had opened and he sat silently watching the human from his spot. He remembered everything; from the cold rainy night he'd been on the bus with a grown pharaoh and tomb robber, to being yelled at by his other half over Seto Kaiba.
But most importantly, he remembered someone telling him that they loved him.
Amber eyes turned to look at him again and noticed he was awake. "How much…?" Joey trailed off, not needing to finish his sentence.
Marik smiled softly, "Everything." He replied to the incomplete question. "Thank you."
The blonde just grinned, "Any time man! Hey, now that everything's back to normal you and Malik can make up properly. How long have you been together anyway?" He wondered.
The spirit looked confused, "Malik and I? Together? What in the Shadows are you talking about?" He tilted his head.
Joey blinked, now he was confused. "Weren't you and Malik…together?" Marik actually chuckled as he shook his head. "Everyone was so sure…why not?"
The Egyptian yami shrugged, "I'd never want to corrupt my light, or ruin the already unstable relationship we have." He mumbled softly as he turned to look out the window.
"Don't be silly." Joey shook his head as Marik got up and moved to the bed, at least the yami had gotten dressed.
"But it's true." Marik began.
Joey was about to open his mouth when the door opened and a naked Seto and an equally naked Malik – (Joey doubted that Marik would corrupted Malik, it would probably be the other way around) – ran into the room and both teenagers took a flying leap onto the bed.
"Ow! That was my stomach!" Marik hissed.
"Eek! That was lower than my stomach!" Joey whimpered.
"Aww, you put clothes on, spoil sport." Malik pouted, as he looked at his other.
"Quit whining puppy. You like it." Seto smirked.
Malik wrapped his arms around Marik's neck and he hugged the spirit tightly. "Hikari?" The yami asked as he sat up, pulling Malik with him.
Malik looked up at him and smiled, "You can corrupt me anytime you want Marik, multiple times, in any position." He grinned evilly.
Seto snorted, covering up his own laughter, "Show some tact, Ishtar." He teased as he pulled the blankets up around himself as he cuddled against Joey's side.
Malik stuck his tongue out at the CEO. "Shove it Kaiba." His voice was light, "If you waited as long as I've waited to hear your other half even hint at his feelings for you, tact would be the last thing on your mind." He giggled as Marik buried his face against Malik's neck, tickling the mortal with his hair.
Thudding and bumping suddenly game from the hallway. All four figures jumped and turned around as the door burst opened and the light was finally turned on.
"Yami!" Yugi's voice yelled form the hallway.
"Bakura!" Ryou's voice wasn't far behind.
"Put some clothes on!" They both shouted together.
A naked pharaoh and a naked tomb robber plunked themselves on the end of the bed, both grinning madly. They glanced up at their miffed lights when the two joined them.
Yami Bakura pouted, "But Ryou," He whined, "Malik's naked!"
"Seto too!" Yami chimed.
Ryou's eyes narrowed, "If Malik or Seto jumped off a building, would you jump off too?" He crossed his arms.
The two spirits hesitated.
"Possibly." Yami Bakura shrugged.
"Improbable, but not impossible." Yami replied a moment after.
Ryou threw his hands up in the air in defeat.
Yugi flopped down in the chair by the window. "So it's finally over." He smiled, looking at all his friends.
"Thank Ra!" Yami sighed, leaning against Yami Bakura's back as the thief leaned against him. The two tried to look exhausted.
"It had its moments." The tomb robber confessed as he pulled Ryou into his lap, Ryou gathering a blanket around the thief as they settled.
Ryou rested his head against his yami's shoulder. "A lot of things would have never happened if that spell had never been found." He smiled as Yami Bakura wrapped his arms around the smaller body.
"How much does everyone remember anyway?" Yugi wondered as he maneuvered the Serpent Night Dragon to a more comfortable spot.
Ryou giggled, "I remember a certain yami playing match maker."
Yugi blushed, "And I remember that same yami was upset because he couldn't have sex with his four year old light."
Yami Bakura growled, clutching to his light, "That wasn't what that certain yami was upset about!" He pouted, "That certain yami was upset about the fact that he'd never see Ryou so carefree again." He confessed.
Everyone was silent at the heartfelt words, until Yami snorted, "Or Ryou so naked again."
Ryou's eyes went wide, "Bakura? What is he talking about?" He seemed to shrink into the blanket.
Everybody looked at him in confusion. "You don't remember?" Marik finally broke the silence.
Ryou only shook his head.
"Uh…" Malik began, "Ryou, it seems that as a child, you have an extreme dislike for clothes."
"But not a dislike for stripping and running around naked." Marik continued.
The white haired boy's eyes grew even wider than before and he blushed, "I supposed I should have mentioned that." He muttered, relaxing. He had been a kid after all.
Yami Bakura breathed a sigh of relief, ecstatic at the fact that his light wasn't mad at him and wouldn't cut him off.
/ I heard that. / Yami Bakura chocked at his light's mental voice. / Heh. Guess now that the spell's gone, our link is open…not that it ever really was before… / There was a hint of sadness there that the spirit didn't like.
// It will never be closed again. // The tomb robber vowed, feeling happiness tickle Ryou's side of the connection.
Mean while Yugi had turned to his own darker half. "You were a spoiled brat." He stated calmly.
Yami looked sheepish. "I did warn you."
The small boy raised an eyebrow. "You just made me promise to continue to love you after – which I still do, by the way – you didn't warn me about the flour, Mokuba's hair, the butterflies, the slaves – any of it."
Yami, the royal ex-pharaoh himself, stuck out his bottom lip and batted his eyes playfully at the other. "Forgive me?"
Yugi laughed, "Of course! But only if you'll tell me about your past!"
On the quieter side of the bed, Marik, Malik, Joey and Seto watched their friends. They were comfortable with the silence and amused at the scene.
"Ah, guys?" A voice spoke from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Mokuba standing there, looking a little worried, but amused at the same time. "There's a problem." He explained when everyone had turned to him.
"Don't tell me Duke turned into a chibi." Joey muttered.
Ryou blushed, "He was completely full grown when we left him." He glared as Yami, Yugi and Yami Bakura snickered at him.
"What's the problem, Mokuba?" Seto asked.
His brother grinned, "Well, you see, Yugi, Ryou, Joey and you were all wearing your decks when the spell was read…"
"Yes, and?" The elder Kaiba prompted.
"See, there's the problem. Uh, Duke?" The boy moved away from the door and Duke appeared…carrying a dragon.
"That looks like a Blue Eyes." Joey commented (because the fact that it was a real live DRAGON didn't seem to concern him much.)
Seto's eyes went wide, "It is a Blue Eyes!"
"Yeah." Duke nodded, "And right now, two more of these guys, along with a chibi Dark Magician, a Change of Heart, a Dark Necrofear, the Osiris, and even Obelisk, not to mention a chibi Baby Dragon, are all demanding to be fed in the kitchen."
Marik felt his other stiffen.
"Oh sweet mother of – fuck!" Malik jumped from the bed and ran out of the room.
"Malik?" Yugi called, "What's wrong?"
Malik appeared, having found his pants, and was currently trying to pulled a shirt on over his head. "Spell, deck, my house! Winged Dragon of Ra!" He puffed out as he managed to get the shirt on. With that he ran down the stairs.
Everyone looked at everyone else, and then decided to follow – Yami, Seto and Yami Bakura dressing quickly.
"You aren't going to go see how much damage a Chibi Ra will do?" Joey asked, not having moved from his spot.
Marik, who hadn't moved either, just shrugged, "Not my house. And someone has to take care of the starving chibis in the kitchen."
The two were quiet for a moment, and then Joey cleared his throat. "I meant what I said Marik." He began. "About…about loving you. I mean."
The Egyptian spirit smiled as he picked at the bedspread shyly, "Nobody has ever told me that they loved me before. It felt nice. Thanks."
Joey grinned, amazed that the 'psycho' could be shy. "Heh. You're welcome." He winced when a crash was heard from the main floor. "We should probably go see about those chibis, huh?"
Marik looked at him, "What happened to Yugi's grandfather?" He wondered.
Amber eyes blinked then grew wide. "Aw, shit."
- - -
So…I do hope you read the author's notes at the beginning, heh.