A/N: Here I am, again! :D
Chappie Two! xD
Summary: The Lights and Darks are separated from their counterparts after accepting a generous offer from Kaiba Seto. They find themselves on different parts of a continent with people they thought they hated. Will they survive and adapt to these new life changes, or will they all spontaneously combust from the light/dark within?
Disclaimer: I don't own Yugi or any other characters. xD If anything, if I were to own something, we all know it'd be Naruto. ;D But, we all know that I am not that brilliant. T^T I am not Kishimoto. xD SOOO, I do not own either. w
Warning: YAOI, meaning menxmen and such, BakuraxYugi and YamixRyou, language, mature intent, OCC-ness (personalities are backwards! Lights and Darks' personalities are reversed and such-ish!)
Surviving With You
Just as Bakura had said earlier, today was indeed a glorious day. There wasn't a cloud in sight, the sun was shining down on everyone, and birds were singing and chirping to another just as happily as one can be. What irritated Ryou about their present moment, however, was the fact that his so called 'boyfriend' would not let his elbow go as their little group of four walked down the sidewalks of Domino, heading for the nearest park. He knew that Bakura was in a typically bad mood, but what was with him and leading him about as if he were a mule? Was he not a Human being who could walk on his own? Was he not equal, in a sense, to Bakura? It was a no wonder that they were never able to stay in a relationship long enough to do anything with another-Bakura never gave him the chance to decide things on his own!
Speaking of decisions, Ryou glanced over his shoulder to his two friends following them along. Yugi's relationship with Yami seemed to be the exact opposite. Or, rather, perhaps they were similar? Yugi clearly wanted to do the same as Ryou-make decisions on his own, but Ryou could see the problem with Yami-the older teen was trying his hardest to keep Yugi from getting hurt. Everyone knew that Yami was a dedicated and loyal boyfriend, but sometimes he was just too determined to keep Yugi away from harm's way. He wouldn't let the kid make mistakes and learn from them-it was more like a parent and child relationship between the two rather than lovers/boyfriends. It was too… strained, in a way.
They loved each other dearly; Ryou could undoubtedly see that, but their love for another… It was more of a brotherly love. Nothing more, nothing less. And he didn't know how to… get them to see that. It'd be too awkward, and, knowing Yami, Ryou knew that he would take offense to what was best for them both. Or, let's revise that, Yami would take offense if Ryou were to let his opinion be known to the two. It would only cause problems and it would probably cause a drift in their friendships.
Glancing straight ahead at the back of Bakura's head, Ryou let his face show a look of utter frustration.
Yugi may hate the-, let's say, 'pampering' that Yami showers him with, but Ryou couldn't deny that he was slightly… jealous of him to an extent. Bakura… He showed affection every now and then in his own way when people weren't watching, but it just wasn't enough. Ryou found himself yearning for Bakura to treat him the way Yami could be treating Yugi if it weren't for their parent-child-like relationship. But what could he do? He wasn't about to go around upsetting his friends. Sure, he wasn't afraid of Bakura and his wrath-not like he used to be anyways, but he just didn't have it in him to hurt Yugi in the process of showing him that Yami wouldn't see him as anything but as a brother.
Then again… Ryou sighed. His thoughts probably sounded shallow. Was he a bad person for wanting something more, for wanting something that would mean heartache for his dear friends? Would Yugi feel heartache if ever Yami decided to give up on what wasn't meant to be?
Oh, crap, yeah, that really did sound shallow. Or... Petty.
Damn, now he was just confusing himself.
"Yami..?"
Ryou held the urge to glance over his shoulder again at the sound of Yugi's whispering voice. The younger teen sounded hesitant. But that had become normal in the past few months when they had come out as boyfriends. But what happened between them to make him grow so shy around Yami? Something must have happened because he was never this timid in the presence of Yami before the time they had started dating. Whatever happened, it made their relationship more strained, which was probably the only reason Ryou had become so… Involved, so observant and aware with how their relationship truly was.
"Yeah, Yugi?"
"Uhm… I-uh, I can hold the basket if you'd like…"
"It's fine. I've got it."
"But-, uhm, okay."
Ahead, Ryou heard Bakura scoff. He'd been listening just as Ryou had, though it wasn't like they couldn't hear the other couple's voices. They were in the same group, all walking close together. It was hard not to hear each other. What was surprising, however, was that Bakura didn't try to snipe at the ex-Pharaoh or anything like he normally does.
Ryou eyed the back of his boyfriend's head suspiciously. What was he planning? Was he up to something? It was hard to tell…
"Oi! Guys! I see ya, ya better slow the fuck down!" A teasing, obnoxiously loud voice sliced through the peaceful air, causing the group of four to stop in their tracks and look to their lefts. Across the street in front of the comic bookstore stood Joey waving like a maniac just coming out of the loony bin. He was wearing what he normally did (A/N: whatever that is, I can't think at the moment) while carrying a bag with the comic book store logo on it, showing the world that he had made a purchase.
"Joey!" Yugi yelled back in greeting, and Ryou looked back just in time to see the Shorty waving back at the other blond.
"Heya, Yuge!" Joey, after glancing side to side down the street to make sure there was no oncoming traffic, raced across the street towards the group, just grinning up a storm. "How are ya, bud? Haven't seen any of y'all in ages!" He exclaimed right as he reached them. He grabbed little Yugi into a head lock, rubbing the flailing teen's head affectionately. "What have y'all been up to, huh?"
"Trying to stay away from you," Ryou heard his boyfriend mutter, causing the nicer of the two to shoot a warning glare towards him. "Be nice," Ryou hissed only loud enough for the other silver-head to hear as Joey continued to mess with Yugi. Bakura merely glared back at him, then he sharply looked away, finally letting Ryou's elbow go.
With a sigh, Ryou looked back at the other three and tried for a smile. "'Allo, Joey," he greeted as the tall blond finally let the struggling Yugi go. The silver-haired teen chuckled at the sight of flustered Yugi hitting the taller boy's chest a couple times in slight anger. "How've you been?"
"Great, Roy! Been pretty damn busy, as a matter of fact!" Joey remarked, grinning when a slight blush dusted the pale boys cheeks. (A/N: Kairi… mwa-hahaha! :D)
"'Roy'?" Ryou questioned, raising a brow at the strange nickname.
"Dude. It's a western name. I saw it written the other day, and it looked awesome. I figured your name and 'Roy' are so similar that it'd be a perfect nickname for ya!" Joey grinned victoriously, pumping the air with a fist as he ruffled Yugi's hair teasingly. Yugi puffed out in a sulking way and glanced off to the side, crossing his arms against his chest and sagging some in posture. He was like a pouting puppy—it was so cute.
"Don't be ridiculous." Bakura bit out, glaring at Joey with a sneer twisting his lips. "That's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard you say before. Imbecile."
"Oi, no need to be such an asshole," Joey growled, glaring back at the silver-haired teen angrily. "It's just a name."
Ryou shrugged, looking at Bakura with a reconciled look. "I don't mind, I suppose," He said, shrugging indifferently. "Joey is right; it's just a name." And he looked back at the tall blond and smiled small. "I don't mind you calling me it."
"See? I told you, dumbass." Joey smirked smugly, looking towards Bakura in such a haughty way, yet froze to the spot when they heard a familiar voice.
"Trying to run away again, Puppy? Do you honestly think you can just run off like that without letting me answer?" They all looked in the direction that Joey had come from and, surprisingly, found Kaiba Seto walking towards them in all his glory and snooty-ness blah. He was smirking and looking directly at the stiff blond, not at all saving the time to greet any of the others in the group.
In the background, Ryou heard Yugi mutter "Puppy?" questioningly. It had caught Ryou's attention as well and confused him greatly. He knew that Kaiba called Joey mutt for a seriously ridiculous reason such as that Kaiba's' superiority complex made him see himself as Joey's master while Joey himself was the dog. That and.. Well, Joey's family was kind of poor and he wasn't living in the best of conditions whereas Kaiba was living it big and rich. Soo.. Yeah, that's where Kaiba gets Joey being called 'mutt' all the time. It was normal cruelty by Kaiba.
But Puppy? Where did that come from?
"I didn't ask you anything, bastard, so there was nothing for you to answer." Ryou looked back at Joey just in time to see the blond blushing like mad, an angry little scowl on his face. Was he embarrassed? "Why the hell do you keep following me everywhere? Stalker!" He pointed a finger accusingly at the brunette, glaring for all he was worth.
"Weren't you the one who said I should follow my-." Before Kaiba could finish his sentence, a blond blur rushed up to him and Joey smacked his hands over the brunette's mouth to keep him from saying anything further.
"I didn't say that! Shut up, you bastard!" Joey hissed at the older teen, glaring harshly at him with daggers in his eyes. "No way in hell did I mean me when I was-you know-whatever! Geez! Just keep it to yourself, will ya?"
Kaiba's eyes danced as he watched the blond in front of him and he raised his hands up to the ones over his mouth, gripping them. Joey cursed at the contact and tried to pull away, but Kaiba had him and wasn't planning on letting go. He pulled Joey's hands down to his chest, smirking at the blond and he said," Are you that afraid of what I might say to you? Are you in denial, Puppy?"
And there was that 'puppy' remark again… Interesting…
Joey's face reddened and his blush went all the way up to his ears. "Don't call me that!" He shouted, struggling fruitlessly at trying to pull his hands out of Kaiba's.
"When had this become a soap opera?" Bakura's snappish voice broke through the weirdness of it all and snapped Ryou back to reality. He'd been trying so hard to analyze what was going on that he forgot what they were on their way to do. He looked at Bakura and found him staring back at him with a foul look on his face. "Can we get going already and leave these two lovebirds to their own entertainment?"
"We're not l-lovebirds, dammit!" Joey all but shouted out in anger, stammering over the word 'love' with some difficulty. If possible, his face grew even redder. It would be no surprise if his whole body was red, just like a lobster. "God-dammit-Seto! Let-me-go-already!" He struggled harder to escape, but Kaiba merely opened his hands easily, allowing the blond to jump away and run to the safety of hiding behind his short friend, Yugi, who looked extremely confused at everything that was going on.
So, something was obviously going on. Ryou glanced back at a pleased-looking Kaiba, then back at an angry Joey, slightly perplexed. From his own assumptions, he guessed that Kaiba was trying to… Be an item with Joey? Holy macaroni, that sounded odd! Kaiba and Joey. Joey and Kaiba. Errrgh. Ryou rubbed his forehead. It was difficult to see them, well, together. But Joey was so evidently against the idea by the way he was acting, so Kaiba was the one insinuating the whole thing. Which was even odder considering that the brunette was the most unsocial guy in their class. What made him change his stoic-ness to go after Joey of all people?
"We're going on a picnic." Ryou blurted out and all five pairs of eyes moved to look at him, causing him to gulp back nervously. He wanted to know what was going on, so why not ask the two to join them? It wasn't like they didn't have enough food to share. "Would you, Joey, Kaiba, care to join us?"
Joey's eyes brightened up considerably at the offer, momentarily making him forget what was going on. "Free food? Hanging out with you guys? Hell yeah! Count me in!" The blond exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air as he came out some from behind Yugi.
"I wouldn't want to be caught hanging out with you dweebs…" All eyes glued themselves to Kaiba, and they watched the way his onyx eyes glanced towards Joey. "…However, I think I shall accompany you." He'd gone back to his snooty way, but he clearly wanted to spend more time with the blond.
"What? Aw, hell naw! You can't!" Joey exclaimed in panic, glaring heatedly at the brunette.
"And why ever not, Puppy?" Kaiba smirked.
"Quit calling me that! And, b-because I said so!" Joey yelled, stomping his foot like a girl, his hands formed into fists down at his sides.
"Ryou." Kaiba turned his gaze back to him, his eyes still dancing with a wicked, sadistic look and a smirk still playing with his lips. "I might have assumed wrong, but did you not also include me in that invitation to your picnic?"
It might have been a bit like stabbing Joey in the back, but Ryou shrugged and said," yes, I was including you, Kaiba." 'But only to figure out what the heck is going on,' he added as an afterthought in the safety in his own mind.
There was a loud sound of protest from Joey, a smirk from a silently satisfied Kaiba, and then they were off, back on their trek to the park with an extra two people. Joey walked between Yugi and Yami so that Kaiba couldn't grab his hand, but it didn't really matter any because the brunette had the nerve to walk behind the blond, taking in the views… of Joey's ass, no doubts.
Ryou, now walking alongside of Bakura and both leadin the others, couldn't help but feel a little triumphant smile curving his lips. He couldn't wait to figure out what was going on with the two new-comers to the group. It might sound kind of bad in a way, but he liked staying at the top of things, to know what was going. Not so he could gossip, gosh no, but to have that feeling of understanding. You know?
"So, Yuge!" And there was Joey, his nervous tone making Ryou expect that Kaiba was staring too hard down yonder at Joey's backside. Geez..
"Uhm, y-yeah, Joey?"
"Are you still gonna be able to come with me to the arcade tomorrow?"
"I want to, but, ah, I think Grandpa was needing me to.. Look after the shop while he's at the doctor's…" Yugi answered, fidgeting by the sounds of it.
"Whaat? Why's Gramps goin' to the doc's for? He okay?"
"Yeah, I think so. He just needs a check up."
"Hope it goes well for the ol' man."
"Same here-."
"Yugi." Yami's voice came into the picture and Ryou glanced over his shoulder in a way so that it wasn't obvious he was looking at them while they all continued to walk. Yami held annoyance in his expression, but it wasn't directed at Yugi. Yet, that didn't seem to be known with Yugi. The Shorty looked panicked for a moment, looking at his dark with wide eyes, his shoulders scrunching in a bit as if he was getting ready to be reprimanded.
"Y-yes, Yami?" Yugi answered, sounding tentative and cautious with his words.
"Go with Joey to the arcade. I'll watch the shop for you."
"Oh." Yugi blinked in surprise and then a small smile curved his lips as his eyes started to brighten up a bit. "Really? Are you sure, Yami? I don't mind staying-."
"I already said you can go, Yugi. Quit trying to dissuade me." Yami snapped, rolling his eyes and looking off to the store windows they were passing on his right.
Yugi snapped his mouth shut and Ryou winced at Yami's snappish tone. He watched as Yugi's shoulders sag and his gaze fall down to the ground, falling into silence for a moment. He whispered," okay, Yami. Thank you…"
Ryou glanced at Joey to see that even he looked uncomfortable, glancing between the two Mutou's with concern, mouth parted for a moment and then closing quite reluctantly. Yugi looked dejected, so it was hard to say anything to him.
Looking back up ahead as he walked, Ryou allowed himself to wince once more, slightly shaking his head. Yeah… Yami was definitely trying much too hard…
TBC
A/N: Another short chapter. owo
I figured it was an okay way to stop things for a moment. xD
Hope you're enjoying it so far! :D!
What do y'all think of the Joey/Kaiba predicament so far? owo hehe