Alverna: Chapter 4. -snickers-
Bakura: What's so funny?
Alverna: Nothing.
Marik: That always translates to something.
Alverna: Who cares? I don't own Yu-gi-oh, or the Nutcracker. Enjoy!
Chapter 4
"Why would I want to do that?" Keeper Marik asked.
"Cause your insane." Thief Bakura snickered.
"Both of you would." Pharaoh Atemu sighed. "You're both stupid enough to do it."
"Hey!"
The two tried to get out of Ryou and Malik's hands, but it didn't work out. They were wood, Ryou and Malik were human.
"You two done now?" Malik asked as a yawn passed threw his mouth.
"Yes." the two sulked.
"What time is it anyway?" Ryou asked.
"Almost 2 am." Yugi replied as he slid back into his sleeping bag and turned his face towards Pharaoh Atemu. "Do you mind if… I… uh…"
"Hold me while you sleep?" Pharaoh Atemu finished.
"Yeah." Yugi whispered with a blush.
"Yes." the nutcracker pharaoh replied. "And here's why. I'm wood, so I know my limit of breakage. Unless you toss me and don't catch me, chances of breaking aren't very high."
"Okay." Yugi smiled and tucked the nutcracker under his chin.
"And I thought you moved fast." Keeper Marik whispered to Thief Bakura.
"Yeah." Thief Bakura whispered back. "Already in the sleeping bag."
"Hey Ryou," Malik whispered loudly to his friend. "I think our nutcrackers are perverts."
"I think so to." Ryou whispered back.
"Come on." Keeper Marik whined.
"Aren't any conversations private?" Thief Bakura added.
"Not with these friends." Malik smirked as he grabbed Keeper Marik and tucked them both into the sleeping bag.
"Damn." Thief Bakura whispered. How had those two gotten so lucky?
"Are you joining me or what?" Ryou asked as he propped himself up on his elbow and held his sleeping bag open.
"Sure." Thief Bakura quickly slipped in before Ryou changed his mind.
"No trying anything." Ryou warned. "Or you're getting locked in the bullet proof glass cabinet."
"I'll be good." Thief Bakura whined.
"Sh!" Malik hissed and pointed to Yugi, who was sleeping peacefully for the first time in months.
"Atemu." Yugi mumbled, though no one understood what he was saying, or what he said next. "I love you."
Yugi yawned as sunlight peaked threw the curtains the next morning. Glancing around, he saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Malik and Ryou were still asleep, he was hungry and needed to use the bathroom, his nutcracker wasn't in his sleeping bag, and Grandpa Solomon had just fallen out of bed. Again.
Wait a minute! His nutcracker wasn't in his sleeping bag!
Unzipping his sleeping bag, Yugi opened it, hitting Malik in the process.
"What the fu-" Malik started.
"He's gone!" Yugi yelped as he stared at his empty sleeping bag. The only thing inside it was his socks, which he had somehow kicked off in the middle of the night. (A/N: I do this all the time, and I still don't know how it happens.)
"Who's gone?" Ryou mumbled as he rubbed his eyes.
"Atemu!" Yugi whimpered as tears pricked his eyes. "My nutcrackers gone!"
"You're kidding." Malik propped himself up and glanced down into his sleeping bag. "I don't believe it!"
"You found him?" Yugi asked hopefully.
"No." Malik looked up with a panicked look. "Marik's gone to!"
"So is Bakura." Ryou said as he checked his sleeping bag.
"Where are they?" Yugi whimpered. "They were with us when we fell asleep last night."
"Unless that was a dream." Ryou replied.
"I was holding Atemu when I fell asleep the first time." Yugi snapped, and then winced when he saw his friend's expressions. "Sorry."
"Be right back." Malik stood up and went outside before running back in, holding his nose.
"No dream?" Ryou guessed, and Malik nodded.
"It's all in the trash can." Malik gasped in fresh air.
"Then where are they?" Yugi said softly as a tear fell down his cheek.
"So you had them when you went to sleep," Sugoroku said as he watched the boys pick at their breakfast, "but when you woke up, they were gone."
"That's pretty much it." Malik sighed. "And just when I was starting to not beat myself up over my actions during Battle City."
"I was getting to where I know it's not my fault for what my other half did to my friends." Ryou replied.
"I didn't have any nightmares last night." Yugi said softly.
"Looks like those nutcrackers are more important than I originally thought." Sugoroku said as he tapped his chin and drank some coffee. "You boys finish your breakfast and get dressed. When you're done, we'll do a thorough cleaning of the living room. We'll find those nutcrackers."
Two hours later, Yugi was ready to give up. They had turned the entire living room inside out, and still hadn't found wood or hair of the nutcrackers.
"I'm afraid I have to go now boys." Sugoroku sighed. "Arthur and I are going to the museum with Rebecca. She needs ideas for future school projects."
"Okay grandpa." Yugi sighed. "I think we'll, pop in a movie… or something."
"Just behave yourselves." Sugoroku warned.
"Yes sir." Malik nodded his head with Ryou.
"How about we watch 'The Santa Clause' with Tim Allen?" Ryou asked one the elderly man had left the house.
"Works for me." Malik went to dig out the movie.
"I'll go make some popcorn." Yugi pulled himself off the couch and went into the kitchen. In a few minutes, they were watching the DVD and calling out the obviously fake stuff.
"Who honestly thinks a reindeer can fly?" Malik asked as the movie was finishing.
"These guys, apparently." Ryou rolled his eyes.
"Ryou, Malik?" Yugi glanced towards his friends. "I just realized something. Atemu and Bakura would do this with whatever movie we would watch."
"That's right." Ryou nodded his head. "Bakura thought I was insane for just thinking about watching 'The Lion King'."
"Marik did it to." Malik gave a twisted smile. "Even though I didn't know it was him at the time, I could hear his complaints in the back of my head."
"We're more like them than we thought." Yugi rubbed his forehead.
"Is that… good or bad?" Ryou asked.
"Bad." the Hikaris agreed in unison.
A knock on the door made them jump.
"We'll clean up." Malik said as he jumped up to take care of the movie that was now rolling threw the credits.
"Yeah." Ryou nodded as he grabbed the empty popcorn bags.
"Lazy!" Yugi shouted over his shoulder, and received laughs in return, before the knocking coming faster and harder got his attention. "Coming!"
Yugi unlocked the door and gasped as he opened it.
"Hello Aibou." Atemu smiled. "May we come in?"
Yugi just stood there with his mouth open. He couldn't believe it. If this was someone playing a trick on him, there was going to be hell to pay.
"Quit gawking and let us in!" a new voice snapped, making Yugi turn to see Bakura.
"It's Ra damned freezing out here." Marik added as Yugi turned his attention to him.
"Yeah." Yugi stuttered. "Come in."
"Yugi," Ryou called from the living room, "who is it?"
"You're not going to believe me." Yugi called back.
"Oh really?" Malik replied.
"Just tell me you're sitting down." Yugi sighed.
"We are." Ryou replied.
"Okay then." Yugi walked into the living room, the Yamis' right behind him.
Alverna: End Chapter. I'm so evil. Next chapter is the last one.
Ryou: Already?
Alverna: Yup. -goes off to cornor to cry-
Yugi: Please review to cheer us all up.