A/N: Whew, I need to be better about updating! Transitional chapters are kinda hard for me to write, since I know exactly what I'm doing for later parts of the story, and I just have to figure out how I'm getting everyone to those points. Reviews much appreciated! ;)
WARNINGS: YugixYami, Mpreg, Mature Themes
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of the characters involved in this fic.
Yami quietly stood in thought, his right hand scratching the back of his head, and sighed as he tried to remember just exactly where he had placed his favorite black sleeveless top. While circling his room he caught sight of himself in the full-length mirror on his door and smirked as he glanced down at his only piece of clothing, the tight black leather pants hugging his lower body. He went forward to meet the mirror only to have his left foot collide with one of the dark boots carelessly lying on the floor. He rubbed his foot as he quietly muttered curses to himself, then abandoned the mirror, taking it as a sign that admiring himself was the last thing he needed to be doing right now.
Yami scanned his closet a third time, pulling aside several leather items as he continued his search. 'Black. Black. Black. Well, I'm never going to find it this way.' He turned once more to scan his bed, seeing only disheveled black sheets and inwardly groaned when he saw that Yugi's puzzle remained idle on his desk.
'Oh, Yugi…'he gave a disappointed sigh as he grabbed the boot that had been responsible for his throbbing foot, then found the other and pulled both of them on.
This was the second day that his light had left the puzzle behind. That was indeed odd, and Yami could only hope that it wasn't intentional; that Yugi wasn't hiding something from him. But he couldn't worry about that now. He made a mental note to later remind Yugi again of the importance of wearing the puzzle as he opened his bedroom door and stepped into the hallway. Yami then proceeded downstairs, made his way to the shop portion of the house, opened the front door, and stepped outside.
He was met with a familiar sight; Solomon Muto humming softly as he swept the pavement in front of the shop. Yami couldn't help but smile at the man Yugi admired so much and trusted with his life. Yugi truly loved his grandfather, and Yami himself was very fond of the man as well, although he wished he knew more about the circumstances in which Yugiwas brought in to live with him. He knew that Yugi was only ten when Solomon gained custody of him, and that was about it. Yami had gently asked Yugiabout the situation before, but the boy had made it very clear that the death of his parents was not something he wanted to re-live, and that was the end of that. However, as time passed, Yami grew intrigued when he realized that Yugi didn't talk about his parents at all for that matter, and neither did Solomon. Not once did Yugi's grandfather ever mention his daughter; something that the former Pharoah found a bit odd. There was a story there, he was sure of it, but he silently wondered if he'd ever know of it. Regardless, Yami was incredibly grateful for the man that had practically become both a mother and a father to his grandson, and could only hope that the man would be around for many, many more years. Yami slowly raised a hand up to Solomon in the hopes of getting his attention and was a bit surprised at how fast he got it.
"YAMI! For goodness sake boy, go put a shirt on! The last thing we need is more screaming girls standing around the shop blocking business!" he smacked Yami's butt with the broom, motioning for him to step inside.
Yami opened his mouth to protest but Solomon beat him to it.
"It's on top of the couch! I washed it last night!"
Yami smiled and gave him a thumbs up before stepping back into the house. Sure enough, his top was lying neatly on the couch, and Yami quickly pulled it on before returning to the front door. After exchanging a few words with Solomon, Yami turned to his left and began the journey to his destination: Ryou's place. It would be quite a bit of a walk, but he didn't mind. He thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors, something he was finally allowed to truly do, and he gave a small sigh as he comfortably took in each surrounding sight and sound. Eventually, his surroundings became less and less familiar, and he began to proceed with more caution. He quickly scanned his memory for reassurance that he was going to the right place.
Yugi and his friends had been over to Ryou's apartment a few times before, but Yami couldn't say that he was a fan of the neighborhood. All of the neighboring buildings were run down, filthy, and the complex itself was full of very odd people. He growled as he walked around a building, and his mind traveled to his old friend, Ryou. The last time he had seen him, the boy had been in real bad shape. After being released of his evil, the atrocious presence within the Millennium Ring, things seemed like they were finally going to pick up for him, and for a while, they actually did. Ryou for once had a confident energy to him, and he was finally able to speak his own mind. He was truly free, until the accident happened. Ryou's father had been hit head on by a driver who was drunk and speeding on the wrong side of the road. The car was totaled, and sadly, the boy's father didn't make it.
Ryou lost his spirit when he lost his father. The boy was broken and no amount of help could return him to what he once was. He was forced to move from his home, and with no known relatives around, he was left to fend for himself. Yugi had actually begged Ryou to stay with him for awhile, at least until he was able to get on his feet, but the boy had harshly declined. Yugi continued pleading with him which proved a mistake for both, as Ryou went into a frenzy and cruelly hit his friend across the face, claiming he didn't need him or anyone anymore. All it took was the sight of the shock and hurt on Yugi's face, and that first tear rolling down his cheek to send Yami into hysterics. He could clearly remember slamming the albino against a wall, and angrily telling him to get his ass out of their house and that he never wanted to see him around him or Yugi again. Yugi immediately protested, but was almost hesitant of doing so; rarely had he seen Yami so angry, and as always, it truly terrified him. Afterwards, Ryou slowly drifted away from his other friends; trading them in for a life of solitude. Ryou had dropped out of school, instead getting a full-time job to help him pay his expenses.
Yami was brought back to the present when he reached Ryou's door, and knocked three times, hoping the boy was actually home. He gasped when the door opened; he almost didn't recognize the pale boy before him. His eyes drifted over Ryou's colorless skin, and the lost expression he wore.. The only color on him came from his clothing and the Millennium Ring he continued to wear around his neck. Everything about the boy almost seemed to droop; it was as if all the weight he was carrying on his shoulders was literally dragging him down. He was also incredibly thin; he looked to be even smaller than Yugi now, something Yami didn't think was even possible. He confidently stared straight into Ryou's large eyes.
Ryou looked right back of Yami, a wave of emotions crashing over him.
"What do you want?" he spat. "I thought you never wanted to see me again."
"I didn't plan to. Now are you going to let me in, or am I going to have to stand here all day?" Ryou hesitantly stood aside to let Yami into his place, which he noticed looked just as run-down on the inside as it did on the outside. He waited until Ryou closed the door behind him, and sat down on an old couch before he started speaking.
"Now I am going to ask you something, and you better sure as hell tell me the truth."
Ryou looked straight into his eyes.
"Why on Earth do you still have that thing? With Bakura gone I would have figured you would have destroyed it."
Ryou sat quiet for a moment; his gaze as firm as Yami's, then spoke, his voice filled with a confidence that Yami hadn't heard in a long time.
"Tell me Yami, do you know what it's like to lose someone you love?"
Yami just crossed his arms at his question and stared right on back at Ryou, who was searching his eyes.
"No, no, of course you don't. You're living the perfect little life, aren't you? You've got all your happy little friends, and hey, you've even got a little something to make everything worthwhile."
Yami's eyes narrowed and Ryou chuckled.
"Yes, our dear little Yugi. You really do love him, don't you? Now, now, before you get all upset, I must say that it is bloody obvious. I may be naïve but I'm not stupid. And I'm sure he feels the same for you, yes?"
"What the hell does this have to do with-" Yami growled.
"Everything. It has everything to do with it. Now, how would you feel if you were to lose him forever, hmm?"
Yami's gaze faltered.
"Would you ever recover?"
Silence.
"Well, would you?!"
Silence.
"ANSWER ME!"
Yami was a bit taken aback by how loud Ryou screamed and how his fists shook uncontrollably in his lap, but he stood his ground and took a step forward.
"Ryou, you need help."
The albino growled and stood up from his position on the couch, and briskly walked right over to Yami, who was leaning against a wall.
"You want to know why I keep it? This ring here is the one and only thing I have left. Surely you remember who gave it to me? My father. And where is he now, huh? Huh? Even though it wasn't what we had expected and my yami was an awful murderer and a thief…in the end, it was a gift, and the last remaining possession I have of my father's. It's the only piece of him I have left. You want to take that away from me? I'm telling you, my life will go with it." He glared at Yami with such an unknown intensity that Yami almost gasped. Almost. He watched stunned as color returned to Ryou's eyes in his rage.
"Bakura!"
"Bakura?" Ryou quietly repeated. "I'm not Ba-oooh, I get it, that's why you're here. You're afraid he might come back? Now how could that be possible? What, your oh so high and mighty powers not good enough to keep him locked away? Hmm. Well if he does come back, be sure to ask him to take me out first. I'd appreciate it." He walked over to the door and opened it, beckoning for Yami to leave.
Yami stepped outside and turned, only to have the door slammed in his face. He gave a heavy sigh and analyzed what he just experienced. Ryou was clearly still upset, and definitely not the person he was a year ago. Yami couldn't help but notice how much of Bakura Ryou had adopted into his own character, and it made him sigh heavily. The darkness dragging the boy down was the only evil he could currently sense. His own darkness was consuming him. And for Bakura? As long as the ring survived, a portal to this world survived as well. It was near impossible, but knowing Bakura, he'd give everything he had to try and find a way back. He'd just have to keep a cautious eye out for both him and Ryou in the future. If Bakura ever did return, and the two were reunited, and he didn't kill Ryou, the two could possibly be even more dangerous together...
Yami leaned against the nearest wall, his head swimming with unpleasant thoughts. However, there was no evidence of anything so far; he had nothing to go on. He took a deep breath, turned, and proceeded down the steps, oblivious of the flash in Ryou's eyes as he watched from his window.
"Yugi?"
"Yes Grandpa?"
"Can you come over into the kitchen? I need to speak with you."
Yugi promptly stepped into the kitchen, and sat down at the table when his grandfather motioned him to. Solomon took a seat opposite of him and looked into the young boy's large eyes.
"Yugi…how long has this been going on?"
Yugi suddenly shifted in his seat, adding his grandfather's expression to his tone to equal…something not so good, and it made him very uncomfortable.
"W-what do you mean, grandpa?"
"You know very well what I mean," he sharply stated.
Yugi opened his mouth to speak, but found that no words came.
Solomon continued. "I was vacuuming an hour ago, and I came across this in Yami's room." He reached under the table, and pulled out a stuffed Kuriboh plushie, and set it upright on the table.
The reaction was instant. Yugi immediately groaned when he saw it and set his forehead on the table.
"Now why on Earth would an exact replica of your stuffed duel monster be in Yami's room? You can't sleep without it, and I highly doubt the former Egyptian Pharaoh is napping with one of these…"
"It's mine…" he slowly said, his voice muffled by the table. All he wanted to do was violently bang his head on the crafted piece of wood in front of him; how could he have been so careless? He always remembered to bring back Kuriboh to his room, always.
"Well, duh. So tell me, how long?"
Yugi looked up but was unable to look his grandfather in the face, so he resorted to gazing down at his hands on the table.
"Two months?"
Yugi looked up after a moment of silence, tears creeping into the corners of his eyes.
"I'm sorry, grandpa. I didn't mean to go behind your back. I just…I didn't know how to tell you. I'll stop if you want, just please don't throw him out! It was my mistake, I-"
"I let him live here," Solomon started, his voice full of disappointment, "and I made it clear that there were boundaries…"
"Grandpa, I…I'm sorry…" There was a long pause as he contemplated his next question. "But why? Why the boundaries? Yami's been around for a whole year, he's obviously not using me. What is that you're trying to protect me from?" he whispered as the tears that had collected began to stream down his face.
"Yugi, you should know that better that I do," Solomon said as he shook his head. "Do you truly think that you just sleeping with him can remain innocent? Yugi, I had about thirteen girlfriends by the time I was your age, I know what happens. Regardless of what you think, eventually, it will lead to sex, and my boy, you're not ready for that. You've been hurt…you're fragile, so very fragile…"
Solomon hung his head, then sighed as tears pricked at the corner of his own eyes.
Yugi sat silently, before stating, "Grandpa, I'm telling you, I'm fine now. That's all in the past."
Solomon gave another heavy sigh as he wiped away any evidence of the struggle within him.
"Yes, of course." A pause. "You know, Yugi?" he said looking up with a small smile. "Who am I to keep two people in love away from each other? Yugi, you don't have to hide these things from me anymore. I want you to have the freedom to make your own choices, heck, you'll be seventeen in a month or so, and I want you to start taking responsibility for your own actions. I just ask that you be careful and please let me know what's going on in your head. You're getting so big, and every year, I feel you keep more and more to yourself. Talk to me Yugi. That's what I'm here for."
Yugi sat stunned for a moment, then happily wiped away his own tears and sat up straight.
"R-really?"
"Really really," his grandpa said with a smile. Yugi immediately got up from his side of the table and proceeded over to Solomon, pulling him into a hug.
"Thank you Grandpa."
"You're welcome, my boy. But, oh phooey, what's that Spiderman quote?"
Yugi chuckled into his grandfather's shoulder, and muttered, "With great power comes great responsibility."
"Yes, well, keep that in mind."
Yugi smiled, tightly hugging the old man in reassurance.
Hello Diary,
Holy cow. So Kuriboh gave it all away! Haha, but I'm not mad, because one, he was bound to find out sooner or later, and two, the result was better than I could have imagined. Grandpa's not going to make us stop! He's letting me make my own decisions regarding Yami, so long as I open up to him, and that's fine with me! In other news, Yami's down again, and I don't know why. I told him about the situation and he was really relieved though. Later, he gave me another talk about me not wearing the puzzle, and I didn't want to worry him, so I had to tell him the truth. Our anniversary's this Friday! Two more days! I can't have him in my head while I plan all of this! I can't wait. I can't wait. I can't wait. It's going to be great. Yami's taking me out to dinner to some fancy place downtown, and Grandpa's not going to be here; he's leaving tomorrow to visit Professor Hawkins, and won't be back for a couple of days. Gah, have I mentioned I can't wait?
Until tomorrow,
Yugi Muto