A/N: Aw, such nice reviews! It thrills me to know that everyone is enjoying the Yami/Yuugi moments. They're definitely my favourite YGO couple (one of my OTPs, actually). I think it's because they're just so damn cute together. So I took the opportunity to indulge the shipper in all of us and made this chapter with an extra dose of fluff. I totally can't help myself, but then I thought... come on, why would I even want to? Enjoy!
Notice: To give you advance warning, I received a job offer today. I don't start until January 9th, but that means I won't have my days empty to write at my leisure (I miss it already). I'm going to do my best to try to keep up with one chapter a week, though.
In spite of the hours he normally kept, Kaiba Seto was not really a morning person, but he was a lot better at hiding that fact than his boyfriend was. He was more than used to getting up early, so he wasn't particularly bothered by the fact that someone was knocking on his bedroom door at just past five in the morning. Jou, on the other hand, whimpered, rolled over, seized the nearest pillow, and yanked it over his head while mumbling something about people who had no respect for those who were trying to sleep in. A fond smile that few people would ever see crossed his face as Seto climbed out of the bed, pulled on a robe, and walked over to the door, knowing that it had to be important. His servants knew better than to disturb him so early unless there was a need for it. He pulled the door open and looked at the girl on the other side.
"Kaiba-sama, your cousin has arrived and says that he urgently needs to see you," the young maid said respectfully, curtseying. She had been Seto's private maid for a year or two, so she was used to the brunette's brisk, often cold demeanour, and she knew better than to wait for him to ask what she wanted. "He was quite upset, and is waiting for you in his bedroom."
"Thank you, Miyako-san." Seto closed the door without saying another word and glanced back at Jou, who had curled up into the warm spot he had left on the bed. He briefly contemplated waking his puppy, but decided against it. Anything that could have Yami in a state of urgency was probably better handled by him first. Jou had the tendency to panic sometimes, and occasionally, that could make things worse. Knowing that the younger boy would think he'd gotten up to do work, Seto swapped his robe for a t-shirt and left, easing the door shut behind him.
Yami's bedroom was located on the second floor, just a few doors down from Seto's and Jou's. Back when they'd originally discovered that he and Mokuba had more family out there than they had been led to believe by the orphanage, Mokuba had been the one who had wanted to get to know Yami when their cousin professed an interest in them. Tenno Daiki and Akemi were not very nice people, as evidenced by the fact that they had refused to take in the orphaned children of Daiki's younger brother, but there had been an instant kinship between Seto and Yami that could not be ignored, even though Seto had tried. Knowing that Yami's relationship with his parents was less than perfect, Seto had long ago given him – and to a lesser extent, his annoying friends – free run of the mansion. That Yami had come to him now, when he was in trouble, meant more than the brunette could ever say.
The bedroom door was only partially closed when Seto arrived, so he pushed it open without knocking, revealing a large room decorated in shades of brown, amber, and crimson, with the occasional touch of white and violet. Yami was seated on the edge of his king-sized bed with something, or rather, someone curled up into a small ball on his lap. It didn't take a genius of Seto's calibre to guess who it might be. Frowning, he approached, taking notice of the distress evident in his cousin's eyes and aura. Whatever had happened to shake the normally calm Yami had to be bad, and suddenly he regretted not bringing Jou along to help calm the unusually tense boy.
"Cousin?" he called cautiously, approaching the bed slowly. There was a swirling darkness around Yami that threatened anyone who got too close without permission. It had always been one of Jou's favourite questions to contemplate when he was bored: who would win in a real duel, Yami or Seto? Though he'd never admit it out loud, the brunette was not inclined to find out that he would be the loser anytime soon. Relief flowed through him when Yami's head snapped up and the crimson eyes actually focused on him. The tension drained out of Yami's body immediately, and Seto felt safe enough to step closer, within arm's reach. "What's happened?"
"Yuugi was attacked by a Duel Monster," Yami said stiffly, rage peaking briefly in his aura. Seto concealed a wince and reached for the edge of the blanket. His cousin tensed again, and the brunette froze with his hand inches away, willing Yami to calm down and accept the help he was trying to offer. Slowly, Yami relaxed fractionally, just enough to allow Seto to bring the edge of the blanket down. He sucked in a sharp breath at what he saw.
The young boy cradled in Yami's arms didn't even look like Mutou Yuugi, but like a child, one who had been badly hurt. His face was pale, almost completely white, save for the two bright spots of pink that had bloomed in his cheeks. He was shaking with cold even as sweat rolled down his face, and he kept grabbing at his ears and whimpering. Instinctively, Seto leaned closer so that he could hear what the boy was trying to say. After listening for only a moment, he sat up straight, expression grave as he pondered the mention of the "blue eyes" that Yuugi was so frightened of. Somehow, he didn't think that the little hikari was referring to the dragon.
"Do you know which one it was?" he asked, his keen mind already racing.
"No. I believe it was trying to steal the Millennium Puzzle, but it reacted to the Duel Monster's presence and was able to keep it from physically harming Yuugi until I arrived and scared it away," Yami answered, his voice low with fury. "I contemplated chasing after it, but I felt it was more important to look after my aibou. He had collapsed onto his bed and was clearly in great discomfort. For a while, his condition seemed to be improving, but then he took a turn for the worse. No matter what I do, I can't seem to warm him up, and he talks constantly about blue eyes staring at him." By the time he was done, his anger had become nothing short of sheer terror and concern. Had the situation not been so dire, Seto would have smiled.
"It was likely a fairy or a spellcaster," Seto said, placing the back of his hand against Yuugi's forehead. As he'd suspected, the boy was burning with fever, and he didn't seem to be aware of the fact that Yami or Seto were in the same room. "They were probably trying to take control of his mind, but the Puzzle and your bond prevented it from happening for at least a short time. You were lucky to have arrived when you did, cousin, or he might have been lost forever."
Yami stiffened, and his grip on Yuugi grew that much tighter and more protective. "Can you do anything to help him, Seto?" he asked, sounding almost frightened in his request.
Seto sighed. "I'm not sure," he admitted reluctantly. Ra but he hated it when he didn't have the answer, especially when it came to family. "I could try to perform a couple of spells, but you know that working with the mind is a perilous and dangerous activity. Even if I was being gentle, I could easily damage him irreparably, particularly if he doesn't realize that I'm trying to help. The safest thing would be for you to approach him through the Puzzle and try to flush the spell out that way."
"I was afraid you were going to say that," Yami muttered, unconsciously smoothing a sweaty blond bang out of Yuugi's face. "I'm not sure... you know that our bond is far from being fully formed, and trying to force it could have disastrous results. Yuugi is still very uncertain about his feelings for me. I don't want to hurt him, Cousin."
"I know, but I really don't see any other way," he replied. "Yuugi seems to trust you, Yami. I can tell by the way he clings to you. I wouldn't advise you to do this unless I thought you would both come through un-harmed."
"Always the advisor," murmured the shorter boy with a weak smile. "Very well. I suppose it's too dangerous to give him any medication for the fever."
"I'm afraid so. His mind should be as clear as possible if this is to work, and I don't know what would happen if his judgement was clouded by medication. He might not recognize you and lash out, and that could be disastrous for both of you," said Seto. In a lesser man, his voice would have sounded apologetic. "I'll call my personal doctor and have him on standby. As soon as you destroy the effects of the spell, he'll be able to treat Yuugi."
Without waiting for his cousin to respond, he stood up and gently took Yuugi from Yami's arms. Ignoring the low, possessive growl, Seto walked around to the opposite side of the bed and placed the boy down on the sheets. He pulled the sweat-soaked blankets away from Yuugi and then stripped the boy of most of his clothing, until he wore nothing but purple boxers. Yami scowled, keeping a close eye on his cousin as he undressed as well before lying down and drawing Yuugi into his arms and against his body. Since their bond was not fully formed, it was important for the two of them to have as much physical contact as possible. Seto was pleased to note that the younger boy's arms clutched almost desperately at Yami as soon as he was within reach, and Yami instantly began soothing the child with loving, soft words. His cousin was definitely smitten, that was for certain.
Silently, his presence forgotten, he stood off to the side, unconsciously assuming a guard position as Yami summoned the power of the Puzzle. The eye symbol on the front began to glow with a deep golden color, and then there was a flash of light so brilliant that Seto had to look away or be blinded. When he could see again, Yami and Yuugi had their faces tilted towards each other so that their cheeks and foreheads were touching, allowing the eye symbols on their foreheads to brush against each other. Yuugi's trembling had stilled, but he shivered now and again. Seto sighed and moved closer to the bed, picking up a warm crimson blanket that had been neatly folded at the end. Yami could help the boy mentally, but it would probably be a few days yet before the physical problems disappeared, and it wouldn't help if Yuugi grew chilled. Gently, even though he knew neither boy could feel anything, he spread the blanket over their bodies and tucked it in securely.
"Aww, look at you," a familiar voice teased from the doorway. "Just like a proud daddy."
"Call me that again, pup, and you'll regret it," Seto said without pause, unable to keep a smile from breaking out across his face as Jou grinned with mischief. The slender blond sauntered across the room and leaned against his taller lover with a sleepy yawn.
"What's wrong?" he asked, rubbing one of his eyes. "Yuugi's not well?"
"He's been attacked by a Duel Monster," Seto confirmed, lightly stroking the soft blond hair. "His body is fighting the spell, and Yami has gone to help him." Jou bit his lip in worry for his friends, but couldn't resist leaning into Seto's comforting touch. The brunette always knew just how to distract his younger lover. He would have liked to have sent Jou to school that day, but he knew that even asking him to do that was useless. As long as Yuugi and Yami were in jeopardy, Jou wouldn't leave their sides. "Pup, why don't you go down to the kitchens and get us some food? It could be a long wait."
Amber eyes narrowed slightly, and Jou hesitated a moment, studying his lover in an effort to see whether Seto was just trying to get him to leave. Eventually, he nodded. "What d'you feel like having?"
"Anything is fine. Just try not to wake Mokuba up," he advised, unable to resist kissing the smaller boy. If Mokuba didn't see either of them at the breakfast table, he would assume that the two of them had gone out for breakfast and not be concerned. But if he found out that they were staying home to watch over Yami and Yuugi, he would want to do the same, and Seto didn't want him exposed to too much magic when he was so young.
Jou nodded and, after one last kiss, headed out the door. Seto watched him leave and then looked back his cousin with a weary sigh. He had known from the day that Yami entered his life that the reincarnated Pharaoh would make things interesting, but he had vastly underestimated just how much trouble could follow Yami around. It made life exciting, to say the least. Shaking his head, he fetched the comfortable chair that normally sat in front of Yami's desk and pulled it up alongside the bed. As long as the two of them were caught in the power of the Puzzle, he and Jou would watch over them and make sure that they were safe.
GMA
The world had changed when the pain stopped enough for him to do anything. Panting, Yuugi opened his eyes and looked around blearily. A worried frown crossed his face when he realized that he didn't recognize where he was. It was a fairly large room with plain white walls and a blue carpet that was covered in dozens of different games, toys, and puzzles. Before he had much chance to examine the place, his attention was drawn to the far side of the room, where a large crescent moon had painted on the wall in a shade of silvery blue that made his head hurt. He tried to look away, but found that his eyes were irresistibly drawn towards the painting no matter what he did. Only when a knock came to the door was he able to tear his eyes away, but even then he couldn't bring himself to answer. Instead, he pulled the covers over his head so that he couldn't look at the painting even though he still wanted to.
Someone knocked again, and then a familiar voice called to him. "Yuugi, may I come in?"
"Yes," he whispered, shivering. He wasn't sure whether he had spoken loud enough to be heard, but the door opened, and then someone was sitting beside him on the bed. The covers were drawn back, and he found himself gazing up into warm crimson eyes.
"What's wrong?" Tenno Yami asked, gently smoothing the hair back from Yuugi's face. "Are you not well, my little one?"
"That painting on the wall... It makes my head hurt," Yuugi mumbled, too exhausted to be embarrassed by the nickname. The light touch against his forehead felt so good that he couldn't bear the thought of pushing Tenno's hand away, but at the same time, he couldn't help but notice that the touch felt differently than normal. It was like his skin had become extremely sensitive, and he felt that touch all the way down to his toes. "Where are we?"
"We're in your soul room," Tenno explained. "It's the physical representation of your soul. Because we're yami and hikari, there is a connection between our rooms. Thanks to the Puzzle, we can travel freely between them. I brought you here to help you get rid of the spell that was cast on you by that Duel Monster." He glanced over at the crescent moon and scowled. "You can see the mark it has left upon you. If we don't remove it, you'll continue to deteriorate until she takes control of you or you die."
Fear flashed into Yuugi's eyes, and he made an attempt to sit up, ignoring the way his muscles quivered in protest. "I don't want to die!" he cried. "Yami, please!"
"Shh, Aibou, I won't let anything happen to you. Don't be scared." In spite of the serious nature of his words, a smile crossed Tenno's face. "You called me Yami."
"Eh?" Yuugi blinked at him, surprised by the comment, before he blushed, flustered. He hadn't meant for that name to slip out, but it was hard to keep thinking of him as "Tenno" when the older boy was being so comforting. "I... I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry. I like it when you call me by my name," Yami answered. The two of them looked at each for a long moment in silence before Yuugi shivered again and then forced himself to look away. That was the second time in so many hours that he had allowed himself to become caught up in staring at someone's eyes, and considering how it had ended the last time, he was wary to do so again. But for some reason he didn't want to examine too closely, it felt a lot better when he looked into Yami's eyes.
"What... How... How do you plan on getting rid of that thing?" he asked, hoping that he wasn't blushing as brightly as he suspected he was. He shifted, belatedly realizing that Yami was still leaning awfully close to him.
"I don't know," the older boy admitted, sitting back slightly. Yuugi felt a jolt of panic at the thought that Yami might leave him and reached out instinctively, clutching at Yami's shirt. Yami blinked, looking surprised, before his eyes softened and he placed his hand on top of Yuugi's. "Don't worry, Aibou. I won't leave until that mark is gone and you're free from her spell. If I had been a little faster, you never would have fallen under her grip in the first place."
The flash of... self-loathing? Anger? Protectiveness? That went through Yuugi was completely foreign, and he gasped softly, realizing that it was because they weren't his emotions. He was feeling... what Yami was feeling. Violet eyes wide in wonder, he instinctively reached out mentally, following those emotions back to what felt like a surge of pure warmth in his mind. Yami straightened at the gentle touch to their link and looked down at his hikari with a smile. Yuugi stared up at him, understanding for the first time what Yami meant when he talked about their bond.
"That's..." he began, but words failed him. There was no way to describe it. "Why couldn't I feel that before?"
"Our connection is stronger in a soul room," Yami answered honestly. "It's always been there, but you're not used to magic and you didn't know what to look for. Someday, when our bond is fully established, it will be even stronger... like this." He took Yuugi's hand and intertwined their fingers together before closing his eyes. Curious, Yuugi did the same, and couldn't help another gasp of shock when the warmth surged through him, filling him from head to toe. With it came all kinds of emotions – possessiveness, protectiveness, anger, love – and even a few stray thoughts. Tentatively, he pushed back, and felt more than heard Yami's surprise. A small smile slipped over the hikari's face when he felt Yami respond in kind, causing the link between them to swell with a cautious joy. It was like being embraced by someone, but mentally and spiritually instead of physically.
A burning sensation made him jump, losing control, and just like that, the connection between them thinned back to what it was before. He opened his eyes and found himself looking past Yami to the crescent moon mark on his wall. It had turned a deep, dark shade of blue, glowing silver at the edges. Yuugi stared, utterly captivated, and thought that he had never seen a more beautiful sight. Without thinking, he released Yami's hand and slipped out from under him and off the bed. Startled, Yami turned quickly, intending to stop him, but thin blue bands shot out of the floor and grabbed the boy's arms, pinning his hands behind his back.
"Aibou, don't!" he shouted, struggling against the bands. "Our bond is erasing the spell and it's trying to fight back. Don't let it mesmerize you like this. She'll ruin your mind. Little One, please stop!"
Yuugi couldn't hear him. Every step closer to the crescent moon mark was like a drug pulsing through his system. Eyes half-lidded with pleasure, he reached out, intending to touch the mark. A voice, whispering faintly, told him that it would be so much better if he did. But something stopped him just before his fingers would have impacted. A memory, almost forgotten, niggled at the back of his mind. He shivered, realizing that he felt cold, and wished that he could go back to the warmth that he felt when he'd been open to Yami. As though sensing his hesitation, the mark on the wall grew even darker, almost black, and the silver shone brighter, making his eyes hurt. His arms fell to his sides.
"Yuugi! STOP!" With a low, furious growl, Yami summoned his shadow powers and sliced easily through the bands that were holding onto him. Weakened by Yuugi's hesitation, the bands vanished. He leapt off of the bed and flew to the younger boy's side, gripping Yuugi's shoulders tightly. There was a vacant look in Yuugi's normally expressive violet eyes, and he kept trying to look around Yami to see the mark on the wall.
"It's calling me..." Yuugi whispered, sounding distant. "Someone's... calling..."
"You can't answer!" Yami hissed, refusing to let go even when Yuugi began to struggle against his grip. "I need you, Yuugi. You are the other half of my soul. Your presence completes me, and I won't let you go, understand? I won't let her steal you away. You're mine!" Awareness flickered back into Yuugi's violet eyes for a moment. Encouraged, Yami clutched the younger boy against his chest and dropped his head onto Yuugi's hair, hardly aware of what he was saying. The honest words just spilled out. "You can't leave me. I've been searching for you for so long. I've always felt like something was missing, and when I found you, I felt whole for the first time. Please... I need you. I can't do this by myself. Please stay with me."
"Yami..." The dull roaring that had filled Yuugi's ears disappeared entirely. His knees felt weak as he grabbed onto the older boy and clung to him, burying his face in Yami's chest. "I want to stay with you!"
Behind them, the crescent moon mark began to fade to white. It writhed against the wall and a shrill screaming filled the soul room before the mark disappeared entirely. In the sudden silence, Yami lowered them both to their knees, never releasing his hold on the boy who had become so precious to him in such a short amount of time. He could feel dampness on his shirt that meant Yuugi was crying, but he couldn't bring himself to speak any words of comfort. Instead, he settled for nudging their connection open and allowing his partner to feel the relief that was pouring through him. The emotions flooding back from Yuugi – equal relief, gratitude, and affection – was almost enough to make him pass out. And if he noticed the single tear that slipped down his cheek, Yami ignored it.
GMA
Malik was less than impressed. That was a polite way of saying that he was pissed, and not in a good way. After the (surprisingly) delicious meal at Mariku's house, he'd agreed to allow the yami to take him home, if only because he knew that there was no way that Mariku was going to just let him leave on his own. The trip had been mercifully short and, before he knew it, they were back at his apartment. His sister had apparently been working hard during the past few days, because the place was nearly unrecognizable from before. Gone was the old furniture, the beer, food and blood stained carpet, the ugly, murky color on the walls, and the faint sour odour in the air. Isis had stripped the carpet, painted the walls a fresh, warm yellow, and had brand new, more fashionable furniture delivered. All the windows were open, and sunlight and fresh air streamed in. It was the kind of place that he'd always dreamed of coming home to. Too bad he was too annoyed to enjoy it.
He pulled the refrigerator door open and was surprised to see something other than beer and liquor inside. Apparently, Isis had been to the grocery store as well. Briefly sparing a thought to wonder where she had gotten the money for all of the changes, he selected three cans of cola and poked his head back into the living room to ask if his sister or Mariku wanted anything else. One glance had him retreating back into the kitchen, shaking his head. Isis had been giving Mariku the kind of look that was usually reserved for people who dared to touch something in her exhibit at the museum. It was the "make one false move and I'll kill you where I stand" look that had often been the only thing to make him behave as a child. Mariku, being Mariku, appeared to be intensely amused.
"Why me?" Malik muttered, cracking the top of one of the cans. He took a long drink of the sweet liquid and sighed, carelessly drawing the back of his hand across his mouth. It was almost amusing in a way. Isis was determined that his yami "protect" him, but for some reason, she had never stopped to wonder who was going to protect Malik from his yami. The look on her face when the two of them walked in together, and Mariku had way-too-casually draped an arm around Malik's shoulders... Fighting back an amused grin, Malik gulped from the can again. Trouble was brewing, and he really should be out there to diffuse it, but getting in between the middle of those two was tantamount to badgering his father when the man was drunk. Asking for an explosion.
The thought of his father was enough to make the smile slip from his face, and he sighed, leaning against the counter. It was clear that Hafiz had not returned to the apartment, and Isis hadn't heard from him. Malik might have hated the bastard, but that didn't mean he wasn't a little concerned. After all, as far as they knew, Hafiz had no other friends on the surface and no money to support himself. Where could he have gone? Would he return? And if he did... Malik shivered a little and set the three cans on the counter. Parts of his body still ached from the force of the beating he'd received a few days ago, though he'd always possessed a remarkably fast healing rate, and he couldn't bear the thought of going through it all over again...
A warm hand dropped down onto his shoulder, and he tensed without realizing, unconsciously recognizing that the hand didn't belong to his sister. At the same time, an arm slipped around his waist, and he was pressed backwards against a body that was rapidly becoming familiar. Malik was annoyed by how fast he felt himself relax. It usually took him ages to learn to relax around people, and he had never liked being touched by those he didn't know very well. The fact that he was already accepting Mariku's touch was... unnerving. He wanted to pull away, but he couldn't deny that the warmth was soothing, chasing away the lingering fear he felt when it came to the thought of facing his father again.
"Don't worry, pretty hikari," Mariku whispered into his ear. The feel of the hot air moving across Malik's skin made him shiver. "Your father won't be able to hurt you anymore. I promise you that."
Some part of him felt that he should probably answer that, perhaps with a plea for Mariku to not harm his father, but Malik remained silent, stunned by the fact that his own body was blatantly betraying him by accepting Mariku's soothing. He opened his mouth, unsure of what he was going to say, and was cut off when the phone rang. Less than a minute later, Isis appeared in the doorway. Her eyes widened slightly when she spotted the two of them, and then her eyebrows drew together as an almost puzzled look flashed across her face. She continued to stare at them as Malik blushed and tried to squirm away. Mariku was having none of it, however, and gleefully used both of his arms to pin his beautiful hikari into place as Isis picked up the phone.
"Ishtar residence, Isis speaking," she said into the phone, finally glancing away and gazing pointedly out the window. Malik forgot all about trying to escape when he heard the soft gasp that escaped her sister. When he looked at her, she had her hand over her mouth, but her face was turned away so that he couldn't see what the problem was. The news wasn't good, but he couldn't tell anything more than that. Her voice dropped, becoming a slow, quiet murmur that was impossible to overhear. It was several minutes before she hung up the phone, and even then, she continued to stare out the window.
"Nee-san, what's wrong?" Malik burst out finally, unable to keep his curiosity in check any longer. A chill ran down his spine when she turned to look at him. Her face had gone pale, and tears had collected in the corners of her eyes. When she spoke, he was suddenly glad that Mariku had refused to let go of him, because his legs went weak, and he probably would've crumbled to the ground in an embarrassing heap if it weren't for the strong grip of his yami.
"That was the hospital. Yuugi's grandfather had a heart attack."
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