N/A: So the general consensus seems to be that I'm not a very nice person. Haha. I do like my cliffhangers, which should be obvious by now. I have to admit, I had a lot of fun with this chapter, too. It contains one of my favourite tendershipping scenes to date, which actually may very well be one of my favourite scenes in the story, period. Actually, I really like this whole chapter, which is rare. Enjoy!
Darkness. That's all that he could sense. Visions kept flashing across his mind - a boy with wild, tri-color hair and enormous lavender eyes reaching out to him, a tall brunette with cold blue eyes, and two other boys, one with white hair and the other dark blond, all speaking soundlessly - but they meant nothing because he couldn't remember who those people were, or why they even mattered. He knew that they were supposed to matter, especially the boy with the violet eyes, but…
Cold. If he had limbs, he would have been shivering. It permeated every inch of him until he knew nothing else, erasing the memories he possessed of things like heat. The shadows were always cold; they were made from a lack of heat, which the light gave off in spades.
Light. He knew that word, knew what it was supposed to mean, but he didn't really understand. Warmth? Light? What were those? His memories were scattered, disjointed, but it had always been darkness. He was sure of that much. That's what he was, and that's what he would always be. There was no light. The shadows made certain of that. They were not ready to let him go anytime soon, and they did not like the fact that those from before something made him yearn to leave.
Yuugi. A name that meant nothing and everything all at the same time.
If he'd had eyes, he would have cried.
Instead, he drifted, waiting, lost in the embrace of the shadows.
GMA
Ryou knelt beside the bed, ignoring the way his body protested at being forced into a position that made his back and ankle ache. Bakura was so still and silent that it was positively eerie, and he couldn't tear himself away; the yami hadn't awoken since their escape from the Shadow Realm. Seto's best doctors had looked him over and reported that his injuries were mild, all things considered, and that he would have to be kept in bed for at least twenty-four hours to give his head time to heal. Even then, he'd have to take it easy. His left arm and side, which had taken the brunt of the hit, would take considerably longer to be back in peak condition, as Maiden of the Moonlight's blow had done a fair amount of damage.
Leaning his head against the bed, Ryou closed his eyes, fighting back tears of frustration and sorrow. Part of him just wanted to let go and fall asleep, but he couldn't, not while his mind was churning in what felt like one big circle. He didn't understand Bakura sometimes - no, make that all the time. Why the hell would his yami put himself at risk just for the sake of saving Ryou? Especially when the Millennium Ring had been gone at the time… Ryou shook his head at the thought of the Ring, his hand unconsciously going to his chest and brushing against the familiar cold. Was it just because of power, or were they becoming something… more?
"Are you crying again?"
The sound of the voice was so unexpected that, for a moment, Ryou didn't even register that Bakura had spoken. Then his head snapped up, his eyes widening. "Bakura! You're awake!" he cried.
Bakura snorted. "Like something so minor could keep me down," he muttered, though the pallor of his face indicated that he spoke the words with a false bravado. He shifted and winced briefly as the movement jarred his wounds. "Where's… the Pharaoh?"
He stilled at the question, his joy vanishing in the wake of remembering what had happened. "Yami disappeared," he said quietly, unsure of how Bakura would take the information. In spite of how much Bakura claimed to hate the other boy, they seemed to be surprisingly close. "Seto said that he believes Yami was imprisoned in the Millennium Puzzle when it shattered."
Closing his eyes, Bakura swore loudly. "Fucking hell. I'm going to kill that bitch for this."
"Get in line," Ryou said with a thin smile, remembering Seto's and Mariku's reactions. Neither of them had been happy, to say the least. If Maiden of the Moonlight had any sense of self-preservation whatsoever, she would stay far away from the group for some time. "Yuugi is the only person who can put the Puzzle back together and we don't know where he is." For a split second, the tears threatened to overwhelm him again, and he had to fight them back with what little composure he had left.
"You're worried about him," Bakura said, looking up at him.
Uncomfortable with the close scrutiny, Ryou shifted uneasily and then winced a little when his ankle throbbed. "Of course I am. He's one of my best friends."
The barest hint of a scowl flashed across Bakura's face briefly before it disappeared. "What's the matter with you?"
Ryou blinked at him, astonished. "Nothing! I don't know what you - "
"You can't sit still," Bakura interrupted, eyes narrowing. "And you flinched just now."
"I… um… hurt my ankle when you pushed me aside," Ryou said, stunned that Bakura had even noticed. Was Bakura actually caring him?
"Weakling," he muttered, rolling his eyes slightly.
Maybe not. That did it. Ryou slammed his hand down on the bed and awkwardly levered himself up. "What is the matter with you?" he shouted, having passed the level of "completely frustrated" a long time ago. Tears stung his eyes and this time, he didn't bother trying to keep them back. "Why can't you ever make up your mind? One minute I think that you might actually like me in spite of what you say and do, and against my better judgement, I start thinking about forgiving you for being such a jackass. But then you start acting like this, calling me weakling and being a jackass, and I can't believe I ever even thought that you might care anything for me." He turned, so annoyed that he knew he couldn't stay around Bakura anymore, and started hobbling towards the door. "Let me know when you figure out what you want, Bakura, because I'm not interested in just being your expressway to power."
"Ryou."
At the sound of his name, Ryou hesitated for a split second, torn between finishing walking out and returning to Bakura's side. He hated how he always felt so conflicted around his darkness. On the one hand, he wanted to be with Bakura because he knew they could be good together, and he felt irresistibly drawn to the older boy. But on the other hand, Bakura was annoying as all hell, and he'd already stepped on Ryou's feelings so many times that he didn't know how much longer he could take it. It was that thought that made him decide to ignore Bakura and reach for the doorknob anyway.
"I… I'm… I'm sorry."
Change of plans. Ryou's hand froze about two inches from the doorknob, so shocked that he stopped crying and possibly breathing. Surely, he couldn't have heard what he thought he'd just heard? Slowly, feeling like the world as he had known it had just turned upside down, he spun around and stared at Bakura, completely speechless, eyes enormous. His yami was looking back at him, and for once, there was no cruelty or mocking in Bakura's face. In fact, Bakura just seemed to be very tired. It tugged at Ryou's heart, and he found himself moving back across the room to his yami's side before he could stop himself.
"What did you say?" he asked cautiously, hovering beside the bed.
"You heard me," Bakura mumbled. "What I said on the roof, I didn't… I didn't…" He trailed off, annoyed, and scowled. "Forget it."
"No, I want to know," Ryou insisted, his heart suddenly pounding in his chest. Those cruel words had played across his mind for hours, until he knew he'd never be able to forget them. Never in his life would he have imagined that Bakura might be willing to apologize. He sat down on the edge of the bed, hope shining in his big brown eyes.
Bakura sighed. "I don't… like people, alright?" he said, unable to look away from his hikari, though he sorely wanted to. "Humans in general are just… and you… you're… annoying to me. I don't understand you or the things you do. You… you're so… weak… but there's something about you that I…" He trailed off and had to make himself continue. "When she was attacking you, I was worried about you. Not the Millennium Ring." He sounded both awed and disgusted by that fact.
"Are you saying that you actually like me?" Ryou asked, unable to keep the disbelief from his voice. What had just happened? Clearly, Bakura had been replaced with someone else, because he couldn't imagine his cold, cruel yami ever saying something like that. He was half tempted to check and see if Bakura was running a temperature. Or maybe he should pinch himself to make sure that he hadn't fallen asleep.
"You're tolerable," came the reply.
Tolerable. Coming from Bakura, that actually didn't sound so bad. It was probably the closest to a compliment he'd ever get. Ryou smiled. "I like you, too, Bakura," he said softly, a blush rising in his cheeks. "And... I wanted to thank you for saving my life."
Bakura glared at him. "Obviously, I had no choice. I would have been left without the other half of my soul if I'd let you die," he said hastily.
Ryou grinned. "Sure, Bakura," he said, eyes twinkling. It hadn't escaped his notice that Bakura hadn't once mentioned losing his source of power. No, now it was "the other half of his soul". Somehow, he felt like he was actually starting to get a handle on the confusing and complex mixture of emotions that made up his darkness. He ran a hand through his tangled hair and added, "And by the way, I forgive you, 'Kura."
He actually sputtered. It was adorable. "Forgive me? For what? And what the fuck do you mean, 'Kura? My name is Bakura, Rabbit."
"You have a nickname for me, so I think I should have one for you, too. It's only fair," Ryou replied, unable to keep the mischievous grin from tugging at his lips. "And to answer your question, I forgive you for what you said to me on the roof that day. I get that you were just trying to push me away and I think I understand now that you were scared of me."
"Me? Scared of you?" Bakura sounded absolutely staggered.
"That's right," Ryou said cheerfully. "It's okay, 'Kura. I understand."
"Oh you do, do you?" Bakura actually growled, his eyes narrowing.
"Uh-huh. I understand that when I do this…" He trailed off and leaned down to press a kiss to his yami's mouth. Bakura actually forgot what he'd been so upset about in lieu of his light's surprisingly talented lips and tongue, which were extremely successful at distraction. His expression was dazed by the time Ryou pulled away, and the hikari giggled. "It's scary to you," he said softly, drawing a gentle finger down Bakura's cheek. "There's nothing wrong with that. I just wish that I'd been able to know a little sooner."
"Yeah…" The yami said dazedly. "I mean… wait. No! You little…" With another low growl, he grabbed Ryou and tugged the boy down on the bed with him. He couldn't do much considering that most of the left side of his body was out of commission, but that didn't stop him from attacking with his right hand. Ryou burst out laughing and wiggled out of reach of Bakura's fingers, curling up around the older boy and laying his head on Bakura's chest.
"Bakura," he whispered, suddenly sounding very young and very afraid. "Do you think... Yuugi and Yami will be okay... right?" Ryou couldn't imagine his life without Yuugi in it. He, Yuugi and Malik had been a trio for so long that he felt very off balance without Yuugi's presence. And while he didn't know Yami that well, what he had known of the older teen, he'd liked, and he dreaded the thought of Yami being trapped inside of the Millennium Puzzle forever. Was it cold in there? And dark? Did Yami know they were worried about him? A shudder coursed through his body, and he curled that much closer as Bakura's right arm came down around his waist and trailed a soothing path up his back.
"Go to sleep, Rabbit. Our friends will be fine," Bakura muttered. "Maiden of the Moonlight is only a Duel Monster who needs to be taught a lesson." Hearing the unspoken 'and we will be the ones to teach it to her' made Ryou smile as his eyes fluttered shut and he allowed the soothing rhythm of Bakura's heartbeat to lull him into a deep sleep.
GMA
Anzu had fucked up big time. She knew that as surely as she knew that there was no way Yami was ever going to fall in love with her, even if he was somehow rescued. Tears glistened briefly in her azure eyes, but she blinked them back as she tenderly ran her fingers over the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle. It was dangerous – Mariku had already caught her touching them once, and he'd nearly taken her head off before Malik appeared and successfully distracted him – but she had always enjoyed tempting fate, and she felt the need to be near Yami in any way that she could, even if she couldn't help him. She'd already tried fitting the pieces together with no success.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her lips forming the words carefully. "I'm sorry, Yami-san. Can you even hear me?" Feeling utterly useless, Anzu dropped her head into her hands to muffle the sound of her sobs. She hadn't been expecting the ambush when she, Honda, and Otogi had walked into the Shadow Realm. For all of their experience at being guardians, the three of them had been completely blindsided by Maiden of the Moonlight, and she honestly didn't remember a thing from that moment on until she'd woken up to find a very pissed off Yami hovering over her. Obviously, she had said or done something during the battle that was upsetting the others, because no one had given her a second glance since they returned to the house.
"Anzu-san?" The sound of the soft, polite voice had Anzu scrambling to wipe away her tears as the kitchen light flashed on. Shizuka stood in the doorway, wearing a set of pale pink pyjamas. There was a pristine white bandage wrapped around her forehead, covering an ugly gash that Jou would no doubt freak out over when he finally woke up. Anzu looked up at the younger girl and smiled wanly, distantly thinking that she probably looked like a dreadful mess, but not really caring.
"Hello, Shizuka-chan," she said quietly, scooting her chair back from the table. Shizuka didn't appear to be angry, but Anzu knew she wasn't supposed to be touching the pieces of the Puzzle. They didn't belong to her. Hot bitterness swelled her throat shut for a moment and she turned her head away, lest Shizuka spot the flash of emotion she couldn't quite hold back.
"You've been crying," Shizuka observed, face filled with sympathy. She stepped into the room, her bunny slippers squeaking against the floor, and walked over to the refrigerator. Anzu continued to stare down at the golden pieces, keeping her hands folded as she listened to Shizuka moving around fetching glasses. A moment later, Shizuka sat down across from her with two glasses and a pitcher of some kind of bright pink liquid. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"I don't think I can," she muttered with a rueful smile, accepting a glass of the drink. Tartness exploded across her tongue when she took a sip, and she winced, realizing that someone must have let Mariku loose in the kitchen again. He adored creating innocent-looking meals to spring on unsuspecting victims. "I don't remember anything of what happened. I mean, I've figured out that something happened..." She cast a quick glance at the pieces and felt her stomach twist at the thought of Yami being trapped inside. "But..."
"That must be very frustrating," she said gently, playing with her own glass. "I can tell you what little I know, but to be honest, I was unconscious for a lot of the time. Jou was really the one who faced Maiden of the Moonlight. She had you, Otogi-san and Honda-san under one of her spells. You were... very angry." The words were spoken with a degree of hesitance that made Anzu cringe.
"What did I say? I didn't hurt anyone, did I?" She dreaded the answer.
"Not as far as I know." Humming softly, Shizuka tilted her head and considered the question. "No, I don't believe you did. We were knocked out before you got the chance."
That was some small consolation, at least, but then again, from the sound of it she hadn't done anything to help, either. Anzu sat back in her chair and sighed. "I just wish..." She let her voice trail off and couldn't help flinching when Seto strode into the room unexpectedly. His cold blue eyes swept over the two of them, softening ever so slightly when he gazed in Shizuka's direction. Shizuka gave him a bright grin in response as he walked over to the table and carefully picked up the box that held the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle. He turned and left them without a word, leaving Anzu staring after him longingly.
"You just wish what?" Shizuka coaxed after a few minutes of silence had passed.
"Huh?" Anzu looked back at her and blinked, startled by the question. "Oh, sorry. I completely forgot what we were talking about," she said apologetically. "I was thinking... Kaiba-kun seems angry with me. Well, angrier than normal, anyway. I was wondering what I did while you were knocked out."
"I wouldn't worry about Seto-onii-san," Shizuka replied kindly. "He's not that angry at you. I think he's worried about Onii-chan and Yami-san and frightened, and very frustrated because he feels helpless and he's not used to that. They're very close, you know. He and Yami-san, I mean. Seto-onii-san worries about Yami-san all the time... or at least, he did before they found Yuugi-san." A small smile tugged at her lips.
Anzu regarded her with surprise. "You know him much better than I would have guessed."
"You learn a lot by listening," said Shizuka, finally putting the glass to her lips. She swallowed without wincing and added, "What I've learned about you, Anzu-san, is that you never give up when you want something, and that you feel losing out on something means you're somehow not worthy. That's not completely true. You're very strong, but you need to learn to lose with grace. Yami-san has never, and will never, be yours. Please try to accept that before it causes more problems."
Her fingers tightened around the stem of the glass. "He never even gave me a chance," Anzu mumbled, more to herself than to Shizuka. "It's not fair."
"Anzu-san..." Sighing, Shizuka leaned forward. The ends of her auburn hair swept over the table as she placed a hand over Anzu's. "Listen to me. We've known each for a couple of years now, and I consider us to be friends. Please believe me when I say that I'm not telling you this in a bid to hurt you. Yami-san was destined for Yuugi-san. They are literally two halves that make a perfect whole. Even if he wanted to, Yami-san couldn't love you in the way that you want him to. You had his friendship. If you keep trying, you could have it again, but that's all you'll ever get. Before you continue acting as a guardian, I suggest that you figure out whether that can be enough. As long as you refuse to give up on him, you're more of a danger to all of us than you are a hindrance."
Stung, Anzu jerked her hand away. "I would never hurt any of you on purpose!"
"No, but when your heart is clouded by feelings of hatred, jealously, and despair, you become an easier target," Shizuka said meaningfully. "Honda-san and Otogi-san both fought against Maiden of the Moonlight's spell, but you succumbed to it easily. I could tell by the way the essence of her magic clung to you even after you snapped out of it. If I didn't know you so well, I'd almost be tempted to believe that you went along with it willingly, though I know that's not the case." The special emphasis she had put on her last sentence wasn't missed, and Anzu realized that she knew why the others had been acting so strangely. She dropped her head.
"All I did was fall in love," she mumbled. "How did it go so wrong?"
Shizuka flashed her a sympathetic smile. "Love itself is never bad or wrong. It's the emotions that go along with it that tear us apart." She stood up, taking her mostly full glass with her, and smoothed her shirt down. "Think about it, Anzu-san. If you feel the need to leave us for a little while so that you can deal with this, I don't think anyone would begrudge you that choice." With that passing comment, she turned on her heel and left the kitchen, leaving Anzu alone.
Leave? Anzu pressed her cold fingers against her neck in a vain attempt to warm them up and seriously considered Shizuka's words. The younger girl had a point, much as she hated to admit it. She was having a difficult time controlling her jealousy towards Yuugi, even though she knew that he didn't deserve it. Maybe some part of her had wanted to do him harm, and fuck, that was a scary thought. Shivering, she stood up and dumped her glass out in the sink, then stared thoughtfully out the window at the dark yard. For the past few years, she had been doing her duty in guarding her pharaoh with everything she had to give. Perhaps Shizuka was right... it was time for her to move on.
GMA
Kaiba Seto sat down in the chair that he had pulled up beside his bed and placed the worn cardboard box in his lap, sighing as he stared down at the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle. The cold gold tingled when he drew a hand through the pieces, and for the briefest of moments, he thought he could feel Yami before the sensation faded. Even though he knew it was useless, he couldn't prevent himself from picking up two of the pieces and trying to fit them together. Yuugi was the only person who would be able to solve the Puzzle and save Yami, but Seto had never been one to back down from a challenge, and he needed something to do or he was going to lose his mind.
A soft groan made him look up from his task. Jou shifted on their bed and then settled, though his face remained screwed up in a pained scowl. Seto sighed and leaned forward, ghosting his fingers against his lover's cheek. Though he had no magic left to ease the pain, Jou still fell back into a deeper sleep, soothed by Seto's presence. A sad smile crossed Seto's face as he gently pulled the covers further up around Jou's body. His doctors had found minimal damage, mostly in the form of strained muscles in his lower back, bruised muscles in his stomach area, and the occasional cut or bruise. Other than that, Jou had been given a clean bill of health along with the recommendation that he stay in bed for a few days to allow his body time to heal.
"Yeah, like that will happen," Seto muttered to himself, smirking.
"Nii-sama?"
Seto turned quickly at the sound of his name. "Mokuba? What are you still doing up?"
Mokuba shuffled into the room, rubbing tiredly at his eyes. His hair was mussed and a few strands stood on end. That, combined with the bright red pyjamas he was wearing, made him look so young that Seto's heart wrenched. "I was worried about Jou and I saw your light on," he mumbled. "Why are you still awake?"
"No particular reason." The lie came easily to Seto's lips. He didn't want his younger brother to know that he was too wound up to sleep. With Yami's absence, the wards on the mansion were not as strong as usual, and he was concerned that Maiden of the Moonlight might come back for another attempt. They still had two Millennium Items in their possession, after all. Mariku may have been capable of fighting, but Seto was drained and Bakura would be out of commission for at least a day or two.
"Liar," Mokuba said lightly, muffling a yawn with his hand. "I can see right through you, Nii-sama. Please to go to sleep. I don't think she'll come back tonight."
"I hate when you do that," Seto murmured, reaching out to trail an affectionate hand over Mokuba's soft black hair. In an uncustomary show of love, he pulled his younger brother close. Words couldn't describe how frightened he'd been to see Mokuba and Jou earlier. They were the most important people in his life, save for Yami, and he had no idea what he would do if he lost them. "I don't suppose you would listen to me if I asked that you not continue being a guardian."
"No, I wouldn't, so please don't ask me to disobey you," the boy mumbled. "She didn't hurt me, Nii-sama."
"I know. But I still worry about you. That's my job."
"As I recall, your job is being a vicious old CEO," he teased.
Seto arched an eyebrow. "Old?"
Chuckling, Mokuba tugged away and stood next to the bed. He looked down at Jou for a long moment before he glanced at his brother. "Can I sleep in here with you two?"
For a moment, Seto couldn't speak past the fury that had flashed through him at his brother's simple request. He couldn't remember the last time that Mokuba had asked to sleep with him. It had been years. "Of course," he managed finally, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. It sat coldly in his stomach like a block of ice. The urge to track down Maiden of the Moonlight and kill her slowly and painfully was nearly overwhelming, and he knew he had to get away before Mokuba saw how furious he was.
"Nii-sama?" Mokuba looked at him curiously when he stood up.
"I'm fine," said Seto reassuringly. Mokuba may have been skilled at reading his older brother, but Seto had years of practice at hiding his emotions. "I'm just going to do one last check around the house before we go to sleep. You get in bed with Jou. I'll be back in a minute."
"Okay." Tossing the covers back, Mokuba sat down and scooted towards the middle of the bed. It was easily large enough to accommodate all three of them, even if Jou did have the somewhat annoying tendency to sprawl across the bed like he was the only occupant. "Can I skip school tomorrow?"
Amused, Seto glanced back at his brother with a raised eyebrow. He had no intention of letting Mokuba or Shizuka go anywhere until he knew that they were fully recovered from the attack, but Mokuba had no way of knowing that. Like Seto, he had just never been one to let opportunity to pass him by. "I suppose," he said finally, acting like he was making a big concession. Predictably, Mokuba grinned broadly as he lay down and curled up around Jou, who, even unconscious, shifted towards the younger boy protectively. Seto smiled slightly.
"Go to sleep," he told his brother, striding across the room. He flipped the light off but left the door open, knowing that Mokuba disliked sleeping in complete darkness. The rest of the house was dark and quiet as he walked around, and everything seemed to be alright, but Seto's nerves were still buzzing. There was a jittery energy filling his veins, like something wasn't quite right, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. Everyone had checked on so far, including Bakura, Ryou and Anzu, were asleep.
The sound of music and voices caught his attention, and he descended the stairs to the living room. There, he found Mariku watching television. Malik was cuddled up beside him, his head resting on his yami's chest and his cell phone gripped in his hand. It had clearly been pressed to his ear at some point, and his hand had ended up slipping down to his lap. Shizuka was sitting on the couch with them, sleeping on the armrest with her head resting on top of her arms. Mariku glanced up at him when he entered, but didn't seem to be surprised that Seto was still awake. He nodded a greeting and lifted the remote, turning the sound down.
"Can't sleep?" he asked.
"I feel like she's out there waiting," said Seto. It was the kind of comment that he usually would have made only to Yami. He was feeling the loss of his cousin keenly.
"I'm sure she normally would be, but we dealt her a serious blow tonight." Mariku ran his fingers through his hair, then dropped his hand onto Malik's head. "Malik's sister talked him to sleep."
"She's out of the hospital, isn't she?" His worry for Isis, and what her death would mean for their group, made his voice sharper than he had intended.
"She knows how to protect herself. I believe she's spending the night with Aniki," Mariku replied.
Seto relaxed and glanced at Shizuka. "I thought she went to bed."
Mariku shrugged. "We were in here watching TV and she came in and sat down."
Not surprising. Shizuka was one of the few people who remained unintimidated by both Mariku and Bakura no matter what they did. "You should go to bed," he said. "You look tired."
The yami gave a short laugh. "Easier said than done. I suppose, like you, I feel that something's not right." Their eyes met in a silent, shared understanding. Though neither of them was willing to say it out loud, it was Yami that they were missing. Yami's presence had been a constant in their lives since the whole concept of the Millennium Items had been brought to light, and having him gone meant they were somewhat at a loss.
"I'll take her." Dropping his gaze, Seto stepped up to the couch and slipped his arms under Shizuka, lifting her small weight easily. She muttered something under her breath and laid her head on his shoulder without waking. He turned to Mariku. "The barriers and wards around the house may not be as strong without Yami, but they will hold. You can't protect Malik if you're exhausted."
"I never knew you were such a worrywart," said Mariku, but the comment was without malice. He gently eased Malik off of his body and stood up, stretching. Seto waited patiently while he turned the television off and then gathered Malik into his arms. The two of them carried their precious burdens up the stairs, where Seto watched to make sure that Mariku had actually gone into his bedroom before he continued on. Some part of him detested this position he'd been thrust into; it was Yami's responsibility to be the one who cared, the one who kept them all together, and he didn't like that it had fallen on his shoulders in his cousin's absence. They had to get Yami back, and soon.
Inside his own bedroom, he gently set Shizuka down on the bed next to Mokuba before he stripped down to just his boxers. He sat down and then stretched out on the bed, placing his head on the pillow and pulling the covers up around them all. Shizuka rolled towards him immediately and gave a contented sigh as she placed her head on his chest, never once waking up from her deep sleep. Seto smiled to himself and stretched out an arm across the pillow so that he could tangle his fingers in Jou's golden blonde hair. It felt good to know that almost everyone he cared the most about were all safe, in one bed, where he could protect them. Wearily, he closed his eyes and waited for sleep to take him away.
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