MillenniumXOLoveXOStories: I'm BACK!
Yami: Why did Aibou slap me?!
MillenniumXOLoveXOStories: I'm sorry Yami, I had to do that. Yugi had to be upset with you. But remember, you two made up moments later and fell asleep in each other's arms.
Yami: Okay, but still… That hurt, Aibou.
Yugi: I'msosorryI'msosorry! I won't do it again, I promise!
Yami: It's alright, love. I forgive you. *hugs*
Seto: Ugh, look Millennium doesn't own Yugioh or any of us. Quit that, Yugi! You're not going to get me to duel you right now! You know only two people can puppy dog me! *Eep* Shit.
Joey: Ha! I knew it worked! Told you Mokuba!
Everyone: On with the story!
Warning! There is some Dom Yugi, and mentions of abuse.
/Yami mind link/ \Hikari mind link\ (There is a little late in the chapter.)
Waking up, Yami almost couldn't believe it. Yugi was here, with him. The handsome young man slept peacefully in Yami's arms, a feeling Yami would love to never really get used to. It was so amazing to be able to touch Yugi's amazingly soft skin. Everything was somewhat intense to the former Pharaoh now. All sensations seemed 100X stronger than they did when he was a spirit. Back then, it had felt like there was a thin veil separating him from the rest of the world. It was nice to have that gone. I don't think there could be a better way to wake up than this… Well, there is one thing that could make this better…. NO! I am NOT going there right now! Shit, did not mean to think that way. Calmdowncalmdowncalmdowncalm downcalmdown….
"Yami? You awake?" Yugi asked. "Yes, Aibou. Did you need something?" Yami answered. "Not really. Just…" Suddenly, Yugi turned and looked at Yami. "What were you thinking about just now? Before I woke up?" Yami looked at his beloved, stunned. How could he possibly explain that he had been fantasizing about yanking his Aibou's clothes off and…? Yami mentally shook himself. "Umm, why do you ask, Aibou?" Yami said, trying to avoid this conversation. "You seem embarrassed about something, and I know you well enough to know it's about me. Right?" Yugi hit the nail on the head. Yami was speechless. How in the hell did Yugi do that? Their mind link wasn't there anymore, at least not that he could tell, and even though they knew each other's minds so well, Yugi should not have known that! Unless, he was thinking something similar…. Could it be? "Yes, I was thinking of you. How did you know that? It seems that our mind link is no longer effective." Yami was definitely nervous now. He was on the verge of saying something that might completely blow up in his face. And he wasn't sure he could take that rejection from Yugi, ever.
"I just remembered that you used to shut me out suddenly, and get all embarrassed like this before…. Well, I would always catch the very beginning of your train of thought and noticed it was always me, and often in a somewhat…. provocative way." It seemed that Yami had not been as careful as he had hoped…. Either that, or Yugi just paid more attention than he had given credit back then. "Wh-what d-do you m-mean, provocative?" Yami stuttered, utterly flustered and terrified. "Shirtless, or even just boxers, stuff like that. It seems you couldn't bring yourself to imagine more, but…. I could tell you liked me, a lot. And truth is, I lo-like you a lot too." Yugi said, stumbling a little at the end and looking a bit embarrassed himself. Ra was he adorable with that blush! Yami had to fight the urge to kiss those full, pouty lips…. Suddenly, Yugi was kissing him, fully. Yami lost all control and started to kiss back. And yet, Yugi had complete control of everything that was happening. Yami's hand slid up Yugi's shirt, feeling the smooth firm skin of his chest, then BAM! Yami's hands were pinned above his head! What? Yami thought dimly. Is he doing what I think? "Oh no you don't Yami. This is my game, and we're going to play by my rules. Understand?" Yami nodded mutely.
"I've always been the type to give in and let you take control, but not this time. I know what you want, but you're going to have to earn it, okay? And that may take a little time." Yami simply nodded. Gods, he is hot like this. How is he even doing this to me? No one controls me. No one! But I can't bring myself to stop him, because I… I like it. I love him enough to let him have this. As this dawned on Yami, Yugi watched the emotions warring on his face. The shock of his dominance, surprise at his comments, then the realization that he was allowing Yugi to control him at all. This all suddenly gave way to a face that Yugi had never seen, causing confusion to cover his own face. "What's the matter, love? You look confused about something." Yugi shook his head, wondering what had gotten into Yami. "Nothing…. What did you just call me? Are you telling me something?"
Yami suddenly couldn't meet Yugi's eyes. "Yes, Aibou. I love you more than anything else in this world. I can't imagine my life without you in it. I may have all my memories of the past, but even then I had never met someone who had this effect on me. You make me want to be a certain kind of person. The one who makes you smile every night. The one you come home to at the end of every day. And the one you can't live without." Yugi smiled. "That's all I've ever wanted to hear you say out loud, Mou Hitori No Boku. Because you already are that person. I love you, too."
Realizing it was close to 8, they decided to get up and get dressed. Walking into the kitchen, they saw Malik and Ishizu talking quietly. Looking up, they smiled knowingly and offered breakfast. "So it seems that you two have made up now. That is good to see. You had me worried yesterday, Yugi." Malik said. "I don't believe I've ever seen you so upset. Now I understand why it was so hard to convince you to come here in the first place." Yugi shrugged, not wanting to explain how complete he now felt. "I suppose you all are wondering about how things are back in Domino. Especially you, Yami?" Yugi asked, hoping to change the subject. "Well, yes, but, Aibou, you seem to be avoiding something." Yami said quietly. "I'll tell you later, okay? It's something I want to tell you privately. Anyway, Tea got into the dance school she wanted, and Tristan is following her. He and Serenity dated for a little while, but no one knows why they broke up just a couple months later. That was… 3 months ago. They still won't speak to each other and Ren won't even tell Joey what happened." Yugi stopped for a drink. "Joey got sick a couple months ago, pneumonia, and still isn't out of the hospital. Kaiba has practically lived there ever since. Even Mokuba said something, and I guess he knew how Kaiba really felt about Joey. It's funny, they're so different, but it works great for them. Joey has really toned down the temper, and Kaiba actually laughs once in a while. Although, Kaiba still calls Joey a dog… Well, puppy is what it is now. It's cute really." Yami couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Joey being called Kaiba's puppy. "He's doing better finally, though, and should be out in a few days. Kaiba talked him into moving in to the mansion, since he still won't be able to really do everything on his own for a while. Joey just loves the idea of having all that food around." Laughing fully for the first time in months, Yugi couldn't remember the last time he had felt this great. "Duke finally got that game going strong, you know, Dungeon Dice Monsters? It's a huge hit now. It's funny though, he actually seems upset that Tristan is leaving with Tea. Tristan got some offer there to be a stunt man for some smaller actor, can't remember who, and took it. He loves the idea of being a stunt double in a movie. Plus, he gets paid to ride a motorcycle and fake a fight! It totally suits him! And Mokuba and Serenity have gotten really close lately. Joey and Kaiba aren't thrilled, but they're okay with it. They realize that the two could be good for each other. Mokuba gets her to actually have fun once in a while. Wow, I guess that's really it. Oh, yeah, Ryou stuck around, even after his dad offered him a chance to join him in India. Ryou said he just didn't want to leave his friends. Although, I think he really stayed for me. He actually really seems to miss Bakura now, even after everything the thief king did to him." Yugi seemed a little stronger now, like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "Sorry to ramble, I just got carried away." He blushed, looking down at his lap and tugging at his bangs. "No, Aibou, I'm glad to hear about what's been going on. A lot has happened in the last 6 months. I will be glad to see the gang again." Yami sighed, hoping that everyone was still going to be there in a couple days. "Yeah. I didn't tell them why I was really coming here, but they know not to leave until I get back. I should call them and tell them I have a surprise for them when I get home!" Jumping up, he ran into the living room before realizing it was way later back home. Oh well, maybe I should wait. What time is it there? It's 9am here, so it's…. 5pm there? Well, maybe I can at least talk to Joey and Kaiba. And they can tell the others when they get off work. Yugi decided that's what he would do.
Kaiba had answered on the second ring, not even annoyed at being pulled away from the work he was doing on his laptop when he saw the caller ID. Joey was fast asleep. "Yugi? What's going on? It's like 9 something in the morning there. You're never up this early." Kaiba asked, worried. "Nothing's wrong Kaiba. Calm down. I'm fine. I just wanted to let you know that I have a surprise for you guys when I get back in town. A pretty good one too. I was hoping you could tell the others for me, since the time difference is a little big. And I know I'll be busy today getting ready for tomorrow. Heh. Got to go, okay? Don't worry. This is a good thing. You'll see." Hanging up, Yugi left Kaiba wondering just what in the hell had Yugi so upbeat all of a sudden. It's nice to hear him sound happy again. I wonder what he was talking about. The only person I can think of that would make him this happy is…. Yami, but he's gone. Could he be back? I can't think of anything else that would make him sound like a child in a toy store with a gold credit card again. Ha! That's a good one, and it completely describes how he sounded. Happier than I've ever seen him in months. Kaiba chuckled under his breath, glancing over at the bed next to him. Joey was still sound asleep. That guy could sleep through a tornado and not move. Chuckling softly again, he kissed his puppy's forehead and got back to work, mind still turning over what Yugi had told him and how he had sounded. Maybe Yami was back. If so, Seto knew he wanted a rematch. But it could wait. Yugi could have him all to himself as long as he wanted for all Seto cared. If it made Yugi smile, well, he wouldn't risk making Joey mad by butting in wanting a duel. Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door and looked up to see Serenity Wheeler, Joey's younger sister, and his younger brother's pseudo-girlfriend. "What's up Ren? Joey's out cold, and probably won't wake up for a while. Your dad was here earlier…." Ra, but that man pissed him off! Every damn time he was here, Joey would end up crying or shaking. The only reason Seto hadn't forbidden the man from setting foot in the room was because of the face Joey had made when he mentioned it. Once. "It wasn't Joey I wanted to talk to. It was you anyway…. I wanted to tell you something that only Mokuba knows right now…. But you can't tell Joey. Not yet. I don't want him getting all upset and getting worse again. And this would do just that." She looked absolutely terrified of telling him what had happened. "Ok. I won't say a word if you don't want me to. I would rather see him out of here soon too. You can tell me anything." Suddenly, Kaiba was worried about her more than Joey.
Taking a breath, Serenity started, "I guess I should warn you, it'll make you mad. Probably as mad as Joey will get when he finds out. But you can't tell him, please. You'll understand soon." Seto nodded, wanting her to go on. What in Ra's name is going on? He wondered silently. "Tristan isn't who you think he is. He's a jerk, and I'm worried about Tea now. They're sort of dating, and I think he'll do the same to her. It started pretty simple. He would just be jealous of me spending so much time with Joey, or you. I thought that was weird, since you're gay, and with my brother, but it started getting worse. Then it was like I couldn't hang out with Duke, or Tea, or Yugi either, cuz he would get mad about it. So I just dealt with it. I kept quiet." Seto was starting to get mad. He could see where this was leading, and wondered how she had kept Mokuba from losing his mind. They wouldn't stand for stuff like this! Even Mr. Wheeler was afraid of Seto Kaiba. The glares he received from the blue-eyed man would nearly stop him cold. "Then he started getting sort of physical… He would push me around when we were alone… He never left any marks, cuz he knew they'd get noticed. He couldn't keep me from Joey, and he knew it. Joey would kill him. I realized he wasn't going to get better when he slapped me one day… That was when I left him. I still can't stand to be near him. That's why I always make excuses to stay away. I just wish I knew how Tea was doing." Seto was furious. No one got away with smacking a girl half their size! He was going to have to do some work. If Tristan was hurting Tea too, well, that would be his last mistake. "Promise me you won't hurt him? I don't want Joey wondering what happened." Seto nodded. "I'll keep quiet for now, unless I find out he's hurting Tea too. Then all bets are off." Serenity nodded. "I'm glad you care about her too. I always wondered if you just put up with us for Joey."
"Never. You guys grew on me after a while. I never really like Tristan that much, but the rest of you are pretty cool. And you make Mokuba smile, so you'll always be okay to me." Seto smiled at the sweet girl in front of him. "Just don't hurt my little brother, you hear me? Even Joey knows not to make me mad. Ha-ha! Don't worry, I'm just teasing you." Serenity laughed. "I should go. Don't want to wake the bear. He's so grumpy if he gets woke up to soon. And Mokuba's probably worried. I took off pretty fast when we started arguing…. I guess I was a little scared."
Yugi and Yami were slowly getting ready to leave Egypt. Their plane was waiting, but there was no real rush. They were simply enjoying each other's company, and didn't want to change things so soon. "Ready to go home, Mou Hitori no Boku?" Yami smiled and nodded. He really missed the gang. "Let's go, Aibou. I'm ready to go wherever you go." And he meant it. He knew his Aibou was worried about what people would think back in Domino, but Ra, it didn't matter. So what if they got a few dirty looks? They loved each other and that was what mattered. Suddenly, Malik ran in the room looking terrified. "Um, you two need to come out here. I can't do this alone…. They're back too." Yami and Yugi had no idea what he meant, but the fear on his face made them go with him. Walking into the living room, their jaws dropped at who they saw.
Marik and Bakura were back and looked mad about it. "What the hell do we do now, Yami? This is not exactly what I had in mind." This was not going to end well. "Not sure, Aibou. This might not end up the surprise we wanted to give the gang." Bakura glared at the two. "How about you tell us what the hell is going on, Pharaoh." He spat venomously. "I wish I knew, Tomb Robber. If I knew why we were back, I wouldn't be so surprised to see you." Suddenly Marik spoke up, "Do either of you remember anything about the 'other side'? I just remember being told something about a second chance." Bakura and Yami stared at the Dark Egyptian. "No, I don't." They said together. "Perhaps we are meant to have a chance to have some type of happiness, Tomb Robber and Pharaoh. It might be why we came back." The other dark halves had to laugh at the idea. "Myself, having happiness. Perhaps the Pharaoh could, but I doubt the one I shared bodies with will be so thrilled to see me." Bakura seemed unhappy at the idea. Maybe he hadn't hated Ryou so much after all. "Oh well, he always was a bit too weak for me." Yugi finally found his voice. "Bakura, I don't think that's true at all. Ryou did miss you. He might even be somewhat happy to see you. But it might help if you don't call him weak. He's just nonviolent, like me. We rather hate hurting people, and people like to see that as weakness. I don't think it is. I think it takes more strength to be mad at someone and forgive them than it does to fight them." Everyone in the room stared at the little 19-year-old. "Forgiving someone isn't easy to do sometimes. I would know firsthand. See, I wasn't always this nice. My dad took off and left me and my mom with nothing when I was 8 years old. If not for Grandpa, I'd be dead. Mom couldn't take care of us without Dad around. It was probably 5 years later when I finally was able to forgive him… Although, I still don't think I would ever let him back in my life…. I just couldn't set myself up like that." Yami seemed the most upset by this. "Aibou, how did I not know this sooner? I thought we had no secrets." The pain was obvious in his voice. "I never consciously hid it from you. You just never asked. I would have told you if I knew you wanted to know." Yugi looked about to cry from knowing that his other half was so hurt by this omission. "I suppose it explains your reluctance to trust me at first. Oh well, I could have asked sooner, I guess. So how are we going to explain the reappearance of these two to everyone else?" Yami and Yugi simply stared at each other, unsure what to do. The honest truth was, no one was sure how this news would play out with the others back in Domino City. "Do you two have your mind link back?" Bakura suddenly asked. "I was wondering, because I can sort of sense Ryou, but not like before." Yugi seemed surprised. "Not that I've noticed, but Mou Hitori No Boku and I don't really need it anymore. We just know each other that well." Yami seemed surprised at Yugi's answer. "I've noticed that I can still feel if you are upset or happy, but I cannot hear your thoughts as I am used to Aibou. But as you said, we no longer really need it between ourselves."
"Oh. I was hoping to get an idea how your link was… I actually find myself wanting to see Ryou again… Though, I don't expect him to be thrilled at the idea of me being back." Ugh, why do I feel like this? I don't owe him anything! He was just a body for me. It's not like I need him anymore. But… If I'm honest, I do miss him. He was my opposite, always kind… Like Yugi is. He makes me wonder if maybe I should be nicer… I'm a damn thief! What am I thinking!? Thieves don't make friends! You can't trust anyone, I know that now. Even Ryou wanted me gone really. He hated me. I used him and hurt him… And I actually want to apologize for it… Bakura's thoughts were wild and manic. What was this feeling? He had no idea why he missed the gentle boy he had shared a body with for so long, but he felt compelled to go back to Domino and at least apologize to the boy. No matter what, he owed Ryou that much.
Marik, on the other hand, was simply watching the Egyptian who had created him so many years ago. Somehow, they could sense each other's thoughts, almost as if they had their own mind link. This had never been the case before! Malik and Marik had always been two separate minds locked apart by anger. Now they could understand each other?! /Can you hear me Malik?/ \Yes. I'm not sure I like this at all, Marik. I still don't trust you.\ /I don't suppose I blame you for that. I wasn't exactly a kind person before…/ Wait! Marik was almost apologizing to Malik for everything he had done!? Malik looked at his dark half, curious as to what had changed. /I don't feel the need to be that person anymore. You have no one to hate, and you are happy now. If you wish, I will leave./ \No. I for some reason like this side of you. I realize I created you to protect me when I couldn't be the person you are… so it's kind of my fault you acted the way you did.\
MillenniumXOLoveXOStories: So, what do you think? I tried not to spend too much time on Serenity's story… I want to tie that in later… Sorry, Tristan, but you get stuck as the bad guy in this one…
Tristan: It's okay, I still love you Mill.
Joey: Please tell me I get to beat the shit outta him later on in the story!
MillenniumXOLoveXOStories: Yeah… Unfortunately, you do. AAH! Not the glare, Seto! I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me, I'm just a girl!
Seto: You're the one who wrote this awful sequence. Ren, Mokuba, you doing okay about this?
Serenity/Mokuba: Yeah. Fine. We were forewarned about this.
Everyone Else: WHAT!? You told them and not us!?
MillenniumXOLoveXOStories: Sorry. I didn't realize you all would get so mad. *Eep* Forgive meeeeeeeeee! I'msosorry!
Yugi: Guys, cut her some slack. Tea better not get hurt! You might not like me then, though.