MillenniumXOLoveXOStories: I'm soooooo sorry that it took me so long to update! It has been the craziest couple weeks… And now I have to find a new job and SOON! Wish me luck!
Seto: Seriously, Mill. I don't know that they give a flying–
Joey: Seto! Be nice! Maybe she was just trying to give a little explanation as to why she took so long… *Half-assed as it is…*(muttered)
MillenniumXOLoveXOStories: I heard that Joey! And I know, it's a horrible excuse! Gomen Nasai!
Yugi: Okay, let's be nice. Remember, Millennium doesn't own us or any music she might put in. Just the storyline.
Again: /is Yamis speaking in mind link/ \is the Hikaris\ Yes, there will be more mind linkage. YAYS!
Recap: So Tristan is an ass, Serenity just told the Kaiba brothers. Joey has no clue. Yugi and Yami made up, and the other Yamis are also back. FTW, and Marik and Malik have a mind link?! Yeah. Craziness will now ensue.
"So, what the hell are we supposed to do now? I don't think your friends are going to be so thrilled that the Tomb Robber and the Psycho are back, Aibou." Yami was rubbing his temples wearily, wondering what exactly was going on. This wonderful dream was quickly turning into a nightmare. "This is just wonderful, Malik. Your yami was the worst of us…"
"Yami! That's not nice! Maybe Marik isn't so bad now. And really, how do we know any of you are the same as before? It's not like our mind links are up right now." Yugi seemed upset that his other half could be so… mean. It wasn't really that uncommon for Yami to unwittingly set someone off by speaking his mind, but he needed to be careful where the other yamis were concerned.
"Actually, Yami, Marik and I have a link… I'm not sure what to think of this, but he's not the same person he was before. I can tell you that myself."
"WHAT?! YOU HAVE A MIND LINK WITH MARIK?!" Everyone else in the room seemed to scream this at the exact same moment. Ishizu, Odion, Bakura, Yami, and Yugi all looked completely floored by this piece of news. Yugi sputtered out what everyone else was thinking, "Y-you have a MIND LINK with Marik! When did you notice this exactly? It just seems like you would be the last one to have it!"
Malik looked worried. "I just noticed it myself a few minutes ago. I really don't know why we have one and you don't. Maybe it's because you don't need it anymore, Yugi. If I knew, I would tell you. I just thought I should let you know that we had one now. I don't like keeping secrets really." He was terrified of what the others would think or say now. He just couldn't bring himself to hide the link from his friends and siblings. It was true that he didn't like secrets, and rarely had any now that he wasn't a bad guy.
Ishizu thankfully stepped in, "Malik, I am glad that you told us. I believe you may be right as to why Yugi and the Pharaoh do not have a link of their own. But it may also be that theirs will return in time. As might yours, Bakura. It may just require some time around your Hikari."
"Okay. Well, Yami and I at least should be getting ready to head back to Domino. Much as I like it here, I miss Grandpa, Mom, and my friends." Yugi was obviously relieved that there might be a return of the easy thought speak between him and his other half. Now he just had to wait and hope it really happened. And get back to his friends and tell them the news. Suddenly, he was extremely nervous. If he was honest, he wasn't sure the others would be so happy that the Pharaoh was back. They had all believed that it was his time to go, and might actually be upset he had returned. Yami was back! Shaking, he looked over at his dark half and wondered if this really was going to be the great thing he had first thought. Get over yourself, Yugi. It won't be that bad. They'll be happy for you. All they've wanted for the last six months was for you to smile again for real. Not the fake one you've been hiding behind. Joey's gonna be thrilled. And Kaiba will want a rematch… Wonder if Joey can hold that off. I really don't want to share my dark anytime soon. /Yugi, are you really that worried?/ \Wait, I heard that!\
"It's back! Yami, it's freaking back!" Yugi was jumping up and down like a child, clearly excited about the mind link. "Our link! Yes! Awesome!" Yami couldn't help but share in the excitement. He was just as happy about it, only he wasn't jumping around. He was simply laughing so hard his eyes began to water. Everyone else slowly caught on to what was going on, clearly happy for the pair that had always been so close. The love they shared was obvious to anyone who cared to look. Huffing, Bakura was the only one not joining in the celebration. "Not like it matters for the two midgets. They can just read each other's faces like an open book. Just like anyone with a brain can tell what they want to do to each other. HA!"
That got everyone's attention. "Obviously you are jealous, Tomb Robber. That is the only reason you would imply such a vulgar thing in front of everyone. You must miss your light some to be so obviously upset over our link returning. Perhaps you would like to join us in returning to Domino, Japan?" The teasing tone in Yami's voice was evident, and seemed to make the Thief King angrier. "Perhaps I would, perhaps I wouldn't. What's it to you, wanker?" Bakura turned and stared out the window. Now was not the time to get into a fight with the former Pharaoh. If he wanted to see Ryou again, he would have to be nice for now. The thought sent a shudder through him. "You're welcome to come back with us, Bakura. As long as you and Yami can call a truce for now. I really don't want to referee you two all the way home. And Ryou wouldn't like it if I was in a bad mood from that. He's gotten a little protective lately. We became pretty close after you two left. He was the only one who even halfway understood what I was feeling. So, yeah. If you want a chance with him, play nice." Yugi was actually threatening him? That was impressive for the formerly extremely shy young man. Sighing, Bakura acquiesced. He understood what Yugi was implying in his statements. Yugi was a perceptive one, alright. It was as if he could read the thief's very thoughts. Definitely an unnerving thought for Bakura.
And with that, the three packed up what they would need and got ready to return home. The darks were being kind to each other, well, as kind as their natures allowed. Yugi really didn't have to run interference, which was nice. Bakura seemed to take the threat seriously. \I'm actually relieved he believed me about Ryou\ /You thought he wouldn't, Aibou? He cares about the boy very much, I think. He is afraid that someone might make the boy hate him more, just as he gets a chance to right his wrongs. He is still a thief, but not the one we first met./ Yugi had been concerned that Bakura would think him bluffing. The man didn't seem all that concerned about Ryou at first.
Back in Domino, everyone else was anxiously waiting for Yugi to return. They knew he was supposed to be back the next morning, Japanese time, but it was nerve-wracking to not know how he was holding up. Tea, Joey, Duke, and Serenity were openly worrying, while Tristan and Kaiba held their tongues. Ryou simply said that he thought Yugi was fine and would be glad to see his friends again. Tristan wasn't even thinking about Yugi. He was wondering what lies Serenity had told the Kaibas. He wasn't oblivious to the dark glares from both boys. She belongs to me. I swear, when I'm a rich actor, I'll have you back, Ren. You're mine forever. Tea's just a place holder until I can get you back. Stupid bitch will never be you. Typical abusive, ass-hole thoughts. Only the Kaibas had any clue that Tristan was that evil. Mokuba was protectively keeping Serenity on the other side of his brother and Joey from Tristan, knowing that if it came to it, Seto would be the one fighting. The 15-year-old was not naïve enough to think he could take Tristan on his own. He knew Tristan was tough from growing up in a bad neighborhood like Joey, and knew how to fight. Mokuba, on the other hand, was small for his age, though not as small as Yugi. He was slowly catching his brother in height though. He was now the same height as Serenity, maybe taller by a little. Man, I like her. She's sweet and so innocent. She's really pretty too. I can't say I'm surprised she has so many guys flirt with her all the time, while she's totally oblivious to it… Well, she is Joey's sister. Ha. He was so clueless about Seto too. Mokuba was slowly beginning to fall for the younger Wheeler, and he knew it. He couldn't help but want to take care of her. She brought out the best in him, like Joey did for Seto. The Wheelers were just perfect for the Kaibas.
"Hey, at least I'll get to join y'all tomorrow at the airport. Glad to fin'ly be free o' this dump." Joey was trying to get everyone to laugh, not really sure why his little sister was so tense. He knew something was up between her and T, but what was it? He knew she wouldn't tell him right now. Maybe after he was out of the hospital and actually feeling right again. He just hoped it wasn't too bad. Maybe he had… no use speculating, Joey decided. He would only piss himself off, and that wouldn't be a good idea. It always made him tired, and he'd usually start coughing again. No need for all that. It was probably harmless anyway. No big deal. He could worry about it another day. Right now was about Yugi and his 'big surprise'. No one had any clue what it was. No one but Ryou, that is. He had noticed a little twinge in the back of his mind earlier in the day, but said nothing. He didn't really trust any of the others. They still seemed to distrust him, even though all the evil things he had done were really the work of Bakura. Oh well, at least Yugi understood him. Just about the only one who cared to try to understand the lonely albino Brit. Oh well, at least he'll be back tomorrow. I won't have to put up with these people much longer. I hate the way they look at me like I'm some bloody criminal that's going to stab them if they let their bloody guard down. That was bloody Bakura! Oh, Kura. I miss you. If you really are back… Come back to me. You get it, the loneliness. I understand why you did it. You thought even I couldn't be trusted. Everyone always betrayed you in the end too. The strange twinge hit again, as if Bakura really was there. It felt like… a sadness coming from the other. Almost like he was sorry for everything he had done. \Can you hear me, Kura? I hope so. Come back. I don't hate you.\
Bakura stiffened, startled by the feeling that came over him while packing his new clothes. It felt as if his Hikari was trying to talk to him. \can you hear me, Kura? I hope so. Come back. I don't hate you.\ /I hear you Ryou. How can you not hate me? I was terrible to you back then. I only ever hurt you/ \doesn't matter. I just miss you always being there. But I'm not telling the others. They wouldn't understand. I don't know if even Yugi could understand why I want you back.\ "What's wrong, Tomb Robber? You look surprised at something." Yami was truly concerned for the thief. It was unusual to see any emotion on the man's face that wasn't anger, hatred, or boredom. "It's just… well, I think my link is back as well… Although it's a little harder for me to talk to Ryou. Probably because he's so bloody far away from me right now. Let's just go already." Bakura seemed to go back to his old self again, brushing off the concern of Yami. No one else asked any questions.
So he's back for real. Well, this is interesting. They're going to bloody freak out when they find out. \Hey, Bakura, is Yami back too? Just curious as to what Yugi's big surprise was.\ /of course he's back. And the bloody psycho that the little Tomb Keeper created is too. Bloody brilliant, really. Don't think anyone expected myself and the crazy one to show. Tomb Keeper seemed pretty freaked. Well, the midgets weren't thrilled either… Don't really care. This is exhausting to do though. More when I'm back in Domino./ At that, the link went dead as Bakura shut Ryou out completely. Well, not sure what I expected. And it was hard to talk to him. I hope it's not so hard when he's back here in Japan. Thankfully, the others in the room never seemed to notice the emotions playing out on Ryou's face, as it was impossible for him to use the link and keep his face neutral like he usually did. He hated people in general; they were idiots who couldn't seem to come up with a bloody original thought if they're lives freaking depended on it. He was more like Kaiba than anyone realized yet… Well, more like the old Kaiba, the jerk CEO who put everyone down except the little brother who adored him. Mokuba had always thought Kaiba hung the moon or something, and Kaiba could be said to think something similar of his younger brother. The brothers had survived hell together for some almost 10 years now, starting with the death of their biological parents. And then came the ridiculous mutt, Joey Wheeler. Joey and Kaiba had, at first, constantly been at each other's throats. Nothing could stop the spewing of insults and verbal punches, though neither had ever truly struck the other. The rest of Joey's friends had merely stood back helplessly as Joey continuously made a fool of himself in an effort to gain Kaiba's respect.
Laughing to himself, Ryou smiled internally at the thought of the cold, calculating CEO becoming the soft, pathetic fool he was now. Yes, that was how the pale teen saw the blue-eyed boy. Love was stupid. No one was around forever, and you only got hurt in the end. Why bother trying? It was easier to just keep everyone at arm's length and never show any real emotion. Bakura was the only person, since his mother's and sister's deaths, who had ever gotten past Ryou's stubborn defenses, and that was bad enough. He didn't plan on ever letting anyone else in again. Everyone let you down eventually, no matter how well you thought you knew them.
So, everyone went to the airport to pick up Yugi, having no idea of the bombshell coming. Later, Kaiba would wonder if even Yugi expected the reactions that came from the surprise reunion. Standing at the airport, well Joey was sitting because Seto and Serenity insisted, they watched as the private jet descended onto the runway. Unbeknownst to them, inside there were three teenage boys wringing their hands worrying about the reactions to come. \This could seriously blow up in our faces, Mou Hitori No Boku. I mean, Tea seriously had a crush on you, and Joey might want to punch you for leaving in the first place…\ /Aibou, whatever happens, we will survive. I highly doubt your, no our, friends will actually attempt to harm me. It is their reaction to the thief that concerns me. / Not wanting to admit it, Bakura was just as concerned. He knew that Ryou was at least not angry at him, but the others had no idea he was back. And they had always hated him. Well, whatever. It doesn't bloody matter what they think of me… I don't care, as long as Ryou doesn't hate me completely. And the plane had landed. Suddenly, the three boys realized that the moment of truth had arrived. What now?
Leaving the plane, Yugi saw his friends. All of them were waiting and watching the runway as he disembarked. He saw the shocked looks as Yami and Bakura walked out behind him. And then the shouts started. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?" It seemed that every one of his friends shouted this at the same time. Ryou was the only one composed at the moment. "Perhaps we should all calm down, and allow poor Yugi to try to explain without all this bloody shouting," he said calmly. "Although, it simply appears that his dark and my own are back from the afterlife. I must say I wonder how that happened."
"Well, Ryou's right. They're back… And so is Marik. We don't know why or how, but all three have their own bodies now. And frankly, I like it this way. I have Yami back." Yugi was suddenly much more sure than usual, staring at his friends in a way that seemed to dare them to defy him. He wasn't kidding. He was ecstatic that Yami was back. He wasn't alone anymore. He had the one person who understood him back in his life, and he'd be damned if any of his friends tried to get in his way. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that he is back. It was about the only thing I could think of that would make you sound so happy when you called the other day. But I think we are all a bit confused as to why the crazy side of Ryou is back." Kaiba said calmly. He had quickly regained his usually stoic public appearance following his surprised outburst.
Ryou grabbed Bakura's hand. "Come on. I'm done dealing with these people for now. Let's go 'Kura." Ryou seemed almost pissed at how his 'friends' were reacting. "They're not worth our time anyway." Bakura simply followed, unsure of what was going through his Light's head. /What's wrong, Ry? You never get mad like this. / Ryou huffed. \I never used to have to deal with those idiots this long. Ra they are annoying after a while. Especially that bitch with her friendship speech. How in the hell do the others deal with her? Even Wheeler isn't that annoying when he's growling about something like a street dog.\ Bakura was surprised that Ryou felt that way about Yugi's friends, but didn't push. If Ryou wanted to tell him, well, he'd know. Suddenly, memories from his Light flooded his mind. Years of abandonment from all sides following the deaths of mother and sister, studying to get into a decent high school, then getting stuck with Yugi and friends every time he turned around. Then there was the Ring. The blackouts. The fear in everyone's eyes afterwards. The distrust lingering in the gang's eyes (minus Yugi) even after learning the truth about Bakura. Shame engulfed Bakura. He had caused his Hikari so much pain and suffering, all in the name of a little revenge.
Everyone else just stared as Ryou led Bakura away. "Well, I suppose I don't blame Ry for taking off. You guys aren't the nicest to him. You know that wasn't his fault. Maybe I should try to talk to him." Yugi was upset, and worried about his friend. Little did he know that Ryou merely tolerated him because he didn't openly treat Ryou as if he had some contagious disease. "No, Aibou. I don't think it would be a good idea right now. He is more than upset. I believe he may actively hate us for the way we treated him in the past, and I cannot blame him. Bakura seems to regret his actions now, but I think only because he now sees the damage it did to his host." Yami had no idea how right he was. Ever the perceptive one (from being on the outside so much), he merely observed everyone's reactions to his statements. No one appeared all that affected by it, aside from Joey. "Man, I think Yami's got a point, guys. Bakura mighta been a little crazy, but it don't excuse the way we treated Ryou after da other left. And now, I bet it's too late to fix. And dat's what worries me." Joey was genuinely sorry he had been such an ass to Ryou. Well, he had been that way to a lot of people, and regretted it, but Ryou bothered him as much as Yugi. And that said something.
Tea and Tristan suddenly had to leave, remembering some packing or something that needed to be finished before their departure for New York City in a couple days. And they were gone. No one really questioned it, except Kaiba. He noticed that Tristan did all the talking, and Tea simply accepted it, which was highly unusual for the girl. She wasn't the submissive type. He would have to look into that more. "Well, why don't we head to the Game Shop and catch up? Mom will be glad I'm back. And Grandpa's gonna be thrilled to have a second young man to help in the shop!" Yugi was teasing Yami, but it was true. Yami would have to help in the shop if he wanted to be near his Aibou. And being away from Yugi just wasn't an option. So they left.
MillenniumXOLoveXOStories: So what do you think? And no, Tristan hasn't hurt Tea. I promised a certain spiky-haired boy that wouldn't happen. And like Joey, I never break a promise. But Tristan is definitely going to be a stalking weirdo in this story. The thought process is how I imagine most of that type think. I have dealt with people like that in the past, and I hope I got it right. He wants Serenity for himself, and will stop at nothing to have her. Sorry, Seto and Mokie, you're going to have your hands full later on.
Seto: Ugh. As long as I don't have to get my hands too dirty. And I'd rather Mokuba be spared any real problems with Tristan.
MillenniumXOLoveXOStories: Well, Mokuba will be more of the one who keeps her near you and Joey, and away from Tristan. No fighting for him. Promise!
Yugi/Yami: So when do we get more fluffy cute scenes? It's fun.
MillenniumXOLoveXOStories: Soon. Probably next chapter. So, any ideas, winged sapphire wolf, on what twist I should add? I know you've been watching! Thanks for the great reviews. And again, sorry it took so long! Total writer's block!