Wow! What is up with me and these long chappies! I'm telling you I'm on a roll baby! Lots of awesomeness going on. Next chapter's going to be something else! I hope y'all enjoy!
Endlessly:
I could love you endlessly, I could fall in love with you and we could keep a miracle alive. Every time I look in your eyes, I get lost inside of your soul. What are you doing to me? Don't you know that I hate you? Don't you want my blood on your hands? Don't you want me to scream? Don't you realize that it's too late to bring me back life? I'm already further than death. I'm drowning in my desire for you and my need to kill you. I want my hands covered in your blood, I want your skin underneath my fingertips I want you to reach out and touch me, I want you to burn me alive with your beautiful eyes. I want to hear your voice when I go to bed at night, I want to lie next to you and watch the world go by. I want to end you for good, I want to make you suffer, I want to see the look in your eyes when you look up at me when I hold the knife above your heart. I want you to know that any claims of hope you had of us is nothing but fantasy we'll never have. I want you to be the one that kills me, I want my blood on your hands.. I want you to end me I want to feel your passion. I want to feel your soul wrapping around mine. I want to know if you feel this too. I want to know if I can kill you now. I want to feel you underneath me I want to feel something besides this loneliness I feel inside. I want to bring the demon out of you.
I want to know if it hurts when I cut you up inside. I want to know if you really hate me or if I really hate you. I want to make me scream, I want to feel the power within me grow. I want you to knock me out, I want you to defeat me. I want something so much more from you than I could ever get. I want you to bleed, I want you to scream. I need you to know you're driving me crazy. I need you to know my soul burns passionately for you every time you give me that look I think I'm going to lose my mind. I want you dead, I want your soul to scream, to earn itself to me. I need you to know this isn't a game anymore. And what would you think if I told you that loved you this whole time? What would you say if I told you I never wanted to hate you, that I never loved you at all? What if I was playing with your mind?
What if I was lying right now? What if I told it was too personal to tell you how I felt about you? What if I told you that everything you've done to me was nothing more than just a wicked fantasies you dreamt of? What if I can't take it back? What if I don't want to? What if everything I said wasn't a lie? What if I tried to bring you back? What if I really did love you? Would you love me back, even though you think of me as a fool? Am I fool to fall in love with you? What if I told you that loving you is so impossible, it's not reality. I couldn't take it anymore. You burn me alive, I'd give myself to you if I could.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh. If I did, then Yugioh would have ended with Bakura and Yami admitting their undying love for one another and Seto would have pulled Joey into a kiss to shut him up because Puppy and Darkshipping rock!
Warnings: My usual, y'all know what that means, but for those of you who happen to be new to my awesomeness, it means there's lemony goodness!
Summary:
Moments away from destroying Zorc, Yami hesitates, asking Horakhty if she can set Bakura free. She agrees, telling Yami that in order for him to pass into the afterlife, he must break his enemy of the darkness, and he only as a year to do so.
Chapter Nineteen: Enlightened
[Ryou's POV]:
Yami and Bakura went on their first date today. One would think that Yami would be beaming with happiness as he's been since Bakura's opened up to us. It's nice to see the former Pharaoh relaxed and at ease around my yami. I love seeing Bakura so happy. I know he is. You can see it in his eyes and in his smile that he's happy being around Yami. I just wished he'd accept this happiness and embrace it, not fight it.
Instead of Yami coming home happy though, he came back as if the world came to an end. The look in his eyes told so much. Something happened between my yami and him and I'm going to find out what! I'm not one to point fingers and I know that Bakura has changed whether he realizes it or not, but I'm not stupid enough to turn a blind eye to the obvious. Marik made a good point, we need to talk to Yami about what happened, not blame Bakura for everything. Though, anyone can clearly see it is his fault.
No. I can't think like that. I don't know what happened; therefore, I can't blame my yami on this. After all, as Marik pointed out Bakura is missing. I don't expect to see Bakura back until at least tomorrow night. Great, he'll be missing school. Like he cares? The only person who even cares about school is Anzu.
Everyone is asleep save for me. And I doubt Yami is asleep either. Yugi decided to sleep down here tonight so he and Joey are cuddled up next to one another. It must be nice to be so close that you can be so near each other, yet not close at all. I know Joey hides a lot of secrets. I can't hinder him for that though. Hell, I do the same.
I stand up, stretching. I can't let Yami wallow in self pity all night. I need to talk to him, I want to help him. It's time for Bakura to leave his evil side behind and the only person that can achieve this is Yami.
I walk up the stairs heading straight for Yugi's and Yami's room. I knock, but there's no answer. Hmm I know how to handle this. Time to get my Bakura on.
"Yami, I know you're in there and I'm not leaving until you open up." I shout jerking the doorknob. The door is locked-surprise-surprise.
I hear Yami jump up and undo the locks. He must have been up against the door to be able to unlock it that fast. As soon as he unlocks the door, I barge in.
"Get your ass out of those wet clothes and in the shower. When you're done, come back in here because we have a lot to discuss." I say walking up to his dresser grabbing some clean PJs for him. I walk back over to him shoving them into his hands and shove him down hall towards the bathroom.
"But-"
"No buts, mister! Move it!"
About fifteen minutes later, he's back in his room. I'm sitting on his bed. He closes the door behind him.
"Ryou, it's kind of late." he says rubbing his eyes. "Why don't we talk-"
"Oh no you don't." I chatises. "We're talking tonight. I know for a fact you're going to spend all day thinking about what happened and I won't have it. You need some sleep and you need to get what happened off your chest. So spill it."
Yami presses his lips in a tight line. He stands near the door going over what happened today in his mind no doubt.
"Stop the internal monologue and come here and talk to me. " I say scooting over so he can sit down on his bed. I pat the spot beside of me. "I made it all warm for you and everything!"
Yami cracks a small smile. He walks over to the bed, taking a seat. He stares at the closet door ahead of him.
"Well?" I press.
"W-what?" he exclaims a bit too quickly, jumping at my startling him. "S-sorry Ryou I just-" he says slower, softer this time. "I don't-"
"Turn around and look at me. We're going to talk not you and the closet door." I say.
Yami shifts, turning around so we're looking at each other. Looking into his eyes, there's so much pain. So much behind his confidence. Bakura has shot it all. Something happened between those two and whatever is was, it's causing Yugi's yami to doubt himself.
It's hard for Yami to express himself. I know that feeling. It's hard for me to as well. Even before I met Bakura, it was. I've always been shy. Yami, he's the complete opposite. He's always so confident, yet he doesn't know how to show his true emotions. When things get hard, he fights them rather than turns chicken and hides. Like me. I guess that's why Bakura locked me away. He once told me that I was a waste of existence and if I wasn't going to live, he was going to use my body as he saw fit.
What a weakling I was not to do something about it while he was still weak. When he first took over my body, he wasn't as strong as he was as time went on. He was confused and he used my knowledge of this time to get around. He learnt things through me and I let him! I let him use my mind! I let him use my body! And I let it get out of hand.
I tried to protect my friends. Ra knows I did, but Bakura's powers were too strong. I always believed he was an evil spirit, until I saw the truth. Bakura isn't evil, he's just messed up that's all. He needs help. He needs someone to defeat him and he needs someone to hold him. He hates that, he hates being weak. He hates that he's in love with Yami. Someone he was told to hate all of his life.
"He knows, doesn't he?" I ask.
Yami doesn't say anything. He looks down at his hands, clenching them into fists. The shadows ceal his face so I can't see his eyes, but I know for the fact tears are falling. He's hurt. Bakura doesn't return his feelings. He should have known that he wouldn't. Though, Bakura does love Yami, he's just too damn bullheaded to snap out of his 'I want to destroy the world' fiasco and accept Yami's love.
"Yami," I say taking his hand in mine. "It's not your fault you feel this way."
"Then whose is it, Ryou?" he whispers harshly. "I told him that I love him and-"
"And what?" I press.
He shakes his head, jerking away from me. "I wish to be alone now." he says turning away from me.
"Oh no you don't." I say touching his shoulder and forcing him to turn to look at me. 'We're talking and that's final!"
"There is nothing to talk about, Ryou." he mutters darkly.
"I'd say there is. Now, we're either going to do this the easy way or the hard way. Don't make me get Yugi in here." I threaten.
Yami lets out a loud sigh. He closes his eyes, calming himself down.
"You don't have to tell me everything that happened, Yami. I'm not stupid as to not know it has something to do with your feelings for my yami. Did Bakura tell you he didn't love you?"
"No." he mutters.
"Then what is the problem?" I ask.
Yami lets out a chilling laugh that sounds very similar to that of my own yami's. I cringe at the coldness of it. "You know he does not return those feelings, Ryou. I told him that I loved him and he kissed me. It was...amazing."
"If it was amazing and he kissed you then why are you so upset?" I ask. "You, of all people, should know how much he's changed."
"He still hates me." he laughs humourlessly. "He may have changed, but you can see it in his eyes that he-"
"Do you know what I see when I see the two of you together?" I inquire, cutting him off.
The former Pharaoh looks at me searching for answers within my eyes.
"I see happiness! I see two people who are so madly and deeply in love! It makes the rest of us happy being around the two of you. In the years I have known Bakura, I have never seen him so happy! He's fighting it. He thinks it's weakness, but he loves you. I know he does." I shout.
Yami closes his eyes, shaking his head. "It's just an act."
"He thinks it is," I say. "But it's not. And until you believe in him, he won't be able to be saved. You said it yourself that you wanted to save him, why is that? Why do you want to save him Yami?"
He doesn't answer, looking away from me.
"Because you love him." I say. "You have always loved him even before you knew who he was. And Bakura feels the same way, he's just too damn stubborn to realize it. Bakura has a hard time accepting his emotions. He's afraid of himself, afraid of happiness. You're the only one that can save him."
"I thought you didn't want me to save him. I thought you wanted him gone." Yami mumbles under his breath.
"I don't hate Bakura." I say. "Sure, he hurt me and he used me. I hated him then. I was angry with my father for giving me that stupid Millennium Ring." I laugh humourlessly. "I thought he was giving it to me as a way of saying: 'hey Ryou, I know I'm not around much, but here's this rare artifact my team and I found and I think it holds some magical powers so here ya go.' I wanted to throw it away. Tristan took care of it, I was so happy, but then the thing came back and Bakura took me over again.
"I thought he was an evil spirit. I knew you were good. I wanted you to blast him into next week, but then...then I saw his past. I saw and I felt his pain. I understood he was lonely. He lost his family and I had too. Sure, it wasn't the same, but still...that's why I wanted to help him. That's why I thought 'hey if we're both lonely, maybe we could confine in each other and help one another.' But, Bakura didn't want that. He thought me as a weakling. He pushed me aside, forced me to watch him ruin my life and he didn't care!
"But still, I cared about him. I wanted to help him. I knew he was in pain. I knew he was hurting. I couldn't turn a blind eye from that fact. I was willing to do whatever I had to do to help him. to keep him happy with me. I didn't want him to leave me. I wanted to save him...but I couldn't. I knew it all along. I didn't understand him, not like you do Yami." I say.
I pause, taking a deep breath before beginning again. Yami's staring at me, listening to what I have to say. Whether he's taking in what I'm saying is anyone's guess. Still, I feel like I can trust him with this. "When you and Bakura fought during the Battle City finals and Bakura forced me to take control so he could win because Marik told him that if he let me have control, Yugi would convince you to let Bakura win so I wouldn't die. Bakura protected me, even though he knew you wouldn't attack. He feared that, and I know it's more than just needing my body.
"When I was forced back into my soul room, I watched through my own eyes the way he looked at you. He tried to hide it through the hatred, but his feelings, they were spilling out. They were engulfing me. It hurt. Gods, Yami it hurt so badly. I could tell that he hated himself. He hated himself because he loved you!"
Yami doesn't say anything for a while. It feels amazing to get that off of my chest.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Ryou." Yami says.
"I am too." I say. "But, it made me learn so much. It made me believe in myself and become stronger."
"Still, you shouldn't have had to go through something like that in order to be able to do that. Look at Yugi, he's stronger now than when he first solved the Puzzle and I never treated him the way Bakura treated you." Yami says.
"True." I concur with a nod. "But you and Bakura are much different."
"Indeed." Yami nods.
"But you're just alike too." I say.
"I'd rather not be compared to him, Ryou." he spits.
"And why not?" I laugh. "Is it because he handles things differently than you do? Is it because he hurts people when he's in pain while you help them? You can't deny that the two of you share something only you will understand."
"We do understand each other." Yami says. "That much is true, but to say we're alike is foolish."
"Are you sure it's Bakura that's afraid to love you or are you afraid to love him?" I ask.
Yami bites his lip, looking away.
"I thought so." I say. "Look, Yami, I know this is hard. I know how difficult it is to get Bakura to open up, but you're doing an amazing job-"
"It's not enough though!" he shouts. "He's not changing a bit!"
"You know damn well that he is!" I shout, losing my temper. Gods he's just as stubborn as my yami is! Is it any wonder they're in love?
"He still hates me…" Yami mutters. "He'll never love me, not the way I love him anyways. I was a fool to have told him that I loved him."
"No you're not Yami." I say grabbing his hand and intertwining our fingers together. "It was smart for you to tell Bakura how you feel, it'll help him accept his feelings for you as well."
Yami smiles slightly. "I hope you're right, Ryou."
"We'll help you through this, but you have to let us." I say.
"I'll try." he mumbles.
"Good, now get some sleep." I say standing up.
"Did Joey ever come back?" he asks.
"Yeah, he's been back for a while." I reply.
"Is he okay?" Yami asks.
"I'll say," I laugh heading towards the door.
"So did he and Kaiba-"
"Oh yeah." I say. "Good night, Yami."
"Night." he mutters as I exit the room.
XXXXXXXX
[Tristan's POV]:
Joey spent nearly two days with Kaiba. Admittedly, it made me nervous. I mean he and Kaiba don't get along too well, but I know that they're in love with each other. I know Kaiba needs Joey to snap him out of his stupidity. He's got that stick too far up his ass for his own good.
Anzu called Joey and he came in around nine o'clock. Everyone's gone up. Marik threw a hissy bitch fit about how Bakura didn't come back and how Yami's upset. He thinks it's Yami's fault with whatever happened between those two. I don't see how it would be Yami's fault. I mean he, of all people, should know that Bakura hates Yami. Hell, when they were dating, I'm sure they bragged about how they were going to destroy the former Pharaoh.
Still, I can't deny that Bakura has changed. He is a pretty cool guy and he is a lot of fun. But, I feel it's an act. Maybe I'm just being too paranoid and he's actually trying. I just feel like Yami's letting him in too easily. Anzu and Yugi are as well. They seem to believe the thief is genuine with his actions. I guess he is. I'll admit, after hearing that his family was slaughtered before his very eyes I felt bad for him. If something like that happened to me, I would want revenge too. Still, he needs to learn how to point his fingers at the real culprit, not Yami! I know for a fact he didn't do it!
Joey and I are sitting in the living room. Everyone else had gone to bed. There's just so much tension in the air. Joey's not joking around like he normally would be. Duke's gone home for the night. He hardly ever spends the night. He does have a company to run after all.
"You okay, man?" I ask touching my best friend's shoulder.
"Yeah," Joey says a bit too quickly, jumping at my touch. He composes himself, "I'm fine T."
"Hmm."
"Sorry man…" he mumbles.
"Why don't you talk to me and tell me what's wrong?" I ask.
XXXXXXXXX
[Joey's POV]:
I can't get last night out of my mind. Every time I close my eyes I can see Seto and his beautiful eyes. He showed me a side of him I didn't even know existed. It was amazin'. I never wanted it to end. I never knew sex could dat amazin'! My parents, they're against homosexuals. Well, Ma is at any rate. I'm not sure about Dad because he's always drunk. Shouldn't I be able to tell her of an experience so amazing as this? Should I tell Serenity? I know she's all for me being happy, but still...it's kinda embarrassin' tellin' my little sis something so personal.
Everyone but Tristan's already gone home or to bed. We have school tomorrow. What wonders! Ugh I hate school! How can I think about school when all I want to do right now is touch Kaiba? I still remember how he moaned and begged me to pleasure him. I loved seeing him out of control. I loved the way he felt inside of me. And afterwards, when I held him. It was so amazing. He slept soundly and I watched him, running my fingers through his hair until I fell asleep.
Tristan is worried about me. He's always been able to sense things in me that others cannot. It makes sense, we've been friends for years. He's always been there for me. Sure, he's annoying, but T's my main man. He's always been there for me when I needed him. He doesn't know about my home life, but…
"It's just dis thing with Seto." I say.
"What happened man?" he asks. "I mean how did y'all get from fighting to having sex? You're not like that. He didn't force you, did he?"
"No, of course not." I say. "We just talked...I mean mostly argued but he kissed and and then…"
"Do you regret it?" Tristan asks.
I look into his eyes. "No."
"Do you love him?" he asks.
That's the question. Do I love Seto? I suppose I do. I mean I'm not one to just give myself to anyone. He's always caught my eye. He's beautiful, smart, powerful. He's everything I've always wanted to be. He has things I desire that I'll never be able to obtain. He pushes me to my limits. I want to impress him, I want him to notice me.
Ever since I met the guy, he's done nothin' but harass the hell outta me and make fun of me. I shouldn't care about him, but I do. I shouldn't put up with his harassment, but I find that I love fighting wit him. I've always thought Seto was a passionless robot who only cared about Mokuba because he was programmed too. Boy, was I wrong!
"Yes." I reply. "Yes I do."
Tristan smiles. "I'm happy for ya man."
I smile. "I want to tell Serenity but…"
"Joey, you definitely need to tell her." my best friend says. "Now, I'm going to bed. Do you need anything?"
"Nah, man." I say.
"Good. Tell Serenity I said hey and for her to come down here so we can share our first kiss." Tristan says getting off of the couch.
"Like hell!" I exclaim. "I'm not lettin' ya or Duke near my little sis!"
Tristan laughs heading up the stairs.
I pull out my cellphone, staring at it. I take a deep breath, dialing my sister's number. She picks up on the third ring.
Joey!" she exclaims in a hush whisper. "It's been so long! How are you? How's Yugi? How's Tristan? How's Bakura? What have you been up to? Are you alright? Joey?"
She blurts things out left and right. I don't answer. I just need to tell her this one thing, to get this off my chest.
"Serenity," I say, taking a deep breath. "There's something I need to tell you."
"Go ahead." she says.
"Well, I don't know how ya gonna take dis, but umm Kaiba and me well we kinda umm…" I stammering, my face heats up, my palms are sweaty.
"Joey, are you okay?" Serenity asks concernly.
'I'm fine!" I squeak. "Fine. Fine. I'm fine."
"Joey, what's going on? What about you and Kaiba? You're scaring me big brother."
"Sorry I just…"
"You dont' have to be scared to tell me anything. You know you can trust me." she says.
I nod, swallowing. Gods dis is so embarrassin'! Alright Joey, get your shit together!
"Wehadsex!" I blurt out too quickly.
The line is silent.
"Serenity?"
"Umm...did you say what I think you did?" she asks.
"Dat depends on what you thought I said." I say nervously.
"It sounded like you said you and Kaiba had sex." she replies.
"Y-yeah." I say.
Silence fills the air for a split moment before a high pitched squeal is heard. I have to hold the phone away from my ear to keep my hearing. She finally calms enough to speak.
"Oh my gosh! I am just so happy for you! Wow! So what happened? Tell me everything! What did y'all talk about? Who kissed who first? Did he take you? Did you take him?" my sister throws questions left and right.
"Umm sis dis is kinda embarrassin especially on the phone…"
"Well then I'll come see you!" she exclaims. "I gotta go Joey. It's late. We got school tomorrow. I'll try to call you soon. Night!"
"But!" I protest, but I don't get a chance, she's already hung up.
XXXXXXXXX
[Mokuba's POV]:
After school, Seto and I went into the living room. He tried to go to work after school, but I caught him trying to sneak around this important conversation and there's no way I'll let him off the hook with something so important.
"Alright, tell me how your day was with Joey." I say.
"Like any other, Mokuba." he replies. "We fought, we dueled. He lost, as usual." he smirks. "He played some games, I worked."
"No, no." I say. "I know there's more to it. For example, you and Joey slept all day yesterday. Care to share why?"
Seto stares off into space, lost in thought. I know this is hard for him, but he needs to admit the truth. I already know what happened. He needs to admit it to himself. He needs to accept that he's in love with Joey and they need to start truly dating. I won't tolerate 'friends with benefits' as they call it. It'll only hurt my Nii-sama in the end.
"You said you were fighting." I say. Maybe the best way to get him to open up about what happened would be to get him to talk about what happened before, but more in detail. Something had to have happened prior to them making love. Seto isn't one to jump into things, especially of this magnitude. "What caused the fight, Seto?"
He closes his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. "We were dueling. I did what you suggested about asking the number of questions as the monsters' levels. Some of the questions were personal…"
"What did he ask you?" I inquire.
"Nothing really important." he replies.
"Hmm. I highly doubt that." I snort. "He asked you about Blue-eyes right?"
"He did." Seto confirms. "But I don't that's too important, not compared to what he told me anyways."
"What did he say?" I ask.
"He was telling me about his father." he replies.
"I knew it." I mutter.
It makes sense now. Joey was abused just like Seto. His situation is different, of course, but he still was abused nonetheless. Everyone reacts to things differently regardless of how similar it is. And when it comes to Joey and Seto, they reacted to their abuse in polar opposite ways.
"I assume you've reported the abuse." I say as more of a statement than a question. Knowing Seto, the moment he heard Joey's confession he took care of it.
"I have, but I haven't heard back from anyone." he says.
"Well, it was the weekend." I say. "You should try calling them sometime this week and getting to the bottom of this."
"I think Joey needs to tell his friends because he might have to go on trial." Seto says.
"He does." I concur. "But you know how hard it is to come out about something like that. Does he know about you?"
Seto looks away.
"Seto you need to tell him!" I exclaim.
"Mokuba, it's the past." he hisses. "The past is over. Don't be like Yami and live in the past."
"I'm not living in the past!" I shout. "I'm accepting it! You won't! You think that just because we live in a nice house and you've made a name for yourself that everything's okay! That you're happy that I'm happy-"
"What's making you unhappy Mokuba?" my brother asks turning to face me. "Tell me why you're unhappy so I can fix it. Do we have too many rooms? Not enough? The wall paper not the colour you desire?"
"Ugh!" I cry throwing my arms up in the air in frustration. "It has nothing to do with anything like that! You can't buy happiness, Seto! You act like I'm the only one that's allowed to be happy while you're sitting around in misery!"
"I'm not miserable, Mokuba." Seto snaps. "Your happiness is more important than mine. I didn't get a chance at a childhood, I want to give you one. What's so bad about that?"
"Nothing!" I exclaim. "But when you're miserable it upsets me! I love you, Nii-sama! I want you to be happy!"
"I'm happy that you're happy." he says.
"How can I be happy when all I see is pain in your eyes?" I whisper tears spilling from my eyes. "Why can't we be the way we used to be? We used to be so close. You used to tell me everything. Now, Joey's in your life and you-you finally opened up to him. Why can't you tell him about Gozaburo? He trusted you about his father! None of his friends know, but you do! That should tell you something right there!"
"Mokuba," Seto says pulling me to him. "Please don't get upset."
I bury my face into his chest, sobbing. He strokes my hair, raking his fingers through it to calm me down. "I just want you to be happy. I want you to let go." I whisper into his chest.
"It's hard." Seto mumbles.
I look up at my brother. He's a bit blurry due to the fact tears are coating my eyes.
"I know it is." I say reaching for his hand. He allows me to take it. "But I'm here for you and so is Joey."
"Hmm." he grunts.
"Seto, you know that Joey loves you and you love him too. I'm so happy that you guys are finally together." I smile tearingly.
"It was just a one night thing, Mokuba. It'll never-"
"Did you enjoy it?" I ask sitting up.
Nii-sama's taken aback. "What?"
I stifle a giggle. "Did you enjoy it?"
The blush on his face tells me everything.
"Would you do it again?" I ask.
It grows darker.
"Why are you so embarrassed for? Is it because I'm your brother or are you upset that you liked something? That you enjoyed yourself with someone besides me?" I ask.
"I don't have time to be falling in love Mokuba." Seto spits looking away from me.
"Well that's just too damn bad!" I exclaim. "Because it's happened and you need to be man enough to accept it!"
Seto turns to me. Our eyes bore into each other. I can feel him trying to close himself up again, I won't let him. Joey's opened him up. They made love and they will continue to do so. Joey is the only one that can help my Nii-sama. I know he can.
"I know it's hard, Seto." I say. "I know you're scared to open up to people. I know that Gozaburo told you that feeling good is a sign of weakness and if you show someone you feel pleasure that you're allowing them your power, but you're not! He was a jackass, Seto! He doesn't know what he's talking about! Joey loves you, he wants to make you happy!" I exclaim. "Let me ask you something. When Joey smiles, how do you feel? And before you answer, I want the truth."
He doesn't answer right away. He's looking away from me, fists clenching and unclenching. He's struggling with his emotions. I don't move, I don't say anything. I allow him to accept this.
"Happy." he whispers.
"Then why are you so afraid that Joey sees you happy?" I ask. "Don't you think he wants to see you smile too?"
Seto doesn't say anything.
"I want you and Joey to sit down this weekend and have a talk." I say. "I want you to tell him how you feel and I want you to accept his love. Will you do that for me?"
"I'll try." he mutters.
"No, Nii-sama, you will do it!" I shout slamming my fists against the couch. "Joey is the only one that can help you! You will tell him everything! You will be happy again!"
"I can't just become happy over night, Mokuba." he says.
"And I don't expect you to." I say taking his hand again. "Just try. That's all I'm asking. Truly try. Talk about your night together. Tell him how it made you feel. Let Joey in."
I hug Seto. He hugs me back.
"I love you, Seto." I say. "I want you to be happy, okay?"
"I love you too, Mokuba." he whispers into my hair. I smile into his chest, feeling his tears fall.
XXXXXXXXX
[Marik's POV]:
We walked in the Game Shop after school. Mr. Muto is serving a customer.
"Hey kiddies!" he exclaims. "How was school?"
"Fine." is the echo reply between us.
Mr. Muto hands his customer his pack of cards he ordered and then left.
"Alright," the old man says. "What's going on here? All of you act like you're zombies, including you, Marik. Now tell me what's wrong, right now."
"We're just having a bit of trouble." Yugi replies. "Nothing for you to worry about."
"Well," Mr. Muto says putting some cards in the display case. "If any of you want to talk I'm here for you. I love each and every single one of you. You're like children to me, I want you to succeed and be happy."
"Thank you, grandpa." Yugi says.
"Yeah gramps, thanks." Joey says.
Mr. Muto nods. Everyone heads out of the room.
"Marik," Mr. Muto says as I'm about to push the door open to go into the living room.
"Yes?" I ask looking over my shoulder.
"I've been keeping a watch, Bakura still hasn't shown up." he says.
I nod, heading into the living room. I sit on the couch next to Yugi.
'Where's everyone at?" I ask throwing my feet on the coffee table.
"Joey and Tristan are in the kitchen and Yami's upstairs." Yugi replies.
I nod. Anzu and Ryou are at home and Duke had to work. Tristan will be going home tonight, I think Joey's going with him. Good, I have enough to deal with than his bitching about he's scared to tell Kaiba how he feels. I'm more focused on Bakura.
I'm worried about him. This isn't like him to run and hide. When Yami came in last night I knew something bad was up. Everyone automatically blamed Bakura. I shut their asses up right quick! No one is going to talk about my best friend like that! They have no proof he did anything! Sure, I don't have any proof he didn't do anything, but still!
I pointed out that Bakura didn't come home when Yami did. If he had, then I would have believed that whatever happened between the two men would have been Bakura's fault. Bakura's always been out to get Yami for his revenge. It's what brought us together-wanting to get revenge on someone that had nothing to do with our pain. Ironic how he saved me and now, he's saving Bakura. If Bakura will let him. It's impossible to snap my friend into reality. I should know.
So, that leads me to believe that what happened could be Yami's fault, but no one is going to buy that. Everyone believes that Yami is so amazing and he can do no wrong. It has to make him feel like shit having all this pressure on his shoulders. He needs to be treated like he's a person. Maybe that's why he craves Bakura's presence because Bakura treats him like a person and not a god. Bakura has never seen Yami as better than him. He believes he is the god and Yami is the peasant.
They bring out each other's best and worst qualities. They were made for one another. Serenity and Mokuba see that. It's sad that the youngest bitches see things these idiots don't. I think they do see it, they just can't admit it. I mean I guess I can't blame them for being hostile to Bakura. After all, he's done some fucked up things, but still. They forgave me, they can forgive Bakura.
"Have you heard from Bakura?" Yugi asks breaking me out of my thoughts.
I sigh, shaking my head. "No."
"I'm sorry." Yugi says.
"It's okay, Yugi." I say. "It's not your fault."
"I know, but still. I feel like we should go out and-"
"Look where exactly?" I spit. "He's a thief. He covers his tracks. We wouldn't be able to find him."
"I know." Yugi mutters. "But still, I feel like we should do something."
"All we can do is wait." I say.
"And what if he doesn't come back, then what?"
I shrug. "Then he doesn't and y'all won't have to deal with him anymore."
Yugi snaps his head up, his violet eyes boring into mine.
"Don't even give me that shit, Marik." he hisses. "You know that I care about, Bakura!"
"I know you do." I snap. "You care about everyone."
"I do." Yugi concurs. "I want to see people happy. Bakura's miserable and he needs Yami to help him."
"Yami needs him too." I point out. "So I don't understand why y'all can't accept that. Yami isn't immortal ya know."
"I know he's not." Yugi snaps.
"Then stop treating him like it." I say. "You're always worried about him, like he's not allowed to shed some tears!"
"I just want to help him." Yugi whispers, fists clenching at his sides.
"He needs to figure this out on his own. He needs to be able to trust in himself and in Bakura." I say.
"You know how Bakura is though." Yugi reminds me.
"And you know how Yami is." I say. "Which means you know as well as I do that they need one another to get through this."
"I want to be able to trust Bakura." Yugi says. "I care about him a lot. I know he's in a lot of pain. Who wouldn't be after going what he went through? I know he's holding himself back and he's clouded with lies because of Zorc. I want to help him. I want him to be happy, but I can't ignore the fact that he's out to get Yami."
"I know he is." I sigh. "That's why I need your help. You understand Yami better than anyone and I understand Bakura."
"I'm willing to work with you, Marik." Yugi says.
"Good."
XXXXXXX
[Bakura's POV]:
"Hun, are you ready to get up?" Mai asks knocking on the door of the room I slept in.
I groan in reply. She only laughs. 'Get up. The maids will be here in about an hour and I don't want to be near them when they're cleaning because I'll throw a bitch fit." she says.
"When don't you?" I mutter under my breath, but decide to just get up because I'd rather not hear the bitching wrath of a woman. Especially a blonde. They're devils in disguise.
After I get dressed, I head out. Mai's standing in the living room area with her purple purse flung over her shoulder.
"You don't have school do you?" she asks.
Oh fuck! I forgot all about that stupid shit. Well, she doesn't need to know I have it.
"No." I lie.
"Good." she says. "I need all day to do this."
I arch my brow. "All day to do what exactly?"
"I'm taking you out today. We're getting you new clothes, a make over the works!" she says excitedly like I'm her daughter and we're going out for a 'Mother-Daughter Day Spa'.
"Umm no thanks." I say backing up slowly.
Mai walks over to me. "Oh no you don't." she says grabbing me by my wrist. "We're going out and getting you sexified for your man and that's final!"
"I don't-"
"How is he ever going to know you're interested in him if you don't dress up for him?" she ask. "I know you gay boys like to look good."
"And I do look good." I snap jerking away from her.
"That I have no doubt, but I mean really look good. Trust me hun, you'll be thanking me later for this. Yami will be all over you." she says.
"I'm going to kill you if you make me wear pink." I hiss.
Mai laughs loudly. "But a pink ribbon around those bat wings of yours will compliment your eyes so well!" she teases.
I growl.
XXXXXXX
We have been in this fucking mall all damn day and I'm about to go postal. There's too many idiots here. Mai has been shoving me in and out of dressing rooms gushing and gasping about how hot I am. Whatever. Now we're at some fancy restaurant.
"Yami's going to love your new clothes." Mai says taking a sip of her champagne.
I scowl.
"Don't give me that look." Mai scolds. "You know you look damn fine in those jeans I got you. You have a sexy ass on you."
I laugh.
"So how was it?" she asks taking a bit of her salad.
"How was what?" I inquire.
"Living in Egypt." she asks. "I've always wanted to visit, but I haven't gotten around to it."
"It's nothing special." I shrug digging into my steak. Best food ever.
"Is that why you made it more interesting by attacking Yami?" she asks 'lightly'.
"Sure let's just go with that." I mutter.
"You know you can tell me if you want to. I'm not one to judge." she says. "I'm not going to pressure you, but I learnt that it's best to let it out, positively. You've been doing it negatively letting your anger and rage control you. I did that and it nearly killed me in the process. I don't want you to be destroyed, hun."
"We're not friends." I spit. "So stop worrying about me."
"Don't push me aside because I'm different than you. Isn't that what everyone does to you? When they see you? They run because they're scared? I'm not afraid of you. I want to help you. I want you to become happy like I am." she says.
"Happiness if for fools." I hiss.
"Then I guess I'm a fool." she smiles. "But I'd rather be a fool than be misery's bitch."
I'm misery's bitch? I suppose I am. I vaguely remember happiness from my childhood. Most of it was nothing but pain, misery, anger. I lived and breathed it. It fueled me. And where did it get me?
Nowhere.
I jump when she touches my hand. I look up at her. Her eyes are full of trust. I've never been able to truly talk about what happened. No one understood. No one gets it. But for some reason, I think she will. I think she understands how it feels to be lonely….
I look down again. Her hand tightens, lacing our fingers together.
"My family was killed when I was seven." I say. "The Millennium Items were created using their souls. I was told that Atem's father, King Aknamknon ordered the attack. I learnt later that it wasn't true, but for years I tried to kill Atem because he's father died before I had the chance to kill him, so I went after his son."
"It makes sense why you'd be so hositle to him." she says. "I'm sure Yami found out rather quickly you hated him?"
I nod.
"So what made you fall for him?" she asks.
"I'm not-"
"Don't even go there." she says. 'I know you love him."
I close my eyes for a moment, looking up at her.
"His power." I reply.
"His power?" she asks.
"When we first met, it was the day he was crowned Pharaoh. I robbed his father's tomb and I demanded the Items. I was refused, of course, his royal court battle me. They lost. The fools. Atem watched in horror, he couldn't believe I bested his high priests and priestess. Then he fought me….it was the most amazing experience of my life. His power, his will. I wanted him."
"But you couldn't have him because you felt like it'd be turning your back on your family, right?" Mai says.
I don't answer. There's no need to. She already knows.
"Hun, I know this is hard for you, but you can't keep holding onto that. What happened wasn't your fault and it wasn't Yami's either. Don't let the anger inside of you consume you and prevent you from happiness." she says. "Let Yami love you. Let us know who you are. From what I see, you're a great person. Now then, are you ready to go?"
I nod, standing up.
"Let's get you looking good for your man." she says as we get in the limo. "Preston, the spa!" she says pushing a button on the window that separates the driver and us.
"Right away miss." he says.
XXXXXXX
[Marik's POV]:
It's around nine o' clock and Bakura has yet to show , Tristan, Yugi, Yami, Mr. Muto and I are sitting on the couch watching the News. Nothing interesting on. Why we watch this shit, I haven't the slightest idea.. Anzu and Ryou never came over as they went home straight away to do 'homework'. Yami has been very quiet today.
"Where do you suppose Bakura is?" Yugi asks.
"Wherever he is, he needs to come back soon." Mr. Muto says taking a sip of his coffee. "I don't want any of my grandchildren out there alone."
It's amazing how kind this old man is. He knows exactly who Bakura is and what he's done, as Yugi had talked to him before, and yet, he sees Bakura as part of his family. I wished more people were like him. Bakura needs someone like him in his life. Bakura needs all of the support, all of the friends, all of the love he can possibly get.
I'll admit, when I first found out that it was Yami that was going to save him instead of me, I was pissed. Pissed because I wanted to prove myself to Bakura. We broke up because I 'betrayed' him. I was very lucky we remained friends.
"Anyone hungry?" Joey asks getting up.
'When aren't you hungry?" Yugi giggles.
"Hey, what can I say? Foods great!" Joey exclaims.
"Since when have you gotten in a chipper mood?" I ask. "Did you visit Kaiba during lunchbreak?"
Joey blushes. I laugh.
"You just can't get away from him can you!"
"We just kissed." he mutters.
"And touched." I add.
His blush gets darker.
"Leave poor Joey alone, Marik we don't want his face falling off!" Yugi laughs.
"Yug!"
"You kids are so funny." Mr. Muto says getting up. "I'm going to bed. Get in bed at a decent time, you have school tomorrow."
"We will, grandpa." Yugi says.
"I thought you two were leaving anyways." I say to Tristan and Joey.
"We are." Tristan says. "My sister's getting us. She gets off in about an hour."
"Yami, do you want anything to eat?" Yugi asks getting up.
"No thanks, Aibou." he mutters.
Yugi sighs. Even with the talk with Ryou, Yami still seems depressed. I think once Bakura gets back-if he ever does-he'll feel much better.
Everyone, save for Yami, walks into the kitchen. All this talk about food and worrying about Bakura has made me hungry! Time to get fat! Not really. Ra, I'd die if I were fat. I gotta keep this glorious figure of mine, right?
Joey and Tristan are throwing shit onto the counter left and right. I think they'll eat the world if they could. It's rather amusing.
"Joey, Tristan don't eat all my food!" Yugi exclaims.
"But it's soooo good!" Tristan cheers through muffled mouthfuls of food. "Right, Joey?"
Joey pops open a soda can. "Sure is!" he says his mouth just as full.
Suddenly, there's a knock on the door.
"Now who could that be?" Yugi mutters walking into the shop part of the Game Shop.
Tristan swallows. "It can't be Rachael, she's not off work yet." he says.
We follow Yugi into the shop. Our eyes widened at what we see.
"Hello, boys." Mai says casually leaning against the door frame. "I found one fine babe wandering around the streets and I figured his man wanted him to return to his arms."
XXXXXXXXX
Bakura spent a whole day with Mai and got sexified! *squeee! Yami's POV returns next chappie along with Serenity's! You're gonna see some kick ass parts next chappie. I'm so excited! I hope y'all enjoyed the chappie! Review lovelies! :D