Adult-FanFiction.org : Yu-Gi-OH

Exposed Shadows	By : Yami-Neferbre Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2422 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh! Also, no money/profit is made from this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
EXPOSED SHADOWS
A/N: Hello all....if there are any of you left....
By the way, in case I have not made this clear, and I am sorry if that is the case…this story is not an AU. It takes place several years…well, over twenty years….after the show was done and Atemu went to the afterlife. That’s why I mention Atemu, and that’s why Kaiba Corp is spoken of as well, and briefly duelling will be mentioned. Again, I am sorry if this was confusing….
Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, or any of its characters, clearly…or it would have gone significantly more different.
Warning: This story contains graphic violent and sexual content, along with profanities. If you don’t like, don’t read; and if you read and cannot handle it, don’t complain to me, you’ve been warned.
CHAPTER FOUR
TORONTO, CANADA
1745 – Ridder Corporation
The week had been silent, eerily so. Neither he nor Yugi had received any calls or messages from Yami or Bakura. Absolute disconcerting silence.
Seto could tell that Yugi was balancing between hurt and concerned. He thought that he had made strides with Yami. The two cousins had spent most of that night talking in the bedroom, leaving him along in the living room. It frustrated Seto to no end, he expected to personally hear nothing from Yami, especially after the officer’s outburst. However, he had not expected Yami would go completely incognito from Yugi, the officer wasn’t answer any of the messages Yugi had sent him. Bakura had been oddly silent as well, making Seto assume he was being pulled around and kept very busy by the Bratva. But, that left a sour taste in Seto’s mouth, with Bakura vastly occupied and possibly never home, how was Yami?
Heaving a dramatic sigh he slouched back in his chair, resisting putting his feet up on the smooth desk he glanced around the room. The office that was to be his was being renovated hopefully finished over the coming weekend. So, that had left him sharing a spare desk that was placed in Lysbet’s office. It was a corner suite, on the second floor from the top level – all of said top floor was Karel’s. The outer walls were pure tinted glass, giving a nearly unhindered view of the vast city around them. It was nearly dark outside, the last rosy rays of the sun were glinting off the metal of the surrounding buildings, and the cities neon lights were beginning to shine through. The sigh relaxed him, a soft hum leaving him, eyes drifting over the rest of the space. It was simple; grey hardwood, metal, matching grey wood and white furniture, very streamlined and modern. Lysbet had added the odd bright and colourful picture of decorations throughout to liven it up, quite successfully too.
Lifting her gaze from her computer, Lysbet let out a long yawn and stretched, “I don’t know about you, but I’m about done for the day.”
Grunting and giving a soft smile, Seto murmured, “I’m surprised you are still here – didn’t your daughter finish school at three?”
Lounging back in her chair, flicking her long ebony and ponytail behind her she nodded, “Graham picked her up and is babysitter her for me. I knew I would need to work late tonight, and thankfully he was available.”
Quirking a brow in amusement, Seto peered at her knowingly, “Is he staying for the weekend?”
Straightening up, but laughing with a blush covering her olive skin, she nodded again, “Was it a mistake to yell you of my little secret?”
“It’s only a secret from Karel,” Seto chided.
Shrugging and rising up she began to pack up her stuff, “I love my Papa dearly, truly, and we are very close. And, that’s why I know he will have issues with Graham.”
“Why?”
Pursing her lips, Lysbet gave Seto a mixed look of annoyance and sadness. “Papa has always made it clear he wants me to marry, simply put, someone like you. Well, all of those lovely suitors Papa has proposed – and Especially Emmeline’s father – have all been nothing but issues. To put it nicely, they have all been pompous spoiled little rich boys. No offense.”
Hands shooting placating in the air, Seto chuckled wryly. “I used to be one of those boys, and I have dated my fair share of them too. So trust me, I know. I have Yugi, and another person, to thank for pulling my head out of my ass and reminding me where my heart is.”
With a chuckle, Lysbet replied while putting her jacket, “Well, Yugi is an amazingly gifted person, especially when it comes to his ability to rub his positivity off on people.” Seeing Seto’s dramatic nod of agreement, she smiled, “I have known graham for a while, he he’s been a constant friend of Yami’s since he joined the police. I avoided his advances, too scared to be in a relationship again and also what Papa’s reaction would be. Yami suggested first, in his blunt and vulgar way, that I should give Graham a chance. But, Yugi was the one that really convinced me. And I’m so thankful for it. Graham has been an absolute dream; the past year has been wonderful.”
Seeing her while body just relax and almost lift in bliss, Seto smiled, envy clear but genuine happiness for her also. “Good, I’m glad. Everyone deserves to find their perfect partner.”
“Well, well, I never pictured you to be the romantic type.”
Catching her teasing tone, Seto grinned mischievously at her. Rising, he began to gather his things. “Well, shoot, I guess the cat’s out of the bag. I might have to kill you now, you know my secret.”
Laughing boisterously, one hand over her belly and the other bracing herself against her desk, Lysbt stammered out through bursts, “I promise, your secret is safe with me.”
“Good, you might ruin my reputation.”
Pulling on her jacket, Seto mimicking her, she slung her purse over her shoulder and headed for the door. As if she had been slapped, she swung around, nearly whipping Seto with her purse. “I forgot to ask, have you had any luck with finding a place?”
Scowling, Seto shook his head, “No, still at the hotel. My realtor has been useless; I may find another if the viewings this weekend go as bad as the last few have.”
Expression falling, Lysbet meandered out of the office, Seto following, and headed for the elevator. After pressing the down button, she glanced up at him with a slight frown, “well, hopefully you find somewhere soon, staying in a hotel and eating out all the time will not help you settle here.”
The elevator binged open, both striding in, with Lysbet punching the button for the parkade. She gave Seto a quizzical look when she saw im punch in for the sub-basement. “Why are you going the lab?”
“Yugi and I were going to catch a bite to eat when he’s done,” he answered simply. “A question, before I forget. Have you heard from your brother at all?”
Pursing her lips and pulling her phone from her pocket, she stared at the screen shaking her head, brow furrowing. No, he hasn’t responded to me all week. If I haven’t heard from him by Sunday, I was going to check in on him. Why?”
“Yugi has not heard from him either. He is getting concerned.”
“Oh? I didn’t know the two of them had been getting on so well.”
“They haven’t been. Yugi picked me up last week from his house, and the two of them had spent most of the day talking. I think he thought he had made some headway in getting Yami to open up, but it seems not.”
Sighing deeply, she waited till the elevator reached her floor before responding. “Yami; as you can tell isn’t a very open person, and he is not very good with people. His circle of friends is small; his list of whom he fully trusts is even smaller.” The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Stepping out, she murmured back, “I hope Yugi can break him down. He may be the only one that can, if Yami lets him.”
When the elevator closed and continued down, Seto puffed out his cheeks in frustration and scrubbed his fingers through his hair. “That’s the problem; the stubborn bastard is so mentally barricaded that he probably cannot even hear someone knocking!” Hearing the frustration in his own tone, a frustration he had not heard in a long time, he sighed, “This one is just as much of a pain in the ass as the other one was.”
Hearing the elevator doors slide pen, Seto looked up to see Yugi’s bemused face. “Hello,” quipped the newcomer, “you are a bit earlier than I expected. I have not finished my rounds yet.” He looked tired, and slightly confused to see Seto so early.
“I will join you, I could use the exercise.”
Amusement clear in his eyes, Yugi pivoted and bean to circle the massive laboratory. It was the main research section, a virtual labyrinth of experiment rooms and storage areas. To minimize confusion, the tip half of the walls of all the rooms were glass. It made looking over the area easier for Yugi, giving him perfect sightlines of the entire floor.
“When was the last time you went to the gym? You’re looking a bit small lately,” Yugi teased, knowing how religiously Seto had been attending, bulking up over the last six months. It had been Seto’s response to his last break up, almost out of spite to his cheating ex stating that the reason he had strayed was that he missed the physique that Seto had when they started dating. It was the ex’s fault said fitness had faltered because he complained about Seto’s lack of free time, so going to the gym everyday was reduced to once or twice a week, Yugi knew the statement was a bit of a low blow and somewhat insensitive, but he knew that seto would be able to read his genuine concern.
“I haven’t picked a gym yet, hoping to find one close to home.”
“Has home been found then? Did the flat viewing yesterday go well?”
Seto scoffed, and stepped to the side to let a pair of lab technicians past, their rushing footsteps loud against the white tile. “It was a dump. It looked good to the naïve eye, but it was poorly remodelled, and they had no permits for the work. The viewings this weekend better go well, or I will be looking for a new realtor.”
Feeling his phone vibrate, Yugi signalled Seto to a halt. Pulling out the device, he stared at the screen a moment, and then answered it, setting it to speaker. “It’s been a week, and you finally call, Yami?” The only response was barking, starting mid-sentence, and causing Yugi’s chest to tighten. Ignoring the questioning look Seto was giving him, Yugi looked intensely at the phone. “Hannibal? Does Yami need help?” Hearing a tell-tale whine, Yugi straightened, and was already moving as he spoke. “Stay with him boy, we are on our way.”
Trying to process the fact that a dog had made a phone call, Seto nearly lost track of Yugi as the smaller man was moving with a purpose. With a surprised hiss, he took off running to catch up as Yami entered a storage room. Eyes narrowing and lips pursing, he watched Yugi grab a red bag with a red cross on it, recognizable as a trauma bag from the shelves. Confused, Seto watched Yugi grab a few medicines from a fridge, and stuck them in another kit. “What did I miss?”
“Bakura set my number to speed dial on Yami’s phone, and showed Hannibal how to call if Yami was in trouble. I’m not taking any chances.” Yugi spoke as he handed a few clear bags with a clear liquid in them, which Seto saw moments later was saline. Grabbing the other kits, Yugi darted out of the room, with Seto following.
Still confused, Seto followed Yugi onto the elevator, to the parkade, and into Yugi’s SUV. Barely getting his seatbelt on as Yugi careened out of the parkade, Seto questioned, “Why the med kits, if he is hurt, we should call an ambulance.”
Shaking his head fervently, Yugi answered quickly, “Only if I cannot handle it. If what I think is happening, is, then the hospital is the last thing he needs.”
Eyes narrowing further Seto decided not to push, choosing instead to quietly sit back, remaining silent while his friend drove at near break neck speeds towards Yami’s house. He tried to ignore how many traffic violations they were committing, along with trying not to show any enjoyment in Yugi’s antics. It wasn’t every day that his friend lost his control, did something irrational, and drove like him. It took barely fifteen minutes to get to the house, cutting the commute there by almost ten minutes.
Pulling into the drive way Yugi cranked the vehicle none too gently into park and clambered out, gathering what gear he could carry and forcing Seto to take the rest of the heavy gear and trudge rapidly up to the door. Gripping the handle he turned it, not surprised to find it unlocked, guessing that Hannibal had done it already. His mind was preparing him for the worst. By passing the living room and kitchen he followed Hannibal’s insistent barking straight for the bedroom. His mind had been prepared, but his heart hadn’t been; stomach churning in fear and heart racing rapidly. Seto stumbled behind him, mouth falling agape at what he saw. Yami was motionless and pale on the floor at the edge of the bed, lips and nail-beds blue. He was sprawled on his side, exactly where Yugi assumed he had fallen, with his back to the edge of the bed and arms stretched straight out. Hannibal was prancing beside him, whining audibly. Seeing the empty bottles on the bed Yugi cursed and dashed forward, dropping everything with a resounding thud he placed one hand on Yami’s chest while the other pressed two fingers against the carotid artery on his cousin’s cold neck. His own heart skipped a beat when he found a pulse, weak and barely palpable, but there; along with a single shallow breath. With little gentleness Yugi pulled on the bottom of Yami’s arms and splayed his cousin flat on his back, hands immediately grabbing the IV bag out of the trauma kit along with the medicine bag, he called up to Seto around the needle in his mouth while he tied the tourniquet around Yami’s arm. “Read out what the bottles on the bed say, I need to know what he took.”
Swallowing hard Seto nodded, putting down what little he was carrying he scrambled to pick up the bottles, reading them out quickly, “Cyclobenzaprine, Tylenol 3, Hydromorphone, Ativan and Triazolam…how the hell did he get a hold of these…”
“They’re all his, Bakura usually has them well hidden,” Yugi stated with a grunt, finally finding a decent enough vein and plunging the 16 gage needle in, getting flashback he thanked his lucky stars. Securing the IV with tagederm and tape, he tried to keep that arm flat while rooting through the med bag for a specific medication.
Quietly, Seto watched Yugi crack open a medicinal vile, reading naloxone on the side he cringed with recognition. Pulling out a syringe Yugi measured out a dose and moved to click it into one of the ports on the IV line he had created earlier. He had saline running as fast as possible, making sure to keep Yami’s blood pressure up. He had also quickly clipped a small portable SpO2 monitor to one finger and secured a blood pressure cuff to the other, using his stethoscope to manually read his pressure at some point in the past few seconds. “In the trauma kit, there should be a bottle in there of activated charcoal, fill it half full with water in the bathroom then shake it till I tell you to stop. Also, send Bakura a message; tell him to get home ASAP.”
Firing off the text message first Seto then moved to pull out the bottle of activated charcoal, he quickly dashed to the bathroom and did as instructed, coming back while viciously shaking it. Seeing that Yugi had yet to push the naloxone he furrowed his brown and questioned, “What are you waiting for?”
Eyes glazed in concentration Yugi quietly answered, “Giving the saline some time to raise his blood pressure, it was way too low to safely handle the naloxone. He'll come around really quick, which could tank his blood pressure. Stop shaking the charcoal; I need you to pin his shoulders down. Hannibal,” glancing at the K9 he pointed to Yami’s legs. “Lie down there, and stay!” Seeing the dog do as bided, along with Seto, Yugi exhaled deeply and pushed the syringe, injecting the medication into the IV and letting it flow into Yami’s system.
Yugi hadn’t been lying when he said Yami would come around quick. Seto grunted as the strong shoulders beneath him surged up, hands snapped up and tightly gripped his forearms, dazed crimson eyes shot open and stared straight up at him, chest heaving while wheezing for a full breath of air. Gasping, Yami peered up in bewilderment at Seto, then to Yugi, and finally resting on the IV in his arm. Even through the intense fog that still clung to his consciousness, he felt panic surge through him. Growling, albeit hoarsely and with little strength, he heaved to rip it out; Yugi was faster, grabbing the arm with the IV and pinning his hand down with his knee. “Nice try,” Yugi chastised, scowling at him in both fury and intense worry, but mostly disappointment gleamed in those eyes staring down at him. “Seto, get him into the bathroom, I’ll keep hold of his hands and the charcoal.”
With a grunt, Seto tried to not give Yami time to react, and he was lucky in the fact that the officer was still very weak and incoherent. Yugi, with one hand quickly pulled off all the monitors, keeping a firm hold of both of Yami’s hands with the other. Hooking his arms under Yami’s shoulders Seto heaved him up into a sitting position before manhandling him with as much gentleness as he could and lifted him with ease, making his way rapidly towards the bathroom. Yugi followed just as hurriedly with both the saline bag held high and the charcoal. “Where do you want him?”
“As close to the toilet as possible, keep holding him, this won’t be pleasant.”
Pushing open the bathroom door with his foot, Hannibal assisting by fully pushing it open with his muzzle, Seto strode in strongly holding Yami’s weakly struggling form. He knelt down first before allowing Yami’s legs to fall to the tile floor, expecting the young man to try and rise in his knees Seto locked his arms much like Bakura had the other day around his chest, tightly holding his hands crisscrossed over his torso. Yugi wasted no time, meandering over the toilet he sat on the edge of the bathtub, popping the lid open to the charcoal as he did so. Yami tried to fight, strength increasing when he realised what was going on, but Yugi’s deadpan stare stopped him dead. With little gentleness, Yugi gripped Yami’s chin, forced open his mouth, and upended the vile mixture into his cousin’s mouth. Yami spluttered a few times, but with little protest drank back the chalky solution, heaving breathlessly when Yugi finally was satisfied that it was empty and yanked it away.
“Let him go Seto,” Yugi stated quietly, watching like a hawk as Seto slowly did so. Yami sunk low in his knees, still groggy from the meds. He had given him a low dose of the Naloxone, just enough to bring him around, but not enough to pull him fully out of his stupor. Yugi needed him disoriented; it took the fight out of him. Chest heaving, stomach already churning from the charcoal, Yami quietly opened the lid to the toilet and rested against it. “Thank you Seto. Can you leave us for a bit, this will be hard to handle for a little while.”
Unsure, Seto peered intently at Yami; mind not fully convinced that this ordeal was over. However, Yugi’s soft gaze was convincing enough, and he planned on not going far, just to the kitchen as requested. Still uncertain, but trusting his friend, he left the room, pulling the door nearly closed and encouraging Hannibal to follow him to leave the two cousins’ in peace.
Tenderly, Yugi reached out and manually checked Yami’s pulse at the wrist, trying not to be offended by the flinch of muscles and Yami nearly losing his balance to try and get away. With a deep sigh he wrapped one arm around Yami’s shoulders while his free hand pinned blonde bangs away from the unusually pale face, preparing for when the charcoal fully activated. He chose to remain silent, allowing Yami to try and mentally sort everything out while they waited for the inevitable. The greyness to Yami’s skin remained, but his breathing slowly levelled out, the blueness in his lips was dissipating and Yugi could finally feel his pulse bounding beneath his skin. Feeling tears come to his eyes, lips and hands begin to tremble, Yugi hugged Yami closer and rested his head atop his cousin’s as his emotions were finally able to fully process everything. He’d almost lost him, and the idea of it was sickeningly unbearable, especially like this.
Feeling Yugi grip him tighter Yami felt his mind almost physically click and softly begin to push through the fog. Warm dampness alerted him to Yugi, the trembling noticeable along with the soft gasps as he tried not to cry. Chest tightening in dismay he sunk further into his knees, realising just what he had done and what Yugi and Seto had just stopped from coming fully to fruition. He had never felt like this, dismayed and terrified, after the many other times he had awoken in the hospital after Bakura had found him in a similar state. It was disorienting, creating a physical ache within his chest. With one cold and shaky hand he tried to grip Yugi’s hand on his far shoulder, but his hands were still weak and Yugi took hold of it tightly and clung to it. Feeling tears of shame, regret, and anger fill to the brim in his eyes he allowed them to flow, stammering out as they nearly burned his cheeks with their heat, “Yugi…” He wasn’t able to finish, the activated charcoal finally kicked in, causing him to wretch and violently vomit.
The next hour was spent like this, completely in silence aside from Yami’s heaving breaths and retching. Yugi, somewhat thankful for the time granted, quelled down the anger that had begun to rise within him, keeping himself occupied by keeping Yami upright and monitoring him for any changes. The violence of it had finally slowed down, leaving the past few minutes to just Yami propped up and breathing heavily, catching his breath with some success. Closing the lid to the toilet, Yugi sat back and let go of Yami, allowing his cousin to relax pitifully over the cold porcelain lid. The charcoal had done its work in removing all of the pills that had not already been fully absorbed into his system, removing the intense drugged glaze from Yami’s eyes; they were tired and unfocused, but clear. Satisfied, especially after a few more minutes of silence, Yugi murmured out, unable to withhold it. “You damn coward.”
The insult stung, but the truth of the statement rested heavier. Turning his head enough that he could peer up at Yugi, Yami gave a weak shrug, “Tell me something new.”
Fury seething, Yugi could not control the hard right hook he dealt into Yami’s upper shoulder, barely feeling the sting and satisfied that Yami remained where he was, he snarled out. “What happened to accepting help? Were you lying to me?”
“No!” Yami protested weakly, coughing and swallowing down the fowl taste in his mouth.
“Then why? Why do this? Was my help not good enough for you?”
Head ringing in agony from the intensity of Yugi’s tone, the cop closed his eyes and tried to ward off the stabbing’s intensity, one hand diving out to grip Yugi’s knee desperately, keeping him there. Weakly, he murmured out, voice desperate. “That has nothing to do with it! It’s”
Brow furrowing, a few deep breaths to relax him, Yugi took hold of the hand on his knee, “What do you mean?”
“Freeborn, he hasn’t let me breathe never mind think. He’s been here every damn day. Well, except for the two days that he kept me at headquarters...”
“Why?” Clearly confused, anger rapidly dissipating, he demanded. “You’ve already done enough for him...”
A deep and wry, but weak, laugh escaped Yami in a near hiss. “I do his dirty work, why the hell would he ever leave me alone, he’d actually have to take care of his own shit for once. That’ll never happen.” With a cough, a small pained wince, and a hand darting down to hold his angered stomach, Yami continued. “He can’t cover this one up, he left too much to chance, didn’t map it out properly like he usually does. He got cocky and trusted me too much – no surprise there.”
Concerned, Yugi tried to divert his cousin, unsuccessfully, “What’s wrong, why are you holding your stomach.”
“There were ten cameras’ in the restaurant – two of which have tapes of that day that are unaccounted for. He also sent it to me over the radio, usually does it through my cell phone; it was all recorded by headquarters. The autopsy is another problem, cannot really pass it off as self-defence.” The pain increased, so did the pressure of his one hand against it, pushing through the waves, too frustrated and unhinged to stop. “I’ve been asked to have a meeting with the Chief, without Freeborn, and he’s panicking.”
Allowing all the pieces to click, Yugi’s eyes narrowed in fury, “Freeborn wants you to stay quiet, take the fall for it.” Catching Yami’s slight nod, Yugi pursed his lips in anger and sitting forward engulfed his cousin in a tight embrace. “Why didn’t you talk to me, I could have helped.”
With a slight shake of his head, dizziness increasing, Yami whispered tiredly, “I couldn’t, he’d taken my phone, so I couldn’t alert Bakura.”
Confusing washed over Yugi again, “Why…?”
“If the Bratva knew how sourly this was going, he’d be dead by now.” Was the simple answer, gently pulling away Yami rested back against the wall, suddenly sweating heavily. “Was it naloxone you used?” Catching Yugi’s nod, he murmured. “Get a second dose.”
Seeing that Yami’s skin had dramatically paled, along with noticing the copious dampness to it and the glaze returning to his eyes, Yugi internally cursed. Scrambling up, barely stepping over Yami gracefully, he darted back into the bedroom, returning with the remaining dose of the naloxone that he had drawn. Quickly, hands oddly steady; he clipped the needless syringe into the port of the IV and pushed the rest of the medication. Remaining quiet, Yugi watched every heaved breath Yami took and the increase in clarity in his eyes. Clearly, he had taken more than Yugi had guessed, and had absorbed far more of it than he had wagered as well. Sitting on the cold tile floor he heaved a shaky breath, shaking his head for not realising that Yami was relapsing back towards a comatose state. He had been too distracted; attention focused on what Yami was telling him. “I’m sorry; I got distracted.”
Shrugging, Yami stared at him quietly, mentally clear for the first time since he had been brought around from his comatose state. “I also didn’t tell you how much was in those bottles so you knew to watch for a relapse; besides, I put myself in this situation.”
“I suppose there’s that,” Yugi said with a small smile. “On another note, should I be expecting to have him come to the door soon?”
Sighing deeply, frustration clear, Yami nodded. “Bright and early.”
Thinking, Yugi rose up and stretched, pulling out his phone he quickly punched in Lysbet’s number. Yami peered at him in question, but he simply held up a single finger to insist on him waiting. Hearing the line pick up and Lysbet’s voice ring through, he quickly asked, “Sorry to suddenly drop this on you, but can Rei stay with you for the weekend? I’ve got a lot of stuff to do and I don’t want to keep her cooped up in the apartment with me, she’d have more fun if she was with you.”
“Sure, I don’t see why not, do I need to go get her? I remember Seto mentioning that the two of you were out for dinner.”
“Please, I don’t know when we will get home and I really don’t want her to take a cab.”
“Of course, I’ll go grab her right now. Have fun, don’t work too hard!”
“Thanks!” Hanging up he stared down at Yami levelly. “Seto and I will stay for the weekend, especially if Bakura isn’t going to be here. And I want absolutely no argument out of you that decision is out of your hands. We’ll protect you, understood.”
Stunned, Yami merely nodded, unsure of what to say or do. Two hands thrust themselves at him in offering, blinking he swallowed hard and took hold of the offered appendages, shakily rising up with Yugi’s assistance. A comforting arm immediately slinked underneath his and around his back, supporting him. Understanding, Yami took the offered assistance and slowly walked back towards his bedroom, leaning heavily on Yugi as his limbs were still weak. He was guided gently onto the bed; hands helping him lay back and pull his feet up onto the mattress. With not a word passed between them, Yugi hooked up a new bag of saline to the IV and hung it from the headboard of the bed, then tenderly draped the thick comforter over his cousin. Smiling when Hannibal came barrelling into the room and invaded the bed, Yugi affectionately ruffled the dogs head as he laid down, head immediately resting on Yami’s chest, whining for attention from his partner. Softly, Yami began to rub the K9’s ears, pouring all of his energy into the gesture, thanking his partner without saying the words. He knew it had been Hannibal that had alerted them, he had seen the damage done to his phone from teeth and claw marks, and he had also seen that his case had been destroyed. Rolling onto his far side, Yami wrapped his arms around the dog and held him tight, tears welling within him he clung to his partner, the dam breaking as a rough tongue licked his cheek. “Good boy Hanny, good boy.”
Motion by the door pulled Yugi from the heart wrenching sight, straightening himself he peered across at Seto whom was standing in the doorway, “Everything Ok?”
“Was going to ask the same thing,” came the careful answer, cerulean eyes focused on Yami’s prone figure, emotions flooding him as he watched the cop embrace and thank Hannibal profusely. “But, I’ll let you two be; I’m ordering in some food, what should I get?”
“Vietnamese or ramen– soup of some sort preferably, he’s not going to be able to eat much if at all, and that will be the easiest thing to have.”
With a curt nod, Seto went to duck quickly out of the room, but a voice stopped him. Turning back, confusing evident, he stared across the room at Yami, whom was staring back; confirming that he had not been hearing things. “Yes?”
Mustering up some courage, and shoving his pride out the window, Yami murmured softly, “I’m sorry about the other day, it was uncalled for. And, thanks for coming with Yugi; I’m in your debt.”
Pursing his lips Seto shoved his hands awkwardly into his pockets, mind reeling, half of him jumping for joy the other half waiting for the other shoe to drop, “Apology accepted.” When Yami’s features softened into a relieved smile, Seto grinned and internally melted at the sight. “How are you holding up?”
Contemplating what to say, mind having a small internal battle against his usual retorts, he answered in barely above a whisper, “Terrified…furious…ashamed.”
Soft smiling ghosting his lips, Yugi gently rubbed Yami’s side, “Well, you don’t have to deal with it alone. Remember, we are here for you, you can lean on us, right Seto?” Seeing Seto nod out of the corner of his eye he averted to Yami, staring at him hard, trying to force reeling eyes to focus. Seeing the internal battle increase, the cops brow furrowing deeply and jaw locking, Yugi gently extended his hand out and cupped the far side of Yami’s face, lifting and turning it so that crimson eyes finally focused on him. “Take the help…don’t let them win.”
Overwhelmed, Yami desperately resisted the urge to run, to lash out; all of his normal responses when people tried to make him open up. A large part of him was screaming, clawing at his back in an attempt to force him to slam his mental walls back into place. Very few people had ever reached out to him, and even fewer of them he trusted. And those he trusted, aside from Bakura, he could only give them fragments; desperately trying to retain his pride and self-worth, scared that they would run. The last person he had opened up to, tried to trust, tried to be protected by, abandoned him to the wolves. Karel had turned his back on him the day his mother had passed away, slapping him in the face with the guilt of surviving the accident when she had not. When he had pleaded for help and support, Karel had retracted further away from him, becoming almost vicious in the way he spoke to him, disgust clear. It had burned him, burned him away from ever taking the offered hands of help, too scared to be burned again. He wanted it, to lean on others, to stop struggling for every shred of sanity he had left in silence. His fear of being burned was overwhelming, curling in on himself as if waves of heat and flames were rolling off of Yugi and Seto, forcing him to retract. He did not realise that he had begun to cry, never mind that he had sat up tightly in the fetal position, arms wrapped tightly around his legs keeping them firmly against his chest in protection. The arms that wrapped around him felt scalding, causing him to whimper and retract further into himself, then curse internally at his weakness. Hearing Yugi’s voice he locked onto it, trying to keep hold of reality.
“You deserve to live, please don’t turn your back on life. I understand that this is probably extremely overwhelming, and that all you want to do is put up your walls. But I am begging you, let us in so we can start breaking them down and freeing you. Please Yami…” Yugi felt the breath leave him, shocked, when two shaky hands gripped his arms with clear uncertainty. Inhaling sharply when Yami suddenly relaxed, Yugi held on firmly, only giving Yami enough room to adjust so that he was sitting properly again. Swallowing hard Yugi rested his chin atop Yami’s bowed head, “I’m not going anywhere…we are not going anywhere, I promise.”
He had one question, the words barely forming from his lips, “Why…why are you helping me?”
Unable to remain where he was, Seto crossed the room and going to the other side of the bed sat down quickly. Hesitating at first, but encouraged by Yugi’s quiet comforting stare, he placed a quaking hand on Yami’s back, forcing it to stabilize he whispered out, “Because, you matter; to Yugi you are family, and to me I already consider you a friend. But, more importantly, no one deserves to suffer the way you have, especially in silence. There is so much more to you than what they did, than what has happened to you; and you deserve to live without the hindrances and fears of the past. You deserve to be normal.”
Eyes opening Yami stared blankly at his knees, which were intertwined with Yugi’s, mind wrapping around the words Seto spoke with such intense fervour. It sat heavy in his core, awakening a part of him that he had kept dormant but that had always been screaming for freedom. Lifting his head he peered first at Yugi, who smiled at him comfortingly and emphasizing Seto’s statement with the intense warmth he could see radiating from him. Averting to Seto he analysed the former CEO, breath leaving him in shock at the intensity behind blue eyess; protectiveness, affection, and fury could be seen boiling deeply. The words that had formed in his mind were disintegrated by the passion of Seto’s expression, lost within that deep encompassing stare. An odd sensation crept over him, causing him to shiver from the strength of it and from its lack of familiarity. Analysing it he felt his body freeze in confusion, but relax instantly thereafter in relief. He felt safe and wanted, two things he had come to the firm belief that they would never exist for him again. Tears of relief overwhelmed him, hands rising to desperately try and hold on to what little he had left of his dignity and eradicate them. A cold nose wriggled between him and Yugi and began to lick at his face and hands, causing him to chuckle softly and peer down at Hannibal whom had wormed his upper half snuggly into his and Yugi’s laps.
“You just couldn’t resist could you,” Yugi chided playfully at Hannibal, whom looked up at him and laid a sloppy wet kiss across his face, big tail thumping loudly against the mattress. It was a bizarre sight to see the massive black beast of a dog look almost puppy like in his excitement. “Aren’t you a little big to be a lap dog?”
Shaking his head at the statement, Seto sat back scowled slightly, “I think that’s an understatement.”
Another small chuckle found its way out of Yami, one hand still trying to wipe away tears while the other reached down to affectionately pet his K9 partner. “Typical shepherd trait, he’ll never understand how big he is.” Self-consciousness suddenly overwhelmed him and he internally growled and forced himself to straighten, trying to shove his moment of weakness aside. Seto and Yugi’s dual incredulous stares deflated his brief attempt to revert back to his stoic wall. It took a moment to formulate the sentence, voice still shaky from the tears murmuring out, “Thank you…for saving me from myself.”
In unison, with matching warm smiles, Yugi and Seto responded in kind. “You’re welcome.”
Untangling his legs from Yami’s, Yugi gently urged his cousin to lay back, strong muscles resisted at first but began to quiver from exertion before relenting. Gently he checked the IV to make sure it had not blown, then just as tenderly he pulled up the covers and tucked them tightly around Yami’s now shaking frame. He knew the man was probably cold on top of his body in a mild state of withdrawal from the amount of drugs that had been in his system, along with being exhausted from the current exertion his body needed to repair the damage. Hannibal had moved without being told and was lying stretched out along Yami’s side protectively, head resting on the pillow beside his partner’s head. Yami stared at him confusion, but exhaustion was clearly beginning to overwhelm him as his eyes fought and struggled to remain open. “We won’t leave,” Yugi whispered, one hand rubbing the shoulder closest to him. “Relax, get some rest.”
Though the statement settled heavy on him with the truth of it, his mind was still reeling, grasping for the stability; one hand darting out from the cover’s and gripping Yugi’s tightly. Seeing Yugi sigh he cursed his weakness, moving to pull away but was stunned when a second hand encompassed his and soft lips pressed themselves to his forehead, a comforting voice murmuring out what he needed to hear.
“I promise, we won’t leave, you’re safe.”
Sleep overtook him nearly instantly, the words that Yugi has whispered creating the shield and confirmation that he needed. Body shivering he curled unconsciously around Yugi’s seated figure, almost adhering to him for comfort, desperately holding on to Yugi’s hand until he was completely unconscious.
Feeling the hand in his relax in sleep, Yugi exhaled dramatically, body deflating with it. Catching Seto’s questing gaze, he stated somnolently, “I guess we’ll see what the morning brings.”
Grunting Seto rose up from the bed, slowly meandering to the door as he said apprehensively, “Will this all have been a farce created by emotion, will the walls slam back up and we get shoved out the door?”
Running the statements through his mind while freeing his hands from Yami and stiffly standing up, he shrugged with unknowing, “I could hope not. But, I’ve seen people in similar states as him, and it’s a fifty-fifty chance that he will wake up in the morning and regret everything and shove us away again. Or, he will stay resilient, with a vast amount of support and strong hands holding him up.”
Exiting the room, turning the light off but leaving the door wide open, the two of them made their way into the kitchen. Quietly, Yugi went about making tea while Seto dug out his cell phone, puttered around on the internet quickly, then called in an order for food. Placing the phone on the counter, Seto leaned against it, using his arms to keep himself up. Yugi pushed a cup of tea in front of him then moved to sit at one of the stools around the island, lifting his gaze from the badly aging counter tops he peered around the house. It was older; probably build in the early 90’s and had clearly never been renovated. It was all the original yellow and cream linoleum, wood floors with cabinets to match with a distasteful orange hue to them, walls soft beige in hue and simple. The countertops were the white laminate, stained from years of use and cracking at the corners. All the trim throughout the house was that same mid-toned orange tinted wood. The carpet that had been in both bedrooms was the original cream shag, stained and badly needing replacement. Through all that though, the ceilings were vaulted and high, creating a lofty space and the floor plan was wide open with sightlines crossing the full length of the house. The stairs heading into the basement were spiralled and gave a clear view down, another open sightline. The house had potential, with a full update with no modifications to the floor plan it could be a beautiful home. Absently picking at one of the lifting corners of the counter top he stated his viewpoint, “This place is in bad need of a remodel.”
“Hmm, agreed,” Yugi said between sipping at his tea, gaze peering around. “Aside from being dated it’s in good condition. I’m not surprised that it hasn’t changed though; Lysbet told me that Yami bought it just before joining the military. Bakura lived here, but for most of the eight years he was in the army Yami was barely ever home. And, in the past couple years since he’s been out and has been a cop, the two of them are pretty well never home. It’s a place to sleep at night and do the bare necessities of living, I don’t think – Yami especially – has ever thought about updating it or sinking money into it. It functions, that’s all that probably matters to them.”
Pursing his lips while nodding in agreement, Seto stood up only to grab his cup and join Yugi sitting on one of the stools. “Probably don’t really have the money to sink into it. Military personal usually don’t make much, and cops don’t make much more.”
“True,” came the agreed murmur. “I know Karel cut Yami off all funds when he signed up for the army, so he’s never had any help there.”
“Seems like Karel cut him off from a lot more than just money,” Seto stated heatedly, hands clenching furiously around his cup. “It’s disorienting. He presents as such a good man, and dotes on Lysbet excessively; I honestly thought that Yami had been the one that had made all the mistakes, at least that’s what Karel lead me on to believe. I’m starting to question the goodness of my new employer.”
Leaning back in his chair Yugi sighed deeply, one finger absently following along the rim of his cup, “I do not think it’s all as it seems. I have seen Karel melt when he talks about Yami when he was young, beam with pride when he speaks of certain things. I’ve also sensed some regret within him; maybe he feels guilty for whatever it is that made him abandon and resent Yami. Lysbet is just as lost as we are, she has no idea why Karel turned his back on Yami, she always said it was very sudden and it happened when she was at university and wasn’t home. Neither of them will tell her either.”
“Seems like both sides of your family is full of issues,” a wry and yet mildly amused chuckle escaping Seto. “Did you ever find out why Grandpa never spoke about another daughter?”
Nodding, sipping at his tea again, Yugi peered at his friend, “She had a gift apparently, a beautiful one, but one that Grandpa could not accept in terms of allowing her to have it as a career. Reiyame did the cutting off; she wanted to follow her dreams and resented Grandpa for not letting her. So, she ran away when she graduated school and paid her way through university in the Netherlands. Grandpa was pretty bitter about it, but he spoke of her fondly when I approached him, she was the favourite I think and it hurt him that she did not want to listen to him. Was even more bitter that she actually became successful in it, the fact that she got married and had children without telling him hurt the most though.”
“What was this gift?”
“Music,” Yugi said with a smile, sideways looking into Yami’s dark bedroom, reminded of what he had seen in there the other day. “She was quite accomplished in the music world apparently, created her own music and everything, even had a singing career in the classical genre in Europe. She could play multiple instruments; I believe she could play the piano, violin, harp and the clarinet I believe. Played in the orchestras, both in the Netherlands and here. It was her passion.”
Stunned, Seto hummed in the back of his throat in thought, but smiled, “Well, that’s the last thing I expected from Grandpa.”
“I think he learned from her, learned how to let go and have an open mind, fearful of losing someone again.”
“I could see that. Must have been hard for her to see that neither of her children picked up on her talent,” Seto murmured, seeing Yugi’s cheeky grin he glared at him. “What are you not telling me?”
Grinning further, Yugi pointed to the baby grand in the corner, “One of them did, I do not know entirely to what extent, but I know it is one of the things that Karel loved deeply about him.”
Stunning, swivelling back around in his chair, Seto stammered out, “Yami? Really?”
“He’s damn good at it too,” came a deep voice from the far end of the house, the front door opening so quietly that Yugi and Seto were startled by the sudden appearance of Bakura. It had apparently started to rain again; the young man’s hair and jacket were drenched, dripping on the floor while the cop hung it up on one of the nearby racks. Shaking off his shoes noisily Bakura not so quietly stalked towards them and leaned against the counter, staring at the two darkly. “What the fuck was so urgent that you two needed me here, seems pretty calm to me, aside from the fact that you two are somehow in my house.”
Placing his cup on the counter Yugi slipped off his chair and signalled for Bakura to follow him, using the light of his phone he shone it in on Yami’s sleeping form, highlighting the IV and saline bag along with all the medical gear that was still strewn on the floor. Seeing the realization settle heavily on Bakura, pale skin going white and eyes widening in shock, Yugi whispered. “Hannibal thankfully remembered what you showed him, or you would have been coming home to a dead body.”
“Fucking hell,” Bakura stammered, swaying in shock.
“Apparently Freeborn has been antagonizing him. Freeborn’s panicking; things are not going well for him right now, especially since Yami has been called in to speak to the chief about what happened the other night, when I do not know.”
Expression going cold, Bakura huffed and trekked away back into the kitchen, Yugi hurriedly following and taking his spot back up at the island. Fists balled on the counter, Bakura stared between the two of them, “The situation is already known, at least between Arik and myself, except for the visit with the Chief. Clearly, Freeborn did not listen to Arik’s threat to stay the fuck away from Yami. But, I shouldn’t be surprised, Freeborn will do anything to save his arse even if that means risking everything he has set-up. His death was already being arranged, but, now that this new little information of Yami needing to speak to the chief has been let out, I might be able to convince Arik to let the fucker destroy himself.”
Stunned, and furious, Seto reached across the counter and gripped a full handful of Bakura’s shirt, snarling viciously, “And with all that knowledge you left Yami alone for almost a week!!”
Lashing back, Bakura snapped out, “I couldn’t leave; the Bratva has had me running around like a freak. I’ve tried to get lose long enough to come home, but that wasn’t fucking possible. I called him several times…or tried to at least, this would explain why he never answered, except with the odd hasty text message.”
“Which Freeborn probably wrote, he held on to Yami’s phone, it’s why we haven’t heard from him either.”
Glancing at Yugi, Bakura felt the rage boil harshly in his veins, “Mother fucker, was probably banking on Yami doing something irrational, I’m going to…!”
“Eradicate that idiotic thought, there is no way in hell I will let you!” came Yami’s firm, though somnolent, voice from the bedroom. Everyone turned to stare at him in shock, standing haggardly in his sweatpants and t-shirt with the IV bag in hand and Hannibal at his side, the man glared at them while swaying. The pain was intense, and familiar. It had harshly awoken him from a very comfortable dead sleep, alerting him to the loud conversation in the kitchen, assuring him that not only Bakura was home but that Yugi and Seto had stayed as promised. Nausea had hit him hard and was still raging, increasing the intensity of the agony burning deep within his stomach. Breathing heavily, clearly exhausting himself, Yami snapped out harshly while faltering. “Let Freeborn dig his own grave, he’s not worth it.”
Scrambling Bakura, being significantly faster than the other two, darted across the house and caught Yami as he weakened further and began to sink in his knees. Holding him steady, Bakura stared down at his friends hazy but frustrated eyes, “Take it easy, you’re not well enough to be up.” Noticing that Yami had a hand firmly pressed into his stomach his brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?”
“It got worse,” he murmured out, in that moment seeming to have returned to his deathly paleness. Hands pressed against his stomach, Yugi’s, with as little gentleness as could be afforded. Wincing and arching away he began guarding, gripping Yugi’s wrist tightly in an effort to keep it away.
“Lay down,” Yugi asked none too kindly, hands insistently putting pressure on both of his cousin’s shoulders. With a weak nod of acquiescence, he helped Bakura carefully assist Yami till he was fully prone on the floor. Catching the stereotypical guarding Yugi gently began to assess Yami’s stomach, ignoring when the man nearly vomited again and curled away from his touch with a pained groan. He could feel the intense heat radiating off of Yami’s stomach and after quickly exposing the skin, dark bruising was glaringly apparent. Swallowing hard, mind racing Yugi tapped Bakura. “Call an ambulance.”
Shaking his head, frantic, Bakura stammered, “They’ll lock him up.”
“I’ll see that they don’t,” Yugi ground out, tone becoming forceful. “But he’s bleeding out internally, call now!” Nodding, swallowing hard, Bakura pulled out his phone and quickly made the phone call, staying on the line as instructed by the dispatcher. Seeing Seto kneeling down by Yami’s head, Yugi signalled for him to help sit Yami up. Seto was stunned when Yugi encouraged Yami to sit partially upright then lean back against his chest. Uncertain hands placed themselves on the young man’s shoulder’s to keep him upright, realization becoming clear when Yugi explained. “It will be far more comfortable for him.”
Squirming, Yami tried to get comfortable, not caring that it was Seto holding him he clung to the man’s strong arms and tried to leverage himself into different positions to ease the ache, but nothing worked. The minutes ticked by in a blur for him, mentally focused on the agony and breathing through it, trying to remain calm. He trusted Yugi, knew that his cousin was right in terms of the internal bleeding, he also was fully confident in Yugi’s ability to argue enough to keep him from being kept permanently in the psyche ward. That, however, was the least of his worries at this point. Seto, though clearly uncertain, remained stiff through his writhing, assisting whether knowingly or not in keeping him upright. He heard Yugi saying that he could see the ambulance, mind barely reaching through the pained fog enough to realise that Seto had also lifted him up and was carrying him out of the house. A small whimper of pain escaped him, head resting against Seto’s shoulder he relinquished himself to their care, the last image that burned within him was Seto staring down at him with concern and something else as he laid him down on the cold stretcher, those protective arms still encompassing him before the world went black.
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03:15 – Toronto General Hospital
Panic had set in hard, having barely heard much else of what Yugi had told her over the phone; the only words that sunk in were suicide, internal bleeding and hospital. She had barrelled out of the house, dressing in a hurry and leaving Graham disoriented she had driven as fast as she could to the hospital. Entering she went straight for the elevator, pressing in the button for the psychiatric unit she drifted backwards and let her back hit the wall. Lysbet’s mind was spiralling, not realising that she had closed her eyes or that she had covered her mouth with her hand, she pulled herself together when the elevator binged and the doors opened. Forcing herself to be composed, pushing down the anger and fear that was burning harshly in the pit of her gut, she made her way to the desk at the front of the unit. Tapping on the counter to gain the nurses attention, a pretty little blonde thing, she asked quickly, “I am looking for my brother, Yami Raske.”
She smiled at her sweetly and pointed down the hall, “Room 608, I think one of the gentlemen that brought him in is still there, the other two just went down to the cafeteria to get coffee. I think he’s awake, they brought him up from surgery over an hour ago, head right in ma’am.”
With a stiff smile and loud strides she found herself oddly hesitant when she reached the door, digits barely touching the cool metal of the handle. She had seen Yami in the hospital before, this wasn’t new for her, and she knew what to expect; but her mind was still panicked and furious. Suicide, the word stung and caused tears to reach her eyes. Summoning the needed courage she opened the door and rapidly strode in, golden gaze resting on her baby brother where he lay less than comfortably on the hospital bed. Her eyes wandered his frame, ignoring Yugi whom was trying to get her attention from the chair to her left. Yami was sickly pale still, two IV’s running into him; one with medication and saline, the other with blood. Lying on his side, covered barely by a hospital gown and thin sheets his body was still quivering. Finally, she locked with crimson eyes that stared at her in shock and panic, clearly unknowingly that she had been notified. In an instant she was across the room, still ignoring Yugi she went to the opposite side of the bed, one hand going on either side of him she hovered over him, hot tears running down her face as she snapped out. “Why dammit, why?”
Jaw agape Yami briefly stared angrily at Yugi before turning back on his sister, whose face was only inches from him, tears streaming down her face and golden eyes angrier than he had ever seen them. He couldn’t speak, stunned that she was even here, and furious that she had even been notified. Yami had spent all these years vehemently protecting her from everything that was wrong with him, giving her the front that his issues were mild, and trying not to make her worry. Mouth going dry he snapped it shut, staring up at her in silence, body quivering.
“Lysbet…” Yugi started, only to be silenced when Lysbet held up a single shaking finger at him.
“Answer me Yami! Why! You lying bastard, you told me you were fine, that everything was well handled and under control, that your PTSD was being managed. You damn liar.” She raged, one hand reaching up to wipe the tears away, staggering back and collapsing, sitting down heavily on the bed. Her free hand tightly gripped his arm, her eyes never leaving him. “Why couldn’t you be honest with me, why couldn’t you let me in! I’m your sister, your big sister; I’m supposed to protect you and all that bullshit. But you won’t let me, your damn pride is more important than your fucking life!” Seeing that he made no move to answer, jaw clenched shut hard enough that the muscles were twitching she sat back, hand lifting from him she snarled vehemently. “Let me guess, I’m not allowed to give a damn because you don’t want to weight me down. Well, whether you like it or not, you are my burden. I love you – apparently more than you can understand or appreciate.”
Mouth falling slightly agape, Yami stared at her in bewilderment; blinking profusely he barely shook his head, mind not being able to grasp the fury of the statements that had just been thrown at him. He didn’t deny it, she was partially correct in that his pride had made him keep all this from her, but there was another part of it that forced him to hide it.
Seeing her shake her head at him, clearly miffed by his further silence, Lysbet moved to rise up and stared across at Yugi. “Thank you for letting me know, and thanks for helping his sorry ass.” Averting she headed for the door, shaking off Yugi’s stammered pleading for her to stay. What stopped her was a familiar hand desperately – albeit weakly- snatching her wrist, forcing her to turn back and stare in shock into her brother’s fearful and pleading countenance. Remaining silent, and not daring to move, seeing as he had sat up and had shuffled to the end of the bed to catch her, she watching him carefully as the angry tears began to form again.
Briefly glancing at Yugi, gaining a small amount of strength from his cousin’s supportive hands that were keeping him upright, he stared back up at Lysbet. Body shaking, both from the pain moving had caused, but also the emotions rolling in his chest, he barely murmured out, head dropping in shame as he did so. “I was too scared to…I didn’t want to lose you too.” The bed shifted, signalling to him that she had sat down; knowingly he leaned forward burying his forehead against her shoulder. “One person already left as soon as they knew a small glimpse of what happened. I was terrified that you would too, that you’d be disgusted by what happened, and even more so by what I did while trying to run away from it all in Iraq and Afghanistan. You were the only one, aside from Bakura, that stayed…I didn’t want to lose that…I don’t think I would have survived it without you.” His mouth was running away from him, blurting everything out in a wave, and his stomach churned in fear as he let it all out, especially since she remained so silent. Gripping her hand tighter, his other hand rising and pitifully holding her upper arm in an attempt to keep her there, he felt his eyes well with tears, her childhood nickname falling from him as he pleaded. “Libby, please believe me, I never wanted to hurt you.”
Stunned, Lysbet absorbed the image of her normally proud and stoic brother clinging to her, body vibrating from the pain that staying in that position was causing and the remaining after effects of the overdose. She could also feel the tears dampening the fabric of her shirt; heart tightening she glanced across at Yugi, whom was watching her carefully where he stood trying to support Yami’s frail figure. Throat going dry she bent her head and rested it atop his, tears flowing from her eyes, her free hand reaching up to rest on the back of his neck, rubbing soothingly. “Nothing, do you hear me, nothing will change how I feel about you. You’re my baby brother, I love you too much to abandon you.” Hearing a strained gasp from him followed by a relieved sob she shifted and tightly enveloped him, embracing him tightly, relieved when he clung to her just as fervently though his head never lifted from her shoulder. “Please, tell me what’s going on, why did you do this?”
“I couldn’t do it anymore,” he gasped out between strained sobs, desperately trying to withhold the pitiful sounds, cursing how pathetic he sounded. “They never let me go, they’ve always had a leash on me, and with what happened the other day…them using you and everyone else to force me to do their dirty work again, I couldn’t wash it away, I can’t get the blood off my hands even if Kuzma had played a part in my kidnapping I can’t justify it.” He felt her tighten her hold on him, a sharp inhale signalling to her shock. “Freeborn, he’s paid by them to keep me in line, just like all my commanding officers had been. He’s messed up the cover up and has been panicking, taking it out on me. I’m supposed to have a meeting with the chief about it…”
Blinking, eyes locked on Yugi’s, seeing the truthfulness in his eyes Lysbet exhaled shakily trying to absorbed all that she was hearing. “The gang…the gang that kidnapped you…but all they wanted a ransom, I don’t understand.”
Pulling back, body slumping in exhaustion, eyes focused on the bed, Yami shook violently. He could feel both of their gazes on him, but most especially feel the waves of confusion rolling off of Lysbet. She had very little idea what had happened to him while in captivity, never mind the true reason behind it. Fighting within himself he threw caution to the wind, he had already buried himself deep enough, the rest may as well come out. “They didn’t want a ransom. Karel made something for them, some sort of product, probably to settle a protection debt; keeping them from taking over the company and or destroying it. But, he never gave them the full amount. It gave Yevgeny the perfect excuse to take what he had been stalking for years, gave him something to play with in order to force Karel to give over the rest.”
Mouth falling agape, a hand snapping up to cover it in shock, Lysbet quivered in disbelief. “No…that’s not…”
“He lied to you, Lysbet,” came the near growled reply, hands fisting in his lap, head still hung. “Why would he want to admit that he had ignored it when I had told him Yevgeny was stalking and making advances on me? Why would he want to admit that that fucker had been allowed to lock me in my own bedroom and molest me while he was home to stop it? Why would he want to admit that because of his greed, his need to keep that fucking product, that I was kidnapped and repeatedly beaten and raped!” His voice faltered, body shaking, raked by the sobs that were now pouring from him, fearing that she would turn and walk away he kept his eyes shut. “Why, would your precious father, want to tell his little girl that he let your brother be raped and tortured while he did nothing?” Sobs overtaking him, he barely murmured out through the tears. “He was…disgusted that I had ‘let’ him take me...had ‘let’ him inside me…” Arms lifting he held himself, bracing for the sound of the door closing, terrified to hear it. “Libby…”
Suddenly, Lysbet’s arms were wrapping tightly around him, holding him close enough that her digits pressed hard into his back to keep him there. Gasping, relief flooding him and overwhelming him, he collapsed, desperately clinging to her and revel in the comforting waves that she feed him with. The bed shifted, Yugi moving to sit behind him, his cousin’s tender hand rubbing his back. He couldn’t believe he had let it all out; a weight lifting from his shoulders, but his mind was still overwhelmed with feelings of inadequacy and shame. Fear overwhelmed him, scared that she would change her mind and run, leave him in his decrepit and violated state and shove him aside just as Karel had. Through the tears, not caring how weak he sounded, he pleaded desperately, “Please don’t leave.”
“Never, mijn broertje, never.”
A/N: Sorry that this took so long, I was finishing up school…and let me tell you, practicum and exams are freaking time consuming. Review???
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Exposed Shadows