I Know You're Out There Somewhere | By : Firewing Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 3536 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. |
Chapter 41 Sugar and Spice
A/N: My beta has bowed out for personal reasons. I hope to be able to complete this fic and move on to something else fairly quickly…or, if you prefer the end is in sight! Thank you to those of you who have so kindly and faithfully supported my efforts.
Disclaimer: Even after all this time I still don’t have any legal rights to Yugioh.
~*~*~*~
Once his wife was safely installed in the beach house, Pegasus excused himself on the pretence of showering and changing his clothes. In actuality, he was far more interested in discussing this new development in their relationship with Croquet, but his bodyguard, along with said man's belongings, were conspicuously absent from their bedroom by the time he arrived. Rubbing eyes tinged red with exhaustion, Max sat down on their bed, sighing heavily. Though the joy that had suffused his heart when he had held his wife in his arms again after such a long absence had not dimmed in the last few hours, he hated that his dreams had had to be fulfilled at Chris' expense. However, what was done could not be erased, even had Max wanted to do so, and he pushed himself to his feet resolutely. He had wasted too much of his life already to spend any more precious seconds feeling sorry for himself over something that could not be changed.
Twenty minutes later, his hair still slightly damp, Pegasus glided down the stairs, dressed in dove gray slacks into which were tucked a white tunic elaborately embroidered with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. The sweet sounds of his lady’s laughter coupled with the appetizing aroma of a breakfast well on its way to being served led him to the kitchen, and he arrived just in time to watch Croquet flip an omelette onto a plate with an expert flick of his wrist.
“Max, Croquet was just telling me what a disaster you are to shop with," giggled Cecelia in greeting. "Still, he has agreed to drive us into town nonetheless. His courage should be commended, don't you think?” Her light-hearted teasing stopped abruptly as she suddenly became aware of a tension in the room, and she bit her lip, mentally running her words through her mind to make sure she had not said anything untoward or offensive. She hadn't.
“Indeed it should, Cecelia, among a host of his other qualities.” Desperate to escape the suffocating atmosphere, Pegasus offered his lady his hand, drawing her to her feet gallantly. “Perhaps you would prefer to eat in the dining room?”
Croquet turned his back to the couple, pretending to be absorbed in poking at a puddle of pancake batter. "You are far too kind, Sir," he acknowledged self-deprecatingly, and Pegasus winced. There was a silent accusation in Croquet's tone that betrayed only a shadow of the betrayal that surely must have been weighing on the other man's heart, and a sudden urge to comfort his protector seized Pegasus. He didn't act on it, of course; even had he been sure of getting a favourable reaction at this point, there was Cecelia to consider, and Max did not want to attempt to explain the entire mess to her right then.
Cecelia, for her part, decided to feign deafness, though she privately wondered what had made Croquet change so drastically in the time she had been away. Her husband's manservant had surprised her in the kitchen earlier that morning, and insisted that she sit down while he cooked. As etiquette dictated, she had offered to help him, but instead of the gracious refusal she had expected, Croquet had quite nearly snapped at her. The topic of shopping had been broached in desperation, and though Croquet had promptly enlightened her about the risks surrounding such an endeavour, the almost-teasing glint in his eyes had belied his severity. Now, however, that Croquet was gone, replaced by an efficient servant who was preparing their breakfast with all the emotion of a vending machine, and Cecelia found herself wondering what her husband's mere presence could have done to warrant another extreme shift of character on his bodyguard's part.
“Christopher, would you join us?” Pegasus asked lightly as Croquet set their steaming plates down on the table. The words lacked the subtle, commanding undertone that Chris identified with Max's orders; his master was requesting his presence, not commanding it, but Croquet would walk through fire and ice before he would voluntarily watch those two fawn over each other like ignorant schoolchildren in the throes of their first crush.
“Thank you, Sir," he declined stiffly, "but I'm afraid I have other business to take care of before I sit down to breakfast." He bowed to each of them, eyes drifting shut as he turned to Max. "I hope you both enjoy your meal." With that, he was gone, and though the scent of the food was as tempting as ever, Max felt disappointment weaving threads of nausea through his stomach.
He might have chased after Chris had Cecelia not chosen that moment to trace slow, concentric circles on the back of one of his graceful artist's hands. Her touch brought him back to reality, and his anxious disappointment melted beneath a torrent of unbridled joy and fulfillment. He could hardly believe that it had been seventeen years since they had last shared a meal, and his eyes drank her in for what must have been the millionth time since her revival. Truly, my lady is more delectable than any feast conjured by mortal man.
Cecelia giggled. “Max, you’re staring. Again.” Despite her protests, she enjoyed her husband's attention; too much could have happened while she was in the Shadow Realm for her to believe that they would simply be able to pick up where they had left off, but Cecelia was happy to know that she still captivated her husband as completely as she had on the night of their meeting. It gave her hope for the future, if they would indeed have one once the novelty of her presence wore off.
“And I won’t apologize for it either, my darling.” Banishing all thoughts of Christopher for the moment, he took her hand, allowing himself to become so absorbed by the miracle she embodied that the food became so unimportant as to seem tasteless. Too soon for his liking, the conversation turned to far more serious matters, and he filled her in on the major events of the past seventeen years, beginning with Bakura's theft of Joey's soul and working his way backward to his inspiration for the reinvention of the Duel Monsters game. She, for her part, told him some of what she had learned in the Shadow Realm, all of it dark and foreboding.
Eventually, she stopped to take a bite of her food, and Max suddenly became aware that Croquet was standing against the wall behind him. He could feel his bodyguard's condemning gaze drilling into him from beneath opaque sunglasses, and the solemn atmosphere that had descended with his lady's revelations became cold and tense. How odd. Even without the Eye, I would always know when he was there. What could have changed?
The all-too-obvious answer shot through his mind, and Max's remaining eye narrowed as he pushed it into his own personal river of denial, letting the current carry it away. Its imprint, however, remained on his mind; He's shut you out, the same way he feels you did him.
Then, Cecelia began speaking again, and Chris' shade was once again scattered to the fragrant breeze of her words.
~*~*~*~
Once breakfast was over, Croquet obediently cleared the table and began to wash the dishes with cold, methodical movements. Cecelia disappeared from Max's side far too soon for the silver-haired man's liking on the pretence of freshening up in the upstairs bathroom after she borrowed a pair of one of the girls’ sandals that had been left by the back door. She had to admit to a certain amount of excitement about the impending shopping expedition, but trepidation over the tension between her husband and his long-time friend prevailed over the former emotion. She hoped that, left alone, they would be able to work out whatever was bothering them.
Once Cecelia was safely upstairs and out of earshot, Max turned to Chris with a heavy sigh, sitting down at the small kitchen table elegantly. "Christopher, everything happened so fast…” he began in an effort to console the other love of his life.
Silence reigned in the kitchen at these words, broken only by the soft clinking of dishes as Chris placed them carefully in the dishwasher. "Fast, Sir? You‘ve been planning this for seventeen years; that's enough time for a child to mature into adulthood. I would hardly call it 'fast'." His voice remained a carefully modulated monotone, yet the accusation hit its target with deadly precision.
Inwardly, Max winced, but his face was set into grim determined lines. He seldom allowed anyone to get the better of him and this was one duel he was not about to surrender. "You promised to stay by my side, Christopher, even if this was successful.”
Another glass found its place amid the dishwasher's racks. "And so I am, Sir.” Croquet's tone was even more neutral than usual. "As far as I am concerned, we have nothing to talk about unless you have orders for me."
The blood seemed to drain from Max's knuckles as his teeth set in a grimace. "And what of our relationship?"
Strong, calloused hands closed the twin taps in one calculated motion. “It’s over, Sir." Croquet turned to face his master as he dried his hands on a conveniently placed towel. "You pay me to follow your orders and to ensure that no harm comes to you. We no longer have a personal relationship. You have what you have always wanted, you have Cecelia. You cannot have it both ways, Max. We‘ve already discussed this."
“Is it really that simple for you, Croquet?" A chill had seeped into Max's voice, and he found himself infuriated at former lover’s attitude.
Croquet removed his shades and locked eyes with him then, and Max wished that he hadn’t taken the sunglasses off. Anything would have been an improvement over the raw, seething agony that poured from Croquet's exquisite grey orbs into his single brown one, dousing his soul in a guilt so flammable, even the slightest harsh word would set it alight.
"It‘s over," Croquet repeated in an almost imperceptible murmur.
Max felt his heart ignite into a funeral pyre worthy of the love they had once shared. His frustration over being unable to make things right was maddening. This was not the way the story was supposed to go. He’d rescued his maiden fair and had the castle to whisk her off to, but somehow he’d miscalculated what it would cost him. Yet he also knew he would do it all over again. How could he do less? “I hope, in time, you will find it in your heart to forgive my myriad inadequacies. Our lives are forever changed now and what is done cannot be undone. Our relationship, our friendship, is too important to me to allow resentment or badly damaged feelings to divide us. I’m sorry, Christopher.”
Eloquent and sincere though this speech was, Chris raised a cold disdainful eyebrow at his master, “It is, however, not too important for you to allow her to divide us. If you will excuse me, Sir, I'll go bring the car around." Without waiting for any form of acknowledgment, Croquet bowed stiffly to his master for the second time that morning, and was gone before Pegasus could think to call him back.
Alone in the kitchen with only the muted hum of the dishwasher for company, Max allowed himself a soft groan of despair as he leaned back against the table, thin strands of hair falling out of place to frame his angular face. His lady had not even been back an entire day, and his life was already coming apart at the seams.
"I really am sorry," he whispered to the spectre of Christopher that still lingered on his mind's eye.
As ghosts are wont to do, however, it did not answer back.
~*~*~*~
Seto had only been asleep for a few precious hours when his eyelids cracked open again, exposing his sapphire orbs to the cruel morning light filtering through the gauzy white curtains. His leg hurt like hell, and he had a good start on a migraine, but more importantly, his beloved puppy was absent.
A shadow fell across the bed then, and Seto rolled onto his back with a groan. Above him stood his grinning, golden Jou, holding a tray laden with coffee, orange juice, fresh fruit, toast, cream and sugar out for his inspection. With an effort, he managed a tired yet grateful smile. “You’re a saint, Jou.”
Joey's laughter came out in a snort, and he nearly dumped the tray onto his prone lover, “Nah. I think I've failed the chastity test a few times over." He set the tray down on the bed beside Seto, producing a small pill box. "I’ve got a couple of painkillers here too, baby blue eyes, but you gotta eat first or they’ll make you sick.” Carefully, he stroked his lover's hair, pressing a kiss into the auburn locks. “You’re so pale. I can’t believe Croquet shot you. I swear, that man is gonna pay dearly.”
Seto couldn’t help but think Jou was either far too trusting of him or just a touch on the dim side; the love of his life had yet to wonder why Croquet had felt it necessary to take such drastic measures in the first place. “Jou, Croquet didn’t exactly shoot me on a whim. He was doing his job.”
“Huh?” Jou cocked his head, seemingly bewildered.
Unwilling to come out with the truth directly, Seto continued to dance around it. “He is your father’s bodyguard.”
“Oh.” Jou sat down beside the tray. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
Seto traced the angular line of the blond’s jaw with long fingers before drawing him into a deep kiss. “When I found you last night…” He shook his head, driving back a wave of emotion that threatened to pull him under. “ I love you so damn much, Jou.”
In a flash, Joey realized what Seto was trying to say. Seto had wanted to get Bakura out of the house, whereas Pegasus had wanted Bakura where they could keep an eye on him. As a result, Bakura had been able to dispatch Jou to the Shadow Realm. When Seto had found his soulless body prone on the beach, he had naturally blamed Pegasus. Things probably had gotten out of control and Croquet had been forced to intervene.
Jou nodded, the motion conveying both understanding and forgiveness. “I love you, too.” He sat up, settling the breakfast tray on his lap. “Now, you need to eat…or would you rather I fed you?”
Seto smiled, a devil may care gleam sparking in the azure depths of his eyes. “Feed me, Pup.”
~*~*~*~
A scream that Mokuba recognized as belonging to his big brother jolted him out of the light sleep into which he had managed to fall. Visions of his brother's once-again-soulless body stretched out on the couch filled his mind, and he was nearly at the door before Ryou caught him around the waist in a gentle yet firm grip.
“I wouldn't do that if I were you,” the white-haired boy murmured as softly as he could without becoming totally inaudible. A screaming match would only give Mokuba yet another, more intense adrenaline high.
With a snarl, Mokuba tried to extricate himself from Ryou's hold. “That was Seto! Let me go!”
“He’s… with… Joey.” Ryou was unsure how much detail he could go into on this subject without overstepping his boundaries. “I doubt that was a scream of pain, although Jou could be torturing him.” He smiled at his own words, both pleased with the manner in which he had articulated them and entertained by the image that they conjured in his mind's eye.
Mokuba still struggled, however, refusing to process Ryou's words, or anything else for that matter. Strangely, Ryou found himself enjoying the younger boy's squirming, and his Yami's impotent voice speared through his consciousness like a dart.
//No, no, no… not Kid Kaiba, hikari! You cannot do this to me! //
/Shut up, yami; you’re no longer in charge./ Ryou smiled again, a bit more devilishly, as his eyes trailed over Mokuba's flawless skin. /He’s so…pretty…/
“Ryou! Would you mind getting off of me?” Mokuba's tone was slightly less frantic, and so Ryou did as he was told, secretly regretting the loss of contact with his 'captive'.
"I apologize, Mokuba. I hope you understand the necessity of my actions," he said, trying to hide his inappropriate feelings behind a mask of formality.
“You mean they’re having sex, don’t you? How does that work with guys?" The directness of Mokuba's tone was completely unsuited to the subject matter of his question; he might have been asking what was for breakfast the next morning rather than an explanation of the mechanics of gay sex, and Ryou's face turned scarlet from embarrassment.
“Perhaps you should ask your brother or Joey about it,” he said, attempting to slither out of the awkward position in which he found himself by gathering a few shower supplies together. Mokuba's ignorance of such things had reminded him of the other boy's age, and he berated himself for even having such indecent thoughts about one so young.
Mokuba crossed his arms over his chest and stamped his foot in irritation. “I am not a baby, and I wish everyone would quit treating me like one!" Suddenly, his face took on a cunning shadow, one that Ryou had only ever seen on Seto's face. "Maybe you don’t have an answer because you don’t know yourself. Sorry for assuming, but you’re just such a girl, I figured you must be gay!”
Ryou cringed, feeling humiliated. Bakura had been right to warn him off Mokuba, but for the wrong reasons. The younger Kaiba was just as ruthless, manipulative, and insensitive as the elder, and for the first time, Ryou was seeing it up close and personal. Well, if he's old enough to goad me into giving him what he wants, he's old enough to handle it.
With a grin, Ryou walked over to him. “ Do you really want to know?”
“Yes,” came the over-confident reply.
He asked for it. Ryou leaned down to whisper into the other boy's ear, but Mokuba jumped away from him before he could hardly begin to explain. “Yuck, that's gross! Have you done that?”
Ryou grinned, on the verge of cracking up over the younger teen’s startled expression.
“That’s…that’s disgusting!” Mokuba exclaimed. “I’m sorry I asked!” He dove into his bed and covered his head with his pillow trying to shut out the images dancing through his brain.
Ryou laughed and headed for the bathroom. He got into the shower and lathered up still chuckling to himself when there was a knock on the door.
“Uh, Ryou? I gotta go really bad. Can I come in?” Mokuba asked hesitantly.
“Sure, Mokuba.”
The devious younger Kaiba brother took care of his business and flushed the stool. Ryou yelped under the suddenly scalding water and heard Mokuba giggling as the door closed. He did that on purpose!
A few moments later Ryou got out of the shower, toweled off, and then realized he’d forgotten his clothes. He sighed and wound the towel around his waist walking into the bedroom where he froze as the door closed behind him. Mokuba stared back at him, a startled rabbit-caught-in-headlights look on his face. Having been unable to decide on an outfit and not expecting Ryou’s sudden appearance, he stood there stark naked.
Ryou tried not to let his eyes roam. “It’s okay, we’re both guys, right?” He wanted to sound nonchalant and reassuring but his voice came out a little high-pitched and strangled. It was obvious to Ryou that they were both guys anyway, having been unable to keep his gaze from drifting downward. He made a dive for his clothes realizing his towel did little to conceal his stiffened body part and thinking that another cold shower was in order.
Mokuba felt warm all over, but wasn’t entirely uncomfortable with the situation. He watched Ryou and made no attempt to cover himself.
Ryou paused, very aware of the younger boy’s curious stare. “You’re quite attractive, Mokuba,” he said softly meeting the lavender-gray eyes. He wanted to gauge Mokuba’s reaction, but his expression didn’t change. Without letting his eyes leave Mokuba’s face, Ryou slowly opened his towel.
Those big pretty eyes curiously wandered over Ryou’s nice tight definitely not girlish body. His eyes lingered on Ryou’s erection, realizing his own body was reacting in a similar way and not questioning it or the fact that less than a half an hour earlier he’d thought the mechanics involved in a male/male relationship were disgusting.
Ryou let the towel drop and went to Mokuba. He took the boy’s chin in his hand and tenderly kissed the full lips. Mokuba gasped, opening his mouth and letting Ryou explore, wrapping his arms around the other boy’s slender waist pulling him close. Mokuba could feel Ryou’s arousal pressing into his thigh. He slid his hands down to Ryou’s hips and pushed the albino blond away.
Ryou stifled his whimper at the loss of contact, but he was not about to push Mokuba into doing anything. He knew what they had already done was too much and he hoped Mokuba wouldn’t end up regretting it.
“I want to touch you, Ryou.” Mokuba said shakily looking into the deep dark pools of his eyes.
Ryou’s legs turned to rubber and he knew they weren’t going to support him much longer. He took Mokuba’s hand and drew him toward one of the beds as he laid down on it. “Go ahead, Mokuba, but if you get uncomfortable tell me, okay?”
Mokuba nodded. He wasn’t uncomfortable, except for being inexperienced and incredibly horny, but somehow he didn’t think that was what Ryou meant. He stroked Ryou’s shaft lightly, feeling the smooth warm velvety firmness of it. Ryou whimpered deep in his throat and he tried not to arc up into Mokuba’s gentle touch.
For Mokuba the feelings were tantalizing. He hadn’t imagined his first sexual experience would be like this, would feel like this, that giving pleasure to another could be so exquisite. He cupped Ryou’s sacs with one hand kneading them and wrapped his other hand around the blond’s shaft firmly slowly pumping him.
“Mmm…” Ryou mumbled. He was having an incredibly difficult time holding himself back, his muscles tensed and twitched with his effort to let his young lover explore. Finally, Ryou couldn’t take it anymore. He pulled Mokuba down on top of him and kissed him more passionately this time. When he broke the kiss he breathlessly asked Mokuba again, “Do you really want to know how guys do it with guys?”
“I want to do it with you.” Mokuba answered without hesitation causing Ryou to whimper with desire again.
The albino blond took Mokuba’s hand, kissed his fingertips and began sucking on his fingers. He wanted this so badly. The couple of lovers he’d had were rough and didn’t stay around long, nothing that compared to Mokuba’s gentleness or wonder filled eyes. He took Mokuba’s hand and guided it in between his legs, pressing Mokuba’s finger to his entrance. Mokuba jerked a little at the tight hot feel as Ryou guided the finger in. He stopped, wondering if he’d pushed Mokuba too far, too fast, but Mokuba continued to insert his finger in as far as he could go. The dark haired boy imagined briefly what it was going to feel like to thrust his erection inside the muscular chamber.
“Uhh…” Mokuba yanked his finger out and tried to get a grip.
“It’s okay. We can stop.” Ryou reassured him, though the effort to be altruistic in this instance cost him dearly.
“I need to do this now. Right now.” Mokuba gasped.
Ryou smiled, “Then do it.” He was certain that Mokuba would not hurt him any worse than the other times he’d been taken.
Mokuba entered him hesitantly, unsure of himself, in spite of his need for a release. Ryou felt way better than his own hand and he relished the sensation for a moment before Ryou started to guide him with his hands on Mokuba’s hips, kissing his mouth, neck and shoulder before Mokuba’s instincts took over and he began to thrust. Ryou pulled the ebony haired boy down on him so his own arousal would benefit from the friction and the angle change caused his lover’s thrusts to target the backside of his prostate.
“Mokuba…harder…” He had to bite his lip to keep from screaming the way Seto had earlier as he hit his release, but Mokuba wasn’t as quiet about his own.
“Shh…” Ryou whispered to him, holding him close. “Now do you understand why your brother was screaming like a banshee?”
Mokuba giggled, “Yes. Will I get another demonstration sometime?”
“Yes. Get some sleep, my chibi tenshi koi.” Ryou whispered madly in love with Kid Kaiba.
~*~*~*~
The day faded toward evening as the beach house’s occupants reemerged from their various bedrooms. For most of its occupants, it had been a peaceful lazy day.
Pegasus asked them to gather in the family room briefly explaining that there was something that they needed to hear. Cecelia sighed, she longed to leave the darkness where it belonged…in the Shadow Realm, but she agreed with Max that the others needed to know what she had shared with him. She noticed that Ryou had not yet joined them, but he had already heard what she had to say and, in any case, it was Yugi who really needed to know the story behind the Millennium items. She and Max had escaped, but this boy was still in danger.
Cecelia pursed her lips as she decided how to begin. She reached into the pocket of her new dress and withdrew Gina’s card. Max told her that it could very well be a soul card, one in which a bit of the Dark Magician Girl’s soul was kept and that it might be possible for her to summon Gina to the real world. She thought about Gina’s dignified brother and his explanation of the events of the past and she looked at the spiky haired teen wearing the heavy burden of the Millennium Puzzle with a light heart. “Yugi, which duel monster is your favorite?”
Yugi grinned, that was easy, anyone in the room could have told her the answer. “The Dark Magician.”
Cecelia nodded. “Of course he is and for very good reason.”
“Shadi said that when Yami was Pharaoh the Dark Magician could be commanded only by him.” Yugi said with a trace of pride.
Cecelia exchanged a startled look with her husband. During breakfast that morning she had learned that Souleater was known to him as Shadi.
“You’ve met Shadi, Yugi?” Pegasus asked with a narrowed eye.
“Yes…” Yugi now had a worried expression on his face and Yami warned him to keep close watch on the duel monsters inventor. “On Duelist Kingdom after…after Bakura hurt you. He was looking for him, I guess, looking for the thief of the Millennium Eye.”
“Of course he was.” Pegasus grumbled.
“Why? What’s wrong?” Yugi looked from one Pegasus to the other in total confusion.
Seto scowled skeptically, wishing, and not for the first time, that Pegasus would just disappear. Joey’s brain hurt from trying to assimilate the various pieces of this puzzle into a picture that was not pretty at all. Everyone else was totally baffled.
Finally, Jou ventured, “Souleater is Shadi.”
“Yes, Joseph,” Cecelia confirmed sadly.
“Souleater? That sounds like an evil character in a bad cartoon!” Seto scoffed.
“Just hear my mom out, would you, Seto?” Joey requested, slightly irritated.
“Yeah, she’s got my attention.” Tristan spoke up.
Cecelia hesitated, gathering her thoughts and not much caring for the attitude of the young man who had given her a second chance at life. “While I was in the Shadow Realm I became good friends with a spellcaster monster known as the Dark Magician Girl. She convinced her brother to tell me the story of how the Shadow Realm came into being. He was also able to help me discover why I ended up there.”
“The Dark Magician?” Yugi squeaked. Yami listened attentively from within his soul room in the Puzzle. It was just possible that this woman could solve part of the mystery of his past.
Cecelia nodded. “In ancient times there was a powerful group of magicians called the Ennead. They were the self-proclaimed ‘true’ counselors of the gods and they chose to align themselves with the gods of darkness. The legend tells that as a gift for their faithful worship, the dark gods created a rift in time and space for the Ennead to use for games of pleasure and torture, a place where monsters dwell and lost souls wander. The Ennead used the Shadow Realm to manipulate wealth, power and politics. Terrible wars broke out in many lands, but the power of the Ennead was felt primarily in Egypt. Their leader is a demon called Souleater who inhabits the body of a human host. The demon has come to possess a Millennium item that allows him to enter into the mind of his victim and destroy their soul. He very nearly succeeded in destroying mine in that manner.”
“But I’m getting ahead of myself. It was through the Shadow games that the Ennead first came into contact with your Yami, Yugi. It was said when he came to power as the Pharaoh of Egypt that he could not be beaten at any game. The Ennead tested him for his strength and skill. For each competition in the Shadow Realm that the Pharaoh won he was awarded a magical golden item. But if he lost even a single duel the price was his soul. Of course, Yami didn’t lose and the Ennead were so impressed that they have tried for five thousand years to capture the soul of the pharaoh. They want it to use as a sacrifice to their dark gods so the Shadow Realm can be joined to our world. Then they would set a puppet monarch on the throne and rule the world through him.”
“You mean through Yami, don’t you?” Yugi asked quietly. His hands clutched the Puzzle and lavender eyes were wide with terror.
Cecelia shook her head, “I don’t know, Yugi, but it doesn’t seem very likely to me. Let me finish my story and maybe you will see why.”
“Okay.” He nodded.
“As you know, the pharaoh kept the Puzzle. The other Millennium items were given to those with royal blood whom Yami trusted, but the power corrupted them. The Ennead orchestrated the pharaoh’s betrayal. They nearly succeeded in their quest to merge the Shadow Realm with our own world. It isn’t known how the pharaoh was able to stop the Ennead, only that in doing so he sacrificed himself sealing his soul within the Millennium Puzzle. The Puzzle was broken into its component parts and placed in a box. Whoever could solve the Millennium Puzzle would gain access to the pharaoh’s power. You see, Yugi, they couldn‘t control him and he outsmarted them at their own game, as it were. It makes more sense to put someone on the throne they can manipulate.”
“You’re right. It does.” Yugi agreed with relief.
“That doesn’t mean that you or Yami are safe, Yugi,” Pegasus interjected. He motioned for Cecelia to continue.
“Five thousand years later, they chose Maximillion to set those events in motion again. For a few weeks after Joseph was born our lives were perfect. We had an Egyptian nurse on our staff to help with the baby. Unknown to us, the nurse, Anya, was a member of the Ennead. She used a magical potion to make to make me ill. The doctors, the best in the world, were completely baffled and told Max I had some rare incurable disease.”
Cecelia paused in her story and Croquet handed her a glass of water which she gratefully accepted. This part of the tale, though important, was very hard on her. She wanted to tell it though, wanted her son and his friends to hear it. “Anya told me that she planned to take Joseph and raise him as her son. I believe point of kidnapping Joseph was to lure Max to Egypt, but Anya’s plan failed when Max put Joseph up for adoption. He’s always felt guilty about it and yet I can’t help but believe on some subconscious level that he sensed the danger. By giving you up your father protected you from the Ennead, Joseph.”
Joey’s eyes blurred with tears. This part of the story he had not heard during his brief visit to the Shadow Realm. Even Pegasus was surprised by her conviction that putting Joseph up for adoption may have spared him a worse fate.
“My death and Max’s grief over it ended up driving him into the arms of the enemy in any case. I think you know the rest of the story.” Cecelia concluded quickly.
Silence reigned for a few moments as they tried to absorb what she had just told them, then, Pegasus swept her into his arms and winked at Croquet. “How soon will supper be served, Chris?”
Croquet sighed his usual long suffering sigh, “Within the hour, Sir.” He headed to the kitchen with his growing kitchen club. Serenity and Tea whispered and giggled about their respective beaus and successfully trampled Croquet’s limited reserve of patience to bits. His own heart was clenched in a vise and he had to concentrate on just getting from one breath to the next as he listened to those around him.
Pegasus and Cecelia were out on the deck dancing to a song she had composed for their wedding. The full skirt of her pale blue linen dress swished gracefully with their movements as she sang one verse and he the next in response, their voices joining in perfect harmony for the chorus. They swayed together in love with love itself it seemed.
In the dining room, Seto and Jou were team dueling against Yugi and Tristan who was complaining that the duel wasn’t fair because he was an inexperienced duelist.
Jou stared at him with an open mouth. “Whadda ya mean the teams aren’t fair? You’re teamed up with the King of Games and his Yami. It’s three against two here! But if you really want to switch partners, Tris, you can duel with Seto and I’ll duel with Yugi.” Joey offered generously.
Yugi snickered behind his hand. Seto dared Tristan to separate the lovers with a look that threatened sudden death.
Tristan met the cold blue eyes evenly, bring it on. “No thanks, Jou.”
Once the duel got going everyone came in to watch. Serenity and Tea cheered their guys on, though secretly Serenity was torn by wanting to support her brother and Tristan both. Pegasus and Cecelia gave their support to Seto and Jou.
Of course, where Pegasus went Croquet went too. One had too maintain loyalty to the family, after all. Privately, Chris wondered how large a family Pegasus was planning on. Two months ago, Croquet only had Pegasus to worry about. Now Pegasus had a wife, a son, a soon-to-be adopted daughter, their friends, possible in-laws…Okay, enough of that. I’m going to give myself a headache.
All four duelists battled in top form with nothing more riding on the outcome of the game than the enjoyment of the challenge. Seto and Jou, not surprisingly, meshed perfectly as a team; on the other side of the table, the team of Yugi and Tristan was not only lopsided, but nearly upended. Even though Tristan was the weak link he played remarkably well having learned through observation from the best of the best. Still, the heart of the cards favored the lovers who pulled off a satisfying victory.
Seto pushed his chair back from the table and crossed his arms over his chest. He scowled in an effort not to appear as superior and smug as he felt, not realizing the effect was the opposite of what he intended.
Pegasus raised an eyebrow at him, then leaned down and whispered in his ear, “Kaiba-boy, your efforts at false humility are wasted.”
Seto gave Pegasus a cursory glare before realizing Mokuba had not witnessed his and Jou’s triumphant duel. “Where are Mokuba and Ryou?”
“Why those lazy bums,” Jou smirked. “It’s time for supper and we still have sleepy heads. I’ll get them up.”
Jou bounded off, a typical goofy grin on his face. He stopped in the kitchen and collected a saucepan and a metal serving spoon. He walked into Ryou and Mokuba’s bedroom intending to surprise them out of sleep with a racket that would wake the dead, but it ended up being Joey who got the surprise.
They were asleep in one twin bed; limbs tangled together, the striking contrast of the white hair with the black oddly right. Mokuba was laying on top of Ryou, the sheet not quite covering their hips leaving no doubt about their day’s activities or their state of dress…or rather lack there of.
Joey shut the door behind him and, unlike the two sleeping idiots, had the sense to lock it. There was no way Seto or anyone else was going to see this. Forgotten the supplies he‘d lifted from the kitchen slid to the floor. “Oh gods!” He breathed when he could finally breathe again.
Ryou’s eyes popped open wide, suddenly aware that there was someone else in the room with them. He sat up, protectively pulling the sheet and Mokuba with him.
“Huh?” Mokuba mumbled still half asleep and snuggling back into Ryou.
Jou would have found it cute had he not been so horrified. “What in the hell were you thinking, Ryou Bakura?” Jou demanded angrily.
Mokuba’s head shot up when he heard Joey’s voice. He’d never seen the tawny blond look so furious, not even when he and Seto fought.
“When Seto finds out…” Jou started.
“Seto doesn’t have to know.” Mokuba cut him off. “Why did you just walk in here anyway, Joey? Why didn’t you knock?”
“He’s right,” Ryou agreed, “You shouldn’t have just walked in.”
Unknown to any of them, Seto had followed Jou upstairs a moment after the blond left remembering just how difficult Mokuba could be to get out of bed.
Joey had taken enough, “You’re going to lecture me on manners?! You’re screwing a thirteen year old child!” He roared.
In the hall, Seto stood facing the bedroom door with his mouth hanging open.
“I’ll be fourteen in two weeks,” Mokuba corrected defensively, “And actually, I screwed him.”
This last bit was not information that Jou or Seto really needed at the moment. Seto went to the door intending to storm into the room with a fury that would have put Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon to shame and was thwarted when he found the door locked against him. “JOU!” He roared loud enough that everyone downstairs was aware of the dragon master’s rage.
The boys in the bed stared at the door that suddenly appeared to be quite flimsy in wide-eyed horror.
“Shit!” Jou hissed. “Get some clothes on. I’ll try to slow him down.” With that Joey unlocked the door and slipped through it as quickly as possible pulling it closed behind him. He felt one of the teens lock it again from the other side and he released the door knob just as Seto slammed into him.
“Let me in there, Jou! I’m going to kill them! Both of them!” Seto roared. With a tremendous effort, Joey drove his enraged lover back toward the master suite. “Let go of me! Damn you!”
“No! As bad as this is, you’re gonna make it worse!”
“Worse!? It can’t get worse!” His hands clenched into the blond’s biceps, but Seto wasn’t really fighting him. His adrenaline fueled fury left him feeling weak and sick. His grip on Jou may well have been the only thing holding him together.
“In.” Jou ordered, pushing their own bedroom door open.
~*~*~*~
After the chaos in the hallway abated, Ryou slipped off the bed and pulled on his clothes. He never once looked at Mokuba. He was deeply ashamed of himself. He was a nice guy, perhaps a little shy and lonely, but nice. How did that tally up with also being a child molester? Never mind that thirteen was the age of legal consent in Japan.
Deep within the Ring, Bakura laughed. //If you like, I’ll send you back to the Shadow Realm. You belong there. Pathetic little worm.//
Ryou blinked back tears. /Thanks, but I can cut myself down just fine on my own./
//You can’t do anything right on your own. Too bad we have to share a body, little light, the things I could do to you…// Bakura smacked his lips. //As it is, if you let me loose, I could teach that little morsel in your bed a few things.//
Ryou finally looked at Mokuba who was pale and shaking with the sheet pulled up almost to his hollow wounded looking eyes. Ryou melted at the sight. /Shut up! I’ll never let you near him!/ He forcefully slammed the link with his yami closed.
“Ryou?” Mokuba asked timidly.
Ryou went to him and pulled him into his arms. The ebony-haired teen snuggled into him, fitting perfectly. “Neither one of us gave much thought to consequences, did we?”
Mokuba shook his head, meeting Ryou’s gaze with sad lavender eyes. “I had no idea…I’ve never felt like this about anyone…my brother, Jou, everybody kind of gets crazy when they fall in love. I didn’t understand. Maybe I still don’t, but…”
“What, Mokuba?”
He took a deep breath and the shock in his eyes transformed into determination. For an instant, Ryou saw the man Mokuba would become, velvet over steel, compassionate without ever being overwhelmed by the storms of life, a man he would gladly spend his life with. “Did this mean something, Ryou? It was so sudden…I don’t want to lose you.”
“Yes, Mokuba, it meant something.”
“Good.” The younger teen smiled, “Now we just have to convince my big brother.” Totally oblivious to Ryou’s startled expression, Mokuba bounced out of bed and pulled on a pair of blue jean shorts and a yellow button up shirt. Mokuba had no more than zipped his fly when there was a knock on the door. He and Ryou exchanged a look expecting it to be either Seto or Jou.
“Yes?” Ryou asked.
“Hey, you guys eating or what?” A muffled voice demanded from the other side of the door.
Ryou let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding and opened the door. “Hi, Tristan.”
“The food’s getting cold.” Tristan quickly scanned the room to verify that Seto and Jou weren’t there, but his eyes widened slightly as he took in a few other details. “I suppose Seto and Jou are shacked up in their room?”
Ryou shrugged noncommittally. “We’ll be down in a few minutes. Why don’t the rest of you go ahead and eat?”
“What’s going on, Ryou?” Tristan frowned. He had known it was a mistake to let Seto follow Jou up here since they couldn’t seem to keep their hands off of each other. Now he wondered if Ryou and Mokuba were having a similar ‘problem’. “Never mind. I don’t want to know. We’ll see you when we see you, okay?”
Ryou nodded and closed the door thoughtfully, “I thought your brother hated Joey.”
Mokuba snickered. “Hardly. My big, tough, mean brother fell for Joey the first time he saw him. It scared him senseless.”
Ryou’s laughter was sweet and merry. He stretched out his arms to Mokuba who nestled into the older teen without needing any further encouragement. He felt exactly right in Ryou’s arms. “I want us to be together, Mokuba. I want to love you.”
Mokuba looked up at Ryou with the most soulful and beautiful eyes he had ever seen. “I’m scared. What if Seto absolutely forbids me from seeing you?”
Ryou kissed the slightly shorter boy on the forehead, “We’ll worry about it if it comes to that, but we don’t know that it will. Okay, chibi tenshi koi?”
“Okay.” Mokuba agreed and boldly left their bedroom with Ryou in tow for the vast unknown that was Seto Kaiba’s heart and mind. Only Joey seemed able to journey there often and survive unscathed. As much as Mokuba loved his big brother he knew better than to underestimate him.
~*~*~*~
Safely behind their own locked door, Seto angrily shrugged Jou off and took two long strides away from him. “Damn him! What was he thinking?!” A crystal water pitcher went crashing to the floor with a smooth sweep of Seto’s arm. He turned to face Jou abruptly, “What am I going to do?”
Joey had no idea. He stared at the floor hoping some revelation would come to him. Messy blond bangs covered his face. He silently shook his head. Seto growled and spun away from him. He braced himself against the doorframe of the French doors going out to the balcony, his arms spread eagle against the top of the frame clenching the corners of the molding as if he would rip it from the wall with his bare hands.
Jou walked up to him and wrapped his arms around the heaving dragon master’s chest.
Seto accepted the gesture by laying his arms over Jou’s and tightening the embrace. He felt hot tears of frustration on his cheeks and made no effort to deny their existence by rubbing them away. His normally extraordinary brain was a jumbled mess of confusion. All he knew for certain was the immeasurable gratitude that having Jou there provided him. It was safe to be vulnerable within this bright dragon’s wings.
“He’s not my brother, Seto. You’ve been taking care of him since you were younger than he is now. I’m not going to start telling you how handle him at this point in the game.” Jou told him softly.
Seto took Jou’s hands, opened his arms, and turned to face him. “A few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have considered asking for someone else’s opinion. I’m asking now. Help me.”
Joey hadn’t imagined that Seto could look so helpless. Quietly, almost meekly, he started, “I don’t think you should try to prevent Mokuba from seeing Ryou. They’ll find a way to be together if they want to be, even if Mokuba has to sneak around and lie to you to do it.”
“I hate this, Jou. He’s too young. I don’t want him to get hurt.” Seto snarled in frustration.
“I don’t think you can prevent that, baby blue eyes. But you can try to avoid being the one who hurts him and you can be there to comfort him if he does get hurt. There’s only so much you can do to protect him.” Jou was well aware that this was probably not what Seto wanted to hear. He also knew that his attempt at being the voice of reason was giving him a headache.
Seto slowly nodded his acceptance. “Will Ryou be good to him?”
“Ryou? Oh yeah…” Joey chewed on his bottom lip, deep in thought. Ryou was gentle and considerate, but he also had the Millennium Ring which came with a certain deceitful dark spirit attached. Yami had trapped Bakura within it, but Jou knew that hadn’t worked so well in the past. Worse Bakura had fooled all of them into believing that he was Ryou for a very long time.
“What is it, Jou?” Seto tensed even more than he already was.
“Ryou isn’t the problem. But…” Jou trailed off unable to put the thought into words.
“Bakura…” Seto snarled and stormed out of the suite.
~*~*~*~
The next thing Mokuba knew was that Seto practically threw him to one side of the broad upstairs landing. Jou caught him before he fell and he watched in horror as his brother slammed Ryou into the opposite wall.
"You've got a choice, Ryou. Either you give up that Ring, and your yami with it, or I make sure you never see Mokuba again, even if I have to kill you to do it!" All four of them were painfully aware that Seto Kaiba did not make idle threats.
“Seto! Let him go!” Joey forcefully took the brunet by the shoulders and pulled him off of Ryou.
Mokuba glared at his brother as he went back to Ryou and hugged him, drawing as much comfort from the gesture as he was offering. Ryou put his arms around him and met Seto’s eyes without hesitation or fear. “You’ll let me see Mokuba if I give up the Millennium Ring? What would you have me do with it? What other conditions do you have? There must be some. I can’t imagine your blessing is so easily obtained.”
Silently, Joey cheered the white-haired teen on. He knew how much courage it took to face Seto head on, even though his heart broke for his lover. He understood more than ever the cold mask, the anger and the indifference, Seto showed the world was necessary for his survival. He had an idea that Seto felt that the one pure untainted thing in his life, his little brother, had become a source of betrayal. But he also felt a great empathy with Mokuba. Everyone had a first love and if Jou could choose Mokuba’s he knew he couldn’t do better than Ryou. He was caught in the middle wishing he had some way of making the situation come together so everyone could be happy. But then Seto looked at him, his eyes were incredibly cold and his face was devoid of feeling. For the first time in his life, Seto really doesn’t know what to do.
Much to his dismay, Jou realized that Seto’s were not the only pair of eyes on him. Why is everyone looking at me? I may be a love machine, but that doesn’t mean I have any answers! “Uh…maybe my father would take the Ring, just for, you know, safekeeping? He’s got more experience with this stuff than any of the rest of us. It wouldn’t be forever, Ryou, just until we learn more about the Millennium items.”
“That’s reasonable,” Ryou agreed. “What else?”
“I hate this.” Seto said in a flat monotone. He stared at Mokuba without seeing him, not knowing if he could ever really look at him again. “You barely know Ryou! You’re too young to be in a sexual relationship. Damn you both!” His voice became a snarl, rage taking over where apathy left off, making all three of the other boys flinch. “I won’t stop you from seeing him, Mokuba. While we’re here, you do what you want, but when we get back to Domino there will be rules and they will be followed without exception.” With that he spun around and went back into the master suite. Jou followed him much like a puppy would.
Mokuba was badly shaken. He didn’t know whether to be happy or horrified. Ryou just held him as he sorted through his own mixed feelings. The encounter had gone both better and worse than he thought it might. Mokuba had gotten permission to continue his relationship with Ryou, but it may very well have cost him his brother. Worse, the damage was done, even if they broke off the relationship right now it would make no difference. The bond between the brothers had changed and nothing would change it back to what it had once been.
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