Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Admit It ❯ Scarred ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: Yes, I own it! It's all mine! Mine! [looks sheepishly at lawyers] Eh heh... Can I claim temporary insanity? Well, I'm not sure it's temporary... [deflates] Alright, fine, it's not mine; [pout] Hey, that rhymed...

A/N: !!! [sigh] [singing] Noooobody knows... the number of things I've posted today... I never want to repost a single story, ever, for the rest of my life. Ever. I think I need ice-cream. It doesn't help that I keep having to stop whatever I'm doing to go help with something involved in closing up our pool for the winter... [sniff] Okay, I needed rant space; I feel better now ^_______^ This chapter is somewhat angsty compared to the first one; ye have been warned.

//blah-ness// Bakura thru link

/blah-ness/ Ryou thru link

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Chapter Two: Scarred

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Bakura came around slowly, savoring the fact that he had woken up before Ryou's blasted alarm clock went off for once. As he became conscious again, he wondered why. Was it a weekend? No, he suddenly remembered, it was Monday, and that meant... Kaiba; more specifically, babysitting for his little brother. Oh Ra... If he hadn't been afraid of waking Ryou up, he would have groaned.

Speaking of Ryou... He finally figured out why he had woken up. Said hikari was draped over his arm, effectively cutting off circulation from the elbow down. Now he was faced with a new question: why he hadn't noticed earlier? He must not have been awake enough until now, because it hurt like shit. (At this point, your job as a reader is to go: aw, kawaiiiii...). It was amazing the difficulties that Ryou could cause when he wasn't even awake yet... He supposed that was probably one of the reasons he loved him.

Suddenly, as he turned his head to look at his koi, his expression softened a little. Hikari really was the perfect word, he reflected. Ryou, as cliché as it sounded, really did look like a sleeping angel, and if there was ever a being that represented light it was an angel. It was a win-win situation, he decided. `If Ryou continues to sleep then I'll be more than happy to just lie here and stare at him, but if he woke up, at least sometime soon, then maybe I'd be able to write again someday...' He reached out with his other hand, stroking his hikari's face...

The alarm clock rang, and Ryou sat bolt upright with an expression like a deer caught in the headlights. "69!"

Bakura glowered at his light's back, gingerly touching his arm. No good; couldn't feel a thing... "Right back at ya," he commented. "And I think they're going to have to amputate my arm; you slept on it and now it's numb..." Ryou grinned sheepishly and opened his mouth to apologize, but the spirit beat him to it. "Apology accepted," he said cheerfully, and pulled the other boy into a deep kiss.

When they finally pulled apart they were both gasping for breath; what did you expect? As soon as he could breathe, Bakura looked solemnly into his hikari's eyes. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything," he said automatically, looking utterly flushed and delicious (Hey, this is Bakura's p.o.v.; I'm not that perverted! ... ... ... Yeah right...)

"Turn off the alarm clock; I'm begging you here."

Ryou rolled his eyes, but he grinned as he got up and did so. "Don't forget to tell your dad where we're going this afternoon," the spirit added from the bed.

Ryou snickered. "Are you *sure* I'm the girl in this relationship, love?"

"Positive," he replied, throwing a pillow at the other's head. The expression on his face was just too cute, and Bakura decided he needed another kiss.

"Are you sure I can't stay and watch you get dressed?" the dark half asked once they pulled apart.

For the second time that morning, Ryou rolled his eyes. "*No.* You know what would happen then, and I really do need to get to school."

Bakura tried to pout, and failed miserably. After one last quick peck on the cheek, he said good-bye and returned to his soul room. Ryou sighed contentedly, before setting about getting ready for school.

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After school that day a certain white-haired boy walked down a near-by ally, and a few minutes later two white-haired boys walked out. (Huh; I wonder what could have taken them so long... ^_~). Together, they walked off in the direction of Kaiba's house.

After some thought, Ryou decided that he might as well tell his dad where he was really going. He was vaguely aware that his son knew Seto Kaiba, and left to his own devices he simply assumed that they were close enough friends that Ryou offered to baby-sit Mokuba for a while just on a whim. Ryou couldn't tell him the whole story, of course, because his father knew nothing about his yami. It was amazing how easily one could skate around the truth without telling a single lie, he mused. `I've been spending too much time with my yami, I think.'

The house - no, mansion - was even more impressive by daylight. And it was a bit of a plus that the gate was open this time... Once they reached the front porch, Ryou hesitated for just a moment before ringing the doorbell.

Bakura rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Ryou..." he sighed, before yanking open the door and walking right in. He made it about one step, before he ran into the butler. Literally, that is.

"... oops," the spirit commented, surveying the mess. Apparently the older man had been carrying -something-, but it was hard to tell what at this point.

"...Oh dear," Ryou managed. "Oh... Oh gosh! I'm so sorry! G-gomen nashi! Bakura, apologize!"

"..." The yami sweatdropped.

"HI!"

It was a good thing the poor butler was still sitting down. Mokuba, who could apparently teleport, beamed at them. "Well, don't just stand there! Come in! Are you hungry? Hey, do you like video games? I just got-"

`Oh Ra...' Bakura thought. "When's your brother getting home?" he interrupted, as he absentmindedly fished the dual disk out of Ryou's backpack and handed it to the dazed servant (who was still on the floor).

"Oh, we've got a good couple hours yet," the resident ball of energy said cheerfully. "Do you like Kingdom Hearts?"

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It was almost an hour later, after a snack for all and an extensive lesson in Play Station games for Bakura, when there was finally a moment of calmness. The yami and the hikari were sitting next to each other on the couch, and the younger Kaiba brother was lying spread-eagle on the floor. "Hey Mokuba?" Ryou said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"I was just wondering about something... I've notice you have at least a few servants around here, so why do you need a babysitter? Not that we mind; I'm just curious."

//Oh don't we now? Hmph...//

/Oh hush ^_^/

Mokuba shrugged, picking at the carpet. "Well, there are six, for starters. Servants, I mean. But they're all way older than me; they're even all older than -Seto-kun-. So, you know, they're not really fun to hang out with." He brightened a little. "I guess you guys are older than me too, but you're my friends so it's way different!"

Ryou sweatdropped. "Yeah, I guess I see where you're coming from there. So... what do you want to do now?"

//You just -had- to ask that, didn't you?//

"Hide-and-go-seek!" Mokuba squealed.

Bakura moaned, burying his face in his hands. "Kill me now," he said bluntly.

Mokuba pouted. "Aw, come on! Just for a little while!"

Ryou winked at him, then with amazing speed he bowled Bakura over and proceeded to tickle him. "Play with us, or else," he demanded.

//Well, I'd certainly like to `play' with -you-, and after this I think you deserve it... Agg; stop!//

Ryou went bright red, hoping desperately that the black-haired boy didn't notice. /Say you'll play and I'll stop./

He groaned. "F-fine! But you are so gonna get it later..."

Mokuba finally recovered enough from his giggling fit to say, "Alright! Ryou's it!"

"Why me?" he objected. "You know the house so well that I'll never be able to find you."

"Yeah, but I know it well enough to find you no matter where you hide too, so it doesn't really matter," he said logically, with the all-conquering logic of small children. "And anyway, I'd never be able to get you guys if you ganged up on me. Now count to fifty!"

Mokuba took off at a run, and Bakura left in the opposite direction at a slightly more leisurely pace. `I suppose if I'm going to play this game, I might as well play it well,' he decided wearily, as he climbed a flight of stairs. He found himself in a hallway with three doors on either side, and when he tried one it was locked. "Twenty-six... Twenty-seven..." floated up from downstairs. He smirked, picking the lock by the time Ryou reached forty. He shut and locked it again, before looking around.

It was a bedroom, and it looked lived in. He concluded that the servants weren't allowed to clean in here, because the bed wasn't made, the closet door hung open (displaying shoes, trench coats, shirts, etc.), and the desk was cluttered with bits of electronics and thoroughly scribbled-on paper.

The spirit's eyes widened, as he put two and two together. This was... Kaiba's bedroom.

If it had been anyone else, they probably would have felt pretty awkward right about now. But this is Bakura we're talking about. He grinned evilly, and proceeded to rummage through the desk drawers.

He didn't even hear the sound of someone trying the doorknob, then moving on.

It was in the bottom left-hand drawer. He almost didn't notice it. A picture frame, face down, buried under everything else. The spirit pulled it out curiously, turning it over.

Apparently, it was an old family photo. It featured a little Seto, looking to be about the age his brother was now, an even littler Mokuba, and... Bakura frowned. There was someone, a man, standing behind both of them with his hand resting on Seto's shoulder, but his face was cut out...

"Bakuraaaa!"

"Yami-kun?"

Bakura jumped, hurriedly replacing the picture and all the papers that had been on top of it, before slamming the drawer shut. He headed back downstairs, sheepishly re-opening his mind link with his hikari now that he wasn't trying to hide any more.

Speaking of... "Where were you?" Ryou asked worriedly. "We were calling..."

"Eh, I just about fell asleep waiting for you to find me, that's all," he said casually.

//In other words, I'll tell you later; it was priceless. Kaiba has -black silk- sheets; can you believe it?!// Ryou gave him a severe look.

"Oh, Mokuba?" he added on impulse.

"Huh?" he asked, blinking.

"Um..." He hesitated. It was really none of his business, but since when had he ever cared? "What happened to your mom and dad, anyway?" Ryou frowned at him again.

Mokuba shrugged, not looking particularly bothered. "Oh, they died a little after I was born; I don't really remember them. Though..." His expression darkened. "We were adopted by a man named Gozaburo, only he died too..." Then his eyes widened, making it clear that he had just now realized what he was saying. "Um, anyway, um... I'm it, aren't I? So, uh, go on and hide and I'll count, okay?"

/He seemed really shaken up, didn't he?/ Ryou commented thoughtfully, as they set off in search of a hiding place. /Oh by the way, I think you and I need to have a talk. Black silk?/

//Yes, dear// the other replied, barely keeping from snickering out loud. //Yes, I think you'd look very good in black silk...//

/Bakura!/

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It was an hour later, at which point they had gone back to playing Kingdom Hearts, when they heard the door slam shut. With an excited squeal, Mokuba dropped his controller and ran off.

Bakura blinked. "Um...?"

Ryou snickered. "I think Kaiba is home..."

And when they got to the entryway, they found that was indeed the case. Kaiba was bending down to mess up his brother's hair, and he glanced up at them when they came in. "So, you babysitters survived their first day? I'm amazed."

"Yeah!" he said cheerfully. "We played hide-and-go-seek and Kingdom Hearts, and we had to -teach- Bakura how to play, and they never even figured out that I was being extra annoying just to spin them up! It was great!"

Ryou gaped at him. "M-Mokuba!" Said boy hid behind Kaiba and stuck his tongue out.

Suddenly, Kaiba frowned. "Are you feeling well, Bakura?" he asked.

Bakura broke out of his daze and shut his mouth with a snap as all the attention in the room focused on him. "Um, I'm fine," he lied. "Could I speak with you for a minute, Kaiba-*sama*?"

Ryou raised an eyebrow. If there was one thing in life he was absolutely certain of, it was that his yami never, ever used the `sama' honorific. /What-?/

//I'll tell you later.//

/You know, you're saying that a lot today./

//I know, I know. I swear I will though. You can listen in if you want, though I don't think Kaiba'd be too happy if he knew...//

"What?" Kaiba demanded, once they got into another room.

"Kaiba..." He paused briefly; he had to be careful just how he worded this. Putting two and two together was going to get him killed one of these days. "Were you abused as a child?" `Once again, this is by no means my business, but once again, since when have I cared?'

The CEO blanched. "W-what the hell are you talking about?" he asked shakily.

"Your arms," the yami explained. "They're covered in scars; I saw them when you greeted Mokuba." In one fluid motion he pushed up the sleeve of Kaiba's jacket, revealing a crisscrossed web of marks, and looked at the other expectantly.

Kaiba wrenched his arm away. "No, I wasn't," he snapped. "Those are from a... dog."

Bakura rolled his eyes. "Don't even try. For one thing, I'd love to see the dog that could do that, and for another, I know what a knife scar looks like. It's quite different from something made by teeth, I'm afraid."

If looks could kill... "So what if I was?" Kaiba finally ground out.

Bakura shrugged. "Oh, nothing much. I was just curious." And with that, he started to walk out.

Kaiba stared at him in shock for a moment, but just before he opened the door, the taller man grabbed his arm. "Don't you dare tell anyone about this; do you understand me?" He didn't look particularly intimidating; actually, he looked frightened.

The spirit looked up at him innocently. "Oh really?" Then he smiled; it was disturbing. "Don't worry; I won't. I promise. I understand how you feel." `Believe me, I do...'

Then he walked out, leaving Kaiba standing there and staring into space.

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They didn't see Kaiba again before they left the mansion, but after they said their goodbyes to Mokuba and stepped out, they found a limo waiting for them. They were silent at first during the ride, avoiding each others' eyes and thinking about a time not very long ago...

/...I listened in,/ Ryou finally said.

//I know... And?//

/Oh Bakura.../ Ryou reached out, grabbing the other's hand in a death grip. /I feel so sorry for him.../

Bakura shot a glare at the limo driver, as if daring him to comment, before gathering his koi up in his arms. //I love you.//

Ryou smiled sadly. To have gone through that... and to have never had the chance to reconcile their differences, like he and Bakura had... he just couldn't picture it. /I love you too./

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A/N: *sob* So... sad... Eh, I've done worse; what am I complaining about? Don't worry; I promise the next chapter will be happier. ^_^ Mokuba's just so cute, ain't he? You know, it's kind of depressing when, no matter how many times you read over your story, you always find a few more mistakes. Gah... Oh well; R&R, 'cus reviews make the world go spinny ^_^ ... ... Yup, I've finally cracked. No, wait; actually, I've just had too much ice cream...