Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Differences Don't Matter ❯ Rushed Plans ( Chapter 22 )

Sorry for the long wait, everybody. Everything's just been happening at once lately and it's hard getting any time to myself to find the time to write this chapter. First, school was starting up and that was a job in itself, then I'm looking for a new job, then I caught the flu from my sister when she visited and I was so weak I couldn't begin to think about trying to focus on a chapter and make it good at the same time. I'm not just getting over that, I've got lots of homework to make up, college stuff is coming in bundles now, and with my birthday only a day away now everything's just a big mess.

 

123

 

“This is preposterous! How could you allow this to happen?”

 

Crimson eyes blinked open and the first thing Yami noticed was he was only one occupying his bed. Sitting up, he noticed his violet-eyed elf staring out the open window with a tense expression and clenched fists.

 

His whole form was rigid and his amethyst orbs were unwavering as he sat statue-like on the sill.

 

“Yugi,” the older croaked sleepily. “What's going on?”

 

Yugi made no move to show that he heard the question other than the twitch in his ears and the slight flicker in his eyes. As Yami made to get up the voices outside rose in volume and it was clear elves were the topic of discussion.

 

No wonder why he seems so tense. After reading that book and finding out about the mark on his wrist he's been more interested in what's going on with the elves than he used to be. Yami continued towards the window and wrapped his arms lazily around the terse elf's neck, silently comforting him as he gazed out the window. He inwardly smiled when he felt the muscles in his neck become slightly more lax and the elf's back push firmly against his unclothed chest.

 

“…when you should've been paying attention from the beginning!”

 

There was a crowd surrounded in front of a medium-sized grey house that Yami knew belonged to one of the people his father worked closely with. He didn't pay attention to the name, but he recognized the man in the center of the commotion as that man. Though the two couldn't see it from their distance Yami knew he had a brown and grey stubble growing on his chin and his head was covered by a mop of a black, dead animal. He also had narrow, beady eyes that always made him look like he was planning something evil. Yami believed he always was so the look suited him.

 

The person he was arguing with was a small elf, probably only a little taller than Yugi, but definitely shorter than Malik. His hair was the thing that gave him away though. It was a shocking blue color with white tips. His head was bowed and he was shaking his head (or nodding it) depending on what the man was saying. He was quiet at the moment, but sometimes he got loud enough for the duo to hear from the window.

 

“How could you not have heard, elf? You were right next to the door,” the man patronized loudly. Yugi flinched from the sound and rubbed one of his ears with the palm of his hand.

 

Closing the window, Yami took Yugi's hand and led him from the room. “We shouldn't listen in,” he said. “It's only going to ruin the day and it'll be easier to figure out what's going on with all the talk the townspeople will no doubt be doing tomorrow.”

 

Yugi nodded and allowed himself to be pulled from the room. They held hands as they walked downstairs and then into the kitchen where everyone was sitting at the kitchen table, minus Yami's father.

 

“Master Yami, I know you don't care very much, but I was under orders to tell you that your father had to attend an important meeting early this morning and he doesn't know when he'll be back,” Tea announced when she saw the couple walk in.

 

“Whatever,” Yami mumbled, sitting down and starting to serve himself. Yugi did the same, quietly munching around his fork. Tidbits of conversation around the table flowed past his pointed ears, but when he heard about the commotion outside his elfin hearing perked and he looked over to Bakura and Marik.

 

“Did that wake you up too,” he asked curiously, causing the attention to be brought on him.

 

“Freaking did,” Bakura grumbled, rubbing his eyes harshly, whether to prove the point that he was still tired or just because he wanted to Yugi didn't know.

 

Marik nodded, blowing his bangs from his face. “Damn window was open and everything. You could hear that freak yelling so clearly you'd think he was standing right next to you.”

 

“But on a happier note,” Bakura added, turning all eyes at the table to shift, “as least some elves had the courage to escape from people that most likely treated them badly.”

 

Yami placed his fork on his now empty plate, causing a clink to resound around the table. “I know for a fact that man probably beats his elves. He works closely with my father on the trouble they've been having with the elves still in the forest.”

 

“There's been trouble.” Marik bent over in his chair.

 

The crimson-eyed teen nodded. “My father forces me to some of those meetings that he's invited to at town hall in hopes I'll get interested and help him get rid of `the infestation in the woods.'” He made quotations with his fingers and rolled his eyes at his father's chosen words.

 

“So what's going on,” Bakura breathed impatiently.

 

“From what I gather the elves have been moving closer to the forest's border and some have even been sneaking around the town and messing up some homes if they can find a way inside. It's all been hushed up, of course, but it seems to me like the elves that were left behind at the initial capture are now making a comeback to get the kidnapped ones back.”

 

Yugi stared at Yami with disbelief. “S-so, Bakura and Marik and…. And even me? We might be leaving soon?”

 

The room fell silent and water droplets burned the edges of Yugi's vision. With his limbs beginning to feel weak and his face turning pink from the force of his resistance from crying, he turned to go. Before he could go very far Malik and Ryou burst into the room, their array in completely disarray.

 

“The wind is picking up,” Malik said absently, pushing his hair from his face and rubbing his hands together to warm them. Yugi's eyes narrowed and Ryou worded what the three elves were thinking.

 

“That's not always a good thing.”

 

“A storm could be coming soon,” Yugi finished.

 

The three human boys plus Tea all shared a look of confusion: the elves knew something that the humans didn't.

 

Muffled yelling from outside pulled everyone's attention from the elves to the main hallway. Slowly with cautious steps, Tea walked out and the six at the table heard the front door open and shut a few seconds later.

 

“She might be able to find out more than we did,” Malik shrugged, sitting down on Marik's lap and stealing a biscuit from his nearly empty plate.

 

“You two were outside in that,” Yami questioned skeptically.

 

Ryou nodded. “We look just like anybody else if we just hide our looks.” For emphasis he pulled up the hood of the jacket he was wearing and pulled his hair behind it. Remarkably enough to the three humans he really didn't look like much of an elf with human clothing on and his odd hair color with pointed ears.

 

“That is amazing,” Bakura said, barely above a whisper. With gentle hands he pulled back the hood and Ryou's hair cascaded flowingly down his back and framed his face gently as it settled back down. “But I like you much better like this.” He kissed the elf's smooth cheek and wrapped his arms tightly around his waist.

 

Marik stared at the pointed-eared being on his lap for a second. “Your jacket doesn't have a hood though…”

 

With a smirk, Malik shook his head and everyone watched as his hair swung about before settling down again as the elf stopped. His hair was doing the job of covering up his ears. “Since my hair looks so much like yours I didn't have to worry about hiding it,” he explained. He ran his fingers through the bleach-blonde strands for a few seconds and then pushed his hair behind his shoulders again.

 

The door suddenly opened and shut loudly, causing everyone in the kitchen to jump in their seats. Tea hurried in and quickly shut the swinging kitchen door. Her breath was coming out in short pants and her shoulders were quivering slightly. Yami stood up fast enough that his chair nearly clattered to the flown and he hurried over to her, wrapping his arms around her comfortingly.

 

“Tea, what happened out there,” everyone heard him ask urgently. Yugi watched with his mouth open in a small `o' and a pain in his heart that he couldn't explain.

 

The head main shook her head jerkily, but at Yami's insistence she finally spoke. “Your father was out there,” she breathed almost silently. “He was really angry, Yami.”

 

Crimson eyes looked over at Yugi and they shared a look. The elf wasn't quite sure what kind of message his human was trying to give him, but he was sure he was going to find out what once they were alone together.

 

“He said something to Mr. Spinson…I wasn't supposed to hear it, but I did. Yami…,” She looked around at everyone in the room who was hanging on her words carefully. Biting her bottom lip nervously and waiting for a few seconds longer, she pulled Yami out of the room insistently.

 

Bakura grumbled and huffed, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair so far Ryou wondered whether he would fall back on the floor or not. Marik was in much of the same state as his trouble-making partner. They both wanted to know what was going on and then Tea had to go and drag Yami away into privacy.

 

The nerve of her they both thought as the two disappeared into the hall.

 

Malik was upset about not getting to hear, but he wasn't going to make a big deal about it. After all, his lover was Marik Ishtar and nothing ever got in his way. One way or another his mischievous human would find out what Tea was worried about. Ryou was of the same opinion.

 

Yugi, on the other hand, was more worried than everyone else. He was disturbed mostly by the look that Yami had given him and the significance of it. If it was something Tea felt she had to talk with Yami about privately than it had to be bad, right?

 

Different beliefs and ideas started taking control of his thoughts and each one made him more and more nervous. By the time the two humans returned to the kitchen Yugi was close to running out into the hall and demanding to know what was going on. The looks on the pair's faces wasn't that of nerves at all. In fact, they looked quite calm and Yugi started mentally berating himself for being so pessimistic about what was going on.

 

“Now that that mess is taken care of,” Yami said offhandedly as he sat down and finished his breakfast. Despite the cool air he had about him, everyone could feel the tension that was radiating of the duo.

 

After the quiet and tense-filled breakfast had finally ended Yami gestured to Yugi and the left and headed up to the bedroom. Bakura and Marik wasted no time in going after them, albeit quietly, knowing that Yami was about to spill everything to the elf. Jealously was at the forefront of their minds, not knowing why Yami would rather tell an elf what was going on seeing as how they didn't know how Yugi was a part of all the was happening between the humans and the elves.

 

Yami closed the door behind him and stared at Yugi for a long moment. His palms were beginning to sweat as he started to wonder how he was going to tell him what he was told without trying to make it sound like Yugi had to do something and do it quickly.

 

Bakura and the other three were all crowded around the door with their ears straining to hear what was going on.

 

“What is it, Yami,” the elf questioned nervously. His hands were hidden behind his back, but Yami sure they were clenching and unclenching with apprehension, just as sweaty as his.

 

Biting his bottom lip, Yami stepped forward and wrapped his arms tightly around the elf. “Yugi…my father…he said that…” He stopped. Yami wasn't sure if he could drop something like this on Yugi, but he knew he had to do it. The elf had a right to know and it was his duty to tell him, especially when only the two of them knew what the mark on Yugi's wrist really meant.

 

Yugi's fears were elevated higher and higher the longer Yami spent in silence. “Please, Yami,” the elf pleaded, tears prickling his eyes, “tell me.”

 

“Yugi…my father told that man we saw earlier, the one that was yelling at that elf…he said that he's going to push the war further. He and a lot of other men in this city believe that the disappearance of that elf was just the beginning and that they're all conspiring to destroy this place and all the humans in it. They're scared so they're going to attack the elves as soon as possible and take them all out.”

 

It was like a mirror breaking into a million pieces. Different feelings and thoughts were in shards and Yugi wasn't sure which one to look into to hope that it reflect the emotion that he should be feeling.

 

The war…is coming closer and I still don't know what to do….