Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Look in My Face, Step in My Soul ❯ Truth ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: Yes, it's mine... Well, okay, so I'm actually just Kaziki Takahashi's heir... Well, okay, so I'm actually just a crazed fangirl... But I can dream, right?

A/N: I am sooooo sorry! I know, I know, it's been over a month... but now I'm back! No, actually, I'm Mozart... Or Beethoven... And those are the only ones I know... Thank Ra for spell-checkers; I can't even spell those two... In case you haven't noticed, I'm not a big fan of classical music. But I like 80's! That counts for something, right? ... ... ... I think I need (more) sugar, don't you? ^___________^ Oh, by the by, I just thought I'd throw in one little semi-serious comment. I think I should warn you now that I cannot, will not write duels. Anyway, you've all seem the episodes (I hope!), so what would be the point? Due to this, I am just going to inform you now that Isis and Kaiba duel, and that's all you're getting out of me :P

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Chapter Three: Truth

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But once again, Kaiba didn't get long to sleep. He was woken up at noon for lunch, which he requested be brought to his room. Afterwards he decided he really ought to prepare for a duel. Immersing himself in the cards was comforting; it made for a good distraction. He was glad he didn't have to worry about dueling Bakura; if he'd gotten paired up with him he didn't know what he would've done... He ate dinner in his room as well, and then went back to preparing. By the time Rowland's voice was projected throughout the blimp declaring that the next pairing was about to be selected, he almost felt ready.

To his infinite relief, he wasn't picked for the first duel. That woman - Mai - had to duel Marik. It was the strangest duel, too; the woman seemed to be losing her mind up there. This just confirmed Kaiba's suspicions about how powerful these mysterious Millennium items were.

But what really shocked him was the very end, when Marik attacked with his god card, and Jonouchi climbed up onto the dueling platform to protect Mai. Seto found himself wondering what the hell the blonde though he was doing; he could get disqualified for that, not to mention severely hurt! The next moment he wondered why he was worrying about him. In the end, Mai was left unconscious anyway, despite his efforts.

Then it was his turn to duel. Just his luck; he had to duel the unknown eighth duelist. He had been hoping to duel Mai himself; he had considered her the least formidable opponent remaining. But *no*, he had to duel the eighth duelist. Seto sighed under his breath as he stood on the dueling platform, deciding that the best thing to do was pray that he or she would chicken out and not show.

But then the light came on on the elevator. Damn....

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Finally, the duel was over. Back in his room, Kaiba collapsed onto his bed. He couldn't believe he'd won. Even with his self-confidence at an all-time low, even against that Millennium necklace, he had actually won. He still wasn't sure he could come to grips with the fact that he had some kind of past in ancient Egypt, but right now he'd rather just concentrate on the fact that he'd won...

There was a knock at the door. He swallowed; shit, it was probably Bakura... Couldn't that fiend leave him alone for a moment? In spite of himself he opened the door... and it was Mokuba.

"You're so cool, big brother!" he gushed, hugging him around the waist. "Did you see that lady's face when you beat her? It was the greatest ever!"

Seto blinked rapidly, first in surprise and then to keep from crying. Since when had he been so girly? He was just tired, he supposed... God, Mokuba was so sweet and innocent. When had he stopped noticing? He hugged his little brother back, and kneeled down to ruffle his hair. "Thanks, short stuff," he said, smiling. "Shouldn't you be in bed, though?"

Then he saw something that made his freeze over inside. Bakura had just turned the corner and was coming down the hall. In an instant he was standing, in a defensive position, with Mokuba behind him. "What do you want?" he snapped as Bakura came to a halt in front of him.

To Kaiba's surprise, he held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Relax! It's Ryou, not my yami."

Mokuba tugged at his trench coat. "What's the matter, big brother? Ryou's nice!" Then he came out from behind him, his head cocked to the side curiously. "What do you mean, `yami'?" he asked.

Kaiba glanced at Ryou, then down at Mokuba. "Okay, little guy, it's really time for you to go to bed. I think Ryou-san wants to talk to me about something."

Mokuba groaned, but after giving Kaiba another hug he did as he was told. After he was gone, Kaiba turned his attention back to Ryou. "Was I right?"

The white-haired boy nodded. "Hai. Congratulations on winning your duel, by the way. May I come in?"

It was strange, Seto mused as they both sat down inside his room, to be acting normally around this person. The soul was completely different, after all, but the face was the same... He cleared his throat. "So, I assume congratulatory remarks were not the only reason you wanted to speak with me? How is it that you're even up, anyway? My physicians said you should have been out of it for days."

Ryou smiled in a sad kind of way. "My yami is allowing me to transfer any pain or weakness I feel to him, because he can handle it much better. The service is not cheep, I assure you." Seto paled. "And no, that was not the only reason. I'm worried about you."

Kaiba laughed. "I can't imagine why," he said sarcastically.

He shook his head. "No, you don't understand. I'm worried that you might be falling in love with my yami."

Kaiba stared at him in awe for a moment, then he burst out laughing. "Love that bastard? Where the hell did you get that idea?" Was he, perhaps, dealing with an insane person?

Ryou sighed. "That may be what you say, but it certainly doesn't show in how you act. What Bakura said is true. Why did you agree not to have us banished to the shadow realm if he would just not hurt you anymore? I can't, because if I tried to go talk to Yugi he would just take over our body, but you could any time you wanted."

Seto raised an eyebrow, then said cautiously, "The two of you sort of... share minds, don't you? So... can he hear us right now?"

Ryou shook his head again. "No. I am able to block him at will. I've had him blocked the whole time we've been talking. He'll be mad, but it's okay."

Seto wondered about that, but he decided not to comment. "Well then... You know something? When I brought up Yugi, it was just a hunch. So he can send people to this shadow realm all you millennium item holders keep going on about?"

Ryou couldn't help but giggle. "Just a hunch? Gods..." But then he composed himself. "That still doesn't answer the question, you know," he said firmly. "You've had all of today, but you still haven't done anything. I thought maybe you just hadn't done it because I would get sent to the shadow realm too - though, frankly Seto-san, pity doesn't seem your style - but now I find you didn't even know what Yugi could do..."

Seto sighed. "Look, Ryou, the truth is I don't know why I haven't done anything." There, he'd said it. "I feel... lost... right now."

Ryou nodded sagely. "See, what did I tell you? You're falling in love with him. It's happened before, you know."

Seto glared. "I am -not- falling in love with him!" he said, maybe a little louder than absolutely necessary. "He's a sadistic demon, and you know it too!"

Ryou waved this remark away. "I am not questioning you perception of him," he said coolly. "However, I've seen the way you look at him. How can you deny having any feelings whatsoever?"

Kaiba folded his arms. "Fine, maybe I'm attracted to him physically," he snapped. "But I hate him."

"Okay, whatever you say," Ryou sighed. "But let me warn you anyway, don't ever fall in love with him. I've seen what's happened to the others. Do you know what happened to them? They killed themselves. My yami's heart is completely devoid of love and kindness. We share minds, after all. I know."

The fact that Bakura had driven people to commit suicide was somewhat disturbing, but it didn't actually surprise Kaiba that much. "All right, I get the point," he said, sounding bored. "Don't worry, I won't be falling in love with that psycho any time soon."

Suddenly Ryou clutched his head, as if he was having a particularly bad migraine. "G-good-bye, Seto-san," he said hurriedly, and then whoever was inhabiting the body smirked. There was no question about it - it was Bakura.

"So, I'm a psycho, huh?" Bakura inquired, circling Kaiba like a hawk. "How flattering."

Seto's eyes widened. "You were listening to us?" he demanded, turning to watch him. "But I thought Ryou said he could block you out!"

He shrugged. "Yes, he can. But his attention wavers from time to time when he's talking. This time it wavered enough for me to hear what was being said, and regain control of our body." As he circled he reached out and traced Kaiba's jaw line, and the brunette shuddered. "What was it that you two were talking about that was so secret, anyway?"

"He wanted to know whether or not I loved you," Kaiba replied, secretly glad that the spirit hadn't heard about his threat to tell Yugi being a bluff. "And you heard my answer," he added defiantly. "Don't you dare rape Ryou for this!"

Bakura's eyes flared, and he laughed. "Sorry, but all you have to threaten me with is a trip to the shadow realm. And if you care about my light enough to make such a request, I don't think you'd actually do it, would you? And that's not the only reason either, is it?" He leaned close to whisper in Kaiba's ear; he was so close that Kaiba could feel his breath on his neck. "I think you lied to Ryou. You do love me, don't you? Honestly, you're just being weak and childish denying it. You can't hide from your own feelings forever, you know."

Kaiba didn't move - he couldn't. When he put it that way, it was so obvious. In some twisted, sick way, he really did love this demon standing before him. He had never met someone who could break through all his walls and show him who he really was - no matter that he broke through them painfully. It scared him, to be sure, but at the same time it was exciting. He had thought this was the same as what his father had done to him when he was little, but it wasn't. Whether he liked it or not, he and Bakura were similar in so many ways, and because of this Bakura seemed to understand him.

Ryou's warning echoed in his head, telling him that Bakura was a creature completely empty of love. But just for a moment, Kaiba wished his feelings could be returned...

Bakura laughed again, watching his face. "Dear Seth, it's true, isn't it?" He shook his head. "You poor, weak fool. Whatever possessed you? Darkness knows no love." And with that, he crushed the other's lips in a rough kiss.

"Only lust," he added, Cheshire cat grin in place, he started to fumbled with the buckles on Kaiba's shirt. He gave up on that soon enough and just slashed them with a knife. The tip grazed the skin; Kaiba gasped, but didn't cry out. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction...

He should have listened to Ryou, he thought bitterly. Should have been stronger, turned back... Maybe those walls Bakura was so good at breaking were there for a reason; this was all that much worse now that he knew he loved him. Abruptly Bakura grabbed his hair and forced him to his knees, and he was forced to suck the other's length. For lack of any other defense, he zoned out. Soon enough Bakura's warm seed filled his mouth.

The spirit leaned, panting, eyes closed, against the wall. For just a moment, he actually looked defenseless. Kaiba reached out to caress his face; his eyes snapped open and he caught the man's wrist in a crushing grip. Kaiba gave the tiniest, sad smile, and realized to his shock that he must look like Ryou had earlier. "Why did you ask me to say I loved you?" he asked quietly.

Bakura shrugged, leaning forward to lick the blood trickling down Kaiba's chest. "I don't know. Just a whim, I suppose."

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Elsewhere in the blimp Jou was lying awake, staring at the ceiling. He felt so hopeless. Mai was gone. He had tried to protect her, and he had failed. Maybe all those things Seto said about him being weak were true...

He loved Mai, if maybe not the same way he loved Seto. She was like a big sister to him. She helped him to believe in himself in Duelest Kingdom, and gave him a hand just when he thought he was going to get disqualified. So he had decided that, this tournament, it was his turn to look out for her. But apparently he couldn't do that.

He groaned miserably, rolling over on to his side. He was such a total fraud. Serenity looked to him for a source of inspiration, but what kind of inspiration was he? If it hadn't been for his friends, she would still be blind. He wondered if he could do anything right by himself; he certainly couldn't stand up to Seto by himself... Maybe he would like him better if he was stronger. But that wouldn't happen; he was weak by nature. Seto said so. Maybe it would be better for everyone if he just wasn't here anymore...

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Much later that night, Bakura lay awake too. When he had finally let him stop, Seto had fallen almost immediately asleep. Bakura had decided to sleep a short while too, before bothering with getting dressed and returning to his room. He had awakened again, but for the moment he chose to spoon his little slave a bit longer.

Then, out of nowhere, he felt the strangest sensation. Something out there was calling to him... No, more precisely, -someone- was calling to him, someone with millennium powers. They weren't hostile; they wanted his help. Who on this ship had a millennium item and wasn't hostile to him? Not the pharaoh, that was for sure. They seemed lost... It was both the spell and his own curiosity that pulled him out of bed, where he dressed hurriedly and left.

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Author: Bwuahahahaha!!!!! Cliffy!!!!! See where I'm going with this now? At least a little? *beams* Aren't I evil? But good is so boring... Poor, poor K-kun...

Kaiba: *appears out of nowhere* Okay, so in this demented fic of yours you've horribly warped my personality, but in the author's notes I am still quiet capable of getting pissed at you. K-kun?!

Author: A-awp! Wow, that was a weird sound affect... I didn't ask you here! ...But hey, I'll take it ^____^ *glomps*