Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Love Is Love ❯ Prologue

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Disclaimer: I don't own yugioh or its characters.

Warning: slight yaoi, slight violence, but it's not what this fiction all about.

A/N: Dedicated to my dear friend Yami no Hikari, aka RyouBakura from YuGiOh Forever. I've think about it, a lot, I just realize what you trying to say on your banner, love is love, it's deep, it's hard to understand, love is undefined, but I tried my best to express what I know from that phrase, love is love. Also dedicated to the love is love banner, ^_~

IANA: --; grammar mistakes may be found in this fanfic, hey! You can't blame me! My editor doesn't read yaoi! (It's a poorly organized excuse, fine, be that way, blame me...)

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Love is Love


Love, it's a bottle of water in the droughty desert, it's a box of match in the cold winter, it's a drop of tear from the grievous angel mixed with a drip of blood from the happy devil. Love is love, it's the smile of gloom, it's the rain of sun.

Begin of the story:

"Nothing here." Tea looked around disappointedly. She sighed and looked at Yugi hopelessly.

"Well, can't we do this another day? We've almost gone through the whole city." Yugi complained and frowned tiredly.

"No, Yugi! How can you say that? It's Joey's birthday!" Tea glared at Yugi playfully.

Yugi didn't say anything. // Joey... // he thought and smiled slightly, then sighed. Yugi was tired, window-shopping with Tea sure wasn't a good idea. Besides, he wanted to get Joey something special, something extraordinary.

"Forget it." Tea rolled her eyes and walked out from the shop. Yugi followed behind her.

"Here, take this." An old woman blocked Yugi's way at the door. Yugi looked up to her surprisingly. "Huh?"

"The shop is closing down, I'll just give away these useless things." She answered lazily with her aged voice. Her face was like an old tree trunk, as she frowned, crinkles climbed on speedily like a bunch of brown insects. She gave Yugi a little thumb big box. Blew away the dusts, it was a black box with a cross design on the top. The cross was red, blood red, glary red, the wild colour which lighted the passionate fire in your heart, beautiful but a bit evil.

"Open it." Tea turned around and looked over Yugi's shoulders curiously. Yugi opened the tiny box carefully. There was a piece of paper, it was already yellowed with brown stains, an antique it was.

On the note, it wrote in ancient Japanese characters:

"It's devil's best work - the forbidden love."

"What does it mean?" Tea frowned. "Pft, yeah, right," Tea made a funny face. "Like devil knows what's love. Whoever wrote it probably doesn't even read any mythologies. Devils don't know what's love!" she laughed contemptuously.

Yugi didn't reply. He stared at the note and fell into thoughts. Cold sweats started to climb on his back and oppressive air started rising around him tensely. Suddenly he couldn't breathe normally, goosebumps covered his soft skin...

The forbidden love...

.........................................................< br>
Yugi stood against the cherry tree, seeming lost from this world. A playful but loud voice dragged his soul back to his body. "Hey, Yug! Whatcha doing?"

Yugi was stunned, he turned his head so fast that his hair brushed on the other's face sharply.

"Yo, yo! Chill, buddy!" Joey stepped back and covered half of his face by one hand; his face was twisted slightly.

"Jo, Joey, uh, na, nothing, uh..." Yugi looked up to Joey worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"Sure I am," Joey laughed. "If you can fix your hair sometimes," He added. Yugi grinned shyly. He blushed and looked up to Joey. Joey looked back at Yugi with a smirk, "well, you sure didn't look ok to me, Yugi. Something wrong?"

"Nothing," Yugi answered nervously. He shook his head unnaturally like he was a robot. "Hmm..." Joey bent down and closed his face to Yugi's. Yugi blushed madly because their faces were so close that he could almost feel Joey's breath, stinky, but that didn't matter anyways. "Uh..." Joey suddenly straightened up. "I know something's wrong. Heehee... can't lie to me!" Joey nudged Yugi, "hey, is it a girl? Come on! Tell me."

Yugi sighed, sadly. "It's nothing really, Joey."

"Ok, Yugi." Joey looked at Yugi worriedly. "Whatever you say, buddy."

.......................................

"Are you ok, Yugi?" Tea looked at Yugi with concerns and put down on the table. She pushed away the books and moved closer to Yugi. "You don't seem well these days."

"Nothing, Tea, now let's finish our homework." Yugi muttered and held his pen tighter. He faked a weak smile. Sweats started to fill in his hands and he moved away from Tea and her suspicious stares slightly.

"We are friends, alright?" Tea smiled at Yugi. "Friends will always be there for each other, I won't laugh at your problems, Yugi. You need your friends' help so you can overcome any problems you have in your life. Now tell me what's the problem."

Yugi thought for a long while. The dead silence gave Tea a confusing chill. She started to feel that she shouldn't ask. It could be something bad or uneasy for her, or for him. "I," Yugi swallowed hard. "I think..." he bit his lower lip hard. "I think I love Joey..."

Dead silence.

Yugi looked up to tea with naivety in his eyes as he hoped that what Tea said was true: friends would always be there for each other. They will, that's what Yugi hoped, but the cruel truth crashed him, forever.

"Wha-?" Tea's eyes widened. She was astonished. "WHAT?" the words came out without any control; the expressions appeared without any thinking. "It can't be! It's absurd!" she choked. "You are kidding! Tell me!" Tea stood up and walked near Yugi. She wanted to shake him, but she was shocked. Her shaking hands pulled out by got dragged back by her hurtful thoughts. Yugi shook his head with his big, widened eyes. He shook, he sobbed, he sniffled, and he saddened. "You are... you love..." Tea shook her head madly and her eyes were like the light balls in the dark, scared, frightened. "GOD WILL NEVER FORGIVE THIS!" She screamed and ran out the door...

..........................................

Wind, cold, it blew over Tea's face and heart. She sobbed as she walked on the pavement. //Yugi, how could you do this to me!? // She thought furiously, tears came down like waterfall, surgent, crystal, the blue of the loneliness. Ran away, ran away from the unfairness, ran away from whom only thought her as a friend, ran away from something that she never expected to happen, as she wished it never happened...

Stopped, Tea stopped. She stopped at the front gate of Domino High. She stared, and the cold gate stared back. //Yugi... // an immoral smile took over the tears, the sadness, "you will pay for what you've done to me..."

....................................

"What's wrong, Yugi?" Joey stood in the front of the shorter boy, asked, with concerns.

"I have to tell you something, Joey." Yugi stared at his feet.

"Sure, anything, I'll be there for ya, Yugi." Joey tried to sound serious and cheerful. Yugi won't ask him to come out at this time. Besides, Yugi looked very depressed.

"Joey," still, Yugi didn't look up to Joey. "I..." he sighed, he didn't know where to start or what to say. He had been thinking for last three hours ever since Tea left. Finally, with the remain courage and the half broken heart, Yugi spoke tranquilly and timidly, "I don't think we can ever be friends, Joey."

"Wha-?" Joey startled, "what's wrong, Yugi? Did I do something pretty annoying? Why did you say that?!"

"No, Joey, it's not you. It's me." Yugi felt like crying out, he wanted to tell Joey everything, everything that had been buried in his mind for a long time. Yugi looked up, with the same innocent look he gave Tea, but this time, it was bitter, with that despair around his eyes.

"Yugi, do you have some bad diseases or something?" Joey started his messy thoughts. "Well, don't worry, I still have a lot money left after my sister's operation. We can think of something!"

"No, it's not that..."

"And we'll go around the nation to find the best doctor..."

"Joey..."

"Or we could travel around the world..."

"It's because I love you."

"And we could..." Joey stopped. His mouth was still half opened, the rest of the sentence had been swallowed, he was stunned, he stood there like a rock, standing, couldn't breathe, couldn't move. Finally, he looked down, to Yugi. Yugi's tears were pouring, he sniffled, he knew everything between him and Joey will end here. Yugi looked at the sideway, waiting for the punishment of this forbidden love, waiting for Joey to act like Tea, waiting for someone to wake him up from this lightless dream...

"Yugi..." Joey put his hands on Yugi's shoulders, he looked into the smaller boy's big, weak eyes. "You shouldn't..."

"I know I shouldn't..." Yugi cried sadly. Over, over, it was all over. His affliction made him wanting to hug Joey, but he didn't dare. He backed off, crying.

"No, Yugi. You shouldn't keep it like that." Joey smiled kindly. "You should tell me, because you don't know that I feel the same way. I don't admit it to myself, because I feared that it will break our friendship, and I, I never want to lose you, I just want to be with you everyday, I don't care we are friends or lovers, I'm happy to see you, to be with you."

Yugi was surprised pleasantly. He looked up and grinned blissfully. "Joey..." the innocence was back to his heart once again, the happiness was back once again. Nothing mattered now, nothing. Joey bowed down slightly, he rubbed a soft kiss against Yugi's forehead. Tenderly, they stared at each other, enjoying the sweetness from the bitter forbidden love.

Tea felt so insignificant right now. She had been hiding there watching Yugi and Joey for a while now. Tears came down, but she felt that she didn't deserve to have that pure symbol of humanity. What come down is blood, the black blood came from her pieced shallow heart. The shine of true love had lightened her ugly and dusty mind. She realized the power of love, she could feel the warmness of it even though she was standing far away, from the people, from the hearts, from the love. It wasn't about pride, honor, money, or anything had to do with the dusts. It was love, everything else will just ruin the light.

They were beautiful, even though it was a love that everyone would repulse, even though it was a love that god would never forgive. But every smile we gave, every gaze we took, every kiss we placed, and every touch we made were all the presence of love. No one, and nothing could take the rights to love from us.

..............................

Tea's head hurt, it was all too much for her, all those things she had experienced yesterday were too ironic, too dramatic. Frowned, she didn't know how can she face Yugi today. "Yugi..." the name went through her head, suddenly, something shook off her headache. "Oh no," she muttered horrifically. "OH NO!" she yelled. "GOD NO! NO!" she screamed madly and jumped off her bed, grabbed her school bag, she ran to the school terrifically.

Too late, she was too late. A buskin started here.

School, hell, what was the difference? It was not about the study, not the teachers, not the tests, it was about the students. We were the devils of hell.

Yugi knew what living hell meant now. He stood there, facing the flames, tears couldn't help but come out like rivers. On the news board, it posted:

'YUGI MOTOU = GAY'

"Hey, gay boy, what you doing? Trying to find your boyfriend?" someone shouted. Everyone laughed, some made funny faces, some gave out nasty eyes, some whispering, some just walked away, trying to blind out. "Hey, you! Don't you have a brain? It's just a stupid rumor!" Tristan pushed away the crowd and protested. He tore down the paper and threw it into the garbage can. "Yugi," Tristian gave him some tissues, "don't mind those jerks, whoever puts that rumor up there is not going to get away with this!" He looked down to Yugi, "man, I wish Joey is here, so we can teach those idiots a lesson, 365 days, he has to choose today to skip school!" He gnashed irritatingly.

The angers, the sadness, the frustrations, they all crammed Yugi from the very deep inside, exploding, he was exploding, with all his might, he ran away, ran away from the crowd, adding one more shadow to the dark corner.

"Yugi!" Tea panted and tried to stop what already happened, but Yugi ran away from her like a twist wind. // Too late... // Tea stood there, heart broken, // I should never be forgiven. // Eyes widened, she couldn't find the poster, the poster that she posted last night. // I, I've destroyed him... // the guilt, the sinful feeling will never erase from Tea's mind, ever.

"Tea!" Tristan ran to her. "Thank god you are here! Somebody posted some shit on the news board and it said-"

"I know." Tea said emotionlessly. // I know, I know, god, I know! It's all my fault. Mine! //

"It's a rumor, but I think Yugi's pretty upset, we better go after him to make sure he's ok." Tristan said with concerns. "After all, it's only a rumor."

"........."

"It's only a rumor, ............ right?"

.......................................

Something was in Yugi throat and it struggled to try to come out drastically. Yugi felt like to scream, the eagerness of someone's love, the need of someone's understanding, the want of someone's care. He just wanted someone to hug him tightly, hug him till he couldn't breath. He held himself tightly and sat in the dark corner of his room, the dark corner of his lost mind...

Suddenly, he looked up, with misty eyes, he muttered emotionlessly, "It's Joey's birthday..." he got up, walked out into the cold weather without taking his coat. He knew where he was going, he knew what he wanted, but he also knew he couldn't live like this, under the abuse that everyone gave him. He was going insane.

Walking under the faded street lamplights, his shadow faded, his soul faded, faded under the pressure of this world had given to him. Pathetic, him, or was it just an adjective that got nothing to do with a person's life?

Yugi followed the familiar trace in his head, the way to Joey's house. He might forget everything, but not this.

He pushed open the unlocked door. Every noise inside the room didn't bother him. They were like the alarms in the morning when you slept in and covered your head with the blanket, fading, useless, didn't matter at all.

The noise stopped as Yugi walked into the center of the room. Everyone stopped talking, laughing, and joking, they looked at Yugi. Even Joey, he didn't know what to do. He looked around the room and tried to look at someone, to think of something, but he didn't know what to do - he didn't tell everyone that Yugi isn't the only one who dares to challenge the forbidden love. Suddenly, Tea broke the awkward silence.

"Yugi..." Tea stood up and walked to him. "Yugi, I'm sorry, I-"

"This is for you, Joey." Yugi took out a little golden piece of puzzle and ignored Tea. It was the centerpiece of his millennium puzzle. "We will share this magical item, we will never be apart, because we both hold the pieces of the puzzle."

"Yugi..." Joey wanted to slap himself. How could he? How could he just act like a coward? Nothing mattered now, Joey knew what he'd do. "Yugi, -"

"Yugi, I'm so sorry about what happened today." Tea interrupted Joey carelessly. She walked to Yugi. "Yugi, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I'm stupid, I'm nasty, I shouldn't post that paper on the news board. I'm just jealous of you and Joey, I'm an idiot! Yugi, I know I don't deserve to live, I don't deserve your forgiveness, but please, don't do this to yourself."

Yugi stood there, shocked. He looked up with furious eyes, words came out between his teeth, "YOU DID IT???!!" all the wrath, all the sorrow, all the tears filled Yugi's mind. His hands were shaking, "HOW COULD YOU!?" he cried out crazily. Yugi was losing control, he couldn't think of anything. Taking a gaze, he saw a knife on the table, he cried out and took the knife and thrust it right into Tea's stomach. The tearing sound of the flesh, Tea's painful scream, and the hot blood were all over Yugi's body. He laughed, he laughed insanely with pain. He dropped the knife, looking at Tea, his hands started shaking, his insane laugh became a howl. Trust, friendship, love, they all burned with Yugi's heart, bit by bit, disappeared in everyone's hideous censure's wind.

// All over... // Tea lay on the ground and felt the blood came out from that hole on her body, the rancid hole. // All over... // Yugi finally realized what he had done, but he refused to look at Tea. // All over... // Joey shrieked inside himself and wished he was the one who got stabbed by Yugi.

All over, they all knew love wasn't a game.

The police alarms pinched through the silent night. Blood reddened the dark sky...

...........................

Tea was walking on the street alone. It had been 2 months, she had been healed. Although she was still weak, she still had a life. She walked past the old shop, the shop that Yugi got that weird box and the chilly note. She stopped, because the same old woman was gazing at her and smiled creepily. The old woman extended her arm to Tea, opened her fingers, there lied a tiny red box. Tea looked at the box, there was a white angel wing drawing on the box, only one wing. She took over the box shakily. She looked up to the old woman and questioned in her eyes. She opened the box, like she expected, there was a note. Tea opened the folded paper and read:

"It's God's anger, the wingless love."

Tea looked up to the granny with heartrending tears. "I thought you are closing down the shop, but you're still giving away these useless boxes." She muttered.

"Something has to be done." The old woman smiled. Tea astounded. "Something has to be done..." she murmured thoughtfully. Suddenly she realized something, "devil's best work, and God's anger..." she ran out from the shop quickly without turning her head...

...........................

"Yugi," Tea called across the window inside the jail waiting room. Yugi looked away. He looked pale, like a lost ghost. "What do you want?" he asked coldly. Tea shivered, but she couldn't blame Yugi. It was all her fault that Yugi was in jail now. But it was not the time to feel guilty, she had something important to say.

"Do you still remember the creepy note you got from that old shop?" Yugi looked up, he smiled bitterly, "Yes, I remember, very clearly indeed. Is that all you want to ask me? If yes, then go away, I don't need your pity." Yugi got up from the seat and ready to leave.

"No, wait! Yugi! Listen to me! Please!" Tea stood up and pushed her face against the window and yelled. However, Yugi didn't listen to her.

"Yugi! I love you! And that's all I want to say!" Yugi stopped. He turned his head and surprised to hear what Tea had said. "What?" his eyes widened.

Tea smiled with crystal tears in her eyes. "That's right, Yugi. I've always loved you. You are a good friend, but for me, you are not just a friend." She held up the note she got from the old woman. "Remember your note? Devil's best work, the forbidden love, and I have one too. Mine is the God's anger, the wingless love. Do you know what that means?" Yugi shook his head. He looked at Tea as if she was crazy.

"It's the punishment God gave me for not cleaning out the dusts in my mind, the wingless love. I may never get love from you because I don't deserve it. You may never love me because you don't love me. Clear, but complicated. I don't care and I don't mind, I have love here," Tea pointed at her heart. "It's all I have and it's all I care. Your love will always be Joey's, but my love will always be yours. If an angel lost her wings, then she isn't perfect anymore, nor is love. My love for you is a beaten love, but I enjoy my part of the love, because I can feel it's warming my heart and life everyday. I know you don't care, Yugi, but that doesn't matter, because if I destined to have this wingless love, then I'll live happily with it. I'm happy, because I have love. I love you." Tea grinned innocently with warm tears in her eyes.

Yugi looked at Tea, tears were at her eyes but she was smiling, the smile of satisfied, the smile of love, the smile of happiness and innocent. "Tea..." Yugi smiled back, it was all over, the hate, the ugliness, they've ended.

Suddenly Joey came in, he looked at Yugi and Tea embarrassedly. "Yugi..." he called quietly. "I got this little box from an old woman, she told me that we'll need it..."

"Huh?" Yugi and Tea both looked at the little box that Joey was holding. They looked at each other confusedly. It was a white box with a Japanese word on it: 'Love'. Joey opened the box and took out the little note. He read,

"We are fortunate than angels, we know how to love and be loved. We are happier than devils, we dare to challenge on the forbidden love."

The contented smiles appeared on everyone's face. They were happy, as they were the fortunate people who have the true love in their hearts. That was enough, everyone needed love, a little bit was enough.

..............................

"Joey, don't you hate me?" Tea asked as they walked back from the prison.

"No, Tea. We're still good friends." Joey smiled childishly. "Let's just hope that Yugi can get back from that dark place soon, then everything will be fine." He smiled again. "Because we'll face it together." He nodded meaningfully.

As they walked past the old shop, it was still opening, but with a different shop name. They went inside, the shop was like magically made over, everything in the shop was new.

"I thought you were going to close it." Tea asked the old woman. "Nah," the old woman laughed. "I just brushed over the old shop, giving out the old things, and start selling new things. A new shop, new start," she gazed at Tea kindly and mysteriously, "and a new life."

A new life and a new start; It was a breezeless day, but warm; they had the supportless love, but real.

Here, I can say it's the end of the story, but can I? It may be the end of the story, but it can never be the end of the message that I'm trying to tell you in this fiction. It sounds like a fairy tale, but you bet, it is a fairy tale. But don't we live in fairy tales everyday? This is how life goes, fairy tale is truth, we don't have to wish it to come true.

End of the story, but not the love.


Aftermath:

God is still great, he is kind, he still understands us. If not, he won't create love, he won't let love happens between us. But he knows that love is like life, we can't have a perfect for anything. We all have to experience the bitterness of everything. The everlasting love always comes from the training of destinies, but it always stands out and gives the great shine to the darkness of one's soul. The tenacious love doesn't come from an easy way.

We are human, we are not angel or devil, we are not surrounded by love everyday and we are not the cold heart creatures. We learn to love each day, as we learn, we become happier because we can feel the love in our hearts. Don't be ashamed of who you are and whom you love. It's all yours, your love, feel it?

Love is love, don't trap yourself inside this cage. She loves her cousin, different race love, yaoi, yuri or het, doesn't matter. People are changing, people's thoughts are changing, but love doesn't change at all, it can never change. Love is love, it can happen between any two people in this world, no matter what shape this world is, no matter what people think, love will always be love, it will always be the light that warms your heart.

Love is love, it's everlasting and will never change the way it is. It's happening between any two in this world. Please treasure the love in your heart, don't be scared, because some one will always be there for you. Treasure your love, as for yourself.

Love is love, just remember it and you will not be lost in the dark.

Love is love, that's the only thing that matters and that's the only thing you have to know for your happiness.