Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Millennium Dark ❯ Strangers in a moment ( Chapter 11 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter 11 “Strangers in a moment.”

Author’s notes: I figure I’d be nice to you all and give you another update in the same year. Wasn’t that nice of me? *Laughs* No, you’ve all been exceedingly patient and I thank you so very much for still having hope on this story and me. It means a lot.

* * *

Yami stared at the phone; the loud, painful sound of the dial tone had been his only response from Yugi since the younger boy hung up. The hand holding the phone began to tremble; slightly at first, then it shook so much that he dropped the phone. His mouth opened and closed numerous times, but nothing came out. Bakura blinked slowly, and frowned, realizing what must have happened.

At first the guitarist thought that Yugi was merely letting Yami have it, and must have been yelling quite loud for Yami to hold the phone that far away. But now the heavy traffic outside had been corralled into a gridlock, and he could hear the monotonous tone. “Yami, man I…don’t know what to say…eh!”

Suddenly Yami had dropped the phone and thrown his arms around Bakura in a fit of painful sobs. Bakura was more than startled, and looked down at the mess that had once been his preachy lead singer. “I didn’t say those things!” Yami exclaimed, his voice breaking. “I would never say those things about him!” He curled into a crumpled mess in Bakura’s loose grip, “It can’t get any worse, can it?”

Bakura frowned, and winced. He couldn’t stand crying, he always thought it was weak as all hell, but now someone was leaning on him for emotional support and he had no earthly idea how to give it. Being blunt and course wasn’t going to help Yami any and he felt that his friend didn’t deserve that kind of help in this state. “Don’t say that,” he finally said, “a lot of shit’s going to hit the fan now that this is out in the open…” Bakura exhaled heavily and idly stroked Yami’s hair. “And you need to get this crying stuff out of your system before we get out of this hotel room…”

As Bakura moved to shift so his legs wouldn’t cramp up, Yami yelped and gripped his arms. “Don’t go!” Yami exclaimed, looking into Bakura’s visible brown eye with his own terrified amethyst ones. “B-Bakura…don’t leave me here…”

“Oy,” Bakura muttered under his breath. He reached with his hand to grab the phone and turned it off. “Alright, I’ll stay with ya, Yami…Until you get this crying stuff out of your system.” He grimaced as Yami clung to him, his grip more powerful than Bakura had expected. “Remember, I have ribs. Watch that grip, Akaiame…!”

* * *

Yugi slammed the phone down on the dresser, not caring for the audible crack he heard as he did so. Ryou blinked and nearly retracted from entering the room. Maric nudged him in the back and Ryou quietly walked in. “Yugi?”

The shorter boy turned around and frowned. “I don’t want to talk right now.”

Ryou closed the door behind him, narrowly missing closing it on Maric’s tanned fingers. “Come now, Yugi…I’ve known you for a while. Right now you really need to talk to someone. Make heads or tails out of what you’re feeling right now.” He crossed over to where Yugi was standing, being careful of the younger man’s things scattered about the hotel room floor. “So I’m not leaving until you talk.”

Yugi frowned but eventually relented with enough pestering by Ryou. “I was talking to Yami…that headline…it was all him…that’s exactly what he told the press and I don’t know… I don’t know why he would do such a thing. I thought he loved me, and that…and that he wouldn’t say anything to the press about us until I was ready, when we were both ready…”

Ryou blinked slowly. “That doesn’t make quite a lot of sense, Yugi.” He scratched his chin, perplexed. “If this was as you say, then he doesn’t sound like the type to say such things, especially about such a thing.”

“I know, but he said it!” Yugi exclaimed, throwing his face into his hands. “He admitted to me when I phoned him!” His purple eyes looked at Ryou, now with a sullen determination burning within them. “Now he’s going to have to deal with the consequences of losing me.”

“Actually, we’re going to have to deal with the consequences of what happened,” Ryou pointed out. “Now that it’s out there that you two were a couple, or are, or whatever the bloody hell they decide to make of it, the entire band is effected.” Yugi’s face fell, as he hadn’t thought of that before it was mentioned. “But no matter what happens, we’re going to be behind you, the rest of the band. So don’t you worry about us abandoning you, alright?”

Yugi nodded slowly, even though the fear still stuck in his stomach about the band just taking back this vow and leaving him alone. “T-Thank you, Ryou…it means so much to me…”

“Hey, that’s what friends are for, right?” Ryou smiled, wiping Yugi’s eyes gently with a pale finger. “Now, shall we get this place in order? You made quite a mess of it earlier.” Yugi flushed light pink and Ryou chuckled.

***

Shadi had crossed the hallway of Yami’s room four times, and each time, Malik hadn’t moved from his spot in front of the door. His hand was still lightly placed against the burgundy-painted wood, his eyes still fixated on it. “Malik? You’ve been there for the past hour,” Shadi said, and was surprised when Malik didn’t turn. “Malik?”

“I know,” Malik replied softly, his fingernails lightly grazing the wood. “He’s in there with Yami.”

He didn’t have to say much more, Shadi realized exactly was going on. Malik had been standing there, as Bakura was comforting Yami, possibly hoping for a chance to talk to the white-haired guitarist. Or catch him on a comfort-momentum swing. “Yeah, I bet Yami hasn’t let him go since he stepped in…those two are unlikely friends, you have to admit.”

Malik sighed, but still didn’t move. His fingers clenched in slightly, the pads of his fingers sliding down the burgundy door. “Why can’t I get close to him anymore?” Malik asked, frowning. “Yami is in a crisis right now, I understand that, but … it seems like he’s slipping further and further away from me.”

Shadi frowned, and didn’t dare pull Malik away from the door. To disrupt the touchy situation on either side of the door. “There’s so much happening right now, and so much that has yet to happen because of this scandal. I wouldn’t give up hope yet, Malik. First we have to deal with this thing with Yami and that kid, and maybe somewhere in there, or after the storm, you and Bakura can sit down and talk this out. But right now, everyone is already on edge…”

Malik’s hand slid down until his palm was flat against the wood. “I know…but I still, I don’t know how much I can take this. Being in the same room, same vicinity, just a few feet away from him and feel like we’re worlds apart.” His purple eyes were downcast, focussing on the faint ridges embedded in the door. Malik’s nails scratched the surface, as his fist clenched. “And right now, he’s in there pushing it all away and … maybe it’s the right thing to do, to comfort Yami, since neither of us…know what he’s really going through. But…”

“You believe he should help himself before he helps others?” Shadi finished, leaning against the wall, Malik’s back facing him. Malik nodded slightly, swallowing. “In a fair world, I suppose he would have the time to do that… or perhaps, by helping Yami, and having someone depend on him for emotional support so completely, is helping him with his own problems.” (Of course, I could also be talking a bunch of philosophical shit. But you never know in these situations…)

***

This was a publicist’s worst nightmare, Joey decided. Unpredictable scandals are one thing, but he knew about this one, and he also decided, that Seto was never going to know that he did know about it, because if he did…well there would be no Joey Wheeler alive. He couldn’t take three steps without his phone ringing and reporters from every spot on the globe demanding in various languages what the band’s stance was on the new scandal, if there was even a scandal, or if they knew about it all the time and planned to use it in some evil spin-machined plot.

In a rare moment of peace, which in Joey’s world was about five minutes, he reclined in his chair, his neck resting on the top crown of the chair. He exhaled sharply, and deeply, reaching blindly for his glass and Joey frowned when he saw that it was empty. Slowly he pushed himself to his feet, and staggered for a moment, momentarily disoriented. His centre of balance was thrown off kilter, but soon Joey regained it, and with the help of the wall as his guide, he made it to the bathroom. As he opened the tap, Joey’s mind wandered over past and present events, and his own inner feelings.

There was barely any time to think about himself. Or what he even thought of things was rarely thought of. He had to condition himself to think how Seto would think it, or actually, Seto would tell him how to say their stance on anything was. Now that he had some valuable time to himself, Joey wasn’t entirely sure what he thought of the situation. Well, he was sure that Yami had told him in confidentiality that he was dating Yugi Motou, and that he wasn’t entirely sure of where it was going to go. At the time, Joey had just assumed Yami needed someone to let out steam to. Then again, Joey’s instinct that this was going to turn out to be a gigantic circus had also proven right. But he was sure that was years of cynicism beaten into him by the business.

The business could be a soul-sucking whore, as someone so eloquently put it, Joey knew that. As for the person who put the personality of the business in such perfect terms, the blond was sure it was Bakura. If it wasn’t, Bakura was getting credit in his mind. There he went, thinking like other people again. How did Joey Wheeler feel?
Joey felt…like an un-ended sentence. Something that drifted off, and didn’t end. There’s meaning at the end of it, but there are no words to describe it; or the words just left his mind as soon as the time came up to say something.

Say something … to Seto.

To Seto? About what?

About what he thought of him? What did Joey think of his esteemed boss? Well, he was strict as hell, but because he was so strict and organized, everything ran smoothly. Once everyone knew their roles, and what they could do, it ran like a well-oiled machine. But he had a feeling, when Joey really thought about it, that Seto was using work to fill up a deep hole within himself. Something had caused that hole, and Joey had always wanted to be the one, friend or something more, to help Seto, to fill that void. But, he always realized that it was stupid.

But why was it stupid? Was it stupid because Seto would refuse help from anyone, especially his band’s publicist? Why was he so untouchable that even someone like Joey couldn’t get through to him?

That was the final straw for Joey Wheeler. He decided then that he would go out, and tell Seto how he felt. Everyone else seemed to be expressing their feelings. And even if Joey wasn’t entirely sure what he felt, he needed to get something out of his system. Even if he had to search most of London, he’d do it. When Joey set his mind to something, it would get done, regardless of the consequences.

After all, what was the worst that could happen?

-TBC-

Author’s note: Sorry this is so late. No real excuse other than school and I was lazy. Extremely lazy. I hope you all forgive me. If not…then keep harassing me. I’ll get to work, really. *sweat drops*