Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Never Is A Promise: Pale September ❯ Part Two: Evil Faces ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Part Two: Evil Faces

"You'll say you understand, but you don't understand

You'll say you'd never give up seeing eye to eye

But never is a promise, and you can't afford to lie

You'll never touch-these things that I hold

The skin of my emotions lies beneath my own

You'll never feel the heat of this soul

My fever burns me deeper than I have ever shown-to you

You'll say, Don't fear your dreams, it's easier than it seems

You'll say you'd never let me fall from hopes so high

But never is a promise, and you can't afford to lie"

Joey didn't call that night even though Ryou waited, often holding the phone in his hand. He paced in his living room, and Bakura sat on the couch watching him, becoming more and more annoyed.

"Ryou, you are going to burn a hole in the carpet!" he snapped.

"I can't help it! He said he would call, and he hasn't."

"Perhaps he is busy, or he does not want to talk now that he can't fuck you."

Ryou stopped and looked at him, lip trembling. "Yami, why do you say such things?"

"Only because they are true, love. He wants you, but he is afraid to touch you. It's pathetic."

"Stop it, yami. Why do you want to hurt me?"

"Please, Ryou, you don't have any idea what you are talking about. You don't understand being hurt so stop babbling about it."

Ryou decided to stop before it got any uglier, and he raised the phone to his ear, dialing Yugi's number. Bakura sighed and turned back to the t.v. where some amateur tomb raider named Lara Croft was trying to steal a little piece of a triangle with an eye on it. Bakura growled, looking over at the ring Ryou wore around his neck and muttered something about "rip off". Ryou continued to ignore him and turned back to the still ringing phone. He was about to hang up when the ringing stopped and an angry voice on the other end answered.

"Hello."

"It better be important," another voice growled in the background.

"Hello," Ryou replied, taken aback.

"Who is this?"

"I-It's Ryou."

"Oh," then 'it's Ryou' came the muffled words as the phone was covered. Then, "Ryou, it's Seto."

Ryou heard Yugi giggling in the background, and he blushed furiously, realizing what he must have interrupted.

"Ryou, do you want to talk to Yugi or Yami?"

"No...I'm sorry, Seto, I didn't mean to interrupt, but-."

"It's okay, Ryou, really."

"Um, it's just, you haven't heard from Joey, have you?"

"I should say not.He would be fairly dead if he had called."

“Well, it's comforting to know you wouldn't kill me for it, Seto."

Bakura's head shot up as Seto chuckled, and Ryou heard Yugi mutter something again. Seto covered the phone with his hand once more and said something to Yugi.

"Hey, Ryou, Yugi says he's sometimes occupied when his dad is at home. Maybe he's just busy."

“It is possible, I suppose," Ryou sighed. "Thanks, Seto."

“No problem, kid. Is everything okay?"

"I'm not sure, but don't worry. Sorry for interrupting again."

Ryou hung up the phone, and Bakura was staring at him when he turned to look.

"What?"

"Who said anything about killing you?"

"Hmm? No, it wasn't like that. Seto said he would have killed Joey if he would have called. They were involved in something."

“Is that what they are calling it now? Things do change," he replied with a smirk.

Ryou smiled and shook his head. His yami was a pain, but he could be funny when he wanted to be. Ryou decided he should just calm down, and if Joey didn't call, he would see him in school tomorrow.

~@~

Ryou got to school early the next morning, but nobody had seen Joey yet. Even by the time everyone had to leave for class, Joey still hadn't arrived, and Ryou was getting worried. He sat in his first class and ignored the teacher, wondering where Joey was. The door opened, shocking him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to find Joey in the room. He handed the teacher a note then walked to his desk. His eyes shifted around the room then settled on Ryou's, managing a weak smile. Ryou smiled back, and Bakura saw this, alarmed.

/Something's wrong,/ he said, without concern in his voice.

//What do you mean?//

/With Joey. Look at him./

Ryou looked up and realized Joey was hunched down at his desk, with his collar pulled up covering his neck. He wasn't looking around, and when he did, his eyes leapt from face to face, with a scared look in them. Ryou tried to talk to Bakura, but his yami had shut himself up in his soul room and away from Ryou. The bell rang, and Joey gathered up his books, practically bolting from the room. Ryou ran after him but couldn't find him in the crowded hall that had become a sea of faces. Ryou sighed and headed off to his next class, trying to make his thoughts of Joey disappear. It didn't work, of course, and lunch didn't make things any better. Joey wasn't there and even Yugi was slightly concerned, having seen him in his last class.

"I tried to catch up to him, but he ran off too quickly," Yugi said, munching on his chips.

"Yes, I know what you mean. The same thing happened in our first class together. What do you suppose is wrong?"

"I don't know," Yugi said, but the boy's eyes said something different.

He had never been a good liar, and he knew something that he wasn't saying. Bakura saw it, and he growled low in his throat, staring at the boy. As the others got up to leave, Ryou reached for Yugi and grabbed his arm.

"Can I speak to you a moment alone, Yugi?"

"Sure."

They walked around to the side of the school building and unfortunately for Yugi, he didn't see the ring glow. Bakura smiled, having taken over Ryou's body, and he grabbed Yugi by the throat, slamming him into the brick wall.

"What do you know, brat? Talk!"

Yugi raised his hands struggling, and the Millennium Puzzle glowed brightly. Bakura suddenly found himself thrown backwards as an angry pharaoh stood before him. Bakura climbed back to his feet and charged the pharaoh, but he quickly found himself thrown back again. Yami had a hand on his hip, and his sennen eye was glowing; all and all, he was not a happy pharaoh.

"Bakura, stay away from my light!" his voice thundered.

But Bakura had receded back into the ring, leaving a very frightened Ryou on the ground. Yami sighed, and his eye faded back into his forehead, leaving a very apologetic expression on his face. He walked to Ryou and grasped his arm, pulling him to his feet.

"I'm sorry, Ryou. That warning was not meant for you."

"Yes, I know. I am sorry as well."

Yami gave him a warm smile before Yugi's small face reappeared. The puzzle lost its glow, and Yugi put his hand over it smiling.

"Are you alright, Yugi?"

"Yeah. Your yami really does have a bad temper."

Ryou smiled before replying, "come on, we're going to be late."

~@~

Bakura lay in his soul room, moping again. Ryou had been berating him since the lunch incident, and Bakura had given up snapping at him. He knew what he had done was not a good thing, because after all, angering the pharaoh was never a good thing. He knew he should apologize, but he wouldn't, just like he would never admit he cared for Joey. But that's why he had done it, wasn't it?

The look in Joey's eyes frightened him. It reminded him of the look he'd had in his eyes so many times around Malik. Joey had been hurt badly, and he didn't think Ryou had any idea how badly. He had seen the truth in Yugi's eyes, but he only knew the weight of the situation. Exactly what the situation was he couldn't yet begin to guess, but he was bothered by the fact that Ryou, usually so observant, had not realized the severity of the situation.

It was obvious though that Joey did not want anyone to know what was wrong, and so he had been avoiding everyone. Bakura would find out regardless then maybe he could try an apology to Yami...then maybe everyone could be happy for a change.

~Live for what can't be

This blindness just, amazes me~

~@~

Finally the day was over, and Ryou ran outside to find Joey. He didn't see him, and Yugi yelled, pointing. All Ryou saw was the blue of Joey's uniform jacket and the burned wheat color of Joey's hair, but that was enough for Ryou. He yelled a thanks to Yugi then ran, keeping a tight hold on his book bag. He caught up with Joey and grabbed his arm, nearly ripping as he had to suddenly slow down.

"Oh, hey, Ryou."

"Oh, hey, Ryou'?! Joey, what's wrong?"

"Nothin'."

"Joey, you have been avoiding me all day! Not just me either, but everyone else."

They shrugged, and Ryou dropped his arm. Bakura stood behind Joey now, and he grabbed him around his neck, spinning him around. Joey winced, and Bakura saw, grabbed his collar and pulling it down. A dark purple bruise was on the back of his neck, and Bakura suspected there may be more.

"Joey, what-?" Ryou asked, reaching for him.

"It's nothing."

"It's something, Joey, the question is what," Bakura said simply.

"Don't worry, it's nothing, really," Joey said before turning and walking away.

Ryou watched him go, and Bakura decided against going after him once he saw Ryou. The young boy looked like he was about to cry, and Bakura sighed, reaching out to hold him. They received a few weird looks, but Bakura ignored them as he nuzzled Ryou's cheek.

"Come on, let's go home, Ryou."

~@~

After getting Joey's number from Yugi, he tried to call him that night but to no avail. No one answered, and Ryou was getting nervous again. Finally Bakura stood up and took the phone from his lover's hands.

"What are you doing? He may call and-."

Bakura pressed his lips to Ryou's and pulled him to his feet. He pressed a hand in the small of his back, pushing his hips against his own. Then, breaking the kiss, he growled, nipping at Ryou's lower lip.

"Let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"To Joey's house."

"But...wait! I don't know how to get there."

He called Yugi again and after a few moments of begging, Yami and Yugi agreed to meet them. Ryou told them he and Bakura would meet them at the store in about twenty minutes. After grabbing a jacket to protect himself from the chill in the September air, he and Bakura left, heading for the game shop. When they got there, Yami saw Bakura, and he put a protective hand on his light's shoulders. Bakura chuckled and shook his head.

"I'm not after your light, pharaoh. And I am sorry for earlier, I was only curious about Joey."

Yami looked at Bakura, clearly not expecting an apology. "Thank you for that, Bakura."

They began to walk, Yugi leading the way and the other three following close behind. They turned onto Joey's street, and as Yugi walked, he pointed to the house.

"That's it, that's Joey's house."

"Well, let's go cheer Joey up," Ryou said smiling.

~Maybe one day we

Could calm oceans it's, restful easy~

As they approached the house, they saw no lights on, and Ryou stopped. chewing on his lip.

"Do you think they're asleep?" Ryou asked to no one in particular.

"Asleep?! No way, Ryou, it's only eight!" Yugi exclaimed.

Ryou shrugged, and they walked up to the door. Yugi knocked softly then waited for an answer. When no one came, he rapped harder, peering inside the darkened windows. He backed away from the door and shrugged, looking at the others.

"What should we do?" Yugi asked.

Bakura stepped up and turned the doorknob. It swung in easily, and he smiled, leading the way in. He found the light switch and flipped it, but nothing happened. Bakura cursed and turned to the others; he and Yami could see, but he knew the other two couldn't with the house only lit by the faint light outside.

"Anyone have any bright ideas?" Bakura asked.

Everyone winced at his horrible pun, and Yami began to mutter words in Egyptian under his breath. The puzzle around Yugi's neck began to glow and grew brighter, lighting up the room a bit. Bakura followed his lead an soon the ring was glowing as well, giving more light to the little room. Yami smiled warmly and mussed Yugi's hair.

"Go on, aibou. Bakura and I can see in the dark."

Yugi stepped forward into the house and told Ryou where Joey's bedroom was. Then he disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Ryou to walk down the hallway. He heard his yami mutter "something's wrong" as he reached Joey's door, then he grasped the doorknob, turning it. He walked into the room then stopped when he saw who was lying in the floor. The footsteps coming closer told him his yami already sensed it, and Ryou cried out, falling to his knees next to Joey's body. Bakura and Yami entered with Yugi close behind, and Bakura cursed kneeling on Joey's other side.

"He's unconscious," Bakura said after a moment.

Ryou choked back a sob as he realized his arm was also broken. Yami looked over to tell Yugi to find a phone, but Yugi was gone, already knowing the phone call would need to be made. Since the phone wasn't working at Joey's house, he ran to the neighbors and called the only person he could think of that could help: Seto. He dialed the number quickly, knowing that Seto might be a tad angry until he explained.

"This had better be good," Seto growled into the phone.

"Seto, it's Yugi."

"Yugi, what's wrong?"

"It's Joey, he's hurt. He...needs to go to the hospital, now."

Yugi couldn't see, but Seto was already out of his office and running toward the stairs.

"Why didn't you call an ambulance, angel?"

“I...I don't know. I just thought of you. Plus, ambulances cost money...Joey can't pay for it...and...they might not help him if we can't pay..."

Seto almost chuckled as he threw his car into reverse and sped out of the parking garage.

"Don't worry about the money, angel. Whatever Joey needs I'll take care of it. Where are you?"

"Joey's," he said, then paused. "Hurry, Seto. I don't know how bad he is."

"I'm already on the road, angel. Ten minutes, max, okay?"

"Alright, thanks, Seto."

"Don't mention it."

Yugi hung up and thanked the people again. Before they could blink, he was out the door and running back to Joey's house. He ran inside and the puzzle began to glow again, responding to Yami's magic. When he reached Joey's bedroom, Ryou was still crumpled on the floor, but now Bakura held him, occasionally kissing the top of his head. Yami had taken Bakura's place next to Joey, ensuring that he kept breathing. Yami looked up when Yugi walked in, but he had already sensed his presence in the house. Yami smiled weakly, and Bakura looked up, responding to the little one's energy.

"I called Seto, he's on his way."

"Seto?!? Why in the hell did you call Seto?" Bakura yelled.

"I...I...didn't...," Yugi stuttered.

"Aibou, you should have called for an ambulance."

"But, Yami...we don't have any money. Joey will need help, but we can't pay for it. Besides, he'll get here faster."

Bakura snarled, holding Ryou closer. "I doubt that. And Seto hates Joey, so he'll probably take his time."

Seto stepped in at that moment, having followed the sounds of their voices.

"Yet, I'm here and-," he began, but the words died in his throat as he saw Joey and growled, "who did this to him?"

"His father," Yugi said, gravely.

"How do you know that?" Ryou said, raising his head.

"Never mind, we have to get Joey out of here," Yami interrupted.

Seto knelt down and examined Joey, looking back at Yugi, who stood in the doorway awkwardly.

“You didn't tell me it was this bad, Yugi. We can't move him without some sort of splint on his arm."

Yugi ran out of the room and came back holding a wooden rod. Seto took it then unlaced his own shoe, tying the splint on Joey's arm. Yami looked at the splint then back at Yugi.

"Where did you get that, aibou?"

Yugi smiled sheepishly. "I broke a chair in the kitchen."

Bakura looked up at him, eyes dancing. "There's hope for the little one yet."

Yami rolled his eyes, and Seto rocked back on his heels, having finished tying the knot. He picked Joey up carefully, earning a low moan from the blonde-haired boy, and he almost looked relieved.

"Well, he's okay enough to moan. That's a good thing, right?"

Yami shook his head and wore an expression of doubt on his face. In his experience, moaning was not a sign of being okay but rather an after-effect of pain. They left the house quickly, getting into Seto's car. Yugi opted for the back so he could be closer to Joey and Ryou, and Bakura slid in with Ryou, holding Joey's head in his lap. They reached the hospital in record time, and Seto dropped them off then went to park the car. Yami struggled with Joey's weight but handled it easier that Bakura would have. When they walked in, luck was with them for the place was almost empty. The only people that were there were the people the nurses called the "lurkers", the people that only came there because they had nowhere else to go.

At first they looked at the group of kids like they didn't want to help them. They especially stared and Yugi and Yami with their odd hair, but they quickly went to work when Seto Kaiba walked in. No one dared to disagree with a Kaiba. In minutes Joey was in a room, and a doctor was looking him over. After cleaning the wound on his hand, he checked out the splint and nodded his head.

"Ah, excellent work on this."

"Thank you," Seto responded dryly.

"Now, who will be covering the, uh, expenses for-."

"It's taken care of, you'll get your money. Now whatever Joey needs, take care of it," Seto responded, gritting his teeth.

"Very good, Mr. Kaiba. Not to worry, your friend will be just fine."

"He'd better be," Bakura growled. "For your sake."

~@~

Hours later they all sat in the waiting room. Yugi was asleep in Seto's lap, and Yami was leaning on his shoulder. Across the room, Bakura held Ryou in a tight embrace.

/This is all my fault./

//You didn't know. There was nothing you could do.//

/I could've been there...to stop him./

//And gotten yourself hurt as well? No, Ryou.//

/I can't stand this, yami. I should have known./

//You couldn't have. Let it go.//

Ryou shook his head and sat up as the doctor came out. He saw Seto and started to walk toward him, but Seto shook his head and pointed at the two white-haired teens. The doctor shrugged and walked over to them quickly. Bakura pulled Ryou to his feet and waited.

"Joey is fine now. He needed stitches on his head, and his arm is in a cast. The break was bad, but thanks to Mr. Kaiba, it didn't move much and was easy to set."

"Thank you. May we see him now?"

The doctor nodded, and Ryou bolted through the doors with Bakura hot on his heels.

~Ran, to the snow

As above, so below~

Ryou reached Joey's door and paused, pushing it in gently. Joey was hooked to several machines, and his arm was bound in a cast and held by a strap around his neck. Ryou paused in the doorway and didn't move until he felt Bakura's hand push his shoulder slightly. He stepped in the room, and Bakura shut the door behind them, leaning against the wall to watch his two lovers. Ryou stepped up beside the bed and smoothed Joey's bangs out of his face.

"Why didn't you tell me, Joey? I could have done something. Why?! You're so stubborn sometimes, Joseph Wheeler!" Ryou said, lightly throwing himself on Joey's chest.

Bakura started to move but stopped when Joey's unbound hand moved. It stroked Ryou's hair, causing Ryou to look up into Joey's now open eyes.

"Not so hard, Ryou. I know that you're mad."

"Joey?!" Ryou exclaimed, hugging the blonde.

"Hey, careful."

Ryou moved and looked over at Bakura who Joey in turn shifted his gaze to. The former grave robber's eyes locked on Joey's only for a moment before he launched himself at the broken teen. Joey flinched, expecting to be hit, but instead found Bakura hugging him fiercely. When the door opened, Bakura jumped back, and the other three boys walked in, followed by the doctor.

"Alright, it's a party!" Joey exclaimed.

"Joey, I hardly think you are that well," Ryou said, somewhat amused.

"No, I feel fine, really...Ow! Watch it, doc!."

Seto chuckled as Joe relaxed and quit throwing his arm around in the air. The doctor checked him over and then turned, looking at Seto.

"Mr. Kaiba, if I could have a word with you outside, please."

Kaiba groaned and excused himself into the hall while Yugi stepped farther into the room, smiling at his friend.

"How are you feeling, Joey?"

"A little sore, Yug, but it's not that bad."

"Joey," Yami said gently. "Where did your father go?"

Joey swallowed and looked away from all of them, especially away from his two lovers. Bakura stood up and listened; this was the information he really wanted to know.

"I don't know."

"Joey, you can't keep protecting him!" Yami replied.

"I'm not. Not this time. He hit me with a bat, and when I fell, he hit me until I passed out. I came to for a second, and I heard him leaving. I don't know where he went."

"Probably the nearest bar," Seto said, as he stepped back in the room.

A few minutes later, a nurse came in the room and took out Joey's IV, unhooking him from the other machines. As she readied him to go, she spoke over her shoulder to no one in particular.

"He'll need lots of care, lots of fussing over. He has a special glove to put on over his cast, because it can't et wet when he showers. He shouldn't be very active although he may saw otherwise. You hearin' me too, boy?" she asked, poking Joey's back.

Seto nodded his head at Joey as he stood then turned on his heels.

"I'll go and get the car."

"No, Seto, that's okay. I can walk."

Then Joey received a light slap from the nurse, who shot at him, "I said take it easy!"

~@~

Seto drove them back to Ryou's house, and Ryou promptly invited them in for tea. Seto said no, and Yami agreed. Seto sighed and surrendered, giving in to his persuasive, gorgeous lover. When they got inside, Ryou offered tea and hot chocolate to his friends. The two spirits, along with Yugi and Joey, requested hot chocolate, but Seto accepted green tea, which Ryou also had a cup of. Bakura sat between Joey and Ryou, pleasantly sipping from his cup until a face popped into his mind. He nearly spit the liquid from his mouth, but he fought to swallow it, willing the image of Malik away. Without a word, he vanished back into the ring, leaving his empty cup sitting on the table. No one said anything, just took it as typical behavior, except for Joey and Ryou who knew better. They made conversation until Yugi fell asleep in Yami's lap then the three decided to go. When they left, Ryou called for Bakura to come out, but his spirit did not answer. He remained quiet in his soul room, occult deck in hand with a spread in front of him.

The cards bothered him. Trouble in the past and trouble in the future that was similar to the past. Surely Malik wasn't still around, and if he was, he would most certainly keep to himself, right? Distantly, he heard Ryou calling, and he sighed, tossing the cards in the air. When the cards fell, he turned, narrowing his eyes; the only card that had landed face up was the card that meant doom. He left the ring and appeared in Ryou's lap, kissing him on the cheek.

"Are you going to stay in the ring to sleep?" Ryou asked.

"No, are we sleeping now?"

Ryou indicated Joey, whose eyes were beginning to droop, and Bakura smiled, brushing his hand through Joey's hair. His eyes snapped open as he caught Bakura's hand with his good hand and pulled away, shaking his at Joey.

"Don't start something you can't finish, Joey."

"But I can!"

Ryou shook his head as well. "Rest, Joey, you're not up for something that demands that much energy."

Joey smiled and didn't argue anymore, only stood and walked into Ryou's bedroom.

"So, you both comin'?" Joey called.

~@~

Ryou insisted that Joey sleep between he and Bakura, and when the blonde teen tried to protest, Bakura pulled him down on the bed, forcefully but gently. He held Joey's back against his chest, but then Joey groaned, shifting uncomfortably. He rolled onto his back, and Ryou curled up onto his chest. Joey put his good arm around the British boy's shoulders, and Bakura placed an arm carefully around Joey, being mindful of his cast. The other two fell asleep rather quickly, but Bakura remained awake, staring at his two lovers, illuminated in the moonlight. He pressed a kiss to Joey's cheek and closed his eyes as he squeezed him tighter.

"Don't worry, Joey, I'll never leave your side. I'll always be around to protect and watch over you, Bakura mumbled before he fell asleep.

~@~

"Never is a promise and I can't afford to lie."

"And all my armour falling down, in a pile at my feet

And my winter giving way to warm, as I'm singing him to sleep."

~@~

End part II

First quote, beginning of the story, "Never Is A Promise"; the final two, end, are "Never Is A Promise" and "Pale September", in that order.

Yes Bakura is good at heart, but if you were shoved in a box and buried alive, you'd be nasty too. He is haunted by visions of Malik, and yes, he is very terrified of the return of his former partner...("...whispers of a nameless fear...")- a Scooby snack to the person who can tell me where that comes from.

On to part III...(and I lied, there are four parts, not just three!)

Oh, and before I forget, the song that's off-set by the ~ thingy is a song by a local band called National Green; the song is called "Restful Easy"...(Thanks to Aaron Childress and his band for writing it!)

For the readers: A treat next chapter if you like lemons, you'll really like it; but no worries, my fans, the plot will remain, this is not a pwp.