Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Not a Kid ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter 4

 

`Funny how life is' Mused a slightly melancholy Kouga `I left to grow up, to be mature enough…all for him. But did it work? Before, five years ago, I didn't feel this uncertainty, this unreasonable fear to face them all.' Sighing bitterly, he turned his eyes to his left and gazed out the small window of the private plane that was soaring several thousand feet in the air `Sure, I'm more independent than ever now, people take me seriously and treat me with respect…men and women drool over me, getting aroused at a mere photo of me…' At the last thought he smirked a bit `But is it enough?'

 

Leaning back in his luxurious seat, he looked around. The jet was really something. It wasn't the biggest or the most expensive one they had, but it was Kouga's personal favorite. Its interior was mainly in black and silver, his, and thus the band's signature colors. There were several more seats that looked more like comfy leather armchairs than plain seats, and a medium sized table between them. The floor was covered with a plush, soft black rug and various silver decorations were littering the surrounding area.

 

The people occupying the room were all asleep, some snoring softly. Jojo was spread over the laps of Mathew and Dan, the younger of the two's legs serving as a pillow, while the older was supporting the blonde's feet. All three looked content and happy. Jonathan was half sitting, half lying on another seat, a blanket covering his legs and the papers he'd been going through littering his lap. He, too, was napping and mumbling incoherently about contracts to be signed and meetings that needed his immediate attendance.

 

Kouga smiled softly at the scene, an expression that was rarely seen on his face `Whatever the case may be, one thing I'll never be sorry about, is meeting those four. They let me into their company, accepted me as me…' Closing his eyes, he let himself be carried away by the fond memories…

 

It had been hard. Harder than anything else he'd ever had to face, leaving Japan and his friends (even if they never saw him as anything more than a child), his yami…But it had been something that had needed to be done. Knowing that he'd had his grandfather's approval had helped him immensely.

 

Seto had done well on his promise. He'd settled in the small, but comfy apartment provided for him without much hassle. He'd been offered much more spacious and expensive choices, but he'd declined. After all, he'd wanted to blend in at first, and a teenager living on his own in a luxurious apartment hadn't seemed as the best way to do so.

 

He'd had a few days to get himself comfortable with his surroundings before he started his new school and he'd decided to use them to permanently cut off his ties to his previous identity. If his friends decided to look for him, his appearance would have helped them. Tri-colored hair wasn't a very common trait, after all. So he'd decided to go for something just as flashy, but at the same time - different. The blonde bangs had been dyed their exact opposite, silver, and the maroon tips of his spiky hair had been chopped off. The work hadn't been much, but the end result had been astounding. Without the maroon tips, the black in his hair had really stood out and accentuated beautifully the silver bangs, falling slightly in his eyes. He'd looked completely different. He'd decided to keep his leather and black fetish, both because punk was a common look in the US, and as a reminder of the man who held his heart.

 

His new school had been OK. There hadn't been any troubles to speak of and the bullies had backed off once his self- defense classes had started to pay off. He'd been determined to be at least able to protect himself by the time he returned home. He hadn't made any friends to speak of, but there had been on- Jojo…She'd been the only one to approach him and say `Hi' at his first day. They'd been close since then. He' come to love her happy-go-lucky personality, it had reminded him so much of the person his friends and yami had expected him to be. She'd shown him around the city, taken him to the beach, introduced him to the wonders of night life in Miami…He'd discovered that loud music, grinding bodies and dim light helped somewhat dull the pain in his heart. The thick, hazy air and the smell of sweat and musk had been a welcome distraction from the melancholy thoughts that had plagued him at the time.

 

The job that Seto had arranged him though had come as a bit of a surprise. He'd been stationed as an assistant of one of the most influential record dealers in the music world, the boss of BAM studios himself- Jonathan Stevens. It had turned out that he had been given the position as a personal favor for Kaiba. `Assistant' had in reality been a flashy name for delivery-slash-coffee-and everything-else boy, but Kouga (as he had been known to everybody for some time now) hadn't complained one bit. The job had provided him with enough income and it had been in an area he'd loved his entire life- music.

 

He had written lyrics for as long as he could remember, it had been his way to get rid of any negative energy and thoughts. And although nobody, not even his once-soul-partner had known of his little secret, he'd been pretty good at it. No one who he'd known in his previous life would have connected the melancholy and often times down right depressing music and lyrics with his usually happy and hyperactive personality, but then again, not many had known (or acknowledged) the real him. In any case, he'd been thrilled to know that he'd be working in an environment so closely related to his favorite hobby. Still, nothing could have prepared him for what had followed.

 

He'd liked to take his music sheets with him to work to help relieve himself when the moments of homesickness would strike. It had been another relatively boring day, though he hadn't had the heart to complain, his boss Mr. Stevens (or Jonathan, as he'd been told to address him) and him had gotten along quite well. He'd been sent to retrieve some documents from the copy room and he'd just been rounding a corner, when he'd bumped into something hard and fallen flat on his behind. The music sheets he'd brought with him from home had spilled out of his open messenger bag and littered the entire area. Looking up, he'd seen a pale face, eyes covered by sunglasses and eyebrow quirked slightly up. He'd allowed the young men help him up and mumbled an apology, trying to gather his lyrics from the floor. The person he'd bumped into hadn't answered him and Kouga had glanced his way to find him holding a familiar piece of paper and gazing at it intensely. The next thing he'd known, he'd found himself being dragged by his arm straight into his boss' office by the strange man, whose name Kouga had later found out was Mathew Dimons, a guitarist who'd recently left his own band.

 

And thus, `Darkness' Light' had been born. Kouga to this day couldn't get himself to believe how random and unbelievable his luck had been. He'd been asked by Jonathan to try singing one of the songs he'd written, and although it had still needed to be polished, the result had impressed the record dealer enough to give him a chance. Kouga had thus been properly introduced to the stoic Mathew and his rather shy twin brother Daniel (or more widely known as Dan), the former a guitarist, and the latter a synthesizer player, both seasoned musicians. They'd worked together for a long time and had had the necessary experience to make up for his still undeveloped talents. After unsuccessfully holding auditions for a drummer, Kouga had complained to Jojo in a moment of desperation, earning himself a wicked smirk from the girl. He'd then been literally dragged by her all the way to the studio, where she'd proceded to show him that hyperactive nature and a good pair of drums equaled a new member of `Darkness' Light'. In other words, Jojo had found her place in the newly formed band.

 

Kouga's lyrics, his band mates' incredible talents with their respective instruments, and Jonathan's amazing skills at introducing newbies to the music world, had all come down to the creation of their first album, `Somewhere I Belong'. It had become an instant hit, their first singles taking siege of the charts. Kouga had soon found himself chased by reporters, critics and fans (girls and boys) and proclaimed a sex god (thanks to several growth spurts, the intense Miami sun and his almost daily workouts at the gym) by magazines and questionnaires. It had become hard to get to school without being overwhelmed by mobs of rabid fans. In short, `Darkness' Light' had been an overnight success. Tours, interviews and concerts had followed, keeping Kouga's days busy.

 

But at night the memories and feelings had returned with a vengeance. Tossing and turning in his empty bed, he'd been haunted by visions of ruby red eyes, smooth, tan skin and the smoldering heat of hot breath on his lips. His link with his yami, his love, had been closed off since he'd left, but that hadn't gotten rid of the memory of that single, desperate kiss on that fateful day. He hadn't been able to sleep or even close his eyes without being assaulted by the hot, spicy taste of Atemu's lips he'd caught only briefly. It had gotten to the point that he hadn't been able to concentrate on his work and had worried his few new friends. They had gotten very close for the short time they'd been together, Kouga being the glue that held them. Thus the rest of his band had sent Mathew as their messenger. Surprisingly enough, he'd been the only one to get him to open up. Not even Jojo had had the cool presence of mind and patience the stoic man had when it came to dealing with Kouga. The young vocalist, when cornered, had finally broken down and cried his heart out, ashamed at the weakness he'd shown. Mathew had simply held him and listened to his incoherent babbling, never once accusing him of anything. That same night had been the first time they'd slept together.

 

Their relationship had been passionate and unexpected, but not unpleasant in the least. Mathew's touch, his kisses and caresses had helped Kouga forget for at least a moment the intense red he'd wanted to see in place of the guitarist's amber gaze. His at-the-time lover had been by his side, comforting him in his own stoic way when he'd faced his small circle of friends and told them the story of a boy named Yugi Mutoh and the golden puzzle he'd solved. Mathew had helped ease the pain on the lonely nights, when the memories became too much. But their relationship hadn't lasted long. Right after the release of their second album, Kouga had decided to end it. He'd felt that he'd been unfair to his band mate. He'd realized that Mathew had started developing feelings that had been too deep for him to return. He'd cared deeply for him, yes, but he' known that his heart hadn't been his to give away. Mathew had known it too, and understood his reasons. Kouga had just been glad that their friendship hadn't suffered the break up of their intimate relationship. The aloof and detached guitarist had always reminded him of Kaiba, what with his overprotective nature when it came to his brother and his stubborn refusal to show his feelings. He'd cherished even that small piece of home he'd found in this foreign land.

 

Later on he'd had other lovers, though none of them had lasted longer than a few weeks. He'd never been able to forget Atemu and a part of him was glad for that. He'd always tried to keep in mind that all of his hard work, in the end, came down to gaining his yami's acknowledgement. His new family had understood and supported him, although Jojo, Dan, Jonathan and Mathew hadn't been thrilled at how his former friends had treated him.

 

During this entire time, Kouga had kept in touch with life in Domino City through his grandfather and Seto. He'd been told that after his departure things had gotten quite hectic. Atemu had been devastated. A frantic search party had been organized and Kouga's former friends had apparently participated. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), no clue had been found on his whereabouts. Kouga had had trouble getting the last part, since Seto had been cackling maniacally when he'd described the search party's futile attempts. It had seemed that the young CEO had enjoyed watching the show. Kouga had confirmed once and for all his long time suspicions- Kaiba was indeed a sadist. After a few months, the search party had given up. The only thing that had kept Atemu from sinking completely into his depression had been the knowledge that even though the mind link had been blocked, his hikari was at least alive. That and the light's vague promise to one day return.

 

Sugoroku had been instructed to keep quite and under no circumstances reveal that he'd known of his grandson's departure. Kouga had kept his word and written his grandfather weekly, reporting his progress. The letters had been signed using his new identity, so there had been no danger of anyone making the connection between Sugoroku's apparent lack of worry for his only living relative's disapearence and the constant flow of letters. The old man had been extremely proud of him when he'd heard of `Darkness' Light' and the band's success and had even managed to attend his graduation. He'd covered his absence with an archeology dig for Atemu's sake. Even Seto and Mokuba had visited a few of his concerts. If possible, the younger Kaiba had grown even fonder of him. Mokuba now worshiped the ground he walked on and was probably the band's greatest fan. He'd been thrilled when he'd finally gotten to meet the rest of Kouga's friends. Needless to say, Seto hadn't been very happy with his little brother's newly developed taste in darkly colored clothes (which Yugi thought was a bit hypocritical, considering that all the young CEO wore under his light trench coat was black).

 

`All in all' he summarized, coming back from the world of memories `Life has been relatively kind to me so far.' Glancing at his still slumbering companions, he thought fondly `If anything, I got to meet these four. My family…'

 

The plane jolted slightly and Kouga heard the pilot announce that they'd be soon landing. The announcement woke up Jojo, who rolled over sleepily and tumbled to the ground from her position on Dan and Mathew's laps, groaning softly. Mathew just cast her a look, lifting an eyebrow, while Dan worriedly asked the dazed blonde if she was OK. Jonathan meanwhile was frantically trying to stuff some documents in his briefcase.

 

Kouga chuckled softly to himself, turning back to watch the rapidly approaching land of Japan out the window as the plane descended `Yup, definitely glad to have meet those four.'

 

Later, as he finally stepped out of the airport, surrounded by hoards of screaming fans and reporters, he felt a reassuring hand land on his shoulder, squeezing gently. He turned and was met with the site of a pair of black shades.

 

“You're ready. I know you are.” The steady belief in Mathew's voice caused him to inwardly smile. On the outside, he just smirked and replied.

 

“It doesn't matter now does it? Ready or not, here I come!” He looked around Mathew and saw Dan and Jojo staring at him with proud and confident smiles on their faces, and Jonathan trying with all his might to help the airport security keep the rabid fans away from the band.

 

Kouga knew that no matter what was in store for him, he'd get through it with the help of those people, those people that were like a second family for him. His doubts and hesitations evaporated like a drop of water under the scorching Egyptian sun.

 

“Let's go.” And with that, he headed for the black limo waiting not far away.

 

`I'm back, Yami. I'm back.'

 

 

Well, another chapter done. Please, review and tell me what you think. Next chapter I'm thinking of having Seto make an appearance and maybe move up the inevitable confrontation between yami and hikari. How about that?

 

For all those who reviewed my fic, a BIG `Thank you'! I enjoy your opinions immensely! It's good to know what people who read my story think. You inspire me, people!

 

P.S.

Criticism, advices and ideas are always welcome!

 

Disclaimer:

I DO NOT OWN YU GI OH! There, happy now?! Sobs miserably Now look what you did! The tears are blurring my vision and I can hardly type! Whaaaaaaaaaaa!