Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Rivaled Love ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter Four

Kaiba looked at his watch again. The bell was due to ring at any second and Yugi still hadn't turned up. He could see the worried glances that Jounouchi and the rest of Yugi's friends kept shooting towards the door and he found himself becoming frantic. Something just didn't feel right.

The bell rang and still no sign of his small koi. Kaiba found himself drumming his fingers impatiently on the desk, garnering a few unbelieving looks. He never normally did anything but sit there. Kaiba didn't care. Yugi always showed, he'd never missed a day of school yet, and he'd been fine the night before when Kaiba had left.

Kaiba sighed impatiently, glancing outside the window. He looked back at his watch. Time seemed to drag by. The teacher turned to glare at him when he sighed again, Kaiba turned an icy stare back at her, making her freeze and turn back to the board.

He looked back at his watch. Only ten minutes had passed since the last time he'd looked at it. Dammit Yugi. Where are you? The pencil in his hand snapped in half, bouncing along the desk to land on the floor. Some of the more braver students started to whisper amongst themselves. He glared at them. Silence reigned.

Another ten minutes passed, still no sign of Yugi. Kaiba growled, looking at his watch. The pupils closest edged away from him, leaning as far back as their desks would allow. Kaiba dropped the useless half of the pencil back on his desk and went back to drumming his fingers impatiently on the hard wooden surface. The teacher turned to tell him off, but stopped when he bared his teeth in a wordless snarl, his eyes glittering darkly.

He saw Jounouchi start to fidget out of the corner of his eyes and realised that for once they had something in common. They were both worried about Yugi.

Most of the rest of the lesson went by in silence, the teacher declining to call on Kaiba for any answers and the rest of the students behaved perfectly for fear of him turning that piercing glare on them. All in all it was a pretty quiet hour.

Finally the bell rang. Kaiba stalked out of the classroom to his locker, intending to use his cell phone to find out where Yugi was.

Jounouchi watched him go. Man, if he were a cat his tail would be twitching from side to side. I wonder what's gotten into him?

The students in the hallway parted like the red sea before the silently glowering youth. Many of them scattering out of Kaiba's way as soon as they glanced up. His whole frame emanated barely controlled anger. His eyes were almost black, flashing dangerously from the dimly reflected light in the halls.

He reached his locker, reining in the impulse to punch it open and be done with it. He was slamming it shut when a loud cry reached his ears.

"KAI-BA!!!"

~*~*~

Yugi didn't know how long he'd been lying there in the cold alley before coming back into consciousness, unsure as to what woke him. He tried to sit up, but realised he couldn't when his whole body lit up in fiery agony. He gave a half groan through his split and bleeding lip. Help. Need help. He thought, before passing out again.

~*~*~

Yami paced back and forth inside his soul room. Should I try to talk to them? What do I do? Yami paused. He felt so empty without the link to his hikari open. He sighed dejectedly. Maybe....one little peek won't hurt. I'll just check on him briefly, after all he can't do much if he's at school. And if he tells me to get lost, well.....I'll deal with that if it happens.

Tentatively Yami opened the link, surprised when he got nothing back. //Yugi? Hikari? Are you alright?// Yami gasped as he got a sudden wave of pain from his light.

Help. Need help.

Yami clearly received the jumbled thought before the dark one lost all contact with his other half.

With a flash Yami appeared outside Yugi's body. He looked around for his hikari until a groan got his attention. He glanced down.

"YUGI!!!"

The younger boy was a mess of bruises and cuts. One nasty one had split open his cheek, sliding down in a parody of bloody tears.

"No, oh no, Yugi. I'm sorry, so sorry." With a quick flick Yami pulled off his navy blue coat. He wrapped the small teen up in it, leaving Yami in his usual leather concoction. Damn. What do I do? Yami looked around and realised where they were. School. They have a nurses office.

Yami picked up the small boy effortlessly and carried him in the school gates. He heard the bell go as he walked up the steps.

Yami ignored the stares as he carried his hikari through the halls. He stopped one gaping girl long enough to get direction to the nurses office. He made his way there swiftly, striding through the open door.

"Hello!?" He called, surprised to see it empty of staff. There were four youths there. One not much bigger than Yugi, looked ill, the rest were bickering among themselves until they saw Yami. They looked at him curiously. After not much ever happened at school, so some relief from the monotony was welcomed.

A tall blonde nurse peeked around the door. She took one look at the bundle in Yami's arms and ushered him over to the treating room, motioning for him to lay Yugi on the bed.

"This is going to take a while." The nurse informed Yami when she got her first proper look at Yugi. "I'm afraid you're going to have to wait outside."

Yami gave her a sharp nod and left them in the small white room, not wanting to delay her treating his little love. He had a sudden thought. Kaiba. He had a right to know what had happened to the small teen, and he was probably worried when Yugi didn't turn up in time for his class.

He was out the door in walking down the hall outside when he realised that he had no idea whereabouts the tall brunette would be in the school. He was also only as tall as the lower years, even if his leather-clad body indicated his age to be somewhat older.

Yami scowled at the masses of teens in the corridor. Most of them stopping to stare at him. Some were even giving him hungry looks, as if he were a walking dessert. What? You've never seen leather and metal before?? Yami thought viciously. He glared at them. Fuck! I'll never find him like this. The svelte youth thought. He only had one option.

Taking a deep breath, he called out in his most commanding voice.

"KAI-BA!!!"

~*~*~

Kaiba spun round. He looked up, trying to see who would dare to shout at him like that. His eyes narrowed as the students parted revealing a shock of multi-coloured spikes. Kaiba stared.

"YAMI??!"

The dark one turned at the sound of Kaiba's voice, piercing him with a ruby glare. Yami stalked up to him, his leather-clad form moving with liquid grace. Kaiba drank the view of the dark spirit with reluctant appraisal. Yami stopped barely an inch away from the waiting brunette. He tilted his head back to stare the taller boy in the eyes.

"Well?" Kaiba drawled, making Yami narrow his eyes. "Why are you here? Where's Yugi?"

"Yugi's at the nurses office. I think he's been beaten." Yami watched as that sunk in.

"What!!?" Kaiba lowered his voice to growl at Yami furiously. "What the fuck do you mean 'you think'?"

Yami bared his teeth at the taller youth. "He was virtually unconscious when I found him. I had other things to do then to interrogate him."

"'When you found him'......when?" Kaiba ground out. His hands clenching into fists. "You were supposed to protect him!!" Kaiba roared. His eyes hardened to icy black diamonds. At that point, Yami realised how much he resembled his dragons.

"So I fucked up!" Yami roared back, eyes spitting fire at the taller youth. "Thanks to you I had other things on my mind. I didn't know my hikari was hurt. Do you really think I'd have let anything happen to him if I knew??"

"How would I know?" Kaiba spat at him maliciously.

Yami's eyes widened at the implication. A second later his hand was flying through the air. Kaiba caught his wrist before the slap could connect. He pulled the smaller boy towards him, twisting his captured wrist behind him as a prod. The tall brunette pulled Yami forward until their bodies were flush against each other.

Kaiba leant down. He whispered against Yami's ear . "I don't know you. Not like I know Yugi. Your very name is the epitome of darkness, Yami. How do I know what lengths you would go to to keep Yugi for yourself."

He paused.

"After all.....you were willing to kill me."

"Bastard!" Yami hissed back at him. "I would never hurt Yugi."

Kaiba gave a small half-shrug. He couldn't do much else with Yami pressed against him. "Maybe....maybe not. But he is hurt. And you weren't there."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"I know you want Yugi." Kaiba pulled back so he could look Yami in the eyes.

"And you don't? I know your type Kaiba. You can see Yugi's innocence and purity, and you want to own it, own him. Fucking him won't be enough for you. You'll end up destroying him."

"Neither of us are pure Yami, we've been molded by darkness, you can feel him calling out to you, can't you? He makes you feel warm, banishing all traces of the dark." Kaiba whispered seductively, trailing a hand down Yami's back, down over the curve of his spine. "You want him too. Want him to cry out your name in the heat of passion. You want to fill him, feel his hot, tight warmth around you. You want to lose yourself in him." He nuzzled against Yami's neck, hearing the large panting breaths the small pharaoh was trying to drag into his lungs at the images Kaiba invoked of his young light.

Kaiba released his hold on Yami's wrist, letting him jump back.

"Damn you Kaiba! Ra-dammed bastard! Damn you!" Yami panted, dizzy from Kaiba's overwhelmingly dark presence. Familiar and oh so tempting. Yami gulped down deep breaths between expletives. "You're nothing but a heartless bastard. You'll fuck Yugi and discard him. You don't care for anyone but yourself."

"You don't know anything Yami. I love him. He loves both of us. Not one more than the other. Equally. If you hadn't run away last night you would know this too." Kaiba crossed his arms over his chest.

Yami froze. "What!!??"

Kaiba nodded slowly. "Exactly. He doesn't belong to you or me Yami. He's chosen both of us. How much we hate each other is irrelevant. You were so busy shutting yourself down away from him that he couldn't tell you. Yugi has an amazing capacity for love. I'll admit that it was his innocence that drew me towards him, but the closer I got, the more I realised that it wasn't just skin deep. It shines out from his very soul. His warmth and compassion is unrivaled."

Yami closed his eyes. "I know. I've seen it. I've seen his soul. It.....he's amazing. I can't lose him Kaiba. He freed me from the darkness. I love him so much it feels like every breath I take when I'm not with him is laced with knives." Yami opened shadowed crimson eyes.

Kaiba recognised the look. It was the same one that had greeted him every time he'd looked into a mirror. The same hollow feeling he got every time he'd thought about the small violet-eyed boy. At least now he knew that Yugi loved him, banishing part of that ache. Yami hadn't known. Kaiba felt a sudden kinship with the dark spirit. He sighed, rubbing a hand through his thick chestnut locks. He stepped forward and enfolded the smaller youth into a comforting hug, surprising himself. "I know." Yami froze at the contact before accepting Kaiba's gesture.

After a few moments Yami reluctantly extracted himself from Kaiba's embrace. "We should go to Yugi." Yami whispered. He looked around ruefully. "Maybe we should have been selling tickets." He said, nodding his head back at their audience.

Kaiba sighed when he realised the spectacle he and Yami had made. With a wry smile he told the spiky-haired youth. "Between you and Yugi my reputation is being shot to ribbons."

Yami raised a brow at that, declining to ask. He'd worm it out of Yugi later.

Kaiba wrapped an arm around Yami's waist, holding the boy close. All anger fled. Yami exhaled softly, not bothering to pull himself out of it. It actually felt quite nice. He felt a tug at his waist.

"C'mon. Yugi. Nurses." Kaiba pointed out.

Yami nodded, leaning against the taller boy as they made their way to their love.

~*~*~

Yugi opened his eyes to a kind blonde framed face, warm green eyes sparkled at him. He groaned.

"Where am I?" He looked around. Lying back down as he recognised the room.

The nurse gave a wry grin. "I see you recognise the place."

"Yeah. I've been here enough times before." Yugi gave her a small smile. "You're new aren't you?"

She grinned. "Yep. Started 'bout a month ago."

The door opened. "Hello Yugi." Came the chirpy voice.

"Masani-san." Yugi greeted the small, brown-eyed brunette nurse. She'd been with the school for as long as anyone could remember. As attested by the small streaks of grey starting to show.

Masani gave him a grin. "Has Becka been taking good care of you?" She asked, coming to stand beside the bed.

Yugi raised a brow at the blonde. "Becka?"

Becka nodded. "It's short for Rebecca, but everyone calls me Becka."

Yugi nodded his understanding. "Who brought me here?" He asked. "Last thing I remember I was in the alley outside the gates."

"Oh some boy who looks like you brought you in. I told him to wait outside." Becka replied.

"Boy....looks like me???" Yugi paled, the blood draining from his face. Yami? But how? Why? If he brought me here, why didn't he stop the attack? Does he hate me? He scolded himself mentally. Baka! You know he wouldn't do something like that. He probably re-opened the link too late to help.

The two nurses looked on in dismay as the mention of the other boy made Yugi pale.

"Yugi?" Masani asked quietly, halting the boy's thoughts. "Is there something wrong? Did that boy do this?"

Yugi shot her a horrified look. "NO! No, Yami could never do anything like that to me." He lowered his head. "We had an argument yesterday, he stormed off. I thought something had happened to him. I wasn't expecting him to be the one to bring me here. That's all."

"Is...is he still here?" Yugi asked.

Becka turned. "I'll go check. Do you want me to let him in if he is?"

"Onegai."

Becka nodded and left. Masuni pulled up a chair and sat down beside Yugi. "How do you feel?" She asked kindly.

"Sore. Bruised." He gave a small shrug, wincing slightly.

Masuni shook her head at him. "You were pretty lucky considering. Nothing is broken, but you've got some nasty bruises on your arms, legs and back. One of your ribs seems slightly bruised, but we don't know for sure. That cut on your cheek may scar, but if it does it won't be more than a silver line. You probably won't even be able to see it once it heals. You don't seem to have a concussion, but you will need someone to keep an eye out for you. I don't want you falling asleep by yourself tonight alone either." She frowned. "I also noticed that you had some bruises on your wrists that have been taken care of."

Yugi flushed. Remembering how he'd gotten them. "Yeah, um, they were from a little disagreement I had with someone. It's been taken care of now though." Yugi gave Masuni his most innocent blink.

She sighed and gave his hair a ruffle, dropping the subject. "Get some rest and you'll be right as rain in no time. We'll write you out a prescription to help with the pain, just make sure you stay away from any strenuous activities. Okay?"

Yugi nodded. "Hai."

They heard a commotion outside. Masuni opened the door and stuck her head around the frame. The voices came through loud and clear.

"If he's going in then so am I." A familiar voice barked out.

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait. I'll ask him first. If he agrees then you can go in."

"It's okay. Yugi will want to see him." Another familiar voice.

Masuni shut the door. Blocking out the voices. "You stay here, I'll go see ab..."

The door flung open. A seething Seto Kaiba stood in the doorway, Becka trying in vain to pull him back. His arctic blue eyes shot to Yugi, sitting on the bed. "Yugi! Tell her to let go."

Yugi grinned. "It's okay Becka. You can let Seto-kun go." She dropped his arm. Backing away when he snarled at her.

The tall brunette stalked up to the bed where Yugi was sitting. Yami a bare second behind him.

"Seto, Yami." Yugi greeted. He ducked his head when he said Yami's name, not quite knowing where he stood with his dark half.

"Oh Yugi. Koi. I...sorry." Yami held out a hand towards Yugi for a second, pulling it back uncomfortably when he realised Yugi wouldn't be able to reach from the bed.

Kaiba sat down next to Yugi and folded him into a hug. He tilted Yugi's head up and gave him a gentle kiss. Yugi wound his arms around Kaiba's neck, returning the kiss with his whole body. When Kaiba pressed Yugi's smaller frame towards him, Yugi let out a half scream. Kaiba jumped back. "Yugi??!"

"Sorry." He rasped out. "Bruises."

Yugi held out his arms to his other half. "Yami?" He asked softly.

Yami went eagerly into Yugi's smaller arms, holding him gently. Yugi kissed him, making him jerk in shock. He suddenly remembered what Kaiba said in the halls. He loves both of us. Not one more than the other. Equally. He leant into the kiss, gently returning it, feeling tears prick at his eyes.

//I love you. My little light.//

/Yami. Koi. Don't leave me again. Please./ Yugi begged down the mind-link. Yami could feel his sorrow.

They pulled apart reluctantly. Yugi gave Kaiba and Yami a warm smile.

Masani cleared her throat. The three boys jumped, startled. They hadn't noticed she was still in the room. She gave them a cheeky grin. "Glad to see you boys are friends." She said, making Yugi blush and Kaiba and Yami stiffen.

Yugi glanced at Kaiba and Yami curiously. They hadn't said a single nasty thing to each other since they'd walked in, and the hostility he'd noticed yesterday seemed to have muted. They were standing shoulder to chest (on account of Yami's height) next to each other rather than the half a room they'd seemed to try to keep between them the day before.

Yugi grinned to himself. Maybe there was hope for his two loves yet.

"Hey guys! Mind if I join the party?" All heads turned to the door.

~*~*~

Tbc...

~*~*~

Oh my God do my hands hurt! ::whimpers piteously:: Poor, poor fingers.

This triangle is getting *really* hard to maintain. Not that I mind a challenge, but sometimes my mind feels like it's trying to explode. All ideas are appreciated!