Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Seraph ❯ Chapter 10

Warning: Tendershipping with Ryou seme

 

This is AU, seriously so

 

:blah: = hikari to yami telepathy

 

-blah- = yami to hikari telepathy

 

Yami loved it when he was invited into his aibou's soul room, it was warm, alive and vibrant, where his own was dark, cold and dead, just like him. But he always felt just a little bit guilty about being there when Yugi was awake, even with his aibou's permission. He'd been tempted to play up how much he was hurting after Yugi had practised those nerve pinches on him, before Yugi had started practising, in the hope of being invited here, but he hadn't needed to. It had hurt a lot more than he'd expected, and there'd been a residual ache until this morning. He was still determined to play practise dummy for his aibou, but he felt almost betrayed that Shadow had understated the after-effects so much. Still, when Yugi had realised how much strain his practising had put on Yami he insisted that the spirit sleep with him in his soul room, even sharing the bed, although Yami would have been content with the floor, and ordered him to stay there while he went to school, wearing the weighted wrist and ankle bands as instructed.

 

Yami mentally shrugged, and cuddled deeper into the pile of blankets and stuffed animals his aibou had made for him, reminding himself tactilely that he was supposed to be here, that he wasn't stealing anything more from his aibou by being here and watching what was happening through his aibou's eyes. He watched as his aibou went through his morning routine, and set off on his way to school, all perfectly normal, despite the extra load he was bearing, but then things changed when he saw Shadow. Seraph wasn't with him, for a change, but he seemed to be looking for Yugi and his friends, since a smile lit his face as soon as he saw them.

 

“Yugi-dono. You were concerned about Rukaiya yesterday, and her former master, Solar. We can't do anything to set your mind at ease regarding Solar, but I had thought that if you came to eat with us after school today you could feel reassured that we do not abuse Rukaiya at least.”

 

“Does she cook as well as you do Bakura-kun?” Shadow reacted almost modestly to Anzu's compliment, letting his gaze fall to the floor and lightly biting his lip, while I could feel my aibou's slight anger at the question delaying his chance to talk to Shadow alone.

 

“It isn't directly comparable, but her style of cooking tastes very good, it's just exotic by your standards, possibly more so than what I cooked the first time you visited.”

 

“Sounds good. Count me in.”

 

“Me too.” Of course Yugi would never express the impatience he felt at Jounouchi and Honda's enthusiastic responses.

 

“It would be nice to have someone to do girl talk with.” Anzu sounded almost wistful, and Yami remembered on their `date' that Yugi had insisted they have she'd mentioned her lack of girlfriends when he'd been talking about his aibou.

 

“Sure. Bakura-san. I want to talk to you, alone.”

 

“As you wish Yugi-dono.” Shadow led Yugi over to a sheltered corner of the schoolyard and it occurred to Yami that perhaps he wasn't supposed to hear this either.

 

-Aibou, do you want me to go back to my soul room and not watch this?-

 

:No, just stay where you are.: Then Yugi turned his attention to Shadow. “Why did you lie to me?”

 

“I...I don't understand. About what?” The pure shock on Shadow's face told Yami at least that he was telling the truth.

 

“Those nerve pinches you so helpfully diagrammed for me. Mou hitori no boku was in pain right up until this morning. Did you want him crippled? Have you just been pretending to give up on your schemes Tomb Robber?” Yami was torn, he loved it that his aibou wanted to defend him, but at the same time...he wasn't sure that Shadow was to blame.

 

“I...Seraph has forbidden me to try to get vengeance for my village. I would never risk defying him. But...I don't understand, the nerve pinches never hurt me that much - although I expect my pain threshold was higher than the Pharaoh's even before Seraph gave me this body, and the pain's always faded inside half an hour at the outside.”

 

-Aibou, I think he's telling the truth.-

 

:Maybe, but...: He pushed Shadow away from him, starting to turn away. “You should have explained that to start off with, in full detail.”

 

--0--

 

Bakura bit his lip as he watched Yugi walk away from him. He hadn't expected that virulent attack on him, hadn't even realised that Yami would be hurt by Yugi's practising on him, and he had to wonder just how long he'd practised for if Yami had been hurting for so long. The Pharaoh's hikari was changing, even if he didn't realise it, becoming stronger and more like Seraph, more like the one Bakura had modelled his behaviour on - at least in part - when he challenged Yami over the Puzzle.

 

He shook his head, dismissing the vague worries he was feeling; even if Yugi did start to mistreat Yami it was his right as the holder of the Millennium Puzzle, and Bakura didn't have the ability or the right to interfere. But...he could provide Yugi with an alternate practice dummy, perhaps...

 

“What happened Shadow?” He realised too late that he'd been walking almost in a daze as he thought about Yugi's reaction, and his response to Seraph's words betrayed that. He'd spun to meet the apparent threat, eyes wide in shock, telling Seraph that he'd only just noticed him, and that meant he was going to be punished. Bakura swiftly cast his eyes down, trying to avoid making Seraph any angrier.

 

“I invited Yugi-dono and the others to eat with us this evening and they accepted. But then Yugi-dono demanded to speak with me alone. He did some practice with those nerve pinches, on Yami, in his soul room, and he said Yami was in pain from them for most of the night.”

 

“I'll be punishing you for your lack of awareness when we get back from school. Do you think your student might decide not to practice if he knows that he's hurting his precious Yami?”

 

“I...don't know.” Before Seraph had announced the truth of what they were Bakura would have said `yes' without hesitation, but now? And Ra! He was going to be punished while Yugi and his friends were there to hear it, perhaps even see it, although he didn't think his failure quite merited that particular humiliation. “I'm pretty sure that Yami will want him to keep on practising though. And I had an idea about that...”

 

“Tell me.” They'd reached the classroom by then, and Bakura had a feeling this conversation was unlikely to be overlooked much longer. Apparently Seraph thought the same. :Mind to mind.:

 

-Yes Seraph-sama.- They still had time before class actually started, and they both busied themselves setting up before the teacher arrived so no one would be too suspicious at their silence. -I thought perhaps, since you had decreed that Solar was not to Work for at least six months, to get him more accustomed to his new place in life, we could put him to use in another way.-

 

:Another way...you mean lend him to Yugi as a live-in teacher?:

 

-Well, more as a practice dummy for now, perhaps later a sparring partner.- Bakura didn't like contradicting Seraph, but he had to. -Do you know if he's any good at actually teaching, Seraph-sama?-

 

:No, I don't. He's never taken any sort of pupil so how could I know?:

 

-That's a bit surprising really, given his rivalry with you. Perhaps that means he tried to teach someone in secret and screwed up?-

 

:Possibly I didn't think of that. We could question him about it later perhaps. Anyway, you had a good idea about lending him to Yugi. It would be another pointed lesson in his place too. But you'd have to give him very specific orders, about obeying Yugi and his family, and I think I should make sure to pay them enough money to cover his needs and a bit more. I'm not certain about their financial situation except that we're one hell of a lot better off than them, and it would be wrong to make him a burden. You can propose the idea to Yugi when they come over tonight and I'll discuss it with the mother and grandfather.: They'd finished setting up their desks by now, so they didn't have that for cover, but Bakura glanced up at Seraph, smiling at him gratefully.

 

-Thank you, I will.- Then he blushed and began to read through the next chapter in his textbook, to get a better idea of what he'd have to deal with during class. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Seraph was doing the same.

 

--0--

 

Yugi smiled at Ryou and Bakura as they joined him and his friends for the walk to their house. They almost never actually walked on the ground like normal people, preferring to roofhop and it was considerate of Ryou to decide they should accompany them. Anzu cornered Bakura as they walked, asking him about Rukaiya, her interests and that sort of thing. Honda and Jounouchi were asking about Rukaiya too, but about how good a cook she was, and what she looked like instead.

 

The woman who greeted them was frankly stunning, darkly exotic with lush curves and pure black hair and eyes. She was wearing dark red, a tunic with a neckline that exposed her cleavage and loose pants that fastened at her hips, exposing her narrow waist.

 

“Rukaiya, entertain our guests for a while. I need to deal with Shadow in private first.”

 

“As you wish Seraph-sama. If you will accompany me sirs and madam?” Yugi blinked in surprise at that, and Jounouchi and Honda had a weird look on their faces, as if they were asking `who, us?', but they all followed her into the main room.

 

“Anzu-san, Shadow-dono informed me that you are a dancer, would you care to have me dance for you all?” She turned to look at the boys then. “I can promise you that my dancing always pleased Solar.” Her smile was promising things that Yugi was sure he was too young for, and Yami seemed to feel the same way.

 

“Yeah!”

 

“Sounds good.”

 

“Please.” The three boys spoke almost simultaneously.

 

“What sort of music do you need?” Anzu was paying attention to the technicalities.

 

“I don't actually need music if one of you can keep a rhythm clapping Anzu-san, but I can get a CD if you'd rather that.”

 

“Please do.” Yugi didn't want to listen to clapping in a specific rhythm if music was an option - and besides his hands always hurt if he clapped for too long, so he expected that other people's hands would too. She glanced at him measuringly for a moment, then nodded and moved to kneel by the music system, pulling out a CD, putting it in the machine, and setting it to a specific track.

 

“I'll be dancing to the next track, I just started with this one to give me time to get into position.” She seemed to be half apologising, and she picked up a scarf from the table near the door, fastening it around he hips as she spoke. “Anzu-san, the dance I am trained in is intended to please men, but it started as something to do while we women waited for our men to return from their battles and such.” She shrugged gracefully, and her explanation seemed to mean something to Anzu.

 

Then Yugi heard six cracking noises, and from the way they jumped so did everyone else - except Rukaiya, she was acting as if those sounds were normal.

 

“What was that?”

 

“Seraph-sama must have felt the need to punish Shadow-dono for something.” Rukaiya replied to Jou's question absently, focused more on the music than what she was saying. “The song's starting now.”

 

-Aibou, when Seraph comes back please ask him why he `punished' Shadow.- Yami's mind voice was urgent, and Yugi agreed without hesitation, the sounds he'd just heard suggested that maybe Yami was right in his worries. Then Rukaiya's dancing distracted him.

 

:She's incredible, really sexy.:

 

-Yes aibou, she is. I expect she had to be from what Shadow and Seraph said.- He ignored the overtones of worry coming through their link, and focused on watching Rukaiya dance, so hard that he didn't notice when Ryou and Bakura came back into the room, both wearing yukata. He only realised they were there when he looked around after the dance finished to see Ryou sitting on an armchair with Bakura kneeling at his feet.

 

“She dances well, don't you think Anzu?”

 

“I-it's not a style I know, but...it's beautiful.”

 

-Ask him now aibou, please.-

 

:All right.: Yugi gave in to Yami's request, he had a feeling the spirit would just nag him if he didn't. “Ryou, we heard some sounds before Rukaiya-san started to dance. She said you were punishing Bakura. Why?”

 

“I startled him at school today.” Ryou didn't say anything else, it was as if he thought that was all the reason he needed to hurt him.

 

“That's it?” Yugi couldn't believe what he was hearing, and the others seemed just as shocked...except for Rukaiya.

 

--0--

 

They all seemed so shocked...didn't they understand how vital it was for any Adept to be alert at all times, even an Adept Consort? Any Adept should be past needing reminders like the one he'd just given Shadow, but Ryou admitted, if only to himself, that he hadn't been as good as he should have been in encouraging proper awareness...he'd let at least one occasion when Shadow had been cornered by bullies pass without reprimand.

 

-Perhaps they'd take the explanation better from me Seraph-sama?-

 

:Go ahead then.: Ryou stroked Shadow's hair, waiting to see what he was going to say.

 

“An assassin cannot afford to lose awareness of what's happening around him, if he does it could well kill him. Because he startled me when he spoke to me just after we had spoken together Yugi-dono, while I was thinking about what to do to help your problem, Seraph-sama knew that I hadn't noticed him. That could have been fatal if I was Working, or back in Egypt raiding a tomb, so I should have known better. I had no reason to lose awareness of my surroundings and deserved my punishment.”

 

“Oh!” Yugi and Anzu looked blank, and slightly uncomprehending, but Jounouchi and Honda were nodding in understanding. “Mou hitori no boku thinks that makes sense.” There was a frown on Yugi's face as he passed the message on, and Ryou got the feeling there was something else he wasn't saying, but what difference did it make? Yami was his property, and he should feel lucky that Yugi was willing to trouble himself to pass on his words like that even incomplete.

 

“I don't need anyone's approval, as long as you all recognise that I have the right to do as I wish with Shadow, but it is nice.” Ryou didn't need their approval, but he did want to have friends, and their understanding why he needed to discipline Shadow sometimes would help him keep them. Time for a change of subject anyway. “Yugi, you were complaining to Shadow about how your practice with the nerve pinches affected Yami?”

 

“He was still hurting when I went to bed.” Yugi glared at Shadow, and his Consort let his hair fall to cover his face as he bowed his head. “You said it wouldn't hurt him for more than half an hour at most.”

 

“How long did you spend practising, and did you give him enough time to recover between the pinches?” The blank look on Yugi's face told Ryou that the child hadn't even considered that. “Never mind. Shadow came up with an idea to keep you from deciding not to practise anymore. We'll lend Solar to you, with strict orders to obey you and your family, and not to hurt them in any way. That is as long as we can persuade your family to permit him to live with you. I will pay your family enough to cover his needs.” And a bit more, which should help the case.

 

“That way you'll know I'm not abusing him Yugi-dono. And truthfully he is a better choice of victim for you to learn nerve pinches on that Yami is.” Shadow's voice was quiet, and respectful, but firm too, and Ryou stroked his hair gently in approval.

 

“I...if you can get Kaasan and Jiisan to agree. Why's he a better choice?” At least Yugi had agreed.

 

“Because he knows how to do these nerve pinches, like all Adepts he heals faster than normal people and knows how to use his ki to heal even faster, and he knows how long he needs to recover between pinches.”

 

“Right.” Yugi looked almost ashamed of using his yami however it would serve him best, then he got the look that told everyone he was communicating mentally with Yami, and he seemed to cheer up.

 

“Rukaiya, what exactly had you planned on cooking for us today? I know you went shopping for the ingredients even before we left for school.” Shadow's quiet voice seemed to be enough to distract them.

 

“Lamb-stuffed quinces Shadow-dono, and walnut pastry with honey syrup as desert. I can adapt most of the meals I know hw to cook for the rabbit and venison you favour, but this is different.”

 

“You haven't done anything with any of the fish or the birds have you?” Ryou enjoyed all the ways Shadow cooked different things for him and he wanted to know why Rukaiya had limited herself the way she had.

 

“Not yet. I don't know what to do with the fish but I just haven't had the chance to do anything with the birds.”

 

“Well show us what you can do with birds tomorrow then.” Ryou shrugged, and watched as she went to do something in the kitchen.

 

--0--

 

Yugi couldn't quite believe how quickly Ryou had managed to persuade his mother and grandfather to let Solar live with them, and he didn't want to know how. But he would need to know what sort of cover story Ryou'd decided to use to explain Solar's presence. He hadn't even seen this rival of Ryou's yet, so after school he waited to meet Ryou and Bakura, instead of leaving with his other friends.

 

“Solar's at my house, we'll get there quicker if we roofhop and I carry you. Do you mind?”

 

-Aibou, do you think that's a good idea?- Yami sounded worried, but...

 

:I trust Ryou mou hitori no boku.: Yugi smiled at Ryou and nodded. “Go ahead. But what about my bag?”

 

“Shadow can take that.” Yugi hesitated, then handed the bag over to Bakura and let Ryou pick him up. It was terrifying when Ryou carried him as he leapt from roof to roof, and Yugi couldn't understand how Bakura could have enjoyed being carried the way he obviously had the first time Ryou had mentioned doing this. But Yami seemed to understand it from the hint of envy coming through their bond, and Yugi pushed him into control in his place. Ryou didn't say anything until they got to his house, and saw Solar waiting in the main room for them. Yugi couldn't see his face, since it was mostly covered by the almost golden hair tumbling to cover it, but he was kneeling, hands clasped behind his back and head bowed submissively.

 

“Solar, get up and look at Yugi-dono.” Bakura's voice was quiet, Yugi's gasp when he saw how beautiful Solar was sounded louder. He was just under six feet tall with a swimmer's build and he had high cheekbones, full lips and eyes as golden as his hair. “You are to obey Yugi-dono and his family without question, and you may not attack or hurt him, his family or his friends unless it is in sparring - and then nothing more than bruises, or to avoid damage that would take more than a week to heal.” Yugi wanted to protest, but Bakura seemed to sense that and turned to him. “I know that I'm being over cautious, but Solar has made too many attempts to hurt Seraph-sama for me to risk leaving him with any loophole he could use against you would be too dangerous. Oh, and you are to defend him if he is attacked in any way you can defend against in your presence. Do you understand your orders Solar?”

 

“Yes, Shadow-sama.” The words seemed almost dragged from him, and with a little prompting he repeated his orders, an expression of pure hatred on his face.

 

:Bakura's going a little far don't you think mou hitori no boku?:

 

-I don't know aibou. I don't think I'd trust him around you without those orders, I know I'll be alert to any danger from him even with them.- Yami sounded hesitant to disagree with him, but he still did, and Yugi knew he had to listen to Yami's worries.

 

“Take your shirt off so I can finish setting up the cover story Solar. Rukaiya, you have packed for him as I specified haven't you?” Ryou turned to the woman as Solar obeyed, pulling off his deep green shirt to reveal bruises that spanned ages from a week to two days old. Yugi couldn't help but gasp at the sight. Bakura stepped up to Yugi, taking hold of his arm when he was about to go over to Solar.

 

“Don't Yugi-dono. None of those bruises are more than a day old, he heals fast, and can speed his own healing anyway. We needed a reason for him to live with you, and this is what Seraph-sama came up with.” Since Ryou had just broken Solar's ribs from the sound of it that wasn't very reassuring. “Rukaiya, get the bag you packed for him and the bandages.” And now Ryou had his hands on Solar's chest, doing something.

 

“What did you come up with that you have to beat him like this?” Yugi couldn't believe how callous his friend was being, it wasn't the Ryou he knew.

 

-But it is Seraph, did you really think he could have turned Bakura into Shadow without being brutal? He told us about defeating Shadow in more than one fight and how he's a killer, he sounded almost proud of it.- Yami sounded surprised that Yugi had faith in Ryou, but he brushed that off.

 

“Yugi-dono, you don't need to know.”

 

“No, you don't. It would be suspicious if you knew. But I expect your mother will tell you a little, and then you can ask him about what the cover story is.” Ryou's voice made it very clear he didn't expect any questions, and Yugi reluctantly accepted it.

 

--0--