The Path of Vengeance

The room was softly lit by the morning light seeping through the translucent curtains over the massive bed. The teen’s eyes slowly cracked open, caustic dryness making the effort substantially more difficult than normal. A low moan came from his mouth as the cramp in his neck registered with his brain.

With sudden realization of his whereabouts he jerked awake, blinking rapidly. “Shit,” he whispered. He tried to massage the kink out of his neck as his eyes came to rest on a sleeping Kaiba. The CEO appeared to be resting peacefully.

Tristan sat up in his chair next to the bed, wincing as his back cracked loudly. He cursed himself for falling asleep and rubbed at his burning eyes. The stress, along with the physical exhaustion, had begun to take its toll on him. It felt like his brain was trying to make an escape attempt through his temples.

He sat back in the chair with a groan. He couldn’t afford sleep any more than he could afford school. It was just another worry to heap on the ever-growing pile of anxiety. The only comfort he had found in the past week was Kenji and his willingness to put his life on hold for the Kaiba brothers. If that wasn’t loyalty he didn’t know what was. Though he wasn’t one to understand loyalty. Not anymore.

A disheartening sigh blew past his lips and he leaned forward, resting his torso on the bed. One hand reached out and stroked Kaiba’s hair lovingly. All of the anger he had felt upon learning of his lover’s transgression had been consumed by the crippling fear of knowing that he’d almost lost him.

So much of who he was lived in his bond with the millionaire. Before they had entered into their relationship his life had been a series of bad choices coupled with an unconcealed disregard for himself. Self esteem had been something that to him had existed only in magazines by the rich and famous.

Kaiba had changed his outlook on so many things. The confidence that he exuded could be felt for miles around. It drew Tristan like nothing else. Despite his own reservations and reflections of self-hate Kaiba had taken the time to see through his walls and the pattern of under achievement to the issues that lay deep within. He’d taken in a broken soul and fused it with his own, rendering them inseparable.

Even now.

He believed Kaiba’s side of the story unconditionally. His boyfriend was a lot of things but compulsive liar was not one of them. If there was something the CEO didn’t want to disclose he simply kept silent.

As much as he didn’t want to think about it, he had to wonder what Yami and Joey’s reaction would be to finding Yugi’s duel deck on the doorstep of the game shop. He knew that the only way to link it back to his lover was through Bakura. Though if the asshole had half a brain he’d never disclose that to the group.

With an exaggerated yawn, he rose to his feet. He placed a tender kiss on Kaiba’s forehead before slipping out of the room to check on Mokuba.



Ryou looked at Yami’s outstretched hand, his brow furrowed in confusion. He recognized the box as Yugi’s but couldn’t understand Yami’s reaction to it. “Yami?”

Yami kept his head down. “Ryou, this was one of the things Bakura had stolen from him. I found it on the doorstep. Someone left it here last night.”

“What? Bakura had taken it?”

“Yes.”

“How did it get back here?”

Yami shook his head. “Obviously the tomb robber is closer than I thought.”

“But…that’s not possible…” Ryou whispered.

The pharaoh finally raised his eyes. “What do you mean ‘not possible’?”

“He’s not here,” Ryou revealed. “He’s not in Japan.”

“You’re sure?”

Ryou nodded. “I’m positive.”

Yami reached out and squeezed Ryou’s hand. “I trust you.” He looked back at the deck box. “Don’t tell Yugi that I have this,” he said. “At least not until we have more answers.”

“I won’t,” Ryou promised. After a moment he spoke again. “When is Yugi’s new therapist supposed to be here?”

“In about an hour and half.”

“Why don’t you go check on him?”

Yami nodded. He brushed his knuckles across Ryou’s cheek before pushing off of the wall and heading back inside.

Ryou remained on the cool pavement. His mind raced frantically. He knew without a doubt that Bakura was nowhere near Domino. Even though he didn’t know exactly where, the weakened link between them testified to the belief.

But who then would have left such an obvious calling card? And whoever it was, were they doing so under Bakura’s instruction? It scared him to the core that someone else could be involved in his yami’s madness.

Well there was only one way to know for sure.

/Bakura?/

//…//

/Bakura!/

//What?!?//

/I um, need to ask you something./

//So ask.//

/Did you have someone leave Yugi’s duel deck at the game shop last night?/

//…//

/Bakura?/

//Yugi’s deck is at the game shop?//

/Yes./

Laughter flowed through the link. //What a fucking pussy!!!!//

That wasn’t the reaction Ryou was expecting. /What?/

//Don’t worry, hikari, I had nothing to do with that.//

/Well, who was it then? Was someone else involved?/

//Yes, and I’m not telling you who.//

/Gods, Bakura, how can you be so cruel? Whoever this person is could still come after Yugi!/

//Not likely. Don’t worry about that. I told you, I got my revenge.//

/Who was it, Bakura?/

//I’m sure if you look hard enough you can figure it out for yourself.//

/…was it Marik?/

//No.//

/I have no idea then./

//That’s not my problem.//

/…fine. Um, thanks for your honesty./

//No problem. I gotta go.//

/Okay…um, Bakura?/

//What?//

/I…miss you./

//Good to know.//

The link was cut, but not before Ryou felt the smile.

With a heavy sigh, he walked back inside. He found Yami on the sofa in the living room. “Where’s Yugi?”

“Getting dressed. He kicked me out.”

“Oh. Hey, Yami?”

Yami looked up. “What?”

Ryou sat next to him, one hand resting on the pharaoh’s knee. “I talked to Bakura. He said that whoever it was, we don’t have to worry about them coming back.”

“And you believe that?”

“Yes.”

Yami seemed to mull the information over for a moment before smiling down at the teen. “Good. Thank you.” He debated telling the teen of his plan to track down the brazen accomplice but decided against it. The less Ryou knew of his intentions concerning revenge, the better. His eyes rested on the pale face that looked up at him adoringly. He leaned in and claimed Ryou’s lips.

Ryou’s hand rose to tangle in the spirit’s hair. His action was met with a low moan and he melted into the deepened kiss, granting Yami’s tongue access to his. Faint stirrings began in the pit of his stomach at the contact and he whimpered softly.

Yami felt the teen’s hindrance slowly dissolve away, his responses growing more and more desperate. His hand slid under the back of Ryou’s sweater, his thumb stroking the smooth pale flesh beneath.

Gasping for air, Ryou broke the kiss. His lips descended on the creamy skin at the crook of Yami’s neck and shoulder. The pharaoh’s scent overwhelmed his senses, the spicy aroma drawing him in, pulling him closer. With a burst of courage he rose onto his knees and crept carefully into Yami’s lap, straddling his hips.

“Ryou,” Yami moaned as the teen brushed up against the bulge in his loose-fitting pajama pants. Almost against his will, his hands moved to cup the teen’s ass, pulling him closer.

Ryou arched his back, his arousal making contact with Yami’s. His small hips began a slow involuntary thrust and he fused their lips together again, barely audible whimpers sounding from deep within his throat.

The teen’s small mewls and the hand tangling in his hair worked together against Yami’s self-restraint. The battle rose to dangerous heights as Ryou’s pace quickened, his breath hot against the spirit’s lips. Before he lost all hope he pulled back. “Ryou,” he breathed huskily.

Ryou blinked at him through lust filled chocolate eyes. “I’m sorry,” he breathed.

Yami shook his head. “No,” he replied. “Don’t be sorry. We just need to stop now before I can’t.”

Ryou smiled as the meaning behind Yami’s words sunk in. As much as he hated to do it he carefully returned to his previous seat, blushing furiously as Yami’s eyes lowered to his crotch. “Um, I’ll just go check on Yugi.”

“You do that,” Yami replied, desire raging through his voice.

Ryou kissed him one more time before disappearing down the hallway.

Yami released a shaky breath and struggled to will his body into a state of neutral calm. There wasn’t one part of him that didn’t want to make love with the teen but he also knew that he didn’t want their first time to be on the sofa of the Mutou living room with the very real threat of being walked in on.

A low growl of frustration slipped from his throat and he stood up, heading into the bathroom. A cold shower, he feared, would do little to end his torment but after having been celibate since his entrapment and through the year since he’d gained physical form he was no stranger to manual labor.


“Marik, there might be a problem.”

Marik looked up sharply from the pile of folded clothes he’d been meticulously working on. “Oh Ra, what now?”

Bakura sat in the armchair next to where the blonde sat on the floor. He’d spent the past forty minutes since his conversation with Ryou in deep thought. He’d come to realize and come to terms with the very real threat of being caught by his adversary. Things were being set in motion now that could not be undone. Not that he would have changed his mind even if he could have. “Kaiba punked out. Yugi’s deck showed up on the doorstep of Yugi’s grandfather’s shop. Ryou knows that there was someone else involved.”

Marik’s eyes widened. “Oh, fuck. What now?”

Bakura shook his head. “It’s not really an issue yet,” he said. “It may not even become one. But if Kaiba and the fucking pharaoh join forces then we’re going to get found.”

“No,” Marik said insistently. “I don’t give a shit how powerful that bastard is, I’m not letting the pharaoh find you.”

Bakura blinked. The passion in the blonde’s voice had thrown him off his guard. “Marik,” he said slowly. “I don’t want you getting hurt over this. It was my choice, not yours.”

“Come off it, Bakura. The second I decided to come with you it became my problem.” He stuffed a pile of shirts into the black canvas bag.

“Marik, get serious. This is getting dangerous. The longer you stay the deeper involved you get. You know the pharaoh won’t hesitate to destroy you as well.”

The blonde sat up sharply. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Are you saying that you want me to leave?”

Bakura lowered his eyes. “Yes,” he affirmed.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Marik, you have to go while you still have a decent enough name to get away. If you stay with me you’ll just end up another statistic on Yami’s fucking blade. I lived through that bastard killing the people I cared about once. I can’t do it again.”

The brutal honesty in the statement did not go unnoticed. “I’m not leaving,” Marik said matter-of-factly. “You can’t do this alone, Bakura. You shouldn’t have to.”

Bakura stood up and walked to the doorway. “I’m not asking you to leave,” he said. “I’m telling you to.”

Marik hurled the shoe he’d been preparing to pack with deadly accuracy, aiming for the thief’s face. Bakura’s reflexes were the only thing that prevented him from getting hit. “You can’t make me go.”

“Marik, come on. Think about it. What’s in this for you? Even if we do somehow manage to elude them what kind of existence will you have inherited? Constantly dodging the pharaoh and Kaiba?”

The blonde shook his head, his cheeks red with anger. “I’m not doing this for me, you stubborn son of a bitch.”

“Then why? What reason do you have?”

Marik closed the distance between them and grabbed Bakura’s shirt collar. His arm cocked back and before the tomb robber could react his fist connected with Bakura’s jaw, spinning him in nearly a full circle and knocking him to the floor. “I fucking love you, that’s why, you ignorant cunt.”

Bakura stared up at him from the heap he’d landed in. “What?”

Marik turned away, picking up the painstakingly folded clothes and cramming them furiously into the bag. “I’m not leaving,” he said, ignoring the question. “So you’d better get used to having me around.”

The thief slowly got to his feet, his rapidly swelling cheek forgotten. “Marik…” The blonde didn’t respond. “Marik, stop. Look at me.”

“There’s nothing to say, Bakura. Just get your ass ready to go.”

Bakura grabbed the Egyptian’s wrist. “Don’t do this,” he said. “You can’t just say something like that and then shut yourself off.”

Marik finally met his gaze. “What else do you want?”

Bakura brought a hand to the tanned cheek. “You,” he replied. A kiss softer than he thought himself capable of ensued. At its completion he stepped back. “Finish packing. I’m going to get dressed.”

Marik watched his back disappear through the doorway. He shook his head, unable to believe what he’d just confessed. He finished packing the bag and tossed its strap over his shoulder. Though he was still angry, he was having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that Bakura was willing to go on alone into uncertainty rather that risk harm coming to him. No one had ever held him in such regard. Though nice, it was somewhat unsettling.



Yugi sat comfortably in his sofa sleeper nest, blankets and pillows piled high around him. He listened with more than a bit of nervousness to the calm voice of his new therapist, Reiko. She’d insisted that he call her by her first name, trying to establish a level of trust early on.

“Yugi, I just want to ask you a few standard questions,” she said soothingly. “Anything you feel uncomfortable with you just tell me and we’ll move on to another subject, okay?”

Yugi nodded. “Okay.”

The attractive doctor picked up her clipboard. Her inky black hair was twisted into a low ponytail and she wore a casual pair of blue jeans with a modest white t-shirt. “Have you ever seen a therapist before?”

“No,” Yugi replied.

“Before the incident, did you have any problems with your physical health?”

Yugi shook his head. “Not really. I had chicken pox when I was in the third grade.”

Reiko smiled. She pointed to a small scar on her right cheek. “Second grade,” she revealed. “How are you doing in school?”

The small teen smiled. So far she seemed very nice. “Okay,” he replied. “I’m passing all of my classes.”

“Good for you,” she said earnestly. “Do you have many close friends?”

Yugi’s entire demeanor immediately brightened. “I do,” he replied. “Joey, Tristan, Tea, and I have been friends for a long time. We’ve been through a lot together.”

Reiko nodded, scribbling furiously on her notepad. “And what about the gentlemen in the other room? Are they your friends as well?”

“Yami’s like another part of me,” Yugi said with an uncharacteristic smirk. “And Ryou…he’s just amazing. His, um, brother…uh...the one who…attacked me…he hurt Ryou too. But Ryou is nothing like Bakura.”

Reiko nodded thoughtfully. “You sound like you have a great admiration for Ryou.”

“I do. He’s a lot stronger than he thinks he is.”

More scribbling. “What about your family?”

“Grandpa is the best. He taught me everything he knew about Duel Monsters.”

“A game you’re quite good at as I understand.”

Yugi blushed. “Yami is better than me.”

“Don’t be modest now. You’ve won quite a few competitions. Yami can’t make that claim.”

It took almost all of the small duelist’s strength not to laugh. “I guess you’re right.”

Reiko smiled. “So who lives here with you?”

“Grandpa and Yami.”

“Do your friends visit a lot?”

“Yes. Ryou spent the night last night. I don’t think Yami wants him to go at all.”

“And why is that?”

“Ryou is Yami’s boyfriend.”

“I see. And how does that make you feel?”

Yugi shrugged. “As much as I hate to say it they are perfect together.”

Reiko raised her eyebrows. “Yugi, do you have feelings for one of them?” The teen looked down. “It’s Ryou, isn’t it?”

“Ryou?” Yugi looked up. “No.”

“I see. Does Yami know of your feelings?”

Yugi nodded. “Yeah. I told him the night before…this happened.”

“And what did he say?”

“He told me he had feelings for Ryou.”

“And did that hurt?”

Yugi thought a moment. “Yeah, it did. I was mad at Ryou. I didn’t know at the time that it was Bakura who was making him treat Yami like crap.”

“And how do you feel about Ryou now?”

“I trust him,” Yugi said immediately. “You know he used to look like Bakura’s twin. Then he dyed his hair black and said he did it for me so I wouldn’t be scared of him.”

“How thoughtful. Had his appearance been making you uncomfortable?”

“A little,” Yugi replied sadly. “But only when I wasn’t expecting to see him.”

Reiko nodded. “And now?”

Yugi thought a moment. “I think he looks great,” he said finally. “Even though I’m kind of sad that he felt like he had to change.”

She flipped to a new page in her notebook. “Change can sometimes be for the best though, Yugi.” He nodded. “Let’s see…do you smoke?”

“No.”

“Drink?”

“No.”

“Ever taken drugs?”

“No.”

“Excellent. You obviously care for yourself very well.”

“Grandpa says that stuff will kill you.”

“And he’s right,” Reiko agreed. “Let me ask you, Yugi. Do you think you need therapy?”

“I don’t know…maybe.”

“Have you discussed with anyone the particulars of what happened?” Yugi shook his head. “Why not?”

His small frame began to shake visibly. “Because I don’t want to remember. And Yami will go after Bakura.”

“Do you not want Bakura to be harmed?”

Yugi blinked. He hadn’t thought of that. “No,” he said after a lengthy pause.

“And why is that?”

“Because I don’t want to be like him. I don’t want his blood on my hands.”

“You think Yami would kill him?”

“In a second.”

“Does that bother you?”

Yugi spoke carefully. “Yami grew up a lot different from most people. Where he’s from he was considered, um, royalty. Right and wrong weren’t as clear for him.”

Reiko tapped her pen against her lips. “Do you think he would ever hurt you?”

“Not for anything in the world.”

The fierceness of the response was obvious. “Good,” she replied. “But do you think that Bakura should just be permitted to run free?”

Yugi almost laughed. “It would be impossible to imprison him.”

“How do you figure?”

“He’s a master thief. There’s nowhere he can’t escape from.”

“Even a maximum security prison?”

“Well, he’s not used to modern locks and surveillance so maybe.”

“Modern?”

Yugi winced. “Um, he’s from the same place Yami is.”

“So then Ryou is as well?”

“Well, no…it’s complicated.”

“Okay, that’s a perfectly acceptable answer.” She wrote some more in her book. “What about Ryou? Does he still talk to his brother?”

“Yes.”

“And yet you trust him?”

“Yeah.”

“That shows quite a bit of loyalty on your part.”

Yugi nodded. “He wouldn’t let Bakura hurt me again.”

“But what if he was powerless to stop it?”

“I trust him,” Yugi said again. “He wouldn’t let me get hurt.”

“I’ll take your word on that,” she said with a soothing smile. She opened her briefcase and shoved her notebook inside. “I think that’s enough for today. I’ll be back the day after tomorrow and we can talk some more. Is that okay?”

“Yes,” Yugi nodded.

“Great. Here’s my card,” she went on. “It has both my office and cellular phone numbers on it. If you ever feel like you need to talk, at any time day or night, you give me a call.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Yugi smiled. “Thank you.”

Reiko nodded. She stood up and shook Yugi’s small hand. “I’ll see in two days.”

Yugi watched her leave and flopped back on the pillows. That had gone a lot better than he’d anticipated. He’d expected to be probed and prodded about what happened with Bakura. She’d barely touched on it. What a relief.

___________________________________________________________________________________________
That's it for 17. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. You all kick ass. And don't worry...I'm sensing some Yami/Ryou lovin on the horizon. Oh yeah...can't wait for that...