Unbreak My Heart

Author’s Note: Okay, here’s the second chapter. I didn’t expect to have it finished so quickly, but Draconyx can be quite motivating when she wants to be. Anyway, I hope the readers will enjoy this.



Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the characters or YuGiOh. If I did, Yami and Yugi would be locked in my bedroom and errr….well, I think most of you know. I just like to play with them and let my muse have fun.





Chapter Two: Remnant



Téa made her way up the stairwell, listening for the sound that had drawn her away from the group that was waiting for her downstairs. She almost didn’t recognize the voice, which told her that the one who was giving voice to his loss was someone she wasn’t too familiar with. And of the three of them, that left only one person.



The door opened quietly, and Téa realized that her suspicions were correct. Marik was curled up in a corner of his room, holding a pillow tightly to his chest. His face was curtained by a waterfall of gold hair, hiding his expression from the girl standing in the doorway. The pose he had settled into was one of abject despair, and the emotion radiated from every tense muscle as it held him in that position.



The next sob he emitted pulled the girl from her thoughts, and she moved quickly to his side. With a gentle hand, she pushed his hair away from his face and her breath caught in her throat when lavender eyes met hers. The mix of loss, pain, and sorrow made her heart clench, and she did the only thing she could think of to help him.



Marik didn’t fight her as she wrapped her arms around him, encircling him with a gentleness he’d only seen from very few people. The scent of honeysuckle drifted to him as he laid his head on her shoulder.



When he’d done so, Téa managed to fight back her surprise. This was the one person she didn’t know that well yet and hadn’t been sure if he’d allow her to comfort him in this manner. Her arms tightened slightly, and she hummed a lullaby that her father used to sing to her when she was a child.



The blond haired hikari relaxed somewhat, instinctively knowing that he was in a safe zone for the moment. Something about Téa reminded him of Isis and he clung to the offer of comfort, struggling to push the memories of the day out of his mind. He was keenly aware of the bond that had been severed when Malik had walked into that doorway. It was like an open wound in his mind, filling him with pain.



The sobs seem to deepen, and Téa reacted the only way she knew how. She ran gentle fingers through his hair and rocked him as a mother would her child. The humming continued, hoping that it would help soothe the distress that was filling the young man in her arms.



How long they stayed like that, the dancer didn’t know but her actions seemed to help him. His body eventually went limp and the quiet regularity of his breathing told her that he’d drifted off to sleep.



Téa held him for quite some time, wondering how she was going to get him into a more comfortable position. Right as her back began to cramp, help came and it was more than welcome.



“You all right, Téa?”



She answered his quietly spoken question in an even softer voice, not wanting to wake the sleeping hikari in her arms.



“I’m fine, Tristan. He finally fell asleep a little while ago.”



Carefully, Tristan picked Marik up and laid in him the bed beside Ryou and Yugi. The blond haired teenager never woke as he was moved, and Téa gently brushed back the hair from Ryou’s face before following her friend downstairs.



“Is everything all right?”



The sapphire eyed teenager slumped in a seat as she answered Duke’s question. She was tired and wanted to sleep but knew that she couldn’t just yet. There would be a lot to deal with soon.



“It was Marik. I managed to get him calmed down. He fell asleep before Tristan went up there to check on everything.”



Seto leaned back against his chair, his gaze still focused on something outside. His voice was calm though, telling the listeners that he wasn’t worrying too much about things just yet.



“It’s to be expected. I imagine Yugi and Ryou will be following the same pattern before much longer.”



Isis sighed, hoping against hope that the hikaris would be able to handle the grief that would color their days. That Marik had expressed his emotions loud enough to be heard downstairs was not a good indication that things would be going well for any of the three boys. She muttered a soft prayer in Egyptian for them, begging the gods that the path they had been set upon would be made easier for them somehow.



As the conversation continued downstairs, a pair of amethyst colored eyes opened and stared at the ceiling. A small hand habitually went to his neck, seeking out the chain that had held the puzzle, but went back to lay on the mattress when he found nothing but material. The comforting weight was gone, leaving the young duelist with nothing to hold on to as he struggled with the memories of the day.



Yugi’s hands fisted, his nails digging into the soft flesh of his palms. He was jerked out of his thoughts when a gentle hand took his and a soft voice called his name.



“Yugi?”



Turning his head, he found Ryou laying next to him. Warm chocolate colored eyes were watching him closely, and the tri-colored haired teenager wondered if his own amethyst eyes reflected the same emotions he found in the other hikari’s gaze.



“Ryou?”



“It’s not just a bad dream, is it?”



Yugi shook his head. He wished it was a bad dream, that he’d wake up in the comfort of his own home and hear Yami wishing him a good morning. However, the painful absence of his other only continued to confirm the excruciating reality that this was not a bad dream and that nothing would ever be the same again.



The silence only confirmed Ryou’s question and the white haired hikari gave a soft sob, placing his free hand over his mouth to keep it from being heard. Despite that, Yugi heard it and was able to free himself from his own emotional turmoil to give the hand he was holding a comforting squeeze.



“I guess you two are awake, huh?”



Knowing that Ryou was in no condition to answer the other voice, Yugi responded to the question.



“Yeah.”



The once cheerful voice was flat and almost monotonous, and it nearly gave Marik a cold chill. He knew how Malik’s departure had affected him, and the Egyptian hikari could only guess at the damage that had been done to Yugi and Ryou.



He was pulled away from his thoughts as Ryou sat up and curled himself into a tight ball. His usually soft voice was almost harsh as he called out the name of his now absent soul partner.



“Bakura.”



Marik sat up as well and leaned against the headboard. Once he was comfortable, he pulled Ryou into his arms. The smaller teen didn’t fight him, needing the contact. The smaller teenager laid his head on his friend’s chest and let the sobs overtake him.



“It hurts, Marik.”



“I know, Ryou.”



“I want ‘Kura.”



Yugi sat up and sat beside his two fellow hikaris. As badly as he was hurting, he knew he had to do something for the suffering Ryou. He laid a gentle hand on his back and began rubbing in soothing circles, trying to block out the memory of Yami doing this to him after the many nightmares.



“I wish I could bring him back to you, Ryou. I know you want him back. I want Yami back too. I don’t know what to do to make this pain go away. We just have to do what we can to survive this.”



Ryou could only sob, knowing that his friend was right. Both Marik and Yugi had to be hurting as badly as he was and it was almost too much for the gentle hikari to take.



“Why does it have to hurt so much?”



There was no answer to that question. To be honest, there was no need for an answer as all three of them knew why it was hurting so much. The answer only made them cling to each other in hopes of giving and receiving comfort of some kind.



When Seto opened the bedroom door an hour later, he was greeted with the sight of the teenagers holding on to each other. Even though they were awake, the silence told the CEO that there was a lot running in their minds at the moment.



“I’m glad you’re awake. We need you three to come downstairs.”



The tone he’d spoken in allowed them no room for protest. It was obvious that Seto was determined to get his own way and the emotional hikaris simply had no strength to fight, even if they had wanted to.



The dark haired duelist waited as they climbed off of the bed and then led them to the living room. He was keenly aware of the tear stained cheeks of Ryou and managed to swallow back the concern that was building. Right now, plans had to be laid so that the boys could begin the healing process in a familiar place. Sympathy could come later.



Soft sighs of relief were barely heard as the group of friends saw who was accompanying Seto. No one had been certain if they would be awake when the CEO had volunteered to go check on them.



Yugi, Ryou, and Marik sat down on the couch that had been vacated for them. Chocolate colored eyes were focused on the floor. Yugi stared at his hands, while lavender eyes just watched the group aimlessly.



Joey’s voice broke the almost awkward silence. For once, the normally rambunctious tones had been subdued and colored with concern and affection.



“Guys, we wanted you to come down here because we had a couple of questions for you.”



Yugi looked up for a moment and gave a faint nod. That was all the encouragement the group needed. Duke took up the reins of the conversation, giving the others time to regroup from the shock of seeing their friends acting like this.



“We think it’s time to go home. Honestly, I believe it’s a good idea. The last thing you need is to continue to stay here with the memories. We want to know what you think about this?”



Ryou took Yugi’s hand again, taking comfort and offering it at the same time. Both of them knew that this was for the best, even if it did take them away from the place where they had last seen their soul partners.



“You’re right. We should go home.”



At the white haired teen’s answer, the tension seemed to break for a moment before Isis moved to sit on the coffee table. She leaned forward and gently cupped her brother’s face in her hands. His eyes focused on her for a moment and that focus seemed to get sharper when she began to speak.



“I know that things have been rough for you, Marik, and I do not want to separate you from your friends. I will not hold you here, little brother. Your friends have offered for you to go with them and in my heart, I believe that it would be the best course of action for you.”



Marik’s voice was almost too quiet but Isis, who was still leaning close to her younger brother, heard his question.



“You would let me go?”



“For you happiness, little brother, I would do anything. I know that there is nothing but painful memories here, and I will not hold you here. I can’t join you in Japan yet but as soon as I get things arranged here, I will come. You have my word on that.”



“Then I want to go.”



At that answer, Isis nodded and hugged her brother. She knew she had made the right decision, and the prayer she had uttered earlier was once again offered within the quiet stillness of her heart.



When he’d heard the blond haired Egyptian’s answer, Seto pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and began making the call that would set everything into motion and take the group home. There was a lot of healing to be done, and the first step had barely been taken.



Author’s Note: I hope you all enjoyed this. I’m going to start on the next chapter. Please leave a review and let me know your opinions on this! Flames will be dealt with via the rabid wombat system.