The Path of Vengeance

Yeah, so I've been gone for awhile. Read my live journal if you want to know why :).


A/N: I don't own Disneyland. Gods, if I did...



It had been Bakura’s idea to take an evening trip on their second day in California. He’d come to the conclusion that after all of the recent upset they could use some fun and relaxation. The clerk at the front desk of their hotel had suggested that they visit Disneyland, claiming it to be the “Funnest Place on Earth”. They had rented a car with Odion’s driver’s license and took turns careening through the streets into Anaheim.

Neither of them were altogether pleased with distance they were forced to park from the main entrance. However being on their own and without a guide they were unaware of the complimentary monorail ride and thus embarked on the two and a quarter mile hike to the gate.

“So what exactly is this place?” Marik asked after they’d been granted entrance.

Bakura unfolded the map the cashier had given him. “I’m not sure,” he replied. “But it must be pretty fucking amazing for all these people to be here.”

“Well let’s start walking and see what looks good.”

They walked arm in arm through the park, both pointing and laughing at the various costumed employees and the patrons posing with them. Nearly fifteen minutes later Marik stopped. “What’s up with all of these lines?”

“I don’t know,” Bakura replied. “Maybe for a snack bar?”

“Oh yeah, I’m starving. Come on.” He led them to the end of the nearest line.

Bakura rolled his eyes. Waiting in line was not something that he was used to. “Fuck it, let’s sneak to the front.”

Marik chuckled. “I know I left my wallet up there,” he declared in a loud voice.

Bakura smirked. “Come on let’s go ask if they have a lost and found.”

Seconds later they were at the front of the line. “What the fuck is this?” Marik whispered.

Bakura stared wide eyed at the water. They were on some sort of a dock. He watched in shock as the man and woman in front of them were ushered onto a boat that had conveniently pulled to a stop next to them.

“Hey pal, you’re up next!”

The pair exchanged a weary glance. “Up next for what?”

Another boat came to a stop and they were forced to board to avoid getting trampled over by the teenagers behind them. No sooner had they sat down before the attendant walked up to them.

“Lift your arms, please,” he said.

“Where the fuck are we?” Marik asked, his arms held high.

“The Pirates of the Caribbean,” the clerk replied, rolling his eyes. He dropped the lap bar into place, locking the yami’s in their seats.

“We’re going to die,” Bakura stated. “Say your farewells now.”

“It’s not scary, mister,” the small boy behind them said.

“Maybe not for you, you little shit,” Marik growled under his breath.

A very uncharacteristic scream sounded from both of them as the boat lurched forward, away from the dock. The sights and sounds however drew their attention and soon they sat together in awe of the scenes that unfolded before them. Cannons fired into the waters right next to them and their boat plummeted down steep waves. Both sat in rapt silence, their hands linked together, thoroughly enjoying sights neither had ever even dreamed of witnessing before.

All too soon the ride came to an end. They stepped back into the sunlight.

“Holy fucking Ra that was the coolest thing ever.”

“You’re not kidding ‘ya bloomin’ cockroacher’,” Bakura quipped in a dreadful pirate voice. He held up the colorful park map. “There’s still more.”

“Cockroacher!” Marik doubled over with laughter. “Gods, Bakura, don’t do that.”

Bakura chuckled. “Come on, Ishtar. We’ve got a million more of these things to try.”


Ryou kept his eyes averted as the doctor reset the bones in his boyfriend’s hand. Yami had refused any sort of numbing injections or anesthesia, wanting to be as awake and alert as possible later that evening when Tristan arrived, despite the fact that the x-rays revealed that the pharaoh had fractured his wrist in two places.

“Sweet fucking Isis,” Yami hissed, tapping into pure strength of will to keep from reclaiming his hand from the doctor’s ministrations. He’d decided against holding on to Ryou’s hand through the ordeal, not wanting to break his bones as well. Instead he grasped the metal frame of the chair he was sitting in, focusing his energy on trying to bend the arm.

“Don’t try to move your hand,” the doctor instructed. He carefully fitted a white sock-like Stockinette over Yami’s hand before meticulously wrapping several layers of soft cotton material from the middle of his hand to the center of his forearm.

“How long will he have to wear the cast?” Ryou asked curiously, his hands resting on his boyfriend’s shoulders now that the worst was over.

“Four to six weeks,” the doctor replied. “Mr. Mutou, do you have a preference in color for your cast?”

Yami blinked. “Not especially.” He watched in fascination as the doctor pulled several rolls of navy blue fiberglass gauze from the cabinet above the sink.

“You’ll feel the casting material heat up as it is applied,” the man explained. “That is perfectly normal. Don’t make any movements with your hand or wrist.”

Ryou could tell that Yami was nervous. He didn’t blame him. This was the first time he’d ever been treated by a modern physician. He gently massaged the pharaoh’s shoulders, trying to convey a sense of calm into him.

Nearly fifteen minutes later the doctor took a step back. “We’re finished,” he said. “It will take about ten more minutes for the cast to set completely and then you’ll be free to leave. I’ll send in my nurse with your aftercare instructions.”

“Thank you doctor,” Ryou said, shaking the man’s hand.

As soon as the physician left the room Yami looked up at his boyfriend. “What is this thing?”

Ryou smiled. “It’s a cast. It keeps you from moving your wrist so the bones have time to heal.”

“You mean I have to wear this thing for up to six weeks?”

“I’m afraid so.”

Yami frowned. This day just kept getting worse.



Three and a half hours from the departure of the delivery boy and Malik had barely moved from his position on the sofa bed. He and Yugi had watched two more movies and were halfway through the third.

“Hey, Malik?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks for staying with me.”

“No problem,” Malik replied. “But I do have to go home and take a shower today.”

“You can take a shower here,” Yugi replied. “Yami’s clothes would fit you if you wanted clean ones.”

Malik blinked. “Me wearing the pharaoh’s clothes? I’d never live it down.”

Yugi smiled. “I guess not,” he replied. He was insanely curious to know what it was that Malik knew about Yami that made his nose wrinkle with such distaste but at the same time was petrified of the possibility.

“Don’t look so down,” Malik chuckled. “I can always come back if you want.”

Yugi blushed. “I didn’t mean…I meant…I wasn’t sure…”

A gentle laugh came from the blonde. “Don’t worry, I’ll just ask Isis to bring me over a change of clothes.”

Yugi’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Sure.”

The small duelist looked down at the blankets. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

“When have I ever been mean? You know, when Marik wasn’t in control.”

“You haven’t,” Yugi replied. “But this is different.”

“How so?”

“I don’t know,” the teen said, shaking his head. “Never mind.”

Malik raised an eyebrow. “Would it put you more at ease if I acted like Marik?”

“NO,” Yugi said emphatically. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’m trying to say…”

“Don’t go getting all weepy on me,” Malik said, trying to put the smaller teen at ease. “If my being here makes things easier for you then count me in.”

“But what about Marik?”

“Marik? I’d be more worried about Yami. You know he’s not going to like me staying again.”

Yugi sighed. “I think Yami will be grateful that he can spend some time alone with Ryou.”

Malik placed his fingers beneath Yugi’s chin and lifted his head. “Got feelings for the Pharaoh, do you?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Yugi replied, meeting the lilac gaze. “I’m happy for both of them. Ryou is good for him.”

“Does he know?”

“Yami?” Malik nodded. “Yeah, I told him. He told me he still had feelings for Ryou.”

“But what about your feelings?” Malik asked. “Has Yami even taken them into consideration? Since I’ve been here I’ve seen him smooching on Ryou at least a half dozen times.”

The truth hurt. Yugi couldn’t think of any defense he hadn’t already offered. “It’s not like we could have been together anyway…”

“God damn, Yugi,” Malik spat out. “Don’t you have any self-respect?”

Yugi blinked. “No,” he whispered. “And not just because of Bakura either. I’ve never been very confident. Joey was my first real friend.”

“Wheeler? But you only met him a few years ago.”

“Yeah.”

Malik laughed bitterly. “No offense, Yugi, but I can see why Bakura decided to use you to get back at the pharaoh.”

Yugi pulled back as though he’d been slapped. “Wh-what?”

“He knew you’d be easy to break,” Malik noted.

Amethyst eyes gained a hint of redness as the tears began to form. “You think I let him break me?”

“Didn’t you?”

Yugi struggled for control over his emotions. “No,” he stated firmly.

Malik’s eyebrow shot up. “Really? Then why the tears?”

“God damn, Malik!” Yugi cried uncharacteristically. “You have no idea what I went through!”

The Egyptian’s eyes darkened, his face hardening into a mask of solemn rage. No words were uttered as he stood, his back to Yugi, pulling his t-shirt over his head, exposing the pharaoh’s memory to the teen. After a moment he spoke. “Don’t ever tell me that I don’t know pain, physical or emotional. You aren’t the only one who’s been held and tortured against his will.”

Yugi was instantly contrite. “Malik, I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I wasn’t thinking.”

Malik nodded and returned to the bed, his shirt forgotten on the floor. Yugi had seen his scars in the past, thus making it pointless to hide them. “If I can get over this on top of the shit that Marik put me through then you can get through this.”

The smaller teen thought a moment before nodding. “You’re right,” he said. “If I don’t then Bakura wins.”

“Bakura already won,” Malik said. “Remember, this wasn’t about you. He already got what he was seeking.”

“Then what’s the point? If Bakura already won then why bother fighting?”

“Do you really want to live the rest of your life like this?” Malik asked. “Afraid to sleep because he haunts your dreams? Always afraid of not only him but others who may have the same motives?”

“I think the fear is justified.”

Malik shook his head. “If that’s the life you want then I feel sorry for you.”

“I don’t want it,” Yugi replied. “But what can I do?”

“Take back what you lost,” Malik urged. “Reclaim your sense of self-worth, grow a pair, and get out and start living.”

“…you make it sound so easy.”

“It’s as easy as you make it, Yugi.”

A lengthy silence followed as the small duelist pondered the information. “You’re right,” he declared.

“Of course I’m right,” Malik joked. “I’m always right.”

Yugi offered the Egyptian a genuine smile. “Thanks, Malik.”

“No problem.”


Yami and Ryou climbed the stairs into the Mutou home hand in hand. The former pharaoh ignored the pain radiating from his rapidly swelling wrist as he led his boyfriend into the living room, only to stop short at the sight that greeted him.

Malik and Yugi had returned their attention to the movie, only now Malik lay against the pillows, Yugi cradled in the crook of his arm, one arm draped across the Egyptian’s bare chest, his small hand tracing a circular pattern over the bronzed flesh. Malik’s own hand, the one not holding tightly to Yugi, was ghosting over the teen’s slender arm as it moved, completing what appeared to be a very intimate setting.

Ryou felt the spirit’s hand tighten around his own and pulled back, stopping Yami in his tracks. “Don’t,” he whispered urgently.

“Ryou,” Yami growled.

“Yami, please. Yugi’s gotten comfortable enough to let Malik get close to him. If you reprimand him he’ll think he’s done something wrong.”

“It’s Malik,” Yami replied. “I don’t trust him.”

“Neither do I,” Ryou replied honestly. “But it’s not for us to decide.”

Yami clenched his jaw and nodded, knowing that Ryou was right. He led his boyfriend into the living room. “Hello, Aibou,” he said evenly. “Malik.”

Yugi raised his head from Malik’s shoulder but didn’t sit up. “Hey Yami,” he replied. “Hi Ryou. What did the doctor say?”

“He fractured his wrist in two places. He’s got to wear the cast for four to six weeks,” Ryou replied.

Yugi’s eyes widened. “Oh, Yami,” he said. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Aibou,” Yami replied. “How are you?”

Yugi smiled. “Pretty good actually.”

Yami raised an eyebrow. Something was different about his light, but he couldn’t place it. “That’s good to hear. Did you take your medication?”

“Give it a rest pharaoh,” Malik said. “He’s old enough to take care of himself.” As punctuation he tightened his hold on the teen, grinning when Yugi squeezed back.

“Tristan will be coming over soon,” Ryou cut in. “We should probably clean up.”

“Isn’t it about time you got back to Marik and Isis?” Yami said pointedly.

“He’s staying the night again, Yami,” Yugi replied.

Yami closed his eyes briefly, trying to keep control. “Very well,” he said.

The tension between the two was so thick Ryou could almost touch it. “Malik, Tristan is coming over to talk to Yugi and Yami. It might be better if they had privacy.”

A light bulb went off in Malik’s mind. “Tristan, huh?”

Ryou knew that Malik understood completely what was going to transpire when Tristan arrived. “Yes,” he affirmed.

“Tristan is coming over?” Yugi questioned. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

Yami cleared his throat. “He’s got something he wants to talk to you about, Aibou,” he explained as non-commitally as possible.

“Is he okay?” Yugi asked.

“He’s had a lot happen in the past week,” Ryou said gently. “He doesn’t want you to think he’s avoiding you so he is coming over to explain himself.”

“So it would be best if you left,” Yami said to Malik.

Malik released his hold on the small duelist and folded his hands behind his head arrogantly. “I don’t think it’s your decision to make, Pharaoh.”

An audible growl sounded from the spirit. He turned to Yugi. “Aibou, please tell him you want him to leave.”

Ryou winced. “Yami,” he whispered. The pharaoh paid him no mind.

Yugi’s first instinct was to jump to do his dark’s bidding. He sat up and looked down at Malik. Surprisingly however, the smirk was gone from the bronzed face. In its place was a small smile of encouragement. He turned back to Yami. “I want him to stay,” he replied.

“Aibou,” Yami said.

“Yami, don’t,” Ryou muttered urgently.

“You heard him,” Malik said.

Yami’s lips were pressed together so hard that they were indistinguishable from his natural skin tone. “Excuse me,” he ground out, releasing Ryou’s hand and disappearing down the hallway toward his bedroom.

“What’s his fucking problem,” Malik chuckled. “It’s not like I was the one to fuck Yugi.”

Ryou’s eyes widened and he braced himself for Yugi’s breakdown but it never happened. Yugi instead nodded in agreement. He had to wonder what had transpired in the hours he and Yami were gone to cause such a dramatic change in his friend’s attitude. “I’m, um, going to check on Yami.” He let out a shaky breath when he reached his boyfriend’s door and knocked lightly.

“Come in, Ryou,” Yami’s voice replied.

He opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind him. “Are you alright?” he asked.

Yami shook his head slowly. “I don’t know how to help him,” he admitted. “He’s denied me every outlet I know to take.”

Ryou closed the distance between them and was grateful when the spirit reached out and pulled him into a crushing embrace. “I know you want revenge,” he whispered, his throat burning with the effort it took not to cry. “But you can’t make this better for him. Even if he makes the wrong choices they have to be his.”

“I know you’re right,” Yami said, his face buried in the mass of raven locks to hide his tears. “But that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow.”

Ryou’s thumbs massaged slow circles over Yami’s back in what he hoped was a calming motion. “I know,” he breathed.

“I feel like he’s pulling away from me,” Yami confessed. “Like he doesn’t want my help.”

“That’s not at all what he’s thinking,” Ryou argued. “He’s worried that you’ll see him as weak or incapable.”

“I could never think that of him,” Yami stated. “He’s one of the strongest people I know.”

“I understand how he feels,” the teen admitted.

Yami pulled back to look in his boyfriend’s eyes. “What do you mean?”

Instead of replying Ryou took a step back, putting at least three feet of distance between them. “Nothing,” he said. “We should get back and check on Yugi.”

Yami moved forward, not to Ryou, but to stand in front of the closed door, preventing the teen from leaving. “Tell me, love,” he said gently.

Chocolate eyes blazed defiantly. “Tell you what?”

“Are you afraid I see you as weak?”

Ryou looked down. After a moment he spoke. “Do we have to talk about this?” he whispered.

Yami abandoned his post and pulled Ryou into his arms. “I don’t want you to be afraid of me,” he replied soothingly. “I don’t want any secrets between us.”

Ryou flinched. “But there are.”

The pharaoh pondered a moment. “Indeed, there are. But you should know that any question you ask me I will answer as honestly as possible.”

Ryou looked up to meet his gaze. “Really?”

“Yes.”

As curious as he was, he wouldn’t ask Yami to tell him about his past with Bakura. When the time came he hoped to hear it directly from his dark. He was touched however by Yami’s willingness to share with him. “Thank you,” he breathed.

Yami nodded, pressing his lips against the pale flesh below Ryou’s left ear. “Anything for you, love…”

Ryou tilted his head to the right, exposing more skin for the pharaoh’s lips to explore. “Yami…” he whispered.

“…tell me to stop, Ryou…stop me before it’s too late…”

“I can’t,” the teen replied, his hands curling into fists in the material of the pharaoh’s shirt. He shoved the unwanted memory of Bakura’s lips out of his mind as his body began to respond to the spirit’s ministrations.

Yami could almost feel the longing emanating from the teen in the way that Ryou’s body seemed to get closer and closer, his scent saturating his senses, rendering conscious thought as useless as an erection on an Alzheimer’s patient. “Ryou,” he murmured. “If you want me to stop, just tell me, okay?”

Ryou nodded, his pale hands shaking as Yami led him to the unadorned bed in the corner of his room. He knew very well the ins and outs of what was to happen and held no doubt in his heart that Yami was the one he wanted to give himself to for the first time. The nervous shaking stemmed from the very real threat of his body being exposed to Yami’s already sympathetic eyes.

The pharaoh however was trapped within his own insecurities. It had been several thousand years since he had lain with anyone – man or woman – and he was hoping against hope that he would not embarrass himself. Not to mention the fact that he was well aware that he would be Ryou’s first lover. A fact that he took as both an amazing blessing and a curse setting him up for imminent failure.

Pushing his fears aside, the spirit covered Ryou’s prone body with his own, kissing him deeply. The feeling of calm contentment that coursed through him was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. It just felt so…right.

Ryou’s breath came out in a series of animalistic pants as his body forced away the thoughts that held his inhibitions. “Yami,” he breathed, breaking the kiss.

Yami propped himself up on his elbows, careful of his fractured wrist. “What is it, love?”

“Don’t be surprised…”

Yami looked at him quizzically. “What do you mean?”

Ryou slid from beneath the pharaoh and pulled himself into a sitting position. With downcast eyes he slowly drew his sweat shirt over his head and let it fall useless into his lap.

An audible gasp could be heard from the pharaoh as he took in the sight before him. As upsetting as the view was, he found himself unable to look away. “Please don’t tell me it was him…”

Ryou shook his head. “It wasn’t,” he replied. “Not all of it anyway.”

Yami raised an eyebrow, his eyes traveling over the myriad of scars of various depths and shades of white and pink. “Ryou…who did this to you?”

“…I did…”

This was a new concept to the spirit. “I don’t understand…why would you do that to yourself?”

“I don’t know,” Ryou replied. “I started when I was ten.”

Yami grimaced. “Right about the time you got the Millennium Ring…”

“No,” Ryou replied. “It was before Bakura came to me. I can’t blame this on him.”

“Do you still do it?”

“Sometimes.” Another pause. “Are you angry?”

“No,” Yami said quickly.

The scrutiny was starting to get uncomfortable. “Kiss me?” he asked timidly.

The pharaoh nodded, leaning in and pressing his lips gently to those of his trembling boyfriend, taking pleasure in the warmth and trepidation that only innocence could offer. Mentally he cursed his temper as he tried to prop himself up on his wounded arm. The jolt of pain that shot up his arm caused him to quickly change his position, relying on his other arm for support as Ryou parted his lips, increasing the intensity of the kiss.

The teen felt Yami shift and lay back on the pillows, feeling the pharaoh fall into place beside him. His hand lifted, his fingers tracing the distinguished jaw line of his soon to be lover.

Yami gazed into the large brown eyes below him. “Are you sure you want this, Ryou?” The teen nodded. Yami allowed his gaze to travel over his boyfriend’s pale body, taking in every scar and scratch, wincing to notice that some seemed a lot more recent than others.

“I know they look awful,” Ryou whispered.

Yami shook his head. “No…” he replied gently, leaning down and placing feather light kisses over the lines. “You are amazing.”

A faint blush served to further heat the pale flesh of the teen. The only other to see his unclothed form had been Bakura and that had led to nothing but added panic to the already astronomical mountain of fear the thief had been so proud to build.

Yami carefully shrugged out of his shirt before once again taking up residence with his upper body resting on Ryou’s, bringing their heated flesh together. “I’ve had so many dreams of you, Ryou,” he confessed. “But not one has even come close to affecting me the way you are right now.”

Ryou arched his back as Yami’s fingers ghosted over one of his nipples. “I’ve thought of you as well,” he admitted.

Yami brought his lips to the sensitive flesh and nipped gently before taking it into his mouth. The sensations caused by Ryou’s writhing beneath him pushed him, fueling a fire that could only be satiated in the teen’s embrace. He wanted nothing more than to show Ryou pleasure. His own was insignificant.

He lowered his hand to the waistband of Ryou’s pants and paused. “Is this okay?” he questioned.

Ryou nodded, his bottom lip securely fastened between his teeth. He lifted his hips, allowing Yami to remove the offending fabric as well as the other that lay beneath it until he was nude in the pharaoh’s embrace. A sharp intake of breath could be heard as Yami’s hand closed around his length, stroking experimentally. “Oh gods…” he panted. “Yami…”

Yami smiled reassuringly, effectively covering up the fact that his own hands were shaking with nervousness as well. But Ryou’s barely audible pleas aided in rekindling his confidence and his movements, uncertain at first, took on an air of knowledge and self-assurance. “So beautiful,” he murmured. “And so mine…”

Ryou nodded rapidly. “Yours, Yami,” he affirmed. “I’m not going anywhere.” His hands grasped Yami’s shoulders with an unknown desperation, bringing forth an appreciative moan from the pharaoh.

A craving like none he’d ever known thundered through his body and Yami had to fight to retain his self control as his lips crashed down on Ryou’s, fulfilling an unrecognizable instinct to mark his territory on the most primal of levels. His tongue delved deep into Ryou’s accepting mouth, meeting with its likeness and entwining in a way that was as older than the spirit himself.

Ryou could feel Yami’s sudden assertiveness and gave himself over to it on pure instinct, his mind being swept along much like an inconsequential piece of driftwood in a raging current. The pharaoh’s actions on his impossibly hard length suddenly sped up and he could feel his climax approaching.

Yami could sense it as well. And at that moment there was nothing he wanted more than to feel his hand coated in the sticky warmth that was soon to come forth. His kisses became more urgent and he felt the smaller body tense beneath him.

An unrestrained cry filled the room as Ryou’s orgasm hit, breaking the rhythmic silence of their uneven breaths. His grip on Yami’s arms tightened to a bruising level and his body threatened to collapse within itself.

“Oh gods, Ryou…” Yami breathed. He’d never seen such an amazing sight.

A moment later Ryou had recovered enough to allow his embarrassment to return and his hands fell to his chest in a habitual attempt to hide his imperfections.

“Don’t,” Yami pleaded, brushing the pale arms aside. “Don’t hide from me, love. Nothing about you is unappealing to me.”

Ryou gazed into the crimson eyes for nearly a full minute before flinging his arms around the spirit’s neck and pulling him close. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “I should never have let Bakura keep me away from you.”

Yami shook his head, his able hand snaking beneath the trembling body in an attempt to get even closer. “Don’t be sorry,” he said. “We’ve got each other now.”

Ryou nodded quickly. “Yeah.”

“You should probably get in the shower,” he said. “I don’t think you want to meet with Tristan like this.”

Ryou wrinkled his brow. “But what about…” His hand trailed down Yami’s chest.

Yami shook his head. “This was for you, love,” he replied nobly. “I will take every necessary step to ensure that this does not move too quickly and spoil.”

“But I want to.”

The pharaoh smiled. “Tonight,” he said, a seductive tone lacing his voice.

Another blush crept over the pale teen. “Tonight,” he echoed.

____________________________________________________________________________________________
Next chapter will be Tristan's confession with a special appearance by none other than Seto Kaiba.
And what the hell is up with Yugi?
Why is Yami being such an asshole?
...it's all on the way!
Thanks to all my reviewers! Hope you like this chapter!