Lion Heart

Right_Read_Time: You cheated! How dare you! *pouts* As punishment I demand that you go back to FFnet and review at least the last chap there! You see, FFnet is y main site where I actually post everything so the amount of reviews I get there is worth way more than what I get on AFFnet.

Keara: DON’T FIRE THAT LASER! *wide-eyed* I’ll make everything right again! Just please don’t kill me! *hides*

Dragonlady222: Yeah well… Jou’s a hothead… and I’m mean. Consequences to that; Jou walking off. Yes, I’m just that evil XD have fun with the new chap.

Cosmic Tomato: XD yup, 19. I’m fairly sure I’m one of the youngest around here… though I have no doubt that there are younger around since I’ve seen 15-year olds on FFnet write lemons that made me jealous to the core. Hell, I’ve seen plots that made me wish I could write like that of people younger than me, so yeah. And if you feel so guilty about not reviewing before, why don’t you go back and review at least the last chapter? *angelface* my reviewcounter on FFnet is far more important to me than the one on this site so I’d rather have my reviews there anyway. As for Malik and Jou… yeah, they’re hotheads and I’m evil. This is what happens when that’s combined. ^^ Have fun with the new chap!

J-chan: O.o;; Jou doing math? Please, like he’d ever XD Don’t worry, I’ll fix it… somehow… yeah… just enjoy the chap XD
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Well, another week, another party going on downstairs, andother chapter being updated. Now, if everyone could PELASE put away the torture devices ^^; thank you. Damn you people are quick to kill when I do something *pouts* Well there goes my fun... oh well, onwards to the next chap and no doubt the next death threats! Have fun and R&R!
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--: 03 :--
Regrets

A week passed by before the shadow magic inside of Yuugi was strong enough again to start healing him. It only took another day for him to be back on his feet after that. Yuugi only now realized how much that magic had always helped him to heal after an attack, and had never appreciated it more.

Ryou had watched in amazement as Yuugi had healed most of his wounds in only one day, while the week before he had shown slow progress. When he questioned it though, Yuugi had merely looked down to his feet, unwilling to speak. Ryou had sighed before walking into the kitchen to get some food for the two of them. Yuugi knew the other had been disappointed again, but he simply couldn’t tell.

He hadn’t seen Malik or Jou. Ryou hadn’t mentioned them, and Yuugi was too afraid to ask about them. Now that he was back on his feet though, he’d have to face them again. He wasn’t sure if Ryou would continue to hang around with him, but he prayed that the other would. He didn’t want to be alone without any friends around him. If that happened, he might just take Atemu up on his offer to live in the palace. He was sure he could learn to live as a full-time lion.

Though he hadn’t seen Atemu yet either. He wasn’t sure if that invitation still counted after he’d run away like that.

The evening after his miraculous healing, Yuugi glanced out to the streets to check if no one was around, before sighing and walking to his room. He needed to go see Atemu and try to explain. Maybe after a week the other had cooled off enough to listen to him calmly. Not likely, but one could hope.

Magic swirled around him once more as his lion form appeared, no more wounds anywhere to be seen. Besides a slight sore feeling, Hikari felt fine again. Glancing outside once more, he quickly ran into the streets and in the direction of the palace. It wasn’t too late yet so Atemu would still be awake, though somewhere deep down Hikari was praying he would be sleeping.

Within minutes he arrived at the palace, reluctantly walking through the halls at a much slower pace than he usually would. People looked at him curiously and greeted him, but none managed to get a reply from him. As he reached the throne room, he could see Atemu talking with his priests, a frustrated look on his face. Great, he’d picked a day where Atemu was already annoyed.

Not wanting to interrupt the meeting obviously in progress, Hikari rushed to Atemu’s room to wait for him there. The other came up far too quickly for his liking, even if he had been waiting for an hour already.

“Hikari!” The lion turned away from the window he’d been looking through at hearing the surprised call of his name. He smiled hesitantly, but it faded as he saw the annoyed look replacing the surprised one.

“For Ra’s sake, where have you been?! I’ve been worried sick about you! I thought you might’ve died!”’ Hikari flinched, averting his gaze to the ground. He’d been doing that a lot lately.

/ I was home, healing. I would’ve come sooner but my wounds have only just healed. / The annoyed aura did not change.

“That’s why I wanted to bring you here. If you would’ve just let me take you here you would’ve probably been healed faster. I spend the entire day trying to track you down after you ran off but no sign of you. Do you just want to worry me to death or something?” Yuugi looked up sharply, a slight glare on his features now.

/ Of course I don’t, but I barely had any energy left. If you would’ve taken me to the palace, I would’ve transformed back on the way and- /

“Is your secret worth more than your life now?!”

/ I knew I could heal on my own so I didn’t need any special care from here! /

The two stared at each other harshly, neither wanting to give in or accept what the other had said. Atemu turned away first, walking over to the window and grabbed the stone frame tightly.

“I know you want to keep your secret safe to make sure no one can ever used it against you, but if you get hurt like that you need help. You know your secret is safe with me, and unlikely to be forced out of me by any means.” He turned to look at his friend. “Please, let me help next time. If it’s not necessary I don’t mind that you keep your real identity a secret, but when it comes to situations like that-“

/ I can handle myself, Atemu. I’ve been through a lot, and I know how to take care of myself. Stop worrying about me. /

Atemu groaned and rubbed his temple, a headache starting to spread fast. “You’re asking me not to worry when the person I consider my best friend is hurt?!” Harsh crimson eyes opened again and Hikari suddenly understood why so many people shrunk away from the other’s stare when he got angry, “impossible.”

/ Don’t you trust me? Do you think I’m too weak to take care of myself or something? / Hikari glared back, refusing to falter under the other’s stare like so many others did.

“I trust you with my life! I just don’t want you to get hurt!” There was silence as the two continued to look at each other, the expression on neither of their faces changing until Hikari finally stood up from where he’d been lying, turning his back on Atemu and starting to walk away.

/ I’m going home, I’ll see you later. / Atemu twitched at the annoyed spoken words, his own annoyance rising
again at the stubbornness of his friend.

“Fine, don’t trip on your way out.” Hikari’s aura flared at the comment but he didn’t respond. He continued to walk out of the room, starting to run as soon as he was out of sight. Only after he’d reached his own house and had transformed back did he realize fully what had just happened. Now not only had he lost his friends from his human life, but he’d even managed to anger Atemu.

He sat down on his bed, feeling strangely blank about everything that had happened over the last week. In just one week’s time he’d lost everyone he cared for, and only to protect the identity of Hikari so no one could ever threaten his friends with it.

Back in the palace, Atemu sat down on his bed with his head in his hands, his eyes closed as he too realized what had just happened. He’d possibly lost the most important person to him, the one he trusted most, just because his temper had gotten the better of him. He knew Hikari did everything to keep his identity a secret, and he supposed that Hikari really did know how to take care of himself. But wasn’t he allowed to worry?

Letting out a sigh the Pharaoh got up to get ready for bed. He’d had a long day with the return of his cousin and the long reports he’d gotten now. Seth had apparently made sure to end up in a nearby town when he’d send the last letter, so it hadn’t taken him long to return. The long report didn’t bring any good news either though, only more bad news. So far the only good thing was the fact that Mariku and Bakura hadn’t attacked in the time Hikari had needed to heal. Of course, this could just mean they were planning something.

With a heavy heart, both Atemu and Yuugi went to bed that night, each mulling over their problems and trying to come up with a solution that was within reason for their standards.

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Ra’s early rays shone brightly into Yuugi’s face, the teen groaning and turned away from the prying light, the back of his mind trying to keep a hold and the unconscious state he was sure to lose no matter what.

With more groaning and a sigh of defeat as the light simply kept creeping more and more over him, Yuugi opened his eyes and sat up, briefly glaring at the window the intruding rays had come through as if it was to blame, before once more sighing and getting up.

His mind had not missed the chance to already remind him of everything that had been going on. All his friends, including Atemu were mad at him, and only because of his secret. It was all the fault of Aknunkanon; he had been the one to cause the transformation he now possessed. On the other hand, it was also the reason why he’d become so close to Atemu in the first place.

Not that it mattered a lot now; Atemu was a stubborn person and it would take a while before the other would get over their fight.

For a moment he considered giving up his identity as Hikari, trying to win his friends back and forgetting about Atemu. The idea vanished about as fast as it had entered his mind. Not only would Atemu probably lose the war in that case, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep it up. Hikari had been a part of him far too long and his instinct to help others had developed greatly with that part. He’d never be able to ignore all the people around him that needed help.

On top of that, he didn’t want to lose Atemu. Even if they were in a fight right now, Yuugi knew there was a way to make up. Atemu meant too much to him to simply give up because things had become harder.

Shaking his head, he also discarded the second idea that came to him. He couldn’t tell his friends who he was, it was simply too dangerous.

Sighing again and mentally making a note that he needed to stop doing so, Yuugi dressed quickly and walked out of the house, deciding to walk around town since he didn’t really have anything better to do. Since his friends had stopped hanging around with him – Ryou excluded, though even he didn’t come around that much – he was sure he’d be doing a lot of this. The only good thing that would probably come from it was that he would know the town even better than before, which could possibly help him at one point or another.

Making sure to stay away from the town square where Malik, Jou and Ryou would undoubtedly either be or show up later, Yuugi made his way through the many alleyways, trying to find new ones that he’d never seen before. He’d walked around for almost an hour when he noticed that he’d reached the outskirt of the city where he’d played hide-and-seek all those years ago, the day he’d gained the power to transform into Hikari.

His mind flashing back to that day, Yuugi was barely in time to hear three all-too familiar voices. He snapped out of his trance just as he almost stepped out of the shadows of the alley he’d been walking through, his eyes locking onto his three friends sitting a little further, near a couple of trees that provided them with shade. Yuugi couldn’t hear what they were talking about, he only caught the sound of laughter and vague voices, but it was obvious that they were having fun.

Fun without him.

He clenched his hands, his eyes closing as tears made their way down his face. Somewhere deep down he’d hoped his friends would’ve missed him. Missed him so much they’d maybe come back to at least talk to him. Seeing them laughing like nothing was wrong had just crushed that hope so fast Yuugi wondered if it had actually ever been there.

“I guess…” he looked away, planning to walk away and maybe go train somewhere to get his mind away from all this, “they don’t even miss me.”

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Jou shook his head, trying to stop laughing while holding his stomach since it had started to hurt. When he finally managed to calm down, he gave a sad smile towards the other two sitting next to him. “Dose were really good days. I can’t believe Yuug did dat back den.”

Malik chuckled, the same expression appearing on his face; “Yeah, we really had a lot of fun with Yuugi…” he trailed off, averting his gaze to the sky and sighing, “Maybe we shouldn’t have been so harsh on him. I mean, he’s always had a reason for everything he does so he’s bound to have one for this as well.”

Ryou smiled at the two, “I’ve been saying that for a week. Why is it that you never listen to me but need to figure it out on your own?” Malik huffed and sulked, Jou looked sheepishly at his white-haired friend.

“We’re just stubborn like dat.” Jou shrugged before frowning slightly, “Dough I do really wanna know what Yuug’s hiding from us. It can’t be anythin’ good if he’s gettin’ hurt like dat.”

Malik nodded, a thoughtful look passing over his face, “Hasn’t he said anything to you?” he glanced over at Ryou with a questioning look. The strangely pale boy shook his head, a frown also coming onto his face.

“No, he hasn’t. He promised me that if it gets any worse he will tell us. I don’t know if he’s going to keep that promise, but Yuugi isn’t one to lie – mostly, anyway - so I’m going to trust him on that one.”

Both blondes nodded, before Malik suddenly grinned, “Well we know it usually happens around the times there are also attacks. Next time, we just have to keep a really close eye on him and we’ll probably get to see what his big secret is.”

Ryou hesitated for a moment, “Do you think that’s a good idea? I mean…”

Jou didn’t even pay attention to his friend’s protest, “Dat’s a great idea! Dat way we can figure out what’s goin’ on without havin’ ta fight anymore!”

Before Ryou could even say anything, both blondes had jumped up and were running into town, obviously wanting to get to their friend to make up and put their plan into action. Mariku and Bakura hadn’t attacked anywhere for an entire week already so it wouldn’t last much longer, they were sure of that. Since their town was attacked so regularly, the peace and quiet would no doubt be gone within the next few days.

With a sigh of defeat, Ryou got up and followed his friends, glad that them missed Yuugi enough to make up, but not sure if he liked where their latest plan would get them.

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Boredom was the worst thing ever.

After getting too bored to continue training, Yuugi had walked over to the town square since he knew his friends were at the outskirts of town. He had talked to some of the merchants he knew, but now he was simply bored again. He’d never realized how boring the town he lived in could be without his friends.

Sighing, he stubbornly ignoring the mental note that he’d made about stopping that before it became a habit. He didn’t quite care right now whether or not it became a habit or not, he cared more about somehow solving his boredom.

Glancing around in a desperate desire for something to do, Yuugi blinked as he noticed Malik and Jou running out of an alley, looking around frantically as if looking for something. Yuugi stood up immediately, turning away and starting off in the opposite direction. He was about to turn into one of the streets and out of sight of the square when he suddenly heard his name being called from behind. He hesitantly turned around, an unsure look in his eyes as he saw Malik and Jou running at him. There were no glares on the blondes’ faces so Yuugi guessed they weren’t there to beat him up.

“Yuug! Wait up!” The two blondes stopped in front of him, Ryou coming up behind them. Yuugi relaxed somewhat, knowing that the only one who probably still believed in him somewhat was present as well. Knowing Ryou, he would never let the other two beat him up.

An awkward silence fell as they all just stared at each other, none sure what to say in this situation. They hadn’t seen each other in a while and they hadn’t exactly left on the best of terms. Yuugi shifted uncomfortably on his spot, averting his gaze to the ground and biting his lip nervously.

“So.. err..” Jou glanced around him, a nervous tone in his voice too. “You all better?”

Yuugi nodded, not looking up, “I’m a fast healer.” A bit too fast and he was sure the two standing in front of him were wondering how exactly he’d recovered so fast. His wounds had been serious, they’d seen it themselves.

“Dat’s good ta see.” Yuugi glanced up to see Jou smiling at him, the same nervousness he was feeling creeping into the blonde’s expression.

Another silence fell until Malik sighed in annoyance. “Okay, we can stand here all day being awkward or we can just get straight to it. We miss you, and although we still want to know what you’re hiding from us, we figure you have a good reason for keeping it from us. Can we please forget our fight?” Yuugi looked up properly with wide eyes. He’d just seen them at the edge of the town, having fun like nothing had happened, and now they said they missed him?

“But... I saw you guys. You were laughing and having fun and…” he trailed off, giving a questioning look. Malik raised an eyebrow, for a moment thinking about what had just been said, before realizing what Yuugi was talking about.

“Oh, you mean a while ago? We were talking about all the fun we used to have and all the times you did crazy things to entertain us. You were always damned agile so you could always pull off really crazy stunts without getting a scratch on you.” He grinned for a moment, remembering one of the many times Yuugi had tried one of those crazy stunts.

Yuugi blinked before slowly smiling. His friends weren’t laughing without him in a way since they’d been recalling things they’d done in the past. And they really wanted to make up even if they knew that Yuugi wouldn’t tell them what his secret was.

“You realize I still can’t say why I got hurt so badly, right?” A searching look flashed over both Malik and Jou’s faces as if they were trying to figure out what Yuugi’s secret was, before both sighed.

“Yeah, we know. We just miss ya so we’ll deal with it.” Jou grinned, “Dat, or we’ll figure it out by ourselves somehow.”

Yuugi smiled brightly and chuckled mentally at the thought of his friends trying to figure out where he went all the time. He’d never opposed to Atemu trying to figure this out, so he had no right to deny it to his friends, even though it might be harder to get away from them during attacks.

“Sure, good luck with that.” The group of friends laughed before heading back to the market on the square to have some fun for the rest of the day. Yuugi had never been so happy to just be around the three other teens as now, and could only hope they would keep their word and wouldn’t get angry the next time he ran off without reason.

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Yeah, yeah. Nothing much happened in this chap but hey, I need easy-going chapters as well. The amount of attacks that come in the first say, 7 chapters or so is high enough as it is so I need chapters where nothing happens. Well, hope everyone had fun anyway and Review folks!