Coming Out Of The Dark

Body

Here we are - final chapter. A little fluff, a few loose ends tied up and a little hint of things to come.....

And again, a big BIG thank you to everyone who's reviewed! **Hugs all around** Thanks for helping me get the story back on track! I really do welcome constructive feedback - the one and only bad thing about one of the other fanfic lists I write for is that everyone is more than happy to praise the stuff that works, but reluctant to speak up when something doesn't. I can't fault everyone for wanting to be nice, but it would help if I knew *why* something wasn't working, instead of having to guess amid all the judicious "no comments."

Warnings: some very nasty language, hints of (remembered) brutality, lime more than lemon this time......

And with the Goddess as my witness someday I will figure out what the heck I did the times the italics actually worked :-)

Disclaimer: They ain't mine, except for Jada. If they were mine --- uh no, scratch that. I'd let Yugi keep that adorable little school uniform of his (he looks sooooo cute in it) but I'd make him get a cooler pair of sneakers. And Yami - well, you can't really improve on that body poured into skintight leather, now can you?

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Yugi awoke slowly, coming out of a strange but sweet dream - something about a forest and a lake, and making love with Yami in a field full of blue and turquoise flowers, and a lot of butterflies. It was still dark out. He sighed, snuggling a little deeper into the covers, wishing it could have been real---and wondering if Yami really had that perfect a body in real life.

That was when he realized he was sleeping naked.

Startled, he started to roll over and sit up, only to curl back up with a hiss as his back and buttocks cramped sharply, sending a bolt of pain up his spine. What had he----? After a moment, he tried it again, much more carefully, easing into a sitting position and clutching the sheet to his chest. As he looked around in bewilderment, he heard the bathroom door open down the hall. A moment later, Yami came back in, unselfconsciously naked, and Yugi caught his breath. It hadn't been a dream after all. And his lover really was perfect----

"I didn't mean to wake you, koi. I'm sorry," Yami said, getting back in bed and taking Yugi in his arms. They ended up in a long, tender kiss.

"Let me rub your back, koi. You're probably sore," Yami said when their lips parted.

"A little," Yugi admitted, letting Yami roll him over on his stomach. He sighed contentedly as his lover's strong hands gently worked the tension out of his body. He was half-asleep again when Yami finally finished, lying back down with him and gathering him close.

"Now I understand why everyone makes such a big deal about this---" Yugi murmured sleepily. He'd never felt so safe or cared for before. He snuggled closer, feeling Yami's arms tighten around him as he drifted back off to sleep.

~*~

"Fucking worthless bitch! Stupid whore! How dare you fucking leave this house without my permission, you lousy piece of shit!?"

"But--"

A brutal slap, followed by a crash and scream of pain. "Fuckiing talk back to me, will you, you worthless shit! I'll fucking show you who's the boss! You and that little bastard in there!"

"No, don't hurt him! Please!" Another scream of pain.

"You fucking telling me what to do, bitch?" A crash, a slam, then the screaming began, screams over the dull thud of brutal blows administered by cruel fists, feet---

"No, please no, stop it, just stop it, please stop it----" he whimpered from his hiding spot under the coffee table, knowing full well he would be next, not caring as long as HE didn't hurt her, hurt me instead, please, just don't hurt her, please---

Yami awoke, heart pounding, shaking. It hadn't even been his nightmare; it had come to him through the mind link he shared with Yugi, who had curled up in a ball, whimpering in the broken syllables of a terrified child. Carefully, Yami gathered him close, trying to reach him through their link. As he reopened his mind to Yugi's, he could see the scene in his small one's mind - an apartment somewhere, small but pleasantly furnished - or would have been pleasant, that is, had there not been the stench of anger and fear rotting in the air, the sounds of brutality coming from behind the half-closed kitchen door. His beloved Yugi was huddled under a small table, clutching at the leg furthest from the horror beyond the door, shaking and sobbing. He couldn't have been more than five years old in this nightmare. Yami felt his heart wrench. He knew instinctively that he was seeing something that had actually happened to his aibou.

//Yugi? Yugi, it's all right. Come to me. I'll protect you.//

Big frightened chibi eyes met his. Even under the circumstances, Yami's heart melted. Great Ra, how could any creature have been so adorable?

/Make him stop, please, make him stop hurting her!/

//Who is she, little one? Who's hurting her?//

/Make him stop, please, just make him stop!/

A horrific, shattering scream tore the turgid air to ribbons and Yugi screamed "O-kaasan-san!" Yami grabbed him, pulling him close, and the little one clung to him, shaking and sobbing---

"Aibou! Aibou, it's all right. It was a dream. Shhh, there there----"

Yugi awoke with a start, finding himself in Yami's arms. "Yami, oh Gods, Yami---" he sniffled, huddling close. "I just had the most awful dream----"

"Shhh, there there. Do you want to talk about it, beloved?" Yami decided it would be best not to let on how much he'd seen.

Yugi buried his face against his lover's chest. /I don't know what it was--/ He hadn't quite stopped crying, and frightened tremors still shook his small body. /It was like I was --- somewhere -- and he was going to hurt her but I couldn't tell anyone, because they wouldn't believe me or they didn't understand. You were there and you were trying to understand, but I couldn't tell you in time, and ---- just hold me, Yami, please---/

//I'm here, beloved, I'm here.// Yami realized he was going to have to have a long talk with Solomon. He held Yugi until his little one finally cried himself back to sleep.

~*~

When Yugi awoke again the room was - well, sort of light. He couldn't say full of light because it was another dismal, rainy morning. He raised his head to look at the clock and the movement roused Yami, who stirred and blinked dazedly at him.

//Koibito?//

/It's only ten after seven, Yami. Too early to get up./

Yami rolled over to look through the gauze canopy out the window and groaned. "Baka rain----" He added few more phrases that Yugi suspected were ancient Egyptian curses. "It makes you not want to get out of bed anymore, koi." He decided not to bring up the nightmare again for the moment, now that Yugi seemed to have his senses back.

Yugi giggled. "And that's a problem how?"

Yami looked at him in feigned shock. "Aibou!"

"Yes, mon hitari no ore?" Yugi made chibi eyes at his lover.

"Since when did you get to be so naughty?" Yami gathered his little hikari close and kissed him. "Am I going to have to spank you?"

"Please. My rear hurts enough already, thanks to you," Yugi said, snuggling close. "Not that I'm complaining or anything."

"I could always kiss it and make it feel better," Yami offered.

"Yeah, but then one thing would lead to another and I'd be even more sore than I am now," Yugi pointed out. Part of him couldn't believe that he and Yami were actually having this conversation. The other part couldn't believe it hadn't happened sooner.

Yani kissed his lover's pert little nose. "If you're sore, it's because you don't stretch properly before exercising."

"That implies that one knows one is going to be exercising---" Yugi retorted.

Yami laughed and kissed him. "I love you so much, aibou."

Yugi looked shy. "I love you, too." He started to sit up, moving carefully - then squeaked in surprise as he felt his lover's seed trickling down the backs of his thighs. "What -- oh."

"Oops," Yami chuckled, grabbing Yugi's robe and helping him mop up. "I forgot to warn you, it's kind of messy, koibito."

Yugi blushed scarlet, looking sheepishly at his lover. "I'd better throw that and the sheets in the wash and take care of it, hadn't I

"After I throw you in the shower, koi, and take care of you," Yami said.

"After ---- hey!" Yugi yelped when Yami picked him up. "Yami, put me down right now!"

~*~

When Solomon got back about one that afternoon, he found his grandson and the pharaoh cuddled together on the sofa, watching "Plan 9 From Outer Space."

"Hi Grandpa, how did it go?" Yugi said, bouncing up with surprising ease, all things considered, to give his grandfather a hug.

"Quite well. He's made some absolutely fascinating finds," Solomon said. "I trust you two had fun last night?"

Yugi blushed scarlet in spite of himself and both Solomon and Yami laughed. The pharaoh reached over to pull Yugi back into his arms.

"Always," he said, nuzzling into his hair from behind.

~*~