With You

Yami stared at the ceiling, unable to think of anything to do for the
day




Yami stared at the ceiling, unable to think of anything to
do for the day. He had no meetings that day and he couldn’t think of a reason
to go see anybody outside the palace, not that there were many people to go
see.

 

“Is it possible for one to die of complete and utter
boredom?” He muttered grumpily as he rolled off the bed to look out the window.
‘I pity every person down there who says that their Pharaoh has a much more
exciting life than them.’

 

The young Pharaoh started when he heard laughter from behind
his door and, out of curiosity, he went to go see what was going on. Opening doo door he found a few of his servants trying to stifle laughter from behind a
pillar, a short whispered conversation, and then more giggling.

 

Yami wasn’t sure what made him want to see what they were so
excited about, maybe it was his boredom that made him do it, but he started
walking towards them. He cleared his throat to get their attention, earning
gasps from the three girls. They fell to their knees on the marble floor and
bowed their heads.

  “Yo “Your majesty, we’re sorry if we disturbed you. We hadn’t
meant to bother you and we tried to be quiet. Please, forgive us for our
misbehavior and for being so loud.” The blonde girl in the middle pleaded.

 

Yami sighed inwardly. ‘It’s times like these when I wish I
were a servant.’ “You’re forgiven,” He said icily.

 

“Thank you, your majesty. It will not happen again.” She
assured him

 

“What were you laughing about?” Yami questioned severely,
jealous of the blonde and her friends for being able to enjoy themselves when
he could not.

 

“It’s something that’s happening in the dungeons, your
majesty. Seira knows more about it though, she was telling me and Andrea about
it.” The blonde gestured behind her to the brunette on her left.

 

Yami looked at the girl the blonde gestured to and guessed
this was Seira. “What’s happened in the dungeons?” He asked her.

 

“The thieves that are in there right now are joking around
and trying to impress the girls that go in there. I was assigned to give them
their breakfast this morning so I saw them and a few of the other girls down
there.”

 

“Very well, carry on.” He turned and made his way down the
hall towards the dungeon to see for himself what was going on.

 

~~

 

Upon pushing open the door to the dungeons, laughter and
cheerful shouting assaulted his hearing. Looking around he saw quite of few of
his female servants cluttered around the two cells that held Egypt’s two
greatest thieves, all of them laughing and most blushing.

 

As he walked forward, the women who noticed him immediately
dropped to their knees and bowed their heads. By the time he reached the cells
all the girls were quiet and on their knees, heads on the dusty floor.

 

“Just love ruining the fun, don’t you, Pharaoh?” Bakura
spat, masking his dislike of PharPharaoh with joviality.

 

“There’s no harm in talking to a few lovely girls, is
there?” Marik smirked. “I’ve got to admit that you’re doing pretty well for
yourself if all these beautiful ladies are at your command.”

 

“That seems to be the idea when your title is Pharaoh of
Egypt, isn’t it?” Yami replied bitterly to their jabs, “Though I’m curious as
to how they can be so happy and cheerful when in the presence of thieves.”

 

“Apparently you don’t know how to charm them then. It’s
really quite simple when you know the right thing to say.” Marik joked.

 

“Apparently.” Yami looked back at the girls, who were still
kneeling. “You’re dismissed. Get back to your chores.”

 

The girls quickly stood and cleared out of the dungeon
before they could get into even more trouble.

 

Yami turned back to the thieves. “I suggest you two learn
your place before you get into even more trouble than you already are.” He
turned to leave, but stopped just short of the door. “Of course, you could make
it easier on yourselves if you just told us where you hid everything that you
stole.”

 

“We’ll never tell a bastard like you!” Bakura shouted,
suddenly shattering the cheerful repartee.

 

“Our treasures are staying exactly where they are and you’ll
never be able to find them without us!” Marik added smugly.

 

“Have it your way then.” He opened the door and stepped out.
‘Ten lashes a night and barely anything to eat while being trapped in a dungeon
with no way of escape and they’re still as cheerful as ever? Is there something
I’m not getting about life in general where people are supposed to actually
smile a few times in their lives? Did I miss the memo?’

 

He glanced back at the door sadly. ‘And still I can’t get it
out of my mind tI knI know they’re better than I originally thought. Like
they’re much nicer than this and I know something is going on between the three
of us that isn’t making sense.’

 

~~

 

Yami opened the door to his advisor’s room and waited for
his presence to be noticed by the man that irked him to no end. ‘I’m just glad
this guy doesn’t follow me when I don’t have anything important to do. He
drives me crazy as it is.’

 

The balding advisor turned around and jumped at seeing the
Pharaoh in his chamber so unpctabctably. “Pharaoh! What brings you here so
unexpectedly?” He babbled, falling over himself to bow in reverence.

 

“I want no more women attending the thieves. Only the male
servants may deliver their meals from now on. It seems that those lowlifes were
only enjoying themselves with the girls and it’s only obvious that this isn’t
what we’re trying to achieve.”

 

“It is as Pharaoh commands. We’ll have the schedules changed
immediately.”

 

“See to it that this sort of mistake doesn’t happen again.
I’m to be told if it does.”

 

“Absolutely, your highness. My life is Pharaoh’s.” The
advisor bowed his head humbly.

 

Yami nodded and left the room, continuing his usual boredom
now that he had nothing to do once more.

 

‘I wonder if previous Pharaohs had this sort of problem with
nothing to do? Maybe I’ll find something to do if I sneak out of the palace.
Those people always seem to find something to laugh about and I might be able
to join them if they don’t know who I am.’

 

He made for his room, heart firm in its resolve, to find
something that wouldp dip disguise his identity.

 

~~

 

“Hey, Bakura, did you have this funny feeling that once
before, his-holiness was actually a nice guy?” Marik asked as he collapsed on
the dirt-covered floor.

 

“Like we were all friends before something weird happened to
us?” Bakura concluded as he leaned back against the cool stone wall, “Yeah, I
felt something like that. Kind of creepy feeling something like this, huh?”

 

“Yeah, I wonder what happened. It was probably something
really weird like we all had soul mates that we loved like crazy and then we
had to leave them and they couldn’t come with us for some reason.” Marik joked,
snorting at his own idiocy.

 

“What if we had to leave because we didn’t belong where they
stayed and had to go back to where we really belonged?” Bakura teased back, furthering
the joke.

 

The two thieves burst into laughter.

 

“Yeah right!” Bakura gasped for air, “Who would want to come
back to this?”

 

“Like something that outlandish could ever happen!” Marik
snickered, nodding his agreement, though Bakura couldn’t see it.

 

##

 

Yugi scowled as he sat down in the seat that was furthest
from the teacher and his so-called friends. He glared out the window even as
Joey’s loud voice entered the classroom accompanied by the quieter voices of
his other ‘friends.’

 

The amethyst-eyed boy decided the night before that it would
be better if he didn’t speak to them or hang out with them anymore. He didn’t
want any to to take the place of his Yami and try to make him forget his pined
after love.

 

‘Nobody will take my memories of my Yami away. I won’t ever
let them. I’ll die before I forget him.’ He repeated in his thoughts over and
over in his head, the words becoming a litany. Every time someone came close to
him or tried to say hello, he refused to speak.

 

‘I won’t get hurt if I don’t let anybody get close to me. If
I let them get close they’ll try to make me forget Yami. I won’t let them do
that,’ He thought angrily. By the time he’d entered the building, he had
himself convinced that everybody was his enemy.

 

A shadow dropped over his desk and he looked over to see who
was going to try and talk to him this time. It was none other than the school’s
golden boy and CEO of Kaiba Corporation: Seto Kaiba.

 

“Hey, Yugi.”saidsaid quietly.

 

‘He’s acting different. He’s never quiet. Maybe he’s planning
something. He’s going to try and make me forget about Yami!” Yugi thought,
paranoid. ‘No! I won’t let him do that!’

 

“I wanted to apologize to you for yesterday, Yugi. It was
wrong of me to say what I did and I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” Seto
told him, shame continuing to mute his powerful voice.

 

Yugi just looked back out the window. ‘If I don’t say
anything than maybe he’ll just leave me alone.’

 

“Ryou and Malik told Joey and me how you must feel around
us. Joey and me I mean, or more to the point, how we’ve beening ing since the
yamis left. They admitted that it has been hurting them to see us act so
affectionate around each other, and they guessed that it must’ve been hurting
you too. We’ve agreed to cool it around you three so maybe now it won’t hurt as
much; hopefully it should help.” The CEO explained sheepishly.

 

Yugi continued to stare out the window, praying that the CEO
would just go away. ‘I’ll only end up hurting myself if I go with him. It’s got
to be some kind of joke. Nothing will change and they’ll only look at me with
pity in their eyes.’

 

“So what do you think, Yugi? Would you like to come down and
sit with us like you always do?” He offered.

 

Yugi finally snapped. “You want to know what I think, Kaiba?
I think I want you to leave me alone! I want everyone to leave alone! Why can’t
you get that through your thick skulls?!” He raved, glaring at Seto and
everybody else around the room that stopped to watch the scene. “What are all
of you staring at!? Why don’t you take a picture?! It would last so much
longer!”

 

Everybody jumped and went back to what they were doing
before the interruption, nervously though.

 

“Yugi, I think you’re getting carried away. What’s wrong? Is
there more than just what happened yesterday? Please, talk to us, Yugi.” Joey
asked worriedly and placating at once as he walked up to Yugi.

 

“The other day, you assumed that I don’t miss Yami, doubted
my love for him, and you have the gall to ask me what’s wrong?! Damn it
Wheeler, you’re even denser than I thought! Just leave me alone!” Yugi stood
and stormed out of the classroom, leaving the school building behind before the
tardy bell even rang.

 

Joey’s whole body shook in anger and sorrow because of what
Yugi had said. He buried his face in Seto’s chest and let his tears fall
silently. “I-I thought he was m-my best f-friend.”

 

“Shh, don’t worry, puppy.” Seto rubbed the blonde’s back
soothingly, drawing more stares from the class. “I’m sure he’s just confused or
something. I doubt he’s going to forgive me as easily as I had believed when I
apologized to him. After all, I know I would hate anybody for a while if they
said that about you to me.”

 

“Just give him time to cool off. He might not be back at
school today, but since the teacher hasn’t seen him yet than he’ll just be
marked absent. I’m sure he’ll be back tomorrow, calm, and at least more willing
to talk than he was today.” Malik explained as he walked up with Ryou.

 

“I got a question for you two. How come you two are always
together now? You’re always coming to school at the same time now and always
walking around with each other. What’s up with that?” Seto asked, looking at
both boys sideways.

 

“It’s just, when Bakura was around, we were either together,
or he was always waiting for me. Since he left, my house as been completely
empty and I get lonely without him. Malik lives close by, and since Isis is
always at the museum, Malik gets lonely too.” Ryou explained. “I moved in with
Malik, but I’ll go back home when my dad comes back. Neither of them has a problem
with it.”

 

“Actually, both of them thought it would be good for us to
have the company. Ryou’s dad thinks it’s an excellent idea because he was
worried about Ryou’s being lonely, and Isis thinks it’s good because then Ryou
can help me with my homework.” Malik smirked.

 

“Sometimes talking about our yamis with each other helps a
lot. Even if all we say is ‘I miss Bakura….”

 

“Or ‘I miss Marik,’” Malik interrupted.

 

“‘…And I wish they could come back’ helps more than you
might think it does.” Ryou finished.

 

Seto shrugged and turned his attention back to the boy in
his arms. “Maybe if Yugi had somebody to talk to he wouldn’t have bottled it up
inside until he was ready to burst. Then nobody would’ve gotten hurt.”

 

“You know Yugi though, he doesn’t want anybody to worry
about him so he keeps it to himself. It just gets to be too much for him
sometimes.” Ryou told him.

 

Everybody nodded, forced to accept the sound reasoning.
Their conversation ended as the teacher walked into the room and ordered
everybody to sit down.

 

Joey wiped his eyes clean and looked around at Seto, Malik,
and Ryou. “Can we go find Yugi after
school? Maybe we’ll be able to talk to him away from other people.” He
suggested.

 

“Maybe, Joey. It wouldn’t hurt to try.” Malik smiled
sympathetically at him as he took a seat behind Ryou.

 

~~

 

Joey and the gang walked to the park where they saw Yugi cry
the night before, and made their way over to the clearing. They had gone to the
game shop, but Solomon had told them Yugi had just dropped off his stuff and
then went out for a walk a few hours earlier.

 

All of their hopes were dashed as they saw Yugi sitting up
against the trees.

 

“Yugi?” Ryou whispered.

 

Startled, Yugi looked up at them but frowned when he saw who
was there. “Why can’t you just leave me alone?” He ground out through clenched
teeth.

 

“Yugi, why are you acting like this? We’re sorry about what
happened earlier, but you need to work with us if we’re going to get anywhere.
It’s not going to work if you just yell and then leave.” Malik tried to reason.

 

“There’s nothing to talk about. I want to be alone, you
can’t get it through your heads so you follow me around, so I yell and then
leave so I can be alone; end of story.” Yugi snapped, uninfluenced by the
logic.

 

“Yugi, you’re so different now. You never acted like this
before. We know you miss Yami and Ryou and Malik miss their yami’s as well, but
the truth is they’re not going to come back, especially if you’re acting like
this. Those two,” Joey pointed back at Malik and Ryou, “don’t act like this, do
they? Maybe you should try talking to one of them, they know what you’re going
through better than Seto or I.”

 

“It would help, Yugi.” Ryou whispered, afraid that if he
spoke any louder Yugi would get angry again.

 

“I don’t need anyone’s help. Besides,” He stood up and wiped
the leaves and dirt from his clothes, “ever hear the saying ‘three’s a crowd.’
I wouldn’t want to get in the way of your perfect lives.” With that said Yugi
pushed past them and walked away.

 

“Yugi?” Seto called back to him.

 

Yugi kept walking.

 

“Come back! Don’t act like this!” Malik hollered.

 

He kept ignoring them.

 

“Yug! We’re best friends! Best friends don’t do this to each
other, they talk to each other about their problems!” Joey yelled after him.

 

Yugi forced himself to keep moving away from them, fighting
tears as he walked.

 

“We would do anything to help you, Yugi! We would even bring
Yami back if we could, but we can’t! How can we help if you won’t let us?” Ryou
shouted, crying.

 

Tears slipped from his eyes, reflecting the pain of his
broken heart.

 

“Yami….”