What's Love Got To Do With It?

MISUNDERSTANDINGS

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Disclaimer: Still don't own and still make no money from it either
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Startled by the request, the blue-eyed CEO studied the youth standing on his doorstep, the shattered look in those large innocent eyes causing him to respond more gently than he normally would have. "Of course, Yugi. Come in and I'll take you to one of the guest rooms." Leading the way upstairs, he wondered what could have happened to break the joyful spirit of his rival. His mind raced, coming up with the same conclusion: Atemu. Only the Pharaoh could cause the suffering swirling in those amethyst depths. Anger flooded his mind; he hated to see that look of despair on Yugi's beautiful face.

The distraught teen sank down onto the king-sized bed. "Thank you, Kaiba. I didn't know where else to go."

Flickering compassion flared briefly in the azure eyes of the tall slender one. Hesitantly, he sat down on the edge of the mattress. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Violet eyes swimming with unshed tears stared unblinkingly at the older, wiser teen. "Yami's been having sex with Bakura, Ryou, Mariku, and Malik."

Kaiba's eyes grew large. This was defiinitely not what he expected to hear. "Are you certain? Who told you this?"

Yugi smiled sadly. "Malik showed me." He wiped the tears from his face before continuing. Taking a deep breath, he confessed everything that had occurred that night and also the events from the night that the six of them were together.

Tears streamed down the pale cheeks as he revealed his fears to Seto Kaiba. "I don't want to participate in the group sex again. Physically, it was very satisfying, but there was no emotional connection, no intimacy." The slender shoulders lifted in an apologetic shrug. "I know this sounds archaic, but I believe that sex without love is empty and meaningless."

He raised his head, the pain apparent in his red swollen eyes. Seto felt tears prick his own eyes, his heart breaking for the younger teen. He had long been attracted to the diminutive duelist, but he knew and accepted the reality of the soul connection between Yugi and Atemu.

Cautiously, he embraced the shaking shoulders, pulling the weeping youth closer, stroking the silky tri-colored hair. He felt the slender body relax slightly, leaning against him. He was still reeling from the younger one's confession. He failed to understand how Atemu could possibly enjoy having sex with other people when he had such a rare wonderful treasure in Yugi. The connection they shared was so strong and powerful. How could Yami possibly think that being with Bakura, Mariku, Malik, and Ryou was worth the chance of losing the soul-binding intimacy that joined him and his hikari together? If their roles were reversed, he would do everything in his power to let Yugi know how appreciated, how special, how absolutely necessary he was for his very existence. Feeling the tenseness lessen, he released his grip and smiled as the sleeping teen snuggled into the pillows, wrapping his arms around one and pulling it close to him.

Easing his weight off the bed, he walked silently to the door. With one last wistful glance, he strode down the hallway to his room. The blue eyes were thoughtful and distant as he considered his options concerning his new houseguest. Deciding that tonight he would do nothing; after what Atemu had done, it wouldn't harm the arrogant Pharaoh permanently to spend the night suffering and wondering where his beautiful hikari had gone.
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Atemu was very confused and worried. What could possibly be troubling his koishii hikari so that he refused to talk to him? Why didn't he want him to touch him? It made no sense. Determined to get some answers, he swiftly climbed the stairs and entered their bedroom--only to find it unoccupied. Shock raced through his system as he realized that his koibito was gone. Spying the open window he fell to his knees; incredible pain ripping through his heart. Why had he left and where had he gone?

Frantic, he grabbed the cordless phone, his tanned fingers automatically dialing Jounouchi's number. He silently prayed that the golden-haired teen was at home. He clenched his teeth in frustration as the answering machine came on.

"Jou, it's Yami. I need to talk to you tonight. I don't care what time it is when you get this message, just call me, please."

Breaking the connection, he quickly punched in another set of numbers. "Hello?" The soft voice of Ryou calmed his nerves slightly.

"Oh thank Ra. Have you seen Yugi?"

"No, Yami. I haven't talked with him since the night we were all together. What happened?"

More concerned than ever, the ancient spirit explained to the gentle hikari everything that had occurred earlier, including Yugi's uncharacteristic tears and refusal to talk about whatever was troubling him. "He's keeping something from me, something that is causing him tremendous pain. I don't understand what is happening and why he refuses to talk to me. And now he's missing! He sneaked out the bedroom window while I was downstairs." Atemu's hands began to tremble as he imagined his aibou alone in the dark on the streets. There were so many things that could happen to him out there. He tried again to contact his koi through their mind-link, only to encounter a solid brick wall. "He's blocking me, Ryou. He doesn't want me to know where he is or what he's thinking." Tears slowly welled up in those magnificent crimson eyes and spilled over sliding slowly down his cheeks. "What did I do to make him hate me so much that he would run away?" Breaking down, the agonized dark spirit dropped the phone to the floor, his body collapsing onto the soft mattress.

"Yami? Atemu? Are you still there?" Ryou repeated several times before hanging up the phone and running from the kitchen to the living room where his koishii was sprawled out onto the couch.

"Kura, we have to go to Atemu's house, NOW!!" Ryou yelled, capturing the older one's attention immediately. He knew that there was something seriously wrong for his tenshi to act this way. Asking no questions, the tomb robber grabbed his car keys.

Arriving at Yugi's house, the albino couple was alarmed by the darkness. There were no lights on, no sign of life. Still, Ryou sensed that Yami was there. Hand-in-hand, Kura led the way through the house and up the stairs. Opening the bedroom door, a joint sigh of relief was released at the shadowy outline of the Pharaoh lying on the bed. The pain radiating from him was almost palpable. Anxious, Ryou broke free and knelt down beside the bed, his pale slender fingers stroking the tangled mass of tri-colored hair. "Yami?", his voice barely above a whisper.

The tear-stained face lifted slightly. "Yugi?"

The pain, love and fear expressed in that one word caused tears to form in the gentle brown eyes. "It's Ryou. Kura and I were worried about you and Yugi. Have you heard from him?"

"No. He still has the link blocked. I just don't understand. Why won't he talk to me? We've always been able to talk about anything." He shifted his body into a sitting position, wiping at the wetness on his face.

The tender-hearted teen wrapped his arms around the emotionally wounded one. He glanced up at Kura. "Call Malik and see if Yugi is there or if they have heard from him." He focused his attention on calming Atemu as his yami left them alone.
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Kura dialed Malik's phone, hoping that the Egyptian lovers were home. "Hello?" The voice was slightly breathless. Kura winced. It was obvious that his phone call had interrupted the amorous couple, but it was too late now. "Mariku, it's Kura. Have you talked to Yugi or is he there with you?"

That got the spiky-haired one's attention. He gestured to his thin lover, and put the call on the speaker phone. "Neither of us has seen or heard from him since the night at Yami's. How long has Yugi been missing?"

Malik stood up and pulled on his jeans and a tank top. "I'm going to look for him, Kura. He kissed Mariku swiftly, his tongue flicking across the full bottom lip. "I'll call you if I find him."

The slender hikari started his motorcycle and raced down the street. He drove aimlessly, searching for any sight of his diminutive friend. He stopped at the clubs and asked around, but no one had seen anyone matching Yugi's description. "Kuso, Yugi! Where are you?" Frustrated, he returned home; Mariku meeting him at the door.

"Any sign of the chibi iti?" The older one asked, his lavender eyes filled with concern. He was truly fond of the tiny teen; his innocence aroused Mariku's protective instincts. He would kill anyone who harmed the Pharaoh's light. Just as he would destroy anyone or anything that threatened his koishii Malik. He was just as crazy about Ryou, but he worried less about him because Kura would annihilate anyone who attempted to harm his koibito.

Malik shook his head. "No. I searched everywhere I could think of, but no one has seen him tonight." He turned his own lavender gaze to his yami's. "Where could he be, Mariku?"

"I don't know, hikari. He was upset with Yami and refused to talk to him. While the Pharaoh was downstairs, he climbed out the bedroom window. When Yami went upstairs to talk to him, he discovered that his hikari was missing. We have no way of knowing how long Yugi's been gone or where he might have gone." He embraced his tanned koibito. "All we know for certain is that he hasn't contacted any of us, and he's blocked off the mind-link between him and Atemu."

The lavender eyes widened at that revelation. So Yugi was extremely upset with his yami. But why? What could possibly drive Yugi to reject his koibito and run away? And where would he go? "Has anyone called Jounouchi? Maybe he's seen him."

"Yami called him first. He wasn't home, so he left a message for him to call regardless of what time it is." Sighing, he grabbed the keys dangling from Malik's hand. "Let's go, koi. Maybe they will have found the chibit iti by the time we get there."
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Kura answered the door, shaking his head at the unspoken question in both sets of lavender eyes. "He hasn't come home or called. Jounouchi called a few minutes ago. He hasn't seen or talked to him all day." The sharp chocolate eyes narrowed. "If anyone hurts him, they will suffer ten kinds of hell. They will beg for mercy before I get through with them."

"How is Atemu?" Malik asked, looking at the stairs leading to the second floor.

"I left him with Ryou. My hikari was attempting to convince him to get some sleep. He told the Pharaoh that he would stay with him and wake him if anyone heard from Yugi." Hearing that, Malik ran quietly up the steps, silently opening the door to Yugi and Yami's bedroom.

Startled, Ryou looked up, eyes wide with alarm. He relaxed, seeing the beautiful Egyptian youth standing in the doorway. "Shhhh," he whispered. "He just went to sleep." The white-haired teen stood and tip-toed around the bed. "Let's go out into the hall and talk. I don't want to disturb him."

Standing outside the door, but keeping the sleeping one in sight, the two friends talked about Yugi. Ryou revealed to Malik what Atemu had told him and Kura about Yugi's behavior. The tanned teen was thoughtful. "So Yugi was really upset?" He pondered the details of what he had been told. "If I was Yugi and I didn't want to be found, where would I go?" He paused, his mind racing. The answer came to both teens simultaneously. They locked eyes as the answer came to them. "Kaiba's."

Ryou turned his attention inward, calling to his koibito. //Kura? Malik and I have an idea that Yugi may have gone to Kaiba's. Could you check on that?//

Bakura grinned at Mariku. "Our hikari's are amazing. They think that Yugi may have gone to Kaiba's. I'm going to find out." He opened the front door and stepped out into the darkness. If I find him there, I'll bring him home."

Using his expert ability and natural talent, Kura quickly disarmed Kaiba's elaborate security system. Picking the locks on the front door, he slipped inside the house, easing slowly along the winding staircase, treading lightly just in case one of the steps was squeaky. Reaching the top of the stairs, he began opening doors until he encountered a locked one. Using his tools, the former thief efficiently unlocked the door. Success! He almost cheered as he spied Yugi sprawled out on the large bed, his eyes closed, his hands and arms clutching and gripping a pillow.

Using the advantage of surprise, Kura effortlessly lifted the slumbering youth, quickly covering his mouth with a pale hand. "It's me, Bakura. Don't try to scream or fight, Yugi," he whispered. "I would have to hurt Kaiba if he attempted to stop me from leaving with you."

Knowing that the tomb raider would carry out his threat, the frightened youth remained quiet until they were outside. "Why are you doing this, Bakura? Where are you taking me?"

Light laughter spilled from the pale sensuous lips. "I'm taking you home, chibi tenshi. I don't know what is going on with you and the Pharaoh, but it's time to talk. No more hiding."

A fresh wave of emotional pain and fear flooded the tender one's heart; he struggled to free himself from Kura's tightening grip. "NO!!" he yelled, eyes shining with unshed tears. "Please, don't take me back there. I can't see him right now."

His own heart ached at the sight of the tears flowing over the pale cheeks. "Kuso!" he swore loudly. "What has that baka done to you?" He cradled the weeping teen closer to him. "Tell me Yugi. Did Atemu hurt you? If he did, I will make him regret the day he was resurrected."

Shocked, the violet-eyed one stared into the penetrating dark brown gaze. "No, Kura. Yami would never intentionally inflict pain on me." His gaze lowered to the ground. "But sometimes people hurt the ones they love without meaning to."

Perceptive, Kura latched onto that last statement. "So, your yami hurt you without realizing it?" He didn't need a verbal response. The answer was visible in those crystalline depths. Placing Yugi in Ryou's car, he drove recklessly back to Yugi's house. He pulled the unresisting youth from the car and carried him into the living room, laying him on the couch.

//Tenshi? I'm downstairs with Yugi. You and Malik come stay with him; Mariku and I need to have a chat with Atemu.//

The two hikari's wasted no time. In seconds, they were embracing the silent teen, placing loving kisses on his cheeks and lips. "Don't you ever scare us like that again!! We didn't know where you were--Atemu was so frightened. Why did you run away?" Malik was demanding in his questions, his relief at having Yugi back home causing him to be quick and unrelenting in wanting answers.

Ryou shushed him. "Hush Malik. Can't you see he's exhausted? And he doesn't owe us any explanations." He paused, his lean fingers gently brushing the golden bangs away from Yugi's face. "It's enough for me that he's home."

A sigh broke from the weary youth. "Thanks, Ryou. I'm sorry for frightening you; I just needed to get away from here, away from Yami." Pain swirled in those expressive eyes. "I'm losing him and the pain was just getting to be too much for me. That's why I left."

Brown and lavender gazes locked, each conveying confusion. Yugi losing Yami? Impossible! Atemu loved his hikari desperately; they were two halves of one soul, destined to be together. Whatever had happened, there was obviously a misunderstanding. It was time for the Pharaoh and his aibou to talk.

//Mariku? Will you and Kura please bring Atemu downstairs? I don't know exactly what's going on, but he and Yugi need to talk.//

\Koi, we're on our way. Aishiteru, tenshi.\

//Aishiteru, yami.//
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Atemu walked numbly downstairs. He didn't understand or care why Bakura and Mariku felt it necessary for him to do so. All he wanted to do was talk to his hikari and find out why he hated him now. What had he done that was so terrible? Everything had been so wonderful, so perfect. Yugi had never given any sign that he was unhappy or angry. So what happened to cause his koishii aibou to run away? He turned the corner to enter the living room and gaped.

His feet flew across the short distance; his arms reaching lovingly towards the small teen curled up on the leather couch. He stopped, seeing the look of anxiety and fear in those large amethyst eyes. Dropping his arms, he retreated to the recliner and sank down in it, his heart squeezing painfully in his chest. He closed his crimson eyes in a vain effort to hold back the tears. His shoulders shook; he bit his lips to prevent the agonizing sobs from escaping.

The obvious signs of pain was too much for Ryou. Anger filled him, inciting him to stand up and begin shouting. "Enough!! Yugi, it is past time for you to tell Atemu what is bothering you!! The two of you need to talk, to communicate, NOW!! If you don't, then you are going to lose each other!"

Complete silence filled the room, five pairs of startled eyes focused on the incensed white-haired teen, sparks of fury emenating from his darkened chocolate eyes. No one was more shocked--or more proud-- than his yami. He really liked this never-before-seen side of his hikari. Desire raced through his system. Aroused, he grabbed his enraged koibito. "We'll call you guys tomorrow!" Kura yelled as he walked out the door carrying Ryou to the car.

"We should go as well, Mariku," the slender tanned Egyptian said, looking over at the still silent couple. Perhaps now they would talk to each other. He sent up a prayer to Ra to help the suffering lovers resolve their problems.
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Alone, the troubled lovers stared at each other for several long minutes. Finally, Atemu broke the silence. "Yugi," he said softly. "Won't you please tell me what I have done to turn your love into hate?" Unable to maintain eye contact, he hung his head down, his tears falling to the wooden floor.

Hate? Yami thought he hated him? The pain-filled words echoed in Yugi's head; guilt ate at his conscience. Ryou was right. He and his koibito needed to talk and clear up these misunderstandings. Rising from the couch, he walked to the chair and knelt at his koishii's feet. "Yami, I don't hate you; I could never hate you." He grasped the clenched hands, his thin fingers stroking the long slender digits of his dark half. "Don't you understand that I love you more than life? You are my reason for living. Without you, I would cease to exist."

His spirit soared at his hikari's declaration. "Then why? Why did you run away? What did I do to hurt you, koi?" He tightened his grip on the younger one's hands and pulled him up to sit in his lap.

Yugi swallowed hard. This was going to be difficult. But he had to attempt to make his yami understand his fears, his reluctance to continue in an open relationship. If Atemu couldn't commit to a monagamous relationship, then he would have no choice but to break their connection. Even though it would destroy him in the end. "Koishii, having sex with Malik was amazing, physically. But it left an emptiness in me; it didn't fill the emotional need that making love should. That's because it wasn't love--it was sex. And when you brought up the idea of me joining in with the open relationship you were sharing with our friends, I couldn't say no. How could I? It was something you obviously felt strongly about, and I wanted to spend the time with you and make you happy." He paused, lowering his gaze, unable to look into that penetrating gaze. "Afterwards, you seemed so pleased with all of us being together, that I tried so hard to pretend that I loved it too. But I didn't. On a purely physical level, it was absolutely fantastic! But the intimacy, the spiritual connection was missing. I knew then that I wasn't willing to participate in any future partner swapping escapades."

Atemu freed his hands and tilted his hikari's face up, their eyes locking. "Aibou, you should have told me this. Don't you know that you are my everything? You are the reason I live. You give me strength, courage, ....love." He kissed the trembling lips softly. "However much I enjoy having sex with our friends, that is nothing compared to the soul-binding ecstasy I experience when you and I make love." He smiled lovingly at his beautiful hikari. "I can and I will freely give up having group sex. It is simply a physical release, nothing more. I can live without that...But I can't live without you. Aishiteru, koishii aibou."

More tears flowed from the large crystal violet depths. Only these were tears of joy. "Aishiteru, Mou Hitori No Boku." He placed a gentle kiss on that sensuous mouth, opening their mind-link to send all his emotions, his hopes, his fears, his timeless, endless love to his soul partner. The one that destiny had chosen for him. The one he would spend all of eternity with.

Sitting there lost in that perfect moment, Malik's question came back to him. 'What's love go to do with it?' Looking into his koibito's glistening ruby eyes, the answer came easily. 'Everything.'
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Okay....that's the end of this story. I know that was a very long chapter, but I didn't want to split it up. Please read and review and let me know what you think, okay? I'll be updating "Resurrecting the Darkness" soon. And I'll also be starting a new story.
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