Possession

First Things First: Wow, wow, wow…. So many reviews for chapter 8… Thank you so, so, so much. I have been sick as anything, with allergies, trying to write as I sneeze all over my keyboard. But I hope you weren’t in too much suspense waiting for me to finish this chapter, as I battled scratchy and watery eyes and general bad times. Well, since I left you with such a horrible cliffhanger ending we’ll get right to it. Did he or didn’t he? Yes, Seto made his own bed. He caused this. I’m trying not to have bias as I write this but damn it I think I feel worse for Seto, even though it’s his fault for being an idiot. Then again I could be thinking this way because he’s my favorite character anyway. Oh well, enough stalling, I bet half of you didn’t even read this little note just so you could find out what the Hell happened. So we’ll pick up where I left off. And just as a side note, the lyrics I just couldn’t resist. Once again, so perfect. First ones are for Seto, second for Yami. ^_^


Disclaimer: I don’t own the show… shesh….


Chapter 9: Stranded


Gonna swallow my pride
Say I’m sorry
Stop pointing fingers the blame is on me
I want a new life
And I want it with you
If you feel the same
Don’t ever let it go
You gotta believe in the spirit of love
It can heal all things
We won’t hurymorymore
No I don’t believe our love’s terminal
I’m down on my knees begging you please
Come home

~ On Bended Knee
Boys II Men

You know it only breaks my heart
To see you standing in the dark alone
Waiting there for me to come back

I’m too afraid to show

If it’s coming over you
Like it’s coming over me
I’m crashing like a tidal wave
That drags me out to sea
And I wanna be with you
And you wanna be with me
I’m crashing like a tidal wave
And I don’t wanna be
Stranded, stranded, stranded, stranded

I can only take so much
These tears are turning me to rust
I know you’re waiting there for me to
Come back

I’m too afraid to show

If it’s coming over you
Like it’s coming over me
I’m crashing like a tidal wave
That drags me out to sea
And I wanna be with you
If you wanna be with me
I’m crashing like a tidal wave
And I don’t wanna be
Stranded, stranded, stranded, stranded

I miss you, I need you
Without you, I’m stranded
I love you so come back

~ Stranded
Plumb

“I’ll have those reports on your desk this afternoon.”

“Thank you.” Seto’s secretary did a little bow and then left the room, closing the door behind her. Seto looked back to his computer screen, the blinking cursor taunting him. He had a million things to do. He was just lucky he was always ahead in his work. Otherwise he’d really have a problem. This stress was affecting his job performance. If this didn’t resolve itself by mid next week he really was going to be fucked.

Damn was he longing for Yami something rotten.

This had nothing to do with sex anymore. Physical attraction was but a small element of his need, although he definitely suffered with intense wet dreams at night. They were so vividly detailed, some of them replays of events that had actually happened between them. It felt almost like he rel reliving every intimate moment they had ever shared over the past 364 days. Yes, 364 days ago…because tomorrow… tomorrow was their anniversary.

Of course the only resolution was to get over Yami. And since that seemed impossible he was doubly fucked. It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried. But last night had just proven that it was only going to get worse going forward. Being away from his former pharaoh felt like a black monsoon that was flooding his consciousness. He was struggling to keep his head above water…barely able to cope with the day to day, ins and outs of life. Let alone run a billion dollar company. He had never felt like he had last night, never known it possible to feel those types of extreme emotions.

This other mystery guy gaim him heartburn. He made his body numb. He had no idea who this guy was, and he could feel himself doing whatever necessary to eliminate him. He couldn’t deal with this anymore, this emotional torture. It was unbearably cruel. But he had created this…he had caused all of this. Yes Yami and him had issues, yes things were falling apart. But damn it… he longed for Yami…body and soul… he ached for him.

He bled for him.

Seto held his nose, it was bleeding. Bad enough he had the migraines, but he was getting nosebleeds too. Mokuba had insisted he needed to see a doctor. But he couldn’t. He was so busy with his final preparations. The stupid morons at Kaiba Corp couldn’t handle being on their own without their leader.

He was trying to make things go smoothly.

Damn it…why was he feeling like this. He had lost eight pounds already, but he couldn’t keep any food down. Anything he tried to keep down wound up coming back up. And the migraines and the nosebleeds…

Maybe he had a tumor. Seto huffed. If he could only be so lucky.

This felt like the wrong time to go on another business trip, but he had to. He needed time away from Domino. He needed a moment to regroup and think. And maybe, if he put enough distance between Yami and him…perhaps he could get over him properly. But who was he kidding? It was hopeless. No matter how many miles apart they were…this pain would still be there.

He had to do something though. He couldn’t cope with work. Being single was eventually going to hurt business. And he supposed that maybe he missed Yami’s neurosis on top of it. It was the little things, both good and bad. The way Yami said “Dragon”, that smug smirk on his face, the slaps, the fighting, the making up, the punishments. The best of times the worst of times…all their time…

He was miserable, he was jealous, he was angry, he was hurt, he was guilty. He wanted…no, needed Yami back. But that just wasn’t going to happen. Even if Yami weren’t dating other people, he’d never understand. He’d never forgive. The moment Seto tried to be vulnerable around him…laid it all out there…Yami would come along and throw it in his face. Fuck, he couldn’t even say an “I love you” with out the spirit taking a shot. It had felt like Yami was trying to sabotage their relationship. Not that he had been an innocent bystander in the destruction.

Could Yami really blame him though? For ending it. Their entire up and down nonsense was measured by the bad, not the good. It was rare for there not to be hostility and aggression. They were walking in a field of landmines, unable to find a safe path. That couldn’t constitute a relationship, it was unhealthy, it was stressful. So why did he want Yami back? As soon as they were together again all the old issues would resurface. All the fighting would start again. It was truly useless.

And of course he couldn’t discredit himself for pushing Yami away even further. Bad enough he dumped him, but to add wood to the fire he yelled at him over the cell phone, and bad mouthed him in his interview. He meant none of what he said. Not a word. But Yami didn’t know that. He had been so angry with the way things were going that he couldn’t resist. It was a low blow, a nasty thing to do. But that’s the way he lived until now… he wasn’t capable of not being malicious when he was angry and hurt. It was a never-endinrclercle of suffering.

But here he was… with a bloody nose….

Wishing in some twisted way Yami had bloodied it by slapping him or striking him.

He missed his baby so much he would relish and be thankful for his abusive side. The situation was clear. He was leaving for his business trip on Saturday of next week. Everything had to be resolved and sorted out by then. And if it meant that he would just have to suck it up, put a period, and move on, so be it. He was Seto Kaiba, and he would just have to be strong and get over it.


-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-


Yami blinked twice before his vision cleared enough that he could focus his attentions on his Aibou. He gave Yugi a questioning look, not understanding why he was once again in bed. The last thing he clearly remembered was waking up on top of a topless Mahad, panicking, and vomiting on the floor. As for last night’s activities, they all ran together in a messy blur of recollections. What had been a dream and what a reality? And where the hell was Bakura, he really wanted to speak to him directly about giving him that shadow’s wet dream shot, which could be blamed for all the emotional turmoil he was faced with right now.

“Are you okay, Yami? We were so worried about you.” Yugi moved so Ryou could look Yam Yami’s eyes. His aibou’s boyfriend looked upset. Yami sat up a little, realizing that he still wasn’t wearing a shirt. “You gave us quite a scare between tonight and this morning.”

“I don’t…I don’t remember what happened. Why am I in bed?”

“You passed out on the floor. After you threw up.” Yami looked at Ryou for a moment. “Do you remember waking up this morning?”

“Yes. What time is it now?”

“Almost 3.”

Yami sighed to himself, so much of the day was over already. He must have been pretty hung over. “I…what happened to Mahad?”

“He went back to Malik’s house.”

“You mentioned I…that I gave you a scare last night as well?” Yami inquired, trying to piece together what possibly could have happened.

“You came in with Mahad. You were laughing and talking really loud. Mahad was trying to keep you quiet, and the next thing we knew your eyes rolled back and you collapsed.” Yami shivered. He didn’t even remember coming home last night.

“Collapsed?”

“We feared the worst, thinking you could have alcohol poisoning. But you didn’t vomit, so we didn’t know what to think. Mahd told us you did four shots of some drink with absinthe in it. And as far as I’ve always heard that stuff is like 68% pure alcohol. When you wouldn’t get up Mahad, Yugi and I brought you up to your bedroom.”

“I had a flashback last night. Perhaps that is why I collapsed. Kaiba mentioned I did the same thing when I had a flashback at his house on Monday.”

“I guess so. Did you have a flashback this morning as well?”

“I don’t remember it, if I did. However I was obviously severely hung over, so it’s hard to know exactly…what happened.”

Yugi picked up on the hidden meaning in his yami’s voice and sat down on the bed. He looked into the crimson eyes of his other. “Yami, do you remember sleeping with Mahad last night?”

Yami blushed but shook his head no.

“You… Yami, you didn’t…please, tell me you didn’t…” Yami looked at the look of horror on Ryou’s face. “Yami…there’s no going back after that. You and Seto have been apart for less than a week. I still think there’s a good chance you could get back together.”

“Ryou, Seto dumped him, remember? And you saw the snippet from the interview this morning. Yami sleeping with Mahad is the right thing to do. Why shouldn’t he have? He’s not Seto’s property. Seto cut him loose and it’s time Yami see what else is out there.”

“Honey, this would crush Seto…you heard what Mokuba said about him this morning. This would just add fuel to the proverbial fire. Besides, Yami knows nothing about Mahad. Not to mention that he won’t be in town for very long. In the long run it’s not a good thing to do.”

“I don’t care what Seto thinks, he hurt Yami. He didn’t care about Yami’s feelings, why should Yami care about his? Sometimes the only way you can ever heal is if you experience new things and new people. And it wasn’t like Yami’s never slept with someone he didn’t know very well. That’s how he got with Seto in the first place.”

“He knew Seto a lot better than he knew Mahad.”

“He didn’t even know Seto was gay.”

Yami cleared his throat. Ryou and Yugi stopped arguing and looked at the spirit. “Sorry, Yami,” Ryou said softly, feeling embarrassed.

“It’s okay, Little One.”

“Did you sleep with Mahad last night?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t remember. I don’t even remember getting home.”

“What’s the last thing you do remember?” Ryou wondered sitting on the bed next to his boyfriend.

“Mahad asking me if I wanted to dance. The rest, I’m afraid is all a mess.”

“You don’t remember when Yugi spoke to you through the link?” Yami thought about it.

“I recall it, but I don’t know what was said.” Yugi and Ryou exchanged a concerned look. “Look, whatever it is… just tell me.”

“We can only tell you what we know, there are still some gaps. But Yugi spoke to you to make sure you were okay because Mokuba was calling on behalf of Seto who got a strange feeling you weren’t all right. When you got home last night, after we took you upstairs Mahad said he’d sit with you to make sure you woke up and it wasn’t anything too serious. We didn’t know he was planning on staying the night. We were surprised when he came downstairs to tell us you had thrown up and then passed out.”

Yami looked over the side of the bed. The vomit was all cleaned up. “Anything else?”

“Well, before Mahad came downstairs, Yugi and I were watching Seto’s interview snippets, and Seto said all kinds of nasty things about you. And he mentioned that he was tired of being linked with you in the media, and that it was an insult.” Yami narrowed his eyes. “We called Mokuba to find out what was going on.”

“Mokuba told us that Seto was really upset last night,” Yugi explained, picking up the story. “The door to his bedroom wasn’t fully closed and Mokuba heard Seto sobbing. He wasn’t sure why, though he was very upset about you going out with Mahad. When Seto fell asleep Mokuba entered his bedroom and found his cell phone smashed in pieces. The last time he broke a cell phone by chucking it against a wall was because one of important business deals didn’t go through. But Mokuba thinks that since he was crying it couldn’t be business related.”

Yami gave Yugi a look. Not understanding.

“Bakura told us when I talked to him through the link that he remembers you being on your cell phone when Malik and him returned from the bathroom.” Ryou met Yami’s eyes. “We think you called Seto last night.”

Yami searched his mind for any memory of doing such a thing. Was it possible, could he have called Seto’s cell last night? Yami picked up his phone and flipped it open. He went to thll rll records, then outgoing calls and realized to his horror that he had. He had called Seto last night… what in the world had he said…

“Yami, whatever you told Seto made him very upset.”

“It doesn’t matter, Ryou, Seto brought this all on himself.”

“Honey, it does matter. It’s not a game. You can’t go around hurting people. And it seems to me that the only reason you wanted Yami to sleep with Mahad last night is because it would upset Seto.” Ryou turned to look at Yugi’s darker half.

“You sure you don’t remember if you slept with Mahad last night.”

“No. I don’t remember anything.”

“Well, I’ll put it like this,” Ryou looked at Yami and then at Yugi, his look serious, “If Mahad did sleep with you last night than it’s rape. You can’t sleep with someone that’s so inebriated that they don’t even remember coming home. If I had known he planned on spending the night I would have told him to get lost. That sounds pretty damn shady of him to have sex with someone who had just passed out in a drunken stupor.”

“We don’t know what happened. Yami’s black out doesn’t necessarily mean Yami didn’t want it. For all we know Yami could have jumped on Mahad and had his way with him. Yami can be pretty aggressive when he wants to be. And it’s not like Yami is helpless, he’s always capable of taking care of himself. If he were really in danger he would have been able to do something about it. The bottom line is ths nos no way to know what happened.”

“Well maybe Yami should find out.”

“And how do you suggest he do that, Ryou?”

“He has choices. His foggy memory could be the result of alcohol-induced amnesia, which means that theoretically if he got drunk again he could have memories of what happened the last time he was drunk. Of course the problem with that method is that we don’t know if that’s what caused the black outs, and as far as I know that usually only works when someone can’t remember where they placed their keys or something. As for recalling every single thing that happened from the last time he was drunk, I don’t know if that’s possible. Then again we could ask Malik or Bakura if Mahad came home this morning mentioning it. The easiest way to find out what happened, although maybe more embarrassing, would be to ask Mahad himself.”

“We should ask Bakura.”

Yami made a face. “I have nothing to say to the tomb robber, Aibou.” And just as if in a badly written mini-series, Bakura appeared in the door.

“Speak of the devil,” Ryou thought. “Bakura, why did you allow Yami to get so drunk last night?”

“I gave him one shot, he told me he wanted the other three. That’s not my fault.”

“Yes it is, you could have given him alcohol poisoning,” Yugi stated, narrowing his eyes.

“He’s Egyptian, he should be able to handle his liquor.”

“He’s not really Egyptian anymore, I mean he manifested himself that body…it wasn’t like some Egyptian woman gave birth to him in this lime,”me,” Ryou pointed out, frustrated.

“That’s not my fault. The pharaoh should have thought about that when he created the body in the first place. Besides, it’s use to abuse, Seto Kaiba did all kinds of things to it, and it’s still in one piece.” Yami started to get off the bed, ready to settle things with Bakura his own way.

“Say something else smart, Bakura, and we will settle this in the shadow realm.”

“Word to wise, Yami, your shadow powers aren’t going to be working too good for a few hours. They never do after a hang over. Besides, you don’t want to settle anything with me, you want to thank me for hooking you up with Mahad.”

“Thank you, and why would I do that?”

“Because Mahad is completely smitten with you, for whatever reason, and you were all over him the entire night at Dark’s Revenge.”

“Unfortuntely, Kura, Yami doesn’t remember much of the evening. Thanks, in part, to you,” Ryou explained.

“And once again, like I said, it’s not my fault he couldn’t handle his liquor better.”

“So help me, Bakura, you’re about to be handled.” Yami walked over to the tomb robber, ready to finish this once and for all.

“Yami, just stop it. Don’t you want me to tell you what Mahad said?” Yami made a face. But then sighed. He didn’t know what had happened between them. And he was curious to know. He was very attracted to the gorgeous Mahaado look a like. “He likes you a lot, Yami. A whole lot.”

“Did he tell you what happened last night between us?”

“You mean did he tell me if you fucked or not? No, he didn’t. Even though I asked him. You don’t remember that either?”

“He doesn’t remember anything, Bakura,” Yugi answered.

Bakura looked at Yugi and then at Yami. His face hardened and his tone grew dark, “Look, if Mahad did anything inappropriate last night I’ll takee ofe of him. Personally.”

“Kura…”

“I said I would take care of him, Ryou.” Bakura narrowed his eyes for a moment and turned back to Yami. “Hey, I didn’t mean for anything bad to happen, I only wanted you to forget about that asshole you use to be with.”

“Don’t start with some half ass attempt at a friendship speech, Tomb Robber,” Yami said, bitterly.

“Didn’t you watch the interview this morning. He was ruthless.”

“I would have if I wasn’t passed out.”

“He was talking all kinds of crap. Say thed and and I’ll take care of him too.” Yami rolled his eyes. “I meant no harm, Yami. I only wanted to get your mind off of it. You think I haven’t noticed you crying in the bathroom, falling asleep at night with that stupid flannel shirt of his. I care, but unlike these hikaris of ours, I know you don’t need to be babied. You nee be be a man, remember that you use to rule an entire country, and stop acting like a pussy.”

“BAKURA…”

“It’s okay, Little One.” Yami gave Bakura a look. “Your intentions were well meant, and for that I will put my plots to dispose of you once and for all on the back burner. For the sake of the hikaris, and my own sanity, you are forgiven for your lack in judgment. From what I do remember of last night, I did have a good time. And I recall that you did look out for me, obviously I made it back here in one piece, so thas tos to be saying something, I suppose.”

“Bakura, what do you say?” Ryou asked looking at his yami.

“What, I’m supposed to apologize or something?” Ryou narrowed his eyes. “Fine, yeah, sorry you got so drunk you forgot everything you did last night. Sorry your tolerance is laughable.”

“Bakura!”

“Little One, that is the best he can do. It is best to just drop it.” Yami walked over to his closet. “I think I should probably get showered and dressed. I’ve already wasted enough time.”

“Okay, Yami. Ryou and I will go fix you something to ea Yug Yugi headed out of the room, Ryou on his heels.

Bakura waited until Yami turned back to look at him. He quirked an eyebrow. He knew there was more on the white-haired fiend’s mind.

“Mahad wants to know if he can call you.” Yami felt his face grow red. “He said he can’t wait to see you again. He said that he wanted tay tay this morning with you but that he was too sleepy so he left.”

“What exactly are you doing home, Bakura?”

“Mahad told me you wound up throwing up, I came back to make sure you weren’t dead.” Yami gave Bakura a look.

“You were concerned about me?”

“Maybe.” Yami smirked. Maybe Bakura was tolerable. Sometimes. “Anyway, Mahad wants to go out again tonight.” Yami made a face. “To a nice sit down restaurant. Malik and I could come if you want so it wouldn’t feel too much like a date.”

Yami blushed brighter. “He’s really that interested?”

“He’s infatuated. The poor guy.” Yami narrowed his eyes. “Aren’t you attracted to him… he looks just like your favorite card, does he not?”

“I was never sexual attracted to the Dark Magician, Bakura.”

“Yet that was the first thing you said to me last night when you met Mahad.”

“I said he looked like Mahaado. And as we both know, Mahaado happens to resemble a card. Actually, I dreamt about Mahaado last night.”

“Flashback?”

“Yes.”

“Did you cheat on Seth to be with him?”

“Not sure. Though Mahaado was definitely in love with me.”

“So the plot thickens.” Yami sighed. “Don’t worry about the past, you need to worry about the present. We don’t know if Mahad is Mahaado or not.”

“The thing is, Mahad is leaving soon, it makes no sense to invest any of my free time on him.”

“Didn’t I tell you why Mahad came for a visit?” Yami shook his head. “He wanted to scope the place out, see what he thought. He was considering moving here. And now that you’ve enticed him with your silver leather pants andrdinrdinating mesh shirt he probably will.”

Yami’s eyes widened. He remembered Mahad saying something that he’d onlyin tin town for a week. But that if he liked it here he could stay longer. This was ridiculous. This changed everything. Suddenly he didn’t feel as bad about maybe sleeping with Mahad. If he wasn’t just a pacing fancy it wouldn’t be so bad. But he still felt like he was betraying Seto. Damn it, he would have to speak to Mahad and find out what happened.

The thought that Seto had cried last night…

Shed tears for him.

That certainly put things into perspective as well.

Then again, what the hell had Seto said in his interview. And there was still the incident with the cell phones Wednesday. Which only proved that nothing had changed. He was just horny without his faithful little whore. He was still as sometime-ish as ever. How the hell was he supposed to know what was going on in that CEO’s mind? He couldn’t live in some moment. He needed stability. He wasn’t a yo-yo.

But it was entirely too early to be sleeping with or involved with anyone else. Even if there was some remote possibility that this someone else could be the reincarnation of one of his other high priests. Why did he feel like this… so jaded…such a mess…

Damn Seto…fuck him…this was fas fault…he had abandoned him…left him stranded…and damn it, here he was upset and depressed about it. Why was this fair? Why was this fair in any way? Maybe he should speak to Mokuba. Then again Mokuba would probably be apprehensive of him since he had successfully made the strong CEO cry last night. Yami could only shutter at the thought that he said something horrible to him.

He needed to pull himself together and get dressed. He needed to speak to Mahad. Heded ded to know what he had allowed himself to do last night.


-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-


Yami sat down across from beautiful turquoise eyes. Mahad’s face lit up, his smile stretching as he shifted in his seat. “Yami, I’m so glad camecame over. I wanted to call you, but I wasn’t sure if I should. I didn’t know what to think. You were pretty sick this morning.”

“Yes. I was.”

“Are you okay now?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Did you want to go out tonight, Yami?” Yami looked at Mahad, not sure of an answer. Seto and him were broken up, he knew that quite well. But he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling but he was betraying his dragon. Yes, Seto wasn’t his dragon anymore, but still…he… “I don’t want to rush you, I can understand if you don’t think you’re ready for anything just yet.”

“Mahad, I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t remember much of what happened between us last night. My impression of you from what I do recall is a good one, however, I don’t know what to think about waking up with you in my bed this morning.”

Mahad smiled, knowingly. “I’m curious to know just how much you do remember.” Yami swallowed. This reminded him of his flashback from last night. Mahaado almost cocky as he asked Yami what he did and didn’t remember. At least in the flashback his clothing was on. “Do you remember asking me back to your house?”

“No. I asked you back?”

“You told me you wanted me to come home with you. That you were lonely sleeping alone, that you missed your dragon. So Bakura and Malik dropped us off at your place.”

“Then I passed out in the kitchen.”

“Yes. Scared your brother and his boyfriend to pieces.” Yami made a face, brother? He had to be referring to Yugi. “We carried you upstairs.”

“You told tyou’you’d stay with me to make sure I was okay.” Mahad nodded. w cow come I woke up with a pair of boxers on that weren’t mine, and shirtless.”

“Your brother put you in a pair of boxers, I don’t know where he got them from. I went into the bathroom, and when I returned he had changed your clothes.”

“But you were topless too.”

“It was hot sleeping with someone else, so all I wore were my boxers.” Yami nodded, slowly understanding. He was avoiding the big question. He kcirccircling around it, hoping, perhaps in vain, Mahad would simply tell him without him having to ask. “You’re making a face, what’s wrong?”

“Mahad, I don’t even remember half of what happened in the club last night. I just, I’m concerned about what happened in my bedroom between you and I.”

“Is that what this is about? You can’t remember if we had sex last night?”

“Yes.” Yami looked down, already more than enough embarrassed.

“You woke up at one point and asked me for it. You said you needed to get over this dragon person, and that you wanted me. You kept telling me thele nle night that you knew I was trying to sleep with you.” Yami flushed. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Yami.”

Why was he avoiding the answer to his question? He wanted to know. More than anything in this world, he wanted to know. “Mahad, I don’t remember anything until I woke up this morning and threw up on my floor. Everything you’re telling me right now is news to me.”

Yami didn’t know what he wanted the answer to be. Ryou was right,, there was no going back, Seto had been the only person to ever have sex with him, in this lifetime, and to think he had slept with someone else only three days after they had broken up was a grim prospect. On the other hand, Seto dumped him, so far he gave no indication that he wanted to try again. In fact, his dragon, or ex-dragon as was now the case, seemed like he was saying a firm goodbye on Wednesday when he came by to pick up his clothes.

“You honestly don’t remember?”

“No,” Yami replied, almost miserably. “I remember nothing. Honestly.”

“You were pretty messed up last night, Yami. When you told me to take you I was more than a little reluctant…”

“But?”

“But I couldn’t leave you. I was so drawn to you. I just lay there, and let you crawl on top of me.”

“So, we…we had sex then?” Yami looked up, his emotions ywheywhere at once.

“You crawled on top of me, took off my shorts and then fel asleep.” Yami looked down, wishing he could verify any of this. What choice did he have but to trust Mahad, at the same time, since he didn’t remember anything, who knows what Mahad did with him while he was out of it. His whole body was a mess when he woke up, and since he passed out again, it was hard to say whether or not anything could have happened to him that he would not have been aware of. “Yami?”

“Yes?”

“I wouldn’t take advantage of you. I only stayed because you wanted me to. You were lonely. You kept asking me to give you the shirt. Your dragon shirt. I didn’t know which shirt it was, I couldn’t figure out what you were talking about. You were pretty upset last night.”

Yami thought about that for a moment. He had asked for Seto’s flannel button down shirt. He must have missed Seto last night something awful. Damn it, what the fuck. How was he supposed to heal, go on, when he was thinking of him all the fucking time. “Yami?”

“I’m sorry, I have a lot on my mind.” Yami looked up and gave Malik a weak smile. “Listen, let me get back to you about tonight. I just need some time to think. It’s been a rough time trying to deal with the breakup’m n’m not sure I’d be much company tonight.”

“Yami, I completely understand. Don’t think anything of it. Here, I’ll walk you to the door.” It occurred to him that this person, this Mahad, would never call him a cum slut, he’d never start cursing at him, he’d never threaten him for coming over uninvited. There would be no toxic element of a potential relationship. Mahad wouldn’t, and hadn’t slept with him on their first night.

Why did he miss Seto again? What about his sparkling personality was he longing for? And even though they had their ancient connection, Hell if Seth hadn’t raped him, a painful memory that he had had to endure twice. This all made little to no sense. It seemed so much of their past was replaying itself, that so much of what happened was happening again. Damn it…this was killing him…he just wanted it over….he was tired of being lonely and hurt. He was sick of being so jaded and upset.

His dragon was gone.

He needed to move on.

“Yami?” Yami looked at Mahad, unaware they had even walked to the door of Malik’s house. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know.” Mahad gave Yami a worried look. “I’m very sorry, honestly, I just…”

“Yami, don’t worry about it. I told you I completely understand. It can’t be easy for you. Just call me later if you want to go out tonight.” Yami nodded. “I know this is being a little bold, and forward, but I was thinking. Last night was kind of like a first date, and well, I didn’t get a chance to kiss you…I know that you’re probably thinking that…”

Yami stopped worrying about Seto for one moment, and leaned over, connecting his lips with Mahad’s. It was a brief kiss, nothing spectacular. There was a small charge of electricity. It wasn’t anything equal to the kind of feeling he got when kissing the teen CEO, but there was a connection there.

Mahad smiled when Yami pulled away. “I’ll talk to you later.” Yami turned to leave.

“Yami, there’s one thing. I heard you didn’t have a date for Duke’s party tomorrow night. I was thinking maybe you’d like to go with me.” Yami looked at Mahad and Mahad smiled.

“I’d love to. Thank you.” Yami smiled at Mahad and left.


-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-


Seto picked up his cell phone, reluctantly. He had brought a new one, reluctant to program Yami’s cell phone number into it. He needed to move on from this, and having that number stare at him would only make it more difficult. He really couldn’t dwell on this now, he had a phone call.

“Yes, Seig?”

“Seto, it’s good to talk to you. I tried calling this number earliet itt it kept going to voicemail.”

“My phone wasn’t working earlier.” I launched it at a wall last night. “What’s on your mind?”

“I saw your interview this morning, I have to say, I was very impressed with it. I always said you knew how to handle the media.”

“Thank you.”

“You were poised and professional. Two things that are essential to any interview.”

“I take it you didn’t call me to talk about the interview. What is it you wanted, Seig.”

“I didn’t call you to discuss business, Seto. I wanted to invite you out tomorrow night, for dinner, then we could discuss business.”

“Tomorrow night?”

“Yes, I know this charming little bistro. We can take the jet of course.”

“Of course.”

“What do you say?” Seto narrowed his eyes.

“Seig, are you asking me out to dinner because you want to discuss business or are you asking me to dinner because you would like to get into my pants.”

“Seto, why would you assume my intentions were anything but genuine. I believe in your philosophy, it’s not a good idea to mix business and pleasure.”

“That may very well be the case, which is why I wonder if you have any interest in the two of us conducting any business.”

“Oh, I see, you haven’t yet got over your latest business mistake.”

“Excuse me?”

“That Yami person. Your personal assistant. I met him at the hotel in Tokyo. Quite a little spitfire. Possessive as anything. You know, Seto, not to question your judgment, but was it really worth all the press just to go slumming for a while? Was he that good in bed?”

“Do not concern your wit with anything that has to do with my personal life.”

“Touchy subject?”

“I’m going to lay it out for you clearly, Seig. The only reason I am dignifying you with a conversation in the first place is because I want in on that contract you were able to weasel from me when all the bad publicity came out about my sexuality. I am willing to be the bigger man here and handle this in a professional business manner. And I am, in no way interested in pursuing any kind of personal relationship with you.”

“Oh really? You sounded mighty interested in Tokyo.”

“Please, I only flirted with you so I could ascertain just how much you were interested in me. And from what I can tell you want me for nothing more than a strictly sexual relationship.”

“You don’t think I wouldn’t want a romance besides a good fuck, Seto?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Think of it, you and I…together. We could be the most successful couple in the world.”

“I am quite successful on my own. And I don’t need some unnatural merger between you and I to gain any future successes.”

“You sure about that?” From what I heard you’re taking a lot of big losses. In Japan, and in the overseas market. And I have luckily been there to pick up where you dropped the ball. In fact, I’m in negotiations now to take over another company you may know. You know, there are so many companies I deal with on a regular basis it’s hard to keep track of all the names… it’s Illusions something or other.”

“You’re not talking about…” Seto’s eyes flickered.

“Some man you had dealings with before…some guy named Unicorn…or…”

“Pegasus.” Seto was not the least bit amused at his rivals feigned ignorance. “You’re taking over his company? I thought his board of trustees would never sell.”

“I just made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. Of course you do know that once this goes through I’ll become owner of all the technologies he invented.”

“He invented!”

“You have been able to buildr for fortune by having a monopoly on the Duel Monster’s empire. Of course how can you beat a company that can boast that one of its former leaders invented the game in the first place?”

“What is it you want, Seig? Tell En Enough bullshit. You line up all your ducks in a row, I want to know the deal. Right now.”

“Deal? I thought you didn’t want much to do with me.”

“I told you to stop fucking around.”

“The only person that seems to be fucking around is you, Seto.”

“Now, Seig.” Seigfried laughed a bit. “Now.”

“I am very aware of your grudge against Pegasus. And I am aware that your precious Kaiba Corp is suffering because the CEO decided to randomly announce to the business world that he liked it up the ass. You do bottom don’t you?”

“Not nearly as much as you do.” Seto was losing it, he was getting angry, and he knew that letting your opponent know you were shaken up already let them know you were weak. But damn, how had things taken such a horrible turn. He had tried to acquire Pegasus’ company for a while, using other companies that Kaiba Corp owned to get the board to agree. No matter how much money he threw at them, they never took the bait.

“In any case I don’t wish to discuss business over the phone. Like I told you when this conversation first began. However, I do hope you’ll reconsider my original suggestion, to meet me for dinner tomorrow night. Unless you still have some unfinished business to deal with regarding yourbandband. It’s clear just who wore the pants in that arrangement.”

Seto smirked. “You think you can throw Pegasus’ old company at me to entice me to go on a date with you? Your delusions are frightening.”

“Seto, you’re a boy genius. I would think you’d have it all figured out by now. Your original assessment was accurate, Seto. I don’t plan on pursuing some ridiculous romance with you. All I’m interested in is fucking your gorgeous ass.”

“So you want me to spend the evening with you, is that what you’re saying?”

“Dinner can be spent at dinner, the evening can be spent in a private hotel suite.” Seto narrowed his eyes. “Your flirting at the hotel was not faked, Seto. I could see it in your eyes. You were just begging to have a real man dominate you.”

“as Ias I?” Seto wondered, a smile in his voice.

“Wear the white suit tomorrow, Sweetheart, oh how white brings out your eyes.”


-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-


As he watched the interview in its entirety it occurred to him that he had never been this upset about anything in his life. Seigfried, that pink haired asshole from the Kaiba hotel in Tokyo was…Seto and him were…

Bad enough Seto had found it necessary to say all kinds of horrible things about him, but he was thinking of some kind of partnership with that guy. Yami could feel the rage in him boiling over.

How dare Seto have anything to do with that guy! He had no permission to be involved with him on any level. Did Seto think he could simply find some other guy like Yami did not exist? That Seto and him were broken up was irrelevant; Seto belonged to him. No one else, especially not that person, that man…was allowed to touch him. No one.

He was too mad to do anything with Mahad tonight. He would give his former lover a piece of his mind though.

The phone rang four times before Seto picked up. “Yes?”

“I caught your interview, Kaiba, care explaining yourself?”

“Oh you watched it did you, I thought you would be too hung over from last night.”

“I see you’re partnering up with that man from the hotel. You asshole, how dare you do anything with him.”

“I do anything! You called me last night telling me some guy was going to fuck you. I should have your head for that one, Yami!”

“I don’t belong to you. I can do as I please.”

“The fuck you can!”

“This is about you, Kaiba! You would have dealings with that person behind my back! What is wrong with you, you have to be out of your mind!”

“I’ll deal with whoever I damn well please, Yami. Don’t ever think of talking to me like that again.”

“I’ll talk to you however I want, Kaiba.”

“Fuck you.”

“Don’t curse at me!”

“Don’t tell me what to do. I’ll curse at you if I fucking want to, Yami. I have every right to curse at you, after you betrayed me last night.”

“I betrayed you! You betrayed me. Did I ever tell you you could see someone else? That you could talk to that man, Kaiba? No, I didn’t.”

“You were specifically told that you were not allowed to see anyone else.”

“Fuck you, I’ll be with whoever else I want to. And I’ll enjoy every last minute of it. You will never possess me again. But I swear to Ra, Kaiba, if I find out you are making any kind of business or personal arrangement with that man I will feed you to the shadows.”

“Oh shut the shit up. You have no claim to me, Yami. None. If I choose to pursue a relationship with Seig I will. Do not tell me otherwise.”

“Fuck you.”

“Fuck you!”

They were both silent for a moment, both realizing that the entire argument they had just had made absolutely no sense. How was it that they could make demands on each other not being with anyone else even though they were broken up? It was lunacy. Complete lunacy. Were they that far gone? That possessive that they would demand faithfulness and loyalty even now that they were split?

What was wrong with them?

“After all that we’ve been through you would embarrass me on television like that? I already had three reporters call me asking for a response. What do you suppose I tell them, Kaiba, that me and you fucked?”

“No one would believe you anyway. No one believes jilted lovers. Besides, I’m sure there are plenty of other people you could go off and fuck.”

“You disgusting piece of garbage, how dare you. Every time I let myself think of missing you I’m brutally reminded of what a horrible asshole you truly are.”

“Good, anything else?”

“Nothing we went through meant anything to you? None of what you said to me? None of what we did together?”

“It meant as much to me as it meant to you. Nothing.”

“You ended this, you fuckrag. You. Don’t turn this on me.”

“And I’m glad I did end it. A year of misery and torment, for what? I have no idea what I was thinking. I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did. Especially given the fact that you are a psychotic, sex-crazed abuser.”

“And you made me that way. I was only responding to your sometime-ish, self-involved bipolar behavior. Each day that passes remindsof hof how mush better life is without you. There will never be a chance for useverever get back together. You have no idea how to make me happy, you’re too egotistical to love anyone else. It’s so much better that I am free now to live life without you.”

“Things couldn’t be better for me now that you’re gone. I’m glad I walked away. It was the smartest thing I’ve ever done. No, there won’t ever be a second part to this. No happily ever after. It never worked, it never will work, and none of the good stuill ill ever erase the bad.”

“My feelings exactly.”

“I just don’t have any room in my life for a cum hungry sex toy, Yami. That’s what it boils down to.”

“I completely understand. Oh, by the way, after I threw up this morning, I couldn’t find anything to clean it up with, so I used your shirt.” Yami hung up the phone.


-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-


“Do you want me to get you some punch, Yami?” Mahad offered, giving Yami a hotdog.

“Sure, thank you, Mahad.” Yami watched as the other teen crossed Duke’s yard. It was a little after ten. The moonlight madness party was a big success. The entire backyard was lit with candles and tea lights, the smell of freshly made BBQ wafted in the air. Everyone was walking around, eating, dancing, socializing. Yami’s friend’s couldn’t be happier for him. Even Ryou who had been the most apprehensive about Yami’s Egyptian date.

He couldn’t really say the same about Mokuba. Mokuba looked worried and agitated, for some unknown reason. He knew that Seto wouldn’t come, of course. But he was still curious about what his former dragon was thinking. Last night’s conversation had to have been hard on him. Especially since Yami had callem upm up drunk the night before.

Mokuba had always considered Yami Seto’s boyfriend. Yami supposed it couldn’t be easy on him to see him with someone else. He hadn’t wanted it to come to this. But it had. And it really wasn’t his fault, after all. He hadn’t really wanted to break up. He had been shocked at Seto’s words…but now that they were apart, and it became less likely they would reconcile, and now he didn’t know what to think.

Was he supposed to move on now? Be with Mahad, or someone else?

It didn’t seem like Mokuba thought so. Actually, Mokuba mentioned that Seto was meeting Seigfried Von Schroder for dinner. He didn’t seem happy about it, almost as unhappy about it as Yami was. His emotions were a mess, he couldn’t decide to feel angry or depressed. Why should he feel this way? He had the hottest date at the party, a date that was very interested in him. He was with all his good friends. It was a beautiful full moon out. And fuck it. Everything was a mess.

He wanted Seto… despite it all…he wanted his dragon…he wanted to go back to his dragon more than anything. It was killing him inside… Mahad, no matter how wonderful he seemed, was a pooe substitute. Why did he want him back though? Seto was an asshole. Seto and him couldn’t even carry on a civil conversation without cussing and carrying on. What was this hold Seto had over him… why was he haunted with Seto’s image…why did he continue to feel this way?

And now Seto was at dinner, with that man. The guy obviously wanted to discuss more than just business with him. What could Seto possibly see in that guy? He had hai hair for Ra’s sake. It just wasn’t fair. Seto was out with someone else, happy without him. Doing fine without him. He didn’t accept Mokuba’s theory that Yami was the cause of all of Seto’s recent stress.

The media was the culprit. And who had summoned the media in the first place, causing all this stress and torpedoing their relationship in the process? Seto Kaiba. That smug, self-satisfied piece of crap. And no matter what he did…he couldn’t stop thinking about that piece of crap. Seto was his piece of crap. His. Fuck this… he needed help…

“I really like Mahad a lot, Yami.”

“Oh, I’m glad, Joey.”

“He’s pretty cute, isn’t he?” Joey asked with a grin. Yami nodded. “He seems really into you too.”

“Definitely,” Duke agreed. “What a pleasant distraction from what’s his face.”

“His name was Kaiba, Baby.” Duke and Yami glanced at Joey. Duke smiled and gave him a little kiss on the nose.

“Thank you, Joey. How could I forget?”

“So Yami, do you like him, do you have feelings for him?” Joey wondered.
“I
“I don’t know how I feel. I got in a fight with Kaiba last night, and it made me appreciate not being with him even more. I still hurt for him, of course. I still miss him. But it feels better not to be in such a toxic situation. Since the break up I’ve been feeling so much better. Last year I needed the pain to feel alive. Now I feel better without it.”

“I guess it’s too early to really be interested in someone else, though I hto sto say, if you wanted to be interested in anyone, Mahad seems like your top choice,” Duke thought.

“You guys like him?”

“He’s very polite, and friendly. He’s gorgeous. Bilingual. Funny. And he doesn’t call Joey “mutt”. How could we not like him?”

“Yeah, Yami, he’s made a real effort to hit it off with the whole gang. He fits in perfectly. Unlike that asshole you use to be with,” Joey added.

“Here you go, Yami.” Mahad smiled at him, handing him a drink.

“Thank you, Mahad.”

“Duke, you really have thrown quite the party. I can’t help but be impressed.” Mahad smiled at Duke warmly. Duke smiling back. Mahad seemed genuine. Sincere. What was wrong with him…why couldn’t he just be happy?

“Do you want to dance, Yami?” Mahad asked, sipping more of his punch.

“I just need to take a walk. Clear my head. I’m afraid I’m not being much of a date.” Mahad looked at Yami concerned.

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“I’ll be okay alone. I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes.”

“Okay, Yami. Here, I’ll hold your drink for you.” Yami smiled. His smile grew when Mahad placed a little kiss on his cheek. He wasn’t sure why he had kissed Mahad yesterday. He thought that maybe doing so would jump start his getting over Kaiba. A barge full of jumper cables probably wouldn’t be able to do that.


-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-


Yami had lost track of time after a while. It had been longer than fifteen minutes since he started walking. He was simply walking around, with nowhere to go. Pondering what he should do with himself. He felt his phone vibrate on his hip. “Hello?”

“Yami, where are you, Yugi and I were wondering what happened to you
“I
“I’m down the street, Little One. I’m just walking around. I’m not too far. Just about four blocks down from the right.”

“Four blocks down from the right?”

“Yes.”

“Is Mahad with you?”

“No, he’s not. He was at the party when I left.”

“He’s not here anymore. Malik and Bakura don’t know what happened to him.”

“I don’t know what could have happened to him. I guess he got tired of waiting for me.”

“Just let Yugi know if everything is okay.”

“Okay with what?”

“I have to go, we’re about to limbo.” Ryou hung up before Yami could ask any more questions. That had been quite odd. Ryou had sounded distracted, and anxious.

It could be that the teen was simply worried about him. Ryou showed more concern about him these days than Yugi did. He supposed that was because Yugi had a year to adjust to Yami being in a toxic relationship. Where as Ryou was really only seeing how things really were now.

Plus Ryou was clingy to him since his own darker half wasn’t exactly much of a role model. Yami had certainly done some things last summer he wasn’t proud of. Sleeping with the CEO in the game shop after hours was not his finest moment. But he tried to instill values in Yugi and Ryou, and he cared about both hikaris equally. He could only assume Ryou was just trying to be appreciative of Yami’s behavior towards him.

Still, that phone call had been out of sync. It didn’t feel right. Especially since he didn’t usually receive phone calls on his cell phone. The only person that ever called him on his cell phone was of course…

Yami spun around, the pair of headlights blinding him as the SUV pulled over to the side of the road. Yami squinted until the lights finally dimmed, and out popped one CEO of Kaiba Corp.

His heart froze. Completely froze. Dragon? His dragon was here…how…hos ths that possible? Unless… unless Ryou’s phone call had simply been used to locate Yami’s location for Kaiba. The white-haired hikari had mentioned to let Yugi know if everything was okay…

Yami couldn’t breathe…he had a bad feeling he was going to have to manifest himself another body if he didn’t start performing at least some kind of body fuon. on. All the rest of it seemed insignificant right now…his dragon…Seto…he was…standing here…he had come and…

Yami’s eyes raked over the figure. Seto had on a whsuitsuit, Yami’s favorite color on him. And he had a small box in his hand. Wasn’t he eating dinner with Seig? Wasn’t he done with him? Wasn’t this over? What was he doing here, why had he come back? Didn’t he say he was better off without him now?

“What are…what are you doing here…you have a date…with that guy…Mokuba…”

“Mokuba didn’t know I was coming.”

“You…I…”

“Funny how Devlin’s party wound up falling on the same day as our anniversary, huh, Yami?”

“You remembered? That I find utterly amusing.”

“One year ago today you made my life a living nightmare.”

“What the hell are you doing here, Kaiba. Enough bullshit. Tell me right now!”

“It occurred to me earlier today that you would have to attend Duke’s little BBQ party without me. But I figured dropping this off to you would make up for it.”

“What?”

“It’s your anniversary present. Mokuba told you I got you something, did he not?”

“It’s not usually customary to give someone an anniversary present when they’re no longer together.”

“It’s also not usually customary for me to take time out of my busy schedule to come see someone I just recently dumped.”

Yami narrowed his eyes. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Kaiba? You get my friends to tell you where I am so you can surprise me. And instead of at least pretending to be a little bit romantic you act like a total asshole. Why even come? I’d think someone in your position, obviously wanting me back, would be here on bended knee, begging for forgiveness. Not acting like coming here to win me back is wasting your time. You have serious issues. And you need fucking help!”

“Oh would you calm the fuck down!”

“You are a nutcase! A complete nutcase! Every time I allow myself to think, to hope that there can be any normal interaction between us you have to go messing it up. Is this as good as it gets? Is this the best you can do? Sweet Anubis, Kaiba! I wanted you. I needed you. Every moment of every day that we’ve been apart has been longer than the fucking last. And you come here to sweep me off my feet and do it half assed? This proves that nothing has changed, that we’ll be fighting again in another hour. You jerk, get the fuck away from me. This is why it can’t work. YOU. You’re the fucking problem. You Ra damn prick. I won’t allow you to hurt me again. I won’t allow myself to fall into another horrible situation with you!”

“Can you blame me for being apprehensive, Yami? Jesus H. Christ, the moment I show a hint of vulnerability you jump all over it. You tell me that you find it utterly amusing that I would remember our anniversary. Do you think any of this is easy for me? It’s completely out of character for me to do anything romantic. I’ve never had to, you put up with me despite all of it. As long as you got a pair of leather pants you were happy.”

“I told you to get the fuck out of here, don’t make me repeat myself.”

“I love you, goddamn it. Why can’t you understand that?”

“That’s the best you can do? You love me, goddamn it?”

“I’m sorry, truly. I miss you, I need you. I want you. Fuck it, I’ve been falling apart since the moment I let you go. It was the biggest mistake of my entire life. I’ve given up trying to be away from you. I can’t do this without you, Yami. I only did it because I knew we could never survive the pressure of all the media attention. I didn’t want you being hounded by reporters because you were with me. And I dn’tdn’t stand the thought I was hurting you. That I had ever caused any of your tears. I didn’t want you to cry over me. I don’t want you to cry over me, Baby.”

“Don’t worry, it won’t be happening again.”

“FUCK YOU! I pour myself out and this is what you tell me? You son of a bitch. I hate you, I always have hated you. I’m fuckiyingying here, laying it all out for you and this is what you have to say in response? What about what you said to me two nights ago over the phone, how you loved me, how you wanted me back?”

“I don’t remember that conversation, Kaiba. Now get the fuck out of here. I won’t be bought back. You can’t throw money at the problem to fix it.”

“At least I’m trying to fix it. You fucking, Cunt.”

“Fuck you, you fucked this up. You did. Not me!”

“Oh, so you were an innocent victim in this? Go to fucking Hell you miserable asshole. I’m only half responsible. Don’t trnninnning this all on me!”

“It is your fault! Yours, Seto!”

“Fuck that, you did your part.”

“You dumped me. You left me. You told me you would never leave me, Seto. You said you’d be with me forever. And you weren’t. You abandoned me. I was drowning, you were my lifeline. And then you left me to die. You did that. Despite every horrible thing you’ve ever done to me I stayed, I stuck by you. I forgave you. I tried to be as strong as I could you you. And the minute things got sticky, the moment the goint tot tough, that we had a real challenge on our hands you leave me. You left me, Seto. How do you think that feels? How many times could I have gotten rid of you! I was ready to end it so many times, but I didn’t. I wouldn’t. Because I loved you. I’m in love with you. And you…you left me.”

Seto looked at Yami for a long time, the gravity of Yami’s words really affecting him.

“Baby…I…Yami, I’m sorry…”

“Sorry’s not going to cut it this time. It’s over. It can’t work. Just go away. Get away from me. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t go back to you…I can’t get hurt again.”

“Baby, please. I was wrong to leave you. I was wrong to abandon you. I created a media circus and then I ran when it got out of hand…it’s my fault. I know that. I just knew I could never be the man you wanted me to be. I was waiting for you to realize that, and leave me. Abandon me, once and for all. I only cut you off and hurt you before you could do it to me. It was only a matter of time before you got sick of my behavior and walked out on me. The only way I could protect myself was by getting rid of you first.”

“Dragon, you idiot…we could have figured something out. It didn’t hao coo come to this.”

“What did you ”
”

“I said you were an idiot.”

“You called me “dragon”. Didn’t you?”

“I guess so.” Yami looked away.

“Baby, I know I messed up. But I need you. More than anything in this world. I canceled my dinner to be with you. In the hopes that you would forgive me. I can’t eat, I have migraines, nosebleeds, I can’t sleep. I can’t function as a normal human being. You’re what makes me a whole person…without you, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to be the same again.”

“So pathetic, Dragon. Really. Are you going to beg me next?”

“You damn, Slut.” Yami smiled a little. “Wipe that look off your face.”

“You gonna make me, Dragon?”

“Of course I am.”

“Would you punish me?”

“Of course I will.” Yami smiled. Sapphire locked with crimson. All the familiar feelings were coming back. Yami could feel his heart mending. He could feel himself falling in love all over again. He didn’t care about anythinse. se. He just wanted…needed his dragon.

“I’m sorry, Baby. I’m so sorry. I love you.”

“I’m sorry too. I love you so much, Dragon.” Seto pulled Yami against him. Yami could feel his body already reacting to the gentle touch. It was finally over…this nightmare was finally over. Seto leaned in to kiss him. Yami slid his eyes closed, already tasting his dragon on his lips.

The kiss, however, didn’t come.

“Who the fuck are you?”

Yami opened his eyes and turned around. “Mahad, what are you doing here?”

“THIS is Mahad?” Seto took a step forward.

“You must be the ex-boyfriend.”

“This is who you’re with now? THIS?” Seto’s voice was so dark and menacing he could have scared Bakura with it.

“Dragon, calm down. There’s no reason to go stalker boyfriend.”

“I can’t believe this. I honestly can’t believe this.” Seto sd thd the box into Yami’s hands his eyes flickering with fury. “You were with him. You fucked him? How dare you!”

“Dragon, stop it! For Ra’s sake. I don’t even know Mahad very well, I just met him Thursday.”

Seto looked at Yami, Yami flinching at the look of hatred. “It’s done, Yami. We’re through. I never want to see you ever again.”

“Have you completely lost your mind what the hell is your problem!”

“It’s over!”

“How is it over, two seconds ago we were making up! You sound like a complete psycho right now? What are you so Ra damn angry about!”

“I told you we were over. And we are.” Seto stormed towards his car, Yami chasing after him. “Get the Hell away from me.”

“You’re completely irrational. What is going on?”

Seto calmed his voice, but his lremaremained the same. “I want nothing more to do with you. It is over.”

“Tell me what is wrong with you!”

“You have Mahad now. You don’t need me. Let Mahad be your new dragon.”

“Dragon, don’t do this! Stop it!” Seto got into his car. “DRAGON!”

“Goodbye, Atemu.” Seto slammed the door and threw the car into reverse. Yami was so overwhelmed with anger and hurt he knelt down in the middle of the road.

Mahad ran over to him then, not sure what to make of the scene. “Yami, are you alright, oh gods, Yami..” Yami clung onto Mahad, all his disbelief and hurt pouring out of him. He was in shock. His hand balled into a fist. How could his dragon react that way at just the sight of Mahad. It made no sense.

“Don’t worry about him.” That was nearly impossible. Seto looked ready to kill someone he was so upset. “He’s irrationally jealous.” Why was this happening? They were seconds away from making up, from…

Yami pulled away from Mahad and looked at him. “Say that again.”

“Don’t worry about him. He’s jealous, Yami.”

Yami’s heart stopped. “Ra in the sky. I don’t believe it. Why didn’t I realize it until just now. It suddenly all makes sense. He’s had… flashbacks.”

“Huh?”

“He called me Atemu. I’ve never told him my name because he’s never believed in our Egyptian heritage. That’s why he reacted like a crazy person when he saw you. Oh gods, he had to have had flashbacks about Mahaado. I must have cheated on Seth with him.”

“Yami, you me me at flashbacks.”

“Never mind.” Seto hadn’t accidentally said his birth name. Everything the CEO did was a calculated move. So why had he left saying it? Was Seto planning on admitting that he had finally begun to remember his ancient past? That had to be the case. Which made the former pharaoh wonder just what Seto had gotten him in the box.

Yami began ripping open Seto’s anniversary gift.

Inside the box was a black leather chocker with diamond studs. And in beautiful handwriting the words, “I love you, Baby. Pasreseresent, and Future” were written. To go with the chocker, Seto had gotten him wrist cuffs, also with diamonds in them.

“Oh Ra…I…I have to see him. I have to see, Seto…” Yami stood up, the box trembling in his hands. He was just about to take off in a run when his eyes rolled back and he collapsed.

“YAMI!”



Author’s Endnotes: Longest chapter yet. WOW. So, let’s see, Seto and Yami are seconds from making up, when Seto goes postal. Quite interesting. And now Yami’s delayed in seeing his dragon because he’s having another flashback. Well, this seems like ad pld place to end this fic, whatcha think? No, I guess not, huh. I suppose I could write one last chapter. But only because I like you so much. Here:


“I don’t know what to do. I just…I don’t even know if going back to him is worth it. I can’t imagine what he’d say. How long before we start figh aga again. Two hours? Ten minutes?”

“It’s okay, Yami. It’s all going to be okay.” Mahad lowered his hands. Hitting a spot on Yami’s back that was very sore and tense. “You should just let him go. It’s not worth any more stress.”

"I don't think I can let him go."

"Well, let me help you forget him then." Mahad leaned over joining Yami and his lips in a heated kiss.