Unbreak My Heart

Unbreak My Heart

Chapter One: Fallen

Author’s Note: This is my first solo story on aff.net, and I hope everyone enjoys it. The pairings are the usual yami/hikari with a few other couples thrown in. M/M and F/F – a little bit of everything for those who like that sort of thing. For some of you who have caught it, I’m using song titles for chapter names. No, this is NOT a songfic! I just happen to think that the titles work really well for the chapters. And on the name thing, I'm using Marik for the hikari and Malik for the yami. A big thank you to DracOnyx for reading this and pushing me to upload it.

Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh or any of the characters associated with it. I only like to play with them and arrange things to my liking. Also, some of the titles of chapters are based on the names of songs. I don’t own them either.


Silence. That was all the group could hear after the light and noise had faded away, leaving them alone in the vast chamber. It was almost deafening to all of them, shocking in a way when one considered the havoc that had been around them for so long. However, despite the turmoil that filled the teenagers, all of them focused their attention on three members of their group.

The three boys stared at the end of the room. There were expressions of emotional devastation on all of their faces, telling their friends that all of them were experiencing the same feelings of loss and agony that the separation from their soul partners had brought about.

A cry of pain broke the silence, startling the watchers. It had come from the throat of the Tomb Robber’s hikari, and the sound seemed to trigger a simultaneous collapse. The three hikaris fell to the sandy floor, having lost whatever strength that had been keeping them on their feet.

Téa was the first to break free from her thoughts and concerns and rushed to her friend’s side. Gently, she placed his head in her lap and brushed back the tendrils of tri-colored hair that had fallen into the cherubic face.

“Yugi?”

Her voice seemed to pull all of them from their shock, and the rest of the group rushed to aid their fallen friends. Joey knelt beside Téa, calling his friend’s name, barely noticing when Tristan and Duke rushed to Ryou’s side. Seto had gone to Marik, calling his name as well.

“This isn’t doing any good.”

“Nice observation, mutt. They’re in shock.”

Duke broke in before Joey could object to the insult that the CEO had thrown at him. His voice was quiet and held a no nonsense tone as he looked over at the sapphire eyed duelist.

“We need to get them out of here and somewhere warmer. It’s too cool in here.”

“Agreed. Tristan, you take Ryou. Mutt, you handle Yugi.”

Seto rose to his feet and picked up Marik, hefting him into the fireman’s carry. Despite his size, the blond haired hikari was lighter than he looked. The dark haired teenager barely had to readjust the limp body in order to keep his balance.

Joey scooped up the tiny form of his best friend and nodded at Téa, telling her silently that she was to lead the way out of the darkened room that had born witness to the life altering events that had taken place.

The group quietly left and made their way to the vehicles that had been waiting for them. Isis, Marik’s sister, managed to get them organized before taking them to her home.

Once at the small house, whispered conversation filled the living room as they waited for Isis to come back down. Seto, for once, didn’t leave the group to go to the quiet sanctuary of the room he’d been allotted. He’d remained with them, sitting slightly apart from the other teenagers. His sapphire eyes drifted from person to person, watching as they struggled with the knowledge of what had happened that day.

“They’re finally asleep.”

The new voice startled them, and all eyes turned to the Egyptian woman who had just come into the living room.

“Are they all right?”

“Only time will tell, Tristan. All three of them have been dealt a very powerful blow today.”

“They lost half of their souls today. It’s only natural for them to be in shock.”

Brown eyes turned towards the one who had spoken. He was amazed that the normally reclusive Seto Kaiba had brought up such a valid point, showing that he had an understanding of the situation. This was one person that Joey had not expected to understand the pain of the three hikaris.

Isis nodded and resumed speaking, bringing the blond haired duelist’s attention back to her.

“Indeed. I have placed Ryou and Yugi with Marik in his room. It is my hope that the three of them will be able to take comfort in each other’s company.”

“I have a feeling those three will be getting closer to each other. Despite how much we care for each other, the rest of us can only guess at the pain that Yugi, Marik, and Ryou are going through right now. They’re going to need each other to get through this.”

“You’re talking like we’re not going to be able to help, Téa. I don’t want to abandon them.”

“We’re not going to, Duke, but we have to be realistic in our expectations. Ryou and Marik are the only ones who will understand what Yugi’s going through. We lost friends tonight. They lost their soul partners. No matter what happens, we’ll never be able to comprehend what they’ve lost.”

Téa drifted into silence for a moment and then broke it. There was a note of determination in her voice as she looked up at her friends.

“We need to make a promise tonight.”

Tristan frowned, wondering what the girl was up to.

“What sort of promise?”

“That no matter what, we will be there to help those three through this and not let them drift away from us. It’ll be extremely easy for them to do, and we can’t have that. Yami, Bakura, and Malik would be pissed at us if we let something happen to them, and I’d never forgive myself if I let any of my friends down.”

Kaiba spoke then, wondering if the girl had any clue what she was leading herself and her friends into.

“You do realize, Téa, that this is a day to day process? Some days will be good, others bad. You’ll get frustrated and angry with them, especially since you’re still healing from what happened tonight. This is no small task you’ll be undertaking. You can’t commit to it and then back out because it’s too much for you to handle.”

“I appreciate your concern, Kaiba, but I do understand the grieving process. I was there to help pick up the pieces when my dad died. All of us here has lost someone at one time or another. We know what we’re getting into.”

“Good. I don’t want to be wasting my time on something if any of you decide to back out of this. It has to be a full commitment from all us.”

That comment drew all eyes to the CEO, and Joey broke the stunned silence with the question that had entered all of their minds.

“You’re gonna help us with this?”

Seto nodded, knowing that he was treading into an area that the others were not used to seeing from him. When he’d seen the expressions on the faces of the hikaris, he’d been reminded of the look on Mokuba’s face when he’d been told that his parents were never coming back. Yugi and Ryou reminded him quite a bit of his little brother, and the sapphire eyed teenager had made a resolution to himself to try and help the three devastated hikaris.

“I am.”

“Why?”

“I do not have to explain myself to you, mutt. Just be happy with the idea that I am not looking to cause any further problems here. I have my reasons for this. Leave it at that.”

No one could respond to that, knowing that once Seto Kaiba had made up his mind, nothing could change it. In a way, they were somewhat relieved to know that he was willing to help. Despite the problems in the past, Yugi, Ryou, and Marik respected the other duelist and would probably listen to him when the time came that they couldn’t or wouldn’t listen to their group of friends.

While this was going on, Isis unconsciously wrung her hands as she thought about her brother. For so long, she had been unable to help him through the problems that had followed him throughout his young life. He’d suffered through a traumatic childhood and the first meeting with the Spirit of the Millennium Rod had not gone well for her sibling. Because of the people sitting in her living room, her brother had come back to her with a somewhat healed heart and soul. She’d been thankful for that and had cheerfully lived with his slightly psychotic yami, knowing that Marik could not be parted from him.

Gentle hands took a hold of hers, and she looked up to see Duke watching her. There was an expression of concern on his face, and she was quick to answer the question in his eyes.

“I don’t know what to do about Marik. There’s so many bad memories here in Egypt, and he has no friends here.”

“There’s an easy answer to that, Isis. If he agrees to it, we’ll take him back to Japan with us. He’s familiar with our town and the school. One of us will take him in and help him get settled. We’re his friends and want to help him as well. Separating him from Ryou and Yugi might not be the best thing for him.”

“I can’t go to Japan, not yet. There’s too much to do, but I hate keeping him here when there is nothing here that will help him.”

“Will you let him come with us?”

Tears slowly made their way down her cheeks, telling the group that she was extremely worried about her brother.

“Just promise me that you’ll take good care of him.”

Tristan rose and joined his friend, taking one of her hands from Duke’s grasp. He could almost feel her pain and wanted to do something to help alleviate it. The hazel eyed teenager knew that Marik loved his sister and would not want her to be so torn up about this.

“You have that promise, Isis. He will be taken care of, just like Yugi and Ryou will.”

Isis sobbed and Tristan held her, knowing that this was the only way she could release the stress she’d been under for so long. The others were sympathetic as well. The older woman adored her brother and had done all she could to help him. She knew what Marik would be facing without the other half of his soul and also knew that she could do next to nothing to ease his pain. This knowledge was tearing her apart. The only comfort she had was that his friends would be there to help him where she couldn’t. All she could do now was pray that the gods would have mercy on him and help him through this horrible time.

A choked sob from Téa drew Joey’s attention away from Tristan and Isis. He found his friend trying to fight back the tears that were filling her dark blue eyes.

“Téa?”

“Sorry, Joey. I’ll be strong for them, I promise. It’s just that…”

Her voice trailed off and Joey moved to sit beside her, pulling her slender body close to him in a one armed hug. His voice was gentle as he answered his friend, hoping that it would help ease her sorrow.

“You’ll miss them too. We all will, Téa.”

“There’s that, but I can’t help but think that they didn’t have enough time with them. Those guys were the other half of their souls and there wasn’t enough time. I know Ryou had feelings for Bakura, even if he didn’t know it himself. It’s just not fair, Joey. Why couldn’t they have had more time with their yamis?”

The response she gave him was one that Joey did not expect at all, and it made him think about the situation and how unfair it was. While he was sad for his friends, he was also angry about what had happened. Téa was right. Yugi, Ryou, and Marik should’ve been given more time with their soul partners. After everything those three had gone through and the sacrifices that had been willingly made, they should’ve been given a chance to be happy.

“What can I say, Téa? Destiny is a bitch. It doesn’t care about the feelings of others. Once things are done, the pawns are left to suffer. I don’t like it, but what can we do?”

Duke answered Joey’s question. There was a note of determination in his voice, telling them that he’d been pondering this himself and had come to some sort of decision about it.

“If this tragedy teaches us anything, then let it be that we will never waste a precious second on insignificant things. Reach for happiness and fight for it. When fate decides to take the most precious things away from us, don’t let there be any regrets to fill our hearts.”

The group stayed together for some time, comforting each other with simple hugs and gentle words of encouragement. Duke’s words stayed with them, making them think about their own life and the heartbreak that their three friends would have to endure until time finally healed them.

Sobbing was heard from upstairs and Téa rose, carefully wiping her cheeks so that the evidence of her tears would be erased. Her face took on an expression of gentle determination and compassion before she moved to the staircase.

“I’m going to go up first. The last thing we want is to overwhelm them. I’ll be back in a while, guys.”

“Call if you need us.”

“Will do, Tristan.”

She moved quietly up the stairs and Seto turned his gaze to the window, realizing what needed to be done.

“They need to go home as quickly as possible. Egypt is the last place they need to be right now. There’s too many reminders here, and they need the comfort of their own home in order to begin the healing process.”

“You’re right.”

Seto nodded at Duke’s response, his sharp mind already planning the next few days.

“As soon as they’re ready for travel, we’ll take my jet and go back to Japan. I want to make sure they’re not in shock anymore before we make any type of decision in regards to the future. We’ll ask them about it once we’re certain that they’re clear minded enough to want to go home.”

“Knowing Yugi, he’ll want to be home as soon as possible. Being with his grandpa will be good for him. I’m just worried about Ryou. The poor guy is alone most of the time. His dad is in Central America at the moment at some dig.”

Seto didn’t acknowledge Joey’s words for several long moments. His voice was soft when he spoke again.

“We’ll deal with that when the time comes. To be honest, it might be best if Marik stayed with him. That way they’ll both have company and will be able to lean on each other during the bad moments. Ryou’s home isn’t too far from the game shop, so Yugi will be able to be close to both of them.”

“That’s if Ryou agrees.”

“I know, Devlin. We have to consider all the options right now.”

Silence filled the room again as the group thought about what could be done for their friends. They could only hope that Yugi, Ryou, and Marik would be willing to allow them to help them through the healing process.

Joey, Tristan, and Duke tried to think optimistically about it, hoping against hope that things would return to normal after a time. Seto, on the other hand, knew from experience that some wounds never healed. Despite this knowledge, he knew that he would do his best to try and help the three hikaris to the best of his ability.

Sapphire eyes skimmed over the group of people, coming to rest on the blond haired teenager. Duke’s words replayed themselves in Seto’s mind and the CEO frowned, turning his gaze to the setting sun that was shining through the window. He had never been one to let fate play with him, and he wasn’t about to let it start now.

A look of determination entered his eyes as he thought about the situation and reached a decision. Seto Kaiba had a plan.

Author’s Note: Well, the first chapter is done. I should have chapter two up before long. Thank you for reading my story! Please leave a review!