|
Merodi
no Takai By: Amphitrite (papervanity@gmail.com) Rated: PG-13 Pairing: Malik/Yami Summary: What started out as a
simple summer vacation could lead to much more...Romance, death, and lost
hope.
Chapter
1: Because I Care (Malik
POV) I sigh as I
watch the scenery roll by. I'm stuck in a van with a bunch of hyperactive and
lovey-dovey teenagers. Aren't I just lucky? Actually, the van itself isn't
that bad. In fact, it's rather nice, for a van. You know, leather seats,
pillows, icy sodas...all that someone could wish for in a van, right? It still
doesn't change the situation. I'll explain. Last week, my
sister got this idea about going to some beach for summer vacation. I somehow
got dragged into it. Rishid actually managed to escape by giving some lame
excuse about visiting his mother. His mother is _dead_! I don't know how
neesan didn't notice that one. Maybe she was just in one of her less serious
moods. Anyway, she found out that Yuugi-tachi (Yuugi, Jounouchi, Anzu, Ryou,
Otogi, Shizuka) were planning on going there too,
and invited them to come with us. Fun, ne? Iie. And of course,
the dark halves come too. The Pharaoh, Bakura, and of course, my own, Mariku.
How many people is that? Eleven? Sheesh. And it all started with an innocent brochure
that just _had_ to be left on our doorstep. The next time I see the mailman,
I swear, he will be down in less that five seconds. So, here I am.
Squeezed in a van. Ugh. My life is so sad. Neesan is driving. My yami and
Bakura squeezed in the passenger seat. Not that they don't mind. Otogi,
Jounouchi, Yuugi, and Ryou are seated in the second row, both couples
snogging. Anzu and Shizuka are whispering in the last row of seats, with the
Pharaoh in the corner. And me? Oh, I'm sitting
in the trunk. Amidst all the luggage and bags and garbage they brought on
this crazy trip. Just great. Ain't life just peachy? Oneesan halts
the car to a stop and if I lean upward, I can see a tall fancy building. I
think that's the hotel. Ooh...pretty. I don't even notice as everyone leaves
the car and rabidly attack the trunk, grabbing all their
luggage and forgetting that they stuck me there. Itai! Great,
now I'm sitting on the ground, rubbing my head. I look up and see if anyone
has noticed my fall. Nobody. Everyone is chatting happily and grabbing their
stuff. Why do the gods hate me? Sure, I wanted to kill the Pharaoh, but that
was probably just my teenage hormones! ...Okay, so maybe it had nothing to do
with hormones, but I've gotten over that. I no longer want to rid of the
Pharaoh. Hey, speaking
of the Pharaoh, he's looking at me funny. His eyes, those fiery crimson orbs,
look slightly glazed. When he notices me looking back at him, he quickly
turns on his heel to go talk to his lighter half. I wonder... I follow the
rest of the group into the hotel, where neesan checks us in. She receives
some keys and pulls us off to an empty area. I don't really notice what's
going on... "...Malik,"
says neesan's voice. I blink. "Pardon?"
I ask politely, hoping she will repeat what she said. She looks at me. "Malik,
you're not listening. I said that you are to share a room with Yami
Yuugi." She tosses each of us a key. Argh. Why do I have to stay with
him? I may not want to kill him anymore, but I don't dislike him any less. I'm so
misunderstood. I grab my black
duffel bag and find the way to the room that I will be staying in for...the
next week. I fling open the door. Hmm... It's not that bad of a room, really.
I throw the duffel bag on the floor and walk over to the window. Wow...this
room faces the beach directly. I wonder why there is nobody on the sand or in
water...I look at the key We're staying
in Kaiba's private soon-to-be-opened resort. No wonder Yuugi-tachi were
going. Jounouchi must've been able to get the rooms for us. We all know that
the billionaire has something for the little blonde puppy. Heh. I actually
find it rather amusing. Jounouchi already has Otogi... I bounce onto
the bed on the right and fall back, sprawling out on my back. Kaiba may be
stupid and snotty, but he's rich, and these beds are comfy. I look up as I
hear somebody fumble with the door and then opens
it. Somebody with spiky hair... I grin and throw one of my pillows at his
head. "OW! What
the hell was that?" yells a voice that doesn't belong to my yami. "Uhh..."
I look over and see the Pharaoh standing there, rubbing his head. Heh, oops.
"Oh, sorry there. I thought you were my yami," I say sheepishly. He
scowls and throws the pillow back at me. "Just
don't do it again." He throws his
bag onto the floor and flumps onto the other bed. Damn. I have to share a
room with him. HIM, of all people! Ra, is this about the hormones again?!?!?
I swear, I didn't do anything wrong! Augh... We lie there
for a minutes in silence. Then the Pharaoh stands up and looks up at me. "Malik?"
he says. I blink and look up at him with curious lavender eyes. "Will
you come with me and explore this hotel?" Sure, why
not--Whoa, whoa! Backtrack there! Did the Pharaoh, the one who hates me to
the depth of his very soul, just invite me to walk around this hotel with
him? What the hell has gotten into him? Oh, well. I have nothing better to
do. I shrug.
"Okay." His eyes light up and he waits patiently by the door for me
to get ready. I jump off the bed and join him. He opens the door and we walk
smack into my yami and Bakura. My arms somehow touches
with his hand and sends jolts up my body. Why is my body reacting so
violently to just the slightest touch? I pull my arm quickly away, trying to
cover my blush. Okay, _now_ it's the hormones. I hate adolescence. But why the
Pharaoh? I don't notice,
but the Pharaoh is blushing too. Bakura smirks. "And where
would you two be going?" he asks. I look coldly at him. "To
explore this place." "Ohhh..."
Mariku says slyly. Then the two of them just walk into the room. But it's
what I hear them say that makes me turn bright red. "Those two are so
all over each other." The Pharaoh and I walk on, pretending to be
oblivious and carefully avoiding each other's eyes. The silence is
unbearable. So I, Malik the Idiot, just _have_ to say something. Of course,
it doesn't sound much like anything. "UmshowahyounYuugi?" What the hell
was that? I'm not even sure what I just asked. The Pharaoh blinks at me with
those beautiful cerise eyes. Okay, I'm going crazy. Well, more
crazier than usual. I just called the Pharaoh's eyes beautiful. And he
blinks again, that adorable confused look on his face. Oi. This had better
just be a weird side effect of going to beach resorts owned by teenage
billionaires. "...What
did you just say?" he asks. I shake my
head. "Never mind." And then the
damned silence is amongst us again. *** I watch as the
Pharaoh looks longingly at a display of a promo booster pack. It's strange. I
never thought anyone could stand in front of a stand displaying a pack of
cards for so long. It's been at least five minutes. "Uh..."
I clear my throat. "Pharaoh, do you really want that?" He turns
around and looks at me with sad eyes. I raise my eyebrow slightly. "I left my
money with Yuugi..." he replied. I frown and fish through my pockets for
some change. I pull out a bunch of coins and reluctantly pour them into his
hand. He stares at me with an odd look on his face. "Malik..."
he starts. "Keep the
change," I say and grab two packs of the cards and toss them at him. He
catches them deftly and walks over to the cashier, still looking at me
curiously. I scowl. I have no idea what just possessed me to do that. I could
have bought so much nice gold jewelry with that! Ugh...I guess I'm just
feeling generous today. Maybe it's because of that fall I took out of the
trunk... Anyway, the
Pharaoh comes back now, grinning cutely. No, not cutely, Malik. Just
grinning. He tries to hand me the rest of the coins. I shake my head and push
his hand away from me. "I told you, keep the change. I don't need
it." He frowns slightly and drops the coins in his pocket, still looking
at me and trying to figure out why I'm being generous all of a sudden. To
tell you the truth, I have absolutely no idea either. Ah, well. We walk on,
stopping once in a while to glance into the shops. The Pharaoh sees an ice
cream parlor and nudges me gently. "Come on," he says. "My
treat." I shrug and follow him into the small old-fashioned shop. Ooh,
goody. Ice cream. Yay! He quickly asks me what I want and I reply. He orders
and I watch as the ice cream is scooped from the container...thingys. The
cones are handed to us and I take mine gratefully. Yum. Vanilla. The Pharaoh
pays for it with the money I gave him. Wow, I guess he's feeling generous
too. Or maybe he just wants to repay his debt. Yeah, that's probably it. Why would he want
to be nice to me, anyway? "Yami!
Malik!" I hear two female voices yell from another side of the room. The
Pharaoh and I turn to see Anzu and Shizuka waving. I watch the Pharaoh as he
frowns first, then scowls, then glares, then plasters on a neutral
expression. I frown myself at the queer reaction he had to his friends
greeting him. Then I shake my head and forget about it as I follow the one I
used to hate the the two girls' table. We take our seats across from them. "Hi!!"
Anzu chirps. I swear, sometimes she annoys the hell out of me with all that
perkiness. Nobody should be allowed to be that happy. It should be illegal.
Though, judging by the way she and Shizuka are, I guess it's not that
surprising. Damn. I wish I had someone to love like that. Wait! Where the
hell did that come from? I hate love.
It's pointless. Then why did I just say...? Forget it,
Malik, you baka. Your brain is only messed up today because of this damn
trip. Yes. That's it. Breathe, Malik. Okay. I feel better now. "So what
have you guys seen so far?" Shizuka asks, a
smile on her face. She sips the chocolate and vanilla milkshake that she and
Anzu are sharing. Okay, she's perky too, but at least she's not as bad.
Though, when she's all clingy with her brother, it _does_ get quite annoying. "Well, I
bought two new packs of cards...and that's basically it," The Pharaoh
replies, eating his ice cream quietly. "You want
to come with us to the beach?" Anzu asks, still with that creepy smile
on her face. I look at the Pharaoh, who shrugs. "Maybe
later. For now, I want to--." He stops himself in the middle of his
sentence. "You want
to what, Yami?" Anzu asks. The Pharaoh shakes his head, eyes looking
down at the table...depressingly? "Nothing..." *** We finally
escape the (annoying) girls and find ourselves wandering through the hotel
once more. "Uh, so
where do you want to go now?" I ask. He shrugs. "Wherever.
How about...there? You don't mind if I buy stuff with the money you gave me,
do you?" I shake my head and glance at the shop that he pointed to. Oh,
heh. Punk clothes shop. Should have known the Pharaoh's leather fetish. Okay,
so I can't really say anything. I like leather myself. "Sure." I follow him
into the shop, sitting in a comfortable armchair and watching absentmindedly
as the Pharaoh flits from stand to stand, looking for something to suit his
taste. Finally, he grabs something and ran into a changing room. I lean on
the left arm of the chair and drum my fingers boredly on the right one. A few minutes
later, the Pharaoh comes back, wearing black skin-tight leather
pants...tighter than his usual dark blue ones. I feel a blush coming on as he
models them in front of me. He looks so delicious right now... "You think
these look okay?" he asks. "Ohhh,
yeah..." I rasp, staring at his ass. He looks at me oddly and walks into
the changing room. After a moment, he comes back, the leather pants in his
arms. I hope my blush has faded away by now...It's kind of bad to have your
supposed enemy catching you blush because of him. No, scratch that. _VERY_
bad. "All
right, let's go," he says. I nod weakly and follow him to the cashier,
where he quickly pays. We walk out, him with a slight smile on his face and
me just trying to get that image of him out of my head. We walk some more, me
just realizing that I was shopping with the Pharaoh. Eep! Oh, well, I might
as well have fun. Hey, I think he's talking to me. "...Malik?!?
Uhh...you there?" he asks, waving his hand rapidly in front of my face.
I swat his hand out of the way and look down at him. "What?" "Do you
want to go anywhere? So far we've only gone where I've wanted to
go...Anywhere specific that you want to go to?" "Uhh..."
I look around. "Well...not really." Heh,
can't blame me. It wasn't _my_ idea to come to this stupid place. Grrr. Okay,
maybe I shouldn't have growled. The Pharaoh's looking at me funny. I shake my
head to confirm my answer. "If you're
sure then...can we go there?" He points to a gift shop. I nod slightly,
thinking of buying something myself. Hey, I could buy a stuffed animal and
stab it until it falls apart...Okay, so maybe not. That sounds like something
my yami would do. And Bakura would just stab a real animal. ...And lick its
blood. Ugh. Okay, we
never had this conversation. Anyway, I watch as the Pharaoh walks in and looks up and down the aisles, sometimes stopping and
shaking his head, then continuing. It's actually quite interesting. Then I
watch as he stares at a flyer posted on the staircase and frowns,
then a smile starts to appear on his face. He practically leaps to the
cashier, where he begins to ask him quietly about something, occasionally
pointing to the flyer. Whatever. I pay for a candy bar and walk outside to
wait for him. At last, the
cashier hands him a small slip of paper and he nods
and says, "Arigatou," then meets me outside of the shop. I raise my
eyebrow as he quickly puts the paper away in his pocket. "Thanks
for waiting," he says. I shrug carelessly. Like I've said before, I
don't have anything better to do. *** I watch as the
Pharaoh drops his new pants on his bed and tucks the two new booster packs
into a pocket of his duffel bag. He turns around and grins slightly at me,
signaling for the two of us to leave. We walk side by side to the elevator. I
do have to admit, this is a nice hotel... Anyway, I press
the button and wait for the silver doors to open. When they do, I walk in
calmly and am followed quickly by the Pharaoh. We lean on the opposite sides
of the elevator, avoiding each other's gaze, but trying to look at the other.
Confusing, ne? Basically, I look at him, he turns away. He looks at me, I
turn away. Heh. It's actually kind of funny. ...Hey! Why am
I so interested in looking at him, anyway? Oh well. The
elevator's arrived on the second floor, where "That's
it, right?" I ask, pointing at a nice looking restaurant to our left. He
nods. We walk into the restaurant and take a table near the others. My yami
is absent, along with Bakura. They're probably screwing in their room. Ugh.
Ryou, Yuugi, Otogi, and Jounouchi share a table and Anzu and Shizuka sit at a
table next to them. The Pharaoh
doesn't seem to want to sit with them. I wonder why he'd rather sit with me
instead of his friends. Or rather, his group of cheerleaders. Well, pharaohs
are always a bit on the odd side. That's why I would have made a great one.
But I'm over that whole I-Want-To-Be-Pharaoh-and-kill-the-Spirit-of-the-Puzzle
phase. I know that us Gravekeepers are destined to guard his secret and that
it was my yami who killed Father. And I don't
really give a damn. Sure, Father
was respected by me, but he almost killed Rishid. Evil bastard. Grr... Great. The
Pharaoh is looking at me strangely again. I shrug carelessly at him. He just
blinks cluelessly. Ooh, here comes
the waitress. Eww...she's smiling at me. She hands everyone a menu, then
leaves. I scan the menu boredly, deciding carelessly. She comes back,
still smiling with her ugly teeth. She scribbles down the others' orders, then walks over to our table. She asks the Pharaoh what he
wants and he answers politely, gritting his teeth. Then she turns to me. "And what
about you, hun?" she asks...trying to sound seductive. Ra, she stinks at
this. I point to the place on the menu, not wanting to say a word to
this...thing. She leans down and places her long red nails on my menu.
"This one? Oh, great choice!" she gushes, flicking her hazel eyes to
me expectantly. Ohh...I see
now. She's trying to make me look down her shirt. Damn you, woman! I'm
fucking gay. I raise my eyebrow slightly and see the Pharaoh with a furious
look in his eye. Hmm...wonder why. "So...you
up to some action tonight, sweetie?" she says quietly, a frightening
grin on her face. I wince and am about to reply when the Pharaoh growls
loudly. "You.
Will. Keep. Your. Hands. Off. Him," he says, trying to control his
temper. Ooh, he's pissed. I can tell. That's the tone that he used to talk to
me with. Waitress-girl stands back up, looking down at the Pharaoh. "Excuse
me? Why do I have to take orders from you, kid?" she asks, glaring. He
stands up. Okay, she's pretty much dead now. The Eye of Horus is emblazened
on his forehead and his crimson eyes are narrowed to slits. "You have
no idea who you're talking to, do you, slut?" he growled angrily. She
backs up a little, startled by his third eye. He holds up his right palm.
" Chapter
2: This is Eternity (Yuugi
POV) I watch in horror as Yami raises his palm
and yells those words I hate so much..." "Yami..." I whisper. Anzu and Shizuka are looking at the
waitress with wide eyes and Jounouchi and Otogi are looking at Yami in shock.
But I look at Malik and see him...not smirking, as I would have expected, but
frowning confusedly... Huh? Why is he confused? I don't get it. /Yami, why did you just do that?!?/ I hear him growl mentally. //Malik.// Oh...that explains it, I guess. It's
obvious that Yami has a crush on Malik...he even told me once. And it's not
just lust...But I knew before. So did Ryou, Bakura, and Mariku. I think the
only person who doesn't know is Malik himself. Strangely ironic. So there's no doubt that he was
jealous...the waitress was leaning so close to Malik. I feel sorry for
Yami...he's so madly in love, but we all know that there's no way that Malik
would like him back. Even Mariku doesn't think so. He himself thinks that
Yami is okay...but he says that Malik still doesn't like my dark side very
much. It's too bad. I think they'd make a cute couple. Hey, I mean, Otogi and Jou got together.
It's possible. Us Yuumei [Dark & Light] people
would accept it immediately. But Jou, Otogi, Anzu, and Shizuka are the ones
that I don't know about. Actually, I don't think that Yami or Malik would
even care if they didn't accept them. Not to be mean to my friends or
anything... "Yuugi...?" Ryou asks under his
breath. Without looking back at him, I reply. "...Malik," I whisper to him
softly. His eyes widen more and he nods slightly.
"Oh." Yami is now back
in his seat and I can practically feel him smirk. But Malik is looking away
from him. I guess that Yami said something that embarrased him. Come to think
of it, he is a little red in the face... /Yami.../ I start accusingly. /You better
get rid of the waitress before the other workers see.../ //...but she's dead already, Aibou.// /I mean the body!/ //Oh...// I watch as Yami closes his eyes and as the
third eye on his forehead fades, the body of the waitress does too. I breath
a sigh of relief but stiffen as a waiter came over, carrying our food. I hear
him mutter something about lazy waitresses as he passes out our orders. We all exchange nervous glances and try to
act normal. The waiter gives us an odd look before walking back to kitchen. I
think that we just all sighed in relief at the same time. ...Weird. *** We say goodbye and head our own ways. Anzu
and Shizuka go with Otogi and Jou to one of the outdoor swimming pools. Ryou
is just about to follow them, but I suggest that we visit the beach. It _is_
a warm night, after all. Ryou instantly agrees and we head to our room.
There, we change into more casual clothes and put on sandals instead of our
usual sneakers. We walk outside to the beach, side by
side. Once there, I suggest that we take off our shoes. "But what if you step on something
sharp, Yuugi-chan?" he asks concernedly. Well, that's Ryou. Always
caring about others before himself. I shake my head. "This _is_ Seto's private beach. I
don't think anyone other than the Kaiba brothers have been here. So I don't
think that anything sharp would be in the sand. Don't worry," I reply
calmly. He sighs and looks at the floor. "All right..." I hug him
assuringly. "Don't worry so much, Ryou." He
smiles down at me. "Fine..." We take off our
sandals and leave them at the entrance. Nobody will steal _shoes_, right? We
start down the sand, hand in hand but still standing closely together. Ryou
kicks the sand behind him. "Wow, this sand is _soft_!" I bury my toes in it for a second.
"Yeah." We reach the shore and walk along it, the
tide occasionally coming high enough to wash over our toes. It feels so
nice...The star filled sky, full moon shining high above, the ocean washing
over our feet...and my koi. It's perfect. I turn shining violet eyes to Ryou
and wrap my other palm around where the two of our hands link. He stops,
looking at me with slightly confused almond eyes. I smile softly and lean against him. He
wraps a protective arm around me. It's a habit. I like it, though. It makes
me feel secure...and loved. "I love you, Ryou..." I whisper,
watching as his beautiful eyes light up. "I love you too, Yuugi..." he
says softly back. I press my face against his chest. He kisses my forehead,
then moves downward and lets his lips meet mine. I release our hands and wrap
my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me. He wraps his other arm
around me too. Our mouths separate for about three
seconds, each of us drawing breaths and then continuing on. His tongue pushes
against my lips and I open them slightly, letting him in. I moan softly into
his mouth, feeling his tongue explore. He pushes me into the damp sand gently
without stopping. Yum... I giggle as the tide washes lowly around
me. Ryou lays himself next to me and we watch the tide come and go. It's an
eternal cycle, like our love...He wraps his hand around mine. I'm smiling and
I know for a fact that he is too. Tonight, we're all alone. It's only me, Ryou-koi, and the big blue
sky. *** Ryou and I walk hand in hand back to the
hotel, where we go up the elevator and back to our room. Ryou closes the door
and tackles me onto the bed, tickling me in the stomach. I giggle and try to
push him off. I suceed and he stands back up, letting me sit up. I grin at
him. "Take a bath with me,
Yuugi-chan?" he asks, looking at me with those beautiful almond eyes. He
smiles slightly as I jump up and hug him. "Of course! Let's go!" I pull
him to the bathroom. Ooh, cool tub! Yay-ness! *smiles cutely* Ryou kneels
down and turns on the water, filling the tub with fragrant bath oils. I take
off my shirt, throwing it onto a corner of the large bathroom and stretch my
arms a little. I slowly take off my Sennen Puzzle and put it on the counter,
right next to where Ryou had set his Sennen Ring. I watch, entranced, as Ryou slowly takes
off his turquoise jacket and places it carefully on the floor. His striped
shirt comes off too. Yum... He walks over to me with a smile on his face and
slowly removes my belt and pants. He does the same for himself and we both
enter the tub. I make a small splash, splattering both of us. He laughs and
splashes a handful of water at me. I yelp and splash right back at him. And that's how our water fight began. *** Both drenched completely, Ryou and I laugh.
I love it when he laughs...I like knowing that I can do that to him. Around
the others, he usually doesn't laugh. He pulls me into his lap and I lean
back into his embrace. Comfy. He plays with my hair a little. I think that he
is the only one who has ever seen my hair down. Other than Mother, Yami, and
Jii-chan, of course. But he likes it. He's tucking a golden bang behind my ear
now, fingering a black and red strand. I get out of his lap, receiving a
puzzled look. I shake my head and move behind him, grabbing a bottle of
shampoo. "What are you doing, Yuugi?" he
asks confusedly. I smile lightly and squeeze some of the shampoo onto my
palm. Then I proceed in washing Ryou's beautiful silver hair. I massage his
scalp and he closes his eyes, letting out a content sound. My smile widens
and I carefully rinse his hair out. Then I use the conditioner, Ryou still
making occasional noises. After I rinse his hair out, I lean over and kiss
him softly, flickering my tongue out to lick his
lips, claiming them to be mine. Not that he has a problem with that. He
brings me closer and turns slightly so we have better access, to, well, each
other. This is fun... *** I giggle and follow my lover out of the
bathroom, taking in his pale shirtless chest. He turns back and blinks at me
adorably. "Nani, Yuugi?" I shake my head and motion him to go on.
Yum...I should make Ryou borrow Bakura's clothes more often. Those leather
pants look really good on him. "You want to duel?" he asks. I grin. "Sure! Wait--I'll get my deck."
I drop to the floor and dig through my bag. I hold the deck case that hangs
on my belt up triumphantly. "All right, here we go." Ryou and I sit
on the ground, me still staring at him. He looks so hot right now...bare
chest, still damp silver hair, nice and tight leather pants, one of my
wristbands...Yum. ...Maybe I should stop staying that word. But hey, he's looking at me too. I glance
down at myself for a split second, flushing. I'm wearing my hair in a low
ponytail with two long loose bangs in the front. I suppose I look like a girl
at the moment. Ugh. I have Ryou's turquoise jacket on my bare chest and my
usual pair of dark blue leather pants. You know, I'm beginning to think that
all of us are a bunch of leather freaks. I mean, think about it! Yami: Definitely. Leather everything. Malik: Yep. Bakura: Uh-huh. Mariku: Yeah... Otogi: Yep yep. Jounouchi: ...he has a pair of khaki
leather pants... Anzu: Uh, Shizuka made her buy a black
leather skirt once. Shizuka: Nope, not her. Ryou: At least he looks _good_ in it. Me: Well, I've heard one of my mother's
friends tell my mom that I dress like a boy whore. ...I'm not that bad, am I? Okay, maybe I don't want to hear the
answer to that one. Anyway, you get my point. "...So are we going to duel?"
Ryou asks. We both laugh and draw our hands. "I play the Headless Knight
in attack..." *** "Yay, I win!" I cheer. Ryou
grins. "I guess some of your yami's talents
rubbed off on you. Well, either that or I'm a really bad duelist." I reach over and hug him. "You're not
a bad duelist, Ryou-chan. I just got lucky." I kiss him briefly,
giggling as he lifts me up and drops me on the bed gently. I cling onto his
neck and pull him down on me. "Oof." I grin and flip us over,
lying on top of him. "This is comfy." I say, leaning
against his chest. He smiles and turns over to the side, causing me to flip
too. We lie sideways, staring at each other's eyes. His soft chocolate ones
meet my shiny amethyst. We're both entranced...He wraps an arm around me and
I snuggle into his bare chest. He pulls the covers over us and we both sigh
contendedly, closing our eyes and drifting off into the land of dreams... Good night. Chapter
3: It’s Like This (Yami
POV) I watch as Ryou and Yuugi go to their
rooms while Anzu, Shizuka, Jou, and Otogi head off chatting about going to
the swimming pool. I stand back with Malik, who still looks kind of confused.
Oh...I suppose Mind Crushing that waitress was a little drastic, but damn
her! She was flirting with _my_ Malik! There's no way I will let _anyone_
touch what's mine. Yes. _My_ Malik. Well, he's looking at me expectantly now.
Oh, right. I'm supposed to be in charge here. Umm...I guess we could go back
to our rooms and do...whatever. Okay, that's what we'll do. "You want to go with them or come
back with me to the room?" I ask casually, trying not to sound too nice.
He shrugs. "I'll go with you. All this walking
has me kind of tired," he replies. I hide a triumphant grin. Yes!! He'd
prefer to go with me, the one that he hates, back to _our_ room rather than
go with Yuugi's friends! Score one for Yami...And yes, I am actually keeping
track of this. So far, I have...one point. Oh well. That's good enough for me. I lead the way to the elevator and press
the 'up' button. We wait for a while before it opens, completely empty. Good.
I really don't feel like being squished in some modern transportation device
at the moment. We step in, this time Malik standing more
closer to me than I would've thought he would be willing to. I like
it. Anyway, the annoying lift thing (the elevator) makes that dinging noise
and the doors slide open. I keep my face neutral and walk out with
that 'I'm-a-pharaoh-and-so-much-better-than-you' look on my face. That's the
expression I used to wear all the time in I blush and dig through my duffel bag,
pretending to look for something. No, I should really get something to
distract me and get my thoughts off that hot Egyptian...Okay, okay. Oh, look.
My notebook. Yay! I take the poor ripped, tattered notebook out, along with a
red pen. On the cover it says 'Yami's Book of All the People I've Defeated'.
Yeah, I was kind of high when I wrote this. It's a book that records every person that
I've ever defeated in _this_ life. That's actually a lot. Of course, I'm the
King of Games and have only lost once, so there are supposed to be a lot of
people I've defeated. I sit calmly onto my bed, being cautious not to look at
You-Know-Who. I turn on the reading light and open my book. First page.
Ushio. Damn bastard. Heh. I wonder if he's still seeing money...Heh. I'm such
a mean yami. I flip through it, reading my notes with amusement. The-Guy-I'm-Crushing-On comes over and
looks over my shoulder without me knowing. When I do notice, I hastily flip
past the page with him on it. I _really_ don't need him to see that. I drew
hearts and random thoughts about him all over that page. Erm, I hope he
didn't see. If he did...oh, Ra, I don't even want to think about it. I snap out of my thoughts when I hear a
snicker behind me. I blink and look at the page the notebook is open to: Oh,
look. It's...Mariku. Oh, I see what's so funny now. I wrote: Mariku, Malik
Ishtar's yami. The guy who cannot get enought gel. Hey, it's true. I mean...look at him!
Well, actually, I should talk. My hair is a little wild too...But still! At
least I have Malik laughing. Actually, he's rolling around on the hotel carpet
at the moment. I blink. It wasn't _that_ funny. Sheesh, he's laughing
silently and clutching his side right now. I blink again. Is he okay? ...Probably not. I look away from him and continue flipping
through the book. *** Yes, rest assured. Malik has stopped
laughing. He is now lying on his bed, reading a book. It's in Egyptian, but I
can' t read it. It's _modern_ Egyptian. Stupid
modernized world. What was wrong with "Ancient" All right, I'll stop complaining about the
modern world. But I won't stop being a stuck-up egotistical pharaoh. ...Where
the hell did that come from? I'm not egotistical...Am I? Okay, I don't even want to hear the answer
to that. I shoot a glance at Malik, who's staring
at a photo that I think fell out of the book he was reading. He closes his
eyes, then opens them again, a smile playing on his
lips. "Lost innocence..." he whispers softly to himself. "So pure back then..." I blink, not exactly
understanding what he's talking about. Lost innocence? He's still innocent...he's
still pure. At least to me. Those are only two reasons of why I love him so
much. He's never seemed 'stained' or 'tainted' to me. I've never told anyone,
but I have a firm belief that Malik is the purest of all the three hikaris.
Yes, even more innocent than my own Aibou...Both Yuugi and Ryou may seem innocent
and pure on the outside, but I think that they have some mark of us yamis on
them. Malik...he doesn't seem to be like Mariku at all. At least to me. He's been through the most
out of all of the lights, yet he's stayed innocent. I know a ton of people
who would disagree immediately. But I believe that there are some of us, me,
Isis, Mariku, and Rishid, that know that Malik has
never been stained. Not after his father's death, not after being taken over
by Mariku completely, not after being forced to hold all the secrets to my
past... He's always stayed innocent. And that's
the thing that's unique about him...the thing I love. No matter how much he
goes through, he always has and will remain what a hikari truly is--the
purest of the pure, the most innocent of the innocent. He sets down the photo on the bedstand
between our beds. I look at it and instantly take a mental picture of it in
my head. That _has_ to go in my soul room. It's an adorable photograph of him
embracing So he thinks that he's been stained... Well, Malik...you're wrong. You have
always been pure and innocent. Even if you don't know it. *** I watch him sleep, looking even more
adorable. You probably think that I'm crazy for keeping on calling him cute.
But it's so true. I mean, those beatiful lavender eyes, his nice tan complexion,
the locks of platinum blonde hair that just cascade down his shoulders...Oh,
I want to feel those strands of golden hair so badly. Call me crazy, but I'm
in love. His chest heaves up and down and his lips
are parted slightly for breathing. Shimatta...why does he have to look so
vulnerable when he's asleep? It feels like he's trying to lure me in, trying
to get me to...*blush* I take a breath, turn off the light, and
hesitate. Should I sleep in his bed...or should I not? Ah, what the hell.
I'll do it. I just have to make sure that he doesn't wake up before I do and
find out that his enemy is next to him and had been for the entire night. *** I stir slightly, registering that I have
my arms around *him*. My crimson eyes snap open in shock and I stare in
horror at well, him. I start to pull away before realizing that he has his
arms around me as well. My eyes widen even more, if that's possible. I start
to slip away slowly and carefully, but he moans and pulls me back against his
chest. O_O <-- That's how I look right now.
I'm also nervously sweating. What if he wakes up now? What would he do? Oh,
Ra, anything but that! Oh. My. Ra. Why the hell did I just do that? Me, Yami, former pharaoh of Oh, shit! He's stirring. I dart away,
having no idea how I was able to escape. Oh, well. The world may never know.
Or care. *** After I finish my 'morning duties', I
quickly put on my shoes and escape the room. Once out in the hall (after
having locked the door), I let out a sigh of relief. The door across from
ours opens, revealing a dressed and fully ready Otogi yelling at a rushing
and panicked Jounouchi. "Jou-chan! Hurry up! You don't want to miss it,
do you?" Miss what? Breakfast, probably, considering
that Jounouchi is very...Jounouchi-ish. "Of course not! I'm trying to hurry!
Stop yelling at me, koi! I have to get my pants on!" Jounouchi yells
back, sounding angry. I know he's not really mad. It's kind of game that he
and Otogi play. A contest for who can make the other
the angriest. I find it all dull. If you finally got to even _have_ a koi,
why would you want to spend all your time arguing? Of course, I don't have Malik (YET!), so I
can't really say anything. But still. Otogi turns toward me and waves, a playful
look in his eyes. I nod to acknowledge his presence but do nothing else. I
walk calmly to the elevators, pausing only slightly to wait for the elevator
doors to open. Then comes the trip down to the first
floor this time, where I spotted some café the previous day. I enter, fully
aware that I am the only customer in this entire restaurant. Kinda creepy if
you actually think about it. I sit down at a small table and wait
calmly for a waitress to come. Well, it's a waiter, 'cause it's a guy. I'm
glad about that. I'd like to spare as many minds as I can. If anyone tries to
hit on me like THE waitress from yesterday... Let's talk about happier things, all
right? "What would you like today,
sir?" he asks. I blink stupidly. "I haven't gotten a menu yet." The watier is a short green-haired kid.
Wearing pink. And yellow. Kami, that looks horrible. Anyway, the kid slaps
his forehead and runs back to the counter, only to come back with a menu.
Then he runs back into the kitchen. I blink confusedly for a couple of
seconds, then shake it off. Some people are just so
weird. Like me. Heh. Jounouchi, Otogi, Shizuka, and Anzu walk
into the store, chatting in that annoying noisy way that they do. At that
moment, the waiter-kid runs to them. "Hi, may I help you choose a seat
from our wonderful collection of...chairs?" Hey! How come the punk didn't help _me_?
I'm better than those four! Better at dueling, better looking, better at
being a pharaoh...Why not me? No fair. Jounouchi grins and cuffs him on the neck.
The kid winces in pain. Neh, poor kid. I know how that feels. "Heya,
Roba old buddy!" The kid blinks. "Niisan!!!" he
yells. "What?" comes an answer from
behind the cashier. Someone who looks awfully
familiar steps away from the barrier, walking calmly and with a smile over to
Jounouchi. "Jounouchi! Long time no see!" he exclaims. At least the
older kid who just came out is dressed better than his
brother. Or I _assume_ that's his brother. And usually, when I make
assumptions, I'm right. I think. "So what are you doing here at
Kaiba's resort?" Jounouchi asks. Roba (that's what Jounouchi called him,
right?) shrugs. "You know, job and all." "What job?" Anzu asks. Roba blinks in confusion. "I own the
restaurant," he says, sounding like it was completely obvious. And
actually--it was. I looked at the menu. In fancy script on the cover were the
words, "Esper Café". Well, that was easy. "YOU DO?" Jounouchi exclaimed. "Kakkoi!" Anzu chirps. Roba
shrugs as if it's nothing. "It's nothing. But I'll treat you
guys to breakfast," he says, smiling. "All right!" Jounouchi and Otogi
exclaim in unison. Shizuka looks down at Roba graciously.
"Arigatou gozaimasu!" she says. He grins. "No problem." Jounouchi looks around the room and I
quickly cover myself with the menu. Heh. Strange that he didn't notice the
menu that was standing up by itself with some colorful hair behind it. Oh,
well. Not that I'm complaining. I don't _want_ to eat with them. Or rather,
associate with them at all. I want to eat with Malik. Fat chance of that happening, ne? *sigh* I
know. But there's not hurt in wishing, right? SQUEEE!! Here he comes now! Maybe the
hopeless wishing really _did_ help! Note to self: Make hopeless wishes more
often. Jounouchi yells for him to go over to their table for free food. Roba
has turned pink by now and I'm not quite sure why. Malik simply ignores the
other blonde, however, and smiles at me. I melt on the spot, my cheeks turning pink
and my heart beating quickly in my chest. Oh, Ra, I want to go jumping around
the room squealing like a crazed fangirl. Ugh. No, I do not want to do that.
It'd hurt my pride and dignity. No, Yami, you do _not_ want to do that! Hn...but I suddenly have a strange urge to glomp him. He stops at my table, grinning down at me.
Why is he smiling like that? KUSO! Does he know that I kissed him this
morning? Is he mocking me, in his strange and twisted way? I certainly hope not...*shudder* "Can I sit?" he asks. I snap out
of my thoughts to glance up at my crush. And, great, I stutter. "Uhh, yeah, s-sure!" He sits down and asks Roba for a menu,
which he gets fast enough. "So, uh, Pharaoh, any plans with the others
today?" he asks casually, as if we were close friends. I shrug. "Nobody invited me to anything."
He nods slowly and hesitates. "You want to come to the pool with
me?" he says. I stare at him, non-believing for a few seconds. Me? With
Malik? In the pool? With him topless? How could I refuse such a kind and
generous offer? Plus the fact that I'll get to see him without his shirt.
Yum... Do you think Yuugi's habits are rubbing
off of me? "All right!" I practically yell.
Then I calm down. "I mean, sure. Thanks...uh, for the offer. Yeah."
Damn it, I sound so...girly. But I don't care, because I'm going to the pool
with *Malik*! Chapter 4: One Step Closer (Malik POV) The Pharaoh and I walk to the east pool
together, both chatting about "Here's the pool," I announce.
Actually, that was a bit on the stupid side. The pool is huge so there's no
doubt that the Pharaoh would've realized that we had arrived at the pool. But
let's not dwell on the past, ne? Yay! We're alone. No annoying,
chirpy...people. And no prying yamis and sisters. Double yay! I get the
Pharaoh all to myself. ... ... Did I just think that? Please tell me that
I did _not_ just think that. Come on, tell me! Damn it. We throw our towels off to two side
benches. I turn my back on him, a bit embarrassed that I have to take my
shirt off in front of *him*. He hasn't seen my back before--what will he
think of it? And why the hell do I even _care_? Since when did I start beginning
to care about what he thinks about me? Anyway, gotta face my fears _some_ time,
so I take my t-shirt off slowly. It goes on the bench next to my towel. I
look down. It's a habit. I'm always ashamed to show anyone my back. Which has rarely ever happened. The Pharaoh and I turn to each other in
unison, both thinking at the same time, 'Yum'. Umm...he's hot. *blushes* I mean, I mean,
he looks good. Wait, that's not right either. Hn...he
has a nice chest? Okay, that sounds less...wrong, right? Ugh, I hope. He
doesn't look it, but he _does_ have a strong build. Must be natural, because
I don't think he works out. Or maybe he did some bodybuilding when he was
pharaoh. Do they make pharaohs lift weights? Or do they just sit on their
pretty asses and order people around? Oh well. I'm not going to be a pharaoh,
so why do I even care? ...Did I just call the Pharaoh's ass
pretty? I watch as he stares at my chest with
glazed crimson eyes. "Yo, Pharaoh, you there?" I wave my hand in
front of his face. He snaps back to Earth and smiles weakly at me. "Yeah, I'm okay. You look...nice
without your shirt," he compliments, seeming not confident in himself.
For some reason, I have the weirdest urge to squeal. But I won't, because
that'd be just scary. And I don't think my voice can go that high. At least,
I think not. I don't really want to try. "Um, thanks. You look really good
too," I return the favor. He blushes. Damn, he looks so _cute_ when his
cheeks are pink! Okay, I am _really_ scaring myself! Why do
I keep calling the Pharaoh cute, hot, adorable, all these things that I never
say?!? All these stupid lovey-dovey kind of things...I am so confused... Well, I better get on with the story,
right? Right. We both enter the pool, me with a
splash and him slowly by a ladder. I bring myself back up to the surface.
"Ooh, cold!" I exclaim. He chuckles softly and I duck underwater.
Brrr. Cold. Sure feels refreshing, though. I resurface, looking around.
Wow...this is really nice! I guess Kaiba deserves credit for making this
resort so...big and awesome. There's a waterfall over there, along with a
grotto water slide on the other side. Pretty neat. The Pharaoh's watching me with a weird
look in his eyes. It's kind of creepy, actually. Is he plotting my death or
murder or something? Well, I wouldn't doubt that, since he probably hates me.
Is the Pharaoh planning to kill me here and now? Am I stuck in a pool with a
lunatic murderer?!?!? There, there, Malik. Calm down. The
Pharaoh is doing nothing that is relating to my death. He's just...waiting
for me to give instructions! Yeah! That makes sense, right? Oh, shut up. You
don't know anything. I avoid his glance craftily and dive underwater, heading
for the waterfall. When I bring my head up, I'm showered instantly by the
pounding water of the waterfall. I shriek, moving around and trying to get
away. I plunge my head back into the water and swim away. I get my head out and look around. Hey, I
hear something funny. The Pharaoh...The Pharaoh! He's...he's laughing at me!
Hey! "What are you laughing at," I grumble. It's not even a
question. I slick back my hair, even though I know it looks really stupid.
But it's better than having bangs that cover my eyes. "Sorry. That was just...Heh," he
says, stifling a chuckle. I glare at him, though it loses its intensity when
he pushes my head into the water. "Hey!" I gurgle and come back up
to surface. I walk threateningly over to him, reaching for his head. He jumps
back. "No touching the hair. Whatever you
do, do _not_ touch the hair." He sends several splashes over to me. I
blink the water out of my eyes and advance toward him some more. But the only
thing that does is get him to splash more water at me. I decide to splash
back. All this slowly turns into the greatest water fight between two people
in history. *** Well, that was fun. Heh. The Pharaoh and I
are both drenched and are currently on top of floating mats. Very relaxing,
you know. Actually, to tell you the truth, I'm completely wet, while he has
somehow been able to keep his hair in his normal state. The only difference
is the droplets of water that I splashed at him. How can he keep his hair
so...up? Must be the gel, right? Maybe I don't want to know. I glance over at him. He has his eyes
closed and his hands are resting at his sides, giving me full view of his
cream toned chest. Yum...I lick my lips without realizing it. I can just
imagine the feel of his chest under my tanned fingers...so soft, so smooth,
so creamy... Oh. My. Ra. What the hell am I thinking? Please tell
me that I am _not_ thinking of the Pharaoh _that_ way! I sit up and fall
over, landing in the water. Startled by the sound, the Pharaoh sits up as
well and that results in him being dumped into the pool water as well. I
snicker as he resurfaces, slicking his hair back. His tricolored hair looks quite
interesting when it's not sticking up. Most strands have two colors: red and
black. Then there are just a few random locks of gold. Hey, how come he gets
cool hair? I mean, I like mine, but his is so...cool looking! *sweatdrop*
Maybe those aren't the words that I'm looking for, but...oh, never mind. I
want cool looking hair too! "Hey, Yami!" The Pharaoh and I both whip around
instantly. My lavender eyes land on Jounouchi and Otogi, who are in their
swimming trunks and waving crazily at us. Damn them! I was having my alone
time with the Pharaoh and then--they happened! Argh! I let out a small sigh.
Then I glance at the Pharaoh. Whoa, he looks really...pissed. His crimson eyes are narrowed into a
deadly glare, one that makes me shiver. I recognize it too well. That's the
one that he used to use on me. And I swear he's shaking--and it's not from
being cold. "JOUNOUCHI!! OTOGI!! Get the hell out
of here!" he yells. "I finally get my alone time and I'm _enjoying_
it, then you two come here and ruin it!" I swear,
I can see the smoke coming out of his ears now. Scary pissed pharaoh. Note to
self: Never ruin the Pharaoh's alone time. "But, uh, Pharaoh, _I'm_ here,"
I say timidly. Now why the hell did I just say that? What was the point of
it? Oh well. "Exactly..." he says softly.
What? I don't get it...What does he mean by 'Exactly'? Does he mean that he
likes spending (or rather, wasting) his time with me? Then why? I am _so_
confused. Ra, can't you explain this to me? Can't you _send_ someone to
explain all this to me? It all doesn't make any damn sense! And I absolutely hate not knowing things.
It bothers me. And I swear, my foot tickles every
time I don't know something. And I don't know lots of things! ...Good thing
I'm not ticklish in my foot. "Yami, is something wrong? Are you
feeling okay?" Jounouchi asks, his brown eyes showing his utter
confusion. The Pharaoh points to the pool gate. "OUT!" Jou and Otogi back up slightly, then take a run for it. Well, they're smart. That's what I
would've done. Never stay with a pissed pharaoh. ...Hey, then what am I doing here? Get out of the pool, Malik. Out! But my body won't let me get out. Why?!?
Damn it! I hate this stupid pool. I hate this stupid hotel. I hate this
vacation. I hate Kaiba. I hate everyone in this damn place! Demo...why don't I hate the Pharaoh? *** "You want to shower first?" the
Pharaoh asks me when we enter our hotel room, both dripping wet. I shake my
head, bouncing onto my bed (and drenching it as well). "That's okay. You go ahead." He nods. "Thanks." Then he walks
into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door. I have already started to
drift off when I hear his voice calling from the bathroom. "Uh, Malik? Can you help me turn on
the water?" I jump up off the bed, a stupid grin on my
face. "Okay! Be right there!" I open the bathroom door, looking
around cautiously. Something weird (but not bad) jolts through me when I spot
the Pharaoh. He's leaning over the bathtub trying to adjust the faucet with
only a towel on. Oh Ra...He just looks so _yummy_! ...Okay, that just sounded _so_ wrong. Me
saying that, I mean. He smiles weakly at me. "Some help, please? Yuugi
usually helps me at home. I can never figure out how to do this modern
stuff." I laugh quietly. "No problem."
After a few twists and some awkward (yet strangely comfortable) positions,
the shower has been turned on. I think I have too. *** Well, it's that time again. I mean, the
time to sleep. I _like_ sleeping. It's fun. But you know, yesterday, I had
the weirdest dream. I don't remember exactly what it was about, but it was
weird. And kinda creepy. I think I was cuddling someone. I know, I know. Me,
Malik Ishtar, _cuddling_? Yep. Can't remember who I was hugging, though. Whoever it was, he had his arms around me
as well. And yes, it was a guy. The only girl I would ever hug is Oneesan.
Anyway, the guy tried to leave, but I wouldn't let him. For a second after I
woke up, I thought it might be Yami, but then I realized that he was too tall
to be him. But who else has spiky hair? Can't be Yuugi...why would I be
hugging Yuugi? Besides, he was taller than Yuugi. But that only leaves... The Pharaoh. Eep. I don't think so. Excuse me if I
don't think that _I_ would hug the Pharaoh. And remember that he was hugging
me back? There is absolutely no way that the Pharaoh would hug me. In any
way. I mean, he hates my guts. At least, I think that he hates me. He
certainly seemed to much of the time. But ever since
we came on this vacation, he seems to be really different. Like, he's nice to me, mean to the others,
and we don't even argue. Except for friendly arguing, like about whether
Ancient Egypt or Modern Egypt is better and things like that. Nothing really
serious. You know... Come to think of it, I've been acting
slightly differently than usual as well...For example,
I gave him that money, asked if he had anything to do in the afternoon and
went to the pool with him...Small things like that. But even small things
make a big difference. And...I don't mind living in the same room as him now.
I don't think I would even mind sleeping in the same _bed_ as him. Ugh. That
just sounded so wrong. Me saying that. About the _Pharaoh_. But even though he's been acting different
and I have as well doesn't necessarily mean that I was dreaming about. Then who the hell was I hugging in my damn
dream? And Ra, please tell me why I'm hoping that
it was the Pharaoh... Chapter 5: Roll the Dice (Otogi POV) "What's up with him?" I ask Jou.
He shrugs, frowning slightly. "Maybe we caught him in a bad
mood." He stops in his tracks, a confused expression appearing on his
face. "But why was _Malik_ allowed to stay in there? And on the way to
the pool, I swear I heard two people having a water fight. It _had_ to be
them. This isn't right, 'Togi. Something weird's happening..." I twirl a strand of my hair idly.
"Maybe they just suddenly decided to become friends." Silence. Jou raises an eyebrow. "Koi, do you
_know_ Yami and Malik?" "Only from A grin appears on his face. "Well,
couldn't you tell from there that they hate each others' guts and would never
even _think_ of being friends? In fact, I'm pretty sure that they'd both be
disgusted if they heard you." I shrug, not wanting to show my confusion.
"I thought that Yami fought Malik's darkness." "Yeah, but they still hate each
other. Something about revenge and a bunch of other stuff." He shrugs as
well. I hug him for a short moment. "You never were the one to observe
people around you carefully, were you, Jou-chan?" I ask playfully. He mock-glares at me. Then he grins again. I love that
smile of his...It always lights up my day. "Nope." I fake a frown. "Is it just me, or do you sound...happy about that?" "Yep!" Now it's his turn to hug
me. I return the hug. An employee of the resort just happens to walk by and
gives the both of us an odd look. I wave cheerfully at the poor mind-scarred
fellow. He shudders and walks away. At least, I think he shuddered. It sure
looked like it. Heh. Funny. Me and Jou-chan can
scare a middle-aged guy. "Uh, Otogi?" I lean back slightly to look at him.
"Yeah?" "Are we going to stay here and hug
each other all day?" I think about it for a moment. Should we stay here
and hug all day? Or should we go do something vacation-y? "'Cause we're
still in our swimming trunks. Maybe we should go to another pool where there
_isn't_ a pissed pharaoh?" he continues. I let go of him. "Uh-kay!" I exclaim. He raises
an eyebrow. "Err...Otogi, that
was just...disturbing." I shrug. "Sorry." I am _so_
weird sometimes, you know... *** Damn, I am _so_ exhausted. A Jou in the
pool is really hard to handle. So...tired. That's why I am currently lying on
the bed, slowly falling asleep. "OTOGI!!" Make that _was_ slowly falling asleep.
Ugh...must resist urge to get up...Damn it. Koi's calling,
must get off bed. Oof. I land on carpet. "OTOGI!!" I wince, rubbing my butt. That hurt...The
carpet is soft, but really hard. ...Did that make any sense? Probably not. "Otogi-san, get your lazy ass over
here, damn it!" I don't reply. My ass isn't lazy...it just
hurts! Can't...get...up. Jou pokes his head out of the bathroom. "Are you--Oh!"
He runs out half-clothed and stops a feet away from me. He raises an
eyebrow."What happened to you?" I laugh nervously. "Um...I fell." I give him the
puppy eyes, something that I have never used on anyone else. "Help me
up?" He grumbles something and I smirk when I hear it. "...Seme not supposed to give puppy
eyes...the uke's supposed to. _I'm_ the uke..." "You got that right, Jou-chan."
I say as he picks me up and drops me on the bed. Yay, soft bed. I like this
bed. I start to drift off into Sleepyland again when I'm interrupted by
poking. I open one eye to look at Jou. "Otogi, you're supposed to help
me!" *** "Beautiful, isn't it?" I
breathe. Jou nods, speechless for once in his life. The two of us, Jou and
me, are standing at the top of the hotel, watching the sunset. In the city,
you can never watch the sunset like this. It's always too loud, too busy,
buildings too high to see, the air too polluted... But this is perfect. The sun is a red semi-circle, half above
the horizon and half below. The sky around it is painted all kinds of red,
orange, yellow, pink, gold...Trust me, it's simply breathtaking. Even the
ocean looks beautiful. The large body of water glitters with shiny gold dust
and the sun's light leaves a zigzag reflection in the pure blue water. From where we're standing now, it seems
like the ocean has no end and it just goes on and on forever... Just like our love. Jou takes my hand in his and intertwines
our fingers. I turn to look at him, puzzled, and he smiles softly without
turning toward me. He looks beautiful, too...The sun's rays
paint his blonde hair a shiny gold and the colors of the sunset reflect in
his soft, honey brown eyes. He gently pulls my hand closer, laying his head
on my shoulder and leaning slightly against me. A tiny smile curves my own
lips, my cheeks tinting a slight pink for a reason I can't exactly place. "Love you," he says softly. "And I love you too." I whisper
back. Then we turn back to the sky, watching as the sun begins to set, and
enjoying a rare, calm and quiet moment. *** Vacation's awfully fun, ain't it? I stare
at the ceiling with glazed green eyes. Next to me, Jou is soundly
sleeping...and not snoring, for once. I twirl a strand of ebony hair wth my
index finger. It's funny. Ever since we got here, to
this resort, I've had this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something
bad's about to happen...I never doubt my odd senses since they're always
right. That one afternoon when Honda and Shizuka were running from GURUS and
I chucked the dice at the Rare Hunters? I had the bad feeling that morning as
well. Before the duel between Yami and me, I had this feeling as well. I don't know. A tiny voice is nagging me
in the back of my head, telling me to tell someone about this 'feeling'. But
I don't want to. I don't know...it's just, well, to tell you the truth, I'm
afraid that nobody will believe me. Well, you probably don't even believe me
now as I'm telling you. And for some odd reason, I'm aware that
something is going to happen to Malik. And it's not anything good...Should I
go warn him? But what would I say? 'Hi, Malik. Do you remember me, the dice
boy? Yeah, that's me. Well, I have a weird feeling that's telling me
something bad is going to happen to you, so just make sure that you stay on
your guard, ne? Great, thanks.' That sounded so stupid, even in my head. A white flash blinds my vision for a split
second, and then it's gone. I cringe, then realize
it has already vanished. What the hell was that? ...Damn it, the 'bad feeling' is growing.
I...I think I'm... Oh my kami. I think Malik is going to die. Chapter 6: When All Is Bright (Yami POV) The door of our hotel room opens quietly
and a cloaked figure slips in. He creeps silently to Malik's bed, a smirk on
his face. When he reaches Malik's side, he takes a small vial out of his
pocket. The vial is filled halfway with a black liquid. The unknown man opens
the small bottle and pours the liquid into Malik's parted lips. The liquid
runs down the latter's throat and into his stomach. Malik's doom. The cloaked figure is about to leave but
is stopped as I call out. "What did you just do to him?" The person turns on his heel quickly,
something clattering loudly to the floor. I suppose whatever it was had been
clenched in his hand. He looks around wildly. "Who's there?" he
whispers fearfully. I smirk at the tone of his voice. "Leave now. Don't ever come back
again." My pair of crimson eyes flash in the
darkness. "Or else." His eyes widen. Then he runs out the hotel
door. I frown and turn on a small light, the one
farthest from the beds, so I don't wake up Malik. I walk silently to the item
that...person left behind. I hold the item up and stare at it. It...It's...A pair of sunglasses. I frown. Sunglasses? There's only one guy
I know that wears sunglasses. And that's Bandit Keith Howard. But I doubt
that that could've been him. Why would he poison Malik? At least, that's what
it looked like he was doing. I mean, people don't usually just randomly come
into hotel rooms and pour stuff into the visitor's mouths, do they? No, wait. Keith had been controlled by Malik right
before So...maybe he's come back for revenge.
Revenge on Malik. No...I won't allow it. Keep away, Keith. Malik is _mine_. You
will not hurt him. *** Funny. Never would've thought that I would
spend my vacation playing games. But here I am, in the arcade, kicking
everyone's asses at everything. For some reason, we all decided to come here
at the same time. Well, everyone else did. I just came because Malik wanted
to come. If it pleases him, I'll 'hang out' with the others today. Even if their happy cheeriness sickens me
enough to make me puke. It's a wonder what I'll do for him, isn't
it? Well, that's how love is. |