Disclaimer:.... nope..... not mine........ are you surprised?

 

Okay, chapter four ^^ Getting interesting now. I hope everyone enjoys this. There's not really much to say about this chapter. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed.

 

Rising Heat

 

 

 

Yugi shook violently as he stared at the face of his Yami on the card that Pegasus held, the face so similar to his own. His eyes were wide with shock, pain, and disbelief, not even aware of the cry that had been torn from his throat.

Behind him he heard a strangled sob and turned to see Seto behind him with a similar look of horror on his face. He'd never seen his lover look so stricken before, save their first encounter when Yami had shattered his heart. Seeing him that way only increased Yugi's pain and he leaned into the taller boy for comfort, wanting to give and receive it, and held him tight as he sobbed into his stomach.

Feeling the cool wetness through his shirt, Seto looked down at his smaller lover, seeing the top of his head as the boy clung to him, crying into his shirt. Swallowing around his own pain, he wrapped his arms around Yugi, oblivious to those that were watching them, and to the tears that slid quietly down his own cheeks as he held Yugi close. He gripped the boy tightly; afraid that if he let go of him that he would lose him as well. Now, with Mokuba and Yami gone, Yugi was the only thing he had left. Losing the small boy would destroy him.

From across the dueling platform, Pegasus watched the two lovers impassively, not needing to use his Millennium eye to see the pain and sorrow passing through them, or their dependence on one another. He looked down at the card in his hand, the picture of the dark spirit's face reflecting back at him, his glare stony and hard. It sent shivers down his spine but he noticed something curious; the spirit's clothes in the card were not the same ones that Yugi was currently wearing. He had a golden circlet over his brow, the eye of Ra clear on his forehead, and arms and chest, bare skin a dark tan, was adorned with golden bands and armlets, his appearance regal, if nothing else. It gave him yet another thing to think about. He cast one last look at the two lovers sobbing against one another, and his normally light features melted into a scowl.

"The tournament will continue tomorrow morning. I suggest you all get some rest." He said coolly, looking at no one before leaving the platform.

His face buried in Seto's chest, Yugi hiccupped, barely hearing Pegasus' words through his state of pain and he pulled himself back a little, moving up against his lover to rest his head on his shoulder. He looked up at the brunette with large, sorrow filled eyes, pleading with him silently to do something, to make everything better.

Seto felt his heart lurch at that and he wished that there was something he could do. Hating the helplessness that filled him, on top of everything else, he wrapped Yugi into his arms, holding the smaller boy against his chest as he rested his face in his hair, the incredulous looks of his lover's friends going unnoticed by him.

Finally trying to gather some strength, he got to his feet, the small boy still enfolded in his arms, and carried him off the platform. His legs were weak, barely able to support him as he walked, glad that Yugi weighed next to nothing, and carried him up towards the balcony. The smaller boy trembled in his arms, his face resting against the curve of his neck, and he sighed softly as he felt Yugi's halted breath on his skin. He looked down at the boy's pained expression, feeling his heart clench.  'I'll be strong for you, Yugi. And we well get Yami back. I promise you.' He vowed silently, pressing a small kiss to the boy's forehead before stepping out onto the balcony where the motley group of spectators were still standing, no one quite sure what had happened.

If he had had the strength or the humor in him, he would have made a crack about the stupefied expressions on their faces, but instead said nothing as he walked to them, making no move to put Yugi down.

He silently ran his gaze over the group. The girl, what was her name, Anzu, was staring at them in concern as she rushed over to Yugi, asking him a million questions at once. Stupid girl. Couldn't she see how much pain Yugi was in? He wanted little more than to shove something in her mouth to shut her up. The other brunette, the one that hung out with the mutt, was just staring with a baffled expression on his face, as if none of this was making it past that hair of his into his brain. The pale haired one, Ryou, the only one of the group he could tolerate had an expression of confusion and sympathy on his face as he looked at Yugi, a curious look of empathy in his eyes that piqued his interest for a moment.

He turned to look at Jounouchi, the blonde loudmouth surprising him by the neutral expression on his face, as if nothing all that big had even happened. Somehow that reaction unnerved him a lot more than if the boy had been making a fit, but he decided not to dwell on it since there were more important matters at hand, namely the boy lying limp in his arms. The smaller one's tears had run dry, but the look of raw pain in his eyes hadn't lessened any, and he knew there was probably a similar look in his own red-rimmed eyes, though he didn't have the strength to try and put up his barriers. 

His eyes jerked up and he all but growled as one of Pegasus' servants approached them, offering to lead them to their rooms as if this were some vacation or something. The casualness of it angered him but he fought to keep it from showing, at least for Yugi's sake. He followed the servant, not really noticing as his lover's friends followed along behind, not really noticing anyone but Yugi. Somehow, his own pain seemed to pale in comparison to Yugi's. The smaller boy hadn't just lost a friend or a lover, he had lost a part of himself; had part of his soul ripped away. Granted, Seto didn't know too many of the details about his connection to Yami, but he knew that it was stronger than any he himself had ever felt. To have that ripped away from him in such away... The pain, the emptiness, had to be simply unbearable. He looked down at his small love, the boy clinging to him desperately, as if he was the only thing that kept him from being washed away, and he cradled the boy closer to him, holding him protectively.

They stopped in a large hallway, numerous doors on either side of them, and the manservant told them to divide the rooms up amongst themselves since there were enough for all of them.

Not waiting for any sort of decisions to be made, he carried Yugi into the closest room, shutting the door behind him and locking it, cutting off any protests from his lover's friends.

He set the boy down on the bed, laying him down carefully, and sat beside him, brushing away some of the strands of hair that were clinging to his damp cheeks.

He frowned softly, studying the boy closely.

"Yugi?" He asked softly, his own voice choked and low, filled with emotions. The smaller boy's eyes flicked up to him, watching him with a pain that was palpable. He swallowed around the emotion in his throat, stroking the other's face lightly.

Yugi shivered a little, leaning into his hand.

"Se...to..." The boy's voice was hushed, his voice weakened from crying. "Seto.. It hurts... it hurts so much." He murmured softly, the tears threatening to spill from his eyes again.

Seto made a soft sound at the expression on his face and laid out beside the boy, wrapping his arms around him lightly.

"I know, Yugi... I know." He whispered, brushing his lips over the other's tears-stained cheeks. "But we'll get him back. I promise you. We'll get them all back."

Yugi nodded softly, resting his head against his chest once again, holding onto him.

"Seto... Promise you won't leave me, too? I couldn't bear to lose you." The boy all but whimpered, the desperation clear in his voice.

Seto almost smiled at that, but couldn't bring himself to do so. Instead he tilted the other's chin up, locking their gazes as he caressed the boy's soft face.

"I swear to you, Yugi. I will never leave you." He vowed, sealing the promise with a light kiss.

Yugi melted into him, deepening the kiss with an intensity that startled the older brunette. When Seto finally found the strength, he pulled back from his lover's addicting lips, panting slightly for breath. Said breath caught in his throat as Yugi pressed up against him firmly. He made a soft, questioning sound, staring down at the smaller boy in confusion.

"Yugi...?"

The smaller duelist stared up at him, his eyes pleading.

"Please... Seto... take the pain away, if only for right now... Let me forget about it, please."

Seto was helpless to his lover's pleas, finding his own heart crying out for the same, and nodded softly, covering Yugi's lips with his own once again. The smaller boy melted into his arms, his own hands moving exploringly over Seto's body, with none of the hesitation he had experienced the previous night. This wasn't about love, or passion, this was about comfort, both of them giving what the other needed, and no more words were spoken between them as they rolled across the bed, clothes flying in varied directions, hands moving over newly exposed flesh.

The pleasure from their lovemaking was a soothing balm on the pain they felt and took their minds of everything as they surrendered themselves to the feel of one another's bodies, leaving nothing untouched, unkissed, unexplored.

Soft moans and cried filled the room well into the night, occasionally dotted by soft gasps and whispers of love. There was no urgency in their touch, no quest for completion. Time inched away minute by minute as they fell under one another's spell, losing themselves in the touch of the other.

Deep into the morning, as the early light of day began to wash over the island, they collapsed together onto the bed, spent and depleted of strength, both physical and emotional.

They didn't sleep, both knowing that they would find no solace in oblivion, and simply laid together, Yugi resting on top of Seto's chest, his head tucked beneath the taller boy's chin.

The ease and contentment of the moment was ruined by the memories of what had passed and the knowledge of what was to come, but, for just that moment, they were at ease, knowing that they had one another, if nothing else.

 

In another of the guest rooms, a tall figure stood at the window, watching the golden light of morning wash across the waters surrounding the island. His yellow eyes glittered in the morning light as he stood there, lost in thought, mulling over the events passed. In truth, he had never expected such a thing to happen, never dreamed of it. It caused him to frown softly in annoyance. The spirit of the puzzle was something he hadn't taken into account. He hadn't predicted the dark one's sacrificing actions and it set him on edge that he had been so careless.

It was a mistake that he didn't intend to make again.

The demon scowled to himself as he brushed a long strand of golden hair out of his face, tucking it behind his ear as then rest hung obediently down his back, pooling slightly on the floor. Something about the spirit of the Sennen puzzle seemed to rub him the wrong way and he most assuredly, didn't like it. Especially since he didn't know why. He was fond of Yugi; the small boy so full of light and innocence, as well as overwhelming compassion and strength. He was quite admirable and he had found the boy to be a good companion as well. But the spirit; Yami they had called him, seemed to get his back up. He had startled himself when he'd seen the spirit's face on the card that his soul had been sealed away in, nearly hissing at the sight of him, and some deep seeded part of him had been oddly satisfied with it. It was startling, to say the least.

To say that the area around the dueling field was tense would have been a drastic understatement. Everyone seemed to carry reserved expressions on their faces as they waited for the events to begin.
Seto and Yugi had been the first to show, the two not having broken contact with one another since the previous night, not caring about the picture they made to anyone else, though it was rather obvious that they were making Yugi's friends, Anzu and Honda at least, very unnerved. Ryou didn't seem to notice, one way or another, either that or he was just showing tact, and Jounouchi was too busy verbally sparring with Bandit Keith to say anything about it.
Seto's hand was resting on Yugi's shoulder, rubbing it gently, trying to soothe away his nerves, something that he was infinitely grateful for. He sighed a little, leaning back against the brunette, needing his contact and silent support. The previous night had only been a brief respite from the troubles at hand and now he had to face everything, and win, or lose his Yami forever. That was something he didn't think he could bear. He brought his hand up over Seto's, smiling weakly to himself before lacing their fingers, delighted when the other gave his hand a soft squeeze in return. He needed the reassurance and strength of the other, knowing that he would be supporting him the whole way.
He honestly didn't think he could do it on his own.
The ballots were drawn, deciding the match pairings, and he released a soft breath that he had been holding when he realized he would face Mai first off. Realistically thinking, she would be the easiest to defeat of the three. In any case, he could use the warm up.
He stepped up to the platform, reluctantly moving from Seto, and took a steadying breath as he shuffled his deck. It occurred to him that this was the first time in the tournament that he was dueling without the aid of his Yami and a suppressed an inkling of doubt; needing all his confidence to get through this. His Yami was counting on him.
He looked up at Mai, his expression fierce, his gleaming eyes conveying clearly that this was no longer a game for him and he would hold back nothing. The girl looked mildly startled before nodding in understanding and grinning, setting up her deck.
"All right, Yugi." She said in a confident voice, exuding confidence. "Show me what you've got."
With a nod, and a smirk that was reminiscent of his dark half, He set his deck on the platform.
And so the duel began.

Seto watched on, almost grinning to himself from his place on the balcony, watching as his small lover dueled. It was something he enjoyed watching, seeing the passion that the boy put into his every action. It was an intoxicating sight. It was one of the things he loved about the other boy. One of the things that had always drawn him to him.
He frowned a little when he felt a presence next to him and looked up to see Jounouchi next to him on the balcony, watching the duel with a fierce expression.
"If you hurt him, I'll destroy you."
At any other time, Seto would have responded to that with and insult and a challenge, but something in the blonde's tone made him wary. It wasn't one of his normal, empty threats. It sent a shiver down his spine and he had to swallow slightly around the apprehension that formed in his gut.
"Good." Was his only response. If the blonde had one redeeming quality that he knew of, it was his unwavering loyalty to Yugi. He turned his attention back to the duel, trying not to think about the sudden serious side of Jounouchi Katsuya.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the blonde smirk.

The duel was over before it had really begun. Yugi's fierce determination, combined with his expert caliber of play had simply outclassed the girl who accepted her loss easily.
Yugi sighed to himself, brushing a tendril of blonde hair out of his face, and shook his head a little to clear it. He blinked a little when he heard the ominous sound of clapping and looked up to a higher balcony to see Pegasus sitting in a throne of sorts, smiling richly, though his eyes glimmered with dark intent.
Yugi scowled, his eyes narrowing and darkening fiercely as he stared the older man down, a look of pure scorn on his normally joyful feature.
'Just you wait, Pegasus,' He thought harshly. 'You will get what's coming to you.'

 

~~Owari~~

Only one more chapter left before we get to the sequel *squeals in delight*

 

Yami: You mean the one you've been working on since last june?

 

Dai-na: Yup ^^...............waitaminute, are you implying something?

 

Yami:............-_-;;;; Just review so this idiot will finally get the new stuff posted.

 

Dai-na -_-;;;;;