For years now, I’ve been able to put on a mask that hid all my true problems. When I won a dual or got a bad grade, no matter what it was when I returned home my dad would punish me. How about when I am walking home, can you sense fear in my steps? Not really, because that mask has become even better. Because, I don’t live with my father anymore, but with my high school crush, Seto Kaiba, and the mask still exists.

Why? Because the cold hearted CEO is really as cold as he said. He beats me; just as my father did, but he doesn’t drink, thank Kami. I’m merely a sex toy for him, when he’s beat from work, he comes home, and I spread my legs for him. I cook him breakfast, and he doesn’t need a staff for the mansion, I’m everything. I believe the only thing he has is a driver for his limo, and even that man doesn’t stay inside with us.

Mokuba moved out, wanted to go to a school in Europe, not sure where though. Unlike his brother, he enjoyed the arts and architecture around the world, and wanted to see more. So, he’s schooled by only the best there. I miss him, at least when he was around, none of this ever happened. Seto wasn’t like this when we were out in public. No, he would take my hand and smile at me, and I would return it. We were a perfect couple, and everybody even said that. Public image is always a lie.

I awoke this morning, around three, and stared into the face of my sleeping lover. Pulling out of bed, I ignored the shower (being that I took one last night) and went downstairs to make him breakfast. See, he has a memory; I believe I made eggs yesterday, and if I were to make the same thing for two days, he’d beat me. So, pulling out the pancake batter, I began to make him pancakes.

When they were finished, I pulled out a plate, sat four pancakes on it, and then sat it on the table. Next to the plate were his coffee, syrup, butter, jam, and other items he loves to have on them. I sit the paper on the right on his plate, and smile at my work. Beautiful.

The door opens, and I turn to face my love. Yes, I love him more than ever. It’ll never change. He stares at me, and I pull out the chair for him. “Pancakes, just the way you like them.”

He smiles, and stares at the chocolate chips in them. It is something I’ve always known. He has a chocolate fetish. He takes a bite, and I depart from the room to go back to bed, I’m not that hungry. Since the end of high school, the time I stopped growing, I stopped eating as much. My bottomless pit stopped, and I’m easily sickened by too much food. I exercise a lot, and work even more.

The bedroom is all blue as I walk inside it, sitting on the bed weakly. My feet hurt, and I’m tired, I fall down to sleep, and I hear the door open. Seto must have left something and came to get it.

I felt the bed gain weight, but didn’t move, just pretended to sleep, and I felt his hand run up my cheek. Ignoring it, and I felt him rub harder. Was he trying to wake me up, did he want me to stay asleep?

“Pup, wake up…” He whispers, and I stare up at him, and he smiles, descending upon my lips. I allowed him to dominate over me. His fingers laced in my hair, surrounding every coil that was on my head, touching my scalp and tenderized the root of the hair that he had pulled, just yesterday.

“Yes master?” I asked, and he smiled at my obedient voice. He pressed his lips to mine again, and I wrapped my hand around his neck. When he finally pulled away, he smiled down upon me, and then left to do his usual.

I pulled his pillow over my head, falling asleep once more, and my heart ready for the hard day that was in store.

Yugi placed a cup in front of me, smiling as brightly as usual. Has anybody ever told anybody I hated his happy go lucky smile? Yami’s okay, but you know he’s too sexy for his own good.

Ryou is also there, except he’s playing videogames with his yami, who’s screaming about blasted electronics, and how we have no need for them. Malik and Marik weren’t there, nor were Honda and Otogi. Just the five of us, talking as if old times were still there, which is good, I can avoid many conflicts.

“Jou, do you have any fours?” Yugi smiled up at me, and I looked back down at my hand of cards. My turtleneck covered up towards the palm of my hand, it’s actually Seto’s because none of mine could hide the newest bruises. Handing the small guy the four of clubs, I take a deep breath to think of a new card he might have.

“Yugi, do you have any kings?” Yugi shook his head, and I snorted. Why is this game always against me?

That blond bang, the one that can’t be tamed, is in my face, running around my eyes, and irritating me. Reaching up, I pushed it aside, and ‘erked’ as the sleeve fell down. Yugi stared, wide eyed, at my hand, forcing me to fell like a three legged, baby zebra in front of a hungry tiger.

“What happened Jou?” Yugi cried out, gripping my arm and turning it to face him. Marked across his arms were bruises in the shape Setos’s hands as well as bones that had never been repaired ruining the flesh. Yami stared over his aibou’s shoulder like a mother hen; sometimes I think he is one.

“It’s none of your business.” I snorted, pulling Seto’s sweater down my arm. Yugi didn’t buy it, of course.

“We’re friends, we’ll help!”

I can’t believe it, those words; I broke in seconds, and could only think about bashing his skull in. “Mind your own damn business and your own damn affairs!” Standing up, I took off out the door, never glancing back at his surprised look.

I think that I made it halfway down the street before I fell upon the cement and cried. It wasn’t until nightfall that I stood back up and ran home. Not sure it was luck when I arrived and Seto had not come home yet. I walked into the kitchen and began cooking for him. After making him a quick meal, I started mine up, and sat and ate it until he walked in.

Smiling, which was odd, he took his seat and began eating, and I stared at him before continuing my own food.

“Pup?”

“Oh! I’m sorry!” I stood up, running to get him a cup of coffee. As I placed it in front of him, he chuckled. My god, why does he sound so sinister? I stared back down upon my food, picking at it lightly until my husband spoke, again.

“Mokuba’s coming home,” He smiled, but it returned by his serious face, “also the newest dualist disk was a hit in America, thus they’re sending some … reporters to interview this place, get to know the people behind this company-”

“You?” I stared up, and he nodded. I know what he wants, to act like nothing ever happens in this place, to have it spotless, as it always is.

“Of course, now, they’re just two hours of bothering and touring. Mokuba is going to be at home for two months, meaning you’d better not let him see those bruises you inflict upon yourself.”

“Yes, I understand.” I stared down at the plate in front of me, and before he could say another word, which is mostly about my friends, I speak up, “Don’t worry, they won’t be coming by, we kind of got in a fight. They saw the bruises.”

“Hm?”

I nodded mutely, staring at my fork with interest. Seto didn’t bring it up again, not like I expected him to.

“Seto, please!!”

My arm feels like it’s going to tear out, he’s pulling me up the stairs, and my feet have already given out, causing more pain upon me. This is my entire fault; I was bringing him a cup of coffee, and tripped! I didn’t mean for it to spill on his lap, I’m so dead!

He pulled me into one of the locked rooms, designed especially by him to hold almost anything that could be torture. From sex toys, all the way to teaching me the truth of where I stand. Pushing me against the wall, my eyes turn to stare at him as he grabs a leather whip, and I know what’s going to happen. I don’t run, because that never does any good, only worse.

Biting my tongue, eyes closed, I can feel the strand entering my arm, burning the skin, tearing it up. Again, he slams the leather in my back, and I’m on my knees crying lightly. Sprinkles of tears are leaving my eyes, but I don’t release any sound, just wait for it all to be over with.

It shouldn’t be soon, I think it’s been about twenty slashes, and I’m on my stomach, screaming, and fresh blood falling down my back. He’s crazy, dear god, he’s crazy as hell. He picks me up, after beating me, and carries me to the room. Bandaging my back, he kisses my cheek and walks to change his soaked pants.

I’m staring at the ceiling when he returns, trying to ignore his movements until I can hear his voice. My body doesn’t turn to him as he pulls me on his lap, yanking my pants and boxers to my ankles. I want to cry, he wants me to fuck him, to ride him.

Using my own hands, I pull down his pants, and then return to the post that he placed me. Moving my body, I fall down upon his shaft, and gasp in pain. Sure, I’ve had my supply of orgasms in our relationship, but this will always hurt. I grip the bed railing, staring down upon him once more as I moved my hips, grinding into his hips.

He moans, and I’m sickened by what he’s doing, but this is all for him. I love him, even though he beats me, I don’t want to be apart from him, no more, not ever.

Kissing my neck, he takes hold upon my shaft, and I moan softly, my eyes squinting as he pumped me to full life, his own pushing into my nerves and digging for safety. I screamed louder, gliding my hips upon him, making sure he was getting all his meat inside of my lithe body, laying my head on his shoulder.

His hands are embracing my back, the wound on my back that burns with each flutter of prints, and I groan softly, letting tears roll down my face. I can’t control them, they won’t stop no matter how hard I try, and Seto stops, and holds me.

I know this isn’t going to last long, and if I could, I’d stop crying and looking weak, but tears continue to fall down my face as I snuggled into his chest, holding onto him tight. I was crying now, strained breathing escaping my lips to prove it as that. And Seto just kisses my head before laying me on my back and driving into me.

My head turns to the side, and I grasp his upper arms, not being able to wrap around his back any longer, and scream. It was probably heard outside, but nobody would come and see if I was in trouble because it sounded rather ‘pleasured’ then on the verge of death.

I purposely squeeze his pulsing dick inside me with great strength; making him come, just to stop doing what he had been doing. He releases my arms, sitting up, and brushes my tears. They still fell, and I was shaking this time, and he merely blew out his breath and pulled out of me. I watched him go towards his desk on the other side of the room, slowly pulling off the bed.

My aching body walks towards the door, and I turn to stare at him, wiping my tears. He’s blurry, but I can see him. “I’ll get you some coffee…”

“Be careful this time.” He gives an emotionless tone, and I only nod before walking down the stairs. I stilled my shaking arms and stepped into the kitchen and held the coffee pot over Seto’s regular cup, but I still shake as I try to pour a large amount of coffee. It’s splatters everywhere, on my hands, around the cup, but I don’t feel the pain anymore, never felt that pain.

All my pains were in my heart, turning and stoning it with each day. I placed the cup of coffee on the heater before cleaning the mess I had made. I shook my head, calming my nerves before starting up the stairs once more with my husband’s drink, and I stare only once and the sun lit city. I’ll never be able to be myself there, so it didn’t matter. I walked into our bedroom, and Seto was working, quietly typing out papers for Kaiba Corps, making me smile sweetly.

“Here, Seto.” I place it on the coaster, and he nods. I don’t move, just stare over his nude flesh as he works, making me wonder why I stayed with him.

I could always run, they had safe houses for people like me, but I don’t want to. I could go back to my father’s, or back to Yugi’s. I’m sure if I had told Yugi what was happening with Seto and me, he’d allow me to stay for as long as it took to get a restraining order.

Yet, I don’t want to. If I were to leave Seto, I’m not sure which of us would die first, him or I. I need his passionate touches when I sleep, I need him to say loving words in my ear, even if not true. Somewhere in his anger, I know he loves me, and needs me to remain sane.

He stares up from me, sipping his coffee, and I fall back upon the bed, still staring at him blankly, and he smiles. “Thank you, pup.” He says, and I grin.

That was all I needed to stay with him, to love him. Masks or no masks, him saying thank you gave me the rope to hold on.

I lay upon my side, staring over him as I prepared to sleep, but I do say to him, “You’re welcome, Dragon. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”