Disclaimer: Not mine.
AN: Post-Battle City. Malikthings.
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"Yami...?"
Soft hands seized around matching pale gold, and violet clashed with itself as they exchanged a curious look.
Pale browns drew downwards in concern. "Summergold hikari wants...?"
Sharp white teeth tore a sun-browned lip. "Wants his yami-shadow to stay away from him."
Panic. "Wants other's other to stay away from him? Leave hikari - leaveleavenonotgo!"
Pain. Sharp nails digging into his skin. Pain was good, pain was Life, pain was lying teasing laughing summershine hikari because his hikari would never ever leave him... right?
Tugging. Sharp eyes narrowed and flaring with sun-bright anger. "Yami - Yami, let go! You can't stay with me! Don't you understand, you can't?!"
Nonono! Won't leave - can't leave hikari! Can't LEAVE!
"Yami!" Soft slippery hikari jerked away, staggered back, bristling and golden and sharp like shattered mirrors.
He whimpered. "...hikari-mine?"
"Yami - oh gods, please, Yami-mine, prettysweet Yami-mine, listen, please listen to me, you will, won't you?" Tears shimmering like shattered dreams. Slipside down a softly curved cheek.
A pause. He tried to collect his thoughts and found them too slippery to cling to. "Hikari... wants his other to listen to his other's pretty hikari? ...hikari won't make his yami go...?"
"No!" Soft hands fisted in pale hair, tugged impatiently at the gleaming strands, and he reached out to catch them in his own.
He bit his own lip in confusion. "Hikari wants...?"
Sniffle. His hikari... his hikari wasn't crying, nonono, his pretty sweet soft golden hikari didn't cry, didn't didn't didn't didn't!
"YAMI! Please! Please, please, they CAN'T know, they can't, they can't so you have to run away - take my bike, you remember how to drive it, please, take it and run and I'll find you again, I promise, but you NEED to go!"
Stupid salt, why was salt in his eyes, didn't it know he couldn't see? Why - whywhywhywhy?! "...why does hikari-pretty want his other to leave?"
Snifflesob. Poor choking hikari. "Yami, please, I didn't tell them, I didn't, I didn't but now I think they know and they'll take you away from me again, they'll take you away and I'll never ever have you again!"
Snarl. Rage. "NOT LEAVE! Not want to leave hikari - shh, shh, shh, hikari, yami-not-leave, never ever leave soft crying pretty hikari, shh shh, yami never leave..."
Small hands clawed at his chest, pushed him away, and his pretty hikari made a raw ugly sound that made him hurt inside. "Yami, please, you can't stay here... Isis - Isis and Rishid, they know, I KNOW they do - please...? Please go?"
Quiver. "Leave... for hikari? Better - better -" He choked on his own words, stumbling forwards in confusion. "Better if... if... yami-shadow... leaves?"
Bright, feverish urgency flared in unfocused eyes. "Yami - Yami, you've GOT to leave now! You've GOT to - promise me! Promise me you'll leave right now and not look back! Do you promise? Yami, Yami, look at me, look and me and promise-promise!"
"Promise... to... leave...?"
"Promise me! Yami - please!"
...begging? Soft silky sleek sly hikari - wanted - wanted...
When he spoke again, his voice was tiny and fragile. "...Yami... promises... to... to..." He bit his knuckles hard enough to make them bleed, his final words coming out in a strangled whimper. "To leave..."
A smile, sharp and relieved and more than a little insane, split caramel features, and soft hands pushed him towards the fire escape. "Yami-shadow must run, runrunrun, run and hide and not let anyone - ANYONE find him! Hikari will find you, will find again, and keep secret and secret and safe."
He blinked slowly, hardly cognizant of the window opening, uncertain of why he now stood outside on the rusty stairwell.
"Yami-shadow is... leaving?"
he asked slowly, still unsure. Sweetbrightsummergold hikari leaned out the window and brushed a fevered kiss against his lips. "Yami-darling must GO!"
And he ducked back inside and slammed the window shut.
For a long moment, all he could do was stand there, staring.
When Malik finally slipped out of his view, he turned blank eyes out to the city, and staggered down the stairwell, winding up in a blind alley, unknowing where he was or where he was going to go.
...Yami-shadow must go away...
He started to walk.
He walked until his feet hurt, until he was lost and cold and lonely, walked until he looked up and saw bright lights and heat and warmth that didn't belong to him.
He blinked, bewildered. "Ra's hikari-light?"
Yugi put down the broom by the doorway and took a cautious step backwards. "...Yami?"
He flinched. No! Not yours! Not not not not yours!
Crimsongoldsilkysmirkyshiningcoldbrightshadow...
Ra-pharaoh-king. Arms slipping tightightight around his hikari-light, shadows dancing behind his eyes.
"...Yami-chan, I think there's something wrong with him... how is he even alive? ...Yami-chan?"
Iceycoldfrozenblood eyes. Shiver. "...Yami no Malik, where is your hikari?"
Softsweetsweetprettyprettysmoothsoftgoldhikari... didn't want him... anymore?
Delicate footsteps crossed the pavement, twin pairs of boots coming to a halt before his eyes. ...when had he fallen? Why did his knees hurt?
"Yami no Malik?" Shadows reeling and hissing with his threat.
"Yami no Malik?" Concern - softsweetbright hikari-light concern.
...hikari-light.
Hikari.
Sob.
Sob.
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AN: >:L (One-fanged vampire. Aiiee!)
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Emails to mjalta@yahoo.com