Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, have the intelligence to own anything as worthwhile as Yu-Gi-Oh!, so buzz off.
Warning: I have no idea where the story is going, but this WILL have SLASH! Yugi is a bit depressed, there may be a few inappropriate things, and of course, violence. I doubt I own a story without any of the above...
A/N: The last chapter! I know it took longer than I said, but I /was/ really busy. Fortunately school was cancelled, so I have time to type this up!
Anyone who loves Tea, leave now.
Epilogue: As Time Goes By
Last Time…
"Seto?" he queried, his lips parting invitingly with the words.
Seto's lips: meet Yugi.
"I love you, too."
The End.
*
Five Years Later…Yugi hummed happily as he closed the Game Shop for the night. Seto had promised to stop working when he got home tonight, and Mokuba was at a sleep-over. He grinned wickedly. That only meant good news and a 'good' night! Joey was shooting him an odd look – his best friend was his employee at the Game Shop now – and Yugi promptly blushed.
/No dirty thoughts with him nearby,/ he reminded himself mock-sternly. /But I'll have time all to myself with Seto-kun … And I bet he'll – No dirty thoughts around my best friend!/ He blushed harder. Joey laughed.
"I know whatch' you're thinkin' of, Yug!" he teased. He ducked as a sandal flew by overhead. "Ya know, Kaiba's a bad influence on you. You weren' half dis violent before he started encouragin' ya." Yugi sneered regally and Joey actually started backing away, looking unnerved. "Whoa, Yug, what happened to ya face? Dat's nasty …"
"Oh, shut up, Joey," grumbled the tri-color-haired man. He was still as short as ever, but he had grown up. The pain of Yami's banishment had never truly left, and he doubted it ever would, but he didn't cry at every little thing. He was also happily married to the man known as Seto Kaiba, with Mokuba as his brother-in-law.
Joey too was married. Mai Valentine was now Mai Wheeler, and they had four children with a fifth on the way. Although Joey helped at the Game Shop, he, Yugi, Mai, and Kaiba still dueled professionally, so his large family was well-provided for. He was a great father, and he had sworn to always put his kids first, something Mai had agreed with whole-heartedly. Yugi loved Joey's family, even if the children did seem to have a really odd fascination with Yugi's hair…
"I gotta go, Yug. See ya tomorrow?"
"Of course!" Yugi agreed. "Oh, and Joey? There's a new shipment coming in next week, so I'll need you here then, too."
"'Kay. Bye, Yug!"
Yugi would have responded but for the fact that he smelled something burning.
"Oh shit! I must have left the oven on after we had lunch!" he muttered, panicking. He didn't notice as Joey drove away; he was too busy unlocking the Shop and running inside.
He hastened into the kitchen … and then stopped, puzzled.
The oven wasn't on, but there was a small smoke bomb on the floor.
"How did that get there?" he asked, talking to himself. He never expected someone to answer.
Or for the answer to come in the form of a knife at his throat.
"Hi, slave, it's been awhile." Yugi froze at the voice, and his breaths became more panicked.
"T-Tea?" he questioned. His captor laughed darkly.
Tea had left after Yami had been killed, screaming threats and profanities at the still-hurting hikari. She had become a famous dancer over in the States, and had seemed happy enough. None of them had ever bothered to consider her a threat. Apparently, that had been a mistake.
"You murderer!" the brown-haired woman hissed, drawing away and pushing Yugi to the floor. He fell awkwardly, and twisted to see her pacing around him, circling. She had a gun in one hand, and a knife in the other.
"You killed him! You killed Yami! I told you I would make you pay, Yugi Motou, and you will pay!" She kicked him in the side, and Yugi felt long-forgotten terror creeping up on him. This was just like what had happened so long ago. He still bore the scars of the bully-days, and even worse scars from the Yami/Tea ones … He tried desperately not to cry as the memories came seeping back. Tea was circling again, but he couldn't hear what she said, too lost in fear and remembered pain to focus.
And just when Yugi thought he'd surely black out from the emotional strain, Tea knelt down at his side, movements graceful. She brought up the knife and absently caressed his face with it. Yugi flinched as his ears suddenly tuned back into reality.
"-and then all that pretty blood would decorate you. You'd be hideous. That would repulse Kaiba, and maybe end his stupid unnatural affinity for men. I bet you're such a whore. Do you beg Kaiba in bed, Yugi? Disgusting. It's gross that something that looks so much like Yami could be so screwed up. Or maybe I should just slit your throat. Simple. Easy. No excess mess, no loud screams to attract attention. And then I could take the Puzzle without getting your dirty blood all over it. Or I could just shoot you. In the stomach, in the head. In the spine; paralyze you for life … But then you could identify me … Oh, I have waited so long for this! You have no idea how easy it was to trap you, Yugi. So simple. It was like you wanted to die. That's only right isn't it? Yami was your other half. One part of a soul shouldn't outlive the other. Especially not the inferior part. The weaker half; the pet; the slave. Yami was right all along, you know. You deserve this more than even I could have believed. But now … now you will pay for what you did." She looked at her weapons. "The knife. I'll slit your throat. Clean and easy. Nothing to show who did it … Now, just hold still, Yugi. This should hurt." Yugi found himself still paralyzed, unable to move away as she brought the knife over his throat, frowning as she tried to find the best angle at which to kill him with it.
A shot rang out, and Tea slumped down over the boy, who was still frozen.
"Yugi!"
The voice sounded familiar, and Yugi stared up hazily as the girl's body was removed from his chest. Seto's face looked down on him worriedly.
"Yugi? Are you alright? I'm so sorry! I should have been here sooner, I - " He was cut off as Yugi launched himself into Seto's arms, shuddering.
"She – she … was going to kill me! She … she said …"
"Shhh," soothed Seto. "It's okay, Yugi, she's gone now. What she said doesn't matter. She was insane, and she took it out on you. It's not your fault … Officer, I'm going to take him home now," he added to the cop he had called as soon as he'd seen the back door of the Game Shop, which had been broken into. He'd been terrified, but surely not as scared as poor Yugi, trapped inside with his would-be murderess … He hugged the shaking form tightly. Yugi was alive, he was safe, and he was scared. He needed to get warm and collected, or else he'd go into shock. The officer nodded, and Seto easily lifted his husband and took him out to the waiting limousine.
Yugi was safe, and that was all that mattered.
The End.
*
A/N: Well, that's the end. If it's not what you wanted or expected, I'm sorry, but it's not what *I* expected either. I had something totally different planned, but this is what came out. Live with it.
Thank you for all the support and reviews. I really really love you guys for them; they make life worth living.
I hope you enjoyed the story. Another one will be out soon, I think. I have several YGO stories going in my notebooks (they're not posted) and the same for a lot of my HP fics. I'll probably post the better ones eventually, but maybe I should type the entire thing first…
I'm so proud of myself! My first completed fanfic! Well, apart from Betrayers Of My Trust, but that was a one-shot, so…
Thanks again, and I hope that you check out my other works!
Love you all,
tati1