Sweet Secrets

[….]= radio

Joey poured himself another cup of coffee at Tristan’s apartment. The blond and the brunet were in the middle of their morning routine: Wake up, Joey would go to Tristan’s apartment, have coffee, watched the news on the radio, then complain about their temporary jobs, have breakfast, more coffee, then Joey usually left.

Tristan poured himself another cup of coffee. “How do you think we’re going to get Yugi, Ryou, and Malik away from Keith?”

Joey shrugged. “How the hell should I know? Why don’t you think of something, genius?”

Tristan turned on the radio and sat down. “I can handle Keith by myself….I think. If I grab Keith, you go and get them out.”

Joey shook his head. “Malik’s going to be hard to move. He looked really fragile.”

Tristan gripped the handle of his coffee cup. “We have to try something. I don’t want them to be hurt.”

Joey looked down sadly. “It broke my heart in two to see Yugi like that, Tristan. He looked so skinny. Well…he was skinny before, but now he was really skinny.”

Tristan nodded. “Poor Ryou. He doesn’t deserve that kind of treatment. He went trough enough torture with Bakura. Ryou deserves better.”

“So does Yugi.”

Tristan bit his lip, his hands shaking slightly. “Joey, I’m going to tell you something serious. You have to promise not to tell anyone, including Ryou.”

“Yeah? I’m listening.”

“Joey, I……..I love…..” Tristan’s face went red and he looked down at his coffee. “I love….”

Joey rolled his eyes. “Out with it, man!”

“I love…….”

The radio interrupted Tristan’s confession. [The bodies of three teenagers were found in an abandoned warehouse on 13^th and Spruce Streets this morning. The cause of death is suspected to be overdose on prescription painkillers. One boy died of an acute case of pneumonia.]

Joey and Tristan turned to the radio.

“I hope it’s not them!” Joey’s voice called, cracking.

[The bodies have been identified as Duelist Kingdom champion, Yugi Motou, 15 years of age. The other two bodies were identified as Malik Ishtar, 16 years of age, and Ryou Bakura, 15 years of age. There will be a funeral held for the three teens at Cedar Hill Cemetery tomorrow at noon for families and friends to pay their last respects.]

Tristan clenched his eyes shut and buried his face in his hands.

Joey sat down and shook his head. His eyes were wide with shock. “We’re too late.”

Tears escaped Tristan’s hazel eyes and thought, ‘I never had a chance to tell him how I felt. Now he’s dead.’ Tristan clenched his fists and slammed them onto the table. “Let’s go get that son-of-a-bitch!”

************************

Keith reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of lager. He sat on the couch and looked at the very spot where he had last taken Malik before he escaped with the others.

“Who needs them?” Keith laughed gulping his lager down quickly, letting it run down his chin and his cheeks. A knock came on the door and he tossed the empty bottle to the side. Keith opened it and fell back on the floor from a punch into the face. Tristan kicked Keith inside as Joey shut the door behind them.

“Did you kill them, Keith?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”
”Yugi, Ryou, and Malik were found dead this morning and you don’t know? Don’t care?”

Keith staggered to his feet and looked Tristan in the face. “They just left on their own. Besides, I think they enjoyed getting their brains and their asses screwed senseless.”

Tristan grabbed Keith’s clothes and growled angrily. Tristan shoved Keith against the wall. “You killed them, didn’t you?”

Joey stood by Tristan clenching his fists. “You killed Yugi, didn’t you?”

Keith smirked. “I didn’t kill them, although Ryou probably fucked the life out of Malik quite literally.”

Tristan backhanded Keith, making the corners of Keith’s mouth drip with blood. “You damned waste of life!”

“Then again, I was the last to take Malik. So, I guess it was me who pounded him until he was lifeless,” Keith commented with a proud grin.

Joey’s knee connected with Keith’s stomach. Keith crashed to the floor clutching his stomach. Tristan’s boot crashed down on Keith’s lower back.

Tristan kicked Keith in the ribs hard, making the bones snap and crack under his strength.

Joey kicked Keith’s legs and stamped on them, breaking them.

Keith let out cry of pain and Tristan grabbed Keith’s hair.

“You deserve worse than this!” Tristan kicked Keith in the jaw and Keith laid unconscious on the floor.

Tristan and Joey left. They went to their friends’ homes and grabbed their Millennium Items to place in their friends’ coffins. Tristan volunteered to keep the items at his place. Joey’s dad could sell the items for money for more alcohol.

That night, Tristan sat in front of his fireplace, holding the Millennium Ring gently.

“Ryou, I never had a chance to tell you what I felt. Now it’s too late.”

**************************

Tristan and Joey stood in front of the caskets. Tristan had personally seen that Ryou was given a white coffin with red roses. Joey had arranged for Yugi to have a mahogany coffin with pink carnations. Yugi loved pink carnations. Joey had seen that Malik was given a black casket with red carnations. He didn’t know what type of flowers Malik enjoyed, but now, it didn’t really matter.

Tristan and Joey approached each casket one at a time. Joey put Yugi’s Puzzle into his coffin, shedding tears.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you earlier, buddy. I failed you. And, I am sorry.”

Joey put Malik’s Millennium Rod into the coffin. “We should have gotten you out when we had the chance, Malik. So sorry.”

Tristan held the Millennium Ring and placed it on Ryou’s chest. “This belongs to you, Ryou. I’m so sorry that I couldn’t get you out of there when we had the chance. But, that is nothing compared to my own guilt at never having told you this earlier. I love you, Ryou. I know I never told you in life, but I really love you. I can’t believe you’re gone!” Tristan buried his face on Ryou’s chest. “I want you back, Ryou. I want to give you a better life than you had. I love you, Ryou.”

Joey supported Tristan as the minister performed the service. Tristan sobbed as Ryou’s body was lowered into the ground.

After the service, Tristan took a handful of dirt and dropped it on Ryou’s coffin.

“I love you, Ryou. Goodbye…….my guardian angel.”

*************************

In the night, three freshly covered graves stood still. The dirt on them was new. A stray cat wandered onto the grave which read “Ryou Bakura. Loved. 1989-2004.” The cat had killed a fallen bird and licked its lips free of blood. A single drop of blood fell from its mouth and onto the dirt below. The cat rested on the grave which read, “Malik Ishtar. Friend. 1988-2004.” It started to rain.

The dirt from the covered graves began to glow.

Three arms from three separate graves emerged with a deafening roar as the three boys emerged from their graves.

Marik grinned as he saw the stray cat run. The yamis separated themselves from their hikaris. Malik fell to the ground shaking his hair free of dirt. “My silly hikari! You can’t get rid of me so easily!”

Malik gasped. “I’m alive! How? What? Why?”

Marik gripped Malik’s collar. “We possessed your bodies! That is how we were able to bring you back to life. You cannot get rid of us! We’ll keep repossessing your bodies! You are ours!”

Bakura brushed the dirt out of his white hair. “My hikari’s gonna be paying for this dearly!”

Ryou curled up on the ground trembling. “I’m sorry, Bakura! Please!”

Bakura grabbed Ryou’s hair. “Now is not the time nor the place for begging! Wait until I get you home! Then you can beg all you want!”

Bakura pulled Ryou off of the ground by his hair.

“Bakura! No! Please!”

Bakura slapped Ryou across the face. “You’re starting early! Enjoy your walk home, Ryou! It’s going to be the only walk you get in the next two weeks!”

Ryou let out a sob. “Not again! I can’t do this again!”

“RYOU” Yugi screamed as Malik scurried over to him.

“Yugi, I can’t go back with Marik!”

Marik scowled down at his hikari. “Ryou’s not the only one who’s going to find walking uncomfortable for the next few weeks!”

Marik grabbed Malik’s wrist and pulled roughly. “We’re going home where I will punish you for such insolence!”

Yami brushed off his leather clothes and sighed. “My aibou just needs a hot bath and he’ll be ok. I’ll take good care of him.”

Yugi held onto Malik.

“Let go, Yugi. Malik has to go home with his yami. He’s tired and he needs his rest,” Yami said calmly as if addressing a child.

Malik sobbed. “He’s going to beat me, Yami! Don’t let me go!”

Yami took Yugi’s hand calmly. “Let him go, Aibou. Malik needs to go home with Marik.”

“NO!” Malik screamed as Marik grabbed Malik’s wrist.

“You’re in for the beating of your life, Malik Ishtar!” Marik said yanking on Malik firmly.

Yami held onto Yugi. “I won’t let anyone hurt my little hikari,” Yami said as he kissed Yugi’s cheek.

Malik was ripped away from Yugi’s arms screaming.

“You’re ass is going to be sore for months when I get done with you!” Marik threatened as he dragged a quivering Malik behind him.

Yugi placed his face against Yami’s chest crying. “Ryou and Malik are going to get hurt really bad…and it’s all my fault!”

Yami kissed Yugi’s hair. “Aww…Yugi. They just need to talk with their yamis. Let me get you home and I’ll fix you a big bowl of ice cream….with sprinkles and whipped cream! Would my little hikari like that?”

Yugi cried harder, knowing that despite what they went through with Keith, little had changed.

Updates: Tomorrow