Dark Chaos, Book One Of The Chaos Saga (Formerly Known-In The Arms Of Darkness)

Chapter 26: The Aftermath

     "What da FUCK did you tink you were doing?"  Joey yelled, still angry.

     Seto sighed, still sitting on the bed.  He was physically tired.  Seems dying is an exhausting experience,  who knew?  Seto sighed again.  It had been seven hours.  SEVEN hours, and Joey was still steamed.  To be fair, they had not been able to talk until about an hour ago.  The first hour was keeping unicorns and centaurs from killing the lords and vice versa.  

     The next five hours were taken up in the latest meeting about Bakura, confirming he was dead, how to do that, best way to ensure he remained dead, etc. Seto was required to be there, dead or undead, it seemed.   Seto had gotten bored enough at one of the tedious moments to coin it the Bakura Accords.  In fact, the meeting ran so long that the vampire lords had to stay in guest coffins, since the sun's rays were rudely blocking the lords exits.  It was finally decided to take fey, spellcasters, were, and lords out to track, trace, and confirm Bakura was no more.  That would start the next night.

     And then the last hour was spent like this.  Joey yelling and stomping, Seto sitting quietly, watching Joey.  It was starting to get old.

     "I already told you, Mutt.  I was trying to do something nice for you and bring your sister back."  Seto sighed yet again, looking down at the simple gold band around his left ring finger.  His wedding band from Kisara.  He had never taken it off in all the thousands of years he had roamed this earth, looking for her.

     "Ok, Mr. Undead-Dead-I-Think-I-Can-Control-Everything.  News flash.  You cannot beat death...true death.  Noone can.  Serenity's gone.  I..." his voice broke, "I can't get her back.  So knock dis shit off!"

     Ok, that did it.  Maybe it was because Seto was tired for the first time in 1,000 years, maybe he was in a bad mood from being railed for the past hour, and maybe he was just sick of Joey's ungratefulness.  Whatever it was, Seto snapped, standing abruptly and stalking over to Joey, shoving him against the wall, pinning his shoulders.

     "I am sick if being yelled at by you.  I try to do something nice for you, and this is the thanks I get?  What the fuck yourself Joey.  You love Serenity more than anything in this world.  I was trying to make you feel better. But instead I get treated like I just killed your sister then raped her, instead of trying to save her!  I was trying to fill that hole in your soul that was created when Serenity died!"  Seto's face flushed with anger, cobalt blazing.

     Joey's eyes went from one of wide shock, to downcast.  Quietly, Joey whispered,  "You can't, Seto.  If this would have succeeded, you woulda jus' made tings worse."

     It took all 3,000 years worth of patience Seto had to not rip Joey's head from his body at that very moment.  "Oh, how?"  Seto quiered sarcastically.  "God forbid you should get your sister back?"  His eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to speak, only to stop at what he heard next.

     "I love and miss Serenity, dat's true.  But, female were have half the lifespan of male were, so I have kinda prepared m'self for the inevitable.  I will prolly outlive her.  But to outlive you..." honey shone up through a sheen of tears and curtain of eyelashes as he looked up at the older male, "I can't do that.  That would be the definition of hell.  You don' even haveta like me back.  To know ya are safe an' happy, dat's all I want."

     Seto stood, dumbfounded.  Never in 3,000 years had anyone said something so heartwrenching to or about him.  It struck him to the very core.  Joey took Seto's silence as anger and shrugged dejectedly, slumping under Seto's shoulder and walking away after easily wiggling out of Seto's grasp.

     Suddenly, Joey was flipped around, back to the wall just beside the door.  "Wha'..." was all Joey got out as Seto's mouth overtook him, full of longing.  Joey's eyes widened in surprise, and then slid closed, arms snaking up to go into Seto's hair.  Seto's tongue danced along the inside of Joey's mouth, then Seto pulled away slightly, lips puffy, hooded eyes looking at Joey.

     When Joey realized Seto was no longer at his mouth, he opened his eyes, passion sizzling behind them.  "Se..." 

     Seto cut him off again, sucking on Joey's bottom lip, hands running up under Joey's shirt.  Joey let out a low moan, looking at Seto.  "S...Seto, you don' have to do this just causea what I said..."  Joey glared as his traitorous arms ignored his wished and went around Seto's waist.

     "I'm not."  Seto stated simply.  He put his forehead to Joey's.  "I love you, Joseph Wheeler.  Don't you get it?  Your happiness means more than my personal welfare.  Seeing you so upset about Serenity propelled me into action.  I don't want tears here."  He reached up and brushed away some of Joey's tears with his thumb.

     Joey smiled, eyes sliding closed.  Seto leaned up and kissed the tears on each cheek, then slid down and captured Joey's lips again.

     Once the need for air became an annoying necessity for Joey, he pulled back slightly, gasping.  Seto smirked, running a finger down Joey's jaw line.  "Now, I really need to sleep.  Near death really takes it out of you."  Seto smirked as Joey glared, but nodded.

     Seto grabbed Joey's hand and led him over to the bed.  Releasing said hand, Seto slipped out of his clothes and crawled into bed.  Joey stood staring at the unintentional strip tease with wide eyes.  Seto looked at Joey, lifting up the covers.  "Join me?"

     Joey blushed, but quickly stripped down to his boxers and crawled in.  Seto wrapped an arm around Joey's waist, nuzzling his head in Joey's neck, and immediately drifted off.  Joey smiled and quickly chased Seto into the dark embrace of sleep.

     The two men were asleep soundly, quite oblivious to many things.  They did not notice the small pile of dust move in a vortex in the corner.  They did not notice the door open and shut.  They did not know that Allistair was standing frozen in a trance outside their door.  And they most certainly did not hear the evil whispered chuckle that echoed ominously in the empty hallway.