Beastly King (Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic Puzzleshipping/Blindshipping)

The Intruder in the Garden (6)

You guys know the drill, I own nothing T^T

"I thought of something helpful," Ryou-sensei had said the day after Yuugi-kun came.
"What's that?" I asked.
"Silence. If you leave him alone, perhaps he'll come around."
"This may be why you're not actually surrounded by girls or guys."
"Talking to him didn't work, did it?"

I had to admit, he was right, so I decided to do what he said. What scared me was he hadn't seen me yet. What would he say when he did?
In the next days, I was silent. Yuugi-kun stayed in his room. I watched him in the mirror. The only things he liked were the books and the roses. I read every book he read. I stayed up late into the night reading, to keep up with him. I didn't even try to talk to him again. And every night, when I got so tired the book fell from my hand, I lay in bed, feeling his hatred like a phantom walking the night hallways. Maybe this was a bad idea. But what other hope did I have?

"I underestimated him," I told Ryou-sensei.
"Hai, that you did."
I looked at him, surprised. "You think so too?"
"I always thought so. But tell me, Yami, why do you think so?"
"I thought he'd be impressed with the stuff I bought him, the beautiful furniture, and the clothes. He's poor, well compared to me, and I thought that if I bought him jewelry and pretty things, he'd give me a chance. But he doesn't want any of it."

Ryou-sensei smiled. "No, he doesn't. He just wants his freedom. Don't you?"
"Hai." I thought of the academy, of the dance, of what I'd said to Bakura about how the school dance was legalized prostitution. It seemed so long ago. "I've never met anyone who couldn't be bought. It makes me sort of like him."

"I wish that understanding that was enough to break the curse. I'm proud of you for it."
Proud of you. No one had ever said that to me, and for a second, I wished I could hug Ryou, just to feel the touch of another human being. But that would be very strange.

That night, I lay awake later than usual, hearing the sounds of the old house. "Settling," some people would call it. But I thought I heard footsteps upstairs. Were they his footsteps? Impossible, through two floors. But still I couldn't sleep.
Finally, I got up and went to the second-floor living room, turned on ESPN real soft, so it wouldn't bug him. I put on jeans and a shirt to do this, which in the past I'd have done in my boxers. Even though he'd pledged to stay in his room forever, I didn't want to take a chance of him seeing more of me than my face. My face was bad enough.

I'd almost bored myself to sleep when I heard a door open. Could it be him? In the hall? Probably only Mai-chan, or even Pilot, wandering. Yet it sounded like it was on the next floor, Yuugi-kun's floor. I willed myself not to look, to keep my eyes glued to the television so he wouldn't be frightened by my face in the darkness. I waited.
It was him. I heard him in the kitchen, rattling a plate and fork, rinsing them and putting them into the dishwasher. I wanted to tell him he didn't have to do it, that Mai-chan did that, that we pay her to. But I stayed quiet. But when I heard his footsteps in the living room, so close he had to see me, I couldn't stop myself.
"I'm sitting here." I said it soft. "I want you to know so you won't freak."

He didn't answer, but his eyes darted toward me. The light in the room was dim, coming only from the television. Still, I wanted to pull a pillow over my face, to cover myself. I didn't. He'd have to see me sometime. Anzu had made that clear.
"You've come downstairs," I said.
He faced me, and I saw his eyes go toward me, then away, then back. "You are a beast. My kaa-chan…she said…I thought it was a trip she was on. She says crazy things a lot. I thought…But you really are. Oh, Ra." He looked away. "Oh, Ra."

"Please. I won't hurt you," I said. "I know I look this way, but I'm not…please. I won't hurt you, Yuugi-kun."
"I just didn't think. I thought you were some guy, some pervert who'd … and then when you didn't break down the door or anything…But how could you be—"
"I'm glad you've come down, Yuugi-kun." I tried to keep my voice even. "I'd worried so much about when we'd meet. Now it's over, and maybe you'll get used to me. I was worried you wouldn't come out, maybe ever."
"I had to." He took a deep breath, then exhaled. "I've been walking at night. I couldn't stay in those rooms. I felt like an animal." He stopped himself. "Oh, for the name of Osiris."