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

Autumn and Winter (4)

Two days later, at four a.m., I waited downstairs while Mai-chan woke Yuugi and walked him to the door.
It was dark, so I stared out the window since there was no one to see. Around us, the City that Never Sleeps in Japan slept. The streets were empty. It had snowed a little bit overnight, and the sidewalks were footprint free. Even the garbage trucks weren't out yet.

"Where are we going?" Yuugi said when he came downstairs.
"Trust me?" I held my breath for his answer. He had every reason not to trust me. I'd been his kidnapper, his captor, yet I'd rather have died than hurt a single hair on his head. I hoped that after five months of living with me, he knew that.
"Hai," he said, seeming as surprised at the news as I was. "We're going someplace great. I think you'll really like it."
"Do I have to pack any bags?"
"I have everything you'll need."
Ryou arrived, and I walked Yuugi around to the security entrance of our building. I held his wrist, but I didn't use force. He was no longer my prisoner. If he ran, I would have let him go.
He didn't run. My heart hoped that he didn't run because he didn't want to leave, but perhaps he simply didn't know that I wouldn't hold him. He followed my lead to the waiting limo.
The limo had been Aknamkanon's doing. After I spoke to Mai, I'd called him at work. It had taken some time to get through the office phone system, but finally I heard that famous voice, full of 'fatherly' concern.
"Atem, I'm almost on a meeting." It was five fifteen.

"This won't take long. I need your help. You owe this to me."
"I owe this to you?"
"You heard me. You've had me locked up in downtown Domino for over a year, and I haven't complained. I also haven't gone to the Fox network with my story of Aknamkanon Sennen's beast son. Face it, you owe me."
"What is it you want, Atem?"
I explained. When I finished, he said, "You mean to say you have a boy living there?"
"It's not like we're doing it."
"Think of the liability."
You know, Tou-chan, when you ditched me with the maid, you forfeited the right to supervise my conduct.
But I didn't say that. After all, I wanted something from him.
"It's fine, Tou-san. I'm not hurting him. I know you're as concerned as I am about my getting out of this curse." I tried to think of what Ryou would say. Ryou was smart. "That's why it's really important that you help me with this. The sooner I get out of this, the less chance there is of anyone finding out."

I made it all about him because that's the way he'd think of it.
"Okay," he said. "Let me see what I can do. I have to go to the business meeting now." What he'd done was take care of everything-the place, the transportation, everything but a guy to feed the roses. That I'd done. Now I watched Yuugi as he dozed, his head lolling close to my shoulder, and the car made its way across the Togetsu-kyo Bridge. I felt like someone who'd been thrown a rope at the cliff's edge. There was a chance that this would work, but if it didn't, I would fall, and fall hard. Though Yuugi slept, I couldn't. I watched the early traffic rolling into the city's waning lights. It wasn't that cold. By noon, the light snow would be a slushy mess, but soon there would be cold and Christmas and so much to look forward to.
Mai and Ryou slept on the other side of the seat. The driver had had a fit when he saw Pilot. "He's a service dog," Sensei had explained. "Does that mean he won't poop on the seats?" I'd suppressed a laugh.

I'd dressed as a Bedouin once again, but now, with the wall up between me and the driver, I removed my disguise. I stroked Yuugi's hair.
"Are you going to tell me now where we're going?" he asked when we passed Tenryuji Temple.
I started. "I didn't know you were awake." I took my hand off his hair.
"It's okay. It felt nice." Does he know I love him?
"Have you ever seen the sunrise?" I pointed back to the east, where a few streaks of red were making their way over the buildings.
"Beautiful," he said. "We're leaving the city?"
"Hai." Hai, koibito. "I never have before. Can you believe that?" He didn't ask again where we were going, just curled up on the pillow I'd brought him and fell back asleep. I watched him in the dim light. We were going north slowly, but even so, he wasn't going to jump out. He didn't want to leave. When we reached the Sagano Scenic Railway, I fell asleep myself.