"I can't believe we're finally going," Anzu sighed, bumping Yuugi with her arm and making it look like an accident. "They say that every time a class goes on this field trip, romance blossoms between at least two students!"
"Wow, a whole two," Jounouchi mocked her. "You sure you like those odds, Anzu?"
Anzu blushed, glancing down at Yuugi then back to Jou angrily. "Well, I'd have better luck finding love than you, Jounouchi! Heck, even Honda has more of a chance than you! "
Jou growled and turned to his buddy for support, only to find him leaning over the back of the seat and chatting away with Miho. The blonde looked around the bus, scanning over each and every classmate. Nearly all of them were engaged in conversation, most of them with the opposite sex.
He found himself wishing Kaiba was there; even if a few bold girls hit on him, he'd turn them down. Aside from leverage in the argument, Jou was glad the rich teen had passed on the trip, whether it was for his company or Mokuba, the blonde was looking forward to a Kaiba-free weekend.
Jou was about to give up when he spotted a familiar face in the back of the bus. He wondered how he'd managed to miss that cotton puff of white hair but decided he didn't care. This student, too, was talking to someone, but that someone was dead and residing as a manifested memory inside the ancient artifact he wore around his neck. Joey glanced at Yuugi and saw he'd brought his item, too.
"Hey, Yuuge," the blonde reached over and pinched the narrow end of the pyramid. "Why'd you bring this thing? Aren't you afraid of losing it?"
"Afraid doesn't begin to describe it, Jounou," Yuugi replied breathlessly. He cupped the Puzzle in his hands and smiled down at it, "I can't even be apart from the Pharaoh for the weekend; that's why I brought it, even though I know the dangers, I'm confident that our mind link will prevent anyone from taking him from me."
Jou considered telling his friend how gay that sounded, but the look in those large, innocent eyes made him think twice. There was definitely something going on between those two but, without a body of his own, the Pharaoh couldn't possibly love the unique teen in any physical way.
"Speaking of all that mind link stuff," the blonde switched his attention, "there's someone else on this trip that's even less likely to find a relationship than me, Anzu."
"You better not be talking about Yuugi," Anzu said defensively. Yuugi blushed.
"No way," Jou grinned, "the only trouble Yuugi's gonna have in love is finding someone who deserves to be with him."
Yuugi's face grew even redder and he hid himself in the nearest thing at eye level, which happened to be Anzu's chest. The girl let out a surprised yelp but the flustered teen didn't seem to notice what he was doing. Anzu hid her face behind her hair and patted Yuugi's back comfortingly.
Jou watched the situation unfold with great amusement. "Anyway, there's only one other person in our class who has one of those gold items, only he can't control the spirit inside his."
Yuugi turned around slowly, his face still pink but a significantly more natural shade now. "You mean Bakura?"
"Yeah," the blonde gestured toward the back of the bus with his thumb. "If he was just shy and quiet, the girls would eat him up, but as long as that psycho inhabits his body I don't think he'll ever be able to have a relationship."
Yuugi peered at his classmate sadly.
I wish you knew more about your past, Pharaoh, Yuugi eased into the bus seat. Aside from the obvious reasons, maybe we could find something that we could use to help Bakura, too.
I know, Yuugi, the spirit replied solemnly. There's a good soul in that body and he doesn't deserve to be manipulated by the evil spirit of the Ring. There was a pause, then the spirit chuckled. Have I ever told you how grateful I am that you are my descendant?
Yuugi blushed and shook his head slowly, lifting the Puzzle to stare at its ancient eye. Do you really mean that?
Yes, the spirit said firmly. You are everything I could have hoped for in a host, and I am proud to have you as my partner.
Yuugi grinned, looking rather foolish to anyone who saw, but his friends knew what he was up to and had grown used to it by now. Thank you, spirit. I can't tell you what that means to me.
You don't have to. The spirit projected himself onto the narrow space of seat between Yuugi and the isle. He flashed his signature smile, though it held a hint of something more than the obvious sincerity. His lips didn't move when he spoke to the only one who could hear him, "I know everything you're thinking. I feel everything that you feel," he lifted a holographic hand and held it next to Yuugi's face as though he could really touch him. Yuugi closed his eyes and focused hard. In his mind, he could feel that touch… the one that wasn't really there… and because he could, so could the spirit.
...
Yuugi remained inside his mind for the rest of the bus ride. To onlookers, it would appear as though he'd gone to sleep; and, in a way, he had... or, at least, his body had. His mind had moved on to a place he and the spirit had created together. As much as they loved visiting one another in their soul rooms, Yuugi's was painfully childish and the spirit's was just plain painful. Working together, they'd managed to create a field where the grass was always the perfect length and texture, the weather was always exactly the way they wanted it, and the sun (or moon) could be as high or low in the sky as they liked. When they came here, they could do anything, but they'd typically just lie in the grass; fingers entwined as they stared at the clouds rolling across a bright blue sky, or legs entangled as they stared at each other under the light of the moon. They hardly ever spoke to each other – words just weren't needed in a paradise such as this. Everything that one felt transferred to the other; everything that one thought was silently shared… but, even their thoughts were scarce. During these times, only three words mattered.
"I love you, Aibou," the spirit would say, twisting a blonde bang around his forefinger.
"I love you, too, Mou Hitori no Boku," Yuugi would reply, cheeks stained with a blush and his voice steady despite the pounding of his heart in his chest, head, and throat. The spirit would smirk and turn over, placing his knees on either side of Yuugi's smaller body and leaning forward so his blonde bangs cascaded around his face and tickled his partner's warm cheeks. Yuugi would stare up into those troubling crimson eyes, so full of lust and love but also undeniable confusion, hatred and pain. The spirit would sense his sympathy and silently tell him not to taint his innocent mind with such worries, to which Yuugi would silently reply that any pain the spirit felt was his to share and that he should welcome the lightened load. The spirit, overwhelmed by the purity of his partner and the love he felt for the boy, would lose control of his emotions and claim Yuugi's lips in a desperate yet possessive kiss.
...
"Yuugi? Yuugi, wake up!" Anzu hissed, shaking the small boy. Yuugi groaned and rubbed his eyes irritably.
"What is it, Anzu? Why…" he quickly remembered that he was on a bus and flushed with colour. He turned to the girl and whispered, "Was I…?"
"Yeah," Anzu replied rather snidely, "you were moaning in your sleep."
"Wanna tell us what you were dreaming about , pal?" Jou grinned. Yuugi clenched his fists in his lap and pressed his legs together tightly.
"I didn't say anything, did I?" the small teen asked nervously, thankful that his body hadn't seemed to betray him in his unconscious state.
"Nah," Jou replied, "not that I heard, anyway."
"I didn't hear anything either," Anzu sighed, "and I'm not sure I would have wanted to."
"Guys, I wasn't…" Yuugi's voice left him and he cleared his throat to retrieve it. "I wasn't dreaming about… I mean I wasn't having… n-nothing happened, okay?"
"Yeah, sure," Jou had lost interest in the conversation, "whatever you say, Yuuge."
The blonde returned to bothering Honda and Miho and Yuugi gave a sigh of relief, but the girl beside him wasn't so quick to drop it.
"If you weren't having a special dream," she pried, "how did you know why I woke you up?"
Yuugi blushed and looked down quietly. Anzu sighed.
"Fine, I won't bug you about it anymore. I guess there are some things even the best of friends can't talk about."
Yuugi winced, feeling literal pain at her words on top of the shame that was already plaguing him. The spirit (who had been watching to find out why their private time had been interrupted) began to feel Yuugi's emotions and was infuriated by them.
Aibou, let me take over.
No, Yuugi shook his head, I think you should stay in there for now.
Then come in here and let me comfort you.
I can't. I won't leave my body again. Not on this bus, anyway.
The spirit sighed, okay, Aibou. Have it your way.
Yuugi nodded, but neither said nor thought another word for the rest of the bus ride.
...
"You okay, pal?" Jou clapped his smaller companion on the back as soon as their feet were on the ground. "You've been quiet since you woke up."
"I think he's mad at us, Jounouchi," Anzu put in, but Yuugi shook his head.
"I'm not mad, guys. You were just teasing me, right?"
"Yeah, sorry about that, I guess," Jou touched his fingertip to his nose, "I forget how sensitive you can be."
Yuugi clutched the Puzzle in one hand and hid his face behind his bangs. "Guess I'll work on that," he said indignantly before turning and running from the group.
"Yuuge, wait!" Jou reached out and called after him but Anzu held him back.
"Give him time," she said plainly. "He'll come around."
Yuugi only ran to the other side of the bus, not wanting to get in trouble on top of everything else. He leaned against the dirty automobile. He opened his mouth to speak to the spirit.
"You should be more aware of yourself."
Yuugi jumped at the voice and saw Bakura approaching him from around the back of the bus. The boy held a lightly formed fist to his smiling lips.
"Beg your pardon, I didn't mean to startle you."
It appeared to be the real Bakura, the good one, but for all intents and purposes Yuugi was on edge. "That's fine. What are you doing?"
"Stalking you," the gently boy said plain as day. Failing to keep a straight face, he giggled. "I saw you part from your mates and thought I'd come check on you. It's not like you to wander off on your own."
Yuugi tensed as Bakura's voice slipped into a devious slur. The puzzle's spirit picked up on this.
Get away from him, Aibou.
"Where are you going?" Bakura asked, voice back to normal. Yuugi continued stepping slowly backward, toward the front of the bus. Bakura tilted his head. "Yuugi?"
"Mutou Yuugi! Bakura Ryou!" their teacher scolded, "Stop playing hide-and-seek and join your classmates on the other side of the bus. Now!"
...
The students were given a brief tour of the location then allowed to split into same-gendered groups before being assigned a cabin for the weekend. One smart-mouthed classmate suggested that the 'homos' be put into cabins with the opposite gender, so it would be 'fair', to which the teacher replied that there weren't any homosexuals in the class. Yuugi acted natural but stole a glance in the direction he'd last seen Bakura, hoping to study him for a reaction. To his dismay, the boy (or spirit) was nowhere to be found.
Having left after school on Friday, there wasn't much daylight left once everyone was settled in. The staff set the students on course for building and starting campfires with promise that, once the fire was made to standards, they could be done for the night. While gathering materials, Yuugi eased into talking to his friends once more and, by the time they had their fire started, it was as if his embarrassing episode had never happened. The spirit was relieved to see his partner happy, but couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal stemming from the way Yuugi felt about the incident. He did his best to suppress it so that Yuugi could continue to enjoy his night.
As long as the teachers remained awake, the students were allowed to mingle regardless of gender. Yuugi's group consisted of the usual – himself, Jounouchi, Honda, Anzu and Miho. They made a point to converse with classmates who built their fires nearby, but stuck mostly to each other. At one point, Miho commented a passing firefly and Honda made it his personal mission to catch a firefly for her before the end of the night.
When the chirping of the crickets began to rival the sound of chattering teenagers, the last of the girl's chaperones announced that she was turning in, meaning any girls who were still outside had to return to their cabins pronto. Anzu and Miho said their goodbyes and Honda offered to walk them to their cabin since he was, apparently, 'just about to turn in anyway'.
Yuugi chuckled at the display while Jou merely rolled his eyes. "What does Miho see in him, anyway?" the blonde asked, poking their fire with a stick. Before Yuugi could vocalize the warning on his tongue, a sassy orange flame began licking its way up the poker. Jou grinned and agitated the logs further, making them crack and send sparking ash particles into the air. Yuugi frowned.
"You shouldn't be so reckless, Jounou," he chastised, but Jou wasn't listening. Instead, he was looking over Yuugi's shoulder. The boy turned to see why and felt his heart jump into his throat.
"Hey, guys," the gentle boy waved, "the girls I was hanging out with all had to go to bed, so I was hoping I could join you two."
"Wh…"
"What were you doing hanging out with just girls, Bakura?" Jou rested his ankle on his knee, conveniently blocking the space beside him with his now-bent leg. Ryou set himself on the empty log beside Yuugi and set down the items he'd been carrying.
"I get along better with them than guys, I suppose," the white-haired boy looked around and snatched two long sticks from behind the log he'd sat on. In a surprising display of strength, he drove the sticks into the ground on either side of the fire. Jou and Yuugi watched quietly as their classmate located a third stick, this one thicker than the others, and slipped it through the handle of the tea kettle he'd brought along. He then positioned the kettle over the fire, using the two vertically placed sticks as balance for the third. He observed his crude structure, nodding affirmatively before sitting back down and clapping his hands to his knees, a broad smile on his face. "I hope you don't mind."
"What's in the kettle, Bakura?" Jou went to poke it but Bakura was at his side and grasping his wrist before anyone saw him move. "Hey, what gives?"
"You shouldn't touch that," Bakura warned darkly, then his smile was bright again. "I wouldn't want it to fall over and get us in trouble."
"R…right," Jou slid his hand through Bakura's loosened grip and followed the frail boy with sharp eyes until he was seated again. "So, what's in it?"
"Water," Bakura replied, reaching into his blazer's pocket and taking out various small, paper rectangles. "For these."
"What're those?" Jou asked with unsure curiosity. Yuugi spoke up again.
"That's tea, Jounou," he explained, "or, it becomes tea when you put it in water."
"Wha?" Jou sat back, "you guys are pulling my leg. Tea doesn't look like that."
"It's English," Bakura explained, "I bought it overseas. I much prefer it to Japanese tea. Would you guys like to try some?"
Jou made a rude humming noise while Yuugi looked back and forth from the kettle to the bags.
It seems safe enough, and I have always wanted to try English tea.
The spirit was quiet. Yuugi began to worry.
Pharaoh?
Silence, then quietly, I won't stop you, just be careful, Aibou.
Yuugi was troubled by the spirit's distance, but tried to ignore it. He nodded firmly, "sure, Bakura. I'd like one."
Bakura smiled broadly, "oh, wonderful! The girls all loved it, and I think you will, too, Yuugi!"
Yuugi smiled nervously. If he was telling the truth, then someone else already drank it and was okay. But, just to be safe… "Jounou, you should have some, too. My grandpa said it's really good."
Jou half-smiled, "your gramps said that, huh? Well, he might be crazy now but he travelled the world once upon a time, right?"
Yuugi nodded, feeling a wave of relief.
...
The kettle whistled and the boys watched with interest as Bakura slipped his sleeve over his hand to grasp it and pour the boiled water into the cups he'd also carried with him.
"I hope you don't mind," he said as he set the kettle aside and tore open one of the paper packages. A small cloth-like bag with a string and a tag was inside. Bakura put the bag in the water. "These are the only three cups I have, so the girls kind of already used them."
"Pff, fine by me," Jou reached for the cup but Bakura stopped him.
"It's not ready yet."
Jou pouted and Yuugi laughed softly. While the boys were distracted, Bakura glanced at the tea packets and chose one with a tiny black mark on the corner. He opened it and placed it in the second cup, setting that one between himself and Yuugi before moving on to the third.
...
"I can't promise you'll like this," Bakura removed the bag and strained it into the first cup. He handed it to Jou and continued, "a lot of people add things to their tea to make it taste better."
"Like what?" Jou asked, accepting the cup.
"Sugar, cream, honey," Bakura counted off, then picked up Yuugi's cup and strained the bag with the same carefulness. "Things I couldn't safely bring here."
"I'll keep that in mind," Yuugi commented, taking the cup as it was offered to him. He watched as Jou took the first gulp, void of distrust. The blonde winced and held the mug up to look it over.
"Well, it's something," Jou commented before taking a second sip. Yuugi gave a sigh of relief and looked down at the liquid in his cup. His reflection gazed back at him darkly, then molded to look like the spirit. Before Yuugi could decide if he was imagining things, his arm was bumped and the tea sloshed up the edges of the cup, fully distorting the mirror. "Hey, try it, Yuuge."
Yuugi glanced back at the settling drink and saw only himself, then sighed heavily before taking a modest sip.
No one saw Bakura's lips curve into a smirk.
...
"Hey, the fire's dyin," Joey poked at it sleepily. "We should go get more wood."
"I don't think so," Yuugi wasn't feeling drowsy yet, "I think it's time for us to turn in, Jounou."
"Oh, come on, Yuuge!" Jou protested. "Just because our chaperone fell asleep on the porch doesn't mean we need to be all model student and do the right thing."
"Jounou…"
"I don't normally condone bad behavior," Bakura said gently, "but your friend is right. How often does our whole class take a field trip to the woods? We should enjoy it while we can."
Yuugi felt wary. "Everyone's going to have to wake up at the same time tomorrow, guys. What do you think our teachers will say if we're all exhausted?"
"Tell you what, Yuugi," Jou yawned and poked the fire again. "You remember where we found this firewood? How there was that one piece with the marks in it that looked like the eye on your puzzle and you didn't wanna burn it because of that?"
"Yes…" Yuugi replied, not liking where this thought train was going. Jou grinned.
"You go get that piece of wood and throw it in here. Then, we'll put the fire out with Bakura's water and go inside for the night."
Yuugi clenched his arm. "I can't find something that detailed in the dark."
"Yuu~ge," Jou whined, "we've been out here for hours, and the moon is really bright!"
"Jounou…"
"Fine," Jou stood up fast, "I'll hel… woah…" Yuugi watched his friend fall back onto his butt and hold his head, "got a little dizzy there…"
Yuugi sighed, "okay, Jounou, if that's the only way to make you go to bed, I'll do it."
"Nah, you don't have to…" Jou waved a hand. "Come on, Yuugi. Let's go to bed."
Bakura witnessed their exchange as he gathered his things. "Well, guys, it was nice spending all this time with you. I hope we can do something like it again, sometime."
"Yeah," Jou replied drowsily, "thanks for… tea…"
Yuugi, who had just been hit by a wave of sleepiness himself, struggled to comprehend whether or not his best friend had actually just passed out. "Jouno?"
A lack of response left Yuugi thinking yes, he had. Bakura smiled pitifully and set his things down. "I suppose you'll be needing help carrying him to your cabin?"
"Yeah, thanks," Yuugi yawned. "I guess he was more tired than he… let on…"
Bakura hid his face in his hair and grinned, then exposed a gentle smile to Yuugi. "Why don't you wait here? I'll wake up the teacher and…"
"No!" Yuugi surprised himself with the force in his voice. "No, we can't have him see us…."
"Yuugi?" Bakura feigned concern. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Just a li'l…" the small teen yawned and his head spontaneously gained five pounds. "Tired…"
Bakura dove forward elegantly and caught the toppling body as it lost consciousness. The dull hum of the Puzzle signaling imminent takeover was heard, and the thief swiftly removed the item from Yuugi's neck.
"Not this time, Pharaoh," the spirit of the ring chided. "This time, he's mine…"
