Yu-Gi-Oh: The Spirits of Exodia
Hello! My name is StandAlone and I'd like to welcome you to my first ever Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfiction!
To help you understand the setting and style of this fanfiction, I've included the following notes and recommend that you read them before moving on the main story.
1. Usual disclaimers apply. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything associated therein. This fanfiction is for entertainment, not monetary gain. (But man, it'd be totally sweet if I did own it...I can dream can't I?)
2. I'll be using most of the characters' Japanese names, with a few exceptions as listed below:
Yugi Mutou
Sugoruku Mutou
Sakura Mutou (as far as I know, the names of Yugi's parents are never mentioned, so I've chosen Sakura as his mother's name)
Katsuya Jonouchi (Joey Wheeler)Shizuka Jonouchi (Serenity Wheeler - I'm not sure if a different last name is mentioned, so I'll just use her big brother's)
Hiroto Honda (Tristan Taylor)
Anzu Mazaki (Tea Gardner)
Ryou Bakura (in the case of the Bakuras, I'll refer to the high school one as Ryou and the thief as Bakura with dialogue exceptions)
Amane Bakura (Ryou's nine year old sister - I haven't been able to find an age for her listed anywhere so I just went with nine)
Seto Kaiba
Mokuba Kaiba
Ishizu Ishtar
Marik Ishtar
Also note that because I'm mostly using the Japanese versions of these characters, they will not have the ridiculous accents that the English dubbed anime has given them.
3. You, my wonderful readers, will meet a character named Isis in this fanfiction, but she is not to be confused with Priestess Isis of the Memory World story arc or Ishizu (who is sometimes also called Isis). You'll just have to read the story to find out her true identity. :P
4. I'll be using both Japanese and English terms, and may sometime switch back and forth between the two to keep things from being too repetitive.
5. I'll be combining elements of both the manga and anime as far as the storyline goes. For the most part, events follow the anime version (meaning the "Noa" and "Waking the Dragons" story arcs have occurred) but some events will be retold as the manga version. I'll try to put in notes at the end of each chapter for clarification as needed.
6. This fic takes place after the "Waking the Dragons" saga but before the "Memory World" arc.
7. Construction criticism and comments are welcome, but please no flames or bashing. If you don't like it, don't read it.
8. Sorry to disappoint some of you, but this will be a non yaoi fic. Any warm fuzzy moments are meant to be in the spirit of friendship or as a brotherly type love.
9. Having said that above, there will be slight hints of a Yugi/Anzu pairing, but nothing major. Just little hints.
10. During conversations between the hosts and the yami's, the spirit that is not in control of the body will have their dialogue italicized, unless they are in their soul rooms.
I think that's about it. I'll update with more notes in later chapters as the story goes. Thanks for hanging on; I know that much isn't all the interesting the read, but I promise to make the story worth it. Onward we go!
Episode One: Just Another Day
Yugi stared hard at his newest card, wishing, willing it to be another. He couldn't believe his bad luck lately. He just couldn't seem to draw the right ones into his hand. But he didn't want his opponent to know that. One of the first rules of the gaming world was to never let your enemy see your weaknesses. Too bad Yugi was such an honest soul. He couldn't fool anyone, especially not his current opponent. He scratched his tri-colored hair, pasted on a goofy "I just hit the jackpot" grin, and discarded an unwanted card from his hand.
"Okay, your turn!" he said cheerfully, praying that his bluff might work this time.
His opponent, who was nearly identical to Yugi save for a few almost unnoticeable details, smirked at his young friend, then leaned forward to draw a card from the stock pile. His smug expression never left his face as he rearranged his hand, discarded, and laid his remaining cards on the ground in front of him to join the collection of other seemingly random hands.
"I'm out. Game over," he said, laughing at the shocked look on Yugi's face. "Do you want to add up the points, or should I?" His satisfied smirk grew even bigger as the younger sighed and set down his own hand.
"Why bother," Yugi replied, flopping to lie eagle-spread on the floor. "We both know you kicked my butt. Again." He folded his arms under his head and closed his eyes.
Yami crossed his arms and leaned against the nearby wall. "Of course. I am the King of Games after all." He swayed easily to dodge the teddy bear thrown his way.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Yugi said sarcastically, pushing himself up to sit again.
Yami stood then and grabbed the jacket that was lying among a pile of random toys. "And you know what that means. I'm one day closer to finishing my puzzle, and you're one day closer to that date with Anzu." He chuckled at the nervous expression on his partner's face.
Out loud Yugi mumbled, "Don't remind me." Inwardly he thought, 'Why did I ever go along with this?' Hearing the elder laugh yet again, he realized that he hadn't closed his mind to their mental link. Of course, they were currently in his soul room, so that was difficult to do anyway.
"Aww, come on. It won't be so bad. Admit it, you're secretly hoping that I'll beat you, right?" Yami's smirk became more of a warm smile.
It was nearly the end of the school year. In about a month's time, Yugi and Yami, along with a few other friends, would be making a trip to Egypt's Valley of the Kings in the hopes of discovering Yami's forgotten past as an ancient Pharaoh. Each day brought them closer to their true destiny. Needless to say, both of them were a little anxious about the situation as neither knew what would become of the elder spirit.
With no Duel Monsters tournaments going on, and no one out to destroy the world (as far as they knew), the two friends came up with a little contest to pass the time. They took a trip to the mall and bought two puzzles, both containing 1,000 pieces. Yugi chose Yami's puzzle and vice versa. Whichever one of them completed their puzzle first (or was the furthest along on it) won. The deadline to completion was one week before the school year ended. To make it more interesting, Yami had suggested a little wager. He knew that Yugi had more than friendly feelings for a certain brunette, but was too scared to say anything. The Pharaoh was determined not to go anywhere until Yugi had admitted these feelings to Anzu, and made his hikari promise to tell her if he managed to complete his puzzle first.
Yugi, for his part, decided that if he won, Yami (who didn't understand the trials and tribulations of modern high schools) would spend an entire school day in control of their body while he relaxed in his soul room. He would offer no help to the spirit, and their friends would be limited on what they would do as well.
In order to make the contest entirely fair, they worked out a time schedule for both of them to take control of the body they shared to work on their respective puzzles. They each got a maximum of three hours a night: Yugi got Monday and Wednesday while Yami took Tuesday and Thursday. They kept the weekends open for hanging out with their friends, but if nothing was going on, they played a game to determine which of them got the extra time to work.
Yami, being the King of Games, naturally won most of the extra games. He considered letting Yugi win once in a while, but in the end decided that it would be a disrespectful to do so. Both of them shared an attitude of integrity and they always played with honor and respect towards their opponents. That attitude naturally carried over in their competition with one another.
The Pharaoh sighed and shook his head, a motion that did not go unnoticed by Yugi. The younger smiled brightly, knowing what the other was thinking. Despite the fact that Yami won their games, and henceforth extra time to work on his puzzle, Yugi was still further along on his. He had a special knack for puzzles, a trained eye that was able to see the smallest of details that made up the larger picture. To say he was an expert at them would be an understatement. It was he, after all, that solved the mysterious Millennium Puzzle that had previously been broken and in pieces for over 3,000 years. It was he that awoke and saved the Pharaoh's confined spirit.
So naturally, he had to be good, much to Yami's dismay. The spirit wasn't particularly fond of losing, not even to his dearest friend.
Yami pulled the dark blue jacket over his black sleeveless shirt and headed towards the door of Yugi's soul room. He opened it half way, then paused to look back at his partner, who hadn't moved from where he was sitting.
"Coming?" he asked. Though he would be controlling Yugi's body for the next couple of hours, his aibou would usually manifest his spirit outside to watch. It was a little annoying actually, having Yugi look over his shoulder at his puzzle, stifling laughs when he tried to fit pieces together that had no business being connected. It was annoying, but it was comforting as well. The two friends were rarely able to spend quiet time like this with one another, just enjoying each other's company. Most often they were fighting for their lives, or the lives of their loves ones, or contemplating their uncertain future. This time, despite being rather uneventful, was precious to both of them. They were doing their best to make the most of it.
A strange expression, one that Yami wasn't sure he'd ever seen on the youth's face before, appeared. It seemed both anxious and a little sad. Certainly they'd been through some rough times to warrant such a look, but something was different about this one.
Yugi looked up, realizing that his partner was waiting for him. He thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, that's alright. I think I'll just stay here for now." He laid back down and closed his eyes again. "Let me know when it's time for supper, okay?"
Puzzled, Yami waited a moment for him to continue until it was clear that he was going to say no more. He shrugged. "Suit yourself." With that, he left the soul room, and instantly found himself sitting on the bed in Yugi's bedroom. He blinked, as though waking from a dream, then leaned over and reached under the bed for his puzzle.
He looked it over, clearly unsatisfied with his progress. As he surveyed the picture on the box he was trying to emulate, his mind drifted back to the day it had been chosen for him...
"Here we are, Pharaoh! Isn't it awesome? It's one of my favorite game stores. I mean, besides Grandpa's store." Yugi pointed at the sign as they neared their destination.
The spectral form of Yami appeared next to him as he paused outside the relatively large store. The mall game shop was situated between a store where children could put together their own stuffed animals and another one of questionable wares. Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of someone that looked suspiciously a lot like Jonouchi flipping through a magazine in the questionable shop. He kept his mouth and mind shut about it to Yugi but thought he might have a little fun messing with their friend later on. The Game King smirked as Yugi entered and headed for the section filled with puzzles of various pictures and difficulty.
"Choose well, Hikari. I won't lose this little contest easily." He began looking over the various pictures of the 1,000 piece puzzles, trying to find the most difficult one before Yugi did.
It didn't take him long to make his choice. It was strangely appropriate and looked like it'd be decently challenging for his other. It had a picture of the Sphinx at dusk. Despite the desert setting, it looked oddly beautiful to the Egyptian spirit. Not to mention the idea of how long it would take Yugi to sort out the sand pieces from the monument pieces; both were nearly identical in color.
Yami turned to inform his other self of his choice, attempting to smile innocently in the process. Despite his best efforts, his grin still looked fairly smug. It was wiped from his face though as he observed Yugi.
The youth was staring intently at the picture of a different puzzle, also containing 1,000 pieces. He wore a small little smile, but his eyes looked rather sad. It was a strange sort of sorrow that Yami didn't recognize, at least not on Yugi's face.
"Yugi?" he asked, moving to look over his shoulder at the picture. It was of a pack of white wolves in a pristine forest setting. The wolf standing regally in the foreground must have been the alpha male and father of the pups playing and wrestling behind him. Another wolf, probably the female and mother, was sitting close, observing the pups.
"You like that one?" Yami asked, snapping Yugi from his thoughts. The younger had been keeping the mental link closed, shielding the Pharaoh from whatever it was that was going through his head.
He jumped slightly. "Huh? Oh, yeah." He hastily grabbed the puzzled and tucked it under his arm. "Ready?" he said with his usual cheerful smile. He tugged a little at the choker around his neck.
Yami observed him for a moment, searching his eyes for the sorrow that had been shining there a moment ago. But all traces of it seemed gone, disappearing with a casual blink. He shook his head. 'Must have been my imagination,' he thought to himself. "Uh, yeah." He laughed when Yugi rolled his eyes as he pointed out the Sphinx puzzle.
"Figures. Well, let's go pay for these and head home."
Yami ran his hand over the completed section of his puzzle. He'd finished the outline and some of the trees, but had been focusing most of his attention on the wolf in the foreground so far. He was almost finished with it, though as a whole, he only had about one-forth of the puzzle done. Yugi had completed nearly half of his in the three weeks that they'd been working on them. The ancient spirit exhaled loudly, then proceeded to pick up pieces that looked close in color and shape and attempted to fit them together.
Elsewhere, at Kaiba Corp Headquarters...
"Seto?"
"Hmm? What is it now, Mokuba?"
"Um, can you help me with this problem?"
Seto Kaiba sighed audibly and set down the screwdriver he was using. This was the third time in fifteen minutes that his younger brother had disrupted his work for help on his math homework. Normally, Kaiba didn't mind; he always tried to make time for Mokuba, the only family he had in the world. But dividing time between school, work, and the kid was a major hassle, and lately Kaiba Corp's newest projects required nearly all of his attention. He felt like he had been working non stop for the past few weeks; mostly because he didn't trust his associates to get their jobs done right. Thus their responsibilities fell to him.
Because of this, he had been too exhausted to spend much time with Mokuba. They only saw one another sometime in the evening, when the younger brother would drag his homework into the elder's office in the Kaiba mansion. Both would spend a few hours silently working on their respective projects. Eventually, Seto would send Mokuba off to bed, and that would be that.
It was a regrettable loss, but a necessary one nonetheless.
"Bring it here, Mokuba," Seto said with another sigh.
The raven-haired boy quickly jumped up, clutching his textbook and notepad and rushed over to Kaiba's desk. He handed Seto his pencil and tried his best to concentrate on his big brother's explanation of long division, but truth be told, he really didn't care. What he truly wanted was for Seto to put aside his work and hang out with him. Previously, he had canceled several of their vacation days in order to further develop the new silicon micro chips for Kaiba Land's virtual reality games. Mokuba understood how important this project was to both of them, but he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. As a result, he took every possible opportunity to be near Seto.
"And that's how you solve this one. Got it now, Mokuba?"
Mokuba twitched a little, startled from his thoughts and nodded. "Yeah. I...I think so. Thanks, Seto." He laughed nervously, grabbed his stuff, and returned to the couch he'd been sitting on.
Kaiba smiled slightly, then returned to his own project.
Despite the multiple explanations, Mokuba didn't find his equations any easier. It was at times like this that he envied Seto for being so much more intelligent than he was. In fact, during their early days of living in the orphanage, many couples were eager to adopt the adorable, blue eyed, sharp witted boy. Few would give the other little one a second glance. However, Seto passed up every opportunity to be raised in good and loving homes for the sake of his brother. Not many people saw past the rough exterior that circumstance had given him, but Mokuba did. It seemed that he was the only one who was able to recognize the kindness and love shining behind those piercing eyes.
But lately, even he had trouble excusing Kaiba's neglect and indifference. Could it be possible that the loyalty and devotion he once had was now finally gone? Would they continue to grow further and further apart as they grew older and became more immersed in Kaiba Corp affairs? Mokuba couldn't bear the thought.
For a while now, he'd been working on a secret little project of his own...something he hoped would renew their relationship and force Seto to view his sibling with more respect and love than he had lately. Unfortunately, in order to do so, he was going to need a little help.
Just then, Mokuba heard Seto jump from his seat and curse loudly.
"What happened? Are you okay?" Mokuba dropped his pencil and hurried to his brother's side to offer his help.
"Nothing, kid. The knife I was using to cut some wires slipped, that's all." He was holding a white tissue that was quickly turning red on his left index finger.
The younger Kaiba shook his head and went to retrieve a first aid kit from the nearby closet. Seto sat down at his desk again and reluctantly allowed Mokuba to clean and apply a bandage to the cut.
Mokuba took a deep breath as he a wiped away the blood with an alcohol tissue. 'Well, guess it's now or never,' he thought. 'Time for Step One.'
"Say, uh, Seto?"
"What," the elder snapped. He didn't mean to sound harsh, but he was upset and tired and didn't feel like helping with any more math problems.
Mokuba winced slightly but gathered his courage to continue. "Um, do you know of anything important coming up? Like, maybe next week?" He bit his lip in hopeful anticipation.
Kaiba breathed a sigh of relief, then smirked as he tried to look deep in thought. He stared intently at the ceiling as he scratched his chin. "Next week, huh? Let's see..." He reached for the day planner sitting next to his computer and quickly flipped through its pages. He made a show of sliding a finger down the following week's notes. After a quick scan, he shook his head. "Nope, nothing major. Unless you're talking about the budget meeting, but I doubt you're concerned about that."
The eleven year old gasped in horror, and then looked at the floor sadly. 'Did he really forget?' He was surprised to hear his brother start laughing.
"I'm just kidding, Mokuba! I'd never forget your birthday!" He grinned fondly and ruffled the kid's already messy hair. "As a matter of fact, I've already finished planning your party." He inspected the bandage on his finger for a second, then opened a drawer to retrieve a sheet of paper and a pen. "The only thing we need to do is to send out invitations. Now, who do you want to be there?" Seto's smile widened as he watched Mokuba jump with barely contained excitement out of the corner of his eye.
"Really? Okay!" 'I knew my big brother wouldn't forget! Boy, does that make things easier,' he thought to himself. He then proceeded to list off the names of some of his friends and classmates from Domino Middle School, counting on his fingers as he did so. After about ten or so, he paused thoughtfully. He suddenly began kicking his toe into the ground, hands behind his back, and looking rather sheepish. He quickly mumbled something and braced himself for the storm.
Seto stopped short, eyes narrowing as he clutched his pen tightly. A frown quickly replaced his grin. "What was that again? I'm not sure I heard you right. You'll have to speak louder." He prayed that he'd heard wrong.
"I...I want to invite Yugi and Anzu and those other guys."
Seto turned to glare at his brother in disbelief. "What! Why do you want them to come!"
Mokuba reached deep inside himself for the courage to stand up to his elder. He wasn't forced to do so often, but this was one of those times that he just had to have his way. "Oh, come on, Seto! I know you don't like them all that much, especially not Jonouchi and Honda, but Yugi's been a good friend to both of us even though he has no reason to. He's helped us out of a lot of tight spots. I really want him to be there, but I don't think he'll come if I don't invite his friends too." He stuck out his lower lip and made his eyes as big and puppy-like as he could. "Please, can they come? Just for a few hours?"
Seto couldn't believe what he was hearing. Of all people to invite to his birthday party, why would his little brother want Yugi, his greatest and only rival in the world, to come? And sure, he had a point about him lending a hand once in while (not that Seto couldn't have handled all those situations by himself if those losers had meddled in his affairs). It just didn't make any sense to him.
He chose that moment to look at the clock on his computer screen and saw that it was getting to be past Mokuba's bed time. He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. This conversation would have to wait until another time. But for now...he looked again at those eyes...eyes that he couldn't possibly say no to.
He rolled his own and scribbled Yugi and his friends' names on the invitation list. "Fine. I'll think about it." He mentally kicked himself for being so weak.
Mokuba grinned, knowing full well that he had gotten his way. "Okay." He rushed over to gather his books and leave before he could change his mind. He stopped, however, when another thought crossed his mind. 'Oops, almost forgot Step Two...' His face took on a sad, but hopeful expression as he turned to his elder brother again.
"Uh, Seto?"
"What?" Kaiba had no intention of being any more accommodating as far as Yugi went, no matter what Mokuba had to say.
His sibling took a deep breath and looked at the floor again. "You're...you're going to be there too, right?"
Seto's face immediately softened when he saw Mokuba's. He knew what he was getting at. Fortunately, he had no intention of disappointing his best friend. He stood and walked over to kneel in front of the little guy, putting his hands on his shoulders and forcing him to look up at him.
"Don't worry, Mokuba. I wouldn't miss it for the world."
The boy shouted happily and threw his arms around his big brother. "Yay! Thanks, Seto!"
Seto smiled...a rare and truly happy smile that was reserved only for Mokuba and hugged him back. "Alright now, time for bed. Get going kiddo." He stood and pointed to the door, adopting a stern tone.
"Okay. Good night, Seto!"
"Good night, Mokuba."
The younger Kaiba closed the door of the elder's office and headed down several halls and sets of stairs towards his bedroom. Once he arrived, he threw his books and bag carelessly on the floor and went to retrieve something from his dresser's top drawer. He held the object close to his heart as he walked over to a window, one with a breathtaking view of Domino City. Though he couldn't see him from there, he knew that a friend of his was out there somewhere, and he was the only one who would be able to help him achieve his goals. "Please, help me, Yugi," he whispered.
Back at the homely game shop, Yugi yawned and stretched his arms as far over his head as they would go. His back and neck were sore from the hours that Yami had spent hunched over his puzzle and his eyes hurt from staring at the tiny white pieces he'd been trying to make sense of. It was one of the few downsides to sharing a body; whichever spirit happened to be in control felt the strain of whatever the body endured. So even though the Pharaoh had been the one working, Yugi now felt the unfortunate stiffness of prolonged inactivity. And since the elder of the two was also the stronger, he was able to handle much more.
Thinking about it as he slowly dragged himself upstairs for bed, Yugi was suddenly reminded of the time he'd caught a rather nasty cold. Yami had no understanding of what was happening and out of sheer curiosity asked to take control in order to experience the symptoms. He didn't object, since their ail ness was of the body and not of the mind or spirit. His darkness lasted only a half an hour before he quickly retreated to his soul room. All Yugi ever got out of him was a rather grumpy "You're on your own, aibou."
He chuckled to himself, remembering the incident, though at the time he was far from amused. After he'd finally recovered, Yami Yugi went on a major health craze for about a week, lecturing his light to no end about his eating and sleeping habits. Yugi finally drew the line when he'd tried to prevent his frequent afternoon burger stops with Jonouchi.
He smiled fondly as he reached his room, absentmindedly glancing at the puzzle that hadn't been put away. Even though he'd been annoyed with him for a while, he knew that the Pharaoh was just looking out for his well being, and for that he was grateful.
The teen quickly prepared for bed and enthusiastically hopped into it, enjoying the ability to stretch out his back on a comfortable surface. He rolled on his side and set his alarm clock for the following morning, throwing a quick look at the calendar hanging on the wall as he did so. A slight uneasy feeling passed through him as he noted the mark he'd made on Friday of the following week. He hoped in his heart that it would prove to be uneventful.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he yawned again and closed his eyes.
"Good night, Yami," he whispered though his mental link.
'Good night, Yugi,' came the equally tired reply.
Across town the following morning, an obnoxious buzzing noise woke an exhausted white haired teen with a start. He bolted upright in shock, then groaned loudly as he rubbed his throbbing head. The sudden movement had made him dizzy and the noise of his alarm clock pounded in his ears. He quickly slammed his fist down on the off switch, becoming aware then of how sore and stiff his arms were. In addition, his left eye was throbbing and his jaw stun a little.
Ryou Bakura's eyes drifted down towards the large golden object hanging around his neck. He glared at the Millennium Ring with pure disgust, easily guessing what must have happened to put him in such a state. The evil spirit that inhabited the Egyptian dream catcher must have forcefully taken over his body again and had himself a little fun. The headache and the nauseous feeling in his stomach told him that his yami had gone out drinking, again. His arms, eye, and jaw indicated that he'd gotten into a fight at some point, receiving and dealing out a fair amount of damage.
Ryou wished with all his heart to be rid of the cursed ring and his dark alter ego. He tried everything he could think of to dispose of it: throwing it in the trash, in the river, burning it, striking it with various weapons that he'd mysteriously accumulated. No matter what he did, it never seemed damaged and always found its way back to him. The Thief King inside taunted him to no end of this, ensuring that until he had achieved his goals, he would continue to make use of his chosen host body as he wished. He also took the liberty of punishing his landlord by playing some cruel jokes on a few of his classmates and leaving him to take the blame; that in addition to threatening his friends and family with torment and death.
Ryou's mother used to tell him never to use the word 'hate'. There was too much of it in the world already and she didn't want her children to add to it. But there was no other way to describe his feelings towards Bakura. With every fiber of his being, Ryou hated Bakura. The two were complete polar opposites, the thief working to destroy everything his host stood for and cherished.
That without even mentioning the abuse he put their body through. Each blackout he awakened from made him keenly aware that his health was slowly but surely declining from all the poor choices his other made. The darkness seemed quite fond of experimenting with every drug and drink the modern world had to offer. There was that...and well...he also had the sneaking suspicion that he wasn't technically a virgin anymore. His parents had always taught him that that was a precious treasure to be given away at his discretion, not at the choice of some demented, homicidal spirit.
Ryou sighed sadly and forced his aching body to stand and stretch. Well, there wasn't much he could about his problem at the moment. It was best not to dwell on it. He feared he might lose his own sanity if he did. 'Besides,' he thought to himself with a slight smile, 'no matter how bad things get, they can always be worse.' Though he certainly led a difficult life, he always tried to look on the bright side of things and keep an upbeat attitude. After all, no matter how long and frightening a storm was, it would have to pass someday and give way to the sun. Ryou knew in his heart that one day the rain in his life would stop, and the clouds would clear. It was this hope, a hope for a bright future, that allowed him to press on.
The teen headed for the bathroom to get ready, though somewhat dreading what he was going to find. Sure enough, an impressive bruise had formed under his bloodshot eye. In fact, his whole face looked a little puffy.
"Well, at least it's not too bad. Nothing I can't fix," he said aloud cheerfully.
He reached for the mild soap he kept reserved for mornings such as this and quickly washed his face. Following that, he got out a tiny bottle and squeezed a few drops of its contents into his eyes, immediately enjoying the ability to see more clearly. Next, he pulled out a container of salve and carefully applied it to the offending black spot on his left eye, then used a light powder matching his skin tone to cover it up. He observed his work with a small sense of pride, noting that he was getting rather good at making even the most unsightly blemishes (or bruises in his case) unnoticeable to the casual eye.
"I'd probably pass for a decent make-up artist," he thought ruefully as he ran a brush through his snow white hair.
'Or a mortician,' echoed a sudden hoarse reply in his mind.
Ryou groaned and rubbed his temple. It seemed the dark spirit was awake now, and more than ready to mentally torment his landlord before school.
'No, come on! Think about it! You and I could go into business together! I'll supply the corpses, and you can fix 'em up pretty for their funerals. Think of the money we'd make!'
Ryou knew there was no point in arguing with Bakura, so he chose not to respond.
Concluding his morning ritual, he gathered his books together and sat down on a stool at the kitchen counter to eat breakfast, all the while ignoring Dark Bakura's miscellaneous ramblings and threats. As he slowly chewed his cereal, he noticed something red and blinking out of the corner of his eyes and turned his attention to a small machine sitting next to the phone. The number 'one' was blinking on its digital screen. Curious, he reached over to press the playback button, and was pleasantly surprised to hear the cheerful, high pitched voice of a young girl.
"Hey, Ryou! Guess who it is?" A slight pause ensued. "It's me, Amane! You haven't called or written in a while. Are you okay? I miss you so much! Actually, I was wondering if it would be okay for me to come visit for a few days. Mom and Dad said it would be alright...oh! They told me to say hi and that they miss you too! So...can I? Please? I really wanna see you! Call back soon, okay? I love you, Ryou! Bye!" A click sound indicated that the message had concluded.
The teen smiled happily. Amane was his nine year old sister, and a loving and mature one at that. She was his best friend in the world, and he missed her dearly. He couldn't think of anything better than having her come stay with him for a few days. Unfortunately...
As if on cue, he heard what sounded like knuckles cracking and sensed an evil grin on Bakura's face. 'So, your little sister's coming to visit, is she? It's been a while since I've played with her. I may have to take a trip to that little practical joke shop I saw the other day.'
Ryou's smile quickly disappeared. While it was true that Bakura hadn't done anything to seriously harm Amane, he didn't want to take the chance that he would. With a sad sigh, he washed his empty bowl and gathered his things. He decided to take his time in getting to school, all the while contemplating how he was going to tell his sister not to come.
Anzu breathed an exasperated sigh and put away the magazine she had been trying to read before school. It was impossible to concentrate with all the noise Jonouchi and Honda were making not three feet away at their respective desks. Well, there was that, and the fact that her mind kept drifting to a certain duelist with tri-colored hair and violet eyes. She swooned slightly and blushed, but quickly shook her head in order to regain her composure. While she was certainly no tomboy, such actions were still rather uncharacteristic of her. She also somewhat disliked herself for allowing such feelings to develop, mostly because she wasn't entirely sure she understood them. A part of her was drawn to the mysterious, confident spirit that had emerged from the Millennium puzzle and now shared a body with her good friend, but the other part adored the kind-hearted, gentle Yugi, and she herself could not choose between them, if indeed there was a choice to be made.
Thankfully, Anzu rarely had the time to ponder such thoughts. There were usually far to many distractions, such as the near fight commencing next to her. She turned her attention to them just in time to watch Jonouchi catch Honda in an impressive headlock.
"How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from my little sister!" Jonouchi shouted as his grip tightened around Honda's neck.
The latter struggled hard to break free, retorting, "It wasn't me! I swear! I don't even have her phone number! And even if I did, you couldn't do anything about it!" Thinking quickly, he kicked his friend behind the knee just hard enough for it to buckle and loosen his death grip. Honda pulled himself away and ran behind a row of desks, distancing himself from the irate, overprotective brother. It did little to stop him. "Stay away from me!"
Jonouchi continued to chase him around the room, all the while screaming rather obscene names at the top of his lungs.
Anzu shook her head with a smile and rolled her eyes. This scene was becoming a rather frequent occurrence, ever since the group of friends met Jonouchi's younger (and far cuter) sister Shizuka. She knew that those two would never really hurt each other and would soon make up in sequence following the fight and the uncomfortable silent treatment that would ensue. She kind of sympathized with Katsuya though. He and Shizuka had been separated at a young age when their parents divorced, and since then rarely saw one another. She realized that although both of them had grown up, a part of him still saw her and treated her as a child. He just wasn't ready to accept the fact that she had grown into a lovely young woman, one that was bound to attract quite a bit of attention. So much attention, in fact, that she had quite an impressive collection of phone numbers from various types of guys, including Honda's.
Luckily for him, Shizuka had plenty of intelligence to match her sweet disposition, and could handle herself in a pinch. Although she confided to Anzu that she did have her share of crushes, she preferred to concentrate on her schoolwork for the time being.
Anyway, she figured she'd better break up the fight, as school would begin in about ten minutes. Speaking of which, they were two friends short and she was beginning to get a little worried. 'I wonder where Yugi and Bakura are...' she thought as she grabbed Jonouchi's arm.
One of them chose that convenient moment to make his appearance. A blur of white and blue ran full speed into the room and skidded to a quick halt, the loud squeaking sound of his sneakers on the pale waxed floor attracting their attention and momentarily pausing the fight.
A frazzled looking Ryou murmured something nervously, but whatever it was got lost between his gasping irregular breaths.
The other three blinked for a second, but quickly recovered to greet their buddy. "Uh, good morning, Bakura," Anzu smiled.
"Hey there! Are...you alright? You don't look so good," Jonouchi commented, putting a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder.
Ryou grabbed a hold of his collar and shook him violently. "Please! You've gotta hide me! Quick!" he blurted out.
Honda stepped up and gently pried his hands from Jonouchi's uniform, their previous fight now forgotten. "Huh? Calm down, man! What's gotten into you?"
"Oh, nothing. Just the usual," came a laughing, cheerful voice from the classroom's doorway. They turned to see Yugi snickering as he calmly entered to join them.
The others nodded in sudden understanding, also finding themselves attempting to suppress their laughs. Jonouchi stood tall and puffed out his chest. "Don't you worry, Bakura, I'll handle this. You go hide in the closet," he said confidently, pointing to a nearby door in the back of the room.
"Thanks, Jonouchi!" The white haired teen rushed to said door, yanked it open, and slammed it shut behind him.
Honda narrowed his eyes and smirked at his friend. "You'll handle this? Admit it, you're just using it as an excuse to hit on the girls again!"
Jonouchi grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "So? Why can't it be both? I'm still helping, aren't I?" He turned to poke Hiroto in the chest and matched his expression. "Besides, you're just jealous because 'Little Miss Ribbon' likes Bakura and not you!"
The other growled angrily, then crossed his arms and closed his eyes to calm himself. "Hmph! You're one to talk! Don't you still have a thing for Mai?" He chuckled, knowing full well he'd hit a nerve.
Katsuya Jonouchi blushed madly, the image of the busty, hot-headed blond flashing in his mind. He might have remained transfixed by the mental image were it not for the increasingly loud shrieks and giggles approaching from the hallway. He shook his head quickly and forced himself to focus on his mission. "You just watch and learn, Rookie!" he huffed as he strutted over to greet the fast approaching crowd of girls.
"Are you sure he went this way?"
"Positive! Besides, I have his schedule memorized and this is his first class of the day!"
"Oh yeah! Well, I happen to know what all of his favorite games are!"
"So? I actually know how to play them!"
"But I'm the only one who has his dueling deck memorized card for card!"
The most prominent members of the Ryou Bakura fan club marched into the room and immediately spread out to search it for the object of their affection. It wasn't entirely uncommon for the girls of Domino High School to create such clubs for the cutest and most eligible boys around. Most of the ones currently in play centered around the jocks, though there were a few for the bad boys and the dramatic, poetic type. Poor Ryou had found himself hunted by one the very first day he'd transferred in, at first simply because he had the unfortunate luck to be rather handsome. As time wore on though, and the complication involving the Millennium Ring became apparent (with Yugi and his friends the only ones who knew its truth), he developed the bad boy reputation with the brooding, anti-social shyness to match. Most girls would have been scared away upon learning of his sudden and unpredictable "mood swings", but surprisingly, this attribute made Bakura even more desirable. As a result, he found himself having to deal with the unruly, obsessive club on a near daily basis.
In the darkness of the closet, Ryou held his breath and prayed that they wouldn't get a hold of him today. He was a little tired of having to replace torn uniforms and school supplies that went missing. While he was flattered by the attention, he was a little inexperienced when it came to the fairer sex, a point that his counterpart was quick to mock. Dark Bakura had once graciously offered his assistance in the matter, but Ryou was smart enough to know that no good would come of the thief's advice. As much as he liked the idea of having a girlfriend, he didn't enjoy the thought of his yami having yet another precious life to threaten and torment. He was already guilty of putting his friends at risk; he couldn't bear what might happen if he were to pursue a relationship.
He sighed softly. Yes, life was complicated.
Jonouchi casually moved to intercept two of the girls heading for the teacher's desk and pasted on his most charming smile. "Hello ladies! I noticed you seemed to be looking for something. Well, look no further, because the man of your dreams has arrived!" He ran his fingers through his light brown hair and winked at them.
"Eww! As if!" shrieked the taller of the two.
The other gripped her stomach for dramatic effect. "I think I'm gonna be sick!" she gasped. Both laughed cruelly, shoved him aside, and proceeded to look under the desk.
He frowned, then composed himself and moved on to speak to a slightly heavy set woman.
"Uh, sorry to disappoint you, but I don't think you're Bakura's type," he said, trying his best to be nice.
The girl turned and glared at him menacingly, hands on her hips. "You're wrong! Bakura-kun will LOVE me when he sees the Monster World table I've set up in his honor!" With an additional "hmph", she continued pushing away fellow students in search of her quarry.
Katsuya shrugged and gently tapped the shoulders of the popular Usagi twins as they looked behind the window curtains. "Hey there!" They paused and grudgingly gave him their attention. "I know you're both kinda set on Bakura, but I'm pretty sure he's a one woman kind of guy." He smirked mischievously. "I, however, have no problem with polygamy." The twins growled at him and cracked their knuckles simultaneously. He held up his hands in surrender. "But, if that doesn't work for you, I might be able to arrange a double date?" He rubbed his chin in thought. "Bakura might be less shy if I'm there to help set the mood."
The girls turned and whispered together, briefly considering his offer. In the end, they couldn't agree on which one would be stuck with Jonouchi, as the idea didn't appeal to either of them.
"I think we'll take our chances on our own..."
"...Thanks."
With that, they too walked away.
Jonouchi threw his hands up in frustration. He really envied Bakura for having such luck with the ladies, especially since he wasn't really trying. But then again, he was cursed with the Millennium Ring, so in the cosmic perspective, he supposed it was an even trade.
He gasped suddenly when it finally registered in his mind that the girls had finished searching everywhere in the room, save the closet. The four he'd talked to were joined by three others as they ganged up on it slowly, knowing full well that Ryou had to be in there. A thought crossed his mind, one that would certainly get him into trouble, but he had no other options.
'Guess there's no choice,' he thought. He threw an "it was nice knowing you" glance at Yugi and the others and gave a slight wave. With that, he charged toward the crowd of unsuspecting girls.
"Ah! Jonouchi touched me!"
"He grabbed my butt!"
"He's pinching me!"
"Am not! I wouldn't touch you if my life depended on it!"
"Let's get him!"
The girls rounded on poor Katsuya, instantly forgetting what they had been doing. Yugi, Honda, and Anzu watched helplessly, weighing the consequences of staying back and jumping in to save their friend. In the end, they decided that even though he was helping Bakura, his ulterior motives had it coming.
The aggressive pile-up continued until one of the girls noticed the time, and informed the others that they'd be late for class. They all slowly untangled themselves from one another and their victim and brushed themselves off. Each one grunted and stomped toward the classroom door. One of the Usagi twins gave him one last kick in the leg.
When it was clear that they had all gone, Ryou hesitantly poked his head out of the closet and glanced around just to be sure. Seeing that the coast was clear, he rushed to Jonouchi's side and helped him to his feet. The others ran over as well.
"Are you okay, Jonouchi-kun?" he asked, concern and guilt written all over his face.
Honda rolled his eyes. "Oh course he is. He enjoyed that."
Katsuya grinned and gave a thumbs-up sign. Though his face had several bright red palm prints on it and he was overall pretty ruffled up, he couldn't help but laugh. "Of all the beatings I've ever gotten, that one was totally worth it!"
Anzu shook her head. "You're such a pervert, Jonouchi."
"Maybe," laughed Ryou, "but nevertheless, he totally saved me." He smiled at his friend in deep appreciation. "How can I ever repay you?"
He waved his hand in response. "Nah, don't sweat it. You'd a done the same for me. However, if you wanted to buy me a burger after school today, I certainly wouldn't object."
The other chuckled again. "You got it."
"Okay everyone. Take your seats." Their teacher entered just as the bell rang for first period and readied himself for his lecture.
The five friends quickly scrambled to their seats and got out their textbooks and notepads. Anzu threw a glance at Yugi when he quietly laughed at something, looking at the Millennium Puzzle dangling from his neck as he did so. She smiled slightly, blushing, and then turned her attention back to the front of the class.
The teacher picked up a note sitting on his desk and addressed the class. "Just a heads up. Looks like we'll be getting a new student sometime this week, so make sure they feel welcome." He set the note down. "Alright, pass your homework to the front and let's get started."
A dark haired young woman wearing a long black trench coat gazed up thoughtfully at one of the second story windows of Domino High School. She could barely make out the silhouette of a young man with wild hair, wearing a large pyramid pendant. As she watched, she absentmindedly reached into the inner pocket of her jacket, producing a single Duel Monsters card. She tore her eyes from the boy in the window and looked down at her card.
"It won't be long now," she whispered to no one. "Very soon, you and I will meet again." She ran a finger over the picture on the card, then returned it to its hiding place. With one last glance at the teen, she continued on her way.
Well, that's it for Chapter One! Congratulations! You made it through. I know this one wasn't terribly exciting, but it's going to get better. Just had to set the stage.
Constructive reviews are appreciated.
Thanks for reading! I'll be back soon with Chapter Two.
StandAlone