Title: Solace In One Another
Author: Svelte Rose
Pairing: Ryou & Téa
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh
30 Kisses Theme: No. 10- #10
Disclaimer: I don't own YGO.
It was hard to believe it had already been that long.
Under the less than ordinary circumstances and reasons they even started to see (if you could call it that) each other, there was never any inclination as to whether they'd still be together in the future…presently, now.
A relationship was about giving and caring about another. She figured they must have cared for each other in some respect but when it came down to what truly was the basis of their relationship, it was all about receiving.
She needed something from him and he needed something from her.
…Hardly the recipe for a successful relationship.
He had come to her on one stormy night…about a week after Yugi's other half left and his, banished. Her heart broken and his spirit void, they searched for solace from what they believed was the fastest relief even if it wasn't the best.
It had been long, somewhat rough- she could still remember the bruises she received from his iron-clad grip and the numerous scratches he possessed upon his back afterwards. Tit for tat, she always thought.
The next morning at school, not a word of the night had passed between them, though with the sunken spirits of Yugi, Joey, and Tristan, they wouldn't have noticed even if there were signs.
Their day passed and soon, school ended. She would head off to her clubs and then dance class afterwards. He would go to…well, who knew.
When he showed up again that night, she was hardly surprised.
There were days when the absence of the Pharoah pained her so much to the point where she felt so nauseous, she would beckon him to an abandoned classroom during lunch. He always complied.
Flashback…
"Atemu!" She had gasped, clutching him to her tightly, calling out another's name in their moment of passion.
He reciprocated the action and pushed even deeper into her, a soft moan surfacing from the recess of his own voice box.
For some reason, it pained his heart but he merely brushed it off as a prideful thing- after all, any man would take insult to another man's name being called by their partner during such a moment.
She didn't notice- so caught up in their…act.
End flashback…
Yugi would always wonder why she had disappeared, but despite her harried excuses and rumbled appearance, he would accept her answer, no questions asked.
It would be ten months before she realized that while he had long ago gotten over his loss, she was far from forgetting the memory of…him. The fact that she knew he knew, left her feeling somewhat…embarrassed.
Which brought her to this current predicament.
Laying on her left side with the sheets clutched to her chest, she looked up at his eyes that would always stare back unblinkingly into hers. She slowly reached up with one hand and tucked a stray white strand behind his ear, a soft smile dancing across her lips.
"When did it happen?" She asked bluntly.
He knew what she spoke of and exhaled. Slowly, he got up into a sitting position, hands tucked behind his head in a leisurely manner, while he stared off at an unknown space.
She waited patiently, studying his features for any inclination as to what his answer would be.
He shrugged nonchalantly and turned to the other side; his end to this conversation.
She never expected an answer anyways.
Since she hadn't possessed her sense of sight as long as the others had, she had to adapt by honing in on the abilities of her other senses. She came to depend fully on the subtle changes felt whenever there was a subtle change in the air whether it was the way they walked, moved, spoke, etc.
Now that Serenity could see, she was able to connect things together faster than when she was blind- not to say she wasn't able to do so before.
"What's wrong?" She spoke to the brunette girl sitting across from her.
Téa looked up startled, half a sandwich in her mouth while her math homework sat half-finished on the table to her right. Chewing slowly, she looked to her left and to her right until she finally realized that Joey's younger sister was talking to her.
This was weird…granted, Téa was best friends with Joey and Serenity was Joey's sister but that didn't mean they hung out in the same crowds. In any case, with the exception of Mai and Miho, she had no other female friends. Mai was out of school and Miho had so many activities, it was hard to catch her standing still in one place. Regardless, her, Yugi, Joey, and Tristan were the core group therefore they hung out together the most.
Serenity and her had exchanged the occasional "hellos" and "how are you" but nothing ever beyond that.
Chewing slowly and then swallowing, Téa grabbed a napkin and swiped it across her mouth, running her tongue across her teeth before asking, "I wasn't aware anything was wrong,"
Serenity blushed; she was always a bit in awe of the brunette because not only was she best friends with the Duel Monster champion but she was also the only one who'd ever kept a decent conversation with the formidable Seto Kaiba and lately, became close to one of the most aloof and desired males in their school- Ryou Bakura.
Then there was Malik, his sister, and the half-time model and another Duel Champion finalist- Mai Valentine. Téa had connections and didn't even act like she cared most- scratch that- any of the time.
"You've lost that shine in your eyes, your steps aren't as bouncy, your smile doesn't reach your eyes…" Serenity began to babble, having found the napkin Téa was fingering more interesting than the piercing azure-eyes of her brother's friend.
Taken back, she could only stare at the red-head. Not sure as to what she should say, she settled for a long, drawn out, "Okay…"
Serenity's face flushed an even brighter color of red before she started to shove things into her bag, "Forgive me, I tend to babble at times,"
"Sit down," Téa softly commanded, gently smiling at the nervous girl, "I'm flattered you noticed, there's no reason to be sorry or nervous…please," She motioned to the seat.
Serenity sat down, neatly folding her hands on her lap before licking her lips nervously, "Is it him?"
Bitterly smiling at the girl, the dancer could only respond, "Which one?"
It had been several days since she'd last sought him out. They'd pass each other in the hall and would smile in recognition of each other across the classroom. Other than that, no other initial contact was made.
Least to say, her conversation with Serenity had unsettled her nerves and now, instead of one man consuming her thoughts, there were two.
And seeing Yugi everyday made that one image ever so acute and the sick feeling in her stomach even more poignant.
She was hungry, but not for food.
She wanted to breath, but not air.
In any case, Téa's health had deteriorated to the point that when a rainstorm hit their usually hot and muggy town, she immediately caught a chest cold and stomach bug and remained out of school for several days. Having not contacted any of her friends and parents yet away on another business trip, she was left to her own devices.
Teachers and administrators had been contacted and some little second-year boy was assigned to bring her the homework assigned- homework Téa found herself finishing rather quickly for lack of better things to do before the pounding headache came around the same time she had dinner.
And since she'd been throwing up whatever she ate, the dinner she did take in was sparse and she spent most of her time, shut up in a room that once used to be her haven but now felt like a jail cell.
Her headache was currently gone and her nausea dissipated but that light-headed, woozy feeling still existed. None the less, her need to get out of the house outweighed any senses and figuring an hour or so wouldn't hurt, she threw on a raincoat, some boots, and headed out towards a familiar spot.
The same spot where her and the Pharaoh went on their first date.
He had been walking home from track practice when he noticed a figure sitting by its lonesome self on the bench. Having known exactly who it was, he was immediately enraged mainly due to concern for her health and quickly stomped over.
Before he had a chance to open his mouth, she had spoke in a bittersweet voice-
"Did you know it's been ten months, ten weeks, and ten days since he left?" She didn't even look behind.
He swallowed his anger though his nerves were still a bit jumpy; he settled for sitting down next to her as the rain pounded gently upon their coats.
Droplets of water started to fall down her face though he couldn't guess whether they were raindrops or teardrops.
"I wish I could say something stupid like 'he doesn't even call' or 'why'd he break up with me' but things never advanced that far- god knows I wanted them too," She sniffled, her voice trembling tremendously.
He looked ahead, not really seeing anything.
"I don't even know if he returned it you know,"
I don't think he could've loved. Ryou thought, unblinkingly staring off into space while she kept speaking.
"It probably would've been one-sided anyways and really, he wasn't even a substantial being. Just a spirit that inhabited Yugi's body," She growled deeply, "And the stupid thing is, I know I shouldn't be complaining because Yugi feels as though he lost a big part of himself when Atem left- same as the way you felt when Bakura was banished from ever inhabiting you again,"
He nodded because it was true- he did feel as though a piece of himself was missing- even if Bakura was the way he was.
"So when did it happen?" Her voice was all about clarity and he felt himself looking into a pair of deep blue eyes- the same blue eyes he'd looked into several times during their…assignations and quickly healed from his loss (which he now considered fortunate).
"What do you mean?" He nervously cleared his throat. He had avoided this question last time and hoped to avoid it this time.
"Silly," An agonizing tone in her voice, "When did you fall in love with me?"
His eyes widened, pupils dilating while his pulse quickened. He hadn't expected such a piercing yet innocent way of delivery.
"A girl always knows," Téa offered as a sort of explanation to his unasked question.
"I'm not sure when it happened, just that it happened," He finally answered, looking away and again, into the distance.
A moment of silence passed before she finally spoke again, "I can't reciprocate."
And it was true- Atem was still fresh in her mind and the hurt of his leave was ever so present in her heart. It wouldn't be fair to Ryou.
He answered without a moments' hesitation and a somewhat raw undertone of regret-
"I know,"
Ryou knew what he was getting into when they first struck their deal and both had implicitly agreed that feelings weren't to get in the way…
He'd broken that rule, very easily.
Getting up and offering his hand to her, he forced a smile upon his face and spoke softly- a tone barely above the pitch of the raindrops:
"Come on, let's take you home before you become even more sick,"
She nodded silently before laying her palm in his.
And through the course of their travel home, she'd laced her fingers within his.
In his heart of all hearts, the England-born boy still harbored a deep hope:
It was possible.
That would hold him…for now.