Hello, everyone! I am Catch Fireflies and I'm officially back on FF.
This story was originally written in a notebook of mine in the 8th grade.
I've added things, revised it, and overall improved the whole thing.
I know that OCs are very controversial, but this character is me.
I use every piece of me that I possess, I'm real.
So please, read with an open mind.
This is Part 1. I do hope you like it.
/////
Shortly before summer vacation and graduation, the seniors of Domino City High School were given a rather challenging test. For Health class, they were required to experience "family living". You know, baby simulation, husband and wife, marital finances, and other things of the like. A proper assignment, considering these young adults would soon be entering a much more mature world.
Of course, all of Ryou Bakura's fan club wanted to be his wife and take care of his child. They all squealed about making him meals and being his doting spouse. They fantasized about the way his soft, British accent would drape over the words 'I'm home, my darling.' when his work day was over. He, on the other hand, was not too thrilled about any of that. At the beginning of class Ryou took his teacher aside and begged her rather desperately not to marry him off to any of them.
By the end of that once-dreaded health class, the English boy was relieved his request was granted.
Wait, Ryou thought worriedly, I don't have a partner…
"Ryou Bakura!" their teacher called.
He looked up from his notebook, startled. "Y-yes?"
"It seems you have no wife! Though, by popular demand of quite a few of your friends, I'll be marrying you off to Elizabeth Howley – who, as you've probably noticed, is absent today."
Ryou cleared his throat as he felt his cheeks heat up. "Popular…demand?" he quietly inquired.
Mrs. Greenwood nodded, slightly grinning. "It seems your peers feel that you two would make a nice couple."
Immediately, Ryou's head darted towards Marina and Yugi. They were talking amongst themselves, smiling rather mischievously. Sighing, the ivory-haired young man shook his head. He was completely unaware of the death stares Elizabeth's empty desk was receiving.
Elizabeth.
She was certainly a firecracker. When she came to Domino at the end of her sophomore year in high school, she and Ryou connected. Akiefa Bakura, the spirit inside the Millennium Ring, knew of Elizabeth's past life in Egypt. She was the reincarnation of Hijra, Pharaoh Atem's younger sister and the love of the Thief King's dangerous life. Hijra had run off with Akiefa and obtained mysterious powers through a beautiful blue-green pendant. Hearing of this betrayal, Atem was forced to ban Hijra from coming past the castle walls. It hurt him, but it hurt him even worse to know that his own sister had picked his enemy over her flesh and blood. Later on in her life, Hijra's soul and powers were trapped inside of her pendant much as Akiefa was in the Ring and her brother in the Puzzle. The Ring and pendant were always together. When Ryou's father came back with the Millennium Ring he had planned on giving the pendant to his daughter, Amane, but soon after she died along with her mother. The necklace stayed in Ryou's room until Elizabeth's arrival. It was drawn to her.
She became close friends with Ryou, Yugi, Jonouchi, Anzu, Honda, and their friend Marina. They all experienced the insanities that came with a simple card game, they all went on adventures. Throughout that, Ryou and Elizabeth grew fond of one another; although they would never admit it. Ryou was much too shy and Elizabeth refused to acknowledge men romantically anymore. It was a situation their friends had to fix. And now, almost two years later, the opportunity arose.
After school, Ryou decided to bring the project information to Elizabeth's house along with other homework. She was often sick and he didn't want her falling behind academically. Her mother thought highly of that, which was certainly something, considering all of the chaos that had entered her daughter's life when they moved.
Ryou paced in front of the door to her house before knocking. How am I going to tell her about this? he wondered, nervously tapping his fingers against her books. He smelled her scent faintly on them and almost unwillingly relaxed, not noticing her mother standing behind him. She taught at the local middle school and came home shortly after the high school let out for the day.
"Ryou? Are you alright?" she asked.
He gasped, almost dropping the books he held. His eyes shot towards a short, middle-aged woman. She smiled a worn smile and resembled Elizabeth very slightly.
"Mrs. Howley, you startled me. I'm very sorry. I, uh, I brought Elizabeth her schoolwork from the day. Is she alright?"
Her mother liked that he didn't refer to her daughter as 'Izzy'. Ryou was proper, polite, and a well-behaved boy; someone she constantly pestered her daughter to date. Elizabeth was unwilling, though obviously interested. With a little laugh and a shake of her head, Mrs. Howley unlocked the front door, motioning for him to go inside. "She's fine. She was having a lot of trouble with her allergies. They gave her a little fever, but it should be down now. I swear, with her absences, she's lucky she'll be graduating."
Ryou sighed. "Don't be angry with her. She can't help it." he quietly replied.
Mrs. Howley's frustration towards Elizabeth never got so bad when Ryou was around. He was gentle and had a very calming aura about him; very unlike the spirit within him, she learned. "Make yourself comfortable, Ryou."
He slightly smiled at her, walking up to the kitchen. Ryou placed Elizabeth books on the counter and felt a warm sensation creep through his body, thinking about the assignment given to them today. Swallowing, Ryou's nerves returned.
/Maybe you'll finally get laid./
//Bakura, sod off.//
/Don't speak to me that way! Stop being so panicky. This is your chance, you fool!/
//I…I'm not looking at it that way.//
/You Ra-forsaken prude./
Their interaction was cut off by sneezing coming from the upstairs. Ryou chuckled as Mrs. Howley went up to tell Elizabeth that he had come to visit.
"WHAT? AND I LOOK LIKE THIS!?" a feminine voice bellowed.
"I thought you didn't care what you look like around boys," her mother retorted.
Ryou liked to listen to their bantering. He didn't have that sort of comical family interaction. Bakura certainly didn't count.
"Agh! I don't!" the voice coughed.
"Alright, then don't keep your friend waiting."
Mrs. Howley then walked back downstairs and told Ryou the patient would be with him shortly. She excused herself to go pick up Victoria, Elizabeth's 11-year-old sister, from Flute lessons.
Elizabeth splashed water on her face, hoping it would relax her puffy, brown eyes. That strategy was to no avail. Her heart was racing. It always did around Ryou. She hated it and loved it all at once. Sometimes she wished she had the courage to pursue him. Elizabeth didn't want to be a part of his fan club, though. She also had lost all of her faith in men and relationships; so another one was out of the question. Besides, she and Ryou were great friends. Why would she want to ruin that?
Hijra then materialized in a transparent-like form and sat on the bathroom's counter.
Excuses, excuses, excuses…
"Hijra! Come on, I already have a head ache."
Follow your heart for once, Elizabeth. You two are bound to be together just as Akiefa and I are. It's fate.
"You don't know that for sure, and I have so much more to focus on. I can't waste my time with a guy."
If it's the right guy, it won't be a waste of time. Hijra's image faded.
Elizabeth groaned, putting her hair up in a claw clip. [[Always an answer for everything.]]
She exited the bathroom and trotted downstairs, ignoring that racing heart of hers.
As soon as Ryou saw her, he smiled. "Hello, Elizabeth!" he greeted. "How are you feeling?"
The pseudo-red head answered with an "elegant" combination of a sneeze and a cough. She then flushed from embarrassment.
"Bless you!" Ryou took the tea kettle off of the stove. "I suppose that answers my question. Sit down. I'll fix you some tea. That should help your sinuses."
Elizabeth sat down at the kitchen table and let her head fall into her hands. She sniffled and coughed. "Thank you. You Brits and your tea. Is that the cure for everything?"
He laughed and replied, "Just about!"
"Hm. I'll keep that in mind."
Ryou chuckled, pouring boiling water into a mug. He figured this was the perfect opportunity to bring up their assignment. Glancing over at Elizabeth, he admired her petite figure and the features of her face. Although her looks weren't exactly up to par on this day, he still thought of her as beautiful. Ryou brought the tea over and sat down next to her. "There you are! I'll take care of you while your ill." he said happily.
Elizabeth let herself smile and laugh ever so slightly, tracing the warm mug with her small fingers. "You don't have to do that!"
His eyes followed her fingers.
"Well, I want to… and," Here we go... "According to our new assignment in health class, I have to."
The allergy-ridden young woman looked up at him in confusion. "Heh?"
Ryou took a breath and began to explain. "We were assigned to be spouses. We have one month to simulate a marriage and eventual family. Our grade depends on how well and if we complete certain tasks listed in a folder given to us by Mrs. Greenwood. Er, we're also going to be given a fake baby…"
To his surprise, Elizabeth began giggling. He thought she'd be very much opposed to the idea considering her views on relationships in general.
"Hahaha! I'll have to introduce myself as Mrs. Elizabeth Bakura!" she joked, scolding herself at liking the sound of it.
Ryou blushed as she cleared her throat.
"So, uh, what are the tasks?" Elizabeth asked, changing the subject.
"Right!" Ryou took a blue folder from the counter. "They are split into tasks for the husband and for the wife and then there are tasks for us to complete together." He opened the folder and handed Elizabeth the papers to look over.
Seeing it all in writing made her a bit nervous. "…cooking? Oh man. Um. Ryou, I'm domestically challenged," she mumbled.
He chuckled. "You're not that bad of a cook! Besides I cook t—"
"No! I'll do my best. Besides, if you read the instructions if the female spouse doesn't complete her assigned things to do the overall couple will lose points."
Ryou smiled. "Are you sure?"
Elizabeth nodded with a cough. She sipped her tea. "Yep! I don't want to get a bad grade and I have to learn somehow, I guess. If I ever do decide to get married, I can't displease my real husband! God bless the man insane enough to marry me,"
The chocolate-eyed boy glanced at her. He folded his hands on the table, feeling his heart pound at his chest.
"Speaking of insane," he started, "Do you think it's crazy to know who you'd like to marry? At our age, I mean."
What a stupid question! Why in bloody hell did I ask her that? I know what she's going to say. Bollocks! I'm such an idiot. he thought, clenching his hands together.
Elizabeth thought a little before answering. It was no secret to anyone else how she felt about Ryou. It was her that was in denial. She wanted to live the rest of her young-adult years independent, focusing on college and her career. Her future is what mattered most to her; her well-being. After her experiences in relationships, casual or serious, Elizabeth came to find that no man was worth her time or love. But as she looked at Ryou, taken in by his handsome features and gentle persona, part of her thought that being with him wouldn't be an entire waste of time. Maybe Hijra was right… Maybe.
"No, I don't." she finally answered.
Ryou's eyes widened a little. He relaxed his shoulders and hands. Quietly, he said, "My intentions, then, may not be insane… but Elizabeth, I am."
There was a silence. Only the sounds of Elizabeth's occasional sniffles and outdoor noises could be heard. Ryou wondered if now was the perfect opportunity to tell her how he feels. She hadn't objected to his thought on marriage and they were "married" now, weren't they? Maybe there was something. Maybe they were fated to be together. Maybe all of their friends were right.
"Elizabeth," Ryou began.
Maybe this assignment was a sign.
"Yeah?"
Maybe he really could sweep her off of her feet.
"There's something I feel I have to confess…" he continued, feeling a little more confident.
Maybe he could cure the fear she had acquired.
Ryou took one of her hands gingerly in his. She blushed, looking confused, feeling a twitch in her nose.
"I've always l—"
"KYACHOO!" Elizabeth sneezed.
Maybe not.
Ryou blinked, removing his hand from hers. He wiped it off with a napkin.
"I AM SO SORRY!" she cried, immediately getting up to rush around for hand sanitizer.
He continued to blink, completely flabbergasted. Seriously? Did that just happen to him? He was so close to finally coming clean about his feelings for the girl of his dreams and she sneezed all over him. It wasn't even the sneeze he was concerned with! But was that a sign on how she'd react? Now there was so much more for Ryou to worry about.
Impeccable timing, God. I must say, you've outdone yourself this time, Ryou thought. He heard Bakura's faint chuckles at his moment of failure and flinched.
"Here! Here! Here!"
Ryou stared blankly at the objects placed, well, thrown, before him. Lysol and hand sanitizer were clumsily tossed onto the table. He then looked up at Elizabeth who was wearing rubber gloves and a mask over her mouth and nose. The sight of her franticness and the attempt at protecting him against allergies, which aren't even contagious, made him burst into a series of chuckles. Alright, alright. Things could be worse. At least she didn't catch on.
He buried his head in his hands and began laughing heartily.
Elizabeth stood still. She took in the moment, enjoying the sound of his laughter. It's what she enjoyed the most; his voice. But, why was he laughing? Then, she looked at herself and felt immediately ten times humiliated. Falling back into a chair, she pulled the mask from her mouth and sighed heavily.
"I'm so sorry," she muttered, looking down, red in the face.
Ryou took a second to catch his breath and wipe the tears from his eyes. "Aahaha," he breathed. "Please, don't be sorry! That was… this was…" he motioned toward the sanitary objects on the table and chuckled again, "Thank you,"
[You are such a fool.]
[[Hijra, I panicked. I sneezed all over him! That's disgusting!]]
[Seasonal allergies are not of a contagious nature and the boy was about to confess his love to you!]
[[Oh, shut up. You don't know that. It wouldn't work out anyway. I don't want a boyfriend.]]
[Yet you have a husband.]
[[I swear to God, I'll kill you again.]]
Hijra stopped their link-communication with a laugh. Ryou noticed Elizabeth phased out and assumed Hijra was pestering her. He was surprised that Bakura hadn't really interfered with this fiasco. He had heard his obvious expression of amusement, but said nothing. It was odd of him. Observation was probably enough for now.
Elizabeth let out a frustrated sigh and snapped out of her head. She mumbled a 'you're welcome' to Ryou and sipped her tea, not wanting to potentially embarrass herself further. It was inevitable, though. No matter how hard she tried and how smooth she appeared, there were constant happenings to make her look foolish. She furrowed her eyebrows and frowned into her mug, thinking how she could successfully pull this assignment off. Was it even possible? Elizabeth couldn't even take care of herself; she could hardly react calmly towards situations that were simple to everyone else. She was petrified at the thought of even having another relationship and eventually getting married. How the hell did her teacher expect success from her having to simulate taking care of a family and acting as a wife? To Ryou, of all people!
Eh? Why am I worrying so much? It's just an assignment. It's not like this is real. Ryou is my friend and we can pull this off. It's not I have serious feelings for him... she thought, feeling her face warm up. Heh. No, definitely not. It's an assignment. An assignment. For school. That's all. This isn't a real relationship, there's no real baby, it's nothing. It's a simple, easy grade.
"Are you alright?" Ryou asked. "Your face looks flushed. Maybe you should lie down, eh?"
Elizabeth's eyes widened. She shook her head earnestly and removed her rubber gloves.
"No, no I'm okay. Just a little embarrassed," she let out a nervous laugh. "That was kinda dumb of me."
Ryou grinned gently as he stood up. He removed her near-empty cup of tea and brought it over to the sink. "I don't think it was dumb at all. Silly, perhaps, but caring. Sort of like a mother,"
He became proud of himself for coolly relating his comment to their project. Ryou leaned on the counter. "You'd probably make a fine one," he said.
Elizabeth looked over at him and her laugh went from nervous to certain. "There's no way. I just hope this simulator baby doesn't vomit, or this mother will have a lot of problems."
Ryou's eyes softened, acknowledging her phobia. I could just take care of our child if that occurs, as the husband. As her husband, he thought.