The Others: Odd Happenings

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, and TV Tokyo. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.


First Page: Sexuality and Relationships

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
- Dr. Seuss

Ryou Bakura, contrary to the beliefs of thirty five percent of the student population of Domino High School, at least three of the faculty members, and (on one single occasion) Tea Gardner, is not gay. He isn't, really – and to be honest, he doesn't understand why some people would believe that he is.

He's never looked at a man and found him attractive before. On the other hand, he has looked at women and found them attractive. For a larger portion of his early high school years than he will ever care to admit, Bakura practically stalked Tea. Though whether that was out of some sort of odd sexual fascination or the fact that his sister, Amane, hung out with her all the time is still up to debate.


Marik Ishtar, on the other hand, is gay for Bakura, though it is only really noticeable if you were to get really plastered, spin on the spot twenty times, vomit, and then squint ridiculously hard at him (and even then it might not work). This is because, as much as Marik is attracted to Bakura, it's not much more than a small soft spot. That being said, the size of his feelings for him is not to diminish their existence because they are there and they are very real.

At the same time, one must take into account Marik's feelings for Mana. The thing is, despite whatever attraction he may have for his best friend, Marik is in love with that girl. He'd rather be with Mana because, quite frankly, he just wants to be. They're right together and he couldn't be happier because he's finally got someone who cares.

He'd never tell Bakura, though. Not because he's scared of rejection, but because he doesn't think he's quite ready to pin the label of 'bisexual' on himself at the moment. In fact, he doesn't think that he ever will.


Mana Oscuro has been crushing on Marik from the moment they shook hands – and why wouldn't she? Marik is, for lack of a more eloquent phrase, smoking hot and he damn well knows it. Not only that, he's not a jerk. She used to think those two things went hand-in-hand with each other, but now not so much. Mana is completely taken by surprise when she found Marik in her dorm room doorway on Valentine's Day, attempting to stutter his way through asking her out on a date because that's another thing that she's not really used to.

Mana has crushed on other guys before, but they were so out of her league that it wasn't even funny. Most of them didn't even know of her existence. So while she is used to having feelings for boys who are really nice looking, she's not used to them returning said feelings.

That doesn't stop her from saying yes to Marik, though. It also doesn't stop Mana from kissing him goodnight when he drops her back at her room and giggling when he turns as red as a cherry.


Mai Valentine has given up trying to slap an adequate label on her sexuality a very long time ago. Even though she feels attraction towards both males and females, she doesn't consider herself bisexual. She doesn't even consider herself to be a lesbian even though, according to her count, the amount of girls that she's liked definitely outweighs the boys. She simply doesn't care and doesn't see why she should care.

Mai is Mai and at the end of the day, that's all that matters for her.


Coy "Strings" Burke has always known that he was gay. He never questioned it, he simply was. But when you live in a small town in Mississippi where the population is under five hundred, everyone knows everyone through some kind of familial relationship because no one ever leaves this god forsaken hell hole. And news travels fast in those towns because the unofficial sport is fucking gossip.

So when you listen to the 'Devil's music', shave off all your hair, and proceed to get a nose ring, people start to talk. And when you kiss a boy in the locker rooms, people don't just talk: they scream it from the rooftops.

But really, Strings isn't that into relationships, though he does like to stare at Marik when he thinks that the guy isn't looking. It tugs at his heart painfully when he hears that Marik's going out with Mana, but he moves on because this isn't the first time he's gotten rejected without really getting rejected. Alister will never know the truth.


Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood would be the most badass, epically awesome gay couple in the world if it weren't for one small problem: they're both straight. The thing is, both of them have acknowledged this fact out loud to each other on separate occasions. They know that they are practically perfect for each other, but there is no sexual attraction between the two of them. They wish that there were and sincerely mourn their lack of homosexuality because of all the things that could have been between them.

That being said, if they were to find a girl, they would have to go through the difficult trial of trying to convince her that having a three-way relationship – not fling – would totally be possible if she was up to it. If she says yes, it would be worth it just so that they could remain together.


Mako Tsunami doesn't really get what's the big deal about relationships. He's had his fair share of girlfriends – okay, maybe just one or two – but they were more or less out of obligation than any form of attraction. He can say that he's not gay, but he doesn't consider himself straight either. He's not bi, he's not into transsexuals, or any other type of gender identity that he can think of. Mako just can't see people that way.

That being said, he doesn't dislike people. To the contrary, he loves being around other human beings. He enjoys the company of his friends and considers them to be the light of his life. At the same time, he doesn't regret his asexuality. It's who he is and he doesn't know of how to live his life any other way.


Atem is another one of those people who doesn't care about the gender of the person that she is sexually involved with, but she takes it to a completely different level. While her romantic life is and will always be centered on the beings known as Bakura, she is not apposed to taking other men and women to her bed. But those relationships (if they could even be called such) are completely loveless and nothing more than a grab for power when she has no other option – like blackmail, death treats, or political favours.

Other times, though, Atem just gets frustrated. During those times, she shamefully calls upon one of her many Summon creatures, hoping that they will refuse her. But they know of her torment and how she has served Magic both willingly and unwillingly for centuries and let her use them as she wishes (and doesn't wish). Atem usually calls upon the more humanoid of her Summons like the Celtic Guardian and Mystical Elf and prays that Bakura never hears of her betrayal.


Maximillion Pegasus believes that he was born at least five hundred years too late. Not just because, by today's standards, he is considered to be very metrosexual, but because of his choice in women. He's not gay in any aspect – no matter what Mahad may be whispering in his mind about denial – but Pegasus like's his women young.

Not jailbait, pedophiliac young, but significantly younger than him. He knows that he's not exactly the number one most wanted bachelor anymore, not when he's pushing forty five and hasn't got a single dark hair left on his head. Pegasus sees the life in them, which is something he believes that he's lost, and falls in love with it. He knows that he's not going to be around forever. Between the Orichalcos war and whichever gangster that has lost a fortune in one of his casinos this week, he doesn't think that he's going to live to see fifty. He's dying, but he doesn't want to go just yet.

He loved the look of life in her eyes. If only they hadn't closed so early. If only.


Kisara Bleu and Seto Kaiba are practically made for each other, and somewhere in her mind, Kisara actually thinks that they are. They fit together like pieces of a puzzle, personalities not only matching, but also complementing each other. She's loved Seto from the moment that he held out his hand to her despite knowing exactly what she was and what she was capable of. He said that he was going to change the world and Kisara knew then that she would do anything to help him do just that. She loved him and would follow him through the gates of hell if he asked her to follow him there.

Seto, on the other hand, honestly didn't know how to take her unwavering loyalty at first. He also didn't understand why Kisara's skin felt surprisingly good whenever he felt it brush against him. He's never had a reaction like this to anyone before and it actually frightens him for a while. After consulting several Internet sites, library books, and his brother – "You're such a virgin, Seto." "Shut up, Mokuba." – he figures it out and starts to hyperventilate.

Once they finally get together – and it takes a while for Seto to get his ass in gear – their roles in the bedroom are a reverse of what they are in real life. While Kisara normally comes off as sub servant to him, she is the one that is in control. Seto reveals that he is not a sadist but a desperate, desperate masochist with a blood fetish (specifically, his own). And that's fine with the both of them because Kisara takes on characteristics of her Berserker form whenever she has sex, something that Seto likes a lot.


If there is one thing that can be said about Mokuba Kaiba, it is that he likes to screw with people's heads.


Tea Gardner knows that she like boys, but can't help but wonder what it would be like to be with a girl. She's a bit scared to find out, to be completely honest, but she still wonders. She thinks of all the girls in her life and believes that if her first lesbian experience had to be with anyone, it would be with Amane. Tea trusts the girl, but doesn't even suggest such a thing because she knows that Amane is hiding something.

And then Ryou Bakura steps into her life after years of just wandering around the edges. Tea doesn't have a crush on him, per say, but she really likes the idea of the gentleman that she's painted around him. She's never known that someone, let alone a boy, could be so courteous and nice, even going as far as to refuse her because he knew she didn't really want to have sex with him. Tea wonders just who the hell this girl of his is because she is so damn lucky to have him.

Bakura and Amane thought that Tea was kidding at prom when she said that she'd "always wanted to try twins at the same time." She wasn't. And considering that the Bakura siblings are the only twins that she knows, well, you can fill in the blanks.


When it comes to Duke Devlin's relationship with Serenity Wheeler, it wouldn't be a surprise for most people to hear that one of them was bisexual. What would surprise most people is that Duke is not bi; rather it is Serenity.

Duke is straight, almost rigidly so. He is genuinely frightened by the amount of males in his fan club and runs the fuck away whenever they try to ask him out on a date. He's not homophobic; he's just not into that stuff personally. He's straight and that's not going to change anytime soon, no matter how many times someone tries to bring out his inner bi-curious teenager. He doesn't have one of those, damn it!

Serenity doesn't see gender. She acknowledges sex – that males have certain parts and females have different ones, but when it comes to man and woman, she doesn't see how that counts for anything. Humans are humans at the end of the day; what they are born with doesn't mean anything compared to what they make of themselves, so why should it have any effect on whether or not she is attracted to them?

Duke sees Serenity as The One. Serenity doesn't – at least, not for a while.


Miho Nosaka was an incredibly popular girl, when she was still living in Japan. She was not only incredibly intelligent, but considered to be quite beautiful at the same time. She had a boyfriend that she'd been very close with and she cared for him very much. But when her family moved to America, she felt cut off from the rest of the world because she didn't understand the English language well enough. She felt frustrated, but put any thought of a relationship behind her.

Miho liked Tristan because he was the first person that she had an actual conversation with. It was simple and completely in English, but he kept talking (however slowly) and didn't walk away. It makes her heart flutter because there was someone in this country who actually cared enough to be around her.


Tristan Taylor finds it weird that he doesn't find it weird that he likes being with Joey (in a way that can only be described as sober). He's not freaking about being in a full on gay relationship and that is what freaks him out. Because Tristan knows that fooling around can't cover this – whatever it is – anymore. And he's surprisingly okay with that.

He's never thought of himself as gay or even bisexual. He knows that he's made out with guys before, but he was completely plastered at those points so they don't really count. But this – with Joey, Joey – was something completely different and Tristan likes it. For once, he actually feels free, like he's been trapped in a cage for all his life and he's now just managed to escape. Tristan wonders if this is how it felt to be in love with someone.


Joey Wheeler prays to God every night, hoping that he will wake up and be straight. He hates himself because his sexuality is just wrong. He's not human, he's less than human – he's disgusting and sinful and a fucking mistake. And he's jealous of Bakura, so insanely jealous of him. Because that freak was with his our sister but he looked so fucking happy so why can't Joey be happy? Why can't he just accept his feelings for Tristan even though it is obviously wrong like the freak can? He wants…Joey wants to be like him, damn it, why can't he be like him?

But he's not gay. He's not. Joey likes girls, he swears. This is…this thing with Tristan – he doesn't know what it is, but he likes it when he shouldn't. Because he's straight. He's straight – he's straight – dear god, why can't he be straight?


Amane Bakura knows the difference between attraction and love like the back of her hand. She's been attracted to guys before: flirted with them, kisses them, slept with them. But there are only two beings that she's ever been in love with. There is very little that separates the two in appearance, but Amane knows who's who. Magic is Magic and Ryou is Ryou. There is little distinction.

But sometimes Amane wonders if it is a coincidence that she just happened to love those two – they who look so similar. Something tells her that there is something else going on and it comes from the looks that Magic gives her when he thinks that she isn't watching. The looks that tell her that he thinks she's going to slip right through his fingers and disappear forever. He chose her for some reason and she wants to know exactly what set him apart from every other human being on the face of the earth, past, present, and future.

"God made our arms just long enough to embrace ourselves: go ahead, try it – nobody's watching."
- Tigress Luv


Hey guys.

Now I know that this isn't the update that you are all hoping for, as it is neither The Second Year or Resurrection, but I promise you that I am working on them. I'm a good chunk of the way through the third chapter of The Second Year and am knee deep in research for Thief King's story. I'm trying to juggle my school work the best I can with my writing and I think I'm doing alright with it, so there's nothing that's going to stop me from posting.

Now, Odd Happenings is going to be a bit of a dumping ground for me for random drabbles and oneshots that stay in my mind about The Others Series and simply refuse to let go. Some will be canon (I can't believe that I have something I can call canon!), others will be 'deleted scenes', and some just might be completely AU. And some will be just a massive pile of information, like I've done here. I just figured that it would be best to just get it all out instead of letting the ideas stockpile in my mind.

I just want you to know that I ask myself a lot of questions about my characters and their sexualities (and sometimes, their bedroom habits in the case of Kaiba and Kisara) get kicked around a fair bit. I just felt that with what was revealed at the end of The First Year, I should basically get as many people out of the closet as I can. Just so you know, I've always pictured Mokuba as a fully functional sociopath that can imitate emotion with frighteningly realistic accuracy. He does get his kicks out of messing with people because he's a born manipulator.

Until next time,

AlcatrazOutpatient