Internal Issues
Chapter 1: Counselor Issues
Why they came back to Japan was a big mystery to Malik. He supposed it had something to do with Isis's work at the museum. But he still couldn't figure it out.
He also couldn't understand why she told him he had to go to 'school.' But she told him that it was for his own good, so he supposed he had better.
He supposed it was amusing that the others were vaguely nervous around him, save Ryou, who had really been under his yami's control during most of the 'Battle City' fiasco, and therefore didn't remember much.
He couldn't understand why they had all these useless rules. Like that one about the clothes. If he wanted to wear the cape his yami had worn, why did it matter? If he decided that it was much too nice a day to be wearing that stupid uniform and came to school in off-white shorts and a t-shirt with the collar and sleeves cut off, why did they care? Why did they care that his blonde hair went past his shoulders? (Ryou's was longer- why didn't they bother about his?)
Malik Ishtar was sent to the counselor after the first week.
"Ishtar-kun?" the woman asked, admitting him. She was about 40, maybe; gray-streaked black hair pulled back into a bun, severe glasses, business skirt suit. Almost cliched.
He rose from the chair he had been fidgeting in and entered her office. It was neat and sever, like her. The niggling, 'cliche!' feeling in the back of his mind increased.
"I am Ms. Kibishi." she said. "Now, I believe we are here to talk about certain... problems that you've been having."
I'm here for that, Malik grumbled in his head. You're here because it's what they pay you to do.
"Let's get down to it. Why did you assault another student with a plastic knife?"
Oh, so that's what this was about? He thought it was because he had shown up for the third time in as many days in something other than the uniform. Really, he had worn it the first two days of school. Wasn't that enough?
"Oh, that?" he asked. "I wanted to see if it could cut well enough that I could open up my stomach."
Ms. Kibishi paled, looking at him faintly over her glasses.
"I... see. Why would you want to 'open up your stomach?'"
"To get rid of it, of course! And the intestines, and the liver, and, and, all of the insides!" he ranted, shuddering. He hated to think of his insides. They squirmed and made icky feelings.
"Why on Earth would you want to do a thing like that?" she asked, shock etched clearly onto her features.
"Because they do weird things without my knowledge! Except the lungs, I guess they can stay... But the rest of them! Like, like, the heart! Always beating! I can feel it! And the stomach making weird gurgly noises, and the spleen! Who knows what that does!" His voice was becoming progressively higher-pitched; he couldn't stand it, all this thinking about his insides.
His desperate eyes fell on the letter opener on her desk.
"Ha! I will get them out! I will get them all out!" he ranted, grabbing it. Ms. Kibishi's eyes went wide.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she shrieked, snatching the letter opener and throwing it across the room. "You need those to survive, you know!"
"No I don't!" Malik exclaimed. "I don't! Mariku said so!"
"Mariku?" she asked.
"He's my yami." he explained, forgetting about the insides. Her hair was falling out of her bun, and her eyes were wide in her pale face. She was breathing heavily. It was quite amusing, actually.
"Your yami?" she queried.
"Mou hitori no boku." he affirmed.
Her eyes darted about, landing on a piece of paper and a pen. She started scribbling on it, brushing her hair out of her eyes wildly.
"This is beyond my expertise." she said, thrusting the note at him. "You may go. The session is over. Give that to your guardian."
"You mean Rishid?"
"Whoever your guardian is!" she said almost hysterically. She all but shoved him out of her office and slammed the door.
Malik shrugged, heading out of the school.
Rishid was waiting for him by the gate.
"Riiishid!" Malik called, bouncing over to him and handing him a note. "The counselor wouldn't let me take out my insides."
"Good." Rishid said. Malik pouted.
"She told me to give this to you!" He passed him the note.
Rishid read it over, the normally grave expression on his face turning to one of almost fury.
"What is it, Rishid?" Malik asked.
"That idiot woman recommends that you be sent to an institution."
"What's wrong with that?" he asked innocently.
"You'd be separated from Isis, me, and everyone you know. You wouldn't be underground, but you'd be locked up, all cozy in a cell." the man explained. Malik's eyes grew wide with hurt.
Why would that woman want to do that to him? First she wouldn't let him take his insides out, and now this? Separate him from his family, the only thing he really loved?
Fury and pain collided in him, causing a stirring that he recognized. He'd wakened Mariku.
The first student to walk into the counselor's office the next day found it a bloody mess, with her mutilated corpse in the middle of it.
Mariku did not take kindly to those who made his hikari feel that way.
n.n Andthat is the first installment of Internal Issues.
Some notes:
In the first season, Ryou is challenged about his hair- there's the irony. (kudos if you caught it)Bakura comes and seals that particular teacher's soul in a lead figurine.
Kibishii means 'strict' in Japanese.
Mou hitori no boku: Translates literally to "another one person of mine." Simply put, "another me."