A/N: This was supposed to be a Ryou-less fic…but somehow he wound up being the main character. Oh well…
Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, j25 – write a post-cannon fic, and for the Novel with Prompts Challenge, the prompt for this chapter: queue.
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Parlour
Chapter 1
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Egypt
Valley of the Kings
Cairo International Airport
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He'd stayed to watch the Ceremonial Duel.
In retrospect, he probably shouldn't have. It made it that much harder to slip past them thereafter. In the end, he said he'd chosen to stay in Egypt a little longer, and before they could attack that clumsy course of action, he embellished it. Told of how his father was setting up an exhibit (which he was, though he carefully neglected to mention exactly what the exhibit would be on), about how he planned to meet him (which he didn't), how his father had enough frequent flyer miles to fund a trip around the world (which was a slight exaggeration). He talked to the point of babbling, and maybe it was only the aftermath of the Pharaoh's – Atem's – departure that kept the others blind. But they smiled and wished him luck and settled into Odion's jeep for a ride to the airport.
And Ishizu and Marik offered to give him a ride to wherever he planned to stay. It took some slower thinking to get out of that one, and eventually he had to give up on a lie and admit he hadn't sorted that out yet. As far as people to admit his Yami's misdeeds to went, Marik was on the good end of the spectrum. He couldn't really speak for Ishizu, having never actually talked to her before. But Marik was perhaps the person who would understand the best, who'd come the closest to similar circumstances and sometimes, before the church had fallen, he'd considered picking up the phone and calling the Egyptian.
It wasn't the prospect of a hefty bill that stopped him. The money his father sent to maintain his living expenses could handle a few long distance calls as well. What he'd saved over the past few years could handle a couple of plane fares, even. It was simply the thought of talking about it all, of facing what scars and shortcomings of his own that let the other spirit claim his body again and again.
He knew full well he was running away, like he'd always done. And maybe Marik and Ishizu could see that as well, because they looked at each other in concern. 'We could all go to the airport,' he suggested. 'They have a place where you can get hotels and transport to them. And money exchange and other useful things.'
And that sounded very useful indeed, because he sincerely doubted that his Yami, the thief he was, had bothered to change Japanese yen into Egyptian pounds.
'Airport it is,' he agreed.
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Airport meant he got to see a little more of Yugi and the others, and they of him. Luckily, he seemed to have placated what shallow worries they carried towards him (because how could they care deeply, when he seemed to come in a set with a spirit that caused the Pharoah, and his host and friends, such grief), and the conversation was light. Jonouchi was hoping to call his sister from the airport, something Honda was excited about.
Ryou didn't even remember Jyou's sister. He knew of her; they'd travelled together in Duellist Kingdom after all, after the spirit of the ring suffered its first defeat at the Pharoah's hands. If he'd ever met her though, it was with body only. And he wasn't going to ask because those were just more details better not known.
Goodbyes were done and then he wandered off with false promises to meet up again soon – or perhaps they weren't false. He'd failed at that before. And he'd been told several times already that his Yami wouldn't return but he had.
The difference now was that he no longer had the ring. And though a part of him ached at its absence, he was glad it had been taken out of his hands. Like a drug, he was attracted to it and it to him, otherwise he would have thrown it away himself in Duellist Kingdom and never gone back for it.
If he had, his story could have been very different, but he'd been naïve to think the spirit would stay beaten. He hadn't. Would it stay beaten now? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Yugi had had the ring last, and yet its spirit had still crept up on him. The distance hadn't stopped it. Could it then float out of the Pharaoh's tomb and back into his hands?
That thought made him want to leave Egypt as soon as possible, and when he thought about it, it wasn't a wholly bad idea. There was nothing in Egypt that wasn't anywhere else, save his father and Marik and he'd prefer to avoid known company for the time being. Perhaps all company.
When was the next flight with empty seats, he wondered?
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'Saint Petersberg,' said the woman at the counter, replying to his accented Arabic with her own smoother dialect. 'Departing in two hours.'
The former Russian capital. He'd been once, to see the Bronze Horseman, but that had been a long time ago: when his mother and sister were still alive, when the family had travelled together instead of alone. But it wasn't a heavy place from his past: not like Australia or England or Egypt or Japan. As good a place as any, he supposed, though his Russian was pretty limited. Limited to what had come out of a guidebook fourteen years prior – so he should probably say he didn't know any Russian at all. Not that it mattered. He hadn't known any Japanese when he'd picked Japan as his roost, but he'd picked it up quickly enough.
'I'll take a ticket,' he said. Luckily, he had his passport with his wallet – or rather, lucky that his Yami hadn't removed either or both from his pocket.
The woman looked at his passport. 'Japanese citizen…Do you have a visa for Russia?'
…of course, that had been going too well. 'No,' he admitted. 'I did about fourteen years ago.'
She smiled kindly. 'That's too old, I'm afraid. The next available flight is to Changi International Airport in Singapore. Doesn't require a visa for Japanese citizens for the first thirty days.'
Ryou nodded. Singapore he'd never been to before. That was fine, and with a few country hops, he could make it back to Japan too if he chose to, or away. 'When does it leave?'
'Two and a half hours.' She printed a receipt and boarding pass for him. He was pretty much in the front of the aeroplane (sans the first class), but that was what happened with last minute bookings. 'Luggage?'
He shook his head. 'Just hand-carry.' At the small frown that marred her features, he added: 'Just doing a bit of backpacking before returning home. It's more the adventure than the place.'
'Fair enough.' She shrugged and handed him a nametag. 'Just put that on your backpack.' Which he'd have to buy, because the spirit of the ring had only bothered with the coat and what was in its pockets at the time.
He was lucky to be old enough to be travelling alone, otherwise there would have been a lot more awkward questions involved.
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He checked the board. His flight was boarding in an hour and a half. The earliest flight back to Japan wouldn't for another four. And he wasn't even sure if they'd be getting on that flight, because there was a fair number of people to seat.
When he almost stumbled upon them in one of the souvenir stands, he realised the seating wasn't a problem at all, and he silently groaned and ducked behind the trolley bags. From the sounds of things, he didn't want to actually walk in on that conversation.
But he had to admit that, once his name popped up, he couldn't simply walk away.
'It's too bad we don't know where he planned on staying,' Yugi was saying. 'If we're sticking around a few more days, it would've been nice to explore together.'
'What do you mean "if"?' That was Jonouchi, distinctive even if he hadn't been standing straight and easy to spot. 'Of course we're staying. We don't get a chance to explore Egypt every day.'
Someone laughed. It sounded like Yugi's grandfather, but he couldn't be sure. His closest encounter with the older man was when he'd taken him to the hospital, and he'd been too distracted by the pain to think much else at the time. He couldn't see the speaker either – but he could only see Jonouchi, Honda and Odion in any case. The others were hidden by the shelves and the merchandise they held.
'You youngsters think you can cover Egypt in a week?' Yup, that confirmed it.
'We'll be happy to help.' That must be Ishizu, because he knew Anzu's voice and that wasn't it, and she was the only female in the group. 'Right?'
'Sure…' That must be Marik, because Odion's lips hadn't moved and it sounded more like Marik anyway. It was hard to place voices he'd heard only recently for the first time – assuming his subconsciousness hadn't been taking notes while under his Yami's control. That was a bleak prospect, though probably true. The fuel of his nightmares. The fuel of his guilt before he put together enough for a concrete picture from other's words and hints.
They drifted off after that, their words becoming more indistinct until he couldn't hear their voices anymore. He peeked out from behind the shelf. He could just make out Jonouchi's blond hair in the distance, waving his arms animatedly in a way that made him want to smile.
The baggage he carried wouldn't let him. So he turned away and combed the shelves, wincing at the prices but admitting a backpack, even empty, was a necessity at this point. He couldn't board a plane with just a wallet, a passport and a deck of cards without questions he'd rather avoid than lie through.
'Let me guess,' said a dry voice from behind him, and Ryou jumped. Marik! And indeed it was Marik, looking torn between pity and amusement. 'Your Yami neglected to do any packing for you.'
'Something like that,' he agreed, taking a few shallow breaths to calm himself. 'You startled me.'
'I thought I noticed you.' That explained the distracted "Sure" he'd given earlier. 'Airports are a pretty expensive place to shop. You'd find much better prices at a bazaar.'
'Uhh…' How could he explain why he couldn't go shopping in an Egyptian bazaar because his flight would leave in two hours? 'Where are the others?'
'Ishizu and Odion are looking after them for the moment.'
So they were alone. Well, there were worse people than Marik Ishtar to admit the truth too. 'Actually, I'm not staying in Egypt. I just need some…alone time.'
'In Japan?' Marik raised an eyebrow.
'Somewhere…fresh. For a bit, anyway. I'll probably have to go back once school starts.'
'School…' the other repeated, like it was a foreign word. And maybe it was, to him. 'Maybe I ought to give it a try.'
'Don't tell Jonouchi or Honda,' Ryou advised. 'They'll try to convince you otherwise.' He saw them enough at school to know their attitude towards it. 'Anzu might be your best bet when it comes to advice.'
'Noted.' He grinned. 'Though if you're concerned about missing school, I'd say you're not a bad choice yourself.'
He turned away a little. He was a bad choice for rather different reasons, and they both recognised the fact. 'Do you have enough money to get around?'
'I've saved up a fair bit.' Ryou nodded. He wasn't sure if he did have enough for another flight, honestly, since he still wasn't sure if his Yami had used his account balance or less savoury means to arrive in Egypt in the first place. But he also didn't necessarily have to fly back to Japan. There were other ways to country hop.
He also didn't have to go back to Japan at all, if it came to that. There wasn't much in his apartment he was worried about losing. Much in Japan, except friends he didn't deserve, friends he wasn't even sure called him a friend after all the trouble he'd brought them.
'So you just need luggage.' Marik grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of the shop, and he followed along. They weren't going in the same direction as Yugi and the others anyway. Just to an empty duo of seats. Marik plopped down on one and emptied the backpack he wore.
Now, Ryou understood, and he protested.
Marik just waved him off. 'Much cheaper than the airport,' he said. 'And I'm selling it to you, anyhow. I can pick up another when we take the others. Maybe they'll have something with a motorbike picture this time.'
Ryou blinked and closed his mouth. He couldn't really argue with that.
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Marik was gone before Ryou remembered he'd never told the other to not tell his plans. Though he wouldn't lose much if they knew. After all, he hadn't told Marik where he was heading exactly, so nobody would be able to track him down and drag him in front of any committee. Except his father, but it was doubtful he'd check the expenses until the next deposit and he had a good fortnight before that happened.
He had a backpack now too, which smoothed things along somewhat. He put his deck in there – or the spirit's deck (he hadn't checked it yet and he wasn't planning to right then either, though he did know he'd rather not have it in his holster) – and duel disk, and coat. He put the wallet and passport in his jeans pockets instead. He'd need them to get through boarding, and he had plenty of experience with thievery beyond that.
If one could really call it an experience.
Once he was in the departure lounge, he stopped looking over his shoulder. No-one without a boarding pass of their own would follow him. No surprises like Marik. No smiles from Yugi and the others when none of them were sure he deserved them. Just strangers boarding planes just like him and the people walking there, observing, ushering them to security checks and boarding gates and other things.
It grew darker outside. He could just make out a plane anchored to a bridge close by. First class and business passengers were called. A queue began to form: like a snake, twisting between the rows of seats and past him once the economy class was called up as well. They were smart, at least. Calling out passengers by seating zones. C first, and he supposed C was the rear of the plane because he was F. Then D, then E, and the line only grew longer.
It took almost half an hour for them to call out F, and by then there wasn't much of a queue, there or to be made, at all.
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The plane was big, but he didn't see much of the inside. He was sitting in the front. Staring at the curtain that split economy from the first class and business passengers, in fact. Beside him was a little boy. Continuing the row was a mother and three kids. The little boy must have been hers too or travelling alone, otherwise he would have been sitting with his own mother.
It was his first plane flight, and he was leaning across his arm-rest and chatting in rapid-fire Arabic to whom Ryou assumed was his sister. He only glanced at her before staring out the window. Was colourless hair a common thing in Egypt? There was Marik, and this family too. But the mother's hair was a soft brown. His mother's had been white and she'd passed in on to both her children. Before, his father would complain how his genes had been tossed out of the equation. Now, they only talked about necessities: school, living, work…
The seatbelt sign blinked on and the captain introduced himself through the monitors. The young boy beside him was still babbling excitedly, and he put his headset on to listen to the safety instructions better. His mind drifted anyway: to the deck burning a hole through the backpack in the overhead locker, to Marik being so agreeable with his half-hearted and somewhat crazy plan, with Yugi and the others smiling after he'd almost gotten them killed again…and to the girl sitting across the aisle who looked to be about as old as Amane had been, before she'd…
Of course, his Yami wouldn't have bothered writing to her. He should ask for a pad and pen, he decided, once the plane took off. He probably had a few letters to catch up on. Though what was he going to say? Amane was the last person in the world who should know.
The plane began to move. The broken white lines on the runway blurred into one, and the lights did too. He began to plan his letter. Dear Amane. I'm sorry it's been a while. Your big brother is writing from an aeroplane in Cairo…
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Extra notes:
Yami Bakura doesn't follow many rules, so who knows how he got to Egypt and the Pharaoh's tomb. Ryou will find out soon whether the money came out of the account his father set up for him or not (or indeed if money was involved at all :D).
Ignore the mention of Australia for the time being. That'll be explained later on. England and Japan are more self-explanatory.
The languages Ryou knows – this is me guessing/going with what works well with the fic, but Yami Yugi and Yami Bakura should both know Arabic, having their roots in Egypt (writing was Egyptian hieroglyphics, but I don't know of a speech equivalent to that). Of course, that's of little relevance here. Ryou knows a handful of languages because of his father's work, and if his father's narrowed his interests down to Egyptian artefacts at some point during his travels, he'd have had to learn the official language. And Ryou had plenty of time on his hands after the ring (and maybe even before) with the lack of friends issue, so why not learn some languages his father also knows? The Russian is out of a guide book. English was his first language (going from the British accent in the English dub), so English, Japanese, Arabic and Chinese (reason explained later), in that order. Now, the international airport probably does know English (the ones in Saudi Arabia and Dubai did), but Ryou knowing Arabic ties in with a headcanon of mine. Not sure if it'll be relevant in this fic or not so I'll just keep it to myself for now.
Carrying the passport around…don't know if this is an Australian thing or worldwide, but it's an unwritten rule (except when you get into a situation like an accident or a crime where it becomes a written rule) to carry a form of ID around (especially to places like test centres), and student cards don't count in most cases. So, for people who don't have a driver's licence, the default to fall back onto is usually the passport. I had to get mine especially renewed for a test one time because I didn't have a driver's licence.
Visa…wiki is my best friend for this. Visa required for Russia before departure. Visa not required for Singapore for 30 days, and not for Malaysia for 90 days. Visa not required for China for 15 days. Visa is required for North Korea but not South Korea for the first 90 days, and naturally no visa to return to Japan while he's a citizen. Interestingly, Egypt does require a visa, but it's visa on arrival which means it doesn't have to be pre-applied, I think. In any case, that's Toei's problem, not mine. :D
Russia and Singapore… Russia sounded fun (I had this image of eskimo Ryou) until I realised he needed a visa he didn't plausibly have. Singapore because it's nearby (relatively), close to China and Japan (relatively again) and I just got back from there last week so some fresh first-hand experience. Granted, Yugioh took place some years back so things like the metro wouldn't have existed at the time. But it's better than me walking completely blind like I will in some of the later bits.