Cinderella
Written by: Sarah Harvey
A/N: I also would like to dedicate this story to all of my reviewers! I'm still so sorry about not posting for a while! glares and kicks the personal firewall But it's all fixed now So onto the story!
Warning: Yaoi ahead! --
As Ryou walked home from school, several thoughts ran across his mind continuously. He had a lot to think about. Tomorrow was the Halloween Costume Party, and he had no one to go with. On top of that, he didn't know what to go as. He knew that Bakura was going for sure, because he had made a point of telling Ryou that he'd probably find a date before he did. He teased Ryou a lot for that fact.
He ran up the sidewalk to his house, unlocked the door, and ran into his house with renewed determination. He would go to the Halloween party. And he would find a date.
He was about to run up the stairs to his room when the phone rang. He gladly ran over to it, and answered.
"Hello?" He was happy to find out that it was Yugi. The only thing that bugged him was that Yugi needed him to go over to his house right away. And Yugi didn't even tell him why. "Okay, Bye. I'll see you soon."
Ryou sighed, got his things together, and went to the door. Which promptly chose to open at that exact moment, and knocked him over.
"Ow..." He groaned as he stood up. Bakura walked in, and looked at him for a moment before he hid a bag behind his back.
"Sorry. Gotta go." Bakura ran up the stairs as Ryou called back to him.
"Me too! I'll be gone to Yugi's for a while!" With that, Ryou closed the door behind himself, and ran down to Yugi's house/The Game Shop. He was about to knock on the door when it was pulled open by none of than Yugi.
"Hey, Ryou! I can't wait to show you something!" Yugi grinned happily like a cute little child, grabbed Ryou's hand, and pulled him inside and up to his shared room. Yami was already there, staring strangely at a large box in the middle of the room.
"What's wrong with Yami?" He half-whispered to Yugi, who sighed, then grinned.
"He knows what's in the box." Yugi said in a slightly evil almost Marik-like voice.
"In... that box?" Ryou peered down at the box, then to Yami, then back to Yugi. "Did I miss something?"
"He'll probably get to you, too." Yami said as he smiled finally. "He already got to me."
"Huh?" Ryou felt and looked hopelessly lost. "What are you talking about...?"
"The box." Yugi said in an over dramatic voice as he walked over to it, and sat down next to it. "I went shopping with Yami, and we found this great store with really good priced stuff. Turns out Kaiba owned the store, so we got discounts on everything!"
"Kaiba?" Ryou looked even more puzzled than before. "Seto Kaiba gave you discounts?"
Yugi bit his lip and glanced at Yami, who also looked suddenly uncomfortable. "Um... not exactly... heh heh... you see..."
"It's a long story. Yugi can tell you tomorrow on the way to the Halloween Party." Yami got up, shook his head as he glanced down at The Box, then left the room with a wave and a kiss from Yugi. They had been together for nearly a year already.
"So, Yugi... The box?" Ryou gave him a look filled with curiosity, then sat down beside Yugi. Yugi opened the box slowly and carefully, and Ryou shook his head in disbelief when he saw what was inside. What looked like dozens of different costume all shoved into one box suddenly started to fall over the sides of the box, and soon the many different costumes were scattered all over the room. "Whoa..."
"Yeah. I think in all it was cheaper than buying one costume down at that expensive costume store." Yugi smiled again. "Yami and I already picked out our costumes. Or rather... I picked out our costumes." Yugi winked before he continued. "Anyway, I called you over so that you could pick one out! I've got so many left, and I knew that you didn't have one. And... I know something that you don't know."
"And what's that?" Ryou looked at his friend again, completely puzzled.
"I can't tell you." Yugi giggled, then picked up a bunch of different costumes for Ryou to try on. He let Ryou change in his room, and he left. Thankfully, the door to Yugi's room had a lock.
Ryou looked down at one that Yugi had picked for him. It was definitely too small. And when he tried it on, he nearly ripped it right in half. It was a costume of what looked like a vampire. Ryou looked and noticed a red stain on the front of it. He put it down with wide eyes, and tried on the next. It was too big, and too uncomfortable. And he didn't like pumpkins. He put it down next to the vampire costume, and tried the next.
He liked the next one, but he just didn't feel right wearing it. That and it was obviously made for a girl. The chest are was three times larger than the waist. He shuddered and laughed when he realised Anzu would probably wear something like that. Why would Yugi make him try that outfit?
He shrugged, and tried on the final outfit. He blushed when he looked at himself in the mirror. It was a cute little pink dress that fit him perfectly. He thought to himself that he actually looked somewhat like a girl wearing it. He blushed a little more when there was a knock on the door.
"You tried them on yet, Ryou?" Yugi knocked again, and Ryou went to the door a little reluctantly, and opened the door. Yugi giggled when he saw what Ryou was wearing. Then he smirked.
"Why were they mostly girl costumes." Ryou looked at him, almost accusingly.
"Oh... no... reason..." Yugi smirked again, and pushed his way into his room. "I think that's a good choice. And remember, it's a mask party, so no one is supposed to know who you are. That works perfectly with that costume. More than you think. Mwahahahaha!" Yugi stopped laughing suddenly, covered his mouth, and scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I didn't say that out loud! Did I? I did, didn't I." Yugi sighed, and sat down on his bed. "Oh! I got some accessories for that costume!"
"But! Yugi! I don't, I mean... This costume isn't really... I... Can't I just pick-" He was cut short as Yugi shoved a pretty golden grown embroidered with jewels onto his head, and Yugi handed him two matching pink gloves.
"Wow! It's perfect!" Yugi clapped his hands together and grinned happily. "Oh, I almost forgot!" He disappeared into his closet for a second before he returned with a sparkling white mask, and handed it to Ryou. "No one will ever recognise you! Unless... well, I don't suppose you want to dye your hair?"
"No! I... Do I have to wear this, Yugi? I mean... I'm a guy, and... this is a dress, and..." Ryou trailed off for lack of better words to say what he meant.
"...and? And you like Bakura, right? So trust me on this one." Yugi winked at him again.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ryou looked at him suspiciously.
"That means that you've got to trust me when I say wear this costume tomorrow night. I swear! Just wear it, and... you'll feel like... Cinderella..." Yugi suddenly burst out laughing, and put all the other costumes back into The Box.
Ryou now officially hated the box. But if Yugi was right... Then he'd just have to wear the costume and find out what Yugi really meant. But he still hated the box. Maybe he could get his Yami to send it to the Shadow Realm after the Costume Party.
Yugi let him change back into his normal clothes, then put the costume into a bag, and handed it back to Ryou.
"When do you want it back?"
"Oh, you can keep it. I'm sure you'll want to keep it." Yugi suddenly sounded as though he knew something that Ryou didn't. He smirked.
"And what if I won't want to keep it?" Ryou felt pretty sure that he'd want to get out of it as soon as possible and never see it again.
"Trust me-" Yugi winked again, "-you will."
"Um... okay..." Yugi showed Ryou to the door, and they said their goodbyes.
"He got to you with The Box, didn't he?" Yami popped his head around the corner and laughed when Ryou nodded with a grim look on his face. "Well... have fun!" Yami burst out laughing again, and ran back around the corner to dodge the shoe that Yugi threw at him.
"Seeya, Ryou!" He closed the door as Ryou turned his back, and walked home. He sighed as he got to his house. He felt as though he'd regret wearing that costume. But he decided, against better judgement, to trust Yugi. Just this once.
When he walked inside, as usual, all the lights were off in his house. The only light came from the television in the living room down the hall. His Yami was probably there watching television again like the good little zombie that he was whenever he watched it.
Ryou headed towards the kitchen to turn on the lights, but tripped on something halfway there, bringing down a small table with a lamp and books with him.
Even with the huge crashing sound that it made, Bakura didn't come out to see what had happened. Instead, the volume on the tv was turned up a little more.
Ryou sighed, turned on the light, and cleaned up the mess that he had made. Luckily, nothing broke, and he was able to put it all back where it belonged. He looked down and noticed that he had tripped on Bakura's shoe. Cursing softly, he put it in the closet along with his own shoes.
He walked quietly into the kitchen, and put on some soup for himself. Before long, the smell of cooking soup reached Bakura's nose, and he found his way to the kitchen.
"Food?" Bakura looked over at Ryou, who was stirring it slowly. Ryou glanced back and shook his head in disbelief.
"Yes, Bakura, food. Why you didn't put some on for yourself earlier surpasses me." Ryou sighed, and continued to stir the hot soup. "It'll be ready in a few minutes, so you can sit down."
"I don't want to." Bakura folded his arms across his chest, and leaned back against the wall. Ryou rolled his eyes at how child-like Bakura could act at times.
"Fine. I really don't care, Bakura, and I'm not in the mood to have another argument with you."
"Oh? And why's that?" Bakura smirked when Ryou sighed, and concentrated on stirring. A few minutes of silence later, and Ryou had soup in two bowls. He set them down on the table carefully. Bakura sat down reluctantly, and ate. They are in complete silence. Except for Bakura's occasional slurping of his soup. He earned a giggle from Ryou by the end, who had been trying to contain his laughter.
"You have a date yet for the Costume Party?" Ryou asked as soon as he had got a hold of himself, and was no longer laughing.
"Um... That's for me to know and you to find out." Bakura stared down at the rest of his soup, and poked at it with his spoon. "You?"
"Nope. And I didn't expect to get one, either. But Yugi's dragging me along, so I'll be going anyway." Ryou smiled sadly, picked up his dishes, and put them in the sink. He left before Bakura could say anything else, and he ran up to his room with his costume safely tucked away in its bag. He hid it at the very back of his closet.
With a yawn, Ryou lay down on his bed and closed his eyes. He was so tired that he fell asleep in his clothes with his light still on. Luckily, though, Bakura walked by, and managed to cover Ryou with a blanket and turn off his light. Which was more than he did while Ryou was awake.
A smile found its way to Ryou's lips. Even in his sleep he seemed happy. But Bakura didn't notice the tear that slid down his cheek when he closed the door.
Ryou woke up the next day with a satisfying feeling. He didn't know why, but he didn't really feel as nervous for the party that night as he felt the day before. In fact, he felt completely content. He rolled over, and stretched out his arms. He was glad that they had been given a day off that day. That way he could rest all day and prepare for the party without being in too much of a hurry. He glanced at the clock and sighed. It was already noon. He could hear the radio that was on downstairs. Bakura must already have gotten up.
Ryou slipped out of bed, and stretched again. He noticed that he was still wearing his clothes, and shrugged. He didn't got washed as fast as he could, and walked downstairs in his clean clothes with a towel in his hands. He dried his hair as he walked down the stairs.
A familiar song came on the radio as he got to the bottom of the stairs and found his way to the kitchen. He sat down with a bowl, a spoon, some cereal and some milk. He hummed along to the song 'Dom Andra.' He forgot who sang it, but he liked the song. The only thing that bugged him about it was that he didn't understand the lyrics. He had looked them up once, but had since forgotten them.
He hummed away happily between spoonfuls of cereal. By the time he was done, it was nearly the end of the song. And for some reason, he felt like singing along with it. Since he had no idea what they were saying, he settled for humming along as he put away his dishes, and pulled out a cookbook. He was supposed to make some food for the party, and he had decided on making some cookies. His friends always liked them. He was so preoccupied that he didn't notice Bakura make his into the kitchen.
"You sound like a girl when you sing." Bakura said suddenly, causing Ryou to jump slightly, and turn around.
"Jeeze, Bakura, don't scare me like that." Ryou sighed as he tried to calm himself down. "And I wasn't singing, I was humming." He frowned, and continued to find ingredients for the cookie recipe.
"Whatever. It's not like I was trying to say you sound bad at singing or anything." Bakura coughed when everything got silent as the song ended.
"So then you're saying that you think I'm good at singing?" Ryou eyed him with an amused look on his face.
"No, I just-" Bakura sighed, shook his head, and sat down at the kitchen table. "Whatever. Think what you want."
"I think I'll do just that." Ryou smiled to himself, and started to mix in all the ingredients. He started to hum quite softly to himself as he finally got it all mixed into one bowl. He added some chocolate chips, and smiled. He continued his humming as he put some cookie dough onto a cookie sheet, and put it into the oven. He set a certain time for them, washed his hands, and sat down across from Bakura at the table with a smile on his face.
"So what're you going to be for the costume party?" Ryou asked as he tried to break the silence.
"I really can't say. You?" Bakura looked down at his hands for a moment before he looked back up at Ryou. Ryou's face turned a few shades of red darker, and he twiddled his thumbs together.
"I really can't say, either." Ryou sighed. He was suddenly feeling nervous for the party.
"When will the cookies be done?" Bakura looked longingly at the stove, where the delicious little treats were cooking.
"Is that why you came in? Well you can't have any until the party. So you'll have to wait." Ryou frowned at Bakura, and waited for the stove to beep. For once, it did so in a short period of time. Ryou jumped up to his feet, put some oven mitts on, and took out the cookie sheet. He put it on top of the stove, took off the oven mitts, and lay them down beside the stove. "I have to go to the bathroom. Don't touch them, Bakura, they're hot and you'll burn yourself." Ryou frowned, and left the kitchen reluctantly after putting the last batch of cookies into the oven.
A few minutes later, as Ryou was opening the bathroom door to return to the kitchen, he heard a yelp of pain from the kitchen. He ran to the kitchen worriedly, and sighed when he noticed Bakura clutching his hand with a look of pain and guilt on his face.
He managed to pull Bakura into the bathroom, sit him down on the edge of the bathtub, and get Bakura to show him his hand. It was only a tiny red mark, but Ryou found some things in the medicine cabinet for it anyway. He had Bakura put his finger under the tap of freezing cold water. Bakura winced slightly, and tried to pull away, but Ryou tightened his grip on Bakura's arm. He had surprising force when it came to preventing pain and other such things.
He found some soothing medicinal lotions, and put a small amount onto the tip of Bakura's finger before wrapping it with a small band-aid.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me. Just don't touch things that just came out of ovens ever again." Bakura nodded in agreement, and let himself be led back to the kitchen by Ryou, who didn't notice that he was still holding his arm until they got to the oven. He let go reluctantly, and put a small cookie on a plate. It took a short time to cool down, and he gave it to Bakura, who eyed it suspiciously before accepting it.
"Thanks." He said as he finished off the cookie with a gulp of milk.
"Don't mention it." Ryou said with a strange look on his face. He glanced at the clock, and his eyes widened. "Oh no! I've got to be at Yugi's in less than an hour! And I'm not ready!"
Bakura watched with interest as his hikari ran around the kitchen turning things off, putting things away, and wrapping things up with good speed and timing. Ryou ran out of the kitchen and was back down there within a few minutes with his costume in his bag. "You're going to Marik's, right? They're giving you a ride?"
"Mmhmm." Bakura nodded, eager for his light to leave.
"Alright. Well, I'll be going to Yugi's, now. I'll see you at the costume party! Or... maybe we won't notice each other." Ryou giggled, and waved goodbye to his Yami, who sighed with relief as his hikari left. He looked around, and ran to the phone. He picked it up and dialed someone's number.
"Hey. Yeah it's me. Should I really bring that? But why? Well, alright, but just this once... If you- Fine! Well... Yep, he's gone. Just left. Why? But- Now? But why? Fashionably late, right? No? Oh, okay. But I thought- Okay, I'll be there soon. But if you- hello? Hello?? Goodbye to you, too." Bakura hung up the phone, and sighed. That was the shortest conversation that he'd ever had with Marik in his life.
With that, he left their house, and headed down the street in the opposite direction that his light had gone.
At Yugi's, Ryou was eyeing himself in the mirror. He felt quite foolish wearing a pink dress such as that one. And he didn't really want to go through the humiliation of people figuring out that it was him behind that mask.
"You ready yet, Ryou?"
"I don't know... Yugi, can't I just... pick another one..." Ryou sighed sadly.
"No! It's that one! Don't worry, please just trust me, Ryou." Yugi sighed impatiently through the door. "Come on, Ryou. We'll be late if we don't leave soon."
"Okay..." Ryou grabbed his bag of cookies and his clothes just in case, and his mask. He made sure that the crown was perfectly centered before he went to the door.
"Hey, have you ever tried putting make up on? I bet if you did you'd-" Yugi shut himself up at the dark look Ryou gave him. Yugi smiled back to him. "Okay, okay, I know when to stop." When Ryou was down at the bottom of the stairs, he continued. "You can only twist your friends to a certain point before they protest."
"What was that, Yugi?" Yami put his hand on Yugi's shoulder, and smiled warmly down at him.
"Nothing, Yami." Yugi looked him over in his costume. "You look pretty good." Yugi winked, and Yami pulled him down the stairs. Yugi and Yami were wearing matching costumes. They were both in teddy bear costumes. When the got to the front door, Ryou giggled.
"Tho Box?" Ryou asked, and Yami nodded grimly. "Next time I get to pick the costumes, though." Yami grinned suddenly, and winked down at Yugi, who simply smiled.
"Okay. Masks on!" All three of them proceeded to put on their masks, and they ran outside to a limo that awaited them on the street.
"By the way... what was it about that long story?" Ryou asked suddenly, curiosity getting the better of him again.
"Oh, that... well... To make a long story short... We gave Kaiba what he wanted."
"And what's that?" Ryou leaned his head against the window beside himself.
"Not what, Ryou... 'Who.'" Yugi giggled, and winked again. Ryou made a mental note to remind himself to never go around Yugi while he winked. He did it way too much.
"Oh... so... who?"
"You'll see, my friend, you'll see..." Yami shook his head, and kissed his light to change the subject.
"Um... okay then." They sat in complete silence the rest of the way to their school, where the party was being held.
When the got out, Ryou blushed. He saw many people walking into the school's gym that he recognised without actually putting much thought into it. One thing that confused him was that lots of people had dyed their hair silver, or had worn silver wigs. As soon as the noticed that, he felt a little more comfortable.
"Come on, Ryou!" Yugi grabbed his hand, and dragged he and Yami inside. They put down the food on a long table, and joined the crowd. Soon enough, the music started, and everyone was having the time of their lives.
"Hey, Ryou!" Someone nudged Ryou's shoulder as he made his way to the side of the gym near the food table, where hardly anyone was. Ryou nearly had a heart attack when he realised that someone had recognised him.
"Huh? Oh! Hi, Joey!" Ryou felt somewhat relieved. Joey was wearing a dog costume, and wasn't even complaining about it. Ryou giggled. They made their way to the food, where Joey said his goodbyes, grabbed a plate, and made his way down the table.
For about an hour, Ryou stood in the corner of the gym. He felt somewhat claustrophobic. Several guys, who he knew to be bullies and sluts, had confronted him and asked for a dance or to go on a walk outside. He graciously declined, and slapped those who wouldn't leave him a lone. Being a girl wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. He liked slapping, too.
He heard a familiar song start to play, and he sighed. It was 'Cinderella' by Papaya. He sure didn't feel like Cinderella. He really wanted someone to talk with. But Joey had gone out of sight, and no one he knew was around where he was at the moment. He glanced over his shoulder, and swore that he saw a dog costume disappear behind some props with another person who was wearing a long purple trench coat. He grinned to himself in realisation, then turned back around.
He made his way towards the gym doors. He decided that a walk a lone would be better than staying there doing nothing. Suddenly someone caught his arm, and dragged him backwards. He was about to protest when he looked up. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt that he knew that person. Quite well. But he couldn't tell. The silver-haired somebody put his finger to Ryou's lips. He was dressed into a leather suit. And on his head he wore a golden crown much like his own. Ryou blushed when the person in front of him pulled him slightly closer.
Something in the back of his mind was screaming at him to stop. Like something was wrong. But if it was so wrong, then why did it feel so right at that moment. Ryou glanced at the clock. It was nearly eleven o'clock. The stranger glanced at the clock, too, with confusion, and pulled him onto the dance floor. They danced for an hour or so before Ryou noticed the time again. The stranger looked at him again, slightly puzzled by his current obsession with the time. Ryou was about to open his mouth when he felt other lips being pressed against his own. His mind screamed at him louder that it wasn't right. No, he loved Bakura, right? Then why was he kissing this stranger? Why did it feel so right?
Ryou pulled away suddenly, with fear and confusion in his eyes. He took a few steps backwards, then turned and ran out of the gym with his bag of clothes. He ran all the way home, which took him a lot longer than it should have, considering the distance. But he was wearing a dress that touched the ground, and he didn't want to get it dirty. He still believed that it belonged to Yugi.
As soon as he got home, and ran inside and up to his room. He pulled off the dress, and pulled on his normal clothes. He felt a lot more comfortable in them, anyway. He shoved the dress back into the bag, and shoved it back in his closet. He closed it, and jumped into his bed. He suddenly felt frightened. He had run home alone, at midnight, and had left the front door unlocked. For all he knew, a thief or a mass murderer could show up at any second and kill him.
He heard the door open with a creaking sound, then the sound of it being slammed shut. He pulled the covers over his head, and closed his eyes. Maybe they wouldn't realise he was there. He kicked himself mentally a few times as he heard the footsteps growing nearer and nearer until-
"Ryou?" Bakura's voice penetrated the room, and Ryou felt relief wash over himself. It was only Bakura. Then he remembered what had happened, and he froze again. "Ryou? I know you're in there."
Bakura made his way to Ryou's ed, and he sat down on the edge of it. He pulled the covers off of Ryou's face, and sighed. Ryou wouldn't open his eyes, no matter what Bakura said or tried to say.
"Fine... I'll leave this on the ground for you. You dropped it when you left in a hurry. I don't know what was so important for you to run away." Bakura sighed again, and left Ryou's room. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..." With that he closed the door behind himself.
When he was sure that Bakura was gone, he opened his eyes slowly, and looked around. He sat up, and looked down at the floor. A single pink glove lay on the ground beside his bed.
Ryou's eyes filled with tears, and he slid off of his bed. He picked up the glove, and opened the door to his room. He looked in the hallway, and noticed that the only other light on was from Bakura's room. But the door was closed.
He made his way to Bakura's room, and held up his arm before he knocked softly. When no one answered, Ryou looked down at the ground before turning around. At that exact moment, Bakura opened the door. Ryou glanced back, with tear-filled eyes. Bakura was wearing a leather suit. He didn't need a crown to look like a prince.
"It was you..?" Ryou asked in a whisper as he turned around, the pink glove still in his hand.
"Hai. It was me. I'm sorry." Bakura reached out his hand as if to shake Ryou's. Instead, Ryou stared at it for a few moments before he launched himself at Bakura, and threw his arms around his waist.
"Please don't be sorry. I-I...I kind of liked it..." Ryou cried into Bakura's chest. Bakura, shocked by his actions, wrapped his arms around Ryou. Ryou finally pulled back a bit and looked up at Bakura with a tear-stained face. "Would you-would you do it again?"
Bakura tilted Ryou's head up slightly with a smile, and pushed his lips against Ryou's. When he pulled back, Ryou's tears had stopped, and there was a small, content smile on his face.
"Would you wear that dress again? I thought you... I thought you liked kind of cute in it." Bakura smiled shyly, and Ryou's cheeks turned a light shade of pink.
"Only if you do something for me, too." Ryou said softly with a small smile still on his face.
"What is it?" Bakura asked with sudden suspicion.
"Would you... would you kiss me again?"
"Gladly..." Ryou made a mental note to thank Yugi for the costume. He would, in fact, be keeping it. For a very long time.
A/N: Just a note... I made a CUTE little icon for this fic with lyrics from the 'Cinderella' song. In fact, I made it before this fic The song 'Cinderella' by Papaya was just so cute, and was my muse for this story! Therefore I have added a link to the Bakura/Ryou-Cinderella Icon for your enjoyment! And if you like them and have your own site, you can use it on yours(provided that you link back to my site) They're so cute! So please go check it out!: "font-weight: bold; ">Disclaimers: I don't know Yu-Gi-Oh! nor do I own 'Cinderella' by Papaya, and I certainly don't own 'Dom Andra' by Kent. I just like them enough to either mention them or write fanfiction for them
This took me a while to write, and there may be mistakes, but I checked, so I'm sorry in advance!
Please R&R!