Finally, after a months long Hiatus, Chapter 2.
The alarm beeped loudly. Its high-pitched wail drove nails into Ryou's ears, pushing him out of the pleasure of sleep and into the reality of wakefulness. With practiced precision, the waking teen's hand reached over and placed a finger over the button. After letting it go for five more seconds, ensuring that he was awake, he pressed, cutting the electric sound off abruptly.
"It's…it's…Saturday." He mumbled, putting one hand over his eyes and drawing the thick blue cover over himself more. The sun was streaming in the window, which acted like a magnifying glass, and sent a beam of yellow light directly onto Ryou's face. With a tired moan he rolled over to escape the brightness that pierced the dark beneath his closed eyelids, successfully throwing himself off the bed as mattress ended and floor began.
With an oof he untangled himself from his blanket and pulled himself to his feet. He felt around for a shirt and, finding a grey one, pulled it over his bare torso. Then, eyes still closed against the invasive sunlight, Ryou stumbled blindly to the window that was allowing the blazing heat to enter his room. With a harsh yank he pulled the thick black curtains that bordered the panes of glass closed. The room was immediately tossed into dim shadows and half-lights.
Ryou rubbed his eyes and blinked groggily. Then, rubbing his head as he went, he returned to his bed and collapsed in a heap on the covers. He didn't stay there for long however because his stomach interrupted with a loud, rumbling growl.
Getting up more energetically this time he left his room quickly and jumped down the short flight of stairs to the landing below. Trotting into the kitchen he made a beeline for his favorite kitchen tool…the toaster. Toast was Ryou's typical breakfast. There was nothing better than a crisp piece of toast with a glass of cold milk to wash it down. Going around the black marble island-style counter to the toaster, Ryou snatched two pieces of wheat bread and dropped them into the empty trenches in the silver box. He set the dial high and then leaned against the counter to wait.
His eyes were partially closed as sleep still fought for control, and when the toaster bell dinged loudly behind him it caused him to flinch. Retrieving his breakfast he took it to the counter and dropped it, shedding crumbs everywhere. The butter was on a small plate in the center of the counter with a knife beside it. Without hesitation he slathered butter on each piece of toast, humming to himself.
For the finishing touches he fetched himself a tall glass of milk.
Finally, after five minutes of preparation and little mess to clean up, he sat down at the counter stool and began munching the bread, washing down each bite with a draught of milk. As on every other day of the week, this was when he considered his schedule. Today being Saturday, it was relatively empty. He had little plans, although Yugi had said that he would call because he and the gang were hanging out at the Game Shop and then going to get some burgers at the nearest fast food restaurant.
Ryou looked forward to it. He and Yugi's friends, his friends, had been hanging out more and more since they'd started going to college. Joey and Tristan shared a dorm at the college itself. Yugi was still staying with his grandfather in the Game Shop and drove himself to college every day. Ryou also drove himself to campus each day, but he lived in his own little apartment building a few miles away where he had been living since he moved to Japan. Téa would have also been going to college with them, but she had opted to go on with her plan to become a dancer and had moved to New York when the school year had started to go to a Dance Academy.
Holding his breath, Ryou straightened up, arching his back and held it until he heard a pop and sighed. He slid away from the counter contentedly and dropped his now empty glass into the sink. A few minutes later he was back up the stairs and searching his room for some clothes.
He flipped through the articles hanging in his closet quickly, eyes scanning each item over before moving on to the next. Eventually he decided on a pair of pale blue knee-length shorts and a blue t-shirt. After putting them on he went into his bathroom to go on to the impossible task of taming his hair. As he looked in the mirror and winced at his appearance, which wasn't dissimilar to that of a stray cat, he wondered (not for the first time) why he'd let his hair grow so long. It was a battle trying to comb through it and make it look decent every morning.
If he just cut it, it wouldn't be such a hassle. Of course that would mean he'd need to dye it as well. Otherwise he would look like an old man, which he didn't want. And honestly, he would put up with the long hair to keep his natural silver-white color. He'd always been fond, and even prideful, of his hair. It was…unique.
Even still, dragging the brush through the tangles was like trying to get a cat to take a bath. You couldn't manage it without hurting yourself in the process. His head was always very sore after controlling the mess of his hair. After his appearance was decent, he brushed his teeth quickly.
Completely finished with his preparation for the day, he went in his room and looked over to his dresser, his eyes straying to the top drawer habitually. He had to remind himself that that part of his morning ritual was no longer necessary. It hadn't been necessary for five months. Ryou couldn't help but smile. Five months alone, and counting.
He turned out of his room without a backwards glance. He went back down the stairs and into the kitchen again, picking up his book bag along the way. He expected Yugi to call before lunch, but it was still relatively early and he had a paper he could get started for his Astronomy class in the mean time…
~. ~. ~. ~
The phone rang loudly. Yugi Ryou thought to himself. He stood up from the counter, leaving his half-finished rough draft behind. The phone was in the next room, the living room, and it took a minute for Ryou to remember where he'd set it down. He sprinted to answer it before the answering machine could.
"Hello?" He said into the receiver.
"Ryou!" A familiar voice replied.
Ryou sat down on a nearby couch. "Hey Yugi-kun. What's up?" The question was unnecessary, since they both knew why he was calling.
"I just was wondering if you were still up for hanging out with me, Joey, and Tristan today?"
Ryou nodded then remembered he was on the phone. "Oh, yes. Definitely. What time at?"
Yugi seemed to think for a minute. "Probably in about thirty minutes. Joey said he had a project he wanted to get started on really quickly and that will give you time to drive down here."
"Um, yea, that works." Ryou agreed. He glanced over at his partially finished rough draft still sitting in the kitchen. "I'll be down in just a while then. I actually have a paper I want to work on too, so it might be just a little bit longer than that."
Yugi snorted and laughed. "You work too hard Ryou. Why don't you just take a break and come down now instead. I'm not doing anything, except cleaning, but Grandpa doesn't care if I do that later or not." He suggested.
Ryou thought about it, thinking about how many paragraphs he could write in the extra fifteen minutes he'd have if he declined. "Yugi, the paper's due this week—"
"Come on! Ryou, if you don't take a break you're going to turn into the next 'Seto Kaiba'" Yugi insisted.
"B-but…okay. Fine." Ryou finally agreed. His paper could wait, he supposed. Besides, he sort of had a headache. And working on the paper while he had a headache wouldn't do. "Alright. I'll be over in just a minute."
"Ok! See you then!" Yugi exclaimed. The phone clicked dead. Ryou sighed and put the phone back down on its dock.
He looked at the paper in the kitchen and rubbed his head slightly. "It'll wait. Yugi is right. I do work a lot." He murmured to himself, something he did quite often. He grabbed his keys off the hook in the front hall and grabbed a light jacket.
Locking the door behind him, he walked out of the cover of the overhanging roof and into the bright sunlight. His car, a white Honda, sat under a partial garage. He clicked the remote on his key ring and it unlocked with a honk. Smiling for no reason in particular, he slid into the driver's seat and turned on the ignition.
Put it into reverse, watch for other cars, pull out, put into drive, and off we go… Ryou went over the steps to himself. It was something he always did when he was driving, going over the actual steps of driving while he drove. He thought it was probably a result of paranoia from his mother and sister's accident. Or maybe he was just an oddity. Either choice was completely feasible.
The drive to Yugi's home, also the Kame Game Shop, was short. It didn't take him longer than seven or eight minutes to get there. He pulled up and parked along the curb, ignoring the signs that informed him that you could only park there from 12-6 PM, and that violators would be towed. He knew that Muto-sensei wouldn't call a tow-truck and have his car towed. Ryou walked in the door. Music met Ryou as it was playing in the shop from upstairs, some loud rock. The little bell that was attached to the door jingled merrily and in no more than 30 seconds Yugi was flying down the stairs. He skidded to a stop behind the counter.
"Hello sir, can I help you?" He kidded, standing behind the register. Ryou laughed at the short teen, whose face was a mask of seriousness. Then both friends were laughing out loud. After a minute they managed to stop and they stood there awkwardly for a moment.
"Hi Yugi. How has your weekend been so far?" Ryou asked politely, standing self-consciously by the counter, and still finding it hard to completely relax, even around his friends.
"All of last night and this morning? Well, I've just been helping Grandpa get this place cleaned up. It's been pretty messy lately." He gestured to the room around them and Ryou noted the disheveled games lining the walls, the dusty display cabinets, and the cobwebs that hung from the ceiling like streamers.
"Is something wrong with Muto-san?" Ryou inquired, eyes wide. Yugi shook his head.
"No, no. He's just getting older is what he says. It's harder for him to work all the time." Yugi replied.
"Well do you need some help?" Ryou asked, looking around. "When are the others getting here?"
"Soon. In probably twenty minutes."
Ryou nodded. "We can get some cleaning done in that time. But, Yugi, can we turn the music off?"
Yugi looked up the stairs, confused. "Yeah, sure, but how come?"
Ryou rubbed his temples. "I have sort of a headache."
Yugi laughed. "Sorry." He snickered. "I shouldn't laugh. But you know if you'd sleep more, work less, and not stress about work and school so much you probably wouldn't have a headache. I'll go turn it down." With that said, Yugi rushed up the stairs and in moments the music was down to a low murmur in the background.
"Much better." Ryou assured when Yugi came rushing back down.
"Do you need some ibuprofen or something?" Yugi asked with concern.
Ryou shook his head. "Of course not! It's actually already going away." Yugi didn't look convinced. "Really. It is. It was probably just a fluke, you know?"
Yugi accepted that and said, "Well, here we go." He pulled out some rags. "Let's start with the dust." Ryou took a blue rag and moved to one corner of the room while his friend started on the shelves that lined the walls. They worked quickly, removing the gray film from the countertops and games, and scrubbing the surfaces so that they were shiny and clean again. When Ryou got to the display cases he paused.
"Are you still in to Duel Monsters, Yugi-kun?"
Yugi looked over to where Ryou stood gazing into the display case, which held row upon row of sleek new cards. There was everything from Kuriboh to Black Luster Soldier to some of the pieces of Exodia, and even a limited edition Dark Magician, and those were only the monster cards.
"Are you?" Yugi flipped the question.
Ryou looked at the cards. "I have a few favorites, and I collected them before Duelist Kingdom. I've never personally played professionally like you, though."
"Um, yea. I am still. I duel every once in a while at the Kaiba Corp. Arenas. I need to keep up my title!" He smiled proudly, and began scrubbing a wooden shelf along the back wall, all the while thinking it best not to mention the multiple duels that Bakura had played in various tournaments.
"Oh, right, you're still 'Yu-Gi-Oh'. Game King, right?"
"Yeah. People, mostly kids, will challenge me to duels while I'm walking down the street. It gets…tiresome."
"I wouldn't want to be the King of Games. That would be too much publicity for me, I think." Ryou shook his head. "You handle it very well."
"It definitely takes a lot of getting used to." Yugi agreed. "The Pharaoh was better at it then I am."
They were both silent for a few minutes, working, when suddenly Yugi mentioned, "I wonder where Joey and Tristan are? They should have been here ten minutes ago. But while they've been keeping us waiting we've definitely got a lot done!" They looked around. There was no more dust covering the surfaces of the shop, and the display cases and shelves were bright and grit-free. The only thing that remained was the lovely cobwebs that were adorning the ceiling. "We'll need a ladder for those." Yugi pointed at them. "I'll go find one."
He ran up the stairs, yelling "Grandpa? Where's the step-ladder?"
Ryou looked around at the work they'd accomplished again. His eyes fell back to the rows of cards in the display case. Leaning casually over the glass counter, he looked at them all, picking out his favorites as he waited for Yugi to come back. His single most favorite card stared up at him from the top row.
The Change of Heart card.
He didn't know why it appealed to him. No, not true. He did know why. But that had been then, why did it appeal to him now? Probably because it just always had been his favorite. He had a hard time discarding old habits. Time to pick a new favorite Ryou suddenly thought. My old one doesn't fit anymore. He looked at all the cards. There were so many choices. Did he want something that he felt like he could relate to? Or something that was just a good card?
When he couldn't decide on one he tried a new tactic. He closed his eyes, slid his finger over the glass, counted to three then stopped and opened his eyes. He looked at the card his finger had landed over.
Change of Heart.
Ryou frowned. "Well that was pointless." He muttered.
"I found one Ryou." Yugi's voice floated down the stairwell. Yugi, who carried a four-stair stepladder, soon appeared coming down the stairs. The ladder would be just tall enough for them to reach the spider trails that they were clearing away. He set it up in the middle of the room and climbed it, a duster in hand. He got to the third step and reached up but couldn't reach. He stepped up one more step and stood on his toes. He still fell just short of being able to wipe away the gray silk.
"Do you think you could get the webs Ryou?" He said apologetically, stepping down from the ladder.
Ryou smiled, "Of course." He grabbed a duster sitting on the counter and stepped up the ladder. Standing on the third step was sufficient for him to get to the unwanted gray decorations that accented the small shop. He began swiping away at them, moving to a new spot whenever he'd cleared one section.
Suddenly the bell on the door rang. A loud voice suddenly filled the room and both Yugi and Ryou paused in their cleaning.
"Yo! Sorry about the delay Yug. I got caught up on that project." Joey greeted them.
"Yeah" Tristan agreed. "It's a shock. Joey was actually thinking."
Joey glared at him and Tristan held up his hands defensively. "Kidding!"
"It's ok Joey. What's your project anyways?"
Joey leaped over and wrapped an arm around Yugi's neck. His arm stretched out as if panning an invisible horizon. "Ancient. Egypt." He said dramatically. "Kinda fitting, don't you think? It's a country project for that Culture class I'm taking. I thought 'Why not' since we went to Egypt and all that." He pumped a fist in the air, releasing Yugi. "I'm going to get an A on this one!"
"Yeah, because there's a first time for everything." Tristan said. Joey jumped at him and he swung himself over the counter and out of Joey's path. Joey tried to follow and ended up hitting a game box, knocking it to the floor.
"Hey, careful guys! Ryou and I just cleaned this place." Yugi complained. Ryou was standing by the stepladder, feeling out of place.
Tristan looked up from the chokehold that Joey had him in. "What time are we going, anyways?"
"I don't know." Yugi said. "I was just playing it by ear."
Tristan punched Joey in the stomach jokingly and wrestled his way away from him. "I say we go now. I, for one, am starved."
"Alright then!" Joey said enthusiastically and began to lead the way out the door. "I'm driving!"
Yugi shook his head and followed behind Joey and Tristan. Ryou brought up the rear. Yes, these were his friends, but he still felt like he was intruding. He'd always felt like a third wheel.
"Come on Ryou!" Yugi called from Joey's truck. Ryou smiled and hurried to catch up. Yugi seemed to enjoy his company though. So there was really no reason for him to feel like he was an unwanted addition to the group.
~. ~. ~. ~
Two and a half hours later, after they had gone to get lunch and then gone to the arcade and spent far too much money on games, Ryou was back at his house and writing on his rough draft again. Yugi had asked Ryou if he wanted to stay at the game shop with he and Joey, but Ryou had declined with his paper in mind. That and other things.
His headache had come back while they were at the arcade, and he was beginning to think that he was coming down with something. It was just an off-and-on headache that didn't seem to want to go away, but he knew that sometimes indicated an oncoming cold. And he enjoyed hanging with his friends, but didn't feel like putting up with Joey and Tristan's loud outbursts and laughing when all he really preferred at the moment was quiet.
So he was back at his apartment doing schoolwork. Again.
He sighed. Yugi was so right. Ever since school had started, it had been his number-one priority. That was a good thing, but he was doing schoolwork more than anything else. Before he'd done it because it was a distraction from everything else and now he focused on it because he wanted to get a good career. Still. Maybe he should relax more. That might be why he was getting sick. The late nights working on papers and research and early mornings preparing for the day must have been building up.
Glancing at the clock (it was almost 4:00) he bit his lip then shoved his paper away. "Okay, time to relax a little bit." He said to himself, shuffling into his tiny apartment living room. The quiet was a comfort as Ryou collapsed to the couch, a hand massaging his temples. Today he could truly appreciate that he didn't share an apartment with anyone else. Anymore, he added silently.
The ceiling above him led his eyes on a trail across the patterned stucco. Ever since he'd moved into the tiny living space, he'd enjoyed just lying on the ground, couch, or his bed and following the swirling bumps and messy textures of the white ceiling with his eyes. He usually tried to find pictures within the coarse surface. Today he just followed a trail until it ended and then found a new one. It was a pointless pastime with no value, but for a day like today it was just the type of thing Ryou preferred doing.
He let his eyes follow a particular trail. It traveled in a circle, then spilled inside the circle and made its way to three points of the circle before joining back up with it again. The circle, imperfect, had smaller trails running out along the side of the circle in spaced sections. Ryou followed the trail again, then turned on his side and snatched the remote from the small coffee table, flipping on the TV quickly.
The sound of afternoon sitcoms aggravated his mildly aching brain, but he didn't mind. He stared at the screen and forced himself to be interested in what was going on. He glanced back up at the ceiling above him, nervous. There was no circle of stucco. He couldn't even find the trail he'd followed. It was his imagination. He sighed, feeling relieved for a reason he couldn't explain.
With a click, the television flickered off. Ryou went back into the kitchen, took a dose of painkillers, and sat back at the counter. His paper wasn't going to write itself.
I REALLY apologize for the delay. I also apologize if this bored anyone. It'll get better, but I had a request for Ryou time before Bakura entered the story. I hope this satisfies them. And once again, I am so sorry for the delay.
Please Review!