Chapter Two:
There were most definitely some outside forces intervening, Yuma decided, when he was woken up at 2 AM. But unlike the day before, the doorbell had not been responsible. Instead it had been the rapid shaking of his shoulders, far off but far too close talking in his ear, and the feel of a cold breeze on the back of his exposed neck.
Yuma figured he should have pieced the clues together before he lifted his head off the workbench, hitting something – or someone. When he opened his eyes, he found someone standing there with a hand over one eye.
"You need to cut your hair," the person growled, glaring at what was most certainly Yuma's red antennae.
Even though he realised this, it took a second for Yuma's eyes to focus. But the almost unnatural blonde-green hairstyle was unmistakable, as was the crystal blue eye that pierced through the darkness. The only working window, opened behind the other, quickly explained the reason for the chill.
"Kaito!" Yuma exclaimed. Then realising the time, he lowered his voice to a whisper. "I didn't expect you back."
A scoff. "Why is there someone sleeping in my room, Tonma?"
"Eh?" He froze.
Ryoga!
Kaito must have noticed the sudden change of expression, because his eyes narrowed. Yuma smiled sheepishly. Before he could defend himself, Ryoga's voice sounded from under the trapdoor – the open trapdoor.
"I know you're there, thief."
Oh hell no. This was not happening.
Yuma sidled around Kaito toward the trapdoor and saw Ryoga standing beneath him. As Ryoga flicked the metal bar between his hands in a way that suggested experience with the weapon, he couldn't help but recall Todoroki's warning. Not even the comical pair of yellow flannel pyjamas (borrowed reluctantly – a size too small) could change that impression.
Eyes narrowing at Yuma's appearance, Ryoga's expression turned dark. "I won't fall for that."
"No—ah, no!" Yuma exclaimed. "Kaito—Ryoga, Kaito's a friend of mine. I'll come down and explain."
The scowl remained on Ryoga's face, but he did step back so Yuma could descend. The metal bar remained in a two-handed grip, though that firmed after Yuma coaxed Kaito down as well.
"This is Kaito Tenjo, Ryoga, he's a friend." Yuma said. "And Kaito, this is Ryoga—"
"I can introduce myself," Ryoga snarled. "Kamishiro – Ryoga Kamishiro."
Yuma couldn't see it, but he felt the air twinge with Kaito's changing temper. Rather than snap out, though, Kaito lifted his chin and hmmed.
This set Ryoga on edge, and the metal bar twitched warningly. "Why the hell do you think it's a good idea to sneak into my room?"
"It is not your room," Kaito said. "When I am not away on business, it is my room."
There was no warning when Ryoga swung his weapon, save for the brief, imperceptible tightening of his jaw. But in the next instant, there was definitely a flash of surprise when Yuma appeared between the two. The bar now rested in his hands, and Ryoga's initial momentum caused him to overbalance.
"What—"
"Enough!" Yuma called. He threw the metal bar away into a corner, where it clattered before rolling to a stop. "Ryoga, Kaito, it's not either of your rooms because I'm just the housekeeper! All the rooms on the second floor are free, Kaito, and Ryoga only happened to choose yours by accident."
He glared at each of them, but soon sighed. "Ryoga, go back to sleep. I'll arrange things."
Ryoga didn't move at first, and in the tense atmosphere it seemed as if he would shout back. His eyes flashed from Kaito's disinterested expression to Yuma's tired one. There it lingered, as if it were his first time seeing lines that could only be achieved through a consistent lack of sleep.
When Ryoga left the room, Yuma couldn't help but fall into a bad slouch. With eyes threatening to close any second, he shuffled to the corner with the metal bar. He picked it up and weighed it in his hands, eyeing the slight dents marring the surface.
"Why trust a person who brings a weapon into your home?" Kaito asked.
Yuma glanced over to see Kaito leaning to the side, both arms crossed with the tails of his trenchcoat tickling the wooden shelf; a sign of wealth in a realm dominated by harsh glass and steel. The large window nearby – the alternative exit used for jumping onto the fire escape – let an icy glow creep into the edges of the dark fabric, the effect far too perfect to have been contrived through natural means.
"He didn't bring it in," Yuma defended. "He couldn't have."
"You still doubt it." When Yuma answered with silence, Kaito huffed. "If I weren't here you'd have more than a small fracture, thinking you can just jump in the way with no plan."
Idly, even as the words were said, Yuma was inspecting the weapon.
"No – if you weren't here this wouldn't have happened in the first place," he corrected. "I didn't think you cared about the rooms since you never really wanted one."
The air then sparked as Kaito grew annoyed. That action made it hard to comprehend how nobody else guessed the nature of his true powers. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, and in one swift motion he threw it in Yuma's direction. Yuma caught it neatly between two fingers with the grace of a duelist.
"Don't assume," Kaito said, voice edged with a dangerous tone. "But so long as you keep your agreement, Tonma, I don't care. Take it."
"I never stop thinking about the agreement, Kaito. Thanks for the card – I need it, so I'll keep it. Will you be staying here?"
"Initially, yes. But that guy..." He frowned. "Tonight I'll return to the prince."
Yuma sighed – only three minutes had passed, yet the animosity between both Kaito and Ryoga was quickly growing into something he couldn't handle. "Sure. Whatever."
He reached into his own pocket; one hidden within the seam of his jacket. From it came a clear pane of plastic approximately the same size as the cards they exchanged. The small series of datachips etched into the centre told otherwise.
Illuminated briefly by the moonlight, the cheque card passed between their hands.
"How close," Kaito asked, though it did not sound like a question.
"Not close enough," Yuma said. "Unless I miraculously hit something soon..."
Kaito frowned, but nodded. "Very well." He flipped the cheque card in a quick inspection of its contents, before placing it into his Extra Deck box. "This will be sufficient for the time being, but I suggest you hope for that miracle."
If it were not for the time they spent around each other, Yuma would have missed the subtext. You must hurry. Time is running out.
"I will." he replied. "Have a safe trip."
Kaito nodded, once, then slid the window open and disappeared.
Neo Domino City was a city where buildings always gleamed and shone with eternal, silver youth. If there were any major advances in technology, they had it. If there were any improvements to be made in regards to public service, they were done. If there ever happened to be anything that could mar public image, it was quickly disposed of. All these factors meant that Neo Domino was known as one of the key major cities of Japan.
Ryoga did not need short, sly Tokunosuke to tell him the flip side would be equally as worse.
There were many things the Public Security Maintenance Bureau could fix in order to gain favour. Overpopulation was not one of them. People could not be shooed out once they made themselves at home in the City's advanced society. The government could only control the influx of citizens, but there would always be illegal means of entry.
Ryoga knew. He'd used one of them.
The Bureau had amassed a large amount of debt starting from the string of disasters from Yusei Fudo's era, and that amount only increased with a few recent earthquakes. Taxes were raised, of course, to ensure the continuation of all services at peak capacity. In succession, land costs rose and buildings grew taller until any buildings lower than five storeys were scattered and rare, even in the Satellite. Even Momentum, the eternal power source controlled by the government, grew so rapidly in costs that D-Wheel sales dropped by sixty percent within two years.
As a result, KaibaCorp — exchanged hands enough for it to no longer having a link to the original Kaiba family since Mokuba Kaiba's son died in a freak accident — revolutionized the augmented technology the City used as replacement. The popularity of street duels fizzled due to its excessive usage of pricey Momentum, even with low-power AR used instead of Solid Vision.
Now the only regular instances of Solid Vision existed during duel tournaments at the Kaiba Dome alone, the tracks along the New Daedalus Highways were no longer used except in the rarest of occasions.
Ryoga stopped all trains of thought in his tracks, and once again tried to concentrate on the lecturer in the room. He succeeded for all of three seconds before drifting into thought again.
The growing debt had been the only reason he was allowed to take a 'trial' period in Neo Domino University, as the Bureau had grown desperate enough that they were calling as much money in as possible from all their sources of income. Neo Domino University, Rex Godwin's Bureau-run solution to a skills shortage, had been hesitant in setting up the program but did cave in as a result.
The lecturer changed his topic, talking about some Sartre or other and pointed the other students to an assignment Ryoga hadn't been around for.
The new trial periods in the university lasted ten days, in which he would be placed in one class and allowed to follow them around without needing any prerequisites as he wasn't strictly attending. Fortunate for him, because he didn't have the knowledge in physics nor advanced mathematics he would have needed thus far. Unfortunately, he found himself stuck in Philosophy rather than some other subject due to the bad timetabling of Engineering Common: Advanced.
The class he met Yuma Tsukumo in.
Ryoga couldn't help the scowl that threatened to appear every time the man crossed his mind. A much as he wished, it was not a scowl of hate or annoyance. Moreover, it tended to be the scowl no one but Ginji had been able to bring out from him before. He didn't know what it was about Tsukumo that made him feel so close, whether it be the unconditional trust or extreme generosity, and though both had been within reason they were still far more than Ryoga had been given before in his life – ever since—
That thought went no further. He gave up on the lecture and forced a change of subject, one that came too easily: Kaito Tenjo.
Tenjo. One of the most heck-irritating people that could have ever possibly existed. Everything about that slick, barely-wrinkled trenchcoat-donning smugly-smirking guy rubbed him the wrong way. The scowl the very name induced was far beyond the scale of irritation – if anything, the mere mention of the name would spark another destructive streak in the Old Ryoga.
Now it just pissed him off.
Tsukumo knew Tenjo. Even so, Ryoga couldn't help but like Tsukumo; dare he admit it. Neither had met the other before, so there was no chance in hell of a stupid shojo manga-style 'accidental meeting of destiny' and then the such same 'destiny' bringing them together again. Tsukumo, though kind, knew the limitations and boundaries Ryoga kept up in his life. Tsukumo could somehow tell if a conversation was about to set him off and change the topic accordingly; Tsukumo could somehow seethe invisible boundaries many had dived through and skirt around them instead.
Tsukumo kept his nose out of Ryoga's business. Freaking Kaito Tenjo didn't.
There had been an unspoken agreement – neither was to enter the other's room without permission. Tsukumo began it the morning he knocked on Ryoga's open door, and Ryoga paid his respect back in return. But Tenjo—Tenjo had the nerve to slamthe door open as if he owned the place.
Kaito-muthaflipping-Tenjo.
Tsukumo liked Tenjo, though, a small part of him pointed out. Ryoga shut it up immediately. But the damage was done; bits of doubt still remained.
Inconsistencies.
Tsukumo talked a lot, almost constantly, but sometimes he would say something innocuous that hinted at far more than it needed to. When Ryoga had warned him about the two being friends, Tsukumo seemed amused.
"That's what the other two said."
The dam broke and the inconsistencies began to build up. When he didn't work, Tsukumo frequently kept to the attic for long periods, Ryoga always having to call him whenever meals fell under his charge. The mood swings between happy-go-lucky and serious – warning, even. The lack of sleep though he would always return to his room at reasonable times.
But mostly, the incident a few days ago with the metal bar. The metal bar he normally kept with him, but Tsukumo approached him when he woke that he disposed of it. Though, the way he'd obtained it...
Ryoga knew what he saw. Tenjo had only been two steps away. Tsukumo had been too far to do anything at all. One moment, when Ryoga lunged forward with weapon in hand, Tsukumo's eyes flashed in surprise. Then the very next thing he knew, Tsukumo stood between them.
Somehow, the bar had exchanged hands in that hundredth—no, that thousandth of a second and Tsukumo had moved two feet in an instant.
Tenjo knew. Ryoga saw it in his eyes at that time, though the other never moved. And whatever had happened, Tsukumo also knew, because he had been the one responsible for taking the weapon at that time.
Ryoga scowled, and it finally appeared on his face. He hated mysteries.
He would figure out the events on his own, even if it was the last thing he ever achieved.
Sitting at the glass table in the room that served as their dining room, Ryoga found he no longer blinked an eye when a few thumps sounded from the hallway. More than likely it happened to be Tsukumo as he landed from the attic, or his running as he fell late from oversleep. This instance turned out to be all of the above as the door to the dining room opened and Tsukumo stepped inside.
As he passed through, a shortcut for the kitchen, Ryoga did spare a glance for the black garbage bag in the other's hands. It looked surprisingly full, and though he never actually visited the attic he spent a moment musing on how the trash got up there.
Ryoga placed his chopsticks down onto the empty bowl, where they landed with a soft chink. Before he met Tsukumo, he never would have had the time to think such trivial thoughts. He picked up his plates and also headed for the kitchen.
He found Tsukumo inside, wiping the marble counters down. A dustpan and broom were near him, whilst the black garbage bag sat beside the bin.
"Cathy's coming back today," Tsukumo said without needing to be prompted. "She'll be here at two thirty."
Ryoga checked the clock just as he reached the sink. 14:22.
"I know, I know," Tsukumo added. "Ten minutes. But this is the only place left and it's always the worst—Kaito! There you are!"
The scowl clicked into place when Ryoga spotted Tenjo entering the other door. If it were not for Tsukumo and that strange sense of perception, he never would have noticed.
Tenjo didn't even look at either of them as he headed for the fridge. "What is it, Tonma?"
"I called you last night, but you didn't answer."
"No reception."
Tsukumo sighed. Seeing he wouldn't be interrupted again, Tenjo took a bottle of water and then swept out of the room.
Ryoga's mouth twitched as he placed the now-clean bowl back in the drawer and prepared to leave the room as well. That Tenjo never got easier to be around, even though neither would see the other for more than ten minutes each day.
"I'm sorry about Kaito, Ryoga."
Turning around, Ryoga saw that Tsukumo moved onto dusting the floor. He moved along the red and white checkerboard tiles with efficient precision, never lingering too long in one location for extended periods of time. Why does he live here, Ryoga wanted to ask, but something held him back.
Instead he said, "He's also allowed to stay here, as am I."
A brief, small smile flitted across Tsukumo's mouth, gone soon enough for it to be an illusion. "He's been here for a while. I think Cathy's taken a liking to him."
Ryoga didn't know what to say. Tsukumo smiled. "You know, the real—"
The two were interrupted by the sound of an obnoxiously loud chime, and a chorus of meows.
"—that'll be the doorbell."
He used a foot to nudge the dustpan aside before leaving through the other exit. A few seconds after he disappeared, he poked his head through the doorway.
"Ryoga, are you coming or not?"
In the end there hadn't been much of a choice, as Tsukumo literally dragged the other out of the room and down the hallways. The two stopped at the overhang beside the giant stairway, and from his position Ryoga could see the front door.
...and the insane number of cats gathered there.
Ryoga never asked how many cats there were. The most Tsukumo had volunteered came to about fifty-six, when he'd been complaining about the speed in which they ate.
There were definitely more than fifty-six cats.
In hindsight, it made sense. Of the apartment complex, the house spanned everything from the ninth floor and up. He and Tenjo were the only people on the tenth floor, Tsukumo taking the attic as his own. That meant the entire ninth floor – or first floor, if he were only counting the house and not the rest of the building – was left unaccounted for.
Beside him, Tsukumo waved. "Cathy!"
In the largest pile of cats, Ryoga stared as one of them seemed to lift a paw and wave back. Then his eyes focused through the wriggling bodies to see the paw was actually a glove. The other glove appeared and re-arranged the cats clinging to the rest of them until her head was free, sans a grey cat resting on her hair.
Then he saw sharp green eyes look up toward the overhang, and realised the grey cat washer hair.
"Yuma!" Cathy exclaimed, and even her wide smile seemed to be a catty smirk.
She dislodged the rest of the cats, and Ryoga saw the rest of the cat-related parahernalia in her outfit. A tail curved around tight-fitting trousers, decorated to mimic the back legs. Twin hairclips became cat ears, and a pair of thin glasses were perched on her nose. A corset and slim vest kept her modest, though the sheer amounts of lace did nothing to support the idea.
Cathy skitted up the steps before giving Tsukumo a tight hug, one that was reciprocated to some extent.
"How was your trip?" Tsukumo asked.
"Purrfect! Nyan, I saw so many things you'd enjoy! Oh," she added, "I found a letter for you."
"Thanks, I haven't checked for three days."
He took the letter, glanced at the return address before folding it twice and then placed it into a pocket. Cathy didn't seem to notice nor care, as she turned to Ryoga and smiled. "Another stray, Yuma?"
Before any of them could correct her, a disgruntled voice made it first. "I am not a stray."
Ryoga scowled when Tenjo once again appeared without notice. Completely ignoring the point, Cathy waved a hand.
"Of course not, Kaito. How's Haruto, nyan?"
Tenjo glared. "Don't concern yourself with him. Tonma, I'm going."
There were no chances to protest as he hopped onto the railing. Then he launched off the overhang onto the first floor, landing with an enviable grace. Disregarding the doorbell entirely, he simply opened the door and walked out, leaving loud chimes in his wake.
"Geez, Yuma." Ryoga looked back to see Cathy leaning forward, giving Tsukumo a petulant pout and a rather nice view. "You still haven't introduced your new friend."
The rather nice view was ignored. "Oh, right. Cathy, this is Ryoga Kamishiro. Ryoga already knows who you are."
Cathy detached herself from Tsukumo and walked over to Ryoga. Back arched and tail swishing, she stared up at him. Ryoga tried to look away because he really didn't need this!, but only found a snickering Tsukumo before one of Cathy's claws tilted his head back around.
"I like him," she said, a few awkward moments later. "He's cute. Where's he from, Yuma?"
"Heartland."
"Nya~n; same place as you, huh?" She gave Ryoga an odd, sideways look. "I suppose I can always sell the complex and move if all the pretty guys are there."
"The complex?" Ryoga asked.
Cathy gave a sound Ryoga categorised as a shriek, but judging by the expression on her face it should have been a squeal. "Yuma didn't tell you? These two buildings are both mine."
When Ryoga turned to face Tsukumo, the other turned away just as fast.
"I'll take that as a no!" Cathy exclaimed. Then she clapped her hands. "O-K! Time for Cathy's Purrrrfect Kitty-Kitty tour!"
When Ryoga stepped onto the campus that evening, he'd long decided never to take a tour ever again. Cathy's idea of a 'tour' equated more along the lines of 'shopping', as the taller building of the complex housed more commercial services. When she ran out of stores there, the fact that she'd forgotten to take her luggage was the only thing stopping her from calling for a taxi and moving onto another. And another.
The only thing that could possibly have consoled him was knowing Tsukumo had been dragged along.
As a consequence, the lesson he sat in – what was it? Design? – was no longer as pleasant as it would have been, both for him and those close enough to feel his bad mood. When he left the room as the session closed, a girl ran up to him. Her oversized, sunflower-print robes hitched because of the movement, gathering around the straps of her odd, purple backpack.
"Hey!" She exclaimed from under the brim of her oversized hat, revealing thick glasses. "I heard you liked books."
Ryoga only shot her a glare and ignored her. He kept walking, forcing the far shorter girl to hop in order to keep up.
She tried again. "Have you heard of the Laevatein series? I think you'll find it relatable."
He couldn't help but narrow his eyes. The next glance he sent her was questioning, but he wouldn't acknowledge her yet.
"It's about a shark," she continued. "A shark who left the waters of his homeland and decided to explore the outside world."
Knew it.
"Perhaps," Ryoga said. "So?"
'She' smirked. "The shark finds two friends along the way – a catfish and her little shrimp. Remember?"
He nodded, suppressing the amusement that threatened to appear. Because he had a companion with him, Ryoga didn't stop at the main station outside the campus as usual. So instead he kept walking, an endless amount of tall buildings, neon lights and the occasional glow of Momentum rising to meet him; a typical street at nighttime in Neo Domino City. The 'girl' continued on beside him.
"Did you know there's a sequel coming in about a week?"
"Oh?"
"I hear it's about the shark angering the spirits of the earth and the ocean, who then seek revenge."
Ryoga paused in his steps and shot the 'girl' a sideways look. "How likely?"
"You know me." 'She' tilted her head up so their eyes met, before pulling down the glasses and grinning again. "My sources are always good."
Ryoga nodded and started walking again, and 'she' hurried to catch up. They walked silently for another minute whilst he mulled over the information.
"And the flip side?" he asked, finally.
"Ah~ ura-ura," 'she' sung, "this is still my repayment, no?"
The two approached a crossroads, and 'she' stepped into the turn. "Good luck," 'she' said in English, giving a quirky two-fingered salute, before disappearing along the way.
Ryoga stared at the retreating figure, before shaking his head. Tokunosuke always had a strange sense of humour.
Please review. :)