Rising Storm Chapter 2
~Everyone's POV~
The next morning Joey woke up to the smell of breakfast. He got ready for school and ran down the stairs and burst into the kitchen to see his cousin putting something on two different plates before turning back to a box and filling it with food as well. The past few days she and everyone else have gained a sort of pattern to their daily lives. Rin fit in well with the group. Of course Joey is still acting like a father who meets his daughter's boyfriend for the first time to any guy that came within a 10 mile radius. This left Rin more than a little uncomfortable, this is her life right? She should live it any way she wants to. Despite that, Rin Yugi and Tea have become close friends.
Everything was normal. Rin would make breakfast, fix her lunch and pick up her friends before driving them to and from school. Sometimes they would even go to places outside of school just for fun. Today was one of those days. The gang had decided to go to a water park for some fun in the sun. The only unfortunate thing about this day was well.. they had to walk.
"Ugh! Why do we have to walk?!" Joey complained while walking beside his friends and cousin.
"I told you Joey, my car is at the repair shop. It needs to be fixed." his cousin, Rin, said for the 20th time, becoming slightly annoyed.
"Joey, I swear if you say that one more time, I'm going to pulverize what's left of your pea sized brain!" Tea practically growled, raising a clenched fist for emphasis.
"Come on guys, we are going to the water park so lets all get along ok?" Yugi said while looking at each of them in turn, his eyes lingering on the red haired girl slightly longer than the others. His friends all muttered faint "ok's' and 'alright's' from the others. They walked for a few more minutes till they reached the water park. They separated in order to change. The boys went with each other leaving Tea and Rin to change with each other. None of them were aware of the trouble that was soon to come.
~In the girl's changing room: Rin's POV~
"What sort of bathing suite did you bring Rin?" Tea asked me while we took off our clothes before changing into our swimsuits.
"Well, I brought my red one piece with me today. What about you Tea?" I asked her while putting my bathing suite on.
"I brought my green two piece with me." she replied after she finished getting ready. She turned around to look at me then. "Are you ready to go?" she asked me.
"Yeah, I just need to tie this one part around my neck." I told her, struggling with the ties.
"Let me help you with that." she told me before snatching the ties out of my hands and began tying them. A moment later a small gasp of surprise came from behind me. "What a peculiar birthmark you have Rin." Tea told me in a soft voice as she finished tying the straps.
"Thank you. I think." I replied hesitantly. I turned around when Tea suddenly grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the dressing room.
"Come on, let's go gets some drinks while we wait for the guys to finish getting ready." she told me over her shoulder smiling brightly. I gave her a small as a reply.
~With the guy's: Yugi's POV~
I had finished getting ready a few minutes ago. Now I was just waiting on Joey and Tristan. "Hey Joey?" Tristan asked his blond haired friend.
"Yeah?" said blond asked while dancing around the room trying to get one of his shoes off.
"I was wondering, what was Rin like before her parents died?" the brunette asked while calmly untying his shoes.
Joey halted his progress with a melancholic smile. "Well, she was strong willed, kind hearted to everyone but herself, and she loved Duel Monsters more than life itself." the blond replied with sad eyes. "She was an only child with loving doting parents." he added as an after thought.
"It sounds like the death of her parents broke her." Tristan muttered quietly while Joey and I nodded in agreement.
"Hey Yugi, do you like Rin?" the brunette asked with a sly smile fixated on his face.
"Um, well..." I trailed off while my face heated up in embarrassment. Joey looked at Tristan with a questioning look til it turned to one of mischief.
"Yeah Yug, do you like my cousin?" Joey asked, also wearing a sly smile.
"No. At least I don't think so." I told them while fiddling with my thumbs.
They looked at each other then back at me, twin grins splitting their faces. "You do don't you!" the both shouted in unison. I just stuttered, not quite sure what to say. They both then patted me on the back as if to say 'we support you'.
Throughout the small conversation, my two friends had finished getting ready. And as we walked out of the changing room, my thoughts were on the red haired girl with sad eyes and a broken heart. There was just something about her that called out to me to protect. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts we walked towards the pool area where Tea and Rin were waiting.
~Everyone's POV~
The four of of them laughed at Joey after he spilled his drink all over himself. Yugi looked at Rin. This was the first time he saw her smile a real smile. He found that he liked it when she smiled. Not to mention her laugh was like the tinkling of tiny bells. Every now and then Joey would go and act like a protective father when some guy would come up to Rin and try to flirt with her. Even though Yugi tried to deny it, he didn't like them flirting with her either.
The five of them then decided to go get something to eat. Rin turned her back on them to pick up her wallet. And in that time, Yugi noticed the sun shaped birthmark on her upper back. It certainly was strange looking. He couldn't help think that he had seen that somewhere before. He snapped out of his thoughts when Rin turned back around. Yugi felt someone nudge him in the ribs. He looked in that direction and saw Joey giving him a sly grin. "Go on talk to her." he whisper shouted and looked at him then his cousin before once more turning back to look at him pointedly.
"O-ok. I will" he told his blond friend. He then walked over to Rin and tapped her to get her attention. "Um, Rin-chan is it ok if I walk with you?" he asked timidly, unaware that his Millennium Puzzle began to glow once more, as if something was irritating it.
"Sure, I don't mind. And please just call me Rin Yugi." she told him smiling at him, causing him to blush a light shade of pink. The two of them chatted the whole walk to the food court. It turns out that they had more in common than just being in love with Duel Monsters. They were oblivious to the looks and whispers of their friends behind them. Even when they reached the food court, got their food and took a seat at a table they never once stopped talking to each other. For all sense and purpose they looked like a happy couple. Soon, Rin left to throw her stuff away, leaving Yugi alone while Joey, Tristan and Tea rode one of the water slides.
~? POV~
I watched Rin walk towards the trash can and then head for the restroom. I don't know what it is, but she reminds me of someone from my past, and even that is milky and unclear. Even if little Yugi is essentially part of me, I can't help but feel resentment rise in my chest. There are still so many unanswered questions. Such as: why does she have the birthmark depicting Horus? Why does she have that necklace? So many questions and yet no answers.
I watched as Yugi's friends returned, each of them smiling eerily. "Hey Yug! Where did my cousin go?" the blond, named Joey, asked becoming slightly worried.
"Well, she threw her trash away and then went to the restroom." Yugi told his friend, becoming worried as well as the others. I felt my puzzle glow brightly just as a ear piercing scream pierced the air. It was soon followed by a blinding light in the direction of the restrooms, the same direction Rin went.
"That sounded like Rin!" Joey yelled , his eyes wide and a murderous gleam beginning to show within in them. One thing I knew about Joey from observing Yugi was that anyone who messed with or hurt his friends or family was as good as dead.
"Yeah, you're right. Let's go see if she is ok!" Tea yelled.
"YU-GI-OH!" Yugi shouted, his puzzle glowing brightly. And like that I was summoned.
~Everyone's POV~
By the time the four of them arrived, they were met with a horrendous sight. Rin was slumped up against a wall bruised and covered in blood, some of it was still leaking out of her wounds and onto the ground. And there, in front of her, towering over her like a giant was a man. "Now, I'm going to enjoy killing you my dear. After all you are the lone survivor of 'that' tragic incident." he said while laughing darkly.
Rin tried to get up but was only kicked in the ribs, forcing her back to the ground. Joey and Yugi, or rather the Yugi look alike, were furious at what they were seeing. Tea and Tristan just looked shocked and confused. "Wh-why?" the whisper echoed around them, coming from Rin's battered and bloody lips. "Wh-why did you kill my parents?" she asked a little bit louder this time.
The man just laughed at her before shrugging. "I felt like it. Plus they looked so happy while I was left with despair. So, I caused them to crash their car." he told the girl not even noticing the four behind him. "The only thing that I wasn't expecting was that you were not in the car with them." he told the battered red haired girl. "Now I get the pleasure of killing you myself you little runt." he told her before kicking her once more, so hard that she flew backwards and hit the wall with a thud. Blood was oozing out of her wounds faster now. Her breath was coming in short, shallow pants.
The other Yugi rushed over to her and Joey and the others weren't so far behind. "Rin! Rin! Speak to me cuz'!" Joey shouted, shaking her slightly so as not to hurt her further. Her Red bathing suite was in tatters and covered in blood. Bruises colored her pale skin different shades of blacks and blues. Her breathing was ragged at best. Blood loss was speedily catching up to her.
Rin opened her eyes weakly, looking dazedly at the faces in front of her. "J-Joey..." she began before coughing, causing the red, sticky liquid to bubble out of her mouth. "Man... my parents... I... I.." she tried to tell them only to cough up more blood.
"Don't talk!" he told her desperately, fury bubbling under the surface, ready to explode. She made an attempt to open her mouth again but Joey used his hand to stop her. "I mean it Rin." He told her sternly. Rin nodded weakly eyes closing and breathing becoming increasingly slow. "Damn it!" he shouted furiously.
The other Yugi noticed this and put a hand on his friends shoulder. "Joey, I'll take care of him. You and the other get Rin to the hospital and makes sure she is ok." he told the distraught and fuming blond. Joey and the others nodded, silently showing that they understood. As soon as they were gone Yugi turned his furious gaze onto the man in front of him, whose hands were covered in Rin's precious blood and that of her parents.
~Time Skip:Yami's POV~
After I took care of the sorry excuse of a man, I made my way to the hospital. I walked up to the front desk and asked her which room Rin Kusuna was staying in and she gave me directions. I got on the elevator and pushed the button for the 4th floor and waited patiently. Once I was off the elevator I turned to walk down the hallway to the right and continued in that direction till I reached room 409.
I opened the door to see the doctor talking to Tea, Joey and Tristan. I could tell that it wasn't anything good. All three of them looked somber, not a trace of joy in their faces. I stepped inside just as the doctor walked passed me. I caught a hint of what he said. "Poor girl, who could have done such an awful thing to someone so young?" he muttered to himself. I walked over to them in the nick of time to see Joey clench his fist and punch the wall.
"How is she?" I asked them, causing them to snap their heads in my direction.
"Yugi, she lost so much blood..." Joey stated his voice breaking slightly at the end.
"Yeah, and she has a broken shoulder and a few fractured ribs." Tea added solemnly.
"The doctor said that if we hadn't of gotten her here on time she.. she..." Tristan started before his throat closed up.
"She wouldn't have made it..." Tea added for him. Joey's fist clenched and unclenched over and over. It was clear to me that he was furious. But it was also very clear he was close to his breaking point. We all glanced at the girl laying in the hospital bed, hooked up to multiple machines. She had a peaceful expression upon her face despite the heart monitor and the IV she was hooked up to.
I felt something dark stir within me just looking at the state she was currently in. To think that this girl around Yugi's and other's age had been put through so much. Not only did she have to go through the devastation of having no parents, she had to go through with living alone as well. Now, she got beat up and nearly killed for something she didn't even do. I walked over and sat in the chair closest to the bed with the sleeping red head. "When did the doctor say she would be released?" I asked, not even looking at my friends.
"He said it depends. It could be a couple of days to a month." Tristan added, looking at Joey from the corner of his eyes.
"Yeah, and we found something you might want to see Yugi." Tea said holding out something to me. I took it from her, my eyes widening in surprise.
It was an Millenium Item. And it was glowing softly. "Where did you get this?" I asked her, looking the circlet over.
"Rin was wearing it along with the necklace she's currently wearing." Joey told me, looking at the red haired girl lying on the bed with worry. The others looked at her as well. Each with worried filled faces. While they were doing that the circlet began to glow and it burned my hands as it became increasingly hot. I gasped and set the item on a table nearby.
I turned to look at the bed just in time to see Rin open her eyes with a gasp. "Joey, where am I?" she asked, not noticing the rest of us yet.
Joey walked over to her and pulled her into a bone crushing hug. "I thought you would never wake up.." he told her as tears slid down his face.
"Joey, you're hurting me." Rin gasped out with wide blue eyes. Joey automatically let her go and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Tristan and Tea were the next to approach the girl. Rin smiled at them and then at her blond haired cousin. "Thank you guys." she told them softly.
I let Yugi take over then. Something told me not reveal myself to the injured girl just yet. Although fate will decided when and where we will meet.
~Yugi's POV~
I blinked a couple times and looked around the room. My eyes landed on Rin and my friends surrounding her. When did she wake up? And how did I get here? My mind was drawing a blank for every question it asked. "Um, guys where is my circlet?" Rin asked, looking around almost desperately.
I picked it up off the table and walked over to them. "It's right here Rin." I told her before giving to her. She relaxed the moment it touched her. We all watched as she put it on before her fiery hair covered it once more. We watched as it began to glow along with the necklace. When Rin opened her eyes once more they were were a lighter shade of icy blue. Like they were glowing her hair seemed to do the same thing. It looked like it had turned a darker shade of red.
"I want thank you for protecting my owner." She said, her voice was different. It was higher pitched and like her hair and eyes, it didn't belong to Rin. " I must ask you to look out for her even more so now. Someone is looking for her." she told us. "He was the one who hired that man to kill her parents and attack her today." she told us after a brief moment of astonished silence.
We all hid our eyes as another bright flash of light lit the room. When we looked back at Rin she was sleeping once more. She looked healthier than she did before. "We tell no one about this. Agreed?" Joey asked us in a serious voice.
"Agreed." the rest of us said at once. We spent a few more minutes making sure that Rin was ok before we decided to go home. Once we reached my house/Game shop, we said 'good bye' and went our separate ways.