Author's Notes:
Hello there lovely people, I'm really sorry for the late update! I hope to get this story done by December, but since school has just started, that might not happen.
Thank you again Lazy Gaga for your review! -hugs-
And to YOU, reader! Thanks so much for reading all the way up to this chapter! And for the 200 + hits! Thats awesome!
Okay, so we've finally get the part where Akefia and Ryou MEET and they TALK. -gasp- like actually for a long time and not just a 'hey' then he leaves and blah blah blah
but first some shameless self advertising.
I've written a tendershipping one-shot to make up for the lack of that ship in this story, so if you have the time, go check it out! It's about 1,000 words and the name is A Forgotten Soul's Last Request. Thanks ;D
Hope you like the chapter! XD
Akefia laid on his back, head turned towards the open window, letting the soft night breeze dance between his messy locks. Although he felt strangely calm with the cool air filling the room, his body was hot with sensations running through his skin.
He had sent away Bakura's 'present' half an hour ago, after he had his share of satisfaction, the prostitute had tried to linger in his bed, body turned to face the thief, almost brushing against his hair. Akefia flinched against her touch, jerking away sharply, ordering her to leave immediately. Though she was quite a looker, jet black hair flowing down her curvy body, feeling her breath beside the thief was uncomfortable. Too close for comfort. Quietly, he hugged himself finding comfort in his own warmth, alone in his bed.
While his body was at ease due to the calm atmosphere, his mind ran through everything that happened that day, starting with the graveyard, and ending with their unexpected encounter. Synchronizing with the pounding of his heartbeat, images of his bloody hungry slowly melted away like the rain, with only snow filling its place.
Kind of like… Soft locks of white hair…
A peaceful trance settled over the thief, his eyelids beginning to feel heavy.
Soft locks of white hair in the wind…
He took in a deep breath and tilted his head to allow the side of his face to rest against his pillow, already forgotten about this world.
And as they dance in the wind they do indeed resemble snow…
The next few days were fairly quiet in terms of Bakura giving him orders. All he simply asked was to be left alone. Before he left the spiky haired young man's floor, a quiet shuffle made Akefia glance back into the room. For a moment, he could have sworn he saw another person sitting on Bakura's couch. His eyes widened as the elevator doors closed slowly, leaving him alone with nothing but the bright scenery. Bakura never had anyone else but him enter his floor. Not even his closest company workers had seen his face or heard his real voice before, never mind come into contact with him. The thief turned back to the transparent one way window of the elevator, blaming the hallucination on his late night sleep.
Without Bakura constantly pestering him, Akefia could finally relax. The weather seemed to lift with his spirits; the rain filled city stopped for a few days. The clouds parted away revealing the brilliant sun. The glorious sunlight hit then bounced off the platinum buildings, blinding its people with all the neon hues and shades of the rainbow.
The thief found the perfect moment to take off his hood. Shaking his messy hair free, he saw that the streets began to fill up again like a forest after a firestorm. They wore colorful clothing and chatted merrily amongst one another, shrouding the city with a soft never ending chant.
Only out of habit did Akefia flip his phone open to check his messages. But after deleting all the previous ones that Bakura had sent for his last mission, his inbox was empty. Specially programmed to be untraceable, Bakura often reminded him to keep the phone with him at all times. The old fashion flip phone he used didn't have any use except for sending and receiving messages from his brother. There wasn't really anyone else that he knew that he wanted to call or text or anything. Except for maybe that cute girl who worked at the Italian restaurant he often passes by. Maybe he could get her number.
As the days passed unnaturally slow for him. Between going to the library, sitting on the benches for hours reading about his homeland of Egypt, looking for the strange incidents that occurred when Millennia Inc was just taking off, and taking jogs around the green parks that laced around the dull buildings, while occasionally pick pocketing to satisfy his boredom, Akefia almost started to miss Bakura's annoying messages.
Or rather, he missed the excitement of his old jobs. There was nothing in store for him in the life of an ordinary civilian. There was no need for an education or a regular employment, since the one he had now gave him access to the unlimited supply of the company's money. He had learned everything there was to be taught at a young age, being taken into a powerful family, he was made sure to be as cunning as he was swift.
The dangerous missions always called Akefia back, and he welcomed it entirely. They had some sort of lingering taste on his tongue, something he couldn't get enough of. The strong aroma of fear and adrenaline that worked his blood more than a workout or a whore his brother sent him could ever do. A normal life could fulfill his break for a few days, but when the days began to drag on as weeks, his fingers itched for a challenge. One evening his patience began to run on its end so he sent the first message to Bakura.
A:
I'm bored.
B:
You sound like a bratty child.
I'm busy.
The thief clenched his teeth, slamming his phone shut; he almost threw the phone down on the pavement in frustration before it vibrated again. Quirking an eyebrow, he opened it to see Bakura's second text.
B:
two roads down left on thirty second lane there should be a small passageway that winds its way in between building its near a marketplace Go there immediately
Akefia stared dumbfounded at the message. Not only had it lost the neat structure Bakura had always made so sure his texts contained, there was also a loss of punctuation and proper capitalization. He knew it was a small thing to be fussing over, but when someone, especially Bakura of all people, typed like that in a hurry, and he never urged Akefia like that, not even on the most important missions, it was like his brother was right beside him, screaming in his ear and pulling his hair in all directions.
The thief sputtered incoherently before sprinting towards Thirty-Second lane, one hand clutching his phone to look at the directions.
What could be so urgent?! He panted, feeling Bakura anxiety slowly seeping into his thoughts.
Being the closest person to him, Akefia knew how Bakura thought and acted in most situations. For him to be… Almost scared, was a terrifying image. The mysterious young ruthless head of the Ring department of the most influencing company in the world to be seen like an average human being just because he too felt fear, made the thief lose track of his road and skip the turn he was supposed to make on Thirty-Second lane.
He thought of the man who grew up with him. Always miles ahead of everyone who stood in his way, he followed his father's footsteps and goals, turning him into someone even Akefia looked up to. There was a debt buried in the sands, and the tanned man would act without hesitation on his orders.
A red light blinked cautiously as his path was blocked by a bunch of cars. The thief snarled, running directly into busy traffic, turning and jumping around to avoid the vehicles and their cussing owners. The wires above his head turned into a tangled mess as he closed in on the crowded market place. Pushing aside the mob of people, his eyes scanned the buildings for passageways that weren't blocked by merchant carts.
"Hey, watch it buddy!" A tall blonde teenager he shoved past shouted at him, giving him a familiar gesture with his finger.
Suddenly there was a small draft that came from an empty clearing in between two towers guarding a narrow path. Akefia craned his head around, shielding his eyes from the harsh evening sun; he saw the outline of Millennia Inc. Bakura should have quite easily seen this spot he sent Akefia to. Now what was so important?
Catching his breath, he turned to look at the empty alleyway. Resting a hand on the wall beside him, something ran past him, quick as a blur.
Was that- Snow?
No, white hair!
It couldn't be…
The teen that ducked in between the buildings found himself met with a dead end. He leaned against the corner, frame shaking from running, patting the school bag he carried, he made sure whatever contents he had inside of it was safe.
Akefia peaked into the path, hiding himself from the white haired boy. A familiar jolt hit him and he was reminded of that day in the graveyard. Only he knew the circumstances this time were different.
Damn it, why did he have to run in now to ruin everything?
It was almost too easy to look away and continue finding what Bakura was so urgent about, but he couldn't tear himself away from the boy who looked back at his bag.
Checking to make sure the boy didn't have any injuries aside from his lost eyes containing none of the merriment or sad knowing look he had before, Akefia was about to turn away until two men walked into the path, gaze all turning to the terrified student.
The sounds of their voice made him rage with disgust.
"Look where the little rabbit ran off to…"
His companion sniggered at the sight of the boy in the corner.
"We saw you that necklace from that fortune telling lady. That's not very appropriate behavior for a high school student you know."
The thief considered going back and retracing his steps. Besides, it was none of his business what the runt got himself into. He had a job to do.
The teen's body shifted defensively against the wall. "You're going to take it back to her?" There was no use hiding the fear that controlled his voice.
The first man let out a harsh laughter.
"Give back?" The other took a step closer, while Akefia walked in. "We were preparing to steal it ourselves! But seeing how you already did the hardest part for us…"
"…We decided to corner you and take it from you. And if you resist." From his pocket, he took out the handle of a metallic object.
Out of nowhere, a silent figure cloaked by the shadows of the alley knocked the bandit closest to the boy straight against the wall. While the thief rubbed his fists, the man clutched his nose, tears from the pain flooding into his eyes.
"Who the hell are you?!" The first man screamed, turning his head around to locate Akefia who was already behind him. Feeling the breath on the back of his neck, the bandit spun around, his knife stabbing wildly towards him. Though he couldn't see where the knife ended, he clenched the man's hand, and the experienced killer harshly dislocated his wrist, releasing a howl of pain. With his other hand, he slammed the bandit's head against the bricks, tossing the unconscious body on top of the other.
Looking away from the two, his sun tinted red eyes met the wide eyed boy's, his expression unchanging. From the doe brown eyes of the teen, he knew he recognized him almost immediately when their eyes locked. He tried to say something to the thief, but a cry of his name interrupted him.
"Ryou!"
He looked up. Forgetting about the thief, he shouted back. "Yugi, I'm here!"
Taking one last glance at the white haired student, Akefia melted away into the shadows of the alley, as the boy left it. The thief kicked the bandit with the broken nose to silence him and dragged their bodies deeper inside, where people couldn't see them.
"Are you alright? We've been looking everywhere for you!" A lighter voice asked.
"Yes, Yugi. I'm fine." The boy, Ryou, replied.
"I thought you took off again! You scared us!"
"Haha, I'm sorry, I thought I saw someone I knew…"
"Huh?"
"Oh, uhm." He paused. "She looked a lot like my best friend from elementary school! We havn't talked in ages. Then… I uh, lost her in the crowd!"
"Did you find her?"
"I made a mistake Yugi," Ryou laughed unnaturally. "It wasn't her all along."
Yugi laughed as well. "We thought you got lost! But it's okay now, since we've found you. Hey, look at this, I found this at a nearby shop."
"Wow, neat. It looks just like the puzzle logo your brother had on his uniform."
Puzzle?
"Yeah, except this is a necklace. There's a chain where I can put the puzzle through and hang it around my neck. Pretty cool huh? This is like the one Atem used to own."
ATEM?! Akefia stumbled in his hiding spot, accidentally shifting his weight on the bandits, making them cry out.
"What was that?"
"Ah – Uhm, alley cats I suppose. I mean, they're everywhere. It's getting late. I really should go now, I still have to wake up pretty early for my shift tomorrow."
"You still work at the amusement park right?"
"Yeah."
"Awesome! Maybe we could get some free rides the next time we come, you know?" Yugi laughed. "Okay Ryou, I'll tell the others you're alright."
"Take care now Yugi."
"See you at school Ryou!"
The two student's voices melted away into the crowd. Akefia breathed a sigh of relief then smirked. So that's was what Bakura wanted him to do. The name Atem was like jackpot to them. To hear it, rarely as it was, in a conversation always gave them information. And for it to be associated with the other word… puzzle. The puzzle branch of Millennia Inc. The one located in Cairo, Egypt, the country where he was from.
His cunning brother must have known that boy, Yugi, would be here with his friend. Then all he had to do was to tell Akefia to intercept them, and listen in on their conversation, learning secrets that would allow Bakura to know a personal link that was living right there in their city, to the child billionaire, Atem.
Atem's little brother, living in such a safe large city! How ironic.
"I know your still there."
Ryou's voice made Akefia jump all of a sudden. Completely out of it, he stepped on the unconscious man's body. He had to quickly place his other foot in front of him to prevent himself from falling in front of the boy, who stood at the front of the narrow path's entrance. Once steady on his feet, the thief looked at Ryou.
"Thank you for your help." He smiled softly, his features showing genuine appreciation.
Unsure of what to say, Akefia commented on the boy instead. "You're a terrible liar." He grunted.
Ryou tilted his head to one side, his hand rubbing his head, looking ashamed and slightly embarrassed.
"How do you keep finding me?" He asked.
"I was about to ask you the same question." Great, now the thief was making conversation. Just what he needed, the thorn he forgot about came back, and now he even knew his name.
"What's your name?" Ryou stepped closer.
"That is none of your business." Akefia growled.
"I want to thank you properly."
What is so important in that bag of yours that you have to thank me so much?
"Whatever kid, you've already done that."
"I'm seventeen."
The corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch at that remark.
"You're bleeding you know…" Ryou whispered.
"Huh?" Akefia looked down at his body. A small red patch on the upper half of his jeans began to spread. An icy prickle and the rolling dark gray clouds in the skyline's distance signaled the coming of rainfall. He could already hear the marketplace's merchant's footsteps fade away while he looked up lazily up into the boy's brown eyes. "Yeah that happens a lot…"
Ryou opened the umbrella he had inside his bag. Scooting closer to the thief, he held it up for him.
"Don't be like that all the time…"
"What?"
"Last time you were bleeding as well…"
Oh great, he saw me on that day too.
"Where do you live?" Ryou pressed on.
"I can walk by myself." Akefia grew annoyed and began to turn away.
"Aren't you in pain?"
"I'm too used to this kind of injury to care." He pulled his hood on his head to cover his head from the light rain.
"At least let me walk you home…"
Slowly, the thief looked behind his shoulder.
Ryou's hands held his umbrella tightly against him, looking at him like a child finding a lost animal in the rain. His expression was filled with concern for the thief. While he didn't dare ask, Akefia felt that Ryou's sentiment wasn't only about his wound.
"I've burdened you enough kid." He replied, hoping to gap the distance between them even though they hadn't moved an inch. "Go home."
"You've done none of that." The teen insisted. "Besides, it's raining…"
Feeling unable to move without responding to his request, Akefia sighed as Ryou walked to his side, holding the umbrella for him.
The thief turned his head away from the boy, watching the city empty with silence, the familiar gray rain come down like always and anything but Ryou. He was already too tangled in this mess he knew he shouldn't have been caught up in, but damn it.
He just couldn't see the boy get hurt now could he…
Seeing his discomfort, Ryou also faced the other way, a tiny appreciative smile formed on his face, glad to be walking with someone. He forgot what the feeling was like to share an umbrella and send them home. The last time he accompanied someone, it was when his former best friends were still alive.
Although they only spoke through their footsteps in the rain, Akefia couldn't deny he enjoyed Ryou's company, but it would be the last time he'd allow for himself to be distracted from a mission like this. Even though Ryou did somewhat help by being there at the right time, and luring his friend to the thief. Does the boy think he has some debt to pay back to him, so he offered to walk the thief home?
Suddenly, Ryou's stomach rumbled.
"Uhm," He flushed in embarrassment. "Sorry."
"You hungry?"
"I guess. I mean, I didn't have dinner yet…"
Akefia looked around the deserted streets amongst the flashing signs of stores for a diner.
"Come on, let's go grab you a bite."
"No, it's fine."
"You still have a long way to go right? It's fine. I'll treat you." He tried to say it decently like a normal person would, but his quiet tone turned out harsher than he expected. Spotting the illuminated lights of his building only a few blocks away, Akefia decided he would buy the boy a meal then part their own ways there.
They entered the diner and immediately were greeted by a waitress in a miniskirt. The thief took a good amount of time smirking at her uniform before taking a seat opposite of Ryou.
Ryou took a look at the menu, mouth watering at the images of the course of the day. He must have been hungrier than he intended him to be.
Akefia was amused by Ryou's changing expression from one page to the other. He rested on the palm of his hand, leaning sideways. His wound had stopped bleeding by now, since it was only a rather shallow but long cut. He suffered enough scars by now to care about minor injuries such as this. The two crosses on his right eye were more than enough to prove it. He removed his hood as Ryou began to order.
"I'll have the medium fries please."
"Alright, anything else?"
"And the barbeque chicken wings with mashed potatoes and gravy."
"For here or to go?"
"Here."
"Got it, Anything for you sir?"
"Huh?" Akefia looked up at the waiter then back to Ryou. "No, I'm fine."
Ryou hesitated, thinking about his companion's order. "Actually make it to go."
Confused, the thief quirked an eyebrow.
"I'm in a hurry." Ryou explained a little too quickly.
You're a terrible liar.
"Alright then." Akefia slouched backwards against the cushions of the chair, folding his arms across his chest, studying the boy.
As soon as Ryou's food came, Akefia walked over to the Waitress to pay for the check.
"Do you have anything smaller sir?" She asked before taking his hundred dollar bill.
He shook his head.
"Alright here's your change." She smiled, handing him the bills and coins, hand lingering for a moment, gazing up at him before giving him a wink.
Akefia simply walked away, letting out a 'heh' at her failed attempt to flirt with him. As if he didn't already have enough things on his plate to deal with then to be seduced by some skimpy waitress.
When he walked back to the place where Ryou was sitting he realized the kid had already left, taking the food he ordered and everything. A part of him was relieved to see him go, but he felt a bit… offended that he didn't say good-bye?
He ran out like this into the rain?
Leaving the black umbrella was no mistake; Ryou had purposely left it there for Akefia to see. Glancing outside, he could make the slight silhouette of the boy in his uniform running on the streets back to his house in the rain. What an idiot. He left his umbrella for some stranger with an injury so he could make it back dry. Some people in the world were really just that naïve.
The rain drenched teen disappeared from sight, leaving Akefia alone with the umbrella. He opened it and stepped outside, going the other direction back to Millennia Inc. Many different thoughts spun through his head, wondering about Ryou and his gestures of gratitude.
But one thing was for sure; the umbrella was in his possession for now.
So you work at the amusement park…
He had to go return it.
Questions? Yeah, there should be some ;P But those will be further revealed in Ryou and Bakura's next few chapters in their POV. Stay tuned!
I hope the dialogue and the emotions, especially on Akefia's part is acceptable, and I know it seems like he's more interested in that waitress than Ryou, (Which he kind of is, bad thief) I wanted to establish the fact that Akefia is pretty bad at this whole 'affection' thing.
I mean, given his background and all the things he does (Oops backstory alert) he should be a complete train wreck at taking care of Ryou. At first that is.
I've read so many fanfics where its like "Hey I just met you, and this is crazy, but -falls in love and inserts 3924u93 smut scenes in the next few chapters-" So instead of taking the easier road, I decided to make him squirm and slowly, veeeery slowly, grow attatched to Ryou.
Reviews are loved, love! ^.^