Chapter eleven: Rules are only here to break.
A little while later, there was a knock on Tamara's door, and Bakura came in, a smile on his face, his posture screaming ready for fun.
"Heard you were coming with us." He said, unable to hide his smile from getting bigger.
"Yeah, is that a problem with you?" Tamara poked back, and Bakura laughed.
"Might be, but you're always buckets of fun."
"And that changes your regular routine?"
"Yup. I wanna' show you a good time." He smiled, patting her head and bending his head down to hers so they were each at eye level.
"Really? If it's anything perverted I swear you'll regret it." She hissed, and Bakura laughed.
"No, nothing like that. Just some friends hanging out, a night on the town. Paint the town red and burn it to the ground. You know, stuff like that." He winked and chuckled.
"I'm not a walking match, dumb-ass."
"I understand that, it was a joke. Now come on, we're gonna' go now." He motioned toward the door, and she followed.
"Alright."
While walking to town, Marik was oddly silent. Bakura knew him better then Tamara, and found it strange. Marik was never this quiet, could it be because of Tamara? Even that shouldn't stop him...Bakura stayed silent though, and as he looked up to Marik, and found Marik looking back at him, he raised an eyebrow, as if to say:
'What's up?'
Marik only shook his head, a smile coming to his face as he looked to Tamara, then looking to Bakura with a devious look in his eyes. Bakura knew right then and there the dark side had taken over, the side that had Melvin's blood, and he had something mischievous up his sleeves.
Having that special connection with Melvin, when Melvin had some of Marik's blood all that time ago, Marik needed to take some of Melvin's blood for it to fully work, trading angels blood for gargoyle's blood. It gave Marik this devilish side, which then gave him mischievous ideas.
One of the things Bakura had fun with. Marik was the best partner in crime when he was like this. But what plan had Tamara involved? Usually Bakura came up with the ideas...He shook it off, and as they came to a stop in front of their destination, Marik spoke up.
"Here, let's go here first." He turned to the other two, and smiled.
Tamara looked to the place he pointed at, and scuffed.
"A bar? Really? I thought you said it would be a karaoke bar." She turned to Bakura, giving him a questionable look.
"I'm sure we'll get there."
"You want a karaoke bar? Alright, this way then." Marik padded off ahead, grabbing her hand and pulling her along.
"Let me go." She said and he laughed, looking back.
"Then follow."
She followed, and pretty soon, they were sitting in a karaoke bar.
"What do you want to drink?" Bakura asked, looking to Tamara.
"They're going to let me drink?" She scuffed, a slight smile coming to her lips. She hadn't drank alcohol before, this would be a new experience. But if it was anything like Heroine, she was ready for it.
"With those tattoos and your hair, You look like a biker. Of course they're going to let you drink. And there's no drinking age here on the Dark Side of the Moon." Bakura said as he waved the waitress over.
It seemed like these were just regular people, like the human world. But Tamara knew better, things had a darker feel to it.
"Yes?" The waitress came over, a bored look on her face.
"We'd like three double sevens please."
"Alright, anything else?"
"Barbeque chicken wings." Marik said, and she nodded, walking off.
"Why don't you go up and sing?" Bakura joked, nudging Tamara lightly.
"What for? So you can make fools of yourselves in the audience?" She scuffed, and Marik sighed, getting up.
"Marik?" Bakura asked, but he walked up to the stage, standing in the spotlight.
He held out a palm to his side, and a black harp appeared next to him in a black smoke cloud. He sat down next to the big harp, and began playing it, humming then singing with an angels voice.
Which could only make sense.
Bakura looked to Tamara, who gaped at Marik. Bakura's eye wandered around the bar, everyone seemed to stop what they were doing, and listened to Marik.
His voice echoed off the walls, and rang through everyone's ears, as the harp continued to strum on, Bakura noticed that the black hue started coming over everyone like a cloud, and he smiled.
"He is an angel after all." Bakura laughed, tipping the rest of his drink back. He tapped Tamara's shoulder, but found the cloud hadn't reached her yet. He pulled her away from the silent smoke, and outside.
"Hey, he was singing..."
"I know, which means we had to get out of there." Bakura said, looking into the window, Tamara gave him a questionable look.
"Because he's making tonight super fun..."Bakura laughed, and looked to the door as Marik left the karaoke bar, looking to them.
"Let's have some fun..." He said, handing her her drink that she never touched.
"You actually expect me to drink this?"
"Bottoms up." He said, clinking his glass to hers and throwing his head back, finishing his in one swig.
Tamara watched him for a moment, and did the same, fighting back the urge to throw up on the after taste.
"Where to next?" She asked, and both Bakura and Marik smiled.
A little while later, at a pub called Throwback, they all sat around a table. Tamara was drunk and stumbling all over the place, Bakura had drinks, but was able to stay from falling over the edge like Tamara had, and Marik was used to it, he was able to control himself.
"I jus' need one more drink..." Tamara mumbled, holding up her finger to Bakura, who smiled and laughed.
"Alright, as many as you want..." Marik said, walking over to get another.
"Tamara, don't you think you'd rather stop now?" Bakura laughed as she almost fell out of her chair.
"Shuddup." She mumbled, glaring at him. He shook his head.
"Come on, you've got enough stumbling going on to dance."
"Dance? HA! Fuggit." She laughed, but stumbled after him as he dragged her along.
He put his hands on her hips, and quickly moved his feet to the fast beat.
"I can't dance..." Tamara slurred, but Bakura put his lips to her ear and whispered:
"Just follow my movements, You'll get it." He assured, and smiled as she listened.
The buzz in his brain lightened up, his conscious saying this was wrong, and he looked at her.
She had her eyes closed, and she had started to feel the beat, moving by herself, her feet stronger with each step.
She twirled out of his arms, moving to the beat in as perfect step she could get with stumbling all over.
Bakura pulled her back, helping her steady herself, and smiled. The buzz came back over his mind, and he started stumbling along.
Tamara laughed, and brought her face to Bakura's kissing him sloppily. He opened his eyes in surprised, but considering she was drunk, he laughed, pulling away. Right now, she was drunk, and not Tamara.
But that was enough for Bakura, and he kissed her back, dancing along some more.
After they were tired out, the made their way back to the table, where Marik was waiting.
"Have fun?" He asked, handing her another drink.
She laughed, and finished it in one go.
"WOOOO!" She yelled, running back into the crowd.
"Should we go get her?" Marik asked, turning to Bakura.
"Nah, let her have fun." Bakura shrugged, smiling.
Melvin sat up, looking down the hall.
Something was up. He just felt it. He knew it. He didn't feel calm, he felt...empty..Lost.
He walked down the hall, stopping at Tamara's door. Should he knock? Was she there? He wasn't sure, and his heart felt as if it were being squished. His teeth grew hallow, and he gripped the doorknob, opening the door quickly.
She wasn't there.
Bakura ordered another round of drinks, and scanned the room for Tamara.
"Do you see her? She's got another drink..." Marik said, searching as well.
"Nope, but she's having fun." Bakura laughed, and suddenly the mood felt denser, darker.
The door slammed open, and Melvin walked in, eyes red and looking directly at Marik and Bakura. He glared, his teeth bared.
Marik looked in fear, and immediately changed back to himself, the presence of Melvin intense and frightening. He had worn himself out with drinking and what not. This night on the town was at an ugly end.
Melvin walked over to them.
"Where. Is. She?" He asked, his voice low, but a growl. He grabbed Bakura by the collar, and Bakura tried to keep focus, his brain buzzed.
"Melvin...Calm down...We were jus' havin' some fun." Marik slurred, the buzz taking full force.
"You're a bunch of drunk idiots! Imbeciles! No good useless pieces of shit! Just having fun? FUN?" Melvin hissed, but calmed down a bit, speaking up again.
"Now, I'll ask again. Where. Is. She." Acid poured out his mouth each word dripping off his tongue like rain drops off a glass window.
"She went into the crowd-" Bakura began to say, but stopped when they say Tamara jump on one of the tables and start dancing.
All three of them gaped, surprised.
"YOU. GOT. HER. DRUNK!" Melvin hissed, but didn't look away from her.
"We didn't think she was that drunk!" Bakura lied. Melvin let him go, and looked over the crowd of people that surrounded Tamara.
He watched for a minute, but started glaring back at them as the crowd started chanting her name and she kicked off her sneakers, Melvin catching one. He sighed, one last growl towards Marik and Bakura, and made his way through the crowd.
Tamara jumped down, running to the bar and sliding down it to jump off the end.
"Hey lady! Calm down!" The bartender reached for her wrist, her marks red. She laughed and moved just out of his reach, giving Melvin a brief second relief. If he would have touched her wrist and burned his hand, he wouldn't know what would happen.
She jumped up on another table, taking a shot off of someones head and throwing her shirt into the crowd and jumping into the crowd to crowd surf. Melvin waited at the end, and lifted her away from the crowd. He put her on her feet, and she turned to face him, a little wobbly, but she managed to be on her own feet.
"Melvin! What are you...Doing here?" She slurred, stumbling and giggling.
"I came to get you." He said, looking away from her as he took of his leather jacket and handed it to her. She giggled again and looked at the jacket.
"Wanna' have a drink-" She hiccuped, but continued:
"With me?" She laughed, and threw the jacket in the air.
"No, and put the jacket on, we're leaving."
"Why? Can't I have..." She stumbled, and Melvin caught her, handing her the jacket again.
"One more!" She screamed, laughing her head off.
"No, you're already drunk enough."
"I'm not drunk!" She pointed a finger at him, as she tried to focus as her head spun and her vision blurred, and she shook her head, trying to stop her vision from multiplying.
"Tamara, look at yourself, you're a mess." Melvin said, sighing.
"There's nothing wrong with me..."Tamara looked down at herself, finding that in fact, Melvin was right. She didn't want to admit it though, and looked back up to Melvin. He raised an eyebrow, and she crossed her arms.
"Tamara, come on. You've had enough fun. These idiots have done enough harm, just go home." Melvin sighed, thankful he was out of Bakura's and Melvin's earshot, but knew they were watching them. He couldn't do anything like hug her, or convince her like he had that morning.
"What-" Melvin cut her off by grabbing her wrist and pulling her along towards Marik and Bakura.
"You two better be THANKFUL it was me who came and NOT Akefia. HE would have done much worse." He said as he hit them over the head.
"Well, we're lucky as Irishmen! Only kitty-cat Melvin found us!" Bakura laughed, speaking with an Irish accent. Defiantly drunk, him and Marik laughed.
Melvin glared, and slammed his other hand on the table, the drinks jumping just a tiny bit.
"You two better be home in fifteen minutes. Or I'm going to find you, and drag you back. And if I have to do that, your group training won't be so easy and light."
"Oh whoop de doo. Harder training. Thanks for making us stronger for your next punishment Melvin." Marik raised his glass up to Melvin, and Melvin's eyes shone brighter, the faintest glow of the golden eye showing.
Marik hit Bakura, and Bakura stopped laughing, noting it as well.
"Alright, We'll go home now, just calm down...Please." Marik begged, knowing if the eye fully shown, it wouldn't end well, and blood would be everywhere. A massacre would be made of this entire bar.
Melvin glared once again, and dragged himself and Tamara out of there.
Melvin opened Tamara's room window, and motioned her in. Everyone else should be asleep, and he didn't want them knowing that Tamara had slipped. Especially Akefia. He would smoke all their asses, Tamara, Bakura, Marik AND Melvin.
Tamara crawled in, and yawned. She fell back on her bed, breathing gently as Melvin sighed, looking down at her. He still radiated anger, and the eye was every so slightly forming.
"Melvin." Tamara said, and Melvin looked to her, raising an eyebrow.
"What?" He asked, his voice sharp and quick.
"Are you going to stay here tonight?" She asked, and Melvin stopped. Staying tonight would be incredibly dangerous. With the Egyptian eye on the verge of taking over, he couldn't take that risk.
"I don't think so." He crossed his arms, and Tamara frowned.
"Do you hate me that much...?" Tamara mumbled, and looked up with tear filled eyes. Melvin held his tongue, and reminded himself that if he did stay, she could end up dead with just one swift move.
But his heart beat once, aching his chest.
The tears fell, and she looked away from him. She was still drunk, which is why emotions ruled her right now, but Melvin closed his eyes for a moment.
"Tamara, it would be a serious danger...You could die..."
"How?" She asked, hiccups starting up.
"Because, with the Egyptian Eye in my DNA...I can turn cold any moment. I can't control myself when it takes over, and you've witnessed this first hand." Melvin chocked on the last words, remembering it with pain. He didn't want to hurt her again...
"Well I don't care! I feel sick, I'm a freakin' mess, and you've always been there.." She broke out into a sob fest, and Melvin took a minute to calm himself down.
He forced himself into a calm state, and the Egyptian Eye faded away into his skin. He breathed, feeling ready to pass out, but sat next to Tamara.
"You're...Staying?" She asked, the sobs lightening up.
"Yeah..."Melvin breathed, and she threw her arms around him, burring her face in his chest. Melvin patted her head, and pulled her away.
"Only if you sleep." He held up a finger, and she frowned.
"I'm not tired..." Tamara said quietly, and Melvin sighed.
"I'm not staying here for fun. You need sleep, and if I'm the cause of you not getting sleep, I'll remove myself."
"No!" Tamara jumped up and squeezed him tight in her arms.
"Tamara..." Melvin warned, but she didn't let go.
"You're always so proper..."Tamara slurred, hiccuping and continuing.
"You're always 'you don't get sleep Tamara', 'you should sleep Tamara'. Well what if I don't want to? Huh?" She asked, and Melvin looked down at her with really no expression.
"You're really that drunk, aren't you?"
"I ain't drunk!"
"You're drunk enough to not know that's not a word."
"Well maybe I jus' speak this way."
"Well maybe I should go to let you be drunk and stubborn by yourself." Melvin started to get up, but she held on tighter.
She didn't say anything, and Melvin sighed.
"I'll stay, but for the sake of fighting, just go to sleep."
"But this is the only time I really get to see you..." She said quietly. Melvin stopped, his heart beating once, a rock in his chest. He swallowed, and his hands ran through her hair, gently resting on her lower back.
He wasn't sure what to say. She was right, this was the only real time they got to see each other, without being watched by Akefia or the rest of the group. Melvin knew this problem would come up, but didn't expect it so soon. Especially not when she was this drunk. People who are drunk shouldn't be this understanding...
Melvin looked down at Tamara to looking up at him, half asleep.
"Take the jacket off, you'll sleep better." He whispered, and she opened her eyes a little wider. She nodded, and started taking it off.
Melvin looked away, and took of his shirt, handing it to her.
"But this is yours..."She mumbled, her lips barely moving.
"Put it on, it's not like it's infected...And I don't want you to get up." She didn't say anything, and when Melvin felt her hands grab one of his, he almost smiled.
She rested her head on his chest, and drifted off. She breathed softly, snoring a little, but Melvin found it cute.
He looked up to the skylight, thinking.
Was this all a mistake? You could call it 'sneaking around', but Melvin didn't want to even think of it that way. Besides, it's not like they were, Akefia didn't own her.
But, almost, Melvin sort of did.
He frowned at the thought. Something like her, young, unsure, still brand new to the human world and this world, belonging to something so...So...So horrible. So monstrous, something like him. Something dangerous, wise, something this world and the human world had dealt with and made rough. Something so unpromising, something that couldn't provide her with the life she needed, something that would only destroy her, something that created the shadows, and lurked in them all it's life.
Something she needed to stay away from. Something he should keep away.
Melvin frowned, thinking of getting up, but stopped. It wouldn't feel right being away from her, wouldn't be right. He would know it in his heart.
And maybe he could change this something that was bad for her, maybe he could change to something good. Maybe he could do his best to be better for her. He could at least try.
But could he change something he had been for so long? What he was, was in his DNA, in his soul now. He'd been with it too long, and even before that, he was a human monster. He was a human disaster, a walking hell.
He stopped his mind right there. That was enough foolish thoughts. What he needed to worry about now, was her. What would being drunk do to the Phoenix? How bad would she be effected tomorrow?
They were idiots and stupid for doing this to her.
Melvin ground his teeth, and closed his eyes. He'd deal with them later, right now, he needed sleep as well. With almost being taken over, and him losing energy from not..
He forgot again. That's why it was so hard to fight it off.
He sighed, finding he couldn't move without waking her up, and prayed he wouldn't slip.
He looked to her one last time, and thought for a minute.
"I can be your...hero..." He breathed a whisper, going silent to make sure he didn't wake her. When he was sure she was still asleep, he continued.
"Am I in too deep...?
Have I lost my mind...?
I don't care...
You're here...tonight..." He whispered silently, kissing her forehead.
He smiled, and closed his eyes, holding Tamara in his arms.
Bakura and Marik walked home in silence.
"Bakura?"
"Yeah?"
"What happened tonight?" Marik asked, his face unreadable.
"What do you mean?"
"With Melvin...He's never..."
"I know, but Kyrah never came with us."
"I told you not to say that she-devils name."
"Well, it's the truth. She never did. So, I guess they're really making sure it's not a repeat.."
"But why try so hard? Let her be her and she won't turn out like that...It's almost as if treating her like that will turn her into her..."
"Well, we aren't in charge..."
"Maybe we should be." Marik said spitefully.
"I disagree, I like having these fun days. Akefia never has fun like this."
"True, and just think of all that paper work we'd have to fill out."
They both looked at each other, as if thinking the same thing.
"I'm glad we're not in charge." Bakura laughed, and Marik nodded.
"Yeah, besides, then we wouldn't be best friends." He punched his arm lightly, and Bakura smiled.
"Then can I trust you?"
"With what?" Marik looked at him, questionable.
"A secret."
"I suppose. You know all of mine...Didn't know you had secrets Bakura." He laughed, but Bakura stayed silent.
"If someone kisses you when you're drunk, does it count?"
"Count for what?"
"As a real kiss. I mean, compared to a genuine kiss when they're coherent and under their own control."
"When did you turn cheesy?" Marik chuckled, but realized he was serious.
"You're serious...Who kissed you?"
"Tamara. When we were dancing..."
"Oh." Marik looked ahead, a surprised look.
"Yeah."
"Well."
"I don't know." Bakura answered the question on Marik's mind before he could form the words.
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. It doesn't count." He reassured, shrugging it off.
"I mean, if you like her..."Marik trailed off.
"No, no I don't."
"We could let her hang out with us more..."Marik tried again.
"Melvin would kill us, and I don't like her Marik. I don't."
"Alright, you had me worried for a minute there." Marik laughed nervously.
"Sorry." Bakura chuckled.
"You had me going there for a minute. I mean, YOU of all people falling? It was..."
"Stupid? I know." Bakura finished, but Marik held up his palms, shaking them.
"No, no. It would be something...new. I've just seen you make ten's beg man, and then for you to just go and fall for Tamara would be weird...That's all."
Bakura thought about it, and nodded.
"Really weird."
"Totally weird." The walked in silence the rest of the way.
AN: alright so this chapter was cut in half, and kind of easy to write.
I DON'T OWN THE YU-GIOH CHARACTER'S BUT I DO OWN THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON AND TAMARA. NO ONE CAN USE ANYTHIGN I OWN.
Yu-gi-oh characters © their creators