Rin Okumura: *looking bored* Robin Nightingale doesn't own Blue Exorcist, manga or anime. All rights go to-
RN:*shuffles him off-stage* Ahahahaha...Wrong fanfic...sorry about that...Just replace Blue Exorcist with Yu-Gi-Oh and you'll be fine...
Joey growled at the sight of the professor, balling his fists in preparation for a fight.
Keichi pushed up his glasses, and when he lowered his hand, his face had fallen into a friendly smile. "Just kidding," he laughed.
Joey hesitated, caught off guard by the professor's sudden change in mood. His fists were already falling to his sides.
Keichi flicked another switch, one Joey missed, right next to the one he found, and the rest of the room lit up. The desks in the back were illuminated, as was the back wall. "Fortunately, there's no consequence in snooping here," he said cheerfully. "This is just an extension of the other room. My assistants work here."
"Yeah? An' where are dey at?" Joey asked roughly.
"Vacation. It is fall break," Keichi reminded him.
"So why ain't you on vacation?"
Keichi looked upwards as he considered the question. "I guess you could say this is my vacation," he answered at last. "After all, this is my life's work. I couldn't possibly leave it."
"Professor!"
Keichi turned in surprise just as Yugi squeezed around him in the room. He stopped and gaped in amazement at the full sight of the place, but continued walking when his eyes fell on Joey. "Joey! What are you doing?" he asked.
"Wait, wait. How'd you all know I was in here?"
Keichi shrugged. "You went off back in the direction of the elevator, so I assumed you wanted to go back up top. I forgot to tell you it needs a key code and hand print scan, so I followed you to help you gain access. But by the time I got there, you were nowhere to be seen. The lights in this room were on, so I naturally assumed you'd found the assistant's work room."
"Figure dat all out on yer own, didja, Sherlock?" Joey growled.
"Joey, come on. We keep telling you there's no reason to be so suspicious. Keichi's been fully open to us from the start," Téa said sharply.
Joey gestured to the room behind them. "Obviously not!"
Keichi pushed up his glasses. "As I said before, this is just the assistant's room," he said mildly. "The rest of the lab is pretty much the same. It's not much to look at, so I didn't think you'd want to see anything besides the clone. But, if you insist, I'd be happy to oblige you."
"Please, Professor, this is your place," Téa said. "You don't have to trouble yourself just because someone—" she shot a glare at Joey, who scowled back, "—forgot his manners."
"Oh, no, no trouble at all!" Keichi chuckled lightly, cutting Joey off before he could retort. "I only worry the rest of what you'll see won't be that interesting."
"Ya won't have ta worry," Joey promised. He folded his arms and stepped to the side. "Now, if it really ain't gonna be too much trouble, I'd appreciate da rest of de tour."
Keichi pushed up his glasses again, then clasped his hands behind his back with a cheerful smile. "Follow me then, if you please."
Joey tensed as Keichi passed him. Before he fell in line behind the professor, he glanced back at his friends.
Immediately he wished he hadn't. All three of the others were looking at him with some measure of disapproval, but it was Yugi's expression that nearly drove all the anger from his limbs. A helpless look that asked, Why? No anger, no hatred, just…disappointment, unmistakable disappointment that prickled so uncomfortably that Joey had to look away. He could have dealt with anything else, but not this.
Don't ask, Yug, he begged in his heart. It's fer yer own good.
"…And last, but not least, the computer labs." Keichi turned to the others, and once more clasped his hands behind his back. "Satisfied?"
Joey surveyed the room as he entered, just like he had with all the others. And, just like all the others, a small portion inside him dropped with just a little more guilt. This room was even smaller than the last, and had only three very old and very dusty computers in it. No other doors were present, and only a few ceiling fans and two flickering lights provided any ventilation and lighting.
An awkward silence persisted, one Joey tried to ignore by taking in every detail that he could. Yet he could tell that no matter how long he looked, no matter how he would try to treat this like some sort of detective film, there was absolutely nothing to be found here.
He could feel Téa's hostile glare on his back, but he ignored it and the rising feeling of failure. There had to be something, there just had to be. His instincts had never led him wrong before, and now they were telling him that he was missing something, something important…
But there was nothing there.
Keichi apparently also sensed some form of animosity between the group, because he cleared his throat and chipped, "If you four want to keep looking around, be my guests. I just need to go check the clone's vitals and see how they're doing…" With a gentle click, he closed the door behind him, leaving all four standing in silence in the room.
Téa wasted no time breaking it. She stormed around to Joey's front and cast an angry arm to the room. "I'll ask you too. Are you satisfied? We keep telling you there's nothing to be suspicious about! And yet you keep trying to find excuses to label the professor as the bad guy!"
Joey didn't answer, couldn't answer. Some part of him still wanted to will his anger to surface, but it was all smothered in his increasing shame that told him that Téa was right.
"He showed us the chemistry labs, the storage cabinets, even his co-worker's private lockers," Téa continued. "It wasn't even his place to show us some of the rooms he did! And yet he did it, all to satisfy your idiotic doubt!"
Téa's voice had risen to a shout by now, and at the last two words her face had become only inches away from Joey's. She paused after the last sentence, breathing hard. Her hands had balled into fists, and angry tears glistened at the corner of her eyes.
"Téa," Tristan said in a warning voice.
"Don't say you don't think so too!" Téa whirled on the other teen, and despite being a full foot shorter than him, she looked capable of throwing him across the room and beyond. "I don't care if he's my friend right now! He's being a complete and utter—!"
"Téa."
Though Yugi's voice was barely audible, Téa's voice was silenced mid-sentence. She glanced, almost apologetically, to the shorter teen, whose eyes were shadowed.
Yugi turned his face to the side, his eyes still not visible. Still quiet, he asked, "Guys, could you…step outside for a little bit?"
Téa relaxed and glared at Joey again. "Yeah, all right," she said. "Maybe you can tell him just how much of an idiot he's being."
"Téa, please."
Yugi's voice lowered, ever so slightly, and at his icy tone Téa shot another, almost fearful glance at him. A faint glow seemed to be rising from the eye in the center of the Puzzle, and she thought she caught thin streaks of gold in his hair.
Téa actually had to refrain from stepping back. Had she gone too far?
"…Okay," she finally said, and walked past him to the door. After a second Tristan followed, sending a torn look at Joey over his shoulder.
The door closed with a soft click behind them. For a while the two of them just stood in silence. All the while Yugi refused to lift his gaze from the floor. The air was heavy with tension, and it prickled horribly under Joey's shirt.
The minutes passed on, and Joey's unease grew as the silence stretched. Was Yugi going to say anything?
As soon as the question occurred in his mind, Joey was suddenly struck with fear. For the first time in his life, he was afraid of his friend. He realized that he didn't want Yugi to say anything, because he knew that whatever he was about to hear would hurt like nothing else.
Yet…He had to warn him. He had to keep warning him.
"Yug," he started, and winced when a sharp stab hit his chest. Struggling to ignore it, he cleared his throat and tried again. "Yug, listen, I know. I know I've been a jerk and an asshole, but you gotta listen to me. You can't trust him, not completely. He's hiding something, I can feel it! An' my instincts have never led me wrong before. You've gotta—."
"Trust you?"
The tone of Yugi's voice shocked Joey into silence. It was cold and hard, and so similar to the Pharaoh that for an instant Joey actually believed he was facing the spirit and not his best friend. Yet some old feeling deep inside his mind recognized the voice of the teen he had grown to care for as a brother.
Somehow, knowing that it was truly Yugi that was standing before him, his fingers twitching as if resisting the urge to curl into a fist, made it all the worse. Never had Joey thought that Yugi was capable of such an appearance. And for a brief moment, he found himself wishing he was talking to the Pharaoh instead of Yugi.
Yugi sighed, and the sound was painful to hear. His head raised, and Joey flinched, but instead of the harsh glare he expected, he saw the familiar concerned expression he had come to know.
Yugi's brow creased. "Of course I trust you, Joey."
Relief poured over the taller teen, so much that he could not prevent a brief grin. Yet it immediately faded when he looked closer at Yugi's gaze. His eyes seemed tired, and worn, worn with the history of three thousand years. Worn with the stress of several sleepless nights, and worn with anguish at having to face his friend.
Yugi's eyes slid to the side again. "Joey, you're my best friend, and I've always trusted you. I trust you now, and I always will trust you. But what hurts is that you don't trust me."
It was like a punch in the gut. For a moment Joey's breath left him. "Wha…What are ya talkin' about, Yug? Of course I…I trust you! I mean, why wouldn't I…" He scrambled for his words, but nothing, nothing could come to his defense.
"You don't trust me to make this decision." Joey fell into silence once again as Yugi continued. "You don't trust that I can make this decision, not on my own. Even when I thought you of all people would."
It was the final blow that left him utterly defeated. Joey couldn't speak, couldn't think, almost couldn't breathe. His limbs trembled, though he didn't dare move, because he knew that the moment he made any motion, the full weight of his guilt would come crashing down.
Yugi gave a sharp intake of breath, as if in pain, then let it out slowly. "I'm sorry," he murmured, almost as if to himself. "I'm sorry to have to say all of this. You're my best friend. But…" His voice faltered for a moment, and he took another deep breath. "But Keichi is my grandfather's friend, and I can't allow you to keep disrespecting him."
When he spoke his last line, his tone was hard, yet forced. This hardly registered, however, in the fog pushing into every crevice of Joey's brain, filling it with such an intense pressure it began to throb. He hardly noticed as Yugi crossed the room, opened the door, and left without even looking back.
Outside, Téa and Tristan looked up at the sound of the door opening. They could tell right away the conversation had not been pleasant. Yugi walked right by them without saying a word. His face was expressionless, and he kept his eyes straight ahead of him.
Téa almost called his name, but stopped herself. Something told her it would not be appropriate. Yet it tore at her to see him in such a state. He was clearly in pain, yet was attempting to mask it. It was so like Yugi to do so, and yet strangely alien.
Yugi went right up to Professor Keichi, who was patiently waiting by the elevator door. After a moment, Yugi said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "My mind is set. Please call me when the clone is completed."
Keichi nodded, his happiness at Yugi's answer apparent. Yet, to his credit, he appeared to have taken note of the sensitive situation, and merely answered politely, "Of course. In two weeks time."
The door behind Téa opened again, and she turned to see Joey slowly exiting the room. One look at his state was enough to send all of her previous anger washing away. What exactly had gone on in there?
Quietly Joey closed the door behind him. His eyes appeared unfocused, and the hand that gripped the doorknob was shaking. He looked sickly pale, and at that moment Téa could have sworn he was about to collapse at any moment.
Tristan stepped forward. "Hey, man, you okay?" he asked, his worry deepening in his features.
"Fine," Joey answered hoarsely.
"Like hell. What happened—?" Tristan was cut off when Joey raised a hand.
"I don't wanna talk about it, dude," Joey said, is voice low. "Let's just get outta here."
Joey passed them without looking at them, just as Yugi did. Watching him go brought a fresh wave of concern to Téa, and in that moment she suddenly wished Keichi had never appeared in their lives.
For how could any of his research be worth this crevice in their friendship?
RN: I realize this is going rather slowly, both plotwise and with how often I update, and I do apologize with all of my might for that. I mean, one chapter every two months isn't too bad, right? Right? But I really do appreciate you sticking with me throughout this whole process.
Things seem to be getting pretty dramatic. Don't worry, it'll get more action-packed later on. The next chapter will be the one you all have been waiting for though: The cloning! However, my motivation stems from my reviews. The more I get, the faster you'll get the chapter. Maybe you'll only have to wait one month this time!
But seriously, please review. Thanks!
