My replies to the reviews!
Fan Fiction Net fan: Thank you for the reviews! -sweatdrop- I think it'll be kinder not to let Hikari know about it...and spare you readers the trauma of rereading the whole situation of a 50 year old pharaoh. As for your second question...well...ahaha...
dragonlady222: I liked your review, thank you! Yes, Yami knows, he asked around. Your second question will be answered in this chapter :)
Princess Of Kamui: I will not tell you...all will be revealed soon! And hopefully I can twist it around so that it will be unexpected...hehe...
Disclaimer: Uh huh. Why am I still typing this?
Chapter 13 - Fall Apart
Hikari stooped. She picked up the small, scrunched piece of paper on the canteen floor and shook it open. Her friends watched her silently as her refined eyebrows knitted together first in confusion, then in disbelief. They watched as she folded the paper into half, then into a quarter, and slipped it into her pocket carefully. No one asked any questions. She wouldn't reply anyway, she never talked much nowadays.
The little paper incident was soon forgotten by the others as the day weared on. Hikari paid considerable attention to the teachers, although the little note was never off of her mind. Finally after the long and bleary school hours, Hikari ran up to class on her right and waited.
Yugi, Ryou, Yami and company walked out, wondering who she was supposed to be waiting for, and whether she was about to forgive any of them. They didn't expect her to walk up suddenly to the tall brown-haired CEO of a multi-billionaire company.
"What do you want? I'm busy." Kaiba's cold and hard voice pierced through the air, but it did not affect Hikari. She wasn't even unfazed by it.
"I'd like to ask a favour of you." Hikari's tone matched Kaiba's evenly.
"Really? Well don't name it, I won't help you."
"I didn't think so." Hikari folded her arms.
"Well then stop wasting my time."
"I want you to read this."
"I don't wanna read no crap-"
But Hikari had forced the paper into his hand.
"Recognise the handwriting? I'm sure you do."
"...Yeah? And so what about it?"
Hikari looked at Kaiba as though he was a three-legged chicken hatched from a square egg.
"You know." She said, maintaining her voice and trying her best not to roll her eyes.
Kaiba looked at her carefully, then looked up around them. Yugi, Yami and the others weren't around.
"I'll see what I can do. But don't get used to this."
Hikari nodded. "...Thanks."
Seto Kaiba strutted out of the school building.
Yugi looked up from the wine glasses he was carrying. And nearly dropped all of them.
"Kaiba! What are you doing in a place like this?"
Kaiba merely stared and gave a merest trace of a smirk. "And what is the little innocent angel doing in a place like this?"
Yugi scowled. "I work here."
"I know you do. Oh, and by the way, that outfit doesn't match you."
"You're just being sarcastic. Now what the hell do you want?"
Kaiba shuffled around his pocket. "I - or rather a friend of yours - wanted to help you in some trouble that your friend has realised as of recently."
"What problem? Not that I know of, other than my recent results for my Maths test."
Kaiba growled. He's wasting his time on a squirt who's being witty with him.
"I believe, or your friend believes, that you are having a financial problem," Kaiba said through clenched teeth.
"What? Yugi, is that true?" Ryou whirled around from the kitchen.
"...No."
"Oh for gawd's sake, don't lie in this kind of problem. If I don't get the message to you she's gonna kill me, so hurry up."
"Kill you? I thought you were the CEO of -" Ryou was interrupted by Yugi.
"She?" Yugi frowned. "It's a girl?"
"You're gonna get grilled by a girl? Kaiba, you must be joki -"
"Kaiba...is it Kana-chan?"
Kaiba looked mildly impressed.
"Who cares who it is? Anyway, I've agreed to help. Strike that - I've been forced to help. And I do what I want to do or I'll get freakin' pissed. And you know what happens next."
"Yugi, what's going on?"
Yugi ignored Ryou, he felt that he shouldn't worry him. "Kaiba, I'd like to have a word with you outside."
Hikari trudged through the school halls, feet dragging on the ground, her bag swinging by her side. It was lunch time and Kali (remember her?) was chattering beside her about school and boys. When Kali started talking about the coming Golden Week, Hikari blinked and stopped trying to force her locker door open.
"The Golden Week? It's here?"
"You kidding? It starts in two days!"
"Oh..."
"Have you planned anything?"
"No."
"Hey." A strong male voice called out.
Kaiba strode out from a doorway and made to speak to Hikari. Kali backed off into the school canteen.
"I've told him."
"And? What did he say?"
Kaiba threw Hikari a look. "Before I tell you, you have to answer my question first."
Hikari looked very irritated. "Alright I will. What is it?"
"You had an argument with him, and I heard you're not friends anymore. So why are you still trying to help him?"
Hikari's eyebrows shot up. "Not friends? We're just not talking to each other, that's all."
"You didn't answer my question."
"..."
"Well?"
"There's nothing wrong with that. I want to help a classmate who's in trouble. I just can't talk to him in the face that's all."
Kaiba waited, but Hikari was silent. "He wanted to know how you knew about it. Yeah, he guessed it was you. Also, Yugi said he couldn't accept my help, but-" He paused. "I said something to him that made him agree, but if I tell you what it was, you'll get mad."
Hikari got curious. "It must be something insensitive, knowing your sharp tongue."
"I told him that if he doesn't want it, then he has three options. One, take up another work and skip school."
"Fair enough."
"Two, forget it and leave it to Yami. In other words, he can prepare for his grandfather's funeral."
"Ouch. That was harsh."
"Three." Kaiba faltered. Apparently he didn't really like what he said to Yugi as well.
"Three, jump off a building and say sayonara to the world."
"Kaiba!" Hikari put a hand to her mouth. "How could you-!"
"Well, that worked, he changed his mind immediately..."
"Why couldn't you just offer him a place in your company? Isn't that simpler? You know him, he's an honest guy. He'll willingly work to get money."
Kaiba closed his eyes with a grimace. "Him? Work in my company? No thanks, I'm idiot intolerant."
"You're mean, Kaiba, but I guess that's so you," Hikari said sarcastically.
Kali's head popped around the corner. "Still talking? Hey, there won't be time for lunch, Kana-chan."
"Oh! Ah, okay I'm coming. Thanks Kaiba."
"Hmmm."
Ryou Bakura was snoring loudly. The sun was already pouring in and the streets already had mothers going shopping with their little girls. Several knocks sounded on the door. When the caller received no reply, he rapped louder on the door and called, "Ryou! Get up this instant and help me with breakfast!"
Ryou snorted in his sleep and rolled over on the edge of his bed.
"RYOU! GET YOUR BUM OFF YOUR BED!"
A dull thud reached Yugi's ears outside the room. He opened the door and found Ryou sprawled on the floor of his room, right beside his bed. It was apparent that Ryou had fallen off his bed.
The sight was so funny that Yugi burst out laughing, much to Ryou's displeasure and embarrassment.
"Are you alright?"
"Does it look like I'm alright?"
"Haha. Hurry up and change, or I won't prepare your breakfast."
Ryou nodded and Yugi returned to the kitchen. He bustled around humming lightly, the wind carrying the smell of toast out into the living room. Ryou came in in fresh clothes and offered to take over the scrambled eggs while Yugi went to get the mail.
Flitting through the few letters, Yugi found a little piece of paper of his own handwriting. Squinting at it, he saw the various calculations on it, as well as some writing. It explained his need for money and the dilemma he was in, as well as how long he would last in the current situation he was in.
In a flit of panic, he realised that it was the same paper that he had written days ago and thrown aside. Someone must have found it and - the someone was Hikari. Yugi clutched the paper tightly, perhaps Hikari still considered them as friends afterall. Maybe Hikari really did send Kaiba to help him...did that mean they still had a chance to renew their friendship?
It took all the strength I had not to fall apart.
Everything changes, but beauty remains.
The grief and the light are swallowed up by the waves,
And in the midst of all this pain, I woke up to the world
I'm wandering around destiny touched by your faint smile
These eyes have seen true sorrow
As long as I am alive,
Even if I were to lose sight of my real self
Hope will still be there
JY: Whoopee another short chappie done! Review please!
Oh, and if you think it's funny that Kaiba woud help Yugi, don't forget that Kaiba turned up at the hosiptal the evening Grandpa got into the accident. He's not all ice, at least in my fanfic anyway :)