Chapter 26: Unaccustomed

Ryou's POV

I woke up to a distant ringing that could be heard from deep in my subconscious. It had interrupted my dreams… Although, I wouldn't have exactly called those terrible images inside my mind dreams. I had been up all night worrying about last night's events, as well as each and every worst possible thing that could have happened. It isn't that I didn't have faith in Yami Bakura, but that… Well, that's just it. I didn't know what to think. Yami Bakura had always been unpredictable, mischievous, and had always made an effort to never concern himself with "mortals." So, imagine my surprise when he wants to take up the job of "rescuing Risa," and by rescue I mean bring her safely back to her house, which is very nice and comfy by the way…

Anyways, I couldn't believe it when Yami Bakura suddenly wanted to start, well, concerning himself with humans, especially Risa. I always knew he disliked our "kind," but when Risa transferred to our school, everything just went extreme. I mean Yami Bakura tried to sabotage her new life here in Domino on numerous occasions. I've never seen him mistreat anybody like that, except, of course, the pharaoh and his descendant… And Yugi's friends (including me) when we got in the way (that's how he likes to put it). Perhaps she was a descendant of one of Bakura's lovers who had dumped him, and he still hasn't gotten over it. Hey, it's a thought! After all of this mistreatment and foul language about her, he wants to partake in an attempt to save Risa from one of the worst people I've ever come in contact with: Itsubaki Muyo! How's that for unexpected!

As I was thinking over all of this, I finally decided to get up since my cell phone would not stop ringing. Besides, I was pretty curious to know who was calling me this early in the morning… I slid out of the bottom bunk of the double bunk bed that Yami Bakura and I happened to share. Yes, we are roommates. I sat there for just a minute, and as I was about to get up, the ringing stopped.

"Hm, telemarketers… But I suppose it is their job," I said sighing.

I was about to go back to bed when it started up again. The distant ring was starting to pester me. I looked at the clock on a small nightstand, which read 12:54 P.M. This was unusually late for me. It was Saturday, my favorite day to rest, but I usually would wake up much earlier to take in the beautiful view of Domino at sunrise.

"Strange," I mumbled to myself. I fully stood up and started to stretch. Actually, it wasn't all that strange, considering that all last night was a big stress fest for me. I couldn't help but think about Risa and the amount of danger she could have faced. I sighed again, but this time more deeply.

Once I was done stretching, I briskly walked over to the bathroom to wash my face, which only took a minute. By that time, I was so sure that the caller would just leave me be, but apparently he or she seriously wanted to talk. I started down a narrow passage of stairs, and finally got to the living room, where that blasted phone had been ringing all of this time.

I looked at the couch and noticed that it was empty. Hm, I thought Bakura was coming here after he dropped off Risa. Did he ever even come home last night? Did he even carry out the job? The ringing cut through my panic. I reached over and picked up my cell phone. The person hung up as soon as I had picked it up, but I was sure that it would indeed ring again. I waited about 20 seconds before it rang again. RING RING An unknown number, of course. I finally answered it.

"Hello?" I asked, trying to sound polite and not irritated.

"What took you so long to answer this damn phone? God, why have a stupid phone if you're not up to using it!"

"Excuse me? Who is this?" I asked, more demanding this time.

"It's me, Bakura."

"Huh? Where are you calling from? Why aren't you here?" Then, I remembered what I really wanted to ask. "Where's Risa? Is she safe?"

Yami Bakura sighed, saying, "Yeah, yeah. I'm calling from Marik's place, and you don't have to worry about Risa. She's at her house and everything… We got there with no problem." He sounded unsure of himself, which was very unusual since he always seemed so sure.

"Why are you at his house? Did something happen?"

"God, you sound worse than a worried mother. Would you cool it?"

"Sorry. I was- really worried last night," I answered looking down at the ground.

"Yeah, I thought you would be. However, there is nothing to worry about now. It's all taken care of." I didn't say anything to this comment. He was hiding something, and although I couldn't see him right now, I could still hear it in his voice. Since we had been tied together in the same body for so long, Yami Bakura and I had formed a bond, which made us grow to be very familiar with each other. From that bond we share, I can always detect is there's something bothering him of if he's hiding something from me and vice versa.

"Are you keeping something from me?" I asked suspiciously.

It took a bit of time, but once again, he spoke up, "No, there's no point in keeping secrets from you if you can already tell when something is up. Therefore, I always tell you what's up, and you know that. So, why should I decide to start keeping things from you now?"

"I suppose," I responded, a little unsure of myself.

"I mean, Risa's not dead or anything," he answered, laughing. Although he seemed amused, it was not his regular laugh. He sounded quite tired…

"You get a good rest?"

"Psh, I think any person would need rest after dealing with that eighth wonder of the world," he answered sarcastically.

"Okay. But why are you at Marik's again?" He never answered that question.

"I did borrow his bike after all. I'm just responsible like that," Yami Bakura replied. He, then, started coughing.

"Okay, well-" I started but immediately stopped after hearing a female in the background gasp loudly.

"Well, got to go, now. I just called to say that Risa-" More and more coughing. It wasn't your regular I-got-a-cold kind of coughs, but more like a serious cough that sounded like it hurt. He, then, started wheezing.

"Hey! Bakura!"

"You must lie down!" I heard someone say. Was he sick? Was that even him coughing? It didn't sound like Bakura… At once, the phone started to sound statically, and only a few words were audible.

"La-dow-hel-her-" Then, the call ended. Hel her? It sounded like help her… Was Risa hurt?

I ate my waffles in silence as I sat at the counter that surrounded the kitchen and just stared at my phone. I missed my Saturday cartoons, so I was already a bit upset. On top of that, my cell phone had been- I don't even know! Hm, maybe my house was haunted and the ghost was trying to talk to me through the phone… I looked around uneasily.

"Psh, yeah right," I muttered to myself, slouching in my chair. "What do you think could have happened?" I said staring at Biscuit, who just whined. Oh my God, how could I forget!

I quickly started washing his bowls. Then I made sure to pour a good amount of dog food and fresh water into each respective bowl. Biscuit's little stub of a tail wagged with glee after I served him his breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Hm, that made his life sound like a breeze.

"Hm, sometimes I wish I was a dog," I mumbled, looking down at Biscuit, who was now looking at me with glee. "Your life seems so simple." Biscuit sat there wagging his tail and let his tongue out to. He looked as if he was smiling at me. Then, I frowned. "Maybe too simple. Because f I was a dog, then I certainly couldn't do this!" I exclaimed as I grabbed my fork and started piling pieces of waffles into my mouth. Biscuit tilted his head as if he was perplexed, which made me smile. Yep, just another usual conversation between Risa and her dog…

After breakfast, I quickly organized myself to go out into town and go grocery shopping. While I took a shower, I let Biscuit out into the backyard in case he needed to do his business. I took a five minute shower and quickly changed. I, then, let Biscuit in and said my goodbyes.

"Guard the house while I'm out!" I exclaimed as I locked the front door. "Now, to the store," I muttered, shoving my house key into the side pocket of my jeans.

I never particularly liked shopping for food or clothes or anything really, but I soon learned to deal with it after I was left to basically fend for myself.

"All I know is that shopping sucks, and it sucks even more when you're alone," I mumbled, like a crazy person. I sighed as I crossed an already busy street. After running for the last two blocks because cars could be so impatient, I arrived at a familiar corner. I looked up and saw it.

"I wonder if Yugi's home," I mumbled under my breath as I began walking up to the all-too familiar glass doors. Why was I even doing this? I needed to get groceries! I continued whining inside my head until I actually stepped inside, feeling the Ac cool down my body that had gotten used to the outside air. It gave me goose bumps, and immediately I shivered.

I looked around the front of the store that had many shelves, which were full of all types of Duel Monsters cards, that covered the walls. It was amazing that he had so many. Hm, maybe I should create a new deck since all my own deck seems to do is embarrass me.

As I was mentally choosing which cards I would add, I heard a familiar voice, "Are you looking to buy anything?" It was Yami, holding a broom stick and a dustpan.

"Oh, hey Yami!" I greeted, smiling. I totally forgot that he lived here, too.

"Hello Risa! It is good to see you again," he said, smiling warmly. Then, as if remembering, he asked, "Do you need help with anything?"

"Well, I was actually wondering if Yugi was here."

"Oh," he responded, sounding a little disappointed. "Well, I'm afraid he's not. He's actually in town with his grandpa. What did you need him for?" He acted as if Mr. Muto wasn't his grandpa by the way he talked about him. Maybe it was an Asian thing? God, I really was stupid.

I quickly brushed this out of my mind and spoke, "Well, I was just wondering if he wanted to accompany me while I get my groceries." Now that I think about it, it makes me sound so selfish to ask someone to help me do one of the most boring things-

"I could go with you," Yami quickly offered.

"Oh thanks, but are you sure? I mean grocery shopping isn't the most fun way to spend your Saturday."

"Yes, but I guarantee that spending time with someone is much better than staying here alone. I'll just take off this apron and be ready in a minute."

"Oh, you don't have a job to do?"

"No, it's fine. I can assure you," he replied as he began taking off his apron.

"Well, okay," I said quietly.

Soon after he placed the broom and dustpan by a shelf, we exited the store and locked the door. The Kame Game store was now closed.

As we headed down the street, I started to make conversation. "Why didn't you go with Mr. Muto and Yugi?" I asked, curious. There was a moment of silence before he spoke.

"Well, in truth, it is Grandpa Muto's day off, and I volunteered to take care of the store while they were out," he admitted, sounding guilty.

"You mean to tell me that you were supposed to be taking care of the store?" I asked.

"Unfortunately yes. However, I'd rather spend time with you than be there."

"But you have a job."

"I know," Yami answered sadly. I guess he was really bored and lonely. I know that feeling. "I'm ashamed to say that I am not used to manual labor, as well."

"What time are they getting back?"

"At around dinner time. Therefore, at five, perhaps."

"Okay, well, if we hurry up, I'm sure that we can finish the job sooner than that," I replied, trying to assure him. At this, he perked up and smiled at me.

Yami and I were on Aisle 3 where frozen foods were abundant. "Hey, you know, the strangest and creepiest thing happened to me this morning."

"Really, such as?"

"Well, look at this," I replied, handing him my cell phone while I continued searching for the frozen waffles. He delicately held the phone as if it were the strangest thing ever.

"Here," I said, sliding the phone open, so that my main screen popped up. I tapped on the inbox icon, which showed me every text conversation. The first and most recent was the one I had discovered this morning. I clicked it open so that he could read it.

"Um, if you want to scroll down then just slide upward. You'll get it," I replied patiently. I sensed that he didn't have a phone, much less even hold one or come in contact with one before.

"Thanks," he said staring at the screen, looking as if he was hypnotized by it. I was amused as how his eyes swiftly moved back and forth, analyzing each word. Suddenly, the screen went dark and then black.

"Woah, what hap-" I, then, pressed the lock screen button on the side of the phone, and it magically came back to life.

"Just swipe, and you'll see the messages again," I said, trying to contain my smile that would definitely show that his lack of knowledge somewhat amused me.

"Oh okay. Thanks." He continued reading.

"I'm sensing that you've never had a cell phone before."

"Nope. I always thought they were remarkable though. Yugi said that he would teach me how to use one eventually," he said. His eyes were glued to the bright screen.

"Oh, well I'm sure you'll get the hang of it." I liked the idea of feeling smarter than him in terms of technology since he seemed to outsmart me in strategy when it came down to Duel Monsters.

"You think? I still have trouble answering the game shop's phone," he said, embarrassed. Hm, Yami was as good as Yugi at a pretty complicated card game, yet he had trouble with modern technology? Strange. "Oh, here. I finished," he replied, handing me the phone.

"Pretty strange, huh?"

"Well, actually, I don't really understand what the problem is."

"Okay, well, usually if I were to text someone that I knew, then their name would appear at the top of that text, labeling that conversation. So, I would know that, let's say, last night I was texting that person. However, you may see that this conversation is just labeled with a number. Someone's phone number. If I knew this person, it would be labeled with a name, but it isn't."

"So, you do not recognize that number?"

"Yeah, I don't."

"Then, why were you acting as if you did?"

"That's the thing. It says that I texted this person back, but I remember no such thing. I have never seen that number in my life, and it looks as if it was just another friend of mine, which is the mystery."

"Oh. Perhaps you just don't recall this conversation?"

"Yeah, but I would have saved the number if I had been chatting."

"Maybe you were texting in your sleep?" Yami suggests, which makes me laugh.

"I would want to believe that if my phone had been with me when I woke up. However, I actually couldn't find it this morning, so I had to call it. I don't even remember leaving it there."

"That is a mystery," Yami said softly.

"Yeah," I answered, getting out of Aisle 3.

Yami and I were at the bakery section when I started noticing it. People often stared at Yami, exchanged glances, and then started whispering. It started to irk me after a while. Could they be any more obvious?! I finally decided to confront Yami about it.

"Lots of people seem to be looking our way and gawking at you, Yami."

"Oh, yeah. Winning tournaments sort of comes with the price of getting plenty of eyes stuck on you." Oh, I understand.

"Ah, so people usually confuse you for your cousin, right?" That makes sense, considering the fact that they could be twins. He, then, stopped dead in his tracks.

"Err, yeah," he said, not very convincing. As we continued, the staring got even more intense. Therefore, we resolved to not staying in one place for very long.

When we finally got to the cash register, I noticed that I had bought way more than I was expecting. It was funny because it reminded me of a time when I used to accompany my mom to the store, and she would always get way more than she had written on the list. I guess this sort of trait ran through the family. Yami arrived behind me, carrying the packed basket.

"Jeez, I'm sorry for making you lug that overfilled basket all the way here."

"It's okay. I can surely manage," Yami said, determined.

We, then, started piling all of my junk onto the conveyor belt. This was going to take a while…

Ryou walked down the busy street, heading in the same direction that he had taken once before. He looked around, afraid that if he didn't, Risa would somehow slip by him, without him even noticing her. On his previous journey of trying to find her house, he had to ask around like an idiot. However this time, he knew exactly where he was headed.

Finally, he had found it, Risa's house. He walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell twice, which was quickly followed by knocking. From the inside, he could hear the scrambling of small feet.

"Biscuit," he said, almost silently. He heard loud barking and the sound of him sniffing as if he was right at the door, trying to smell if his aura was friendly of not.

"Hey, Biscuit go get Risa!" Ryou asked gently. This proved to be pointless because the dog wouldn't move from his spot. Biscuit barked back to Ryou as if trying to communicate. This was pointless.

Ryou looked up at the house and then noticed it. "A balcony?"

Ryou carefully looked around to make sure no one was around, and after he decided that the coast was clear, he started up the tree that could easily take him to the balcony. It was a difficult climb; however, Ryou was determined to get there. Finally after a couple of slips, Ryou arrived at the perfect branch that would make it easy to get to the balcony.

"Here. I. Go." He let go of the thick trunk that had supported him and sighed loudly. Ryou held out his arms for balance and forced himself to not look down. He walked slowly yet smoothly, while making sure to carefully place one foot in front of the other. He was doing it!

"Not so hard once you get the-" Ryou began, but was suddenly cut short when he tripped on his own feet, falling forward onto the branch. "Ooof," he let out.

The branch had hit him right in the soft spot, his stomach, getting the wind knocked right out of him. Ryou began wheezing and panicking. He took deep breaths to calm himself down and regain his normal breathing. As soon as he was back to normal, he tried to slowly lifting himself up by placing his right arm on the branch he had been laying on to keep himself steady; however, this temporary steadiness didn't last long when an old voice called out to him.

"Hey!" Immediately, after Ryou had just regained his footing, this sudden outburst of noise caught him by surprise, making his body shake and causing his balance to falter. As he wiggled his arms in an attempt to stop himself from falling, the old woman at the base of the tree began hitting her cane against the wood. Does she want me to fall-

Ryou let out a yelp, and then came falling downwards. Luckily, he was able to grab on to a nearby branch. His flailing arms had saved him, but only for a short time since he had managed to grasp a very frail branch that was slowly collapsing from his weight. Ryou had been stupid to trespass and now this was his punishment. At least he was closer to the ground now, he hopefully thought. SNAP

Ryou landed on his back this time, forcing the wind to get knocked out of him once again. Christ. It wasn't his fault that he didn't climb trees all day. It was something he wasn't very familiar with. He tried to catch his breath as well as focus his vision, but it seemed way more of a challenge now than before. He, then, felt arms wrap around his body and help his get to his feet. Falling out of that tree had made him a little dizzy, so the small body tried keeping him steady.

"I recognize you now! You're that young man who came by before, asking where a young lady lived. My, what were you trying to accomplish?" the old woman asked firmly. She sounded a bit worried.

"Sorry to worry you, but I just wanted to see if Risa was home. Nothing more," Ryou quickly answered after regaining his breath and balance. He let go of the old one.

"Oh, are you her boyfriend?" the old lady asked, a wide grin spreading across her wrinkled face.

Ryou's face immediately turned a thousand shades of red, and his voice got caught in his throat.

"I'll take that as a yes!" she said, laughing.

"No, wait, but-"

"I'm thoroughly happy that you came by to see her, but I'm afraid she hasn't come home yet."

"Huh?" Ryou asked, now serious.

"Yes, she just left, but I'm sure she'll be back soon."

"Oh, so she was here this morning though, right?"

"Yes, of course. I always wake up to a barking noise, and see that happy dog prance around the lawn."

"Oh, good. Well, I'm glad to hear that. Nice seeing you again, err-"

"It's Mrs. Yoshida, dear, and it was nice seeing you as well," she answered. Ryou dusted his jeans off and started toward his apartment. Perhaps he would come in contact with Risa at school? Or perhaps not…

Yami and I quickly ran through the blinding rain that had come out of nowhere. He had offered to help me take the groceries to my house. I was relieved to know that I would not have to be taking the bus home.

We finally arrived at my doorstep with our clothes soaking wet. I unlocked the door with shaking hands, while Yami took a minute to eye the place.

"Uh, finally!" I yelled over the pouring rain, as I took a step inside the cool house. As soon as Yami stepped inside, I shut the door afraid that the room would flood or something.

"Wow, I have never seen-" The barking sounds of Biscuit were coming from up the stairs. Soon, a furry white animal could be seen scurrying down the stairs. Biscuit greeted me as he usually did, which was a mix of jumping up and down to barking and wagging his little stub of a tail, but he was soon cut short when he finally noticed the stranger right beside me. Soon, Yami was the one being jumped on.

"Don't worry, he's quite friendly," I said, smiling. Yami kneeled down to greet the little one.

"Hello, nice to meet you, too," he replied gently. He, then, stood up and said, eying the bags, "Where do you want them?"

"Oh, in the kitchen would be fine. Here let me help." After we safely transported the goods, I stayed in the kitchen organizing everything, while Yami looked around the living room.

"Hey, you want anything to eat?" I asked eying the new instant pizza I had bought.

"Oh, no thank you"

"Don't forget, I bought the instant pizza!" I sang, watching Yami think his decision over.

"Are you sure it won't be trouble?"

"Yami, how hard can popping an already made pizza in the oven for 15 minutes be?" I responded. "Wait, do you have to cook dinner or something?"

"Oh, no. They told me that they are going to try that new café that opened."

"What were you planning on eating then?"

"Well, there were some leftovers from yesterday's meal. So-" Everything else that Yami said after that, I seemed to tune out. The only word that seemed to stick in my mind was yesterday. Why was accepting this word so difficult for me? Why is this word taunting me? I felt as if I was disconnected to my body. Yesterday?! Wait, that's why… What the hell did happen yester- I suddenly felt a burning sensation in my hand, and just like that I was back in my living room from where exactly?

"Risa, are you okay?"

I turned around to see that Yami was behind me wearing a look of concern. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I asked. Why was he asking something so strange?

"Well, you sounded like you were in pain and- Oh my! What happened to your hand?!"

"Oh, I guess I-"

"Here," he said handing me a moist paper towel, which I gratefully accepted. I think I turned on the stove on accident and burned myself… How did that even happen?

Yami was lying down on the couch, looking exhausted, while I read the directions that were labeled on the back of the pizza. I was glad that I had brought that pizza pan that my mother had gotten me for my birthday, so my cousin and I could always make pizzas for the family. I took it out, washed it, and then dried it, placing the frozen pizza onto it. After the oven beeped, I placed the soon-to-be delicious pizza inside of the scorching den. I, then, plopped down on the ground beside the couch and looked up at him. Yami had dozed off and was now probably dueling somewhere against aliens or something… As soon as I was about to get up to turn off the Ac, a cold hand grabbed my arm, making me gasp loudly.

"Sorry if I spooked you," he said, wearing that charming smile he had.

"It's alright."

"How's your hand?"

"It's fine now. Just a little red, but nothing serious. How are your arms?"

"Huh?" he just looked as me, perplexed.

"I saw you when you were being a macho man and carrying all those bags for me," I replied, smirking at him. Then, I stood up and pretended to be carrying a million heavy bags of groceries, making sure to make my face look exhausted and worn out like an old fart. Yami just laughed at my impression.

"Your face, Risa. How did you make it look so-" he paused, trying to find the right word.

"Deformed?"

"Well, yes, I suppose."

"It isn't that hard. I guess years of practice," I said, shrugging.

"It's just weird, seeing that a lovely young lady such as you is able to morph her face into- I'm sorry. Forgive me," he said, embarrassed.

"It's okay," I replied, still trying to believe that he said lovely. God, I hope I wasn't blushing.

"You just amuse me, Risa."

"Thank you. I enjoy having you as company as well," I answered, trying not to stare at him. "Excuse me, I have to walk the dog," I said quickly. I was afraid of tense moments like that. I called up Biscuit and led him to the backyard. I sat on the steps that led to the backyard and sat down, waiting for Biscuit to do his business. The rain had stopped, but there were still dark looming overhead. After Biscuit came back to me, I carefully peeked through the screen door to see if Yami had gone back to sleep, but, nope, he didn't. He was actually standing up now and stretching. His face looked as if he was experiencing pain, like back pain maybe? He did carry most of my shit here. Perhaps that was why he was tired. I finally stepped back into the cool house and let Biscuit free from his leash.

"Hey, are you feeling okay?"

"Yes, it's just my back. Maybe I-"

"I think it's from carrying all my stuff around the store and here. Here lay down and I can give you a message."

"Are you-"

"I insist," cutting him off again. He smiled and laid down on the couch, resting his head on a pillow that had been on the ground before.

"Okay tell me if it hurts or anything, okay?"

"Got it." I started at his shoulders and saw that that was where I should focus, judging from the relieved expression on his face. His eyes were closed, and I could see his eyebrows moving to my gentle yet firm strokes. I worked my way down his back and then back up to his shoulders, where he really enjoyed it. I smiled and tried to contain my laughter when he let out moans of pleasure. If someone heard this from the kitchen and had their back turned to us, they could probably swear that they think they know what we were up to…

I had to stretch and straighten my back a couple of times since it would start to hurt after a while of hunching over. I soon realized that my pizza would burn if I spent too long doing this. Therefore I did one last rub at his shoulders and then immediately left to the oven. I took the steaming pizza out and left it on the stove to cool down some. It looked and smelled heavenly! My eyes watered as the heat emanated from the pizza sizzled in my face.

"Awesome," I quietly said. I checked the clock, which read 3:55 P.M. Hm, almost four 'o clock. I should probably start serving now. Yami should get to the game shop at least twenty minutes before five.

I walked over to the couch and noticed that Yami was soundly asleep. Well, I could probably serve the pizza first, and then wake him up. So, I got to it, and soon after I was ready to wake him.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," I teased, while poking him gently in the side. He was in a deep sleep. I, then, got an idea. I picked Biscuit up quietly and put him in Yami's face. I tried to contain my laughter as Yami's eyebrows twitched and his cheeks shuddered when Biscuit's fur would rub against his cheek or under his nose.

Biscuit, then, licked the side of his cheek, making Yami shudder in his sleep. "Mana, I told you not to-" he said sleepily, opening his eyes a little, and then opened them up all the way. He looked at me, perplexed. "Wait, what time is it?" he asked, quickly getting up.

"Don't worry; it's around 3:55 P.M. You still have time." He quickly let out a sigh of relief.

"Uh, what were you trying to do, Risa?" he asked, still wearing that look, which was now more of a mixture of embarrassment, as well as confusion.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot, pizza's ready!" I said cheerfully, trying to change the subject, as well as lighten the mood.

We both sat there side by side in silence on the counter that surrounds one side of my kitchen. Yami delicately blew on his slice of pepperoni pizza as I made a vain attempt to start eating without cooling my slice down. God, I was asking for it…

I slowly took a bite of the super delicious looking- Oh God, it burned. My eyes watered while hell was literally having a cookout in my mouth, specifically on my tongue. Why was I such an idiot? Jeez, if Yami sees me he'll probably think I'm a glut or something. When Yami wasn't looking, I quickly spit out the steaming pizza on my open napkin and started pouring ice cold water from my glass into my mouth. Oh how it burned me.

I decided to talk as I waited for it to cool down. "Soooo," I began, "the rain stopped… Finally."

"Yes. I am glad," Yami answered.

"Soooo, who's Mana?" I asked, looking down at my steamy pepperoni slice. Yami started coughing for a bit, and then quickly took a long sip of water.

Immediately after he spoke, "Excuse me? Where did you hear that from?"

"Oh come on. I heard you said it in your sleep. Do you want me to replay what you said?"

"I'd rather you not," he answered, putting on an embarrassed face. His eyes locked on mine, and then he sighed loudly. "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"You look just like her. She would always pout and put on such a sour face when I wouldn't tell her things or, well you know, the usual things," he said smiling. I started smiling because I could feel a story coming on.

"You mean, Mana?"

He blushed and looked down from his plate and replied, "I'm sorry, I'm not used to talking about my past, but I will try." He smiled warmly, "Mana. She was a good childhood friend when I was growing up. She was very open about how she felt and would always concern herself with my feelings, making my problems her business. A very playful and caring girl, indeed," he said, beaming happily. "She was the best company, and we were always together. She had a thirst for adventure, which usually got us into—well, trouble," he responded smirking.

I smiled, knowing that Yami actually had a special someone. I was happy for him. He always seemed kind of uptight, and this girl seemed to be the perfect person for him.

"Riding horses and exploring the palace was great and all, but it soon ended when I—um, carried on the family business…" Yami said nervously. Did he say palace before? Maybe it was some imaginary tree house they had made up. After I thought about this, I looked back up to see why Yami had stopped. He just looked sadly down at his plate.

"What's wrong, Yami?" Maybe he had suffered a really bad breakup or something…

"I haven't seen her in a long time. It's just hard to talk about. I'm sorry for being such a-"

"No, it's okay, really! I'm just happy to know that you could open up to me about your personal life. It was really nice learning something about you."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Oh, and I don't want you to think that Mana and I have ill feelings towards each other. We are still friends, I believe," he said. His eyes looked sad and glassy. "The memories of the good times we shared are what keep us alive." He, then, took a bite of his slice. I looked down as my pizza slice as well. Maybe she died a long time ago… I'm not really sure, but I know asking would not be polite. I just kept quiet as he finally began munching on his pizza slice.

As soon as I began munching on my slice, Yami began to speak, "I know I'm going to arrive at the game shop before Yugi and his grandpa. However, I can shake the feeling of guilt for not being there that whole time."

"Hey, it's not so bad. One lie won't hurt," I replied, trying not to make him feel so guilty.

"I can't lie in front of Yugi, though. It is my big weakness against him. I won't be able to cover up this shamefulness, and at the same time, if I do manage to lie, I don't think I can stand cheating both Yugi and his grandpa."

"Well, if you have to be like that, then I suppose you should just tell them the truth," I replied, lifting my arms. "Of course, they will most likely be disappointed and untrusting, but they will respect you for being honest with them, at least I know that I would," I responded, getting up from my seat to get another slice.

Yami waited and waited for them to arrive. He had put on his apron again and had even started to broom around the store. He wasn't very comfortable with telling Yugi and his grandfather that he had been slacking off all day, but he knew that this was right. Or was it? He was deeply confused about it, and still hadn't entirely made up his mind yet. DING

He heard a chime come from the bell that only sounded when someone came through the door. They had come. He heard the sound of laughter when he the chime had come. Great, now he was about to spoil their happy mood.

"And then they all started to chase them," he heard Yugi shout. He was probably reminding his grandpa of an earlier event in the day.

Okay, here it goes, Yami thought nervously.

"Hello, Yami! How's your day been! Probably not as fun as ours has been!" Mr. Muto exclaimed with glee. "I'm just kidding, lad."

"We have so much to tell you!" Yugi said, excited.

"That's great," Yami said, sweating nervously. He was happy for them of course; however, he was too ashamed to bring himself to do it, which made him feel rotten inside. "I'm happy for you," Yami said through clenched teeth.

"You okay?" Yugi asked, concerned. No, Yami was actually feeling quite sick. He closed his eyes and tried to remember what Risa had told him.

"Of course, they will most likely be disappointed and untrusting, but they will respect you for being honest with them, at least I know that I would."

"Wow, the place looks great, lad. Well done!" Grandpa exclaimed, giving Yami a thumbs up. Great, what a nice way to make him feel even better.

"You know, Yugi and I were thinking… What if you became a permanent employee of the shop? I'm sure it wouldn't interfere with your schedule and-"

"Thank you, Mr. Muto, but I can't." Now, Yugi and Mr. Muto were both staring oddly at him. "I have cheated you both out today. Instead of being loyal and staying here like I had said I would, I betrayed you and left the store. I don't deserve such a job if I am to dishonor you like I have today. I'm sorry to the both of you," Yami took off the apron and left the room to go upstairs, still clenching the broom in his hands.

"What was that about?" Yugi asked, looking at Yami who was sulking on the bed. "And what are you doing?" Yugi demanded, looking at the half-packed suitcase that Yami was sitting beside. Most of Yugi's clothes were stuffed inside of it.

"If I don't work for my keep, then I don't deserve to stay here with you guys any longer. You have been like family to me," he said, smiling. He got up and closed the suitcase.

"Yami stop it. We aren't mad or anything… We are actually quite proud that you said what you did. Of course, we are a little disappointed that you couldn't do one job—"

"I know. I'm not accustomed to anything like manual labor, which is pathetic, I get it. I guess I'm just a lazy and spoiled palace child." Yami was now sulking on the bed again. Yugi put on a look of pity and sat right beside him.

"Yami, you may not be able to handle one job, but it isn't your fault that you're not used to it. No one is perfect, and that's what makes us all interesting people," he stopped, sighing since Yami's sad expression had not changed. Yugi then smiled again, saying, "Don't worry! We'll work on it!"

Yugi stood up from the bed and put his hand on Yami's shoulder. "Now, let me tell you about our day!" Yugi said happily.

Thank you, Yugi. You have not lost your ability of cheering me up.