Ayame never spent much time with other males other than Ryuji Otogi. In fact, she never spent much time with other people other than him until she met Eri and Honoka two years ago. Even then, she spent the majority of her time with him. Her primarily singular relationship with only one other human made her the subject of rumors regarding her ability to socialize and her unusual relationship with Shogi Middle School's idol. Sumiko Hara would often express her concerns to her daughter about her lack of socializing with other students.
"We are social creatures, dear," she used to tell her daughter after Ryuji would drop her off at home. "We can't thrive in isolation."
With each instance her mother offered her well-intentioned advice, Ayame grew increasingly exasperated and offended. One day, Ayame unfortunately lost the control she tries to maintain for her proper mother.
"Why do you insist I'm isolated when I have Ryuji?!" she yelled, rising swiftly from the white leather loveseat with her hands clenched in fists firmly at her sides.
"Who are you without him, Ayame?" her mother replied, unphased by her daughter's sudden outburst. Her voice remained calm, unwavering. Her hands were folded over her lap. She looked up into her daughter's eyes, waiting patiently for an answer.
Ayame, conversely, was trembling with anger. Her nails slowly dug into her palms as she desperately tried to prevent her outward anger from escalating further. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly how it sounds," Sumiko said. "Who are you without Ryuji Otogi?"
"That's a stupid question, Mother," Ayame commented through gritted teeth.
"Watch your language, dear," Sumiko corrected, her eyes closing temporarily as she adjusted herself in the loveseat, noticing the small groan she earned from her daughter. She straightened her scrub pants and immediately returned her hands to their folded position on her lap.
"You cannot give me a rational answer when you're upset," her mother continued as she rose gracefully from the loveseat not looking at her daughter. "All I ask is that you give it some thought. We'll discuss it again when you've calmed down."
Ayame brought her clenched fists to her chest in an attempt to stop herself from yelling at her mother. Her eyes squeezed shut as her teeth clenched together. She was sure that she was holding her breath too.
Her mother, however, paid it no mind.
"I'm going to prepare dinner now," she said as she turned to walk toward the kitchen. "Please go wash up and finish your homework."
Ayame looked up to her mother and groaned loudly as she stormed upstairs to her room, where she remained locked in for the next two hours. If it were up to her, she would have remained there for the rest of the night. Unfortunately for her, she was still a minor living under her mother's roof and it wasn't up to her.
"Ayame, dear, open the door," her mother's muffled voice came through the wooden door after three gentle knocks. "Dinner will get cold."
"I'm not hungry, mother," she sniffled.
"Dear, open the door," Sumiko repeated in the same gentle tone.
Ayame sat on her bed with her legs pulled toward her body. Her arms secured them in their position. She laid her face in the crevice created between her knees. One by one, tears dropped onto her silky pink pajama pants, spreading quickly through the fibers to create almost lightning like patterns.
For the past seven of the twelve years of her life since meeting Ryuji Otogi, she clung to him. 'Like a lost puppy,' she concluded within the two hours she spent locked in her room. She looked to the homework she laid out on her desk with every intention to do it, but its importance was lost on her the moment she picked up her pencil. She thought back to all the people who ever wanted to be her friend during those years. None made an impression on her the way Ryuji did, and he gave her all the attention she desired, so she saw no need to make new friends. As far as she was concerned, he was all she needed.
But, what if he left? What if his game became the international success he dreams it will be? What if he gets a serious girlfriend? Where does that leave her?
"Leave me alone," she said in a whisper as another tear fell, the message not reaching her mother on the other side. However, the perceived lack of response didn't deter the raven-haired woman from continuing her efforts to reach her daughter.
Sumiko sighed, placing a perfectly manicured hand against the unfinished wooden door.
"As much as you want to hide away forever, you can't, believe me," Sumiko said, taking a deep breath to keep the anxiety from manifesting. "I don't want you to go the rest of your life relying on one person."
"We have to be able to stand on our own," she continued, choosing her words carefully. "But we also need others to rely on."
"A village thrives when everybody works together," she placed a hand on the door knob. "But a village is more than one or two people."
"Ayame," she said with a small smile spreading across her thin lips. "The world expands when you do. There are many different people who come from different backgrounds and enjoy different things. It's the variance in the human race that helps us to collectively move forward."
"So, please," she said with a smile, looking through the door as though she was looking directly into her daughter's eyes. "Open the door."
And she did.
When she did, she was greeted by the reality of her current situation. Expecting to see Sumiko's face, she was instead greeted by the white leather loveseat Ryuji helped her move into her new home the previous day. Boxes remained piled in stacks of three and four in random corners of the apartment. Aside from the menagerie of boxes, there was shelving, furniture, and appliances in the locations she specified to the movers. She felt a pang of embarrassment from what she perceived as clutter. She held the door open for the two boys. "Please come inside. I'm sorry about the mess."
"You just moved!" Honda pointed out.
Jonouchi was already in the door before Ayame could finish her invitation. The movement was surprising for her, especially since she was not used to people who did not share her high level of mannerism expectations. She looked to where he stood in the middle of the unit. His body seemed to hold many emotions, but only one seemed to be physically conveyed: calm; something she didn't expect to see from the rambunctious Katsuya Jonouchi.
"You know, I never thought I'd be back here," Jonouchi started as he looked out the sliding glass window of the balcony. "I thought that Uncle Kin got rid of the place when Aunt Hikari died."
Ayame closed the door after Honda walked in. She placed her handbag on a hook along with her hat. She removed her shoes and slipped on a pair of white house slippers. Honda followed suit and put on another pair of white house slippers. Jonouchi, however, simply donned his socks on the wooden laminate flooring.
She walked over and stood next to him, her keys still in her hand. "He said he couldn't bring himself to sell it," She said softly as she too admired the view of the ocean. She looked down at the keys in her hand and held it out to the blonde boy. "He's a pretty nostalgic person."
Jonouchi looked down at the keys and noticed the small photo of the couple. He picked up the keys and brought the picture close to his face.
"I want to enlarge the picture and frame it," she said with a smile as she put her hands behind her back. She rolled her feet to come up on her tiptoes and rolled back down planting her feet firmly on the floor. "I want to honor them. I'm fortunate to get to live here."
Still holding the keys, Jonouchi walked out onto the balcony without replying to her. Honda walked up next to Ayame and looked at her, his eyes asking if she wanted to follow him. She smiled to convey her answer as they both walked out onto the balcony. They took the spots on either side of the blonde, leaning on the railing. Ayame thought back to that morning and how Ryuji stood where Jonouchi now stood.
The trio stood there in silence for a minute before Jonouchi itched his nose and coughed. Ayame and Honda looked to him expecting him to begin speaking. Ayame didn't know him that well, but she felt that they were now connected through this apartment unit. 'This home,' she corrected herself mentally. She felt the need rise within her to form some sort of relationship with the boy. She thought that, by doing so, would help him as well. The home meant something to him, and she felt it her responsibility to make it available.
"My sister and I used to come here at least once a week," Jonouchi began, snapping Ayame out of her thoughts. "The elementary school is just a few blocks away, so Aunt Hikari would pick us up on her days off."
"Mom and Dad fought a lot. Home wasn't the best place to be," he continued, making efforts to be vague. He was not one to divulge, but being back in his aunt and uncle's apartment after almost a decade seemed to be peeling away the rug that hid the memories. He bit his bottom lip, and released it barely a second later. "I used to call Aunt Hikari to make them stop. She couldn't always, but she always took us with her."
Jonouchi chuckled. "Uncle Kin always made us ramen. We got so sick of having it every night, but, man, was it good, and he knew it. He'd make us admit it."
"He still does that, you know," Ayame laughed subtly, thinking back to when he made "on the house" ramen for her and Ryuji.
"Yeah, he knows he's good, that punk," he agreed, still looking out to the horizon.
"But," he continued now looking down at the walk-up building below. "He bolted the moment Aunt Hikari died. He buried her then left; didn't even say where he was going."
Jonouchi clenched his free fist and pounded the stainless steel railing they were leaning on, startling Ayame. "Just like that. His fiance dies, and he just runs away?!"
He took a deep breath to calm himself, and looked out to the horizon. "Maybe if he stuck around, I could have been living with him instead of my deadbeat dad."
"Jonouchi…" Ayame trailed looking at him.
Honda put a hand on Jonouchi's shoulder in comfort. "Don't do that to yourself, man."
He gritted his teeth. "I should hate that guy," he said, his fist slowly releasing tension. He sighed, allowing his body to release even more tension. His muscles relaxed under his denim jacket. "But, I can't bring myself to do it."
He shook his head, burying his feelings deep within himself, where they've lived undisturbed for years. Hopefully, it stayed there for another length of time. Those feelings dragged him down, something that his survivalist mentality couldn't afford.
"Anyway, what's for lunch, Ayame? I'm starving!" he proclaimed, plastering his signature smile on his face and walking back inside without saying another word to neither Ayame or Honda. They looked confused, with Ayame being significantly more so than the brunette boy. Honda walked over to her and put an elbow on her shoulder; something she was used to from all the taller males in her life.
"He never opens up like that," Honda said looking down at her. "It must be the apartment."
She looked into the house. Jonouchi was making a beeline between the tower of boxes straight toward the refrigerator. She chuckled and looked up at Honda. "You make it sound like it's haunted."
Honda scratched his head. "What I mean is, he's not normally like this. He usually keeps stuff about his family pretty private."
"I can relate," Ayame stated, still watching Jonouchi inside the home. He excitedly opened the refrigerator and started sifting through its contents. She smiled. "But, I'm glad he was able to get it out."
Just as the words left her lips, the cogs in her brain turned in high gear, flooding it with the thoughts she didn't want to address. As the thoughts came to the forefront of her mind, she pushed them back, but one thought screamed the loudest: would she be able to get it out too?
"Hey, Ayame, can I have this leftover mabo dofu?" Jonouchi yelled from inside, his eyes fixated on the styrofoam take-out container.
"Help yourself!" She called back, snapping out of her daydream. She wiggled out from under Honda's arm, allowing it to naturally collapse back down to his side. She smiled at him before going back inside to begin making lunch for herself, Honda, and Bakura, when he arrived.
And if she was being honest with herself, she hoped he did.
"I hope you don't mind egg salad and turkey sandwiches," Ayame smiled as she placed a tray of four crustless sandwiches cut in half vertically on the kotatsu along with a variety of fruits and cherry tomatoes. "I wasn't expecting company."
"Hey, I don't complain about free food," Honda laughed as he picked up one of the egg salad sandwiches and promptly put it into his mouth. He nodded his head as he swallowed the bite. "Not bad."
Jonouchi, on the other hand, finished the mapo dofu he just heated up. "This," he said pointing down to the plate. "This was delicious!"
Ayame laughed. "I wish I could take credit for that, but sadly my friend bought it from the Chinese restaurant down the street."
"Ryuji?" Honda questioned, already starting on his second sandwich; a turkey sandwich.
Ayame nodded as she picked up a cherry tomato and ate it. She loved cherry tomatoes. She loved how they were bite sized and usually sweet. This time was no different. She was glad that Ryuji packed up most of their refrigerator when he packed up the house. She smiled at the fruits as impressed as ever at her mother's ability to pick the sweetest fruits at the market.
Her smile dropped. Her mother.
"You miss him?" Honda asked with a concerned tone, cocking his head ever so slightly to get a better look at her face.
Snapped out of her thoughts, she quickly looked up at him and smiled. "I do," she said, grateful for the opportunity to avoid bringing up the woman.
Jonouchi stood up and walked over to a small shelf that had already been unpacked and decorated. He was never one to get too emotional; he found that it had the potential to spiral… and with his life, it was a mindset he couldn't afford to be in. He looked at the menagerie of items displayed. It was a beacon of simple organization in a mess of displaced boxes. Each item was intentionally placed, with only a handful of items placed on each of the three shelves. The first shelf held two photographs.
The first was a picture of Ayame and her two friends Eri and Honoka after Eri won the regional Duel Monsters championship in Shogi City. Eri held a glass plaque proudly against her chest with two hands and a subtle smile. The picture did not do her pride justice. She wore a black leather jacket with a simple white shirt. Her long, wavy blonde hair was tied into a high messy ponytail. Her bangs covered one eye, and exposed the brilliant green of the other. Honoka, who was on the left, had a huge toothy grin plastered across her face as she sported a peace sign with her hand. The other arm was around Eri's shoulder. She wore her signature flowing navy blue off-the-shoulder top and silver cross pendant. Ayame, who was on the right, also sported a peace sign with a relaxed grin. She was wearing a green and white tennis uniform with "Shogi" written across the front. She had white wristbands and a matching headband with her hair up in a ponytail.
The next picture was of her and Ryuji in their black middle school winter uniforms. They were both second year middle school students. She was smiling wide as she held his midsection. He had one eye closed as he had one arm wrapped securely around her upper arm and the other giving a peace sign. Ryuji had short, choppy hair at the time… completely unrecognizable from the long-haired game inventor of the present. They were at Tsuru Park in front of the crane fountain as the snow fell around them.
Jonouchi picked up the photo and squinted at it. "Is this guy Ryuji?"
Ayame leaned slightly over the kotatsu to look around to where Jonouchi was. She nodded her head despite him not looking at her. "Yeah, that's him."
Jonouchi took the picture over to the table. He set it down and stared once again at it along with Honda. The story didn't sit right with the pair of friends. Jonouchi felt the need to investigate. "And you say this guy was never your boyfriend?"
"Nope," she denied simply.
"You two look pretty close in this picture; like boyfriend and girlfriend," he pointed out as he motioned to the picture with his head. Honda nodded in agreement.
"We got that a lot," she chuckled.
"Enough about that guy, though," she smiled. She made a mental note to find a different picture of her friend and her.
"Okay, um," Jonouchi started, thinking about another topic. "How about your parents?"
Her mouth soon became slightly ajar, in shock of the bombardment of personal questions. She closed her mouth soon after noticing the movement in her facial muscles. So much for laying low. The only question now was whether or not she wanted to be honest about her situation. The quick ticks of the seconds pushed the arguments around in her head until time seemed to stop. She sat down at the kotatsu.
"It's always been just my mother and me," Ayame started with a deep breath. Stay calm.
"But," she paused and lowered her chin, immediately grabbing the attention of both boys. It wasn't her intention, but the slight movement, she realized, was a dramatic one. "She's no longer here."
Honda shifted uncomfortably. "I'm… sorry."
She looked up. Her confused eyes met his sympathetic ones. She knew then that her choice of words was poor. "Oh no, she's not dead," she corrected quickly, attempting to prevent the air from getting heavier. "She's just… not around."
"So, you live here alone?" Jonouchi questioned further, still trying to figure this girl out.
She nodded. "Yes, with Uncle Kin's help."
"Gotcha," Jonouchi said. In reality, it made things more complicated for him. The more questions he asked, the bigger the mystery seemed to get for him. He decided that he was done asking questions.
"Oh, hey," Honda spoke up, catching both Ayame and Jonouchi's attention. "Bakura lives by himself too. I forgot what unit though…"
Jonouchi scratched his head. "Um…"
"I think it was 601," Honda said, slightly uncertain of his answer.
"Nah, I'm pretty sure it was 606," Jonouchi argued.
"No, I think it was 601," Honda concluded confidently. "His unit doesn't face the ocean. Only even numbered units do."
Jonouchi furrowed his eyebrows at the brunette. "And you noticed this?"
Honda scoffed. "And you didn't?"
Ayame chuckled at the scuffle forming. She was in awe of their friendship; they were more like siblings than her and Ryuji. At the same time, however, she was intimidated. If they were this close, what about the rest of their group? She looked down in thought. Would she fit in with their dynamic? Her thoughts soon wandered to Eri and Honoka. She looked at their photo together and gave it a nostalgic smile. Oh, how she missed them already.
She looked back to the pair who were now in each other's faces and grinned. 'If only for the moment,' she thought to herself, fighting her mind whispering negative connotations of being an outsider.
And for that moment, her apartment felt like a home.
"Are you sure Bakura is coming?" Jonouchi asked, eyeing the remaining two halves of both an egg salad and a turkey sandwich and cherry tomatoes. "Because if he's not, I call dibs on his food."
"Wow, man," Honda commented, not surprised in the slightest.
"What? I don't like wasted food," Jonouchi replied.
Honda shook his head. "I'm sorry he didn't make it, Ayame,"
She smiled and shook her head. "It's okay; he must have had a lot of errands," she excused. The truth was that she was disappointed. She hoped that the two boys would buy her play.
Ayame took the tray to the kitchenette and laid it down on the stove. She opened the box labelled "Kitchen" on the floor and pulled out a roll of wax paper. After rolling out an appropriate amount, she wrapped both sandwiches individually and sealed them with a strip of yellow star on blue background washi tape, her guilty pleasure. She had an ungodly amount of various pattern washi tape. When she wasn't buying clothes, she was buying that. She felt embarrassed by it, like an addiction she tried to hide. She replaced the star-patterned tape back in the clear box with the forty-odd other tapes. "Jonouchi, did you want the fruits too?" she called over to the blonde who was once again looking at the pictures on her shelf, specifically the photo of her friends.
"Huh?" he asked, snapping out of his thoughts and looking at her. Not that it mattered, since she wasn't looking at him. "Oh, no, just the sandwiches are fine, thanks."
"Hey, isn't that Ellia Wilson in this picture?" he inquired, focusing intently on the blonde girl in the photo.
Ayame placed the sandwiches in a plastic bag and walked over to him. "Yeah, she's one of my best friends back in Shogi City," she stated as she stopped next to Jonouchi in front of the photo.
"She's the Yamaki regional champion! Man, you gotta let me meet her!" he exclaimed, still looking at her picture. "It'd be awesome to get to duel her!"
Ayame laughed. "I'll let you know when she visits."
"Come on, man, time to go," Honda called impatiently from the door.
"All right, all right, I'm coming!" Jonouchi replied.
Ayame handed him the bag when he made the round toward the front door. Jonouchi took it with a smile. "Thanks for having us over, Ayame."
"Yeah, let us know if you need help unpacking," Honda added from the front door.
She nodded her head. "Thank you."
The two boys put their tennis shoes back on. Honda replaced the white house slippers respectfully on the shoe rack near the door. Ayame was pleasantly surprised at the action, taking Honda as another delinquent. In fact, her opinion of the two boys changed greatly from when she first saw them. They were not as she initially perceived, and she felt guilty for making quick judgements.
Honda opened the door and bowed slightly with Jonouchi, earning a bow in return from Ayame.
Then, the door closed.
She took in a deep breath and exhaled, partly glad that the visit was over. She walked over to a stack of three boxes closest to the door labelled bath, vanity, and towels, respectively. She took the rubber band off her wrist and tied her straight brown hair into a high ponytail, allowing her bangs to hang over her forehead. She was thankful that Ryuji made all the stacks low enough for her to remove without standing on her toes. She removed the box labelled bath from the stack and started to unpack the remaining contents and organized them in the washroom. When that was done, she immediately moved on to the next box. She continued that process for the next hour until all three boxes plus one from another stack were unpacked and organized.
She moved to start on the fifth box labelled school when a knock at the door stilled her hand and stopped her heart. Her immediate thought was that Bakura had finally arrived. It sent a surge of adrenaline through her veins which catapulted her to her feet and to the front door with a loud, "Coming!"
The hormonal response didn't allow for second thoughts, or even rational ones that tried to tell her that she could open the door and be greeted by somebody else entirely. Her adrenal gland continued to release the hormones throughout her bloodstream.
She opened the door to be met with the smiling face of the white-haired boy she waited three hours for.
"Bakura, you made it," she greeted with a smile.
"Yes," he replied with a similar smile. "I'm sorry that I'm late."
She shook her head. "No, don't be. You had errands."
She stepped to the side and invited him in. He gave a quick bow and entered the unit, removing his shoes at the door and replacing them with the white house slippers Honda wore earlier. When he stood up, he offered Ayame a simple white box. "A housewarming gift," he clarified.
She took the box and gave a small gracious bow. "You didn't have to. Thank you."
Bakura chuckled. "Well, it would be rude of me to come to your home empty-handed."
She shook her head again. "I'm just glad you made it."
Ayame led him to the sitting room and offered for him to sit where he felt comfortable, motioning to both the kotatsu and the white leather loveseat. He took the loveseat, sitting all the way to one side and resting his arm on the rest.
"I'm sorry, I gave Jonouchi the extra food," she apologized. "But I can make you something if you haven't eaten yet."
Bakura shook his head. "It's okay, I ate before I came," he said, which was a lie. Fortunately for the spirit of the ring, his possession of Ryo Bakura's body also numbed the feeling of hunger. That, and he didn't really care. It was very likely his host would feel the hunger when he returned to his unit. The total length of time he went without food had only been a few hours, which the spirit felt was a tolerable, safe amount of time.
"How about a drink?" Ayame said as she headed toward her kitchenette.
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," he insisted. He looked up and out the window. "You definitely have a better view than I do."
She looked out and laughed. "That seems to be the topic of the day."
She returned with a glass of cold water for herself along with coasters woven from dried leaves called lauhala. It was a gift from her mother's last client, Mrs. Watanabe's, family who lived in Hawaii. Her mother cherished them for their simplistic beauty, and Ayame loved the delicate fragrance they gave off when wet from the glass's condensation. There was also the fact that they were from Hawaii. The exoticness of the item made it priceless to Ayame.
"When did Honda and Jonouchi leave?"
"About an hour ago," she replied as she set her glass on the woven coaster and sat seiza at the kotatsu.
"I see that I'm very late," Bakura chuckled.
She waved her hand in front of her face. "Please don't worry about it; you were busy."
Bakura chuckled as he adjusted himself in the seat causing the leather cushions to creak. It was probably Ayame's least favorite thing about the loveseat aside from how easy the white leather stained. However, her mother was always fond of the clean look of white.
And with that thought, she saw Sumiko sitting next to Bakura in her white nurse uniform with a smile on her face.
She blinked hard, clearing the image from her eyes. "Sorry, it's the dust," she excused as she looked out the balcony window.
"Oh, are you okay?" Bakura asks, looking at her eyes. They showed no signs of irritation, a sign that she was lying. He didn't call her on it though. After all, he too was not who he appeared to be.
"I'm fine," came her reply, completely devoid of emotion.
Bakura crossed his arms. "Forgive me, but I doubt that."
She looked back at the white-haired boy, her attention captivated by the straightforward statement. His arms were still crossed over his chest. His brown eyes pierced right through her as if he knew every secret she kept. It was her second day in Domino, and she already felt irrationally exposed. Fear slowly crept through her veins, initiating the need to excuse herself from the situation. If she did, where would she go?
She was trapped.
The small beads of sweat forming on her forehead did not fall on blind eyes. Bakura knew then that there was a bigger reason that she was in Domino. His curiosity piqued, he felt tempted to pry deeper into this girl's life; into the life of the girl who shocked a distant, obscure memory back into his seemingly singular existence. Then again, that same girl was on the verge of an anxiety attack. And if he wanted to know more, he needed her comfortable.
She needed to talk to his host.
He uncrossed his arms and waved his hands in front of his chest. "Ah, I'm sorry, that was quite forward!"
He kept his gaze on her, though his eyes have softened dramatically. He watched her begin to relax, the adrenaline slowly leaving her body. She mustered a smile and shook her head. "No, I'm sorry; I'm not sure what came over me."
Bakura smiled sympathetically. "It's hard being in a new city."
She nodded in agreement. "Harder than I thought."
"I can sympathize," He said, maintaining his smile. "I'm still fairly new as well."
She let out the breath that she didn't know she was holding, his words comforting her ever so slightly. While the fact screamed to her that she wasn't the only new person in Domino, Ayame could not see past the emotional cloud that blinded her. And the longer she sat there talking to Bakura, the more she realized she was trapping herself.
Her mother would be so disappointed.
And there she was again, right next to Bakura. Ayame debated kicking him out for triggering these hallucinations.
"So, um," Bakura started, adjusting himself in the seat yet again. The look of discomfort plastered itself upon his soft features. "Where are your parents?"
She broke eye contact with the boy and directed her attention to the sweating glass of water. "It's just me," she stated quickly, startling Bakura.
Or at least, that was how the spirit felt his host would react.
Ayame adjusted herself to allow the blood to flow through her legs that had slowly grown numb. She also thought it would prevent her from further snappy comments.
"I'm sorry," she apologized solemnly. "I live alone."
"It used to be my mother and me, but she's not around," Ayame continued. "And I don't think she'll be back for a while."
Thank goodness Jonouchi and Honda arrived before he did. It gave her time to craft a response more appropriate for somebody who seemed more keen to direct answers.
"I'm sorry; that must be hard."
Her blue eyes shifted their gaze toward the window. "Soon it won't be," she stated, her voice dripping with hurt. She realized how easily her words could be twisted. Suddenly she regretted reading all those crime drama novels. She shifted again, this time out of anxiety. Her gaze remained fixed on the glistening of the ocean. "That is, I'm sure it gets better with time."
Bakura smirked ever so slightly.
And there was his in.
"You know what helped me when I started living on my own?" He started optimistically. The spirit prided himself in being able to imitate his host almost impeccably. Almost. However, his acting was based solely on the situation. In this situation, he needed information, because if there was one thing the spirit hated, it was ignorance.
Ayame turned her head to face him, her curiosity piqued.
"I delved into a hobby," he stated with a smile. "Monster World, specifically. It's a board game."
Her eyes lit up. "Monster World?"
"Have you heard of it?"
She smiled and nodded. "I've only played a handful of times, but it was how I met one of my best friends."
Bakura's eyes perked up. "What a coincidence! It's how I really bonded with Yugi and the others."
"I bet it's a great story," Ayame said.
Bakura chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "You could say that."
Not really, at least not from the spirit's perspective.
Ayame took a sip of her water and returned the cup to the coaster, the faint scent of the hydrated leaves floating toward her. Her body relaxed even more in reaction to the aromatherapy. She made a mental note to make friends who travel frequently to Hawaii. An unrealistic expectation, but the thought brought a faint smile to her lips.
Bakura stood up and straightened his jeans. "I hate to leave so soon, but I'm afraid I have prior commitments."
Ayame stood as well. She did her best to hide the disappointment on her face. She had hoped he would have stayed as long as Jonouchi and Honda had. Because, despite both herself and Bakura acknowledging that they have not met previously, he still felt familiar. However, she felt investigation into that matter to be a moot point. She wondered if that was just part of his charm.
She managed a smile as she walked over to the door. "No, I understand."
He walked over toward her, but not before stopping by the kitchen counter where she placed the white box containing his housewarming gift. He smirked at the opportunity presented to him.
"Oh, Ayame?" Bakura called to her as he shuffled over with the white cardboard box.
He opened it and pulled out a purple crystal cluster. The base of the cluster was a black stone, not much different from any ordinary rock. The stone bore a gradient of clear white which slowly transformed to a vibrant purple. Ayame's mouth hung slightly ajar, enamored in the stone's raw beauty. She covered her mouth with the tips of her fingers to preserve her dignity. Her mother always told her that gawking was rude.
"This is an amethyst," he introduced looking at the geode with satisfaction. "It's known for its calming properties. I figured, well, with all the changes in your life, you could use some calm."
He diverted his attention from the stone to Ayame, who remained entranced by it. He didn't blame her. Especially with the way the sun rays shone through her window, it make it sparkle more. When he noticed she wasn't looking at him, he looked back to the stone in his hand. Little did she know, however, the stone had other benefits and uses. The spirit smirked.
"Bakura…" Ayame breathed. "It's beautiful."
"It serves its purpose best in the sitting room in a central location," he explained as he looked around for a suitable location for his gift. "Maybe near those photographs?"
Ayame nodded in agreement looking toward the small shelf with two pictures atop it.
She reached to take the stone from his hands only to jolt them away just as fast after her fingers gently brushed his palms as the familiar sensation of heat and electricity seemed to have flowed from him to her, exciting the nerve endings in her arms and up to her face. The geode fell to the ground, colliding with the laminate flooring and leaving a dent. The geode, however, was undamaged, much to Ayame's relief. "I'm so sorry; that was clumsy of me," Ayame apologized.
Bakura bent down and reached for the geode. Again, their hands collided, but this time, the electricity was stronger. She fell back onto her backside and looked up to Bakura confused. The event that she initially perceived as an electrical discharge was not behaving as one, frustrating her.
Three times.
That's how many times she shocked the white-haired boy that day. Was it all really due to his wool sweater generating electricity? She looked down to his white socks. Were his socks wool too? She stared at him as if he grew a horn, but only for a second until her attention was then shifted to her hands.
"I…" Bakura started. "I'm sorry. I'm not sure why that's happening."
"You and me both. It doesn't make sense," She scoffed with a smile. "I mean, any static from your sweater should have discharged already, and I don't have carpet..."
Bakura reached over to the geode, grasping it firmly in his grip. "I wouldn't read too much into it."
He placed the stone between the two pictures. He didn't pay too much attention to the photographs. He turned his head back to Ayame who continued to look at her hands. "Is here good?"
She looked over and smiled. "It's perfect."
He placed his hands in his pockets. "I'll be on my way then."
"Wait," Ayame said, stopping him from taking his first step toward the front door. "I just wanted to thank you again for the gift, and for stopping by."
Bakura offered her a sincere smile. His host's signature smile, as the spirit referred to it. "You're welcome, Ayame."
"Say," he started, grabbing her attention. "Would you like to walk to school on Monday? It can be complicated, especially with the train transfers."
She smiled, her heart filling with happiness at the prospect of making yet another friend.
"Sure, I'd appreciate that, Bakura."
If the spirit wasn't imitating his host, he would have sported a smirk. The new information he acquired intrigued him.
"Splendid," he remarked. "Meet me at my unit Monday morning at 6:30. Unit 601."
"I'll see you then," she confirmed as she opened the door.
"Yes," he confirmed as well as he slipped his sneakers back on his feet. "I look forward to it."
She nodded as he greeted her farewell and closed the door. She placed a hand upon the door, her smile not leaving her face. She turned and walked back toward the fifth box and continued to unpack it. She repeated the suit on the rest of the boxes in the unit.
And when she finally finished at 9:18pm, she looked at the amethyst in awe as the light from the kitchen hit the facets perfectly and produced a shimmer. She smiled at the memory of Bakura placing the stone on the shelf.
Two days until she saw him again, and she couldn't wait.