Blue: ~frowns at the screen~ "I don't know if this happens to any of you other Fanfiction.net writers out there but every time I download a new chapter it comes out all wrong, like for example: there is no space at the beginning of the first line, or the aliment changes, or the letter turns from normal to bold. It drives me nuts! Why can this stuff just appear as it does in my PC?"
Yami Blue: ~rolls up his eyes in annoyance. ~ "Do you have to say something before and after every damn chapter? Just get on with the stupid story already!"
Blue: ~big anime sweat drop appears in her forehead. ~ "Look who's talking." ~looks at her Yami more carefully. ~ "Is there something troubling you Yami?"
Yami Blue: ~looks at her sheepishly. ~"Why do you ask?"
Blue: ~turns to look directly at him with some worry. ~ "I don't know… You've been acting kind of weird lately."
Yami Blue: ~grunts out petulantly. ~ "Don't you mean more annoying than usual?"
Blue: ~surprises her dark half by turning away from the computer to talk to him. ~ "Yeah… but that's only part of it. You have been also very restless… I have even seen you saddened sometimes."
Yami Blue: ~becomes somewhat nervous, so he throws himself back on the bed, with his hands behind his head and tries to change the subject. ~ "Just because I don't act like your goofy brainless little friends it doesn't mean that there is something wrong with me. Besides, how I feel is not of your business!"
Blue: ~turns deeply sad by his harsh words. ~ "I just… never mind…" ~takes some of her things and decides to leave Yami alone."
Yami Blue: ~curses himself for making her leave and then starts to feel miserable once more. ~
The Prophet
Chapter 5: "The Heart of the Cards?"
By Blue
Ryou Bakura was sitting all by himself under the shadow of a big old tree while reflecting over the burden that was having his millennium ring. He understood the importance of guarding the power of the ancient artifact, but in his constant struggle with his yami he had often felt like he was carrying with that responsibility all by himself. He was tired of being bullied by practically every kid he knew at school, and now thanks to a comment made by his dark half, the thought of his friends actually making fun of him behind his back was eating him inside.
He had spaced out while looking at the dangling necklace in his hand when the sweet familiar voice of a certain new girl in his class had startled him enough to make him lose track of his toughs.
"Hi there…" Ryou dropped his millennium ring to let it rest in the usual place over his chest and then looked up at the joyful face of June Hashikawa.
"Ryou, isn't it?" She greeted him casually but he responded with awkwardness.
"Y-yeah…" He said very confused by the girl's presence. "Mind if I sit down?" The girl question quite directly and Ryou nodded shyly an affirmative. After his little mishap in chemistry class he had expected the girl to want nothing to do with him but now she was happily sitting at his side so they could eat lunch together."Want some?" She asked while opening a white paper lunch box in front of him and taking out a strange yet nicely prepared looking treat.
"I'm really not that hungry, and I hate to waste good food."
"Sure… thanks…" He answered while taking a triangular piece of pastry form her hand and blushing slightly when he brushed her fingers in the process. Before he could take a bite at his food June began to make some conversation.
"I wanted to tell you that, I'm sorry for what happened this morning." Her declaration startled him.
"But… Why should you apologize? You did nothing wrong." She kept smiling at him only she was now slightly looking away.
"Still… I kind of feel responsible for what happened. Those boys wouldn't have bother you if it wasn't for me." Ryou frowned in resentment.
"Nonsense. What happened wasn't your fault. Believe me, I know those boys… They are all just a bunch of jerks." He said this with some anger making June jerk away from him a little. Ryou noticing her reaction felt remorse and softened his tone immediately.
"Besides, I over reacted." He said with some shame and then finally took a bite of the pastry. He blinked a few times in surprise for the wonderful taste in his mouth and then commented in delight.
"Hey! This is really good! Although, I'm still not quite sure of what it is." June smiled at this compliment and instantly regained her easygoing mood.
"It's a sandwich, silly! Only the bread is a lot thinner, and its felled with a paste instead of ingredients." June now giggled generously as Ryou inspected the odd looking confection with nervousness.
"Relax… It mostly blended vegetables and different kinds of cheese." She said while taking out some fruit out for her to eat.
"Oh…" He simply answered while smiling back at her. He then observed with curiosity the inside of her little white paper box and was surprised to see that it was filled with other bizarre yet deliciously looking treats. He guessed that the girl had either a professional cook at home or a very caring parent preparing her meals.
"Wow! Your mother must be one hell of a cook!" He said with eagerness making her blush.
"Oh, no… I made all this by myself. I don't have a mother." She declared unceremoniously and unaffectedly yet the news hit heavily the boy's heart.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't---""Don't worry." She rapidly interrupted him.
"I'm quite comfortable talking about it. You see, I've always been an orphan. I was found as a baby and then raised in a convent until I was 10 years old. So I never really met my real mother or father." She confessed the sad news but with adverted cheerfulness.
"That's so sad…" Ryou said feeling depress.
"No… not really! At least, not for me." She clarified with honesty but Ryou still could not believe that she was as well adjusted as she claimed.
"But… don't you miss not having parents to love you or take care of you?" He asked, with delicacy. He was very curious about her background but he didn't want to hurt her feelings by prying too much. Thankfully, the girl's cheerfulness seemed unshakable by even his inquisitive nature.
"Well, you really can't miss something that you have never had. Sure I felt lonely at times but there has always been people to love and care for me." She then took a piece of orange that she had been pealing and put it in her mouth. She stopped a moment to savor the sweet juices in her mouth and then continued to speak.
"Right now, I live only with my older sister Kei, but I don't mind. We might not have the same blood, and we don't always agree on things but she is more that I could ever hope for in a family." She said before continuing to enjoy her lunch. Ryou, not having any more questions to ask, remained silent after finishing his sandwich and began to observe her every move with fascination. He noticed how amazingly sweet and innocent June was. Not even his cold dark half could deny that the girl was as kind as she was beautiful. Even the soothing sound of her voice seemed to be totally untainted by deceit or even sarcasm as it placed Ryou into some kind of peaceful trance. June then stopped eating when she noticed her companion looking at her so intensively. After being caught in such an embarrassing position Ryou turned to look away immediately reddened.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to stare." He apologized quickly but June only smiled.
"Don't worry. I perfectly understand." She said rapidly and sincerely to make him feel at ease.
"You do!" Ryou reddened even more.
"Being a foreigner, I must look so alien to every one here. I for one, have never seen a boy with long silver hair before." She declared while at the same time leaning forward in an attempt to feel the boy's hair with a touch of her hand. Ryou unconsciously and instinctively moved away from her touch but the gesture only made her giggled some more in good humor.
"Or be so finicky about physical contact." She laughed some more at his ashamed reaction.
"I'm not finicky." He said softly in his defense but June didn't listen to him. She had been utterly distracted by the actions of a group of boys not to far from where they where sitting.
"I wonder what those kids doing?" She commented suddenly catching Ryou's attention..
"Hm…which ones?" He asked while looking around but falling to find something out of the ordinary.
"Those kids right over there!" She pointed out to what Ryou identified as a daily occurrence.
"Oh… They're just having a duel." He said flatly.
"A duel? With cards?" She asked again with great intrigue and adding to Ryou confusion.
"Why yes… haven't you ever plaid Duel Monster before?"
"No… not really! But for what I have heard, it sounds like a pretty serious game." Ryou was surprise by June's ignorance but more than happy to have something of her interest to talk about.
"Well like all games, the fun in Duel Monsters depends on how and who you play the game with. Most good players tend to take the game very seriously. And we happened to have some of the best players in the world right at this school."
"Really? I didn't know that…" She said sounding somewhat distant, as if this knowledge had raised quite a few questions in her mind.
"Is it very difficult to learn?" She then asked to avert her worries and continued with the conversation.
"Not really. It all depends how good you are as a strategist. The game is quite easy once you learn the rules. The really difficult part is to arrange a strong deck. Good monster cards are hard to find and the very strong ones are extremely rare. Players use monsters to attack each other in a duel. The first player to eliminate his opponent's life points loses that duel." After finishing his statement Ryou noticed how detached June have seemed to become. He though that maybe, after all that talking, she probably felt like she didn't belonged. That's when he came with an idea that could probably cheer her up.
"You know… If you really want to learn how to play, I'll be more than happy to teach you." June then turned back rapidly her attention to the smiling boy and answered him with same merriment.
"That's really sweet of you to offer but I don't think I would make a good duelist."
"Why do you say that?" Ryou asked feeling somewhat disappointed. Not only did he fail to please her but he had also hoped for an excuse to keep in contact with the girl.
"I don't feel good when playing against other people. I am not quite the competitive type. In truth, the only cards I have ever played with before are Tarot cards… and I don't even play with those anymore."
"Why not?"
"Well… I guess that mostly because people thought it was stupid to tell someone's fortune by simply looking at small pieces of paper." Ryou now felt compassion for the girl. He completely understood her feelings of solitude. Before he had the companion and acceptance of his friends, he had often felt exactly as she had descried.
"Well you would be surprise of how much people respect card games get around here. I bet that some friends of mine could even teach you a few things about the Heart of the Cards." He said with strange understanding while looking oddly away.
"The Heart of the Cards?" She asked somewhat confused.
"Yes…" He reclined more comfortably against the tree and then continued.
"My friend Yugi believes that each and very card has a heart of its own… and I can't say I disagree. I know that our believes may sound ridiculous to some people but I witnessed too many amazing things to doubt in their power." After saying this Ryou kept looking dreamingly away and into the sky for a moment and then something came to June's mine that filled her content.
"Hey, I got an idea! If Duel Monster Cards are so important to a duelist, then I bet I can tell a persons fortune by just looking at what kind of cards they like." Both June and Ryou seemed to sparkled with newfound excitement.
"Hey, that's a great idea! I bet a lot of kids would want to know what their cards tell about their future. In fact, why don't you try with mine?"
"You have a deck?" She exclaimed, as if the mere fact of someone owning a deck were such a big deal.
"Sure I do! Although, I don't consider myself that good a player. Téa doesn't play the game that much either but even she has her own deck." After saying this Ryou place his deck of cards in her hands and she began to inspect each and everyone carefully, as if she had just been handed a precious treasure.
"Wow… I can believe that you would trust me with your cards. My sister has a deck too but she guards hers like if they were jewels. She doesn't let me go near them much less let anyone other than herself touch them." After hearing this Ryou felt sorry for the girl once more. Sure he care a lot for his cards but he would never considerate them to be more important than his friends or family. Now more than ever he wanted to share his knowledge with June and let her enjoy the moment.
"Well, I sure don't mind. See this one here, it's called the Man-Eating Bug. With it you can destroy one monster on the field." He said animatedly and she reacted very pleased.
"How interesting… Oh, I love this one! What does it do?" She asked enthusiastically while showing him a very familiar card.
"Oh, that card is especially rare. It is called The Change of Heart. It is used to take control of and opponent's monster for one turn. That is why it is called the Change of Heart." He exclaimed with adoration and June reacted by looking at him in surprise.
"And you like this card?" She asked oddly.
"Yes I do! It is actually my favorite card in the whole deck!"
"Really…" She said softly with a hint of sadness alarming Ryou somewhat.
"Why? What's wrong?"
"Is just that…" She stopped in hesitation. It had been a long time since she had read someone's fortune just for the fun of it and she didn't wanted to say something that would harmed what seemed to be the start of a wonderful friendship.
Please don't think badly of me for what I'm about to say… She made the silent prayer before continuing.
"You say this card is your favorite?"
"Yeah… so…" Ryou asked gently trying to contain his apprehension.
"Well, a person's favorite card can tell a lot about that person's character and fortune. For example, if these where Tarot cards and I where to tell you your fortune, I would have to say that these card's name tell not only of it's propose but of your destiny as well." At the sound of the word destiny Bakura's curiosity ignited. He had been listening to the girl and his hikari for some time but with detached interest until that moment.
"I don't quite follow you." Ryou declared waiting for June to give a better explanation.
"You see… this card although it looks extremely gentle and beautiful, it also expresses deep sorrow. The angel in the picture is caught in between darkness and light, or good and evil, which could mean that the reason for his sadness is his constant struggle with himself… or someone else…" Ryou's eyes widen and his heart skipped a beat in fright.
"You say that the use for this card is to change an enemy's heart?"
"Yes…" Yes he answer softly very eager for her to continue and at the same time petrified.
"Well that is your destiny…" She declared while Ryou kept looking at the card in frightful understanding.
Could it be? Ryou and his yami began to reflect in her words as she continued.
"It is basically like this. The cards says that when hurting others you always end hurting yourself… that you will only be able to defeat your enemies by making them your friends. And as long as you struggle against that which is your nature, or yourself, you will remain torn apart and unhappy… just like the angel."
"Torn apart…" The words kept repeating themselves in Ryou's mind.
"And Unhappy…" Bakura was also affected by the girls words.
They would have probably asked June to tell them both more about what the cards told of them but then someone interrupted what they though had been a private conversation.
"Wow, that was so awesome!" Said Téa while sticking her head in between them.
"Yeah… She sure did hit the nail with that one, didn't she?" Said Mai as she stepped closer to the two while being closely followed by her boyfriend Joey, who had a gentle arm raped around her waist.
"Oh, hi Téa!" Said June innocently and very glad to see the girl once more. Ryou on the other hand looked somewhat embarrassed to greet his friends.
"Hi guys! How long have been standing there?" Asked the white haired boy sheepishly while scratching nervously the back of his head.
"Long enough… " Mai declared with a smirk. It was clearly obvious for everyone but June that the boy was infatuated with her. Not wanting to make his embarrassment any greater Mai then continued to speak in a more casual manner.
"Téa told us what happened this morning, so we set out to look for you." Mai explained plainly to Ryou.
"Thanks guys, but I'm fine, really!" Said Ryou glad for the caring actions of his friends but finding their presence to be deeply uncomfortable at the moment. Joey, not being one to miss the opportunity to make fun of his currently single friends began to tease him.
"I would say more than just fine. Why you are practically red as a tomato. I bet you are just dying for us to leave so you can be alone with---ouch!" He coughed out in pain as Mai interrupted him by hitting him in the stomach with her elbow. She then continue to speak in a friendly tone.
"What my darling yet totally inappropriate boyfriend was trying to say is that we would like for you to introduce this new friend of yours, if you don't mind?" Said Mai with her charming yet somewhat disturbing exaggerated cheerfulness.
"Oh, I'll be glad to! June Hashikawa… this is Mai Valentine and Joey Wheeler. Two very good friends of mine and excellent duelists." Ryou said while June directed herself to shake each student hand.
"Pleased to meet you… Oh I remember you! You were one of the boys fighting in the hallway this morning, weren't you?" June asked with humor while Mai looked angrily at her boyfriend for his childish and inappropriate behavior.
"Oh… yeah…well… I hope we didn't give you a bad impression, or anything." Joey tried to apologize nervously.
"Actually, I just thought it was very funny." The cheery girl declared while looking at the couple.
"Say June… We all have a favorite card too. If we show them to you would you tell us our future as well?" Téa asked quickly wanting to change the topic of conversation to one of her interest.
"Of course! It would be my pleasure!" June declared while smiling joyfully at her new friends. She never expected to any friends on her first day at school, and now, after meeting such wonderful and interesting people she though that nothing could go wrong. But unfortunately something always did go wrong.
"Hey, everyone come quick!" The group heard a kid called out in general.
"A girl just defeated Seto Kaiba in a duel! And now she is going to duel against Yugi Mutou!" June reacted with some alarmed but not as nearly as alarmed as the others. Joey rapidly went to grab the kid who had shouted the news and began to harshly demand for more information.
"Wait just a minute pal… what do you mean Kaiba has been defeated? And who is this girl you speak of?" The kid looked nervously at the face of the boy who had grabbed him by the collar of uniform. He knew the boy had a reputation of being some kind of delinquent, so he tried to answer his questions as quickly as possible.
"I--- I don't know her name, but she has long dark hair, creepy red eyes and she uses cards that no one has ever seen before!" June then dropped the fruit she had been holding in her and exhaled with dread the name of her sister.
"Oh no, Kei!" She said before jumping on her feet and running without delay or explanting in the direction that all the others students were running toward.
"June?" Ryou called out before going after her.
"Hey, wait for us!" Called out the others before following suit.
TBC
Blue: ~enters her bedroom to find her Yami asleep in her bed. ~ "Yami?"
Yami Blue: ~snores softly while looking as innocent as a child. ~
Blue: ~smiles at him and decides to let him sleep and goes to her computer.~ "Thank you for reading my story so far. There is more to come soon I promise. Please don't forget to place your review." ~turns off her computer before going to bed to sleep next to her beloved dark half. ~