Fallen Angels-Chapter Six: Secrets
By Lady Armandina
Disclaimer: I said it before, I'll say it again. I only own Adele and Celesta. No one else is mine. (Okay, so I made up the name of Bakura's dad because I didn't know what it was.) Raya is property of Anya (go read her Yu-gi-oh fan fics! I command you!!! LOL)
Author's Note: Also, I know that many call Ryou the regular Bakura and Bakura the yami. I have switched it in my story, because that is what I have grown accustomed to. Sorry for any confusion!
Also-Everyone, thanks for the reviews! I love getting them and I really appreciate the encouragement! I hope I don't let you down! Any suggestions or *constructive* criticism is welcome!
This is kind of a slower chapter. Somewhat angsty. The next chapter will be a mushy one. But, I promise you, things pick up after that! I just need this downtime in order to set things up for what's to come! Let me know what you think!
~*~*~*~
Bakura sat on the edge of his large blue couch, paging through some old photo albums that he had since he was a child. It was only a month until Christmas and it seemed that every year at this time Bakura would miss his family the most. He was jealous of all the other families he knew. It seemed that they all were so close and saw each other so often.
He flipped through the album and landed on a page where there were some Christmas pictures. One picture in particular caught his eye, it was one of he and his older sister when Bakura was only six years old.
"Amane." he whispered her name.
The picture was taken of the two siblings on Christmas Day ten years ago. Amane's long black wavy hair was pulled back into a pretty braid and she wore a Santa hat which flopped lazily down on one side. Bakura sat next to her in dark green footed pajamas, smiling joyously and resembling one of Santa's elves.
Bakura smiled at the memories that came flooding back to him from that day.
Amane had been so excited. She wanted a huge purple stuffed bear that she had seen at the toy store months ago and on Christmas morning, it was waiting for her under the tree with a big gold bow. Bakura had received a new robot action figure and was more than excited to add the toy to his growing collection. His mother sat, smiling, under the tree. She held a glass of egg nog and some chocolate chip cookies which she shared with her two children. Bakura could remember how her hair smelt like apples that day when he hugged her. His mother always smelt so pretty.
But this was all so long ago. Long before his mother was taken away by a dreadful disease that came without warning and drained the life from her slowly. This was long before his father, in despair over his lost wife, threw himself totally into work as an archaelogist, leaving his children for months at a time with nobody but the butler and their finicky nanny to take care of them in a huge Victorian mansion. This was even before they had to leave that very mansion that Bakura had known his whole life, only to move to a new house to start over again in Japan, his father's home country. That old house held too many memories for his father to bear. Too many painful memories.
Now, Amane was twenty years old and away at Oxford University in England, off on her own. She wrote letters to Bakura now and then, but never seemed to have time for much more than that. Bakura understood, though. College was supposed to be incredibly stressful.
He hadn't heard from his father in several months. He was always so busy with work, or rather, made himself busy with it. It almost seemed as if he was avoiding Bakura, although he dreaded to think that could be true. But then again, why wouldn't he? Especially after what had happened that day four years ago.
Without even hesitating, Bakura slammed the photo album shut with a loud thud. Leaning over the arm of the couch, he reached for the telephone and dialed the number without pausing for an instant. He knew that if he lingered for even a second, he would lose courage as he had done so many times before. The line rang three times and then someone picked up.
"Hello. Hideaki Ryou speaking."
"Father?"
There was a momentary pause on the other end of the line, and then a small gasp of surprise and recognition.
"Bakura? My son, why do you call? What is wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong, Father. It's just that, well, Christmas is coming up in less than a month."
"Yes?"
"And I was wondering, I mean, hoping that maybe you and Amane could be here, that we could all spend it together-as a family."
"Son, you know I'm very busy with this dig site we've been working on here. Surely you have a friend that you can spend Christmas with?"
"Yes, of course. I don't know what I was thinking."
"Son, we talked about this before and I thought you understood."
"Yes, I know Father."
"You know how hard it is."
"Yes, Father, I know. I'm very sorry."
"Good then. Now, I have to get back to work. Have a good Christmas, Son."
"Yes, Father. I hope you have the same."
"Thank you. Good bye now."
"Good bye."
The sound of the click on the other end seemed to finalize it. Still, Bakura couldn't help pick up the letter he had received from Amane, telling him how Father had invited her to spend Christmas with him in Egypt this year. He knew they meant no harm. They were just afraid of him. He couldn't really blame them for it. Who wouldn't be?
Still, the tears threatened to fall down Bakura's solemn face. He fought it the best he could and realized suddenly that sitting there by himself was the surest way to get even more upset about it. He needed to go outside, get some air. That would get his mind off things and he could push it all away, like he always did. He threw on a warm green fleece pull- over jacket and left his house, locking the door behind him. He thought that maybe a walk would make him feel a bit better.
~*~*~*~*~
"Hello?"
"Uh, hey, um, is Mai there?"
"This is she. Who is this?"
"Oh, uh, hey Mai. It's Joey."
"Joey!"
*awkward pause*
"Hello, Joey."
"Hi."
*another awkward pause*
"So, Joey. Why did you call?"
"Oh, actually, we were all heading over to Adele's in an hour. You know, to paint her house. I was designated to be the one to call you."
"Oh, so you did not want to call me?"
"That's not what I meant! I mean, I, uh-"
*more awkward silence*
"Sure, Joey, I'll be over to help as well."
"Great. Sounds good. I will see you then?"
"Yes. And Joey???"
"What?"
"Wear that white T-shirt you have with the green stripes on the sleeves. You look really nice in that."
"Huh? Uh, okay."
"Talk to you later, Wheeler."
"Yeah, later, Mai."
--click-
~*~*~*~
It seemed like all the walking in the world wasn't going to do him any good. He had been walking for a half hour now and didn't feel any better. Usually, walking made him feel as if he were literally walking away from his problems, the things that made him hurt. But this time it wasn't working. This time, he felt abnormally lonely and didn't quite know why. He didn't like reaching out to anyone about what was on his mind, but it seemed as if that was exactly what he needed right now. Usually, the only person he turned to at all about this was Yugi. He was the only one that somewhat understood. But it was different now, with Yugi. Yugi and Yami were closer than ever and the two were separate beings now, rather than body and spirit. Bakura still did not get along with his yami--he didn't even know who he was. Who on earth was Ryou? To Bakura, the only meaning that held for him was that it was his last name.
You'll find out soon enough.
Bakura quickened his pace a bit, closing his eyes against the icy breeze that blew against his face. He walked aimlessly, not caring where his steps took him, hoping that wherever they lead, he would find some solace there. It seemed very unlikely, but it was worth a shot. After all, what else did he have better to do?
"Bakura?" a girl's voice giggled.
Bakura opened his eyes to reveal that he had somehow made his way to the park near his home. He certainly didn't expect to end up here, but here he was anyway. He blinked a few times, allowing his eyes to adjust to the light.
"Bakura, what on earth are you doing? You're liable to get run over by a car, running around with your eyes shut!"
Bakura turned to see that Adele stood before him holding a grocery bag and trying to hold back her laughter at him. Yes, he probably did look a bit ridiculous, wandering around like that. It seemed right at the time. But how ironic that he would end up here, and that he would actually run into someone he knew. How strange indeed.
"Bakura? Are you okay? You look like you're daydreaming."
"No, I'm not daydreaming."
"Then what on earth are you doing?"
"I was going for a walk."
"With your eyes closed?"
"Yes."
"You're so silly!"
"Well, I was just on my way home now, so I guess I'll see you later."
"Really? You're coming later as well? Joey said he couldn't get a hold of you."
"Excuse me?"
"To my house. Everyone was coming over. We were going to finish the painting we started."
"Oh yes, I nearly forgot. Why don't I come now. I can help you with your bags there."
"Oh, thank you, but that's not necessary. However, you can do me one other favor instead."
"And what is that?"
"Hand me that apple that just fell from my bag? I'm afraid I'm losing my groceries here."
Bakura laughed. "Certainly."
Minutes later they were unpacking the groceries in Adele's kitchen. The house was looking a lot more fresh now that Yugi and the others had been helping Adele with cleaning it up. It had been only three weeks ago that the kitchen cabinets were a dull gray color and the brown rug held a dark burn stain on it. Now, the cabinets shone with a glazed wood tone and the rug was pulled up, revealing a beautiful hardwood floor beneath. New dark blue curtains had been put up which would match the exterior of the house once it was finished being painted. That would all be accomplished today, once the others arrived. Later this week, a new couch and coffee table would be arriving as well.
"Everything looks so nice, Adele."
"Thank you! I could not have done it without you all. I have plans to try to pay you all back for your great kindness!"
"There's no need to pay us back, you know that."
"I want to, and I won't take any objections!" she said, winking at Bakura. "Now, do you want some hot chocolate? The others should be here soon, I thought maybe you and I could catch up a little before they arrived."
"Sure, that would be nice."
"Great. Let me just-"
Her words were interrupted by the telephone ringing. "Hold on, let me get that." She picked up the phone and answered cheerfully. "Hello?"
Bakura watched as almost immediately, her face went completely pale and her friendly smiled dropped to an expression of instant anger. She said nothing to whoever was on the other end. Instead, it seemed that she was listening to someone, someone who had a lot to say about something obviously important. Adele glanced quickly over at Bakura and swiftly turned around so that he could no longer see her face. Since the phone she was using was a cordless one, she walked into the living room so she could have more privacy, but Bakura could still hear her voice when she finally spoke.
"You're a fool if you think I'll ever let this happen!"
Bakura had never heard her sound like this before. Her voice sounded malicious, almost hateful, and she seemed to spit the words into the phone with an anger that Bakura never knew she could possess. He couldn't resist peeking around the corner to spy on her as the conversation continued.
"I will make you regret this! Trust me, that is a promise! There is no way that I will let you get away with this and if you try, you can count on the utmost revenge from not only me, but another as well! We both shall make you regret it, so I suggest you don't even attempt it!"
Her words were frightening, even to Bakura who knew what a gentle soul she possessed. But were things always as they seemed? He wasn't quite so sure.
Looking at the reddish-brown color of her hair, she suddenly seemed very dangerous. Her hair seemed red like fire. Or even red like blood. Danger. Fear.
But there was something else about her, too. Her body seemed to be trembling with emotion. He still could not see her face, but her shoulders shook slightly and were hunched forward as if at any moment her body would fall forward and she would lose all emotion. Bakura knew the feeling all too well. He wondered what the phone call was about that would cause her such distress.
"There is no amount of money that could make me change my mind, how many times must I tell you that? How dare you think that this is about money!"
Her words sounded like venom. Bakura thought it best to sit back down at the kitchen table, pretending that he heard nothing of it. Whatever this phone call was about, it was something definitely none of his business and he was sure Adele would rather not have him know about it. Still, the tone of her voice worried him. This was so unlike her.
"Don't call back. My answer will not change. And I'll tell you this for the last time-you show up anywhere near me, you're putting your life on the line. That's not a threat, it's a promise!"
Bakura heard the sound of the beep as she hung up the phone. She didn't walk back into the kitchen right away. Instead, she stayed in the living room, and Bakura thought he heard her sobbing. He wondered if he should intrude or if she would rather he just left her alone. Before he could decide what to do, the doorbell rang.
"Wow, this place is just bustling today, isn't it?" Adele called from the other room. "Bakura, do you mind answering that? It's just Yugi and the others. I'm sorry, I have to go to the bathroom for a moment."
"Of course. Is everything all right?"
"Yes, yes, it's fine. I just need to wash up."
Bakura knew it was a lie, but let it pass for the moment. He let the others in, who were surprised to see him there.
"Hey, Bakura, I tried calling you but couldn't get through." Said Joey.
"Yes, I was out for awhile and ended up here a bit early. Adele will be down in a few minutes. She ran upstairs for a moment."
"All right."
A few minutes later, Adele came back downstairs, her smile betraying the emotion that Bakura could see in her eyes. For a quick moment, their eyes caught each other and Adele seemed to be saying, without saying a word, 'please don't tell them'. There was so much worry there, so much fear. Bakura did not know what to think of this strange side of her he was seeing. He thought she was so perfect, so strong.
"Hello everyone!"
"Hey, Adele" said Mai. "Me and Joey are going out to get an early start already. You guys can catch up in a few minutes, okay?"
"We are?" asked Joey, seeming confused. Mai smiled devilishly.
"Yes, Joseph, we are. Now, come on." She said, pulling Joey out the front door, paint brushes and paint cans in hand.
"I wonder why Joey wore just a T-shirt." Remarked Tea. "It's really cold outside and he only dresses in a green cotton T-shirt? Boys can be so dumb sometimes."
"Hey, before you all run off and start painting again, I want to invite you all to something. I understand if you cannot come, but I would love to have you there."
"What is it, Adele?" asked Yami.
"For Christmas this year, my father has invited me and all my friends to stay the week in England, at our home! I would love for you to come and be my special guests! I understand it is a special time to spend with your families, but if you would like to come, I'm extending the invitation now!"
"Wow, that's really nice of you." Said Tristan. "I'll see what I can do."
"Yeah, Adele, thank you." Remarked Yugi. "Grandpa may object, however."
"Your grandfather is invited as well!"
"Really? Wow, that's wonderful! I can't wait to tell him!"
"My father has offered to pay for all our plane tickets and we have plenty of room in our home to fit everyone so that you all have your own bedroom."
"I'll be there." Bakura announced, quite suddenly. "I have nowhere else to be and this sounds like a nice getaway. You can count me in."
Adele smiled at him. "I'm so glad, Bakura. I can't wait."
"It will be nice to see my old hometown again as well. I'm sure we will all have a lovely time."
"Well," started Raya. "I'm not sure, but I think I can convince 'Grandpa' to come along as well. That would mean you can count me, Grandpa, Yami, and Yugi in as well. We'll let you know for sure."
"Wonderful!"
"Someone say something about a party?" asked Joey, walking back in the door, grinning from ear to ear. What was he so happy about?
"Yes, Joey, you are invited as well! Come to my home in England for Christmas. And please, bring Serenity too!"
"Yes, please bring Serenity!" muttered Tristan, under his breath.
"Is Mai going?" asked Joey, looking at Mai, who stood next to him.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." She said.
"Then neither would I." Joey responded, smiling even wider than before. Everyone was a bit confused about why these two were so cheerful all of a sudden. It never occurred to them that finally the two stubborn souls were beginning to let down their guards to one another. Could there be something more to Joey and Mai than what everyone believed?
~*~*~*~*~
That's it for now. Read and Review please! It would make me very very happy!
Indigo Tantarian-thanks for the comments! I'm glad you like it so far. If you have any suggestions, let me know!
Anya-thank you for your encouragement (and threats!). Just remember, when break is over, it's super-procrastination-yu-gi-oh-watching-fun-time!!!
Sparky16-thank you for the comments as well! I can't wait for some more of your awesome pictures! I will get to reading your fics ASAP!!!
By Lady Armandina
Disclaimer: I said it before, I'll say it again. I only own Adele and Celesta. No one else is mine. (Okay, so I made up the name of Bakura's dad because I didn't know what it was.) Raya is property of Anya (go read her Yu-gi-oh fan fics! I command you!!! LOL)
Author's Note: Also, I know that many call Ryou the regular Bakura and Bakura the yami. I have switched it in my story, because that is what I have grown accustomed to. Sorry for any confusion!
Also-Everyone, thanks for the reviews! I love getting them and I really appreciate the encouragement! I hope I don't let you down! Any suggestions or *constructive* criticism is welcome!
This is kind of a slower chapter. Somewhat angsty. The next chapter will be a mushy one. But, I promise you, things pick up after that! I just need this downtime in order to set things up for what's to come! Let me know what you think!
~*~*~*~
Bakura sat on the edge of his large blue couch, paging through some old photo albums that he had since he was a child. It was only a month until Christmas and it seemed that every year at this time Bakura would miss his family the most. He was jealous of all the other families he knew. It seemed that they all were so close and saw each other so often.
He flipped through the album and landed on a page where there were some Christmas pictures. One picture in particular caught his eye, it was one of he and his older sister when Bakura was only six years old.
"Amane." he whispered her name.
The picture was taken of the two siblings on Christmas Day ten years ago. Amane's long black wavy hair was pulled back into a pretty braid and she wore a Santa hat which flopped lazily down on one side. Bakura sat next to her in dark green footed pajamas, smiling joyously and resembling one of Santa's elves.
Bakura smiled at the memories that came flooding back to him from that day.
Amane had been so excited. She wanted a huge purple stuffed bear that she had seen at the toy store months ago and on Christmas morning, it was waiting for her under the tree with a big gold bow. Bakura had received a new robot action figure and was more than excited to add the toy to his growing collection. His mother sat, smiling, under the tree. She held a glass of egg nog and some chocolate chip cookies which she shared with her two children. Bakura could remember how her hair smelt like apples that day when he hugged her. His mother always smelt so pretty.
But this was all so long ago. Long before his mother was taken away by a dreadful disease that came without warning and drained the life from her slowly. This was long before his father, in despair over his lost wife, threw himself totally into work as an archaelogist, leaving his children for months at a time with nobody but the butler and their finicky nanny to take care of them in a huge Victorian mansion. This was even before they had to leave that very mansion that Bakura had known his whole life, only to move to a new house to start over again in Japan, his father's home country. That old house held too many memories for his father to bear. Too many painful memories.
Now, Amane was twenty years old and away at Oxford University in England, off on her own. She wrote letters to Bakura now and then, but never seemed to have time for much more than that. Bakura understood, though. College was supposed to be incredibly stressful.
He hadn't heard from his father in several months. He was always so busy with work, or rather, made himself busy with it. It almost seemed as if he was avoiding Bakura, although he dreaded to think that could be true. But then again, why wouldn't he? Especially after what had happened that day four years ago.
Without even hesitating, Bakura slammed the photo album shut with a loud thud. Leaning over the arm of the couch, he reached for the telephone and dialed the number without pausing for an instant. He knew that if he lingered for even a second, he would lose courage as he had done so many times before. The line rang three times and then someone picked up.
"Hello. Hideaki Ryou speaking."
"Father?"
There was a momentary pause on the other end of the line, and then a small gasp of surprise and recognition.
"Bakura? My son, why do you call? What is wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong, Father. It's just that, well, Christmas is coming up in less than a month."
"Yes?"
"And I was wondering, I mean, hoping that maybe you and Amane could be here, that we could all spend it together-as a family."
"Son, you know I'm very busy with this dig site we've been working on here. Surely you have a friend that you can spend Christmas with?"
"Yes, of course. I don't know what I was thinking."
"Son, we talked about this before and I thought you understood."
"Yes, I know Father."
"You know how hard it is."
"Yes, Father, I know. I'm very sorry."
"Good then. Now, I have to get back to work. Have a good Christmas, Son."
"Yes, Father. I hope you have the same."
"Thank you. Good bye now."
"Good bye."
The sound of the click on the other end seemed to finalize it. Still, Bakura couldn't help pick up the letter he had received from Amane, telling him how Father had invited her to spend Christmas with him in Egypt this year. He knew they meant no harm. They were just afraid of him. He couldn't really blame them for it. Who wouldn't be?
Still, the tears threatened to fall down Bakura's solemn face. He fought it the best he could and realized suddenly that sitting there by himself was the surest way to get even more upset about it. He needed to go outside, get some air. That would get his mind off things and he could push it all away, like he always did. He threw on a warm green fleece pull- over jacket and left his house, locking the door behind him. He thought that maybe a walk would make him feel a bit better.
~*~*~*~*~
"Hello?"
"Uh, hey, um, is Mai there?"
"This is she. Who is this?"
"Oh, uh, hey Mai. It's Joey."
"Joey!"
*awkward pause*
"Hello, Joey."
"Hi."
*another awkward pause*
"So, Joey. Why did you call?"
"Oh, actually, we were all heading over to Adele's in an hour. You know, to paint her house. I was designated to be the one to call you."
"Oh, so you did not want to call me?"
"That's not what I meant! I mean, I, uh-"
*more awkward silence*
"Sure, Joey, I'll be over to help as well."
"Great. Sounds good. I will see you then?"
"Yes. And Joey???"
"What?"
"Wear that white T-shirt you have with the green stripes on the sleeves. You look really nice in that."
"Huh? Uh, okay."
"Talk to you later, Wheeler."
"Yeah, later, Mai."
--click-
~*~*~*~
It seemed like all the walking in the world wasn't going to do him any good. He had been walking for a half hour now and didn't feel any better. Usually, walking made him feel as if he were literally walking away from his problems, the things that made him hurt. But this time it wasn't working. This time, he felt abnormally lonely and didn't quite know why. He didn't like reaching out to anyone about what was on his mind, but it seemed as if that was exactly what he needed right now. Usually, the only person he turned to at all about this was Yugi. He was the only one that somewhat understood. But it was different now, with Yugi. Yugi and Yami were closer than ever and the two were separate beings now, rather than body and spirit. Bakura still did not get along with his yami--he didn't even know who he was. Who on earth was Ryou? To Bakura, the only meaning that held for him was that it was his last name.
You'll find out soon enough.
Bakura quickened his pace a bit, closing his eyes against the icy breeze that blew against his face. He walked aimlessly, not caring where his steps took him, hoping that wherever they lead, he would find some solace there. It seemed very unlikely, but it was worth a shot. After all, what else did he have better to do?
"Bakura?" a girl's voice giggled.
Bakura opened his eyes to reveal that he had somehow made his way to the park near his home. He certainly didn't expect to end up here, but here he was anyway. He blinked a few times, allowing his eyes to adjust to the light.
"Bakura, what on earth are you doing? You're liable to get run over by a car, running around with your eyes shut!"
Bakura turned to see that Adele stood before him holding a grocery bag and trying to hold back her laughter at him. Yes, he probably did look a bit ridiculous, wandering around like that. It seemed right at the time. But how ironic that he would end up here, and that he would actually run into someone he knew. How strange indeed.
"Bakura? Are you okay? You look like you're daydreaming."
"No, I'm not daydreaming."
"Then what on earth are you doing?"
"I was going for a walk."
"With your eyes closed?"
"Yes."
"You're so silly!"
"Well, I was just on my way home now, so I guess I'll see you later."
"Really? You're coming later as well? Joey said he couldn't get a hold of you."
"Excuse me?"
"To my house. Everyone was coming over. We were going to finish the painting we started."
"Oh yes, I nearly forgot. Why don't I come now. I can help you with your bags there."
"Oh, thank you, but that's not necessary. However, you can do me one other favor instead."
"And what is that?"
"Hand me that apple that just fell from my bag? I'm afraid I'm losing my groceries here."
Bakura laughed. "Certainly."
Minutes later they were unpacking the groceries in Adele's kitchen. The house was looking a lot more fresh now that Yugi and the others had been helping Adele with cleaning it up. It had been only three weeks ago that the kitchen cabinets were a dull gray color and the brown rug held a dark burn stain on it. Now, the cabinets shone with a glazed wood tone and the rug was pulled up, revealing a beautiful hardwood floor beneath. New dark blue curtains had been put up which would match the exterior of the house once it was finished being painted. That would all be accomplished today, once the others arrived. Later this week, a new couch and coffee table would be arriving as well.
"Everything looks so nice, Adele."
"Thank you! I could not have done it without you all. I have plans to try to pay you all back for your great kindness!"
"There's no need to pay us back, you know that."
"I want to, and I won't take any objections!" she said, winking at Bakura. "Now, do you want some hot chocolate? The others should be here soon, I thought maybe you and I could catch up a little before they arrived."
"Sure, that would be nice."
"Great. Let me just-"
Her words were interrupted by the telephone ringing. "Hold on, let me get that." She picked up the phone and answered cheerfully. "Hello?"
Bakura watched as almost immediately, her face went completely pale and her friendly smiled dropped to an expression of instant anger. She said nothing to whoever was on the other end. Instead, it seemed that she was listening to someone, someone who had a lot to say about something obviously important. Adele glanced quickly over at Bakura and swiftly turned around so that he could no longer see her face. Since the phone she was using was a cordless one, she walked into the living room so she could have more privacy, but Bakura could still hear her voice when she finally spoke.
"You're a fool if you think I'll ever let this happen!"
Bakura had never heard her sound like this before. Her voice sounded malicious, almost hateful, and she seemed to spit the words into the phone with an anger that Bakura never knew she could possess. He couldn't resist peeking around the corner to spy on her as the conversation continued.
"I will make you regret this! Trust me, that is a promise! There is no way that I will let you get away with this and if you try, you can count on the utmost revenge from not only me, but another as well! We both shall make you regret it, so I suggest you don't even attempt it!"
Her words were frightening, even to Bakura who knew what a gentle soul she possessed. But were things always as they seemed? He wasn't quite so sure.
Looking at the reddish-brown color of her hair, she suddenly seemed very dangerous. Her hair seemed red like fire. Or even red like blood. Danger. Fear.
But there was something else about her, too. Her body seemed to be trembling with emotion. He still could not see her face, but her shoulders shook slightly and were hunched forward as if at any moment her body would fall forward and she would lose all emotion. Bakura knew the feeling all too well. He wondered what the phone call was about that would cause her such distress.
"There is no amount of money that could make me change my mind, how many times must I tell you that? How dare you think that this is about money!"
Her words sounded like venom. Bakura thought it best to sit back down at the kitchen table, pretending that he heard nothing of it. Whatever this phone call was about, it was something definitely none of his business and he was sure Adele would rather not have him know about it. Still, the tone of her voice worried him. This was so unlike her.
"Don't call back. My answer will not change. And I'll tell you this for the last time-you show up anywhere near me, you're putting your life on the line. That's not a threat, it's a promise!"
Bakura heard the sound of the beep as she hung up the phone. She didn't walk back into the kitchen right away. Instead, she stayed in the living room, and Bakura thought he heard her sobbing. He wondered if he should intrude or if she would rather he just left her alone. Before he could decide what to do, the doorbell rang.
"Wow, this place is just bustling today, isn't it?" Adele called from the other room. "Bakura, do you mind answering that? It's just Yugi and the others. I'm sorry, I have to go to the bathroom for a moment."
"Of course. Is everything all right?"
"Yes, yes, it's fine. I just need to wash up."
Bakura knew it was a lie, but let it pass for the moment. He let the others in, who were surprised to see him there.
"Hey, Bakura, I tried calling you but couldn't get through." Said Joey.
"Yes, I was out for awhile and ended up here a bit early. Adele will be down in a few minutes. She ran upstairs for a moment."
"All right."
A few minutes later, Adele came back downstairs, her smile betraying the emotion that Bakura could see in her eyes. For a quick moment, their eyes caught each other and Adele seemed to be saying, without saying a word, 'please don't tell them'. There was so much worry there, so much fear. Bakura did not know what to think of this strange side of her he was seeing. He thought she was so perfect, so strong.
"Hello everyone!"
"Hey, Adele" said Mai. "Me and Joey are going out to get an early start already. You guys can catch up in a few minutes, okay?"
"We are?" asked Joey, seeming confused. Mai smiled devilishly.
"Yes, Joseph, we are. Now, come on." She said, pulling Joey out the front door, paint brushes and paint cans in hand.
"I wonder why Joey wore just a T-shirt." Remarked Tea. "It's really cold outside and he only dresses in a green cotton T-shirt? Boys can be so dumb sometimes."
"Hey, before you all run off and start painting again, I want to invite you all to something. I understand if you cannot come, but I would love to have you there."
"What is it, Adele?" asked Yami.
"For Christmas this year, my father has invited me and all my friends to stay the week in England, at our home! I would love for you to come and be my special guests! I understand it is a special time to spend with your families, but if you would like to come, I'm extending the invitation now!"
"Wow, that's really nice of you." Said Tristan. "I'll see what I can do."
"Yeah, Adele, thank you." Remarked Yugi. "Grandpa may object, however."
"Your grandfather is invited as well!"
"Really? Wow, that's wonderful! I can't wait to tell him!"
"My father has offered to pay for all our plane tickets and we have plenty of room in our home to fit everyone so that you all have your own bedroom."
"I'll be there." Bakura announced, quite suddenly. "I have nowhere else to be and this sounds like a nice getaway. You can count me in."
Adele smiled at him. "I'm so glad, Bakura. I can't wait."
"It will be nice to see my old hometown again as well. I'm sure we will all have a lovely time."
"Well," started Raya. "I'm not sure, but I think I can convince 'Grandpa' to come along as well. That would mean you can count me, Grandpa, Yami, and Yugi in as well. We'll let you know for sure."
"Wonderful!"
"Someone say something about a party?" asked Joey, walking back in the door, grinning from ear to ear. What was he so happy about?
"Yes, Joey, you are invited as well! Come to my home in England for Christmas. And please, bring Serenity too!"
"Yes, please bring Serenity!" muttered Tristan, under his breath.
"Is Mai going?" asked Joey, looking at Mai, who stood next to him.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." She said.
"Then neither would I." Joey responded, smiling even wider than before. Everyone was a bit confused about why these two were so cheerful all of a sudden. It never occurred to them that finally the two stubborn souls were beginning to let down their guards to one another. Could there be something more to Joey and Mai than what everyone believed?
~*~*~*~*~
That's it for now. Read and Review please! It would make me very very happy!
Indigo Tantarian-thanks for the comments! I'm glad you like it so far. If you have any suggestions, let me know!
Anya-thank you for your encouragement (and threats!). Just remember, when break is over, it's super-procrastination-yu-gi-oh-watching-fun-time!!!
Sparky16-thank you for the comments as well! I can't wait for some more of your awesome pictures! I will get to reading your fics ASAP!!!