Fallen Angels—Chapter Nine: Goodbye, my Friend
By Lady Armandina
Disclaimer: I said it before, I'll say it again. I only own Adele. Noone else is mine. Raya is property of Anya (Go read her fan fics! They are great!)
Author's Note: 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!
Warning: This chapter has some blood and violence in it. It's nothing too serious, but if these things disturb you or you do not feel comfortable, please do not read on! I don't want anyone to be offended! I add these things only for an added effect in the story, I do not condone violence in any way!
Also—Everyone, thanks for the reviews! I love getting them and I really appreciate the encouragement! I hope I don't let you down.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Bakura felt his heart nearly stop as he thought of the possibility of losing his friend. He shuddered to think of her death, refusing to allow such a thing to happen if there was anything he could do about it. Still, the situation did not look good.
There was blood running down Adele's forehead and across the right side of her face, mixing with the reddish brown color of her hair. He brought his face close to hers, trying to listen for the sound of her breath, but could hear nothing over the deafening alarms. Tilting her head back a bit, he placed his hand in front of her mouth to see if he could feel her breathing, and felt relieved to find that she was still inhaling air. He could not see the color of her skin very well. Even though there was candlelight in the room, it was still very dark in here, which made it hard to determine whether or not she was going into shock.
"There must be something I could do!" he said to himself, the alarms whirring so loud that he barely heard his own words.
Not knowing what else to do, he tore off a piece of the flannel pajama bottoms he wore and used it to put pressure on the wound above her forehead. It was all he could do for now, and it still didn't seem to be enough.
"Oh, God, someone please help her!" he whispered, terrified to scream. If he screamed, the shooter could still be on the property and might come after him. If he did nothing, by the time someone found them it might be too late! He had to do something now, and fast, or it could be the end of the road for Adele.
Thinking fast, Bakura looked up at the dark violet curtains that hung gracefully over the window. Yes, that would work…He crawled over to where he could grasp the end of the curtains and yanked them down on one side, draping it over his body as a cloak.
'This is a dark color and will camouflage me against the night.' He thought. Quickly, he took the strip of flannel he had ripped and tied it around the wound on Adele's head, taking care not to tie it too tightly so that it didn't make things worse. Then, mustering up all the courage he had, he gently picked up the limp body of Adele and tip-toed out of the room, keeping his back against the cold marble wall.
Yes, this was the front hall. Only a few steps to the staircase and then he could get upstairs with the others, hopefully, where it would be safer.
"Adele, please hang on." He whispered.
Carefully, he made his way across the front hall, slowly ascending the long, twisting staircase to the second floor.
Now, there is even more blood on your hands!
His body trembled all over with a deep sense of fear as he took the last step into the second floor hallway. A quick glance around told him he had nothing to fear, the only thing present here were his friends.
"Bakura!" Yugi yelled, running toward him. He gasped when he noticed that Bakura was holding the wounded form of Adele. "Oh no! What happened!"
Sugoroku immediately took action. "Quickly, Bakura! Lie her down right here!"
"No, we can't! It's not safe! Downstairs, there was gunfire!"
Mai gasped, appearing horrified as she ran to her friend. "Gunfire? Is that why Adele is bleeding?"
"I think so. The windows came crashing in and I tried to shield her, I really tried to, it's just that—" Bakura stopped mid-sentence, faltering and ready to collapse. Tristan ran to his side, taking Adele from his arms just in time for Bakura to fall to the floor. "If anything happens to her, it's all my fault!"
"Bakura," Tea said, kneeling down so that her face was even with his. "This is in no way your fault. Please understand that! Now, we just need to get her someplace safe. The police should be here soon, right?"
Mai opened the door to the bedroom she had been staying in, which was immediately next to where they had been standing. "Here, we can go in here for now."
Everyone gathered inside and crowded around the bed as Tristan lay Adele down gently, taking care not to disturb the makeshift bandage Bakura had placed across her forehead. Mai was already close by, immediately at Adele's bedside, ready to help, and Sugoroku hastily began examining the wound. Bakura leaned against the wall near the doorway, staring on helplessly and feeling as though there were nothing he could do. If only he had not kept Adele up so long, if only she had gone to bed sooner, then this would not have happened to her…
It then occurred to him that he was truly worried about losing her. He didn't like the idea of not seeing her smiling, cheerful face to greet him every day. He tried to picture what it would be like to spend every day without the comfort of knowing somebody who seemed to understand him, someone who was a kindred spirit, someone whom he finally felt he could talk to…a friend…But also, someone whom he wanted to help as well. She had been there for him and didn't back down when he needed help, even though he was too stubborn to admit it. Now, here she was, in need of help so desperately, and he couldn't give it to her. There was truly nothing he could do at this point.
As he looked over at her helpless form he noticed the mysterious way that the moonlight played itself across her features. There was definitely something more to this girl, and he wanted so badly to find out more about her. He prayed he would have the chance. The blood had begun to coagulate and grow sticky and her hair stuck to the moisture on the side of her face. As Sugoroku removed the bandage, Tristan flicked on the overhead light, revealing just how serious the wound on her head had been.
"No…" Bakura whispered, moving to the bedside. He reached one hand out and brushed the sticky hair away from her face, tears forming in his eyes. "Please…we have to do something."
At that same moment, the sound of police sirens were heard, wailing louder than even the alarms inside the house. Everyone looked up, noticing the flashing of blue and red lights playing across the walls of the room.
"I'll go downstairs and talk to them." Volunteered Joey. "You guys stay here, I'll make sure they bring the medical team up."
He ran out the door and shut it behind him, leaving the melancholy of the room behind him. Serenity rushed into the room, just returning from the bathroom with a wet washcloth. She handed it to Sugoroku, who carefully began to clean around the wound on Adele's head.
"This doesn't look like it's too deep." He noted. "I'm not a doctor, of course, but it looks like this is only a cut."
"What can we do for her?" asked Mai.
"Wait!" Bakura interrupted, motioning toward Adele. "Look!"
Adele's head moved a little, her eyelids fluttering as she began to regain consciousness. Slowly, she opened her eyes, appearing confused and disoriented. Bakura immediately took her hand.
"Adele? You are all right!" he said, kissing the top of her hand lightly. "Listen, don't move, the medical team will be here very soon."
"Wha-What's going on?" she mumbled, looking around her. "Why am I--?"
"Adele!" Sugoroku exclaimed. "Just rest, you're going to be okay! You had a little accident, that's all."
"Oh my God," she exclaimed, remembering what had happened. She quickly sat up in the bed, looking all around her. "Is everyone all right? I'm so sorry!"
"Lie down!" Yugi said. "Please, Adele, everyone is fine. Everyone except for you, that is."
"I'm fine." She insisted, putting her hand to her head. "This is nothing. If anything happened to any of you, I couldn't live with myself."
"Adele, please calm down." Bakura pleaded. "You've lost a lot of blood and should relax until you can get medical attention."
She looked over at Bakura, who still clutched her left hand, realizing that there were streaks of red on the bottom of his snowy-white hair.
"Oh no!" she said, reaching out to touch his face. "Are you hurt?"
Bakura pushed his hair to the side, showing her that there was no injury there. "See? I am fine. The blood you see is your own. When I picked you up—"
"You picked me up?" she questioned.
"Yes. When the windows broke downstairs, I tried to protect you from the glass, but I guess it did no good. You were hurt, but I was fine. I needed to get you where you would be safe, and seeing that the gunfire was downstairs, I figured it was much safer up here. So, I picked you up and brought you here."
"But you are hurt." She noted, placing her hand near a small cut that was above his eyebrow.
"I am fine. This won't even need stitches. Now, please." He said, fluffing the pillow behind her. "Lay back down. It would make all of us feel so much better."
Adele finally gave into the wishes of the others and laid back down on the bed. Minutes later, an ambulance arrived and rushed their way upstairs, giving her the proper care she needed. She was compliant, but stubborn, still insisting that she was absolutely fine. The doctor, surprisingly, agreed with her.
"It looks like you are a very lucky girl." He said, placing a sterile bandage firmly over the wound. "This could have been lethal if the bullet had made contact a little lower on your head."
"Bullet?" she questioned, shocked. "You mean, this cut is not from the broken glass?"
"No, it's not. I would determine by the nature of the wound and the depth of it that this was caused by a bullet. Fortunately, the bullet just skimmed the top of your head, damaging only part of the scalp and top layer of tissue. It did not even make contact with your skull, which would possibly have been lethal. There was so much blood because that part of your head contains a large amount of blood vessels. Because of the density of them, when damaged, there is a lot more blood than one would think could be lost from such a seemingly minor wound."
"That means Bakura saved my life." She concluded, looking up at him.
"What? No, I mean, I wish I could take credit for such a thing—"
"You knocked me over when the shots were heard. The doctor said it himself—if the bullet made contact any lower on my face, it could have killed me. You prevented that from happening."
Everyone turned to look at Bakura, who only blushed, uncertain of whether he deserved such credit.
"You're awesome, man." Joey said, patting him on the back. "Be proud of yourself."
"That certainly is something to be proud of." The doctor agreed. "I am finished here. You take those painkillers I gave you only when you need them. In the meantime, keep the wound bandaged at least for a few more days. It will soon heal enough that you can go without a bandage, but be careful. If you have any trouble, see a doctor about it right away."
"Thank you, sir. Your help here is much appreciated." Adele said, heartily shaking his hand.
"I'm only doing my job." He said with a smile. "Now, there is a policeman outside your door here, waiting to speak with you about what happened. Shall I let him in?"
"Of course, Doctor. And thank you again."
The doctor left and allowed the policeman to enter, who, with a somber face, told everyone what they had determined from their investigation. It seems that someone broke into her family's property and the alarm system picked it up right away. This person or persons must have been spying on Adele and Bakura through the window because he or she knew exactly where to shoot. Three shots were fired and all three bullets were found. One of those bullets was found with a bit of blood and scalp tissue on it, determining that this was the bullet that grazed the top of Adele's head. It was found just several feet from the couch where they had been sitting, while the other two bullets were found lodged in the marble wall behind the piano.
"Thank God it was not worse." Joey expressed, taking Mai's hand protectively.
"Yes, you are all lucky to come out of this all right." Noted the officer. "However, I would suggest you not stay here until we find out who is the cause of this. It's not safe here, especially since this appears to be a targeted attack."
"You're right." Adele said. "We should all head back immediately, this morning's earliest flight. I'll call right now for the tickets."
While Adele was on the phone with the airport, the others packed up their bags and got ready to leave. Nobody wanted to end their vacation so early, but it was necessary under the circumstances. Before they knew it, they were dressed, off to the airport, and boarding a private jet back to Japan. Once on the plane, Adele's cell phone rang.
"Hello?...Yes, how did you hear about it?...Listen, we're on our way back to Japan right now…No…No, of course not…Kaiba, listen to me! It's safe, there's nothing to worry about! Nobody knows about it...It's a bad time to talk about this, I will call you when we're back…I will talk to you then."
She hung up the phone, not realizing that anyone had heard her conversation, but Joey was sitting right behind her on the plane and had heard every word. He turned to Mai, who was sleeping with her head leaning against the window next to him. Gently, he pulled the fleece blanket that she was using up over her arms and unbuckled the seatbelt from around his waist. Quickly, he moved to the empty seat across from Adele, leaning forward to talk to her.
"Adele, is everything okay?"
She turned to him, the fear evident in her eyes. "I'm fine. I told you all that before."
"Listen, we just want to help you out. I heard you talking to Seto and—"
"What? I wasn't talking to him, what are you talking about?"
"Well, I thought you were. You said his name on the phone and you seemed pretty freaked out about whatever it is you were talking about."
"Joey, do me a favor and don't listen to my phone calls. I know you're just concerned, but I'd appreciate it if you minded your own business!"
The tone of her voice was very unlike her and Joey was immediately taken aback. He stood up from the seat. "All right. If you want me to back off, you got it, I'll back off."
He walked back to his seat and sat down, frustrated and concerned over her mysterious behavior. Before he could think of breathing another word, Adele stood up in her seat and turned around to face everyone.
"Listen, guys, I have to say something for one minute."
Everyone turned and looked at her, wondering what it is that so suddenly compelled this outburst in her.
"What is it, Adele?" asked Tristan.
She paused for a moment, looking around her at the friends she had made in the past few months. They had been so kind to her, so understanding, and tons of fun to hang out with. She had no idea how she was going to say what she knew in her heart she had to say.
"When we get back…I'm going to have to stay away from you all."
Yugi wouldn't stand for it. "Adele, this is silly. I'm sure that the attack at your home in England was unplanned. You will be safe back in Japan."
Adele quickly cut in. "You don't understand, Yugi! There's so much you all don't understand, you never could, so please don't try and act as if you could!"
"Adele," Bakura started, concerned. "We are only trying to be here for you, as a friend, as you have so loyally shown us friendship in the past."
"Well, we can't be friends. Not anymore. You don't understand and I'm not about to try and make you. I'm sorry, but this is how it has to be."
She swiftly sat back down in her seat, buckling her seat belt because the plane was soon to land. The others sat in shock, debating over whether or not to confront Adele about her hasty decision. She seemed entirely too stubborn to listen to anybody.
"Maybe it's better if we give her a day or two to think about it." Suggested Mai. "Then, she will be more calm when we talk to her about this whole situation."
In minutes, the plane landed and everyone unboarded. Adele was the last on the plane, that is, except for Bakura, who waited a moment behind. She may be stubborn, but he could be stubborn too, when necessary.
"Adele—"he said, taking hold of her arm.
"You can't change my mind, Bakura, so don't waste your time."
"There is no need to be so unkind about this. Nobody has done anything to you and we only tried to be your friend. Please, understand that much at least."
She shook her head, pulling her arm away from him. "I have to be cruel to be kind, Bakura. You of all people should understand how that works. You push people away from you so you don't hurt them--and don't tell me that you don't! Well, that's what I have to do now. It will be better off for everybody in the end. I should have known better than to try to have friends. It has never worked in the past."
"Listen to me, please!" Bakura said, putting his hands on her shoulders. "If there is one thing I've learned in the time we've been friends, it's that we can't go through things on our own. You taught me that. You stood there, unfaltering, and told me you were my friend and you weren't going to go anywhere. Now, when your friends try to reach out to you, you run away."
"But, you see, I can go through things on my own. It's always been that way with me, always will be. Now, I must be going." She said, pushing her way past him. She turned around, looked back at him one more time. "It has been wonderful knowing you. Now, please, go away."
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YumeTakato - thanks for the reviews! I appreciate the feedback and would love to hear more of your opinions, suggestions…
Anya – pack your bags, girl, cuz we're off to skip the country! Ha ha, no really, you better update soon, or you will have to be skipping the country in order to avoid me!
Sparky16 – thanks for the reviews and crazy online ramblings via AIM.
By Lady Armandina
Disclaimer: I said it before, I'll say it again. I only own Adele. Noone else is mine. Raya is property of Anya (Go read her fan fics! They are great!)
Author's Note: 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!
Warning: This chapter has some blood and violence in it. It's nothing too serious, but if these things disturb you or you do not feel comfortable, please do not read on! I don't want anyone to be offended! I add these things only for an added effect in the story, I do not condone violence in any way!
Also—Everyone, thanks for the reviews! I love getting them and I really appreciate the encouragement! I hope I don't let you down.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Bakura felt his heart nearly stop as he thought of the possibility of losing his friend. He shuddered to think of her death, refusing to allow such a thing to happen if there was anything he could do about it. Still, the situation did not look good.
There was blood running down Adele's forehead and across the right side of her face, mixing with the reddish brown color of her hair. He brought his face close to hers, trying to listen for the sound of her breath, but could hear nothing over the deafening alarms. Tilting her head back a bit, he placed his hand in front of her mouth to see if he could feel her breathing, and felt relieved to find that she was still inhaling air. He could not see the color of her skin very well. Even though there was candlelight in the room, it was still very dark in here, which made it hard to determine whether or not she was going into shock.
"There must be something I could do!" he said to himself, the alarms whirring so loud that he barely heard his own words.
Not knowing what else to do, he tore off a piece of the flannel pajama bottoms he wore and used it to put pressure on the wound above her forehead. It was all he could do for now, and it still didn't seem to be enough.
"Oh, God, someone please help her!" he whispered, terrified to scream. If he screamed, the shooter could still be on the property and might come after him. If he did nothing, by the time someone found them it might be too late! He had to do something now, and fast, or it could be the end of the road for Adele.
Thinking fast, Bakura looked up at the dark violet curtains that hung gracefully over the window. Yes, that would work…He crawled over to where he could grasp the end of the curtains and yanked them down on one side, draping it over his body as a cloak.
'This is a dark color and will camouflage me against the night.' He thought. Quickly, he took the strip of flannel he had ripped and tied it around the wound on Adele's head, taking care not to tie it too tightly so that it didn't make things worse. Then, mustering up all the courage he had, he gently picked up the limp body of Adele and tip-toed out of the room, keeping his back against the cold marble wall.
Yes, this was the front hall. Only a few steps to the staircase and then he could get upstairs with the others, hopefully, where it would be safer.
"Adele, please hang on." He whispered.
Carefully, he made his way across the front hall, slowly ascending the long, twisting staircase to the second floor.
Now, there is even more blood on your hands!
His body trembled all over with a deep sense of fear as he took the last step into the second floor hallway. A quick glance around told him he had nothing to fear, the only thing present here were his friends.
"Bakura!" Yugi yelled, running toward him. He gasped when he noticed that Bakura was holding the wounded form of Adele. "Oh no! What happened!"
Sugoroku immediately took action. "Quickly, Bakura! Lie her down right here!"
"No, we can't! It's not safe! Downstairs, there was gunfire!"
Mai gasped, appearing horrified as she ran to her friend. "Gunfire? Is that why Adele is bleeding?"
"I think so. The windows came crashing in and I tried to shield her, I really tried to, it's just that—" Bakura stopped mid-sentence, faltering and ready to collapse. Tristan ran to his side, taking Adele from his arms just in time for Bakura to fall to the floor. "If anything happens to her, it's all my fault!"
"Bakura," Tea said, kneeling down so that her face was even with his. "This is in no way your fault. Please understand that! Now, we just need to get her someplace safe. The police should be here soon, right?"
Mai opened the door to the bedroom she had been staying in, which was immediately next to where they had been standing. "Here, we can go in here for now."
Everyone gathered inside and crowded around the bed as Tristan lay Adele down gently, taking care not to disturb the makeshift bandage Bakura had placed across her forehead. Mai was already close by, immediately at Adele's bedside, ready to help, and Sugoroku hastily began examining the wound. Bakura leaned against the wall near the doorway, staring on helplessly and feeling as though there were nothing he could do. If only he had not kept Adele up so long, if only she had gone to bed sooner, then this would not have happened to her…
It then occurred to him that he was truly worried about losing her. He didn't like the idea of not seeing her smiling, cheerful face to greet him every day. He tried to picture what it would be like to spend every day without the comfort of knowing somebody who seemed to understand him, someone who was a kindred spirit, someone whom he finally felt he could talk to…a friend…But also, someone whom he wanted to help as well. She had been there for him and didn't back down when he needed help, even though he was too stubborn to admit it. Now, here she was, in need of help so desperately, and he couldn't give it to her. There was truly nothing he could do at this point.
As he looked over at her helpless form he noticed the mysterious way that the moonlight played itself across her features. There was definitely something more to this girl, and he wanted so badly to find out more about her. He prayed he would have the chance. The blood had begun to coagulate and grow sticky and her hair stuck to the moisture on the side of her face. As Sugoroku removed the bandage, Tristan flicked on the overhead light, revealing just how serious the wound on her head had been.
"No…" Bakura whispered, moving to the bedside. He reached one hand out and brushed the sticky hair away from her face, tears forming in his eyes. "Please…we have to do something."
At that same moment, the sound of police sirens were heard, wailing louder than even the alarms inside the house. Everyone looked up, noticing the flashing of blue and red lights playing across the walls of the room.
"I'll go downstairs and talk to them." Volunteered Joey. "You guys stay here, I'll make sure they bring the medical team up."
He ran out the door and shut it behind him, leaving the melancholy of the room behind him. Serenity rushed into the room, just returning from the bathroom with a wet washcloth. She handed it to Sugoroku, who carefully began to clean around the wound on Adele's head.
"This doesn't look like it's too deep." He noted. "I'm not a doctor, of course, but it looks like this is only a cut."
"What can we do for her?" asked Mai.
"Wait!" Bakura interrupted, motioning toward Adele. "Look!"
Adele's head moved a little, her eyelids fluttering as she began to regain consciousness. Slowly, she opened her eyes, appearing confused and disoriented. Bakura immediately took her hand.
"Adele? You are all right!" he said, kissing the top of her hand lightly. "Listen, don't move, the medical team will be here very soon."
"Wha-What's going on?" she mumbled, looking around her. "Why am I--?"
"Adele!" Sugoroku exclaimed. "Just rest, you're going to be okay! You had a little accident, that's all."
"Oh my God," she exclaimed, remembering what had happened. She quickly sat up in the bed, looking all around her. "Is everyone all right? I'm so sorry!"
"Lie down!" Yugi said. "Please, Adele, everyone is fine. Everyone except for you, that is."
"I'm fine." She insisted, putting her hand to her head. "This is nothing. If anything happened to any of you, I couldn't live with myself."
"Adele, please calm down." Bakura pleaded. "You've lost a lot of blood and should relax until you can get medical attention."
She looked over at Bakura, who still clutched her left hand, realizing that there were streaks of red on the bottom of his snowy-white hair.
"Oh no!" she said, reaching out to touch his face. "Are you hurt?"
Bakura pushed his hair to the side, showing her that there was no injury there. "See? I am fine. The blood you see is your own. When I picked you up—"
"You picked me up?" she questioned.
"Yes. When the windows broke downstairs, I tried to protect you from the glass, but I guess it did no good. You were hurt, but I was fine. I needed to get you where you would be safe, and seeing that the gunfire was downstairs, I figured it was much safer up here. So, I picked you up and brought you here."
"But you are hurt." She noted, placing her hand near a small cut that was above his eyebrow.
"I am fine. This won't even need stitches. Now, please." He said, fluffing the pillow behind her. "Lay back down. It would make all of us feel so much better."
Adele finally gave into the wishes of the others and laid back down on the bed. Minutes later, an ambulance arrived and rushed their way upstairs, giving her the proper care she needed. She was compliant, but stubborn, still insisting that she was absolutely fine. The doctor, surprisingly, agreed with her.
"It looks like you are a very lucky girl." He said, placing a sterile bandage firmly over the wound. "This could have been lethal if the bullet had made contact a little lower on your head."
"Bullet?" she questioned, shocked. "You mean, this cut is not from the broken glass?"
"No, it's not. I would determine by the nature of the wound and the depth of it that this was caused by a bullet. Fortunately, the bullet just skimmed the top of your head, damaging only part of the scalp and top layer of tissue. It did not even make contact with your skull, which would possibly have been lethal. There was so much blood because that part of your head contains a large amount of blood vessels. Because of the density of them, when damaged, there is a lot more blood than one would think could be lost from such a seemingly minor wound."
"That means Bakura saved my life." She concluded, looking up at him.
"What? No, I mean, I wish I could take credit for such a thing—"
"You knocked me over when the shots were heard. The doctor said it himself—if the bullet made contact any lower on my face, it could have killed me. You prevented that from happening."
Everyone turned to look at Bakura, who only blushed, uncertain of whether he deserved such credit.
"You're awesome, man." Joey said, patting him on the back. "Be proud of yourself."
"That certainly is something to be proud of." The doctor agreed. "I am finished here. You take those painkillers I gave you only when you need them. In the meantime, keep the wound bandaged at least for a few more days. It will soon heal enough that you can go without a bandage, but be careful. If you have any trouble, see a doctor about it right away."
"Thank you, sir. Your help here is much appreciated." Adele said, heartily shaking his hand.
"I'm only doing my job." He said with a smile. "Now, there is a policeman outside your door here, waiting to speak with you about what happened. Shall I let him in?"
"Of course, Doctor. And thank you again."
The doctor left and allowed the policeman to enter, who, with a somber face, told everyone what they had determined from their investigation. It seems that someone broke into her family's property and the alarm system picked it up right away. This person or persons must have been spying on Adele and Bakura through the window because he or she knew exactly where to shoot. Three shots were fired and all three bullets were found. One of those bullets was found with a bit of blood and scalp tissue on it, determining that this was the bullet that grazed the top of Adele's head. It was found just several feet from the couch where they had been sitting, while the other two bullets were found lodged in the marble wall behind the piano.
"Thank God it was not worse." Joey expressed, taking Mai's hand protectively.
"Yes, you are all lucky to come out of this all right." Noted the officer. "However, I would suggest you not stay here until we find out who is the cause of this. It's not safe here, especially since this appears to be a targeted attack."
"You're right." Adele said. "We should all head back immediately, this morning's earliest flight. I'll call right now for the tickets."
While Adele was on the phone with the airport, the others packed up their bags and got ready to leave. Nobody wanted to end their vacation so early, but it was necessary under the circumstances. Before they knew it, they were dressed, off to the airport, and boarding a private jet back to Japan. Once on the plane, Adele's cell phone rang.
"Hello?...Yes, how did you hear about it?...Listen, we're on our way back to Japan right now…No…No, of course not…Kaiba, listen to me! It's safe, there's nothing to worry about! Nobody knows about it...It's a bad time to talk about this, I will call you when we're back…I will talk to you then."
She hung up the phone, not realizing that anyone had heard her conversation, but Joey was sitting right behind her on the plane and had heard every word. He turned to Mai, who was sleeping with her head leaning against the window next to him. Gently, he pulled the fleece blanket that she was using up over her arms and unbuckled the seatbelt from around his waist. Quickly, he moved to the empty seat across from Adele, leaning forward to talk to her.
"Adele, is everything okay?"
She turned to him, the fear evident in her eyes. "I'm fine. I told you all that before."
"Listen, we just want to help you out. I heard you talking to Seto and—"
"What? I wasn't talking to him, what are you talking about?"
"Well, I thought you were. You said his name on the phone and you seemed pretty freaked out about whatever it is you were talking about."
"Joey, do me a favor and don't listen to my phone calls. I know you're just concerned, but I'd appreciate it if you minded your own business!"
The tone of her voice was very unlike her and Joey was immediately taken aback. He stood up from the seat. "All right. If you want me to back off, you got it, I'll back off."
He walked back to his seat and sat down, frustrated and concerned over her mysterious behavior. Before he could think of breathing another word, Adele stood up in her seat and turned around to face everyone.
"Listen, guys, I have to say something for one minute."
Everyone turned and looked at her, wondering what it is that so suddenly compelled this outburst in her.
"What is it, Adele?" asked Tristan.
She paused for a moment, looking around her at the friends she had made in the past few months. They had been so kind to her, so understanding, and tons of fun to hang out with. She had no idea how she was going to say what she knew in her heart she had to say.
"When we get back…I'm going to have to stay away from you all."
Yugi wouldn't stand for it. "Adele, this is silly. I'm sure that the attack at your home in England was unplanned. You will be safe back in Japan."
Adele quickly cut in. "You don't understand, Yugi! There's so much you all don't understand, you never could, so please don't try and act as if you could!"
"Adele," Bakura started, concerned. "We are only trying to be here for you, as a friend, as you have so loyally shown us friendship in the past."
"Well, we can't be friends. Not anymore. You don't understand and I'm not about to try and make you. I'm sorry, but this is how it has to be."
She swiftly sat back down in her seat, buckling her seat belt because the plane was soon to land. The others sat in shock, debating over whether or not to confront Adele about her hasty decision. She seemed entirely too stubborn to listen to anybody.
"Maybe it's better if we give her a day or two to think about it." Suggested Mai. "Then, she will be more calm when we talk to her about this whole situation."
In minutes, the plane landed and everyone unboarded. Adele was the last on the plane, that is, except for Bakura, who waited a moment behind. She may be stubborn, but he could be stubborn too, when necessary.
"Adele—"he said, taking hold of her arm.
"You can't change my mind, Bakura, so don't waste your time."
"There is no need to be so unkind about this. Nobody has done anything to you and we only tried to be your friend. Please, understand that much at least."
She shook her head, pulling her arm away from him. "I have to be cruel to be kind, Bakura. You of all people should understand how that works. You push people away from you so you don't hurt them--and don't tell me that you don't! Well, that's what I have to do now. It will be better off for everybody in the end. I should have known better than to try to have friends. It has never worked in the past."
"Listen to me, please!" Bakura said, putting his hands on her shoulders. "If there is one thing I've learned in the time we've been friends, it's that we can't go through things on our own. You taught me that. You stood there, unfaltering, and told me you were my friend and you weren't going to go anywhere. Now, when your friends try to reach out to you, you run away."
"But, you see, I can go through things on my own. It's always been that way with me, always will be. Now, I must be going." She said, pushing her way past him. She turned around, looked back at him one more time. "It has been wonderful knowing you. Now, please, go away."
~*~*~*~*~*~
YumeTakato - thanks for the reviews! I appreciate the feedback and would love to hear more of your opinions, suggestions…
Anya – pack your bags, girl, cuz we're off to skip the country! Ha ha, no really, you better update soon, or you will have to be skipping the country in order to avoid me!
Sparky16 – thanks for the reviews and crazy online ramblings via AIM.