(OOC: Sorry I haven't updated in a while! . My sister has been using up
all my precious internet time so I've been forced off the computer :P. I
did a lot of updating today. I added this chapter to The Portal, ch. 2 to
Clue and I've added my new song Sk8er Elf {hey if you are a lotr fan and
like parodies, check 'em out!} Well anyways, here's chapter nine.)
"Oh my gosh, Rinn, tell me that was a dream, or a hallucination or something," Alyz said, rubbing her temples. She was sitting on the counter in the girl's washroom at her school.
/I wish I could, Alyz./
"Shit."
/You should probably get to class,/ Rinn said softly.
"Yeah," Alyz agreed, leaping off the counter. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was not as messy as it usually was. Her curls seemed more... defined, more delicate, somehow. There was very little frizz. "Damn, why can't I look like this every day?" she wondered aloud. Her thoughts were cut short as the bell rang. She was supposed to be in Math right now-- at the other end of the school. She quickly scrambled out the door and ran down the hall, the sphere banging roughly against her chest. She dashed up the stairs and tripped when she neared the top.
Alyz cried out in pain as her shin banged against the top step. She clutched her leg to her chest, her eyes shut firmly as if trying to wish the pain away. She pulled up her jeans and winced at the large bruise that was already forming around the area she had skinned. She waited until the pain had subsided slightly, then stood up and hobbled down the hall to Math. Class had been in session for several minutes already, so heads turned to watch her as she stepped cautiously into class. Mr. Kingston looked murderous as he glared at her through his thin spectacles hanging precariously from the tip of his beaklike nose. She saw Ray give her a worried look.
"You're late, Alicia." Mr. Kingston spat furiously. Alyz gulped. "You may have gotten out of detention last time, but I will see that you are properly punished today."
"I t-tripped up the stairs," Alyz stuttered. "I shinned my skin. I mean I skinned my shin." Mr. Kinston approached her angrily, grabbing her arm.
"I don't care if you were hit by a semi-truck. You are late for class and that means you are going to stay an hour after school today," he hissed.
"An hour?! That's like as long as this whole class!" Alyz protested.
"If you argue with me I'll make it two hours."
Alyz glared at him, feeling a swell of anger rise within her. She was usually a rather timid person, not prone to impatience or anger in the slightest. But lately she had been like a land mine, exploding at anyone who irked her in the least. She felt this feeling once more.
Alyz pulled her arm out of his grasp roughly. "Let go of me!" she cried.
"Don't you yell at me, young lady!"
"Don't tell me what to do!"
"That's it! You are staying after school for one hour today and tomorrow!" Mr. Kingston yelled. Alyz could tell that he was not used to students talking back to him.
"Make me!" Alyz shouted. Mr. Kingston's face was bright red. He knew the whole class was watching and would not let himself be ordered about by a student.
"Don't think I won't, Alicia! Go to the office!"
"Don't call me Alicia," Alyz said quietly. She hadn't heard that name in eight years.
"I will call you whatever I want!" Mr. Kingston scoffed. Alyz felt her eyes become moist.
"Go to hell, you bastard!" She screamed, kicking him in the groin. She only stayed long enough to watch him collapse, then she burst into tears and ran outside as fast as her body would carry her. She kept running until she found the old park bench near the willow tree. She fell onto it and sobbed into her arms, her shoulders shaking fiercely as the hot, salty tears coursed down her cheeks.
She heard someone run up behind her and turned her head away. "Take me away, Rinn." Alyz whispered.
/But Ray will see you go,/ Rinn warned.
"I don't care what he sees, as long as he doesn't see me like this," she said through her sobs. She felt him touch her shoulder gently. She looked up at him, but realized she was no longer in the yard of their high school. They were on a bench in the middle of a Japanese city. Alyz was too stunned to speak. Ray had come with her through the portal. And she was definitely not in the same spot she usually appeared in the Yu-Gi-Oh world.
"Are you okay?" Ray asked. Alyz sniffed once and looked up at him.
"We're not at school anymore," she said. "Why aren't you surprised?"
Ray didn't answer. He looked up and yelled to someone that was out of Alyz's sight. "Hey, Bakura! Can you come over here for a minute?" Alyz immediately wiped the tears off her face. She had no idea how Ray knew Bakura, but she definitely couldn't let him see her like this. She hid her face when Ryou arrived.
"Alyz?" he asked. Alyz didn't speak. She knew that she would probably burst out crying once more if she tried. Bakura pulled her to her feet and took her shaking hand into his own. He led her a few blocks down the street, then showed her into a small townhouse. Ray followed shortly behind.
Alyz followed Bakura up the stairs and into a shabby-looking kitchen. She sat down at the table while Bakura plugged in a kettle. She assumed that this was his house. No one spoke for a few minutes, then Ryou poured the steaming hot water into three mugs and added some instant coffee.
Alyz smiled weakly as she inhaled the strong scent. She hadn't had coffee for quite some time. Bakura set one mug in front of her, and one in front of Ray, eyeing him warily. Ray looked uncomfortable. "I... uh... have to go to the washroom," he said. Bakura nodded.
"It's the second door to the right."
Ray left. Alyz knew that he wanted to leave them alone. "What's going on?" she asked quietly. "How do you know Ray?"
Bakura smiled. "You aren't the only person who visits here from another world," he said. Alyz choked on her coffee.
"I'm not?"
Bakura shook his head. "Ray has been here twice. Joey thought he was really going insane this time," he said. Alyz noticed that he gave a weird look when he mentioned Joey. She silently hoped that Joey hadn't said anything to Ryou about what had happened in the tunnel.
"Why are we in the city all of a sudden? I thought you guys were at Duelist Kingdom," Alyz said. Bakura's face fell.
"You haven't been here for a while. Yugi defeated Pegasus. He freed his grandpa, Mokuba and Kaiba. A lot has happened since then. Kaiba is hosting his Battle City tournament. Yugi and Joey are both entered in it."
Alyz sipped her coffee some more, savoring the strong, creamy taste. Bakura leaned toward her. "What's wrong, Alyz?"
She sighed. "It's just my Math teacher. I was late today and he spazzed at me,"
"What did you say?" Ryou inquired. Alyz shrugged.
"I spazzed back," she said truthfully. Bakura raised one eyebrow.
"That doesn't sound like you," he said quietly. Alyz shook her head.
"That's the thing; I've never talked back to a teacher before. Something's wrong with me. I'm just not myself anymore. Ever since... Ever since I found the portal," Bakura nodded. His hand moved toward hers on the table, but he stopped halfway. Alyz wished he would have taken hers. She needed his comfort.
"I know how you feel," he said. Alyz saw him touch the Millenium Ring around his neck. He looked down and did not speak for a while.
Alyz attempted to break the silence. "I wonder what's taking Ray so long."
Bakura frowned. "Ray," he said to himself. Alyz sensed a bitter tone in his voice.
"What?"
Ryou looked up at her. His deep, dark eyes met hers, and she could sense them boring into her own. She was an open book to him, and she had nothing to hide. Almost nothing. She looked away briefly, afraid of what he was searching for. "Ray," he repeated. "Is he-- your.... um, is he your--" Ryou stuttered, blushing. Alyz almost laughed, but did not allow herself to when she realized how serious he was being.
"My boyfriend?" she inquired. Ryou blushed deeper, nodding slightly. Alyz chuckled softly. "No. He's just a friend." Ryou smiled, then was serious again.
"What about Joey?" he asked so softly that his voice was nearly inaudible. Alyz found herself blushing, though not as deeply as Ryou.
"Not Joey either." Bakura looked relieved. Alyz would have laughed. /Awww... isn't he just adorable, Rinn? The way he's just sitting there being all cute and all?/ she wondered.
/Um, sure, Alyz,/ Rinn said. Alyz giggled. She was always happy when she was around Ryou. Why couldn't she just live here in the Yu-Gi-Oh world and never go back home? Her life was so torn, so confusing. It was just so much easier for her to stay here with Bakura.
Just then, Ray walked back into the kitchen and sat down. "I see you're feeling better, Alyz," he commented. Alyz smiled and nodded. Then she frowned.
"Ryou says you've been here before," she said simply. Ray looked down, then smiled halfheartedly.
"Yeah. I have."
(OOC: How was that? Please review! PLEASE! I live on reviews, which is why I'm DEAD right now. X_X yup, that's me. Poor dead me who's dead because she gets no reviews and is therefore dead. Yup. Very dead. Definitely dead. Absolutely. Look at me, I'm dead! DEAD, i tell you!)
"Oh my gosh, Rinn, tell me that was a dream, or a hallucination or something," Alyz said, rubbing her temples. She was sitting on the counter in the girl's washroom at her school.
/I wish I could, Alyz./
"Shit."
/You should probably get to class,/ Rinn said softly.
"Yeah," Alyz agreed, leaping off the counter. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was not as messy as it usually was. Her curls seemed more... defined, more delicate, somehow. There was very little frizz. "Damn, why can't I look like this every day?" she wondered aloud. Her thoughts were cut short as the bell rang. She was supposed to be in Math right now-- at the other end of the school. She quickly scrambled out the door and ran down the hall, the sphere banging roughly against her chest. She dashed up the stairs and tripped when she neared the top.
Alyz cried out in pain as her shin banged against the top step. She clutched her leg to her chest, her eyes shut firmly as if trying to wish the pain away. She pulled up her jeans and winced at the large bruise that was already forming around the area she had skinned. She waited until the pain had subsided slightly, then stood up and hobbled down the hall to Math. Class had been in session for several minutes already, so heads turned to watch her as she stepped cautiously into class. Mr. Kingston looked murderous as he glared at her through his thin spectacles hanging precariously from the tip of his beaklike nose. She saw Ray give her a worried look.
"You're late, Alicia." Mr. Kingston spat furiously. Alyz gulped. "You may have gotten out of detention last time, but I will see that you are properly punished today."
"I t-tripped up the stairs," Alyz stuttered. "I shinned my skin. I mean I skinned my shin." Mr. Kinston approached her angrily, grabbing her arm.
"I don't care if you were hit by a semi-truck. You are late for class and that means you are going to stay an hour after school today," he hissed.
"An hour?! That's like as long as this whole class!" Alyz protested.
"If you argue with me I'll make it two hours."
Alyz glared at him, feeling a swell of anger rise within her. She was usually a rather timid person, not prone to impatience or anger in the slightest. But lately she had been like a land mine, exploding at anyone who irked her in the least. She felt this feeling once more.
Alyz pulled her arm out of his grasp roughly. "Let go of me!" she cried.
"Don't you yell at me, young lady!"
"Don't tell me what to do!"
"That's it! You are staying after school for one hour today and tomorrow!" Mr. Kingston yelled. Alyz could tell that he was not used to students talking back to him.
"Make me!" Alyz shouted. Mr. Kingston's face was bright red. He knew the whole class was watching and would not let himself be ordered about by a student.
"Don't think I won't, Alicia! Go to the office!"
"Don't call me Alicia," Alyz said quietly. She hadn't heard that name in eight years.
"I will call you whatever I want!" Mr. Kingston scoffed. Alyz felt her eyes become moist.
"Go to hell, you bastard!" She screamed, kicking him in the groin. She only stayed long enough to watch him collapse, then she burst into tears and ran outside as fast as her body would carry her. She kept running until she found the old park bench near the willow tree. She fell onto it and sobbed into her arms, her shoulders shaking fiercely as the hot, salty tears coursed down her cheeks.
She heard someone run up behind her and turned her head away. "Take me away, Rinn." Alyz whispered.
/But Ray will see you go,/ Rinn warned.
"I don't care what he sees, as long as he doesn't see me like this," she said through her sobs. She felt him touch her shoulder gently. She looked up at him, but realized she was no longer in the yard of their high school. They were on a bench in the middle of a Japanese city. Alyz was too stunned to speak. Ray had come with her through the portal. And she was definitely not in the same spot she usually appeared in the Yu-Gi-Oh world.
"Are you okay?" Ray asked. Alyz sniffed once and looked up at him.
"We're not at school anymore," she said. "Why aren't you surprised?"
Ray didn't answer. He looked up and yelled to someone that was out of Alyz's sight. "Hey, Bakura! Can you come over here for a minute?" Alyz immediately wiped the tears off her face. She had no idea how Ray knew Bakura, but she definitely couldn't let him see her like this. She hid her face when Ryou arrived.
"Alyz?" he asked. Alyz didn't speak. She knew that she would probably burst out crying once more if she tried. Bakura pulled her to her feet and took her shaking hand into his own. He led her a few blocks down the street, then showed her into a small townhouse. Ray followed shortly behind.
Alyz followed Bakura up the stairs and into a shabby-looking kitchen. She sat down at the table while Bakura plugged in a kettle. She assumed that this was his house. No one spoke for a few minutes, then Ryou poured the steaming hot water into three mugs and added some instant coffee.
Alyz smiled weakly as she inhaled the strong scent. She hadn't had coffee for quite some time. Bakura set one mug in front of her, and one in front of Ray, eyeing him warily. Ray looked uncomfortable. "I... uh... have to go to the washroom," he said. Bakura nodded.
"It's the second door to the right."
Ray left. Alyz knew that he wanted to leave them alone. "What's going on?" she asked quietly. "How do you know Ray?"
Bakura smiled. "You aren't the only person who visits here from another world," he said. Alyz choked on her coffee.
"I'm not?"
Bakura shook his head. "Ray has been here twice. Joey thought he was really going insane this time," he said. Alyz noticed that he gave a weird look when he mentioned Joey. She silently hoped that Joey hadn't said anything to Ryou about what had happened in the tunnel.
"Why are we in the city all of a sudden? I thought you guys were at Duelist Kingdom," Alyz said. Bakura's face fell.
"You haven't been here for a while. Yugi defeated Pegasus. He freed his grandpa, Mokuba and Kaiba. A lot has happened since then. Kaiba is hosting his Battle City tournament. Yugi and Joey are both entered in it."
Alyz sipped her coffee some more, savoring the strong, creamy taste. Bakura leaned toward her. "What's wrong, Alyz?"
She sighed. "It's just my Math teacher. I was late today and he spazzed at me,"
"What did you say?" Ryou inquired. Alyz shrugged.
"I spazzed back," she said truthfully. Bakura raised one eyebrow.
"That doesn't sound like you," he said quietly. Alyz shook her head.
"That's the thing; I've never talked back to a teacher before. Something's wrong with me. I'm just not myself anymore. Ever since... Ever since I found the portal," Bakura nodded. His hand moved toward hers on the table, but he stopped halfway. Alyz wished he would have taken hers. She needed his comfort.
"I know how you feel," he said. Alyz saw him touch the Millenium Ring around his neck. He looked down and did not speak for a while.
Alyz attempted to break the silence. "I wonder what's taking Ray so long."
Bakura frowned. "Ray," he said to himself. Alyz sensed a bitter tone in his voice.
"What?"
Ryou looked up at her. His deep, dark eyes met hers, and she could sense them boring into her own. She was an open book to him, and she had nothing to hide. Almost nothing. She looked away briefly, afraid of what he was searching for. "Ray," he repeated. "Is he-- your.... um, is he your--" Ryou stuttered, blushing. Alyz almost laughed, but did not allow herself to when she realized how serious he was being.
"My boyfriend?" she inquired. Ryou blushed deeper, nodding slightly. Alyz chuckled softly. "No. He's just a friend." Ryou smiled, then was serious again.
"What about Joey?" he asked so softly that his voice was nearly inaudible. Alyz found herself blushing, though not as deeply as Ryou.
"Not Joey either." Bakura looked relieved. Alyz would have laughed. /Awww... isn't he just adorable, Rinn? The way he's just sitting there being all cute and all?/ she wondered.
/Um, sure, Alyz,/ Rinn said. Alyz giggled. She was always happy when she was around Ryou. Why couldn't she just live here in the Yu-Gi-Oh world and never go back home? Her life was so torn, so confusing. It was just so much easier for her to stay here with Bakura.
Just then, Ray walked back into the kitchen and sat down. "I see you're feeling better, Alyz," he commented. Alyz smiled and nodded. Then she frowned.
"Ryou says you've been here before," she said simply. Ray looked down, then smiled halfheartedly.
"Yeah. I have."
(OOC: How was that? Please review! PLEASE! I live on reviews, which is why I'm DEAD right now. X_X yup, that's me. Poor dead me who's dead because she gets no reviews and is therefore dead. Yup. Very dead. Definitely dead. Absolutely. Look at me, I'm dead! DEAD, i tell you!)