I'll go ahead and apologize... I have no idea what you would find in a
fancy Japanese restaurant, so I figure, oh well, I'll be cheap and
uncreative and say that they found a fancy American restaurant in Domino
City. Of course, why an Egyptian woman and an Ancient Egyptian spirit
would be eating American food in Japan is beyond is all... But bare with
me... Okay? ^_^() heh...
Although... Really my entire Japan is very American. *sigh* My apologies... I know next to nothing about modern Japan... I know... I know... Ignorance is no excuse. *sighs again*
Also, apologies for the fact that Bakura slowly becomes more and more out of character... That is to say... I can't really see falling madly in love as being IC for him... *shrugs* He's becoming at least slightly gentlemanly.
And the witchdoctor says "Silverscreamer doesn't own YuGi Oh!" ~_~() Dang you... *switches to the next song on her playlist muttering about stupid witchdoctors*
~*~*~*~
Chapter 10: Dinner
Bakura paced the sidewalk in front of the Ishtar residence. Finally he turned to the house, taking a deep breath. He trudged up to the door and knocked.
Isis answered the door. She smiled politely and stated, "Malik's not here." And then started to shut the door again.
Bakura quickly put a hand out to stop the door from closing and regarded Isis thoughtfully. She was just as reserved as usual, but Bakura could tell that something was wrong. "Do you know where he went?"
Isis shook her head. "No... He and Mariku went out to do Ra only knows what..." She grumbled.
"Ah..." Bakura gave an understanding nod. He was silent a moment before rubbing the back of his neck. "I take it that isn't a very good thing?"
The look that Isis gave him made him wish he'd kept his mouth shut. But then her expression softened and she sighed. "I'm sorry... It's been a really stressful week. I shouldn't take it out on you."
Bakura shrugged. "Go ahead, if it makes ya feel better. I'll just make sure not to take any of it to heart." He bowed his head slightly, looking up at her with teasing eyes and placing a hand over his heart.
Isis smiled, chuckling slightly. "You're a real idiot, you know that? But you're sweet... I never would have guessed that you could possibly be sweet."
Bakura gave a gasp of feigned indignation. "Me!? Sweet!? That's ridiculous! Surely you have mistaken me for someone who cares!" He couldn't help but grin.
Isis shook her head. "Well, I'll tell Malik that you stopped by... I suppose you'll be wanting to go now."
Bakura nodded, shrugging, and turned away. He started to take a step, but stopped, acting as though he just had a thought as he turned back to Isis, who had just started to shut the door. "Actually, I don't have anything to do... If you'd like someone to talk to..." he grinned suddenly. "Or perhaps just to exchange a insults with... Than I'd be willing to hang around."
Isis regarded him, suddenly suspicious. "What do you want?" She asked cautiously.
Bakura blinked in genuine surprise at her sudden attitude change. "Er... What?"
Isis shook her head, her expression almost angry now. "Look, I have no idea why else you'd be acting so nice to me like this. You hang out with my brother for Ra's sake, and we all know how he and Mariku are. Especially when it comes to women..." She stopped suddenly and looked away.
"I see..." Bakura shook his head. "I'm just offering to be a friend, cause lately you seem like you've been needing one. However, if you feel that way about it, than I can disappear and never bother you again."
There was a pause as Isis regarded him. Finally she sighed. "Alright... I'll probably regret this later, but it would be nice to have some company..." She looked at her watch and realized that it was getting into the evening. "I'm afraid I hadn't really been planning anything for supper, though..."
Bakura waved a hand in a dismissive manner. "Don't worry about it. We can always grab something to eat out somewhere." He thought for a moment. "There's this nice American restaurant in one of the nicer districts of town... Ryou goes there to eat at times. Something about it being the closest thing to food he had back in England or something like that..." (((That's right! I did find a way for it to make sense! Sorta...)))
Isis chuckled. "I guess that makes sense... Well, sure, why not? I guess that's as good a place as anywhere else is. Just let me grab a coat..."
Bakura nodded and stood just outside of the house. He grinned to himself. It worked... Malik would be pleased to know that Bakura was working on his own to deal with Malik's problem. Bakura couldn't help but wonder, though... Was he still doing this just for his friend?
Isis came back after just a short time and stepped out of the house, closing the door behind her. "Lead the way..."
Bakura nodded and turned and started walking. Isis walked alongside him as he started down the sidewalk and further into the city of Domino.
((Jumping into 1st person POV for Isis for a little here...))
The restaurant wasn't exactly the classiest place I'd ever seen, but as Bakura held the door open for me to enter, I couldn't help but regret not having grabbed some money before I left. I didn't have much left in my purse after all the chocolate I'd bought earlier today. Darn female habits for when you're upset...
"I don't think I have enough money on me..." I mutter to Bakura.
He glances at me and shrugs. "I can pay it."
I shake my head. "I don't want to be a bother..."
"It's no bother, believe me."
They way he's smiling makes me wonder where and how he got the money. Then again. I probably don't want to know.
"Bakura-sama!?" came a surprised, slightly frightened sounding voice.
I suddenly realize I'd been staring at Bakura while lost in my thoughts. Looking away, I see a rather nervous looking person power-walking towards us, as though afraid of taking too long in getting to us. I raise an eyebrow and look at Bakura.
"They know you by name... Wait, that isn't the question I should be asking... Bakura... Sama?!" I question incredulously.
He smirks and I can tell it's in response to my question, even though he doesn't look at me. His red-brown eyes, dancing with malicious amusement, are trained on the approaching man.
I probably don't want to know about that either...
The man was a manager it looked like. Dressed nicer than most of the other workers, but having the same basic look to his outfit. He flashes me a genuine smile before turning back to Bakura, all the false delight mixed with politeness, fear and anxiety returning in an instant.
"Is it just you and your lady friend this evening, Bakura-sama?" the man asks with a nervously suggestive grin.
Bakura nods and before I can comment, he states, "But don't get the wrong idea. This is just a friend of mine. Got it?"
Why does everything that comes out of his mouth have the tendency to sound like a threat that he's just daring you to test?
The man nodded vigorously. "Of course, of course!" he squeaks. "I wouldn't dream of suggesting otherwise!"
My eyes, by this point, have begun to roam. Americans are interesting people from what I've been able to tell. I take in the decorations of the place, then move to studying the people dining here. Most seem to be politely ignoring us, but I can't help but notice that some of the people are glancing at Bakura nervously...
I hope this wasn't a bad idea...
I look back at Bakura and the other man to witness what appears to be the end of a whispered conversation. Oh what fun... I can't help but be suspicious of him. What's he planning now?
"This way." The man bowed slightly to the two of us. Probably not a very unusual action in a nice place like this, so it didn't really surprise me.
What surprises me was when Bakura steps aside and motions for me to go before him. And... I blink. Is he smiling at me? I nod to him politely and move to follow the nervous man through the restaurant. He slows a bit and leans in slightly as though to tell me something.
"Please, madam... Don't make him mad." The man glances back at Bakura, who- I see as I glance back as well- is grinning evilly at some of the more nervous people. "You see, I just don't believe that we can afford repairs again..."
I blink. *Please, Ra... Tell me I heard that wrong...* I think to myself as I swallow. "Um. Repairs?"
The man nods. "He has quite the temper..."
Then, Bakura practically just appears between us, having quickened his pace to catch up. He shoots the man a malicious grin and I catch a hint of annoyance in his eyes.
Okay... I really don't want to know...
Then Bakura surprises me again by holding my chair out for me. Has he always been this polite and I've just never cared to notice? I nod my thanks and sit, watching him silently as he then goes and takes his seat. I can't help but notice that we're sitting at a corner table. Bakura doesn't seem to give it any thought, but I can't help but realize that the man put us here so as not to disturb the other diners as much.
Wonderful...
We sit in silence, a mixture of curious staring and uncomfortable glancing around. The nervous man returns just moments later, luckily, and hands me a menu. Opening it, I look at the foods... not that I could read the names. They might as well be in Greek... What are these things? They don't sound anything like what I'm used to.
I glance from the man to Bakura helplessly. "I've never heard of any of these foods... What would you recommend?"
Bakura seems about to say something, but the other man broke in quickly. "Well, my fine lady, that depends on what you like. We have some very fine salads, chicken dinners, our specialty soup, or..." he glances at Bakura and I swear he just suppressed a shudder... "We have some fine steaks..."
"Um... I suppose I'll take a salad than." What's with the steaks? Probably don't want to know, but I have a feeling I soon will. The man leaves and I look at Bakura curiously.
He seems to sense my question, for he answers before I even decide whether to ask it. "I told you, I come here with Ryou now and then." He explains dismissively.
Right... And how much do I want to bet they wish he wouldn't?
I can handle this, though. I've put up with Malik and Mariku for long enough that I should be able to handle just about anything. At least... I think I should be...
So here I am... Sitting in a fairly nice restaurant with Bakura. Even if I'd seen this coming with my Millennium Tauk, I probably wouldn't have believed it. Not only that, but he doesn't seem half as much of a jerk as I might have assumed he would be... For one of my brother's friends, he certainly can be sweet...
I blink. *Did I just think that?* He's glancing around in a bored sort of manner, his hands twisting and pulling at his cloth napkin. I study him silently. His unruly white hair... Brownish-red eyes... And what's with his clothes lately? I study his tight, sleeveless, blue shirt and think about his tight black pants... He looks really good...
Different!
He looks really different! From how he used to look. I can't believe I just thought that... I feel my cheeks growing slightly warm and hope that a blush isn't showing. I'm with someone else. I have Mariku...
My mind wanders as I begin to spin the ice in the glass of water that had been set in front of me when we were seated. The slightly awkward silence between us allowing my thoughts to drift to other things.
(Okay... I'll get out of Isis' head now... 3rd person!!)
Bakura was twisting his napkin and pulling at its hemmed edges. He'd glance at Isis on occasion, not sure what to say, or if it might be better to remain silent anyway. Sighing, he cupped his chin in his hand and stared at his ice water.
After a few minutes, without even thinking about it, he dipped the tip of his finger into his water and began spinning the ice around in the cup. He ignored the nervous manager as he came back to their table and cleared his throat.
Isis looked up at the man and smiled politely, pausing in her ice spinning. Her hand remained poised above the glass and the tip of her finger remained in the water.
"Would the lady care to order some wine?" the man questioned.
Isis frowned slightly in thought. *I really shouldn't. It isn't my money...* she thought with a sigh.
"No thank you."
"If you're worried about cost..." Bakura said absently, not looking up at either of them. "I've already told you that it isn't a problem."
Isis kept her eyes on the nervous manager for a moment before nodding. "Alright." The man smiled almost graciously before turning and practically dashing away again.
Isis finally turned her eyes back to Bakura, who still had his chin propped in one hand and was still spinning his ice with the other. Isis blinked and looked down at her own finger in her own glass of ice water. She was silent for a moment before chuckling suddenly.
Bakura paused in his ice spinning and looked up at her. Then his eyes followed down to her hand over the glass of ice water and finally to his own, similarly poised hand.
"Well..." he said, sounding genuinely startled. "This is interesting..."
"You obviously spend way too much time with my brother." Isis chuckled. She withdrew her hand from her glass even as Bakura did the same. She couldn't help but laugh at his expression. A mixture of nervous surprise and confusion.
Bakura finally managed to pull himself out of his stupor and shook his head, smiling slightly. "You're brother has some odd habits, and sometimes it's just so easy to pick that sort of thing up..." He didn't look back at her, but instead kept his eyes roaming the restaurant.
Isis studied him once again. She was about to say something when a waiter brought them two champagne glasses and a bottle of a reddish purple liquid. Isis turned her eyes to watch the man pop the cork out of the bottle and pour both of them a glass full. "Thank you..." She said with a smile as the man put the bottle down on the table.
Bakura's eyes followed the man's retreating back before he glanced back at Isis. His eyes seemed to shine oddly as he leaned back to relax against the back of his chair. "You're awfully polite..."
Isis blinked and looked at him, her hand stopping halfway to her glass of wine. She wasn't sure how to respond to that statement, so they just sat in silence, staring at one another. Finally, the silent staring grating at her nerves, Isis cleared her throat. "Does politeness offend you? I suppose if you share my brother and his yami's crudeness, I can see how it could."
She knew it was a hateful thing to say, but she couldn't help it. She kept her eyes diverted from Bakura even as she gripped the wineglass tightly. She lifted it towards her face, pausing a moment to sniff it's aroma before touching the glass to her lips and taking a sip.
It was amazing! A wonderful explosion of various fruits mixed well enough to make them indistinguishable but obviously separate tastes... Smiling, she took another drink, more this time, before placing the glass back onto the table. She stared at it silently, her hands folded neatly on the table in front of her. Then she stared down at her hands, still not wishing to look back at Bakura.
She was a bit surprised to hear him chuckle. He'd been reflecting one what she'd said while watching her. Now he just leaned forward again, propping his chin in both hands and smirking at her. "Yes, I suppose it does. Or perhaps it's just not me... You just remind me of Ryou sitting there. Thanking everyone and smiling graciously..."
Once again Isis found herself at a lack of words. Was this a compliment or an insult? Or perhaps it was just a simply stated fact...
Luckily she didn't have long to dwell on it, for the manager and the waiter from before arrived with their meal.
Unluckily... She now found out why the manager would have shuddered about the steaks...
Isis ignored her salad that was placed in front of her. Her eyes were fixed on the slab of meat on the plate in front of Bakura. For that's all it was. And completely raw from the looks of it... Not bloody at least... Or much anyway. No doubt a restaurant wouldn't keep bloody meat lying around... All the same, it was enough to cause her stomach to turn.
Bakura glared after the manager as he left, apparently just acting out some sort of often used routine. Then he looked at Isis, noting her look of disgust. His first instinct was to smirk. It always amuses him to see others made uncomfortable. But then he felt a pang of guilt. He'd wanted to cheer her up by bringing her out... Something very out of his character, he knew, but all the same...
*Oh well... Can't be helped now.* he thought to himself. Reaching out, he picked up his wineglass and took a sip. "Interesting stuff..." He mused, moving the glass in slight circles and causing the liquid to swirl around in his cup.
Isis looked up at him and nodded before turning her attention down to her salad. It did look a lot more appetizing than Bakura's steak. *Get a grip on yourself... You should have seen this one coming... Think of who this is in front of you for Ra's sake...*
Perhaps that's why she was so disgusted by it... For a while there she'd almost forgotten what Bakura was like. 'How' is a very interesting question, but one she didn't feel inclined to worry about at the moment. Nodding, she took a drink from her own glass. It was rather good... She took another long drink, draining her glass.
Bakura raised an eyebrow and took up the bottle, pouring her more. Then he turned his attention to his steak, not offering any explanation for his gentlemanly act. He picked up his fork and knife and... resisted the urge to flat out attack the raw meat. Licking his lips as much in annoyed hesitation as from the anticipation of his meal, he began to cut the steak into pieces.
Isis kept her eyes on her glass as Bakura filled it. Then she glanced at him, seeing that his attention was now on his steak. She shivered slightly and took another sip of the wine before turning to her salad. Conversation- not that there had been much anyway- would apparently be put off until after they had eaten. And that suited Isis just fine. She didn't wish to continue with the odd comments that Bakura had made before. She'd rather just eat in silence...
~*~*~*~
Hee hee! Bakura's so cute when he's trying to be sensitive and gentlemanly- like!!! *glomps her evil albino, who squirms and swears at her, attempting to detach her from himself*
Anywho, hope you liked this chapter! Please review! *gets on knees and begs*
And now a word from our sponsers! Er... I mean... A word to my reviewers...
Reign of Isis4559: *chuckles* You can hug me anyway if you want. *shrugs* I won't hold it against you. :-P But anyway, yes. I've said numerous times that I do update nightly, unless something really dire comes up. And, as you can tell from last night's update, even a killer splitting headache isn't dire enough to keep me from updating!
lynx wings: Thank you! Thank you! I'm beginning to think that the bloopers are the things that people like the best... Who needs the story when you have senseless behavior? ~_~() But that's okay. At least I'm making people laugh. *beams*
Meef!? I just got another review as I'm sitting here typing this! *blinks and shrugs and goes back to going through them all again*
Dragon Spirits: *chuckles* Yes it is you! Glad to see you finally got a chance to review, and congrats once more on your team winning the championships!! Oh yeah, and I'm glad you like the fic too. ^_^()
Red Prophet: ^_^() Heh... Glad you like so much. *bounces* And again, I re-itterate... Updated every night. You people don't need to keep telling me to "continue/update soon." *chuckles* Glad to see a new person reviewing, too. Welcome to my fanclub! *laughes* Kidding!
Yami wow, I'm a big kid now: Thank you, glad you like it. And don't worry, Yami doesn't get tormented anymore after just that one chapter where they're at the mall... Of course... He's not in it anymore... Wait! No! I believe he's in the bloopers for the next chapter... ^_^() But I don't do anything mean to him... That I can remember... ^_^() heh...
Umeko the Beatnik Emu: YES! The Fourth boxset IS out!! You should go to discountanimedvd.com. That's where I ordered all of my YuGi Oh from. Granted... You have to be a little careful... There's no telling how good the subtitles are going to be... ~_~() The first boxset I got from there had very atrocious subtitles... At least it was all episodes I'd seen the dub for and therefore had some idea of what was going on. If the fourth boxset's are as bad as the first I have a feeling I'll be completely lost... ^_^() And thanks! I'm glad you liked the music war! Can't you just see the two of them doing that though?
Well, that's it for tonight I suppose. Next chapter is where the Phantom of the Opera thing from the last chapter really comes into play... heck, the title of the Chapter 11 is "Good Night Phantom of Music." If that doesn't say something, than I failed miserably. ^_^() The phantom thing becomes something really cute between these two. *bounces* But I won't go into that.
On another, just completely random note... I've been working pretty good on my next fanfic... (((*smacks herself around* Bad Silver! BAD!! BAD!! You should be working on your book! Not another fanfic!))) Heh... Amnesia... Amusing... I'll give anyone who can guess who my main character(s) are a great big pat on the back! ^_^() (((That should be the easiest pat on the back that you've ever earned.)))
Although... Really my entire Japan is very American. *sigh* My apologies... I know next to nothing about modern Japan... I know... I know... Ignorance is no excuse. *sighs again*
Also, apologies for the fact that Bakura slowly becomes more and more out of character... That is to say... I can't really see falling madly in love as being IC for him... *shrugs* He's becoming at least slightly gentlemanly.
And the witchdoctor says "Silverscreamer doesn't own YuGi Oh!" ~_~() Dang you... *switches to the next song on her playlist muttering about stupid witchdoctors*
~*~*~*~
Chapter 10: Dinner
Bakura paced the sidewalk in front of the Ishtar residence. Finally he turned to the house, taking a deep breath. He trudged up to the door and knocked.
Isis answered the door. She smiled politely and stated, "Malik's not here." And then started to shut the door again.
Bakura quickly put a hand out to stop the door from closing and regarded Isis thoughtfully. She was just as reserved as usual, but Bakura could tell that something was wrong. "Do you know where he went?"
Isis shook her head. "No... He and Mariku went out to do Ra only knows what..." She grumbled.
"Ah..." Bakura gave an understanding nod. He was silent a moment before rubbing the back of his neck. "I take it that isn't a very good thing?"
The look that Isis gave him made him wish he'd kept his mouth shut. But then her expression softened and she sighed. "I'm sorry... It's been a really stressful week. I shouldn't take it out on you."
Bakura shrugged. "Go ahead, if it makes ya feel better. I'll just make sure not to take any of it to heart." He bowed his head slightly, looking up at her with teasing eyes and placing a hand over his heart.
Isis smiled, chuckling slightly. "You're a real idiot, you know that? But you're sweet... I never would have guessed that you could possibly be sweet."
Bakura gave a gasp of feigned indignation. "Me!? Sweet!? That's ridiculous! Surely you have mistaken me for someone who cares!" He couldn't help but grin.
Isis shook her head. "Well, I'll tell Malik that you stopped by... I suppose you'll be wanting to go now."
Bakura nodded, shrugging, and turned away. He started to take a step, but stopped, acting as though he just had a thought as he turned back to Isis, who had just started to shut the door. "Actually, I don't have anything to do... If you'd like someone to talk to..." he grinned suddenly. "Or perhaps just to exchange a insults with... Than I'd be willing to hang around."
Isis regarded him, suddenly suspicious. "What do you want?" She asked cautiously.
Bakura blinked in genuine surprise at her sudden attitude change. "Er... What?"
Isis shook her head, her expression almost angry now. "Look, I have no idea why else you'd be acting so nice to me like this. You hang out with my brother for Ra's sake, and we all know how he and Mariku are. Especially when it comes to women..." She stopped suddenly and looked away.
"I see..." Bakura shook his head. "I'm just offering to be a friend, cause lately you seem like you've been needing one. However, if you feel that way about it, than I can disappear and never bother you again."
There was a pause as Isis regarded him. Finally she sighed. "Alright... I'll probably regret this later, but it would be nice to have some company..." She looked at her watch and realized that it was getting into the evening. "I'm afraid I hadn't really been planning anything for supper, though..."
Bakura waved a hand in a dismissive manner. "Don't worry about it. We can always grab something to eat out somewhere." He thought for a moment. "There's this nice American restaurant in one of the nicer districts of town... Ryou goes there to eat at times. Something about it being the closest thing to food he had back in England or something like that..." (((That's right! I did find a way for it to make sense! Sorta...)))
Isis chuckled. "I guess that makes sense... Well, sure, why not? I guess that's as good a place as anywhere else is. Just let me grab a coat..."
Bakura nodded and stood just outside of the house. He grinned to himself. It worked... Malik would be pleased to know that Bakura was working on his own to deal with Malik's problem. Bakura couldn't help but wonder, though... Was he still doing this just for his friend?
Isis came back after just a short time and stepped out of the house, closing the door behind her. "Lead the way..."
Bakura nodded and turned and started walking. Isis walked alongside him as he started down the sidewalk and further into the city of Domino.
((Jumping into 1st person POV for Isis for a little here...))
The restaurant wasn't exactly the classiest place I'd ever seen, but as Bakura held the door open for me to enter, I couldn't help but regret not having grabbed some money before I left. I didn't have much left in my purse after all the chocolate I'd bought earlier today. Darn female habits for when you're upset...
"I don't think I have enough money on me..." I mutter to Bakura.
He glances at me and shrugs. "I can pay it."
I shake my head. "I don't want to be a bother..."
"It's no bother, believe me."
They way he's smiling makes me wonder where and how he got the money. Then again. I probably don't want to know.
"Bakura-sama!?" came a surprised, slightly frightened sounding voice.
I suddenly realize I'd been staring at Bakura while lost in my thoughts. Looking away, I see a rather nervous looking person power-walking towards us, as though afraid of taking too long in getting to us. I raise an eyebrow and look at Bakura.
"They know you by name... Wait, that isn't the question I should be asking... Bakura... Sama?!" I question incredulously.
He smirks and I can tell it's in response to my question, even though he doesn't look at me. His red-brown eyes, dancing with malicious amusement, are trained on the approaching man.
I probably don't want to know about that either...
The man was a manager it looked like. Dressed nicer than most of the other workers, but having the same basic look to his outfit. He flashes me a genuine smile before turning back to Bakura, all the false delight mixed with politeness, fear and anxiety returning in an instant.
"Is it just you and your lady friend this evening, Bakura-sama?" the man asks with a nervously suggestive grin.
Bakura nods and before I can comment, he states, "But don't get the wrong idea. This is just a friend of mine. Got it?"
Why does everything that comes out of his mouth have the tendency to sound like a threat that he's just daring you to test?
The man nodded vigorously. "Of course, of course!" he squeaks. "I wouldn't dream of suggesting otherwise!"
My eyes, by this point, have begun to roam. Americans are interesting people from what I've been able to tell. I take in the decorations of the place, then move to studying the people dining here. Most seem to be politely ignoring us, but I can't help but notice that some of the people are glancing at Bakura nervously...
I hope this wasn't a bad idea...
I look back at Bakura and the other man to witness what appears to be the end of a whispered conversation. Oh what fun... I can't help but be suspicious of him. What's he planning now?
"This way." The man bowed slightly to the two of us. Probably not a very unusual action in a nice place like this, so it didn't really surprise me.
What surprises me was when Bakura steps aside and motions for me to go before him. And... I blink. Is he smiling at me? I nod to him politely and move to follow the nervous man through the restaurant. He slows a bit and leans in slightly as though to tell me something.
"Please, madam... Don't make him mad." The man glances back at Bakura, who- I see as I glance back as well- is grinning evilly at some of the more nervous people. "You see, I just don't believe that we can afford repairs again..."
I blink. *Please, Ra... Tell me I heard that wrong...* I think to myself as I swallow. "Um. Repairs?"
The man nods. "He has quite the temper..."
Then, Bakura practically just appears between us, having quickened his pace to catch up. He shoots the man a malicious grin and I catch a hint of annoyance in his eyes.
Okay... I really don't want to know...
Then Bakura surprises me again by holding my chair out for me. Has he always been this polite and I've just never cared to notice? I nod my thanks and sit, watching him silently as he then goes and takes his seat. I can't help but notice that we're sitting at a corner table. Bakura doesn't seem to give it any thought, but I can't help but realize that the man put us here so as not to disturb the other diners as much.
Wonderful...
We sit in silence, a mixture of curious staring and uncomfortable glancing around. The nervous man returns just moments later, luckily, and hands me a menu. Opening it, I look at the foods... not that I could read the names. They might as well be in Greek... What are these things? They don't sound anything like what I'm used to.
I glance from the man to Bakura helplessly. "I've never heard of any of these foods... What would you recommend?"
Bakura seems about to say something, but the other man broke in quickly. "Well, my fine lady, that depends on what you like. We have some very fine salads, chicken dinners, our specialty soup, or..." he glances at Bakura and I swear he just suppressed a shudder... "We have some fine steaks..."
"Um... I suppose I'll take a salad than." What's with the steaks? Probably don't want to know, but I have a feeling I soon will. The man leaves and I look at Bakura curiously.
He seems to sense my question, for he answers before I even decide whether to ask it. "I told you, I come here with Ryou now and then." He explains dismissively.
Right... And how much do I want to bet they wish he wouldn't?
I can handle this, though. I've put up with Malik and Mariku for long enough that I should be able to handle just about anything. At least... I think I should be...
So here I am... Sitting in a fairly nice restaurant with Bakura. Even if I'd seen this coming with my Millennium Tauk, I probably wouldn't have believed it. Not only that, but he doesn't seem half as much of a jerk as I might have assumed he would be... For one of my brother's friends, he certainly can be sweet...
I blink. *Did I just think that?* He's glancing around in a bored sort of manner, his hands twisting and pulling at his cloth napkin. I study him silently. His unruly white hair... Brownish-red eyes... And what's with his clothes lately? I study his tight, sleeveless, blue shirt and think about his tight black pants... He looks really good...
Different!
He looks really different! From how he used to look. I can't believe I just thought that... I feel my cheeks growing slightly warm and hope that a blush isn't showing. I'm with someone else. I have Mariku...
My mind wanders as I begin to spin the ice in the glass of water that had been set in front of me when we were seated. The slightly awkward silence between us allowing my thoughts to drift to other things.
(Okay... I'll get out of Isis' head now... 3rd person!!)
Bakura was twisting his napkin and pulling at its hemmed edges. He'd glance at Isis on occasion, not sure what to say, or if it might be better to remain silent anyway. Sighing, he cupped his chin in his hand and stared at his ice water.
After a few minutes, without even thinking about it, he dipped the tip of his finger into his water and began spinning the ice around in the cup. He ignored the nervous manager as he came back to their table and cleared his throat.
Isis looked up at the man and smiled politely, pausing in her ice spinning. Her hand remained poised above the glass and the tip of her finger remained in the water.
"Would the lady care to order some wine?" the man questioned.
Isis frowned slightly in thought. *I really shouldn't. It isn't my money...* she thought with a sigh.
"No thank you."
"If you're worried about cost..." Bakura said absently, not looking up at either of them. "I've already told you that it isn't a problem."
Isis kept her eyes on the nervous manager for a moment before nodding. "Alright." The man smiled almost graciously before turning and practically dashing away again.
Isis finally turned her eyes back to Bakura, who still had his chin propped in one hand and was still spinning his ice with the other. Isis blinked and looked down at her own finger in her own glass of ice water. She was silent for a moment before chuckling suddenly.
Bakura paused in his ice spinning and looked up at her. Then his eyes followed down to her hand over the glass of ice water and finally to his own, similarly poised hand.
"Well..." he said, sounding genuinely startled. "This is interesting..."
"You obviously spend way too much time with my brother." Isis chuckled. She withdrew her hand from her glass even as Bakura did the same. She couldn't help but laugh at his expression. A mixture of nervous surprise and confusion.
Bakura finally managed to pull himself out of his stupor and shook his head, smiling slightly. "You're brother has some odd habits, and sometimes it's just so easy to pick that sort of thing up..." He didn't look back at her, but instead kept his eyes roaming the restaurant.
Isis studied him once again. She was about to say something when a waiter brought them two champagne glasses and a bottle of a reddish purple liquid. Isis turned her eyes to watch the man pop the cork out of the bottle and pour both of them a glass full. "Thank you..." She said with a smile as the man put the bottle down on the table.
Bakura's eyes followed the man's retreating back before he glanced back at Isis. His eyes seemed to shine oddly as he leaned back to relax against the back of his chair. "You're awfully polite..."
Isis blinked and looked at him, her hand stopping halfway to her glass of wine. She wasn't sure how to respond to that statement, so they just sat in silence, staring at one another. Finally, the silent staring grating at her nerves, Isis cleared her throat. "Does politeness offend you? I suppose if you share my brother and his yami's crudeness, I can see how it could."
She knew it was a hateful thing to say, but she couldn't help it. She kept her eyes diverted from Bakura even as she gripped the wineglass tightly. She lifted it towards her face, pausing a moment to sniff it's aroma before touching the glass to her lips and taking a sip.
It was amazing! A wonderful explosion of various fruits mixed well enough to make them indistinguishable but obviously separate tastes... Smiling, she took another drink, more this time, before placing the glass back onto the table. She stared at it silently, her hands folded neatly on the table in front of her. Then she stared down at her hands, still not wishing to look back at Bakura.
She was a bit surprised to hear him chuckle. He'd been reflecting one what she'd said while watching her. Now he just leaned forward again, propping his chin in both hands and smirking at her. "Yes, I suppose it does. Or perhaps it's just not me... You just remind me of Ryou sitting there. Thanking everyone and smiling graciously..."
Once again Isis found herself at a lack of words. Was this a compliment or an insult? Or perhaps it was just a simply stated fact...
Luckily she didn't have long to dwell on it, for the manager and the waiter from before arrived with their meal.
Unluckily... She now found out why the manager would have shuddered about the steaks...
Isis ignored her salad that was placed in front of her. Her eyes were fixed on the slab of meat on the plate in front of Bakura. For that's all it was. And completely raw from the looks of it... Not bloody at least... Or much anyway. No doubt a restaurant wouldn't keep bloody meat lying around... All the same, it was enough to cause her stomach to turn.
Bakura glared after the manager as he left, apparently just acting out some sort of often used routine. Then he looked at Isis, noting her look of disgust. His first instinct was to smirk. It always amuses him to see others made uncomfortable. But then he felt a pang of guilt. He'd wanted to cheer her up by bringing her out... Something very out of his character, he knew, but all the same...
*Oh well... Can't be helped now.* he thought to himself. Reaching out, he picked up his wineglass and took a sip. "Interesting stuff..." He mused, moving the glass in slight circles and causing the liquid to swirl around in his cup.
Isis looked up at him and nodded before turning her attention down to her salad. It did look a lot more appetizing than Bakura's steak. *Get a grip on yourself... You should have seen this one coming... Think of who this is in front of you for Ra's sake...*
Perhaps that's why she was so disgusted by it... For a while there she'd almost forgotten what Bakura was like. 'How' is a very interesting question, but one she didn't feel inclined to worry about at the moment. Nodding, she took a drink from her own glass. It was rather good... She took another long drink, draining her glass.
Bakura raised an eyebrow and took up the bottle, pouring her more. Then he turned his attention to his steak, not offering any explanation for his gentlemanly act. He picked up his fork and knife and... resisted the urge to flat out attack the raw meat. Licking his lips as much in annoyed hesitation as from the anticipation of his meal, he began to cut the steak into pieces.
Isis kept her eyes on her glass as Bakura filled it. Then she glanced at him, seeing that his attention was now on his steak. She shivered slightly and took another sip of the wine before turning to her salad. Conversation- not that there had been much anyway- would apparently be put off until after they had eaten. And that suited Isis just fine. She didn't wish to continue with the odd comments that Bakura had made before. She'd rather just eat in silence...
~*~*~*~
Hee hee! Bakura's so cute when he's trying to be sensitive and gentlemanly- like!!! *glomps her evil albino, who squirms and swears at her, attempting to detach her from himself*
Anywho, hope you liked this chapter! Please review! *gets on knees and begs*
And now a word from our sponsers! Er... I mean... A word to my reviewers...
Reign of Isis4559: *chuckles* You can hug me anyway if you want. *shrugs* I won't hold it against you. :-P But anyway, yes. I've said numerous times that I do update nightly, unless something really dire comes up. And, as you can tell from last night's update, even a killer splitting headache isn't dire enough to keep me from updating!
lynx wings: Thank you! Thank you! I'm beginning to think that the bloopers are the things that people like the best... Who needs the story when you have senseless behavior? ~_~() But that's okay. At least I'm making people laugh. *beams*
Meef!? I just got another review as I'm sitting here typing this! *blinks and shrugs and goes back to going through them all again*
Dragon Spirits: *chuckles* Yes it is you! Glad to see you finally got a chance to review, and congrats once more on your team winning the championships!! Oh yeah, and I'm glad you like the fic too. ^_^()
Red Prophet: ^_^() Heh... Glad you like so much. *bounces* And again, I re-itterate... Updated every night. You people don't need to keep telling me to "continue/update soon." *chuckles* Glad to see a new person reviewing, too. Welcome to my fanclub! *laughes* Kidding!
Yami wow, I'm a big kid now: Thank you, glad you like it. And don't worry, Yami doesn't get tormented anymore after just that one chapter where they're at the mall... Of course... He's not in it anymore... Wait! No! I believe he's in the bloopers for the next chapter... ^_^() But I don't do anything mean to him... That I can remember... ^_^() heh...
Umeko the Beatnik Emu: YES! The Fourth boxset IS out!! You should go to discountanimedvd.com. That's where I ordered all of my YuGi Oh from. Granted... You have to be a little careful... There's no telling how good the subtitles are going to be... ~_~() The first boxset I got from there had very atrocious subtitles... At least it was all episodes I'd seen the dub for and therefore had some idea of what was going on. If the fourth boxset's are as bad as the first I have a feeling I'll be completely lost... ^_^() And thanks! I'm glad you liked the music war! Can't you just see the two of them doing that though?
Well, that's it for tonight I suppose. Next chapter is where the Phantom of the Opera thing from the last chapter really comes into play... heck, the title of the Chapter 11 is "Good Night Phantom of Music." If that doesn't say something, than I failed miserably. ^_^() The phantom thing becomes something really cute between these two. *bounces* But I won't go into that.
On another, just completely random note... I've been working pretty good on my next fanfic... (((*smacks herself around* Bad Silver! BAD!! BAD!! You should be working on your book! Not another fanfic!))) Heh... Amnesia... Amusing... I'll give anyone who can guess who my main character(s) are a great big pat on the back! ^_^() (((That should be the easiest pat on the back that you've ever earned.)))