You know... It's amusing for me to be sitting here revising a chapter and
have YIM pop up all these messages at random saying that I've gotten a new
review. I feel popular. But I'm almost afraid to go ahead and post my
chapter now... What if someone else reviews and I don't get it in here!?
Bakura: *rolls his eyes* Then you address their review in the next chapter, Baka.
Don't call me Baka!!! *pouts until Ryou wanders over and gives her a hug* Awww! ^_^()
Anyway! I don't own YuGi Oh. But I do own the clay pot pyramid! ~_~() Though it does get broken... But you'll just have to wait and see that for yourself.
Lots of emotion in this chapter. (Like you couldn't guess from the title, eh?)
Enjoy!
*muses absently as she scrolls down to type the end comments* Wonder if anyone will notice the significance of the right hands...
~*~*~*~
Chapter 13: Wild Emotions
Ryou sat at his desk humming along to the Nightwish music that was playing. Not something that he would choose to listen to on his own, but there were worse things his yami could have chosen to listen to. Ryou smiled to himself and glanced back over his shoulder at where Bakura lay on his stomach on Ryou's bed. His knees bending and unbending as he slowly lifted his feet into the air then allowed them to sink down again. He was propped up on his elbows, looking through his Duel Monster cards. The small, ornate wooden box that Ryou had given him to hold his deck sat on the bed next to him.
Ryou wouldn't mind if he had to listen to the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard for the next several hours. He was just glad that his yami had finally agreed to leave his soul room. It was the first time he'd ventured out in almost two weeks after all...
Bakura flipped through his deck absently. He wanted to be back in his soul room, but Ryou had been so annoyingly concerned. He sighed sadly.
Ryou frowned, still watching him. Bakura was still definitely not himself. Ryou couldn't think of what could possibly be wrong, though. He knew that Malik was starting to become very worried, too. The blonde Egyptian had come over several times throughout the past two weeks. The most Bakura ever responded with was to tell Ryou to inform Malik that he's alright and wished to be alone.
Feeling the worried stare he was receiving, Bakura looked up to stare into Ryou's eyes. Ryou quickly turned back to his homework, but not before catching the very pained look in his yami's eyes. Ryou sighed and went to work on the last problem of his math homework. Even if it was a Friday, he wanted to get it done rather than wait until the last moment.
Bakura shifted his positioning, no longer lying on his stomach. Instead, he was kneeling on the bed, sitting back on his heels, his legs underneath him. He continued flipping through his cards. As he came to the Man-Eater Bug, he paused and studied it. Then he began to move on to the next card.
Just then, the CD player reached the end of the Nightwish CD and started the next. Bakura froze as the overture music for the Phantom of the Opera began to play. He swallowed, his eyes staring down at the cards, but unfocused. Far away.
Without thinking, Ryou reached over and picked up the remote for the CD player. Without looking back, he changed the song to Music of the Night. It had always been his and his yami's favorite song on the CD.
The cards slowly slipped from Bakura's hands. Only a couple at first, then the rest of them sliding from his loosened grip and fluttering down to the soft down comforter that covered Ryou's bed. His hands were shaking, so he clenched them into tight fists. Tears stung in his eyes, blurring his vision further.
Ryou, hearing the sound of a sharp intake of breath, blinked and turned to look at Bakura. His yami had bent forward, on his hands and knees now. His teeth were clenched as he fought the approaching onslaught of sobs. Ryou didn't know what to do. He sat in shocked silence, unable to move. Finally, he swallowed, terrified.
"Ba... Baku-kun?" He whispered softly, barely audible over the music.
Bakura snapped. In one easy motion, his hand gripped around the wooden box and he hurled it at Ryou. The hikari yelped and raised his arms to protect his face, even as he ducked. The box slammed against the wall. One of the hinges for the lid broke so that when the box fell down onto Ryou's desk, the lid was askew. Half-on. Half-off. Ryou straightened again, clutching the back of his desk chair tightly.
Seeing the pure terror in Ryou's eyes, Bakura's expression softened slightly. But only slightly. He climbed off of the bed and stormed from the room.
"Where are you going?" Ryou asked timidly.
"The living room." Bakura answered in a grumble. "I want some time to myself."
Ryou just nodded and watched him leave the room. Sighing, he looked back to his homework. Once he was done, he quietly moved downstairs. He knew he shouldn't risk bothering Bakura again, but he was worried. Peeking around the doorframe, he spotted Bakura sitting on a couch, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders.
Just then, the phone rang. Bakura's gaze jerked in the direction of the door even as Ryou turned and hurried into the downstairs office to answer the call.
Bakura glared at the open door as he heard Ryou's voice. "Hello? ... Oh, hey Yugi! ... That sounds great! ... Uh huh... Of course!" Bakura growled, annoyed by Ryou's happy chattering. Standing, he tossed the blanket onto the couch where it landed spread across the pile of pillows against the arm of the couch. He trudged silently out of the living room, through the kitchen, and out the back door, which he closed quietly behind him.
Ryou, meanwhile, finished his conversation with Yugi. "Awesome! I'll get a snack real quick and meet you there! Bye." He hung up the phone and ran to the kitchen, throwing a sandwich together really quickly. "I'm going out with Yugi and the others, Bakura!" He called towards the living room. "Please don't do anything stupid while I'm gone!" He was about to leave the kitchen when he noticed that the backdoor was unlocked.
Without thinking, he locked the door and walked quickly to the front door, eating his sandwich as he went. He paused just a moment in the living room door. Seeing the lumpy form under the blanket, Ryou just assumed that Bakura was lying down. Smiling absently to himself, he left the house, locking the door behind him.
~~~
Ryou's backyard was well-kept, with a garden on the side furthest from the house. There was a small pyramid of upturned clay flowerpots near the garden on one side and a tool shed on the other. The rest of the yard was just open space covered in lush, green grass. Bakura stood silently in the center of this space; head bowed slightly, feet shoulder-width apart, and arms spread, held slightly out from his sides, palms towards the ground. Shirtless. He had removed the white sweater that he'd been wearing and tossed it on the ground against the wall of the house. He needed to blow some steam, or else he felt he'd just explode.
Thick, dark, rain clouds covered the sky, causing the afternoon to be a bit darker than usual. The air was calm, as it usually is before a storm. There was a low rumble of thunder in the distance. Bakura remained still, muscles tensed and ready. He drew in a deep breath...
There was a flash of lightning, dim in the afternoon light. At the same instant, the wind picked up and the first drops of rain splattered heavily against one of the windows of the house. As though this was the signal he'd been waiting for, Bakura's eyes snapped open and he began to move, his motions quick and controlled. He began to work through his fighting routine.
His was a style like no other... A work of art in movement that he had been working to perfect for all his 5,000 years of existence. A loose but connected collection of moves from fighting forms throughout time, as well as some moves of his own making. He practiced with great aggression, pushing himself to his limits. The storm that had blown up around him was nothing to the one that was brewing in his soul.
His routine was what he used his free time for. And 5,000 years leaves quite a lot of free time. It was his pride and it helped him clear his mind. It made him feel better when upset. It never failed...
Until today.
Bakura's rage and pain drove him harder, pushing him to perform his routine faster. More violently. The storm seemed to grow in intensity even as his passion did. Once he had finished his routine once, he began again, going straight into it without stopping. Again and again, each time he grew more aggressive. Less in control.
The routine he had designed was one of balance and awareness. In his pain and self-loathing, he had lost his mental balance. After close to an hour, his foot came down into an especially slick patch of mud and grass. His foot began to slide. Attempting to make up for it, he shifted his weight to his other leg.
But his rhythm had been broken and his mind was unsettled. He was unable to balance on just that leg and had to step backwards with the other. After a few stumbling steps backwards, his heel caught on a rock, sending him toppling backwards. He crashed into the flowerpot pyramid, sending flowerpots and shards of clay smashing to the ground and flying through the air.
Bakura growled in pain as he landed on his back on the grass, something jabbing into the small of his back. He arched his back, reaching behind/under himself with his right hand to remove whatever it was. His hand clasped around a piece of flowerpot with especially sharp edges. He yanked at it, trying to pull it out from under him. The rain had made the clay, as well as his hands, slick, and landing on the pot had dug part of it into the soft soil. So when he jerked, the pot stayed, his hand slipping along the jagged edges of the pointed shard. He swore violently, rolling over and pushing himself to his knees.
His face formed an angry scowl as he looked down at the blood oozing from his hand. Driven and dull-witted by wild emotions- pain, rejection, resentment, betrayal, blind rage... he wasn't sure what he felt- he reached down and closed his right hand around the jagged piece of clay once more. He tugged at it, his hand slipping again, tearing even more skin.
Growling with frustration, he shifted his grip and tightened his hold. This time, he put his left hand on the ground for better leverage. He tugged and tugged, until the piece of the pot was slippery due more to blood than the rain. In a final fit of rage, he grabbed it with both hands and wrenched it out of the ground. He stumbled backwards to his feet, drawing his arm back.
He hurled the clay piece as hard as he could. It spiraled through the air and smashed against the wall of the shed, shattering into smaller pieces. Bakura stood there, his breathing shallow and rapid. Coming in heavy gasps. Tears burned in his eyes and he raised his hands, elbows bent slightly as he inspected his hands.
One fine cut ran across his left palm. His right palm, however, had suffered considerably more damage. Blood covered it to the point where he could barely make out the individual cuts that crisscrossed his palm. A couple of his fingers were cut and bleeding as well. Blood trickled down his arm, dripping from his elbow as the rainwater washed it down faster.
Bakura regained control of his breathing and stared at the blood. He felt numb. Empty. Free of all emotions. Turning dismally, he lowered his hands to his sides and walked towards the backdoor. When he got there, he gripped the doorknob with just the fingers of his left hand so as not to get too much blood on it. He tried to turn the knob, but it wouldn't. Confused, he grabbed the knob with his whole hand and tried again.
When he still couldn't get the door open, he sighed. Ryou probably just locked it without thinking about it. Bakura growled and turned away from the door to trudge through the rain to the front of the house. Ryou never locked the front door when at home... So when he found that this door was locked too, Bakura just blinked and stared at the doorknob as he gripped it in his hand.
He sighed, turning away from the door. Ryou must have gone out and assumed that his yami was still in the house. Bakura knew he could get into the house with the right tools, but wasn't sure if he could when he didn't have anything to work with. He also just didn't care. The dull pain of emptiness was one product of his previous actions. Another was that he had worn himself out.
Sitting on the porch, his feet flat on the next step down, he propped his elbows on his thighs, leaning forward. He allowed his head to hang down, his bangs hanging in front of his eyes. He stared silently at his right hand for a moment before lifting it to his face. His tongue ran across his palm, absorbing the salty-sweet taste of his own blood. He licked off more blood before returning his elbow to his knee, his hands dangling out in front of him.
He watched in morbid fascination and amusement as his own blood, mixed with rainwater, dripped down and swirled down the gently slopping concrete walk to the sidewalk. The rain had lessened and it was no longer storming. Just wet and miserable... Exactly how Bakura felt.
~~~
Isis shifted the plastic grocery bags from her right hand to her left. A scowl covered her features as she trudged through the rain. At least it was just a light drizzle now, but this was definitely the last time she trusted Malik to take her to the store. She sighed, keeping her eyes down to the sidewalk to avoid the larger puddles. She flexed her right hand, wondering absently about how it had suddenly cramped and began hurting to carry the bags.
She slowed to a stop suddenly, her eyes taking in something she hadn't been expecting... The puddle in front of her held an odd reddish tint that swirled around in the otherwise clear water. Her eyes strayed to the side and she watched a little more of the redder liquid trail into the puddle, carried by rainwater.
Blood...
She could tell even with how diluted it was by the rain. Swallowing, she slowly followed the red trail with her eyes. Up the walk to the steps of a small porch... She knew this house, and she now saw where the blood was coming from...
"Bakura!?" Isis cried out in surprise and concern. She almost dropped her groceries, but managed to hold onto them as she rushed towards the albino yami. He was slumped forward slightly, his head hanging down so she couldn't tell if he was awake or not. "Bakura?"
When she didn't get a response as she ran towards him, she took a deep breath and slowed to a stop in front of him. She hesitated, then put her right hand on his shoulder. "Bakura?"
No answer.
She bit her lower lip and shook his shoulder slightly. "Bakura, wake up!" He still didn't respond. *Please just be a heavy sleeper!* she thought to herself as she dropped her groceries and knelt in front of him. Putting a hand on each of his shoulders, she shook him a bit harder.
Bakura slowly lifted his head, opening his unfocused eyes. He just stared past her, not seeming to notice she was there. Then he closed them, lowering his head again.
Feeling at least a little relieved, Isis gave him a single, final shake. "Bakura, wake up."
"What...?" he mumbled, raising his head again.
"It's Isis... Wake up."
"Isis?" Bakura's eyes slowly slid open again and this time they focused on the Egyptian woman. Then he smiled.
Isis was taken back. She'd never seem him smile like that... Nor even thought him capable of such a warm smile. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by an expression of pain and surprise. Making her unsure of whether she'd actually seen what she thought she'd seen.
"What are you doing here?" Bakura questioned.
Isis wasn't sure whether it sounded more curious, demanding, annoyed, or just startled. She swallowed, standing and staring down at him. "I was walking home and I saw the blood... What happened?"
Bakura's eyes trailed down to his hands. He stood, holding out his left hand, palm up, for her to see. "Just a little cut... No big deal."
Isis studied the fine cut on Bakura's hand. Then she looked him straight in the eyes, her expression annoyed. "What are you trying to pull, Bakura? That's way too much blood for that."
He didn't answer. He looked away, turning his face to the left and down. Scowling, Isis stood with her hands on her hips. When he hadn't answered her after several minutes, she suddenly reached out and clamped her hand around his right wrist. He didn't resist as she raised his hand to look at it.
"Bakura... What happened?" She gasped.
He just shrugged. Which caused him to receive a sharp yank on his arm so that he would look back at her again. "It's nothing." He said coldly. "I just broke something in the backyard and got cut picking it up." Not completely what happened, but every word of it true.
Isis sighed, shaking her head as she released his arm. "Why can't you grow up and take care of yourself? Do you want to bleed to death? Why are you out here in the rain instead of inside taking care of that?"
Bakura muttered something. Isis frowned. "What?" He muttered it again, only slightly louder than before. Isis still couldn't hear him, and she was growing even more annoyed. "If you're going to talk to me, than talk! If you aren't-"
"I'm locked out, alright!?" Bakura's fists clenched, causing his fingers to dig into his cut palms, reopening the fresh wounds. Taking a deep breath, he said, calmer now. "Ryou got a call from Yugi earlier. He must have left while I was working out in the backyard, and assumed that I was still in the house."
"Oh..." Isis' expression softened, and she tried not to notice that he was shirtless, something that she realized when he mentioned working out. "Well, can't you just communicate with him? Tell him to come back?"
"Well, yeah, but I wouldn't want to bother him with it."
"Ryou wouldn't mind. You know he wouldn't. What's the real reason?"
Bakura narrowed his eyes. "Nothing. I'm fine, okay?" he said, turning to move around to the other side of the house.
"No!" Isis cried angrily as she grabbed his arm and pulled him back around to face her. "You're not okay! I don't know what's gotten into you, but both Malik and Ryou are worried sick! Did you know that Ryou called earlier, thrilled to death at the fact that you finally came out of your soul room? Even so, he's still worried, and so is Malik. You owe at least those two some kind of explanation!"
Bakura's eyes flashed with anger as he smacked her hand away roughly. "And what's it matter to you? I wrecked your house and got me and your brother injured! All while ruining your relationship! Remember that? Before I left? It was all for giggles."
Isis clenched her fists now. She took a deep breath, trying to think clearly. She shook her head. "I don't believe you..."
But Bakura saw the uncertain annoyance in her eyes. "Sure you do. Not that it matters. I AM just a yami after all. You'd probably be happier to never see me again!" With that, he turned and dashed away from her. Taking a sharp turn around the corner of the house, his feet slipped and he had to put his hands down to the ground to keep from falling. But an instant later he had scrambled back to his feet and disappeared from her sight.
Isis hesitated, not sure whether to follow him or not. Finally, she just let out a slight growl of annoyance. She picked up her groceries and walked down back to the sidewalk. She moved quickly, in a hurry to get home. She didn't even notice the drizzling rain or the puddles anymore. Her mind was too preoccupied by other things for her to worry about rain.
Was that...
Had she just been seeing things or...
Had there been tears in his eyes?
~*~*~*~
Yes... I know... You're probably getting tired of hearing me say this... but...
My poor ickle ablino!!! *glomps Bakura who (as usual) growls and swears, trying to detach her from himself*
Hope you liked the chapter... I would especially like to know what you thought of my description of his work out... For some reason I wrote and rewrote that part and it just sounds weak to me... *sigh* I don't know... My friends have all told me that it's fine, but in my mind it just seems so much cooler than on paper...
Well! It's time for notes to my reviewers! I think... *stops and glances around* Okay... So who's going to inform me that they need to address the reviewers tonight?
*total silence*
Okay...
Reviewerness!!!
Kelsey & Y.Kelsey: *chuckles* I'm glad you like the story so far! *smiles* 7.5 or 8? That's on a scale from 1-10 I'm guessing? If so... That's so awesome! *glomps you* As for information on modern Japan, that'd be cool... I'm not sure of anything really that I can think of that I'd like to know... Except for this... Am I doing pretty good at it so far? Not that I've done much... But you know... For example, having an 'American' restaurant, or the whole nightclub thing? *shrugs* I just like to know how badly I screw up sometimes. ^_^() heh...
IrishJade: *snickers* yeap. "Urk..." *snickers more* And Bakura skipping IS frightening... ~_~() Ah well. Glad you like the story!
KeMu: Wow... I feel kinda special... The only non-yaoi fic in your favorites? *ponders* That's pretty spiff... *smiles* Glad you like the chapter!
Yami Sakura Laurel Wolf: ~_~() Keep in mind that I found those lyrics really quickly on the internet just before saving and posting that chapter... I didn't type them... I am sorry it's not correct though. I suppose that also kind of depends on the version you listen to... See, unfortunately that version is not the version on my CD... however, it's the only one that I could find lyrics for. *sigh* So yes, I know exactly what you mean. Of coruse... if that bothers you, than I wouldn't suggest you to read Music of the Night, one of my other fics... Cause it uses the lyrics to this version... *pokes the version on her computer and shrugs* As for the outfit, if you're having trouble picturing/imagining it, keep in mind that there is a link to a picture of Bakura in Malik-ish style clothing in my profile. You oughta check it out! And thanks... I'm glad that you feel that mine might be a favorite humor/romance. Though, as I warned at the beginning... It's mostly angst from here on out.
Pruningshears: *chuckles* yeah, I just felt the need to throw Ootogi in there at random. He has lots of jobs, neh? ^_^() Ah well! And yes, Bakura sad is cute. I agree that it's twisted, but I also agree that it is cute... ~_~() I'm just weird too... And I don't know about the whole Kaiba thing. It being his limo just makes that scene so much more amusing. As for it costing less to get the limo cleaned... *ponders* yeah... Probably... But then that would mess with my plot development, if you get my drift. *grins* And... What's wrong with liking Disney? *big innocent anime eyes that blink at you cutely* Erm... yeah... *coughs and quickly switches her playlist to the song after Whistle While You Work*
I LoveYami Marik: Yeap. You're favorite yami is single again. And he does kick butt! *pats Bakura on the head* It'll be otay my pretty little albino... Glad you liked the picture! *beams* That took a lot of work and I'm real proud of it. Not that it's the best in the world or anything. Far from in fact. *shrugs and huggles her fanart* But that's okay because even if it is second rate, I like my work!
Umeko the Beatnik Emu: *laughes* Well, you wouldn't have gotten a comment in the last chapter except for the fact that you did totally call that whole sexy chest thing! And look! *points at this chapter* Shirtless AGAIN!!! *giggles insanely* I'm so evil!!! *cough* yeah... So yeah, you have impressed me with your almighty psychicness! ^_^() You know... I never really thought about Mariku having the Millennium Rod... I suppose I usually have Malik holding onto it in my fics. *shrugs*
Let's see... This chapters bloopers are exactly the most amusing things ever. *shrugs* But they still cute. Um...
I'm afraid I have some (possible) bad news... My best friend and I have been getting together most of the week every day after school to practice dueling because there's a tournament thing Saturday... Tomorrow I'll be at her house, and my mom won't be able to pick me up until late... And I mean late... So there is a really good chance that I won't be able to update tomorrow. If such is the case, I'm very very sorry.
Bakura: *rolls his eyes* Then you address their review in the next chapter, Baka.
Don't call me Baka!!! *pouts until Ryou wanders over and gives her a hug* Awww! ^_^()
Anyway! I don't own YuGi Oh. But I do own the clay pot pyramid! ~_~() Though it does get broken... But you'll just have to wait and see that for yourself.
Lots of emotion in this chapter. (Like you couldn't guess from the title, eh?)
Enjoy!
*muses absently as she scrolls down to type the end comments* Wonder if anyone will notice the significance of the right hands...
~*~*~*~
Chapter 13: Wild Emotions
Ryou sat at his desk humming along to the Nightwish music that was playing. Not something that he would choose to listen to on his own, but there were worse things his yami could have chosen to listen to. Ryou smiled to himself and glanced back over his shoulder at where Bakura lay on his stomach on Ryou's bed. His knees bending and unbending as he slowly lifted his feet into the air then allowed them to sink down again. He was propped up on his elbows, looking through his Duel Monster cards. The small, ornate wooden box that Ryou had given him to hold his deck sat on the bed next to him.
Ryou wouldn't mind if he had to listen to the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard for the next several hours. He was just glad that his yami had finally agreed to leave his soul room. It was the first time he'd ventured out in almost two weeks after all...
Bakura flipped through his deck absently. He wanted to be back in his soul room, but Ryou had been so annoyingly concerned. He sighed sadly.
Ryou frowned, still watching him. Bakura was still definitely not himself. Ryou couldn't think of what could possibly be wrong, though. He knew that Malik was starting to become very worried, too. The blonde Egyptian had come over several times throughout the past two weeks. The most Bakura ever responded with was to tell Ryou to inform Malik that he's alright and wished to be alone.
Feeling the worried stare he was receiving, Bakura looked up to stare into Ryou's eyes. Ryou quickly turned back to his homework, but not before catching the very pained look in his yami's eyes. Ryou sighed and went to work on the last problem of his math homework. Even if it was a Friday, he wanted to get it done rather than wait until the last moment.
Bakura shifted his positioning, no longer lying on his stomach. Instead, he was kneeling on the bed, sitting back on his heels, his legs underneath him. He continued flipping through his cards. As he came to the Man-Eater Bug, he paused and studied it. Then he began to move on to the next card.
Just then, the CD player reached the end of the Nightwish CD and started the next. Bakura froze as the overture music for the Phantom of the Opera began to play. He swallowed, his eyes staring down at the cards, but unfocused. Far away.
Without thinking, Ryou reached over and picked up the remote for the CD player. Without looking back, he changed the song to Music of the Night. It had always been his and his yami's favorite song on the CD.
The cards slowly slipped from Bakura's hands. Only a couple at first, then the rest of them sliding from his loosened grip and fluttering down to the soft down comforter that covered Ryou's bed. His hands were shaking, so he clenched them into tight fists. Tears stung in his eyes, blurring his vision further.
Ryou, hearing the sound of a sharp intake of breath, blinked and turned to look at Bakura. His yami had bent forward, on his hands and knees now. His teeth were clenched as he fought the approaching onslaught of sobs. Ryou didn't know what to do. He sat in shocked silence, unable to move. Finally, he swallowed, terrified.
"Ba... Baku-kun?" He whispered softly, barely audible over the music.
Bakura snapped. In one easy motion, his hand gripped around the wooden box and he hurled it at Ryou. The hikari yelped and raised his arms to protect his face, even as he ducked. The box slammed against the wall. One of the hinges for the lid broke so that when the box fell down onto Ryou's desk, the lid was askew. Half-on. Half-off. Ryou straightened again, clutching the back of his desk chair tightly.
Seeing the pure terror in Ryou's eyes, Bakura's expression softened slightly. But only slightly. He climbed off of the bed and stormed from the room.
"Where are you going?" Ryou asked timidly.
"The living room." Bakura answered in a grumble. "I want some time to myself."
Ryou just nodded and watched him leave the room. Sighing, he looked back to his homework. Once he was done, he quietly moved downstairs. He knew he shouldn't risk bothering Bakura again, but he was worried. Peeking around the doorframe, he spotted Bakura sitting on a couch, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders.
Just then, the phone rang. Bakura's gaze jerked in the direction of the door even as Ryou turned and hurried into the downstairs office to answer the call.
Bakura glared at the open door as he heard Ryou's voice. "Hello? ... Oh, hey Yugi! ... That sounds great! ... Uh huh... Of course!" Bakura growled, annoyed by Ryou's happy chattering. Standing, he tossed the blanket onto the couch where it landed spread across the pile of pillows against the arm of the couch. He trudged silently out of the living room, through the kitchen, and out the back door, which he closed quietly behind him.
Ryou, meanwhile, finished his conversation with Yugi. "Awesome! I'll get a snack real quick and meet you there! Bye." He hung up the phone and ran to the kitchen, throwing a sandwich together really quickly. "I'm going out with Yugi and the others, Bakura!" He called towards the living room. "Please don't do anything stupid while I'm gone!" He was about to leave the kitchen when he noticed that the backdoor was unlocked.
Without thinking, he locked the door and walked quickly to the front door, eating his sandwich as he went. He paused just a moment in the living room door. Seeing the lumpy form under the blanket, Ryou just assumed that Bakura was lying down. Smiling absently to himself, he left the house, locking the door behind him.
~~~
Ryou's backyard was well-kept, with a garden on the side furthest from the house. There was a small pyramid of upturned clay flowerpots near the garden on one side and a tool shed on the other. The rest of the yard was just open space covered in lush, green grass. Bakura stood silently in the center of this space; head bowed slightly, feet shoulder-width apart, and arms spread, held slightly out from his sides, palms towards the ground. Shirtless. He had removed the white sweater that he'd been wearing and tossed it on the ground against the wall of the house. He needed to blow some steam, or else he felt he'd just explode.
Thick, dark, rain clouds covered the sky, causing the afternoon to be a bit darker than usual. The air was calm, as it usually is before a storm. There was a low rumble of thunder in the distance. Bakura remained still, muscles tensed and ready. He drew in a deep breath...
There was a flash of lightning, dim in the afternoon light. At the same instant, the wind picked up and the first drops of rain splattered heavily against one of the windows of the house. As though this was the signal he'd been waiting for, Bakura's eyes snapped open and he began to move, his motions quick and controlled. He began to work through his fighting routine.
His was a style like no other... A work of art in movement that he had been working to perfect for all his 5,000 years of existence. A loose but connected collection of moves from fighting forms throughout time, as well as some moves of his own making. He practiced with great aggression, pushing himself to his limits. The storm that had blown up around him was nothing to the one that was brewing in his soul.
His routine was what he used his free time for. And 5,000 years leaves quite a lot of free time. It was his pride and it helped him clear his mind. It made him feel better when upset. It never failed...
Until today.
Bakura's rage and pain drove him harder, pushing him to perform his routine faster. More violently. The storm seemed to grow in intensity even as his passion did. Once he had finished his routine once, he began again, going straight into it without stopping. Again and again, each time he grew more aggressive. Less in control.
The routine he had designed was one of balance and awareness. In his pain and self-loathing, he had lost his mental balance. After close to an hour, his foot came down into an especially slick patch of mud and grass. His foot began to slide. Attempting to make up for it, he shifted his weight to his other leg.
But his rhythm had been broken and his mind was unsettled. He was unable to balance on just that leg and had to step backwards with the other. After a few stumbling steps backwards, his heel caught on a rock, sending him toppling backwards. He crashed into the flowerpot pyramid, sending flowerpots and shards of clay smashing to the ground and flying through the air.
Bakura growled in pain as he landed on his back on the grass, something jabbing into the small of his back. He arched his back, reaching behind/under himself with his right hand to remove whatever it was. His hand clasped around a piece of flowerpot with especially sharp edges. He yanked at it, trying to pull it out from under him. The rain had made the clay, as well as his hands, slick, and landing on the pot had dug part of it into the soft soil. So when he jerked, the pot stayed, his hand slipping along the jagged edges of the pointed shard. He swore violently, rolling over and pushing himself to his knees.
His face formed an angry scowl as he looked down at the blood oozing from his hand. Driven and dull-witted by wild emotions- pain, rejection, resentment, betrayal, blind rage... he wasn't sure what he felt- he reached down and closed his right hand around the jagged piece of clay once more. He tugged at it, his hand slipping again, tearing even more skin.
Growling with frustration, he shifted his grip and tightened his hold. This time, he put his left hand on the ground for better leverage. He tugged and tugged, until the piece of the pot was slippery due more to blood than the rain. In a final fit of rage, he grabbed it with both hands and wrenched it out of the ground. He stumbled backwards to his feet, drawing his arm back.
He hurled the clay piece as hard as he could. It spiraled through the air and smashed against the wall of the shed, shattering into smaller pieces. Bakura stood there, his breathing shallow and rapid. Coming in heavy gasps. Tears burned in his eyes and he raised his hands, elbows bent slightly as he inspected his hands.
One fine cut ran across his left palm. His right palm, however, had suffered considerably more damage. Blood covered it to the point where he could barely make out the individual cuts that crisscrossed his palm. A couple of his fingers were cut and bleeding as well. Blood trickled down his arm, dripping from his elbow as the rainwater washed it down faster.
Bakura regained control of his breathing and stared at the blood. He felt numb. Empty. Free of all emotions. Turning dismally, he lowered his hands to his sides and walked towards the backdoor. When he got there, he gripped the doorknob with just the fingers of his left hand so as not to get too much blood on it. He tried to turn the knob, but it wouldn't. Confused, he grabbed the knob with his whole hand and tried again.
When he still couldn't get the door open, he sighed. Ryou probably just locked it without thinking about it. Bakura growled and turned away from the door to trudge through the rain to the front of the house. Ryou never locked the front door when at home... So when he found that this door was locked too, Bakura just blinked and stared at the doorknob as he gripped it in his hand.
He sighed, turning away from the door. Ryou must have gone out and assumed that his yami was still in the house. Bakura knew he could get into the house with the right tools, but wasn't sure if he could when he didn't have anything to work with. He also just didn't care. The dull pain of emptiness was one product of his previous actions. Another was that he had worn himself out.
Sitting on the porch, his feet flat on the next step down, he propped his elbows on his thighs, leaning forward. He allowed his head to hang down, his bangs hanging in front of his eyes. He stared silently at his right hand for a moment before lifting it to his face. His tongue ran across his palm, absorbing the salty-sweet taste of his own blood. He licked off more blood before returning his elbow to his knee, his hands dangling out in front of him.
He watched in morbid fascination and amusement as his own blood, mixed with rainwater, dripped down and swirled down the gently slopping concrete walk to the sidewalk. The rain had lessened and it was no longer storming. Just wet and miserable... Exactly how Bakura felt.
~~~
Isis shifted the plastic grocery bags from her right hand to her left. A scowl covered her features as she trudged through the rain. At least it was just a light drizzle now, but this was definitely the last time she trusted Malik to take her to the store. She sighed, keeping her eyes down to the sidewalk to avoid the larger puddles. She flexed her right hand, wondering absently about how it had suddenly cramped and began hurting to carry the bags.
She slowed to a stop suddenly, her eyes taking in something she hadn't been expecting... The puddle in front of her held an odd reddish tint that swirled around in the otherwise clear water. Her eyes strayed to the side and she watched a little more of the redder liquid trail into the puddle, carried by rainwater.
Blood...
She could tell even with how diluted it was by the rain. Swallowing, she slowly followed the red trail with her eyes. Up the walk to the steps of a small porch... She knew this house, and she now saw where the blood was coming from...
"Bakura!?" Isis cried out in surprise and concern. She almost dropped her groceries, but managed to hold onto them as she rushed towards the albino yami. He was slumped forward slightly, his head hanging down so she couldn't tell if he was awake or not. "Bakura?"
When she didn't get a response as she ran towards him, she took a deep breath and slowed to a stop in front of him. She hesitated, then put her right hand on his shoulder. "Bakura?"
No answer.
She bit her lower lip and shook his shoulder slightly. "Bakura, wake up!" He still didn't respond. *Please just be a heavy sleeper!* she thought to herself as she dropped her groceries and knelt in front of him. Putting a hand on each of his shoulders, she shook him a bit harder.
Bakura slowly lifted his head, opening his unfocused eyes. He just stared past her, not seeming to notice she was there. Then he closed them, lowering his head again.
Feeling at least a little relieved, Isis gave him a single, final shake. "Bakura, wake up."
"What...?" he mumbled, raising his head again.
"It's Isis... Wake up."
"Isis?" Bakura's eyes slowly slid open again and this time they focused on the Egyptian woman. Then he smiled.
Isis was taken back. She'd never seem him smile like that... Nor even thought him capable of such a warm smile. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by an expression of pain and surprise. Making her unsure of whether she'd actually seen what she thought she'd seen.
"What are you doing here?" Bakura questioned.
Isis wasn't sure whether it sounded more curious, demanding, annoyed, or just startled. She swallowed, standing and staring down at him. "I was walking home and I saw the blood... What happened?"
Bakura's eyes trailed down to his hands. He stood, holding out his left hand, palm up, for her to see. "Just a little cut... No big deal."
Isis studied the fine cut on Bakura's hand. Then she looked him straight in the eyes, her expression annoyed. "What are you trying to pull, Bakura? That's way too much blood for that."
He didn't answer. He looked away, turning his face to the left and down. Scowling, Isis stood with her hands on her hips. When he hadn't answered her after several minutes, she suddenly reached out and clamped her hand around his right wrist. He didn't resist as she raised his hand to look at it.
"Bakura... What happened?" She gasped.
He just shrugged. Which caused him to receive a sharp yank on his arm so that he would look back at her again. "It's nothing." He said coldly. "I just broke something in the backyard and got cut picking it up." Not completely what happened, but every word of it true.
Isis sighed, shaking her head as she released his arm. "Why can't you grow up and take care of yourself? Do you want to bleed to death? Why are you out here in the rain instead of inside taking care of that?"
Bakura muttered something. Isis frowned. "What?" He muttered it again, only slightly louder than before. Isis still couldn't hear him, and she was growing even more annoyed. "If you're going to talk to me, than talk! If you aren't-"
"I'm locked out, alright!?" Bakura's fists clenched, causing his fingers to dig into his cut palms, reopening the fresh wounds. Taking a deep breath, he said, calmer now. "Ryou got a call from Yugi earlier. He must have left while I was working out in the backyard, and assumed that I was still in the house."
"Oh..." Isis' expression softened, and she tried not to notice that he was shirtless, something that she realized when he mentioned working out. "Well, can't you just communicate with him? Tell him to come back?"
"Well, yeah, but I wouldn't want to bother him with it."
"Ryou wouldn't mind. You know he wouldn't. What's the real reason?"
Bakura narrowed his eyes. "Nothing. I'm fine, okay?" he said, turning to move around to the other side of the house.
"No!" Isis cried angrily as she grabbed his arm and pulled him back around to face her. "You're not okay! I don't know what's gotten into you, but both Malik and Ryou are worried sick! Did you know that Ryou called earlier, thrilled to death at the fact that you finally came out of your soul room? Even so, he's still worried, and so is Malik. You owe at least those two some kind of explanation!"
Bakura's eyes flashed with anger as he smacked her hand away roughly. "And what's it matter to you? I wrecked your house and got me and your brother injured! All while ruining your relationship! Remember that? Before I left? It was all for giggles."
Isis clenched her fists now. She took a deep breath, trying to think clearly. She shook her head. "I don't believe you..."
But Bakura saw the uncertain annoyance in her eyes. "Sure you do. Not that it matters. I AM just a yami after all. You'd probably be happier to never see me again!" With that, he turned and dashed away from her. Taking a sharp turn around the corner of the house, his feet slipped and he had to put his hands down to the ground to keep from falling. But an instant later he had scrambled back to his feet and disappeared from her sight.
Isis hesitated, not sure whether to follow him or not. Finally, she just let out a slight growl of annoyance. She picked up her groceries and walked down back to the sidewalk. She moved quickly, in a hurry to get home. She didn't even notice the drizzling rain or the puddles anymore. Her mind was too preoccupied by other things for her to worry about rain.
Was that...
Had she just been seeing things or...
Had there been tears in his eyes?
~*~*~*~
Yes... I know... You're probably getting tired of hearing me say this... but...
My poor ickle ablino!!! *glomps Bakura who (as usual) growls and swears, trying to detach her from himself*
Hope you liked the chapter... I would especially like to know what you thought of my description of his work out... For some reason I wrote and rewrote that part and it just sounds weak to me... *sigh* I don't know... My friends have all told me that it's fine, but in my mind it just seems so much cooler than on paper...
Well! It's time for notes to my reviewers! I think... *stops and glances around* Okay... So who's going to inform me that they need to address the reviewers tonight?
*total silence*
Okay...
Reviewerness!!!
Kelsey & Y.Kelsey: *chuckles* I'm glad you like the story so far! *smiles* 7.5 or 8? That's on a scale from 1-10 I'm guessing? If so... That's so awesome! *glomps you* As for information on modern Japan, that'd be cool... I'm not sure of anything really that I can think of that I'd like to know... Except for this... Am I doing pretty good at it so far? Not that I've done much... But you know... For example, having an 'American' restaurant, or the whole nightclub thing? *shrugs* I just like to know how badly I screw up sometimes. ^_^() heh...
IrishJade: *snickers* yeap. "Urk..." *snickers more* And Bakura skipping IS frightening... ~_~() Ah well. Glad you like the story!
KeMu: Wow... I feel kinda special... The only non-yaoi fic in your favorites? *ponders* That's pretty spiff... *smiles* Glad you like the chapter!
Yami Sakura Laurel Wolf: ~_~() Keep in mind that I found those lyrics really quickly on the internet just before saving and posting that chapter... I didn't type them... I am sorry it's not correct though. I suppose that also kind of depends on the version you listen to... See, unfortunately that version is not the version on my CD... however, it's the only one that I could find lyrics for. *sigh* So yes, I know exactly what you mean. Of coruse... if that bothers you, than I wouldn't suggest you to read Music of the Night, one of my other fics... Cause it uses the lyrics to this version... *pokes the version on her computer and shrugs* As for the outfit, if you're having trouble picturing/imagining it, keep in mind that there is a link to a picture of Bakura in Malik-ish style clothing in my profile. You oughta check it out! And thanks... I'm glad that you feel that mine might be a favorite humor/romance. Though, as I warned at the beginning... It's mostly angst from here on out.
Pruningshears: *chuckles* yeah, I just felt the need to throw Ootogi in there at random. He has lots of jobs, neh? ^_^() Ah well! And yes, Bakura sad is cute. I agree that it's twisted, but I also agree that it is cute... ~_~() I'm just weird too... And I don't know about the whole Kaiba thing. It being his limo just makes that scene so much more amusing. As for it costing less to get the limo cleaned... *ponders* yeah... Probably... But then that would mess with my plot development, if you get my drift. *grins* And... What's wrong with liking Disney? *big innocent anime eyes that blink at you cutely* Erm... yeah... *coughs and quickly switches her playlist to the song after Whistle While You Work*
I LoveYami Marik: Yeap. You're favorite yami is single again. And he does kick butt! *pats Bakura on the head* It'll be otay my pretty little albino... Glad you liked the picture! *beams* That took a lot of work and I'm real proud of it. Not that it's the best in the world or anything. Far from in fact. *shrugs and huggles her fanart* But that's okay because even if it is second rate, I like my work!
Umeko the Beatnik Emu: *laughes* Well, you wouldn't have gotten a comment in the last chapter except for the fact that you did totally call that whole sexy chest thing! And look! *points at this chapter* Shirtless AGAIN!!! *giggles insanely* I'm so evil!!! *cough* yeah... So yeah, you have impressed me with your almighty psychicness! ^_^() You know... I never really thought about Mariku having the Millennium Rod... I suppose I usually have Malik holding onto it in my fics. *shrugs*
Let's see... This chapters bloopers are exactly the most amusing things ever. *shrugs* But they still cute. Um...
I'm afraid I have some (possible) bad news... My best friend and I have been getting together most of the week every day after school to practice dueling because there's a tournament thing Saturday... Tomorrow I'll be at her house, and my mom won't be able to pick me up until late... And I mean late... So there is a really good chance that I won't be able to update tomorrow. If such is the case, I'm very very sorry.