Wooo. Are we all excited? Two chapters in one night! I'm really on a
role! ^_^() I am so excited after the dueling I did today... Been
sitting here shiftin' through all of me cards and stuff... Oh yeah...
Great stuff... I have all of the Destiny Board combo now!! And a Call of
the Haunted! And... and... I HAVE A KURIBOH!!!!!!!!!!
*imitates Kuriboh's little 'woo' noise over and over again then collapses in a fit of giggles*
Bakura: ... Right... I think someone needs a little more sleep and a little less candy...
^_^() All the same... Personally... I love the way this chapter starts. Of course, this is odd really, if you think about it, cause I'm really not big on cussing at all... But this was amusing to me for some reason or another...
~*~*~*~
Chapter 15: Confrontations
"Bakura!" More banging. "Open the door, Ra damn you!"
"I'm already damned!" Came the muffled response.
"I don't care! Open this door or I'll have him damn you thrice over!"
From there, they lapsed into Egyptian swearing again. Ryou sighed, his arms crossed on the railing-post at the bottom of the stairs. His chin rested on his arms as he watched Malik banging on his bedroom door. Ryou flinched as Malik gave the door a hard kick. *Please don't beak anything...* he thought to himself. He didn't think he could handle more repairs... not with all of the worry and confusion lately.
Ryou sighed and straightened, rubbing his temples as he moved into the downstairs office. There was always a bottle of Advil in the desk... Then he headed into the kitchen to get a glass of water to chase a couple of pills down with. "My yami will kill me yet..." he muttered. "Whether he means to or not."
Wandering back to the stand at the bottom of the stairs, he resumed watching Malik. Ryou sighed. He just wished he knew what was going on... Malik had called earlier, asking to talk to Bakura. When Ryou had handed his yami the phone, he had said hello, listened for a moment, then hung up, scowling angrily.
Ryou hadn't really thought anything of it until a little later. He was standing at the bottom of the stairs, talking to his yami, who was coming down from the bedroom, when Malik suddenly burst through the front door. Malik and Bakura's eyes had met, and then Bakura turned and sprinted for Ryou's bedroom. Followed promptly by Malik and his shouts of "Bakura! We have got to talk about it! NOW!"
"I don't want to talk about it!" Bakura had yelled back as he slammed and locked the door.
Which led to almost half an hour of door banging, yelling, and swearing (both in Japanese and Egyptian). Ryou had just stood there watching, dumbfounded and silent. The only time he'd moved from there was just then to get something for his steadily growing headache.
Ryou sighed finally. He'd had about enough of this... "Malik," he said in his normally soft voice. Malik didn't hear over the yelling and his banging, so Ryou raised his voice slightly. "Malik." But he still wasn't loud enough. He sighed yet again, then took a deep breath and called loudly, "Malik!"
The blonde Egyptian boy stopped in mid-swear and spun around. "Oh! ... Hey Ryou..." He blinked, as though just realizing the other hikari's presence.
Ryou sighed. "Yeah... Hey..." He shook his head absently. "Mind filling me in on what's going on?"
"I'm sorry. I guess I got a little carried away." Malik grinned sheepishly.
"It's fine. Just so long as you don't break anything... But what's all of this about? What's so important that you have to talk to him about?"
"I've figured out what his problem is. I know why he's all screwed up all of a sudden."
"Really?" Ryou couldn't help but be excited. Now maybe they could help Bakura!
Malik was about to say something else when Bakura cut in harshly, still from the other side of the locked bedroom door, "Don't you tell him! Don't you dare!"
Malik raised an eyebrow and turned back to the door. "What? Are you going to stop me?" he shouted back.
"It's none of his business!"
"You're a part of him! And more than that, he's a friend and he wants to help you because he's worried! He deserves to know!"
"Know what?" Ryou asked softly, bewildered. He felt more confused than ever now.
Malik turned back to Ryou and as he spoke, Bakura opened the door, ready to stop him. But he wasn't quick enough.
"He's in love with my sister." Malik stated softly. Then he turned to Bakura, who was standing halfway between Malik and the bedroom door.
Bakura's hands were clenched into fists, his head bowed so that his bangs shadowed his eyes. Ryou just stared at his yami in shock. Bakura? In love? It was an almost laughable idea! But... Bakura certainly wasn't laughing. He was shaking. Trembling violently. Angry... Perhaps something else too.
"Bakura..." Ryou said softly. "Is that what's wrong?"
Bakura was silent. He trudged past Malik and down the stairs, past Ryou. The two hikaris followed him into the living room, where he threw himself down onto the couch on his stomach. He crossed his arms, laying his forehead on them. "I don't want to talk about it." He mumbled, his muffled voice barely audible in the silence that seemed to strange after so much yelling and swearing.
Malik and Ryou exchanged glances. Ryou walked over and sat on the floor by the couch, near Bakura's head. "Why didn't you ever just say something?" He asked softly, stroking his yami's hair absently.
"What's the point?" came a very muffled voice. "She hates me anyway! She doesn't trust me... She'll never trust me..."
Ryou sighed and leaned closer to his yami, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. They were quivering... Ryou patted Bakura's back comfortingly.
Malik continued to watch silently. The scene was oddly touching... But he knew more had to be done than this. Walking over, he tapped Ryou on the head and gestured for him to move away. The albino boy hesitated, then stood and moved to an armchair to sit and watch.
Malik flicked Bakura hard on the back of the head.
An ancient Egyptian swear rang through the air. Bakura pushed himself to a sitting position and turned to face Malik, who promptly backhanded him.
Ryou gasped as the back of Malik's hand hit Bakura's cheek. Hard. "Malik! What are you doing!?"
But his weak cry was lost in the noise of Bakura's growl as he leapt to his feet and grabbed Malik by the collar of his shirt. "What in all the layers of the Shadow Realm was that for!?"
Malik just stared Bakura straight in the eyes. "To try and knock some sense into you." He stated, his voice low and angry. "I don't know what's going on in that fool head of yours, but don't you ever think? Why do you think that Isis thinks she hates you? It's because she thinks you hate her, Baka!"
Bakura shoved Malik away and stood with his fists balled at his sides. "I never asked for your opinion!" he growled.
"Well you're getting it anyway!" Malik countered. "I think you're being a stupid, selfish, soiled brat! You told her that you were trying to destroy her life just to get a laugh!? I don't see how you could figure she wouldn't hate you for that. But what I really don't get is why you told her that!"
"What's it matter anyway?" Bakura sighed and plopped back down on the couch. "She didn't even ask who to blame, let alone what to blame them for. She wants to blame me... Let her!"
Malik shook his head. "And why should you?" When he didn't receive an answer, he asked again, his voice even more demanding. "Why should you let her blame you? It wasn't your fault. It wasn't even your idea!"
"I don't care." Bakura muttered.
Malik sighed. "You're hopeless, you know that?" He smirked when Bakura raised his eyes to look at him. "Completely hopeless. You're afraid to tell her, aren't you? Imagine! The great, evil tomb robber Bakura... Afraid to tell a woman that he loves her."
"I'm not afraid to tell her!" Bakura snapped, standing. "But why would she want a lout like me? Ra! Will you just leave me alone!?" He shoved past Malik and stormed out of the room.
Malik frowned and turned to face Ryou. The white haired boy just stared back at him, then asked softly, "Now what?"
The sound of a door slamming upstairs made Malik's hands clench into fists. "If he won't tell Isis the truth... Then I will..."
Malik left without another word to or from Ryou. His expression set with determination. He would not let another person take the fall for him. Not again.
When he got home, he went straight to Isis' office. He knocked, then entered before waiting for an answer. Isis glanced up from her work.
"Hello Malik. I'm afraid I'm rath-"
"Isis. We need to talk." Malik interrupted, pulling the door closed after him.
~*~*~*~
Hee hee... and the plot thickens... Poor Baku-kun! Everyone knows his secret now! *giggles*
Alrighty, well, I've got two reviews for the other chapter already... I'll go ahead and respond to them I suppose, the rest (if I get anymore) I'll just address in tomorrow night's chapter... Which... unfortunately... Is the last chapter...
Are you glad or sad? Don't worry... I'll have another one coming after not too long...
Reviewerness!
Umeko the Beatnik Emu: Thanks. Glad you liked the few bloopers that I did have for that chapter! And I'm posting this one for you!!! *laughes and baps you gently on the head*
Crissy the Amazing: heh... Well, thank you I suppose. *smiles* Glad you like my style. Have you read Music of the Night? ^_^() Sorry... just gotta promo my favorite fic I wrote... It's way different than this though. Very little if any humor at all... But back to this one! Yes... Massively do they need couples counseling... And don't worry. No more Mariku at all...
I tell you what... I don't have bloopers for next chapter... Just random 'extra scene' type things... But I have a feeling that you'll enjoy those ones as much as the bloopers. *grins* Especially the music number... But you'll just have to wait until tomorrow night. *bounces away*
*imitates Kuriboh's little 'woo' noise over and over again then collapses in a fit of giggles*
Bakura: ... Right... I think someone needs a little more sleep and a little less candy...
^_^() All the same... Personally... I love the way this chapter starts. Of course, this is odd really, if you think about it, cause I'm really not big on cussing at all... But this was amusing to me for some reason or another...
~*~*~*~
Chapter 15: Confrontations
"Bakura!" More banging. "Open the door, Ra damn you!"
"I'm already damned!" Came the muffled response.
"I don't care! Open this door or I'll have him damn you thrice over!"
From there, they lapsed into Egyptian swearing again. Ryou sighed, his arms crossed on the railing-post at the bottom of the stairs. His chin rested on his arms as he watched Malik banging on his bedroom door. Ryou flinched as Malik gave the door a hard kick. *Please don't beak anything...* he thought to himself. He didn't think he could handle more repairs... not with all of the worry and confusion lately.
Ryou sighed and straightened, rubbing his temples as he moved into the downstairs office. There was always a bottle of Advil in the desk... Then he headed into the kitchen to get a glass of water to chase a couple of pills down with. "My yami will kill me yet..." he muttered. "Whether he means to or not."
Wandering back to the stand at the bottom of the stairs, he resumed watching Malik. Ryou sighed. He just wished he knew what was going on... Malik had called earlier, asking to talk to Bakura. When Ryou had handed his yami the phone, he had said hello, listened for a moment, then hung up, scowling angrily.
Ryou hadn't really thought anything of it until a little later. He was standing at the bottom of the stairs, talking to his yami, who was coming down from the bedroom, when Malik suddenly burst through the front door. Malik and Bakura's eyes had met, and then Bakura turned and sprinted for Ryou's bedroom. Followed promptly by Malik and his shouts of "Bakura! We have got to talk about it! NOW!"
"I don't want to talk about it!" Bakura had yelled back as he slammed and locked the door.
Which led to almost half an hour of door banging, yelling, and swearing (both in Japanese and Egyptian). Ryou had just stood there watching, dumbfounded and silent. The only time he'd moved from there was just then to get something for his steadily growing headache.
Ryou sighed finally. He'd had about enough of this... "Malik," he said in his normally soft voice. Malik didn't hear over the yelling and his banging, so Ryou raised his voice slightly. "Malik." But he still wasn't loud enough. He sighed yet again, then took a deep breath and called loudly, "Malik!"
The blonde Egyptian boy stopped in mid-swear and spun around. "Oh! ... Hey Ryou..." He blinked, as though just realizing the other hikari's presence.
Ryou sighed. "Yeah... Hey..." He shook his head absently. "Mind filling me in on what's going on?"
"I'm sorry. I guess I got a little carried away." Malik grinned sheepishly.
"It's fine. Just so long as you don't break anything... But what's all of this about? What's so important that you have to talk to him about?"
"I've figured out what his problem is. I know why he's all screwed up all of a sudden."
"Really?" Ryou couldn't help but be excited. Now maybe they could help Bakura!
Malik was about to say something else when Bakura cut in harshly, still from the other side of the locked bedroom door, "Don't you tell him! Don't you dare!"
Malik raised an eyebrow and turned back to the door. "What? Are you going to stop me?" he shouted back.
"It's none of his business!"
"You're a part of him! And more than that, he's a friend and he wants to help you because he's worried! He deserves to know!"
"Know what?" Ryou asked softly, bewildered. He felt more confused than ever now.
Malik turned back to Ryou and as he spoke, Bakura opened the door, ready to stop him. But he wasn't quick enough.
"He's in love with my sister." Malik stated softly. Then he turned to Bakura, who was standing halfway between Malik and the bedroom door.
Bakura's hands were clenched into fists, his head bowed so that his bangs shadowed his eyes. Ryou just stared at his yami in shock. Bakura? In love? It was an almost laughable idea! But... Bakura certainly wasn't laughing. He was shaking. Trembling violently. Angry... Perhaps something else too.
"Bakura..." Ryou said softly. "Is that what's wrong?"
Bakura was silent. He trudged past Malik and down the stairs, past Ryou. The two hikaris followed him into the living room, where he threw himself down onto the couch on his stomach. He crossed his arms, laying his forehead on them. "I don't want to talk about it." He mumbled, his muffled voice barely audible in the silence that seemed to strange after so much yelling and swearing.
Malik and Ryou exchanged glances. Ryou walked over and sat on the floor by the couch, near Bakura's head. "Why didn't you ever just say something?" He asked softly, stroking his yami's hair absently.
"What's the point?" came a very muffled voice. "She hates me anyway! She doesn't trust me... She'll never trust me..."
Ryou sighed and leaned closer to his yami, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. They were quivering... Ryou patted Bakura's back comfortingly.
Malik continued to watch silently. The scene was oddly touching... But he knew more had to be done than this. Walking over, he tapped Ryou on the head and gestured for him to move away. The albino boy hesitated, then stood and moved to an armchair to sit and watch.
Malik flicked Bakura hard on the back of the head.
An ancient Egyptian swear rang through the air. Bakura pushed himself to a sitting position and turned to face Malik, who promptly backhanded him.
Ryou gasped as the back of Malik's hand hit Bakura's cheek. Hard. "Malik! What are you doing!?"
But his weak cry was lost in the noise of Bakura's growl as he leapt to his feet and grabbed Malik by the collar of his shirt. "What in all the layers of the Shadow Realm was that for!?"
Malik just stared Bakura straight in the eyes. "To try and knock some sense into you." He stated, his voice low and angry. "I don't know what's going on in that fool head of yours, but don't you ever think? Why do you think that Isis thinks she hates you? It's because she thinks you hate her, Baka!"
Bakura shoved Malik away and stood with his fists balled at his sides. "I never asked for your opinion!" he growled.
"Well you're getting it anyway!" Malik countered. "I think you're being a stupid, selfish, soiled brat! You told her that you were trying to destroy her life just to get a laugh!? I don't see how you could figure she wouldn't hate you for that. But what I really don't get is why you told her that!"
"What's it matter anyway?" Bakura sighed and plopped back down on the couch. "She didn't even ask who to blame, let alone what to blame them for. She wants to blame me... Let her!"
Malik shook his head. "And why should you?" When he didn't receive an answer, he asked again, his voice even more demanding. "Why should you let her blame you? It wasn't your fault. It wasn't even your idea!"
"I don't care." Bakura muttered.
Malik sighed. "You're hopeless, you know that?" He smirked when Bakura raised his eyes to look at him. "Completely hopeless. You're afraid to tell her, aren't you? Imagine! The great, evil tomb robber Bakura... Afraid to tell a woman that he loves her."
"I'm not afraid to tell her!" Bakura snapped, standing. "But why would she want a lout like me? Ra! Will you just leave me alone!?" He shoved past Malik and stormed out of the room.
Malik frowned and turned to face Ryou. The white haired boy just stared back at him, then asked softly, "Now what?"
The sound of a door slamming upstairs made Malik's hands clench into fists. "If he won't tell Isis the truth... Then I will..."
Malik left without another word to or from Ryou. His expression set with determination. He would not let another person take the fall for him. Not again.
When he got home, he went straight to Isis' office. He knocked, then entered before waiting for an answer. Isis glanced up from her work.
"Hello Malik. I'm afraid I'm rath-"
"Isis. We need to talk." Malik interrupted, pulling the door closed after him.
~*~*~*~
Hee hee... and the plot thickens... Poor Baku-kun! Everyone knows his secret now! *giggles*
Alrighty, well, I've got two reviews for the other chapter already... I'll go ahead and respond to them I suppose, the rest (if I get anymore) I'll just address in tomorrow night's chapter... Which... unfortunately... Is the last chapter...
Are you glad or sad? Don't worry... I'll have another one coming after not too long...
Reviewerness!
Umeko the Beatnik Emu: Thanks. Glad you liked the few bloopers that I did have for that chapter! And I'm posting this one for you!!! *laughes and baps you gently on the head*
Crissy the Amazing: heh... Well, thank you I suppose. *smiles* Glad you like my style. Have you read Music of the Night? ^_^() Sorry... just gotta promo my favorite fic I wrote... It's way different than this though. Very little if any humor at all... But back to this one! Yes... Massively do they need couples counseling... And don't worry. No more Mariku at all...
I tell you what... I don't have bloopers for next chapter... Just random 'extra scene' type things... But I have a feeling that you'll enjoy those ones as much as the bloopers. *grins* Especially the music number... But you'll just have to wait until tomorrow night. *bounces away*