Summary: Tragedy strikes. Joey Wheeler is gone forever. Or is he? Joey POV. Post Duelist Kingdom AU. Will eventually be Seto/Joey shounen-ai.
Author's Notes: Well, I thought I'd try writing a YuGiOh fic. And it's still going. And going
Over 200 reviews! *eyes bug out and fall on the floor*. Grape juice for everyone! In other words, thanks ^_^
Llyxius: Fixed 'momento' in Chap14. Found some other stuff and fixed those, too.
Maladyrancor: Don't worry, Joey won't "just disappear"!
I don't think I'll ever be able to top Chap14. I quite like how it turned out and that's really saying something, considering how I can never stand my own writing after a few days. I'm weird that way :P
Exam is over and done with. Bleh. May everyone's good wishes magically make my answers right.
Warnings: Character death (sort of), language, angst, eventual Seto/Joey.
Disclaimers: I don't own YuGiOh or any other brand names you might come across. No brick walls with 'YUGI' spray-painted on them were harmed in the making of this fic.
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Being Dead Ain't Easy
Chapter Fifteen: Talkin' to An Egyptian
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I walk past Mokuba on my way out. The little guy should be asleep, but he's hidin' around the corner near Kaiba's bedroom with this funny look on his face. I guess he heard Kaiba talking to me. 'Course, it probably sounded like Kaiba was talking to himself. Poor Mokuba, his big bro's getting crazier every day. Heh. I'll let Kaiba deal with this little problem. I've got other stuff to worry about.
Stuff like Bakura.
'I guess I'll go say hi to Bakura'. Yeah, right. I didn't want Kaiba to worry about it, but no way is it gonna be that easy! The other Bakura is bad news. Trouble with a capital T. He's nothing like Yami Yuugi. I mean, he goes around turning people into cards, for cryin' out loud! I don't even wanna think about all the other bad stuff he's done. I gotta be careful or he's gonna make me worse than I already am. Maybe goin' in there with a plan might be a good idea, so I bang out two of 'em. They're not great, but with a little luck...
I hitch hike to the apartment building Ryou Bakura lives in and float up to his place. I've only been here once or twice, but I still remember the room number. It's tiny compared to Kaiba's mansion, but then again, any place is tiny compared to Seto Kaiba's. Everything's so cramped in here! Or maybe I'm just getting spoiled.
The lights are off. No surprise there; it was, what, 10PM when I left home? So it's probably around 11 now. Pretty bad time to visit, but it's so easy to lose track of time, ya know? Well, since I'm here anyway, I might as well see if he's awake. Nobody goes to bed before midnight, right?
I make my way to Bakura's bedroom and walk up to his bed.
Yeah, he's asleep, the little goody-goody, still wearing that Ring of his. I'm surprised that thing doesn't snag on something and choke him in his sleep. And here's another problem with my 'say hi to Bakura' plan: he can't help me if he's sleeping. Bummer. Maybe I should try to wake him up.
I lean down and speak nice and loud in his ear. "Yo, Bakura! Sorry for botherin' ya, but could ya maybe, just maybe, get up an' help me out?"
No answer.
So much for that. Well, it's my own damn fault, visiting in the middle of the night. Still, I don't feel too bad about it 'cause Kaiba didn't think Bakura'd be asleep, either. I guess I'll go tell him the bad news, work out a better plan. I turn around to leave-
-and somebody wraps an arm around my neck and squeezes. If I was breathing, I wouldn't be anymore. "If it isn't the little pharaoh's dead pet," the guy growls in my ear.
I slam an elbow into the jerk's gut so hard he grunts and lets go. I spin around.
It's Bakura - no it's not, Bakura's still sleeping. It's the other guy. Dead Egyptian Number Two. Just the man I was looking for.
He kicks me in the kneecap and my leg goes out from under me. I grab a handful of silver hair and bring him down with me so we both end up on the floor. So spirits can touch each other. Trust me, that sucks big time. He punches me in the head and tries to bite me. Man, Yami Bakura fights dirty. I grab his ring and choke him with the necklace part. Too bad dead guys don't choke.
What is it with all these dead guys beating me up the moment they see me, anyways!?
I manage to kick him off of me and I'm about to follow up when suddenly I get super dizzy and just fall flat on my face. He kicks me in the gut while I'm down. Bastard.
Kicks me again. This ain't helping my dizzy spell. "Stoppit already! Didn't come 'ere to fight," I gasp out. Room's spinning. One Bakura, two Bakura, three Bakura, wow, four Bakura...
I guess you can say I'm not feeling too good.
"Yes, you came here for my help, did you not?" he smirks. If I could only get up, I'd wipe that smirk right off your face, Bakura.
"Yeah, I did." I get up on my hands and knees, shake my head to clear it up. Not helping, and I bet I look pathetic to boot. "What didja attack me for!?"
"I don't appreciate having pests hovering over my host while he sleeps. And why would I help you, doomed man?" he sneers.
I like the nice Bakura better, but it looks like this one knows all about ghosts and stuff. I finally manage to get on my feet. Everything's still a little wobbly, but I manage. Let's give Plan A a try. "Come on, just help out a fellow spirit, Yami Bakura. Can I call ya 'Yami Bakura'?" I give him my best smile.
He snorts. "That's not my name, but it will serve, for now."
"Great." Turn on the Wheeler charm. "Yami says I'm gonna fade away. I need some guy to make me a Millennium Item or something so I don't, but he can't. So help me out here."
"Let me think." He mulls it over while I stand there. "No, I don't think I will, you fool!" He laughs in my face. Pure evil, that guy.
"Would it help if I said please?" It's worth a shot.
"Go to that pharaoh of yours and grovel at his feet. Perhaps that will jog his memory," he sneers. "Your fate is no concern of mine, boy."
So much for Plan A. But what you just said falls nicely into Plan B, Yami Bakura. I gotta play this just right, though.
I hang my head like I'm giving up. "Yeah, I had a feeling ya wouldn't be able to help me out."
Yami Bakura crosses his arms. "And you were right."
I stick my hands in my pockets. I'm still wearing my school uniform, ya know. Aw man, I'm gonna be stuck in it forever, aren't I. "I mean, I dunno what I was expectin' from ya."
Snort. "You are clearly even stupider than you look."
I just nod and play 'dumb mutt'. I hope Kaiba never finds out. "Duh, I gotta be. Like, if Yami Yuugi couldn't help me, there's no way you could."
He's starting to look pissed. He's fingering his Ring.
Careful, careful. "I mean, no offence, bud," I say quickly, "but if even he can't remember how to save me, there's NO WAY you can." I widen my eyes, put a little awe in my voice. "I mean, this is Yami Yuugi we're talkin' 'bout, here! You called him a pharaoh, right?" Yami Bakura gives a jerky nod. "If he can't do it, no one can. He's the Pharaoh!"
He narrows his eyes. "I didn't say I couldn't help, only that I choose not to." He's clenching his fists. He hates Yami Yuugi.
Just a little more... I start walkin' away, head down, hands still in pockets. Kicked puppy look. Learned it from Yuugi. Whatever works. "Nah, it's okay, ya don't hafta fake it. Your memory's worse than his, I totally get that." Here goes nothing. "Nobody's better than the Pharaoh... right?"
Yami Bakura looks like he's boilin' over. "The Pharaoh is nothing compared to me!" he spits.
Got him. "You're kiddin' me." I try to look innocent, settle for 'not lookin' guilty'. If he thinks I'm trying to trick him...
He buys it. "This 'Yami Yuugi' may be a formidable duelist, foolish boy, but he knows nothing. Absolutely NOTHING!" snarls the spirit.
"I dunno..." I put on a 'Yami Yuugi's not god? Say it ain't so!' face.
Yami Bakura's about to say something, but sleeping Bakura moves a little, waking up. Me and Yami Bakura are making quite a racket, after all. Can't believe I totally forgot about the sleeping guy.
The spirit of the Millennium Ring glares down at him, the Ring flashes, and the nice Bakura stops moving. I hope he's okay.
"Now where was I? Ah yes." Yami Bakura gives me the creepiest smile I've ever seen. "Do you truly think so highly of that little pharaoh? That self-righteous midget?" he sneers. "Bah! I shall tell you what your worthless pharaoh cannot."
Bingo. Joey Wheeler, you're the man.
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