Disclaimer: And the lawyers come running in…. from all directions.
Look the Other Way
PM: Hi, minna! Sorry I wasn't able to update last week, but I needed some time to get back on track. Still do, in fact APs are coming up, I just had an SAT II, and I was just having so many problems with the beginning of this chapter. I hope the Yami no Malik story was a bit of compensation for your wait… *smiles nervously* But I'm afraid that you're not going to be able to read the whole chapter. I decided to cut this chapter into two parts; one in Ryou's POV and one in Seto's POV. So that's why this chapter is a bit shorter than usual. Gomen. *bows head*
Ryuuji: *holding up a sign that reads 'Help! I'm being held hostage!'*
PM: *slap!*
Ryuuji: Itai! *quickly scribbles something on a different sign: 'Help! I'm being abused!'*
PM: *eyebrow twitches… starts chasing after him throughout writer universe*
Yami: This would be a perfect opportunity to mess everybody up right now. *sadistic grin*
Yami no Bakura: *wanders in, grabs Yami, slings him over a shoulder, and bounces out grinning sadistically*
Ryou: O_O Well… PM is busy strangling Otogi-kun, Yami Bakura is busy ravishing Yami-kun *insert squeaks of pain from a certain pharaoh spirit*, and… I don't want anybody to hurt me anymore than I already have been hurt. *sniffles sadly as he thinks of BakaKaiba* So this chapter takes place on Thursday, and as PM mentioned before, it's only one half of what was supposed to be written….
Ryuuji and Yami: *shrieking* Help!!
Thank you's:
The usual thanks to rayemars-san for beta-reading my story, and since I feel guilty for not replying to reviews last time, I'll be doing them individually rather than in a huge paragraph. ^_^ And I'm also replying to reviewers from the chapter 5, since I didn't have time to reply to them in chapter 6. Enjoy!
fani90 ~ Ryou: This is NOT funny! PM: Yes it is…
Angel-Belle ~ My house didn't flood, thank god… I don't think I could take another six months of construction work. -.-;;
Crystalline Maxwell ~ An evil hello kitty rubix-cube-knock-off? Well, if you give me more details, I'm sure I can work it in somehow… *cackles sadistically*
Neko-chan ~ Oy! KaibaBaka already has very few brain cells! No need to destroy anymore!
Mayhem's BrainChylde ~ Ryou: The only reason why I never get a good time is because of all you people out to ruin my life. PM: Whiny…
Wildwolf: Sorry I haven't been mailing you! I'll e-mail you back as soon as APs are over. ^^;; And poor Chibi-chan… *pats her on the head* You should start getting lessons on how to glare properly.
Shamanic Guardian Lena ~ DDR is the devil! I don't like it… *hides from DDR machine threatening to eat her*
No Name ~ Ryou: What sweet moment? PM: -.-;;;;;
tuulikki ~ Don't worry… I think it's a fan thing. I always like torturing my favorite characters… *CACKLE… cackle… cough choke*
TidBits ~ Kaiba: I am not an evil person. PM *cough*: LIAR!
Lena ~ ;-; And I missed your reviews… and Ryou wants that cookie. (Ryou: *puppy eyes*)
introspective-mortal ~ Spirited Away was terrific. Even my MOM liked it. O_O
Dani ~ I think DDR is this sadistic plot to make people suffer. I don't know, that's all I ever got out of it…
Erfaciel ~ *quickly gives you a bucket* Anyhow, the chapter on Easter wasn't really a big deal for me. ^^;;; I'm not exactly religious…
BakuraLvr ~ Haku: I'm allowed to be a river! And I was a cool river! But then they messed me up! *bursts into tears* (PM and YGO cast: O_O)
Yukoma ~ I'll try to be more gentle on Ryou… really! Ryou: LIAR! PM: -.-;;
Amiasha ~ I know about Princess Monoke, but I heard it's REALLY violent and I can't handle violence.
Aznsilhouette247 ~ Ryou: I'm not a rat! PM *cough*
Usagi Tsuki ~ *pounces and hugs* Ficccccccccc?
Shikou Yamitsuki ~ Yeah… it feels awkward writing so far into the future, but I have to do it someday. ^_^
Dreaming Dragon ~ *resists urge to sing the matchmaker song*
eta inu ~ Demo means 'but', sorry if I forgot to translate that! :P And some very good writers don't translate… I should know. *glares at PAS* She doesn't even understand why I want to put translations in my stories! *growls and snaps at PAS, who just whacks PM on the head with a big mallet*
Shenya ~ Sorry about the delay… ^^;; I've just been so busy and kinda dead lately. There's quite a few other stories I want to write and I've been trying to write those while getting these chapters out at the same time… makes for a mighty headache. *moan and whimper*
KeMu ~ Tyrant Mokuba? *giggle*
Genkisaru ~ Seto and Ryou will get back together by the end of the story. Or at least, they should… *runs away from Seto*Ryou fans*
Chibizoo ~ So sorry about the link! ^_^;; I felt so stupid. But it's fixed! *grins*
Tsuki and Romanji ~ *smacks Romanji lightly* be nice to your friends!
Dark Eyed ~ *glomp* Miss you muchies…
Sushi ~ It's because… it's because PM made him stay asleep. And because if he woke up, then this story wouldn't exist…
AmunRa ~ *grins* Yes… the love of families and friends. Wasn't it Harding who said something about 'it's not my enemies… it's my goddamned friends?'
Dragon Wings ~ Would it scare you if I told you I was naturally hyper? *innocent look*
Aishiteru Tenshi ~ :P Spunk… hee! I don't know why but I just like that word…
Sam Baku ~ Maybe I'll take a month off? *innocent look*
~ Setting Standards ~
"Ohayou [1], Bakura-kun," Otogi-kun smiles (is it just me, or does his smile seem really forced today?) as I walk into the kitchen, also known as the converted office for Otogi-kun. It took me a while to figure out that the reason why Otogi-kun never seems to be working is because he works in the apartment, and he has been kind enough to work only when I'm gone. I can't help but feel guilty about taking away from his work time, forcing him to work at odd hours.
I suppose that Otogi-kun sees this because he raises an eyebrow as he turns back to his laptop and starts to type something up as he explains, "I have a proposal to write up. My assistant was kind enough to give it to me just last night, and it's due today."
I can only nod shakily as I sit down, trying to ignore the fact that Otogi-kun is staring at me with an intensity that I have always found disturbing. I really wish he wouldn't stare at me like that, but I'm always too shy to tell him that. Sometimes, I have a feeling that he already knows that. But I don't quite know what to do about it.
"You look like crap," Otogi-kun suddenly interrupts my thoughts. "Bad dreams?"
"Not bad… just weird," I grimace. Although 'weird' is probably a bit of an understatement, especially considering what happened in my dream.
Most of my dream has been forgotten by now, which is a pretty common occurrence. After all, most people don't remember their dreams, and I'm certainly no exception to this rule. But the only scene that I remember involves Yami Bakura, Yami-kun, and Yuki, of all people (and animals). And not only was there the weirdness of simply them being together without any bloodshed, but they were also vampires.
(I have a suspicion that the last thing came from Mai-san, who actually has a fascination for vampire stories.)
For some reason, the three of them (including Yuki, who had his own set of miniature vampire fangs and bat wings) were staring at me with this hungry look in their eyes. But right when I was sure they were about to jump me or do something along those lines, Yami Bakura turned around to the other two and said:
"Humph. No need to bother; there's not enough life in him to feed on. Better to throw him back."
"Bakura-kun?" Otogi-kun's voice abruptly snaps me out of my temporary zoning out, "You all right?"
It takes me a moment to take in his question, but when I finally do I can't help but turn a bit pink in embarrassment, "Yeah… why wouldn't I be?" Besides the obvious reasons, of course. I have a feeling that I'll be getting a sarcastic answer from Otogi-kun, which is why I'm so surprised when he just shrugs.
An awkward silence settles as he returns to his work, the keys on his laptop click-clacking noisily in the quiet room. I'm starting to feel nervous, even though I don't really know why. Could it be because of the dream? That dream was just… really weird. And what did Yami Bakura mean, exactly, when he said that 'there's not enough life in him to feed on'? I suspect there is some kind of twisted message that my mind is trying to send me, but I don't know what it is. Which isn't anything new, honestly. I'm just getting more messed up by the day….
"You doing anything today?" Otogi-kun, thankfully, saves me by interrupting my decidedly disturbing thought process.
"Um… yeah?"
Otogi-kun raises an eyebrow again, "Is that a question or an answer?"
I groan inwardly, remembering how much of a pain in the ass Otogi-kun can be when he feels like annoying somebody, "Yes. I meant yes, I am doing something today."
I'm not lying, really I'm not! Emi-chan is going to be picking me up later and we're going to have lunch with her husband. And no, I don't know why I would think somebody thinks I'm lying! I mean, I don't think I sound like I'm lying. Is there some tone of my voice that makes people think that or something? Or is it just me?
"When?"
"About 12:30," I reply automatically. I have no idea where this is going… maybe I should go to my room and stop bothering Otogi-kun, who looks to be a bit stressed over his work right now.
"Good." Before I can blink, Otogi-kun picks up a stack of papers that was seated in the chair next to him and dumps it on the table in front of me. "File those for me, will you?"
I can't help but sweatdrop as I stare at all the papers. Jeez, there must be more pages in this pile than pages in my books! And that's saying quite a bit!
"Na… na… nani?"
He gestures absent-mindedly towards the living room, "There's a file cabinet next to the bookshelf. Those are a bit out of order right now, but just file them according to the titles on each page."
Since I'm really in no position to protest (plus, I don't think Otogi-kun would care since he's once again engrossed in his current task), have nothing better to do, and don't want to tick off Otogi-kun, I just sigh and pick up the stack of papers, my knees nearly buckling under the weight. I mean, for Kami-sama's sake! This is a lot of papers!
And I have just agreed to file all of them. Which leads me to wonder why Otogi-kun couldn't act like most normal people and just work in an office rather than his kitchen, have a file cabinet near his desk rather than in another room, and hire a secretary rather than using his guest as slave labor.
Okay, I'm probably getting cynical there. After all, Otogi-kun and Honda-kun are probably putting up with a lot by letting me stay with them, and I owe it to them to at least help out where I can. And considering the two of them, they need all the help they can possibly get.
I honestly don't think you're one to talk, Yami Bakura snickers as I finally reach the file cabinet with my heavy burden.
Urusei… I mutter softly and barely loud enough for him to hear. But unfortunately for me, he does hear and is not exactly what you would call pleased by the single word.
Look at you, yadonushi. You've got everything set out in front of you yet you still don't know what you want when it's so obvious. You've gotten all the help you can get but you're still looking around trying to figure out what is right and what is wrong. You've known these things for so long, and you're acting like you don't know them at all. For pity's sake, look beyond your nose.
With that, he abruptly draws back, thus cutting off any answer I might have had to give.
~ * ~
After I filed the papers, the entire time trying to ignore what Yami Bakura said (in both my dream and in the very, very recent past), Otogi-kun had me do everything from editing his rough drafts to vacuuming. So not only am I a chef and secretary, but I'm also a janitor! Oh joy, I'm sure my parents would be very proud of me!
It's about twelve o'clock when Otogi-kun finally shoves away his laptop, the entire time looking like he has a major headache. I can't help but feel somewhat guilty again, even though he already explained that it wasn't really my fault.
"And we wonder why people get fired," he grumbles as he gets up to make tea. I happen to know that Otogi-kun doesn't normally drink tea, but in preparation he bought a whole canister of raspberry tea. So now he's trying to make sure that I drink all of it before I leave, something that makes me feel very appreciated and loved.
"I'm sure he or she had a reason," I reply, although I don't really believe it myself. Otogi-kun obviously thinks otherwise as well. He shoots me a disbelieving look before leaning against the kitchen counter, muttering some very rude profanities about certain people.
Ouch. That wasn't very nice.
Otogi-kun is so busy ranting that he doesn't hear the doorbell ring. Since I value my life (despite what certain unnamed people think), I decline to inform him of the newcomer and quickly walk over to where the intercom is.
"Dare ka?" I ask as I push the button down.
"Ryou-kun?" Emi-chan's voice is crackly, "It's Emi."
"Okay. I'll come downstairs in a bit," I say hastily before she can suggest coming up. Since I like Emi-chan with her body parts intact (and have a suspicion that her husband would kill me if disembowelment should occur), I don't want her to face Ryuuji-kun when he's in such a… mood.
"Is that Ryuuji-kun I hear screaming in the background?"
I wince as a glass breaks. I have a feeling that Otogi-kun is having a temper tantrum and it's best if I should quickly escape before I should be killed.
"Of course not. Why would he be screaming and breaking plates?" I grit back.
"Well, aren't you in a mood." I can just hear the smirk over the intercom, and for a moment I wonder if maybe I should have her come up here to see what I have to deal with right now.
Before I can inform her of my little change of heart though, the phone rings and Otogi-kun picks up. I can only hope that it's Honda-kun calling to calm Otogi-kun down or at the very least talk some sense into him (isn't that the same thing though?)… perhaps a neighbor called him about his koi's behavior.
But since this is me and I'm the unluckiest person on this planet… I have a feeling that it's one of Otogi-kun's poor subordinates because he starts screeching.
"I can't believe you—" Wince. "—gave me that damn proposal yesterday when you've had it for an entire—" Wince. "—week and a half! Just wait until I get down there and…"
Emi-chan giggles as I groan, "Does this happen often?"
"Yeah. He should be fine by evening though, once Hiroto-kun gets his hands on him. Or in…."
"That's enough!" I cut her off sharply before she can show me exactly how dirty her mind is.
With that, I quickly take my finger off the intercom button so that she can't enlighten me any more than she already has, rushing past the kitchen where Otogi-kun is screaming obscenities. I grab my wallet, rush past the kitchen again while yelling my good-byes which can't be heard over his voice anyway, open the door, and slam it shut on my way out.
I'm quite surprised to discover that with the door closed and Otogi-kun on the other side, I can no longer hear him. Something that leads me to wonder if the two of them were bright enough to get the apartment sound-proofed.
I would ask Emi-chan about it since she knows Otogi-kun pretty well. But I have a feeling that if I do, she'll tell me reasons that I don't want to know. I can just hear her voice saying something along the lines of:
"Why, I thought you always knew that Ryuuji-kun was a screamer!"
~ * ~
"Kou can't make it, so it's just going to be me and you," Emi-chan informs me brightly as she turns the key into the ignition. Luckily for me, Emi-chan is a good driver, unlike certain other blonde drivers who I have had the grave misfortune of getting into the car with. However, what is strange about Emi-chan's driving skills is that she apparently learned to drive from one of those before-mentioned blonde drivers: Mai-san. I don't know how Mai-san managed to teach Emi-chan so well while failing so miserably when it came to herself and Jyounouchi-kun, but I can only hope that when the two of them decide to teach Takuya-kun, they ask Emi-chan to instruct him rather than doing it on their own.
If not, I fear for the lives of the next generation.
"Did something happen to Takarada-san?" I ask a bit apprehensively. From what I've heard, Takarada Kou is more than a little accident-prone, and he's had a number of unfortunate accidents with furniture and the such.
"Just a meeting," Emi-chan replies easily before glancing over at me quickly, "You'll be able to see him tomorrow."
I blink. Last I heard, there wasn't anything going on tomorrow… "Why tomorrow?"
"Oh." There is an awkward pause as Emi-chan makes a turn, "Never mind then."
There's a tone in her voice that makes me think that it's definitely not something to 'never mind' about, but I choose not to question her about it. Or, if I was to be truthful with myself, I would admit that I don't want to question her about it because I'm afraid that it's something I really don't want to know about.
However, I still haven't lost my masochistic-like tendencies because not twenty seconds had passed before I found myself opening my mouth, "What is it?"
"It's nothing important."
"Emi-chan…" I sigh, feeling more than slightly annoyed… although whether I'm annoyed with her or myself is a different story. It's just that… if she's going to bring things up, couldn't she in the very least just finish the thought? I mean, is that really too much to ask for?
"What?" she opts for an innocent look, which I grimace at. Emi-chan isn't very good at innocent looks. In fact, they make her look very devious.
"Can't I just get a straight answer for once?"
Well, I just succeeded in sounding very pathetic.
Well, you are pathetic.
Oh, thank you very much.
You're welcome, Yami Bakura replies snidely before once again cutting off our link. I honestly don't understand that guy sometimes… which might actually be a benefit to my ever-declining sanity.
Emi-chan's laugh distracts me from Yami Bakura's presence (or currently, lack of it), "Honestly, Ryou-kun. You're over thirty yet you still don't know the answer to that question? I mean… how often in life do we get straight answers?"
My jaw tightens and I turn away to look out the window to watch the scenery go by. It's like watching one's life in fast-forward. You go so fast that you miss everything except the end, rather than enjoying everything in-between. But then again, sometimes there isn't anything to look forward to except the end.
People say that waiting is often times the best part of life. But how can you enjoy the waiting if you don't know what you're looking forward to?
~ * ~
"I heard from Mai-chan about last night."
I can't help but scowl.
"I guess that means you can dance," Emi-chan smirks into her tea. I wonder if it will be a terribly bad thing to dump my tea on her head. Emi-chan knows very well that I have problems with DDR, considering how she had been on one of our karaoke disasters before. "As long as Seto-kun is holding your hand, of course."
I just continue to scowl at her; last night was not exactly something I want to remember. I don't think my behavior was quite the best, and the aftermath of the whole mess had not been very pretty either. Neither Seto nor I could be persuaded to sing, and we barely spoke to each other for the rest of the night. Jyounouchi-kun tried to badger us into making conversation, but both of us just glared at him and he didn't try again.
"You're trying to imply something, aren't you?"
"You think?"
"You might as well save your breath," I grumble bitterly. "You're not the first one to tell me this. I think most everyone has already."
"Did you listen to them?"
Silence. I decide to pretend I didn't hear what she said and that she wasn't even there. Yes, of course I'm sitting here by myself. Why on earth would I be here with somebody else? This woman? Oh, of course I don't know who she is! Don't know why she knows my name. Maybe she's been stalking me.
"Are you listening to me?"
"I wish I wasn't," I can't help but reply. She is anything less than amused by that, although I suppose that I can't blame her seeing that I wouldn't be very appreciative if somebody had said that to me.
"Well, you'll have to listen to somebody some time," Emi-chan replies, sounding mildly exasperated with me. It seems that everybody is being aggravated by me, especially Seto. I don't know why he hasn't figured out what I've been trying to tell him, but every time I do he just seems to get annoyed. It's kind of like… I know he's trying to fix what he did, but I don't really accept it enough to believe him. "And it might as well be me."
Emi-chan, unfortunately, has convinced herself since that time she helped me get over Seto after he stopped speaking to me for about a week that she can be my own, personal therapist. I'm just waiting for her and Otogi-kun to get together and set up a practice to cure poor, stupid people like myself.
"I mean… don't you still love him?"
I choke, "What?!"
"Seto-kun. You still love him, don't you?"
I can only blink, "Well, yes… but…"
"But?"
I really, really hate it when people ask me questions but don't let me finish my answers. It just seems kind of pointless, and that makes it annoying.
"But nothing," I finally mutter, uninterested in explaining myself. It's just that… it's hard to explain something when I don't quite understand it myself. "It's nothing."
Emi-chan makes a very exasperated sound… apparently, she doesn't appreciate the tables being turned on her, which I feel a bit of sadistic pleasure for.
"Nothing. Sure. And is that why you look like your heart is being ripped out whenever somebody mentions his name," she snaps before taking a bite from her lunch. "Even if you keep lying to yourself, it doesn't change the facts. You've been doing a pretty good job trying to though."
"He wants to try again."
Silence follows my statement. I don't really think about Emi-chan's words… I've heard them so many times that I really can't. There's only so many times you can listen to something before you stop taking any notice of it. Perhaps this is just one of those times.
"And you don't?"
"Not really," I admit. Or lie, as some people seem to think. Am I lying or am I telling the truth? I just can't tell anymore. I keep wavering between two extremities and when I try to find a middle ground, the floor drops and sends me crashing into something else that I just can't explain.
"Not really?" she snorts. "Now that's a lie if I've ever heard one."
"Well, how do you know that?" I shoot back. Why does everyone doubt what I'm trying to say? Isn't it just possible… just possible that I know what I want? That I know what I'm doing?
Hmm. Probably not….
"I don't know," she grins triumphantly. "But there's not harm in trying again, is there?"
Um, yes there is? I made a big mistake in trying in the first place, and now look where I am. In some places, they would label me a social outcast, just because I suffer from maniac-depression, an obsessive-disorder, and a desire to be a hermit in the middle of Antarctica. But don't they know that there are seals in Antarctica? Maybe I can befriend them, tame them, and send one to Yami-kun. As long as he promises to keep it in his bathtub with lots of ice cubes. Oh, and keep the Black Magician very far away from it, as last I heard the two of them are still having problems over Yuki.
"After all, how do you know what's going to happen until you try?" Emi-chan smiles softly, a gesture that makes her look more… more something. Not as devious and conniving, at least. Not like someone who wants me to do something that I don't want to do. "You know what they say… when you've hit the bottom, the only place you can go is up."
"What happens if you haven't hit the bottom yet?"
"Then… then you better set some standards for yourself so you can get out of there. Cause there's only so long you can stay there before you lose everything."
~ * ~
"What are you reading?"
Otogi-kun, who has calmed down considerably since I left this afternoon, has apparently finished his proposal and is sitting on the couch reading.
Instead of replying, he mumbles something darkly before burying his nose in the book (not literally, of course). I pause to glance at the title…
Robert's Rules of Order? [2]
I open my mouth to ask him what that is, but he lowers the book long enough to glare at me (perhaps glare is a bit of an understatement… his eyes are promising me death should I say anything) before going back to reading. Or trying to set the book on fire by glaring at it, I don't really know.
Since Otogi-kun is oh-so-courteously ignoring me, I wander into the kitchen where Honda-kun is bent over some paperwork. I don't know if it's his or Otogi-kun's, but I decide not to ask in fear that Otogi-kun will hear me and launch a screaming fit again. The display this morning was enough or a reminder of what I witnessed in college and high school, and I have no desire to see it again for another eight years.
"What's with the book?" I finally ask. I wince as I hear a loud 'humph!' from the living room, but Honda-kun just snickers.
"Just a book," he replies lightly before handing me a little slip of paper. "You got a phone call."
"Dare ka? [3]"
"Kaiba."
Translations and Notes:
[1] Good morning
[2] *coughs* Blame this on rayemars-san….
[3] Who is it?
PM: -.-;; Sorry I'm not able to put up the entire chapter. But as mentioned, I just need the time what with the AP. Technically, I only have one AP (last year I had two), but I'm so stressed about it, especially compared to last year. See, at least year I knew I was going to do fairly well… this year I feel very unprepared. So this is just half the chapter, and I'll post up the rest of the chapter next week (hopefully).
Ryuuji: You know, if you had studied over the year…
PM: Urusei.
Ryuuji: *smirk*
PM *scowls angrily*: Anyhow, like I said… sorry about the shorter chapter. But it's still four pages… *innocent grin* Just not very long by my usual standards, but I felt like that was a decent place to cut off and give me some time to study. *bows* Very sorry.
Pikachumaniac
