Chapter Eight: Anything But Ordinary
~~Ryou's POV~~
My Yami scares me. I admit this because it is terribly, horribly true. He scared me when he was evil, he scared me when he saved me in Battle City, and now here he was, making out with Joey's ex-girlfriend in the lobby of a movie theater. And guess what? That scared me.
"What are you doing?" I half-shrieked, retrieving the popcorn bucket. I made no move to go get it refilled.
"I...we...uh...she started it!" Yami accused, pointing at Mai.
"What? It was all /your/ idea!"
"As I recall, /you/ jumped on /me/."
I waved my hands to get them to notice me. "Hey, I don't care who started it, because I know who started it. Yami, you brainwashed her, didn't you?"
I expected him to yell at me. He didn't. He just crossed his arms and smirked at me. "You think I can't get a girl without magic?"
I nodded, then realized my mistake. He would probably hurt me tonight as punishment. Although he had been really nice lately...
Mai stepped in before we could draw anyone else's attention. "Ryou, it's not his fault. It's mine. Really."
"You're saying that because he brainwashed you to say that."
Yami rolled his eyes. "My dear hikari, you need to get a life. And popcorn."
"Not until you let her go! You really hurt Joey!"
"But he hasn't brainwashed me."
"Oh, that cheater deserved it!"
Luckily for all of us, he chose that moment to disappear, presumably back into the Ring. I bit back an angered yell, and Mai stumbled, as she had chosen that precise moment to lean against him. We were left staring at each other.
"Magic," she said finally.
"Uh-huh. Magic."
She stared at the Ring, which was glowing faintly. "Wow. Magic."
**Sometimes I get so weird
I even freak myself out
I laugh myself to sleep
It's my lullaby
Sometimes I drive so fast
Just to feel the danger
I want to scream
It makes me feel alive**
I took the empty bucket to the counter, and while it was being refilled, I turned to Mai. "Are you serious? He didn't do anything to you? You were with him of your own free will?"
She giggled. "Of course, Ryou." Then she continued her scrutinizing of my Ring. "Did he go...in there?"
"Yes."
"Wow," she repeated, taking the bucket.
We walked back toward the theater. "He'll probably stay in there for a few days," I predicted.
Almost immediately, Yami reappeared. This caused both of us to jump. Mai dropped the popcorn, and all three of us dove to catch it, leaving us in a tangled heap on the ground, the popcorn...well, everywhere.
The bucket ended up on my head. Yami took advantage of my temporary blindness to kiss Mai. I know, because I tilted it up in time to see him pull away. Scary stuff, I tell you.
Sometimes I think I'd be better off without the Ring...just an ordinary, nonmagical kid.
**Is it enough to love?
Is it enough to breathe?
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed
Is it enough to die?
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be anything but ordinary, please**
I tossed the bucket to the side. "Now what?" I asked. "The others are expecting popcorn, and I'm out of money."
"Oh, for Chrissakes," Yami muttered, fumbling in his pockets. He pulled out some yen and threw it at me. "That should be enough, and some to spare."
"Why? Are you bribing me to leave you alone?"
He raised his eyebrows. "Are you accusing me?"
"Yes."
"All right, then it is a bribe. What's it to you?"
I sighed and chose not to answer, returning instead to the counter to buy a new bucket of popcorn. Mai and Yami returned to their previous activities. I chose to ignore them, this time.
"What took ya so long?" Joey whispered when I sat down. I immediately blushed, although it was too dark for him to see me.
"Nothing! Long line." I nodded to myself and pretended to watch the movie, although any enjoyment of it was gone.
Now what was I supposed to do? I knew about Yami and Mai. I couldn't very well tell anyone, because if Joey ever found out, he would probably attempt to hurt my Yami, which is impossible, and I didn't want Joey getting himself in trouble. Maybe I could convince Mai to dump Yami. Or vice versa. No, Yami would stay with her just to spite me. A car exploded on the screen, but I barely noticed, quite busy worrying.
We left the theater, and I looked around wildly for Yami and Mai. Both had vanished; the only people in the lobby were those who had been watching the movie with us, and a teenager sweeping up the popcorn.
"Ryou, are you all right?"
I jumped about three feet and blushed, staring at Yugi with the most innocent expression I could muster. "What? Yes. Fine."
"Where's Mai?" Tea asked, looking back into the theater.
"Good question," Yugi's Yami said. He looked at me, and I blushed again. "Where is the spirit of the Ring?"
I laughed. "Funny story. He...um...decided that he didn't...like the movie...so he went home. And that's where I should go. Before he...um...burns down the house. Bye!"
For some reason, I think they suspected that I was lying.
**To walk within the lines
Would make my life so boring
I want to know that I have been
To the extreme
So knock me off my feet
Come on now, give it to me
Anything to make me feel alive**
There wasn't any sign of Yami when I got home. I was horrified at the mere thought that he was still with Mai, deceiving her into believing that he cared. Then I found him, lying under the bed and watching several ants dragging cookie crumbs around.
"What are you doing?" I asked, sitting down on the floor and ducking my head to peer at him.
"Thinkin' about stuff," he replied absently. "Right now I'm thinking, this is no longer the quietest place in the house." He stood up, having made himself translucent, and flopped onto the bed, solid again. "You'd think the basement would be quiet, but actually, the washing machine is very loud."
"You're avoiding the issue!"
"I wasn't aware there /was/ an issue."
Before I could safely modify my words, I yelled, "You're in love with Mai! That's an issue!"
He blinked at me. "Why yes, I think those were the words I was looking for. I love her. Can't imagine why I didn't think of that sooner."
No, no, no. This was all wrong! Yami was...a spirit. An Egyptian spirit with a semi-physical body. He simply wasn't allowed to fall in love!
He rolled his eyes. "I know what you're thinking. Millennium Eye, remember?"
"Then stay out of my head!" I shrieked. Upon realizing that I had degenerated into shrieks, I quickly composed myself. "Please, Yami...stay away from real girls. Go find some...spirit girl. Please."
Even though I knew he was probably still tuned to my mind, I couldn't stop the thought. --Because you're just too cruel and dangerous for real people. Any real people. Me included.--
**Is it enough to love?
Is it enough to breathe?
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed
Is it enough to die?
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be anything but ordinary, please
I'd rather be anything but ordinary, please**
As soon as I had processed that thought, I tried to take it back. Unfortunately, despite my complaints to the contrary, I'm more or less an ordinary kid. I don't have magic powers. I can't turn back time.
Yami gave me the malicious smirk I hadn't seen in awhile. "I'm going to go play with Atenna," he told me darkly. "If Mai calls, please refrain from speaking to her."
I could tell, even without using the Ring, that I'd hurt his feelings. But...seriously! Even if he had...feelings...for Mai, there was no possibility she liked him that way!
I tried to delude myself into believing myself. Wasn't happening. I rummaged through my extra Duel Monsters cards and found the Time Wizard (which, incidentally, Yami gave me for my last birthday). Sadly, it didn't work in real life. I wanted to go back a thousand, a million years and stop...something. Anything to make life simple again!
**Let down your defenses
Use no common sense
If you look you will see that this world is a
Beautiful, accident, turbulent, succulent, opulent, permanent
No way
I wanna taste it
Don't wanna waste it away**
We all went out for lunch the next day. Joey seemed to be recovering, with help from Tea, Yugi, and Tristan. He refused to speak to Mai. She was still pretending nothing had ever happened. Yami sat at a separate table, muttering darkly to Atenna. I just kept feeling worse and worse about...life in general, I guess.
Yugi was excited about the new tournament being hosted in Battle City. "It's only two months away!" he said. "And /this/ time, maybe we can have some normal games - you know, like the ones before I solved the Puzzle! No offense, Yami," he added.
The former pharaoh smiled at his light. "None taken. I know why you want to play normally. Perhaps I will partake in this tournament..."
So we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through the park, trying to come up with an alias for Yami Yugi. It was interesting, I suppose. I kept my eyes and ears on Yami and Mai. They walked together, not touching, only speaking occasionally, too quietly for me to hear.
Great. Now I was reduced to eavesdropping.
**Sometimes I get so weird
I even freak myself out
I laugh myself to sleep
It's my lullaby**
A few weeks passed. Yami didn't speak to me. He generally just played with Atenna. She scratched me whenever I got near her. Gradually, Mai stopped talking with us, although I got calls from her every night, wanting to speak to Yami.
I kinda missed him.
We prepared for the tournament, even though it was still more than a month away. Yugi's Yami started having strange dreams, of his past life. He actually started to remember things. I wanted to ask my Yami if he was having dreams too, but I was too scared. He was obviously upset with me.
Without him, life seemed almost normal. I hated it.
I was just so used to the magic. It wasn't weird anymore that Yami looked almost exactly like me. That life was normal to me. Maybe everyone else would think I had a very weird existence, but I'd been with Yami so long, being alone was more than I could stand. We are, after all, two halves of a whole.
I wondered if he was missing me, too. Probably not, or else he would have broken the silence between us.
Right?
No matter how much fun I had with my friends, swapping cards, building our decks, it wasn't enough. Being ordinary just wasn't enough.
But I couldn't think of a way to make things right.
**Is it enough, is it enough
Is it enough to breathe?
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed
Is it enough to die?
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be anything but ordinary, please
Is it enough?
Is it enough to die?
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be anything but ordinary, please
Oh, I'd rather be anything but ordinary, please**
~~Ryou's POV~~
My Yami scares me. I admit this because it is terribly, horribly true. He scared me when he was evil, he scared me when he saved me in Battle City, and now here he was, making out with Joey's ex-girlfriend in the lobby of a movie theater. And guess what? That scared me.
"What are you doing?" I half-shrieked, retrieving the popcorn bucket. I made no move to go get it refilled.
"I...we...uh...she started it!" Yami accused, pointing at Mai.
"What? It was all /your/ idea!"
"As I recall, /you/ jumped on /me/."
I waved my hands to get them to notice me. "Hey, I don't care who started it, because I know who started it. Yami, you brainwashed her, didn't you?"
I expected him to yell at me. He didn't. He just crossed his arms and smirked at me. "You think I can't get a girl without magic?"
I nodded, then realized my mistake. He would probably hurt me tonight as punishment. Although he had been really nice lately...
Mai stepped in before we could draw anyone else's attention. "Ryou, it's not his fault. It's mine. Really."
"You're saying that because he brainwashed you to say that."
Yami rolled his eyes. "My dear hikari, you need to get a life. And popcorn."
"Not until you let her go! You really hurt Joey!"
"But he hasn't brainwashed me."
"Oh, that cheater deserved it!"
Luckily for all of us, he chose that moment to disappear, presumably back into the Ring. I bit back an angered yell, and Mai stumbled, as she had chosen that precise moment to lean against him. We were left staring at each other.
"Magic," she said finally.
"Uh-huh. Magic."
She stared at the Ring, which was glowing faintly. "Wow. Magic."
**Sometimes I get so weird
I even freak myself out
I laugh myself to sleep
It's my lullaby
Sometimes I drive so fast
Just to feel the danger
I want to scream
It makes me feel alive**
I took the empty bucket to the counter, and while it was being refilled, I turned to Mai. "Are you serious? He didn't do anything to you? You were with him of your own free will?"
She giggled. "Of course, Ryou." Then she continued her scrutinizing of my Ring. "Did he go...in there?"
"Yes."
"Wow," she repeated, taking the bucket.
We walked back toward the theater. "He'll probably stay in there for a few days," I predicted.
Almost immediately, Yami reappeared. This caused both of us to jump. Mai dropped the popcorn, and all three of us dove to catch it, leaving us in a tangled heap on the ground, the popcorn...well, everywhere.
The bucket ended up on my head. Yami took advantage of my temporary blindness to kiss Mai. I know, because I tilted it up in time to see him pull away. Scary stuff, I tell you.
Sometimes I think I'd be better off without the Ring...just an ordinary, nonmagical kid.
**Is it enough to love?
Is it enough to breathe?
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed
Is it enough to die?
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be anything but ordinary, please**
I tossed the bucket to the side. "Now what?" I asked. "The others are expecting popcorn, and I'm out of money."
"Oh, for Chrissakes," Yami muttered, fumbling in his pockets. He pulled out some yen and threw it at me. "That should be enough, and some to spare."
"Why? Are you bribing me to leave you alone?"
He raised his eyebrows. "Are you accusing me?"
"Yes."
"All right, then it is a bribe. What's it to you?"
I sighed and chose not to answer, returning instead to the counter to buy a new bucket of popcorn. Mai and Yami returned to their previous activities. I chose to ignore them, this time.
"What took ya so long?" Joey whispered when I sat down. I immediately blushed, although it was too dark for him to see me.
"Nothing! Long line." I nodded to myself and pretended to watch the movie, although any enjoyment of it was gone.
Now what was I supposed to do? I knew about Yami and Mai. I couldn't very well tell anyone, because if Joey ever found out, he would probably attempt to hurt my Yami, which is impossible, and I didn't want Joey getting himself in trouble. Maybe I could convince Mai to dump Yami. Or vice versa. No, Yami would stay with her just to spite me. A car exploded on the screen, but I barely noticed, quite busy worrying.
We left the theater, and I looked around wildly for Yami and Mai. Both had vanished; the only people in the lobby were those who had been watching the movie with us, and a teenager sweeping up the popcorn.
"Ryou, are you all right?"
I jumped about three feet and blushed, staring at Yugi with the most innocent expression I could muster. "What? Yes. Fine."
"Where's Mai?" Tea asked, looking back into the theater.
"Good question," Yugi's Yami said. He looked at me, and I blushed again. "Where is the spirit of the Ring?"
I laughed. "Funny story. He...um...decided that he didn't...like the movie...so he went home. And that's where I should go. Before he...um...burns down the house. Bye!"
For some reason, I think they suspected that I was lying.
**To walk within the lines
Would make my life so boring
I want to know that I have been
To the extreme
So knock me off my feet
Come on now, give it to me
Anything to make me feel alive**
There wasn't any sign of Yami when I got home. I was horrified at the mere thought that he was still with Mai, deceiving her into believing that he cared. Then I found him, lying under the bed and watching several ants dragging cookie crumbs around.
"What are you doing?" I asked, sitting down on the floor and ducking my head to peer at him.
"Thinkin' about stuff," he replied absently. "Right now I'm thinking, this is no longer the quietest place in the house." He stood up, having made himself translucent, and flopped onto the bed, solid again. "You'd think the basement would be quiet, but actually, the washing machine is very loud."
"You're avoiding the issue!"
"I wasn't aware there /was/ an issue."
Before I could safely modify my words, I yelled, "You're in love with Mai! That's an issue!"
He blinked at me. "Why yes, I think those were the words I was looking for. I love her. Can't imagine why I didn't think of that sooner."
No, no, no. This was all wrong! Yami was...a spirit. An Egyptian spirit with a semi-physical body. He simply wasn't allowed to fall in love!
He rolled his eyes. "I know what you're thinking. Millennium Eye, remember?"
"Then stay out of my head!" I shrieked. Upon realizing that I had degenerated into shrieks, I quickly composed myself. "Please, Yami...stay away from real girls. Go find some...spirit girl. Please."
Even though I knew he was probably still tuned to my mind, I couldn't stop the thought. --Because you're just too cruel and dangerous for real people. Any real people. Me included.--
**Is it enough to love?
Is it enough to breathe?
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed
Is it enough to die?
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be anything but ordinary, please
I'd rather be anything but ordinary, please**
As soon as I had processed that thought, I tried to take it back. Unfortunately, despite my complaints to the contrary, I'm more or less an ordinary kid. I don't have magic powers. I can't turn back time.
Yami gave me the malicious smirk I hadn't seen in awhile. "I'm going to go play with Atenna," he told me darkly. "If Mai calls, please refrain from speaking to her."
I could tell, even without using the Ring, that I'd hurt his feelings. But...seriously! Even if he had...feelings...for Mai, there was no possibility she liked him that way!
I tried to delude myself into believing myself. Wasn't happening. I rummaged through my extra Duel Monsters cards and found the Time Wizard (which, incidentally, Yami gave me for my last birthday). Sadly, it didn't work in real life. I wanted to go back a thousand, a million years and stop...something. Anything to make life simple again!
**Let down your defenses
Use no common sense
If you look you will see that this world is a
Beautiful, accident, turbulent, succulent, opulent, permanent
No way
I wanna taste it
Don't wanna waste it away**
We all went out for lunch the next day. Joey seemed to be recovering, with help from Tea, Yugi, and Tristan. He refused to speak to Mai. She was still pretending nothing had ever happened. Yami sat at a separate table, muttering darkly to Atenna. I just kept feeling worse and worse about...life in general, I guess.
Yugi was excited about the new tournament being hosted in Battle City. "It's only two months away!" he said. "And /this/ time, maybe we can have some normal games - you know, like the ones before I solved the Puzzle! No offense, Yami," he added.
The former pharaoh smiled at his light. "None taken. I know why you want to play normally. Perhaps I will partake in this tournament..."
So we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through the park, trying to come up with an alias for Yami Yugi. It was interesting, I suppose. I kept my eyes and ears on Yami and Mai. They walked together, not touching, only speaking occasionally, too quietly for me to hear.
Great. Now I was reduced to eavesdropping.
**Sometimes I get so weird
I even freak myself out
I laugh myself to sleep
It's my lullaby**
A few weeks passed. Yami didn't speak to me. He generally just played with Atenna. She scratched me whenever I got near her. Gradually, Mai stopped talking with us, although I got calls from her every night, wanting to speak to Yami.
I kinda missed him.
We prepared for the tournament, even though it was still more than a month away. Yugi's Yami started having strange dreams, of his past life. He actually started to remember things. I wanted to ask my Yami if he was having dreams too, but I was too scared. He was obviously upset with me.
Without him, life seemed almost normal. I hated it.
I was just so used to the magic. It wasn't weird anymore that Yami looked almost exactly like me. That life was normal to me. Maybe everyone else would think I had a very weird existence, but I'd been with Yami so long, being alone was more than I could stand. We are, after all, two halves of a whole.
I wondered if he was missing me, too. Probably not, or else he would have broken the silence between us.
Right?
No matter how much fun I had with my friends, swapping cards, building our decks, it wasn't enough. Being ordinary just wasn't enough.
But I couldn't think of a way to make things right.
**Is it enough, is it enough
Is it enough to breathe?
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed
Is it enough to die?
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be anything but ordinary, please
Is it enough?
Is it enough to die?
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be anything but ordinary, please
Oh, I'd rather be anything but ordinary, please**