A/N: I just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who's reviewed
so far. Love you all! Also, I've decided, because I am horrifically bored,
to write a sequel when this is over. So, any interest in that? But that's
in the future, this is now, and I bring you the tenth chapter of "Let Go."
Chapter Ten: My World
~~Bakura's POV~~
**Please tell me what is taking place
'Cause I can't seem to find a trace
Guess it must have got erased somehow
Prob'ly 'cause I always forget
Every time someone tells me their name
It's always gotta be the same
In my world**
I woke up with a monstrous headache.
No, not monstrous. It was worse than that. It was Sphinx-sized, and vaguely the shape of a cup of coffee.
"Ryou," I squawked, as loudly as I could manage. He appeared almost immediately in the bedroom door, looking rather concerned.
"Oh, good," he said. "You're alive, after all. Tell me, how did you like coffee?"
"I need...alcohol." I sat up, then flopped back down and pressed my hands over my eyes. "You see, alcohol doesn't give me hangovers. Apparently, this new-fangled invention of EVIL does."
Ryou left and returned moments later with a glass of water and some aspirin. "Mai stayed all night," he said. "She had to go to work this morning." He forced me to sit up by whacking me until I got up just to hit back, and then shoved the glass into my hand and took a quick step back. "You'll be happy - Yami Yugi's faring worse than you. He's been babbling all day about water from the sky. I thought he was used to rain..."
I took some of the aspirin, which didn't work right away. "Please tell me I didn't make too much of an idiot of myself..."
"Oh, not at all," he said blandly. "You bonded with Yami Yugi, which was a nice change from the murder attempts. Then you begged for opium. When we couldn't provide it, we had to lock you in the attic until you passed out, then dragged you to bed." The concern and amusement vanished, replaced by something that seemed almost...wistful? "It's the most I've talked to you in ages, trying to convince you that I seriously don't have any drugs..."
"I'm mad at you," I informed him.
"Why?" he half-shrieked.
"You thought some unfair things." I carefully set the now half-empty glass of water on the nightstand and got up, wincing as I did so. "You seem incapable of understanding love. You seem incapable of seeing me as a human being. And maybe I'm not - maybe I'm only a spirit in a physical body. But I was human once, you know. And you never treat me like one."
Ryou followed me like a little lost puppy as I made my way down the stairs and into the kitchen to feed Atenna. I glanced at the clock. "You realize, it's four in the afternoon. We're meeting the others at five, if my memory hasn't failed me completely."
He sounded cheerful again. "Are you going to drink coffee?"
"Isis, hear my plea," I muttered fervently.
"Malik's sister?"
"No, the goddess, you un-Egyptian freak who doesn't know anything about religion!"
"Ouch! Dammit, Atenna!" I glanced around in time to see my cat streak past him, pausing only to scratch him rather deeply.
"Good girl," I said absently. "Wrong person, though..."
"I can't believe you're training a cat to be an assassin!" Ryou collapsed into a chair. "Antibiotics?"
I reached for the emergency kit. We kept one in every room, now. Atenna seemed incapable of recognizing proper targets.
**Never wore a coverup
Always beat the boys up
Grew up in a 5,000 population town
Made my money by cutting grass
Got fired by a fried chicken ass
All in a small town - Napanee**
By the time we arrived at the coffee-house, the others were there. Resigned to my fate to be violently murdered by Joey, I slid into the seat next to Mai, hoping that I'd live long enough to write a will. Joey definitely didn't look happy, and tried to ignore me.
I kissed Mai - on the cheek, because whatever else I might be, I'm not /stupid/ - and helped myself to a spoonful of her ice cream. "You ordered without me."
"You're late."
"I had a hangover."
"I noticed." She glanced over at Joey, who was busily engaged in a conversation with Yugi and Tea, and leaned closer to me. "He's promised not to kill you."
"He could maim me."
"Joey is /not/ like that."
I kissed her again. "Well, that's what I'd do, were the situation reversed."
"Please don't. I thought you'd changed."
I stole more ice cream. You see, sugar is Good. Coffee is Evil. It is a simple statement of fact. "I have. But not that much."
"Are you still mad at Ryou?"
"I think so, yes."
Our talk continued, and eventually, because we were young (relatively speaking), forgetful (especially in my case), and downright stupid (in /some/ matters), we started kissing again. Completely forgetting the jealous ex. Well, I did. Not sure if she did. Maybe she /wanted/ to make him more jealous. Girls are weird like that.
All I heard was a muffled yelp from Ryou, and then someone yanked on my hair - /hard/. People just shouldn't /do/ that. I didn't scream - I'm not a /girl/ - but I did squeak and jump up and stomp on my captor's foot.
"Ooh, like that hurt," Joey said as I whirled to face him. I was vaguely away that Mai was standing behind me, and Tea, Yugi, the pharaoh, and even Tristan were yelling for us not to make a scene.
Too bad. I really don't like having people pull my hair.
"You bloody /girl/!" I yelled. "You don't pull hair! And she's /my/ girlfriend, and you are so possessive!"
"You could have a little respect!" he shouted back. "For my feelings! You know, those things, that normal people feel! But you can't! Because you're an emotionless /git/!"
You know, I don't think anybody had ever called me a git before.
"Wow, I'm shocked you know language like that," I sneered. "Emotion isn't all it's cracked up to be! And I can kiss whomever I please!"
"Sit /down/!" Mai shrieked.
I did. Didn't have much choice, because that /cretin/ punched me in the mouth and knocked me down.
**You know, I always stay up without sleeping
And think to myself
Where do I belong forever?
In whose arms, the time and place**
I scrambled back to my feet, fists clenched, dark eyes blazing. "That was uncalled for." Blood dripped from a cut on my lip, and one tooth felt slightly loose.
"You are a rat!" Joey hissed. I spent a moment in a daze, possibly from loss of blood, wondering how much he /did/ love her, to act like this. Then I snapped out of it.
"What, for going out with a perfectly eligible girl?"
"You - you were with her practically on the day we broke up!"
"Actually," I said, "it /was/ on the day you two broke up."
"You /idiot/," Mai said from somewhere to my left.
This time, I ducked the blow, twisted, and threw Joey over my hip. He crashed into a chair. The manager of the coffee house seemed to be adding up fees in his head, though I'm sure he was enjoying the entertainment. The other customers, well, those who hadn't fled, were huddled in their seats, watching with wide eyes. The two employees, one working the cash register and one mopping the floor in a corner, stopped to watch. While I waited for Joey to get back up - I'm not /dishonorable/, after all - I also tried to figure out money matters. Like, if we actually /broke/ something, how much would it cost? Or would the manager simply make us work for him?
Joey staggered to his feet, wincing, then charged at me. I tried to sidestep him, which always works in the stupid /movies/, and he managed to grab a handful of hair again. I tried to hit him, but I was in a very bad position, and it didn't help that all those idiot /friends/ of ours could do was sit back and yell feebly for us to stop.
Upon discovering that my scalp hurt and I couldn't just wriggle to freedom, I tried another strategy - I simply went limp, as if I'd fainted from pain or fear. Usually, I hate that strategy.
Usually, it doesn't even work.
This time it did.
**Can't help it if I space in a daze
My eyes tune out the other way
I may switch off and go in a daydream
In this head my thoughts are deep
Sometimes I can't even speak
Would someone be and not pretend
I'm off again in my world**
I slipped my mind into a special meditation place, closed my eyes, and did my best to not end up bruised. Joey, realizing that I wasn't fighting, let go and stepped back. Someone, I'm not sure who, said something /very/ nasty.
Which was exactly how I felt about the brat.
I sprang up and swung one leg around in an effort to throw him to the ground. It almost worked, but I'd forgotten that Joey has /practice/ bullying people, whereas I just use my knowledge of vicious taunts and Duel Monsters.
Anyway, he didn't fall, but wobbled, and I pinned his arm temporarily behind his back. "You are overreacting!" I said, as calmly as I could possibly manage. "Gods, why can't you get over yourself?"
Somewhere nearby - I wasn't exactly sure of our position now - Mai said dreamily, "I can't decide whether it's stupid or romantic."
"Go for romantic," Tea replied. "It makes cleaning up the blood later seem less annoying."
Joey twisted, got out of my grip, and shoved me backwards. My head cracked against glass. Somehow, we'd reached the door. The bar dug painfully into my back, and I was suddenly quite dizzy. I could taste blood from my split lip, and it didn't help that, in an underhanded move that no girl I know would use, Joey kneed me in the stomach.
How shall I put it? Coffee suddenly seemed Good.
I doubled over, gasping for breath and unsure of how, exactly, I was supposed to respond to that. Eventually, since my vision was blurry and I'm not really that good at fighting anyway, I decided to surrender. Maybe a win would make that - that /barbarian/ - feel slightly less murderous.
"I concede..."
I coughed and discovered that the "slightly loose tooth" was about ready to fall out.
Welcome to my world.
**I never spend less than an hour
Washing my hair in the shower
It always takes five hours to make it straight
So I'll braid it in a zillion braids
Though it may take all friggin' day
There's nothing else better to do, anyway**
The manager, in a show of good sportsmanship, merely asked for fifty dollars, to repay him for a chair we'd broken and for the time we'd taken from his work. Luckily, there wasn't much blood, and someone - I'm not sure who - cleaned it up quickly, before it could dry.
In fact, I'm not sure who paid the money. I just remember that it was difficult to see, my head ached again, and I really hate losing.
It was the second time in less than twenty-four hours that Mai and Ryou had to support me on the way home.
"You're just lucky that the manager is a friend of mine," Ryou told me. "Any normal person would've called the police. That was...that was a /tavern brawl/. How could you do something like that?"
I coughed again. "How far is home?"
"Two blocks," Mai replied. "You're bleeding..."
I chose not to respond to that, but let them lead me into the living room. I collapsed on the couch, suddenly glad that Mai couldn't read minds.
It wasn't worth it.
He obviously felt something for her, probably love. And what I felt was probably more akin to lust. I mean, I /am/ a spirit, and could potentially be classified as evil, and what does an evil spirit know about love?
I'd had my chance, in Egypt. And I'd been lucky. But Joey wouldn't get a second chance at life, would he?
Not to mention that if he tried that every time I saw him, I'd be crippled in short order.
So, what was I supposed to do? Break up with her? It seemed so...cruel...
**When you're all alone in the lands of forever
Lay under the Milky Way
On and on, it's getting too late out
I'm not in love, this time, this night**
Mai tended to my battle scars, and I fell asleep, suddenly terribly worried. If I /did/ intend to let Joey have her, I couldn't just break up with her. She had to fall for him first.
Damn. Matchmaking.
I required...help.
I woke at midnight. Mai had gone home - I vaguely remembered hearing her leave a few hours before - and I dragged myself up the stairs toward Ryou's room.
At the top, I was forced to sit down and assess my injuries. Stabbing pain in my head. Tooth digging into my gums. My left side felt like a gigantic bruise - and, lifting my shirt, I saw that it was.
Well, I certainly wasn't moving. "Atenna!" I yelled. After a minute, she wandered lazily out of my room and blinked up at me. I absently patted her head. "Go wake Ryou. Don't kill him." She continued to stare up at me. "Oh, right. You don't know that command. Atenna...bite Ryou!"
She ran off. Ryou slept with his door open, not a wise move with Atenna in the house. The scream was almost instantaneous. A few minutes passed before the cat could get Ryou to understand what she wanted, and he stumbled out of the room.
"Oh, Yami, you're awake. This /creature/ bit my nose." He grabbed a towel out of the linen closet and pressed it to his face before coming to sit next to me.
I'm not one for subtlety. "Mai's gone, right?"
"Yes. What's wrong?" Pretty much all I could see of his expression were his eyes, glittering with worry. Part of the low visibility was the towel. The other part was simple lack of light. The moon was half-full, the sky cloudless, and silver light spilled into the hallway from the windows in Ryou's room, my own, and the one at the end of the corridor.
"I..." I bit my lip. "I think...Joey should be with her."
He stared at me. "You're kidding."
"Since when do I 'kid'?" I rested my head against the wall, feeling suddenly very tired, even though I'd slept very late the night before, and had a six-hour nap just a little while ago. "I'm serious. I'm not even a real person. She deserves better."
He wasn't looking at me anymore, but simply gaze into space, thinking about something. The Eye was somewhere in my dresser, but I've always been able to see a bit of his thoughts. I think it's the Ring's power.
He was thinking about love.
**Can't help it if I space in a daze
My eyes tune out the other way
I may switch off and go in a daydream
In this head my thoughts are deep
Sometimes I can't even speak
Would someone be and not pretend
I'm off again in my world**
"I'm not in love with her," I told Ryou firmly. "I know you think I am - "
"You are." His eyes snapped back to mine and he nodded deliberately. "That's what love is - giving someone the chance not to love you back. Doing what's best for the one you love."
I stared down at my hands. One of my nails had broken, but I wasn't thinking about that.
"I'm not doing it for her. I'm doing it for Joey. He loves her."
Ryou nodded sagely. "Yes, that's a different kind of love. That's friendship. I think Mai's right. She changed you."
I glared at him. "Joey is not my friend. And I'm still mad at you."
He glared back. "You're just being difficult. Why can't you accept the fact that you love us - all of us?"
I sighed and shifted my weight, which made my side ache. "Because I still don't know what love /is/."
Ryou yawned. "Well, I already told you everything /I/ know. Keep your cat away from me. 'Night, Yami."
"Mmph," I mumbled. Atenna purred and rubbed against my arm. I drew her into my lap, then decided not to attempt the journey to my bedroom.
No...I was exhausted, but it was a different kind of sleepiness.
**Take some time
Mellow out
Party it up
But don't fall down
Don't get caught
Sneak out of the house**
I slipped out of the house and into the cool air. It was mid-August, and usually quite warm at night, but even so, I shivered.
I wasn't sure where I was going, but perhaps it's no surprise that I ended up at the river in the park. They were rebuilding the bridge Mai and I had accidentally broken. I sat down on a pile of planks that the workers had left out for the night.
I gazed down at the water, lapping quietly at the banks, gleaming in the moonlight. This was where it had started. This was where I would decide whether it had to end.
I'd forgotten to ask Ryou if he would help me to match them up.
I buried my face in my hands. What was /happening/ to me? I'm a tomb robber! Even if I didn't remember, I'm sure I'd killed people. I was a thief. Evil by nature. It wasn't that long ago that I'd wanted to rule the world.
And then...them. The pharaoh, Mai, Ryou. They'd stepped into my life and everything had changed, and it kept getting worse, and now I was going to set people up. That was ridiculous!
"I hate this world," I moaned.
"It certainly is a downer sometimes, isn't it."
I jerked my head up, too fast, and winced as my neck cracked. "Gods, what in the name of Set are you /doing/ here? It's two in the morning!" I cried.
The pharaoh stared at me, his eyes, as always, unreadable. "Ryou called. You snuck out. He couldn't locate you, even with the Ring. So I did."
I glared at the unoffending river. "This day just keeps getting better and better."
"This day is only two hours old."
"Shut up!"
**Can't help it if I space in a daze
My eyes tune out the other way
I may switch off and go in a daydream
In this head my thoughts are deep
Sometimes I can't even speak
Would someone be and not pretend
I'm off again in my world**
The pharaoh eventually sat down, cross-legged, on a rock. He didn't stop looking at me. I resolutely gazed at the river, until finally I couldn't stand it anymore. "Why don't you go tell Ryou where I am? I'd rather talk to him."
"He told us."
I groaned inwardly. So now the pharaoh knew what was happening with Mai and me. "Joy."
"I think...it's a...very nice thing to do." I almost smirked. He was obviously struggling with the mere idea that I wasn't the spawn of demons.
"I haven't decided to do it yet."
Silence descended again. Strangely, this felt...right. To not argue. To not fight.
Finally, the pharaoh spoke. "If you love her, don't let her go."
"But Joey - "
"He'll get over it. Trust me. I know him a great deal better than you do."
We sat there for the remainder of the night. I was deep in thought. I don't know what Yami did, but I'm fairly certain he just stared at me. Or maybe fell asleep with his eyes open.
As dawn began to stain the sky lavender, I got up, wincing at the stiffness in my legs, and walked off, numbness giving me a half-limp. The pharaoh soon followed, though I ignored him until he ran to catch up.
"Do you know what you'll do?"
I bit my lip, which irritated my tooth. "Well, first I'm going to pull this tooth if it kills me. Then, assuming I live, I'm..." I shook my head, furious that my eyes threatened to tear up. "I'm going to get Ryou and Yugi to help me make Mai fall in love with Joey again."
He regarded me, something finally showing in his usually emotionless eyes. I couldn't recognize it. Shock? Happiness?
Pride?
"If that's what you want..."
That was the problem. I didn't want it.
But I had to do it.
Being a good guy really sucks, doesn't it?
**Can't help it if I space in a daze
My eyes tune out the other way
I may switch off and go in a daydream
In this head my thoughts are deep
Sometimes I can't even speak
Would someone be and not pretend
I'm off again in my world**
Chapter Ten: My World
~~Bakura's POV~~
**Please tell me what is taking place
'Cause I can't seem to find a trace
Guess it must have got erased somehow
Prob'ly 'cause I always forget
Every time someone tells me their name
It's always gotta be the same
In my world**
I woke up with a monstrous headache.
No, not monstrous. It was worse than that. It was Sphinx-sized, and vaguely the shape of a cup of coffee.
"Ryou," I squawked, as loudly as I could manage. He appeared almost immediately in the bedroom door, looking rather concerned.
"Oh, good," he said. "You're alive, after all. Tell me, how did you like coffee?"
"I need...alcohol." I sat up, then flopped back down and pressed my hands over my eyes. "You see, alcohol doesn't give me hangovers. Apparently, this new-fangled invention of EVIL does."
Ryou left and returned moments later with a glass of water and some aspirin. "Mai stayed all night," he said. "She had to go to work this morning." He forced me to sit up by whacking me until I got up just to hit back, and then shoved the glass into my hand and took a quick step back. "You'll be happy - Yami Yugi's faring worse than you. He's been babbling all day about water from the sky. I thought he was used to rain..."
I took some of the aspirin, which didn't work right away. "Please tell me I didn't make too much of an idiot of myself..."
"Oh, not at all," he said blandly. "You bonded with Yami Yugi, which was a nice change from the murder attempts. Then you begged for opium. When we couldn't provide it, we had to lock you in the attic until you passed out, then dragged you to bed." The concern and amusement vanished, replaced by something that seemed almost...wistful? "It's the most I've talked to you in ages, trying to convince you that I seriously don't have any drugs..."
"I'm mad at you," I informed him.
"Why?" he half-shrieked.
"You thought some unfair things." I carefully set the now half-empty glass of water on the nightstand and got up, wincing as I did so. "You seem incapable of understanding love. You seem incapable of seeing me as a human being. And maybe I'm not - maybe I'm only a spirit in a physical body. But I was human once, you know. And you never treat me like one."
Ryou followed me like a little lost puppy as I made my way down the stairs and into the kitchen to feed Atenna. I glanced at the clock. "You realize, it's four in the afternoon. We're meeting the others at five, if my memory hasn't failed me completely."
He sounded cheerful again. "Are you going to drink coffee?"
"Isis, hear my plea," I muttered fervently.
"Malik's sister?"
"No, the goddess, you un-Egyptian freak who doesn't know anything about religion!"
"Ouch! Dammit, Atenna!" I glanced around in time to see my cat streak past him, pausing only to scratch him rather deeply.
"Good girl," I said absently. "Wrong person, though..."
"I can't believe you're training a cat to be an assassin!" Ryou collapsed into a chair. "Antibiotics?"
I reached for the emergency kit. We kept one in every room, now. Atenna seemed incapable of recognizing proper targets.
**Never wore a coverup
Always beat the boys up
Grew up in a 5,000 population town
Made my money by cutting grass
Got fired by a fried chicken ass
All in a small town - Napanee**
By the time we arrived at the coffee-house, the others were there. Resigned to my fate to be violently murdered by Joey, I slid into the seat next to Mai, hoping that I'd live long enough to write a will. Joey definitely didn't look happy, and tried to ignore me.
I kissed Mai - on the cheek, because whatever else I might be, I'm not /stupid/ - and helped myself to a spoonful of her ice cream. "You ordered without me."
"You're late."
"I had a hangover."
"I noticed." She glanced over at Joey, who was busily engaged in a conversation with Yugi and Tea, and leaned closer to me. "He's promised not to kill you."
"He could maim me."
"Joey is /not/ like that."
I kissed her again. "Well, that's what I'd do, were the situation reversed."
"Please don't. I thought you'd changed."
I stole more ice cream. You see, sugar is Good. Coffee is Evil. It is a simple statement of fact. "I have. But not that much."
"Are you still mad at Ryou?"
"I think so, yes."
Our talk continued, and eventually, because we were young (relatively speaking), forgetful (especially in my case), and downright stupid (in /some/ matters), we started kissing again. Completely forgetting the jealous ex. Well, I did. Not sure if she did. Maybe she /wanted/ to make him more jealous. Girls are weird like that.
All I heard was a muffled yelp from Ryou, and then someone yanked on my hair - /hard/. People just shouldn't /do/ that. I didn't scream - I'm not a /girl/ - but I did squeak and jump up and stomp on my captor's foot.
"Ooh, like that hurt," Joey said as I whirled to face him. I was vaguely away that Mai was standing behind me, and Tea, Yugi, the pharaoh, and even Tristan were yelling for us not to make a scene.
Too bad. I really don't like having people pull my hair.
"You bloody /girl/!" I yelled. "You don't pull hair! And she's /my/ girlfriend, and you are so possessive!"
"You could have a little respect!" he shouted back. "For my feelings! You know, those things, that normal people feel! But you can't! Because you're an emotionless /git/!"
You know, I don't think anybody had ever called me a git before.
"Wow, I'm shocked you know language like that," I sneered. "Emotion isn't all it's cracked up to be! And I can kiss whomever I please!"
"Sit /down/!" Mai shrieked.
I did. Didn't have much choice, because that /cretin/ punched me in the mouth and knocked me down.
**You know, I always stay up without sleeping
And think to myself
Where do I belong forever?
In whose arms, the time and place**
I scrambled back to my feet, fists clenched, dark eyes blazing. "That was uncalled for." Blood dripped from a cut on my lip, and one tooth felt slightly loose.
"You are a rat!" Joey hissed. I spent a moment in a daze, possibly from loss of blood, wondering how much he /did/ love her, to act like this. Then I snapped out of it.
"What, for going out with a perfectly eligible girl?"
"You - you were with her practically on the day we broke up!"
"Actually," I said, "it /was/ on the day you two broke up."
"You /idiot/," Mai said from somewhere to my left.
This time, I ducked the blow, twisted, and threw Joey over my hip. He crashed into a chair. The manager of the coffee house seemed to be adding up fees in his head, though I'm sure he was enjoying the entertainment. The other customers, well, those who hadn't fled, were huddled in their seats, watching with wide eyes. The two employees, one working the cash register and one mopping the floor in a corner, stopped to watch. While I waited for Joey to get back up - I'm not /dishonorable/, after all - I also tried to figure out money matters. Like, if we actually /broke/ something, how much would it cost? Or would the manager simply make us work for him?
Joey staggered to his feet, wincing, then charged at me. I tried to sidestep him, which always works in the stupid /movies/, and he managed to grab a handful of hair again. I tried to hit him, but I was in a very bad position, and it didn't help that all those idiot /friends/ of ours could do was sit back and yell feebly for us to stop.
Upon discovering that my scalp hurt and I couldn't just wriggle to freedom, I tried another strategy - I simply went limp, as if I'd fainted from pain or fear. Usually, I hate that strategy.
Usually, it doesn't even work.
This time it did.
**Can't help it if I space in a daze
My eyes tune out the other way
I may switch off and go in a daydream
In this head my thoughts are deep
Sometimes I can't even speak
Would someone be and not pretend
I'm off again in my world**
I slipped my mind into a special meditation place, closed my eyes, and did my best to not end up bruised. Joey, realizing that I wasn't fighting, let go and stepped back. Someone, I'm not sure who, said something /very/ nasty.
Which was exactly how I felt about the brat.
I sprang up and swung one leg around in an effort to throw him to the ground. It almost worked, but I'd forgotten that Joey has /practice/ bullying people, whereas I just use my knowledge of vicious taunts and Duel Monsters.
Anyway, he didn't fall, but wobbled, and I pinned his arm temporarily behind his back. "You are overreacting!" I said, as calmly as I could possibly manage. "Gods, why can't you get over yourself?"
Somewhere nearby - I wasn't exactly sure of our position now - Mai said dreamily, "I can't decide whether it's stupid or romantic."
"Go for romantic," Tea replied. "It makes cleaning up the blood later seem less annoying."
Joey twisted, got out of my grip, and shoved me backwards. My head cracked against glass. Somehow, we'd reached the door. The bar dug painfully into my back, and I was suddenly quite dizzy. I could taste blood from my split lip, and it didn't help that, in an underhanded move that no girl I know would use, Joey kneed me in the stomach.
How shall I put it? Coffee suddenly seemed Good.
I doubled over, gasping for breath and unsure of how, exactly, I was supposed to respond to that. Eventually, since my vision was blurry and I'm not really that good at fighting anyway, I decided to surrender. Maybe a win would make that - that /barbarian/ - feel slightly less murderous.
"I concede..."
I coughed and discovered that the "slightly loose tooth" was about ready to fall out.
Welcome to my world.
**I never spend less than an hour
Washing my hair in the shower
It always takes five hours to make it straight
So I'll braid it in a zillion braids
Though it may take all friggin' day
There's nothing else better to do, anyway**
The manager, in a show of good sportsmanship, merely asked for fifty dollars, to repay him for a chair we'd broken and for the time we'd taken from his work. Luckily, there wasn't much blood, and someone - I'm not sure who - cleaned it up quickly, before it could dry.
In fact, I'm not sure who paid the money. I just remember that it was difficult to see, my head ached again, and I really hate losing.
It was the second time in less than twenty-four hours that Mai and Ryou had to support me on the way home.
"You're just lucky that the manager is a friend of mine," Ryou told me. "Any normal person would've called the police. That was...that was a /tavern brawl/. How could you do something like that?"
I coughed again. "How far is home?"
"Two blocks," Mai replied. "You're bleeding..."
I chose not to respond to that, but let them lead me into the living room. I collapsed on the couch, suddenly glad that Mai couldn't read minds.
It wasn't worth it.
He obviously felt something for her, probably love. And what I felt was probably more akin to lust. I mean, I /am/ a spirit, and could potentially be classified as evil, and what does an evil spirit know about love?
I'd had my chance, in Egypt. And I'd been lucky. But Joey wouldn't get a second chance at life, would he?
Not to mention that if he tried that every time I saw him, I'd be crippled in short order.
So, what was I supposed to do? Break up with her? It seemed so...cruel...
**When you're all alone in the lands of forever
Lay under the Milky Way
On and on, it's getting too late out
I'm not in love, this time, this night**
Mai tended to my battle scars, and I fell asleep, suddenly terribly worried. If I /did/ intend to let Joey have her, I couldn't just break up with her. She had to fall for him first.
Damn. Matchmaking.
I required...help.
I woke at midnight. Mai had gone home - I vaguely remembered hearing her leave a few hours before - and I dragged myself up the stairs toward Ryou's room.
At the top, I was forced to sit down and assess my injuries. Stabbing pain in my head. Tooth digging into my gums. My left side felt like a gigantic bruise - and, lifting my shirt, I saw that it was.
Well, I certainly wasn't moving. "Atenna!" I yelled. After a minute, she wandered lazily out of my room and blinked up at me. I absently patted her head. "Go wake Ryou. Don't kill him." She continued to stare up at me. "Oh, right. You don't know that command. Atenna...bite Ryou!"
She ran off. Ryou slept with his door open, not a wise move with Atenna in the house. The scream was almost instantaneous. A few minutes passed before the cat could get Ryou to understand what she wanted, and he stumbled out of the room.
"Oh, Yami, you're awake. This /creature/ bit my nose." He grabbed a towel out of the linen closet and pressed it to his face before coming to sit next to me.
I'm not one for subtlety. "Mai's gone, right?"
"Yes. What's wrong?" Pretty much all I could see of his expression were his eyes, glittering with worry. Part of the low visibility was the towel. The other part was simple lack of light. The moon was half-full, the sky cloudless, and silver light spilled into the hallway from the windows in Ryou's room, my own, and the one at the end of the corridor.
"I..." I bit my lip. "I think...Joey should be with her."
He stared at me. "You're kidding."
"Since when do I 'kid'?" I rested my head against the wall, feeling suddenly very tired, even though I'd slept very late the night before, and had a six-hour nap just a little while ago. "I'm serious. I'm not even a real person. She deserves better."
He wasn't looking at me anymore, but simply gaze into space, thinking about something. The Eye was somewhere in my dresser, but I've always been able to see a bit of his thoughts. I think it's the Ring's power.
He was thinking about love.
**Can't help it if I space in a daze
My eyes tune out the other way
I may switch off and go in a daydream
In this head my thoughts are deep
Sometimes I can't even speak
Would someone be and not pretend
I'm off again in my world**
"I'm not in love with her," I told Ryou firmly. "I know you think I am - "
"You are." His eyes snapped back to mine and he nodded deliberately. "That's what love is - giving someone the chance not to love you back. Doing what's best for the one you love."
I stared down at my hands. One of my nails had broken, but I wasn't thinking about that.
"I'm not doing it for her. I'm doing it for Joey. He loves her."
Ryou nodded sagely. "Yes, that's a different kind of love. That's friendship. I think Mai's right. She changed you."
I glared at him. "Joey is not my friend. And I'm still mad at you."
He glared back. "You're just being difficult. Why can't you accept the fact that you love us - all of us?"
I sighed and shifted my weight, which made my side ache. "Because I still don't know what love /is/."
Ryou yawned. "Well, I already told you everything /I/ know. Keep your cat away from me. 'Night, Yami."
"Mmph," I mumbled. Atenna purred and rubbed against my arm. I drew her into my lap, then decided not to attempt the journey to my bedroom.
No...I was exhausted, but it was a different kind of sleepiness.
**Take some time
Mellow out
Party it up
But don't fall down
Don't get caught
Sneak out of the house**
I slipped out of the house and into the cool air. It was mid-August, and usually quite warm at night, but even so, I shivered.
I wasn't sure where I was going, but perhaps it's no surprise that I ended up at the river in the park. They were rebuilding the bridge Mai and I had accidentally broken. I sat down on a pile of planks that the workers had left out for the night.
I gazed down at the water, lapping quietly at the banks, gleaming in the moonlight. This was where it had started. This was where I would decide whether it had to end.
I'd forgotten to ask Ryou if he would help me to match them up.
I buried my face in my hands. What was /happening/ to me? I'm a tomb robber! Even if I didn't remember, I'm sure I'd killed people. I was a thief. Evil by nature. It wasn't that long ago that I'd wanted to rule the world.
And then...them. The pharaoh, Mai, Ryou. They'd stepped into my life and everything had changed, and it kept getting worse, and now I was going to set people up. That was ridiculous!
"I hate this world," I moaned.
"It certainly is a downer sometimes, isn't it."
I jerked my head up, too fast, and winced as my neck cracked. "Gods, what in the name of Set are you /doing/ here? It's two in the morning!" I cried.
The pharaoh stared at me, his eyes, as always, unreadable. "Ryou called. You snuck out. He couldn't locate you, even with the Ring. So I did."
I glared at the unoffending river. "This day just keeps getting better and better."
"This day is only two hours old."
"Shut up!"
**Can't help it if I space in a daze
My eyes tune out the other way
I may switch off and go in a daydream
In this head my thoughts are deep
Sometimes I can't even speak
Would someone be and not pretend
I'm off again in my world**
The pharaoh eventually sat down, cross-legged, on a rock. He didn't stop looking at me. I resolutely gazed at the river, until finally I couldn't stand it anymore. "Why don't you go tell Ryou where I am? I'd rather talk to him."
"He told us."
I groaned inwardly. So now the pharaoh knew what was happening with Mai and me. "Joy."
"I think...it's a...very nice thing to do." I almost smirked. He was obviously struggling with the mere idea that I wasn't the spawn of demons.
"I haven't decided to do it yet."
Silence descended again. Strangely, this felt...right. To not argue. To not fight.
Finally, the pharaoh spoke. "If you love her, don't let her go."
"But Joey - "
"He'll get over it. Trust me. I know him a great deal better than you do."
We sat there for the remainder of the night. I was deep in thought. I don't know what Yami did, but I'm fairly certain he just stared at me. Or maybe fell asleep with his eyes open.
As dawn began to stain the sky lavender, I got up, wincing at the stiffness in my legs, and walked off, numbness giving me a half-limp. The pharaoh soon followed, though I ignored him until he ran to catch up.
"Do you know what you'll do?"
I bit my lip, which irritated my tooth. "Well, first I'm going to pull this tooth if it kills me. Then, assuming I live, I'm..." I shook my head, furious that my eyes threatened to tear up. "I'm going to get Ryou and Yugi to help me make Mai fall in love with Joey again."
He regarded me, something finally showing in his usually emotionless eyes. I couldn't recognize it. Shock? Happiness?
Pride?
"If that's what you want..."
That was the problem. I didn't want it.
But I had to do it.
Being a good guy really sucks, doesn't it?
**Can't help it if I space in a daze
My eyes tune out the other way
I may switch off and go in a daydream
In this head my thoughts are deep
Sometimes I can't even speak
Would someone be and not pretend
I'm off again in my world**