Author's notes:
Err, none, just my wholehearted thanks and that I don't OWN Yu Gi Oh!
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Here and Thereafter
Chapter 6: The Phone Call
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Téa was worried as she put down the day's issue of Domino Herald. The headline was very disturbing, great capitalized words printed in angry red: THEFT IN KAIBA MANOR, CULPRIT UNKNOWN. She breathed deeply and threw an anxious gaze at Yugi's empty desk. Then her gaze shifted to the room's clock, which was hung above the blackboards.
7:30…thirty more minutes before the first subject…
Yugi was rarely absent from class. And he was never late. In fact, he was one of Domino High's most punctual students, arriving early at school at 6 in the morning. Téa returned her eyes to the newspaper after stealing a glance at Seto's empty desk.
Seto Kaiba, rich and young magnate of Kaiba Corp., was found incapacitated in his own manor house last night…medical experts say Kaiba, with younger brother Mokuba and all staff of the house was drugged…theft escaped with an object yet to be named by Kaiba…police searching desperately…
"Drugged…" Téa whispered thoughtfully, frowning. "But what kind of drug could possibly do that? And Kaiba manor is guarded heavily like Alcatraz itself…"
The teacher entered the classroom, and the students greeted in dull, monotonous voices. The class started, and whether she liked it or not, Téa had to put away the newspaper and listen to the discussion.
It turned out that the school buzzed with the news of theft in Kaiba Manor. There was not one corner where you would find students huddled in it, discussing the event in hushed voices and rounded eyes.
Téa did not need to go to Joey and Tristan, because when she emerged from her class the two boys were already waiting for her outside. Judging by the astonished looks on their faces, she concluded that they too, found the theft preposterous. The three of them headed to the canteen, chattering away like everybody else.
"It's impossible!" Joey said dismissively, shaking his head. "Nobody can do that! Not in Kaiba Manor!"
"But they already did, right?" Tristan snapped. "It's already on the news!"
"The question is who actually did the theft!" Téa said, making a slight gesture. "No normal person can penetrate Kaiba's house as easily as that, we know that every inch of that mansion is studded with hidden cameras and lasers! Disabling all those stuff will require years of planning!"
The canteen was packed. Both junior high and high school students had the same time for break every Thursday. The three of them spent a good five minutes to find a table at the farthest corner of the canteen. After leaving their bags at the chairs, Téa, Joey and Tristan went to order some burgers and drinks.
"Where's Yugi? Did you see him?" Joey asked as he asked for some coleslaw. "What did he make out of this event?"
Téa shook her head. "He's absent."
Tristan and Joey looked at her then both exclaimed, "Now you're talking!"
"I'm not kidding." Téa answered heavily as they headed back to their table, their trays laden with snacks. "I haven't seen hide nor hair of Yugi. I wonder what's wrong—"
She froze in mid-sentence. Bakura smiled up at them meekly from their table. He was reading the newspaper. Tristan, Joey and Téa did not know what to do; they stood there, staring at him as if he were a ghost.
"You don't mind, right?" Bakura said in Ryou's meek voice. "They wouldn't let me sit anywhere—"
"No, sure, we're all friends." said Téa, sitting down beside Bakura. "Those arrogant berks haven't stopped bullying you, huh? Never mind, you can always sit with us. So we see you've already read the news."
Joey and Tristan took their own seats, but looked utterly uncomfortable in doing so.
"That's terrible…" Bakura shook his head. "I mean, who would—?"
Joey and Tristan exchanged doubtful glances. Téa saw them, and from underneath the table, kicked them hard by the legs.
"Ouch!"
"Hey!"
Bakura looked up, blinking innocently at them. "What?"
"No, nothing, don't mind them Ryou." Téa said with a glare. She turned to him with great effort. "So—uhm, what did those bullies did to you again—?"
Bakura didn't speak for a while as he peeled off his sandwich's paper wrapper. He took a small bite and chewed as if his teeth ached. Joey felt his doubt ebbing away in spite of himself. Bakura looked so miserable with his drooping shoulders and limp hair.
"Come on, dude, tell us." Tristan whispered sympathetically.
"Oh, it's just the same routine, really." Bakura tried to smile bravely. "Told me the usual things. You have a fishy accent so get lost, London boy…then try dunking your head in a lake, that might change your silly accent for you…and then again with get lost, loser, this is no place for freaks like you. I'm used to it, really…it's just…sometimes it gets too much…"
"Never mind them, Ryou!" Joey burst out, spraying everyone with coleslaw. "So what? Those bullies might have larger bulks, but their brains aren't enough to fill an eggcup! You, on the other hand, might be smaller and talk weird, but you have much more brains than they do! They're just idiots!"
"Thanks, Joey…" Bakura smiled.
"No use blabbering about bullies." Tristan changed the topic. "Anyway, do you want to come with us? We're visiting Yugi after classes…he hasn't showed up today, you know."
Bakura was suddenly interested. "Really? Do you think it's because of all the toilets he cleaned? Maybe he woke up late or—"
"No." Téa frowned as she sipped her strawberry shake. "No matter how late he sleeps, Yugi will always wake at five thirty in the morning."
No answer. The four of them ate in silence, where the newspaper exchanged hands.
"Okay, I'll see Yugi, yeah?" Bakura replied finally as he crumpled the sandwich wrapper. "Later? Meet at the guardhouse, then?"
"I see we're all settled." Tristan shrugged.
Five minutes later and they parted ways. Tristan went to History, Joey to Trigonometry, Téa to Home Economics and Bakura to Physics. As he walked to his next class, Bakura was chuckling devilishly to himself.
"Lenient brats…" he laughed darkly. "Stupid enough to fall to my tricks! Ha! This will make everything easier then—the fools, honestly…ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
TRRRIIINNNNNNGGGG!
"Marik, answer the phone!" Isis's voice floated from the kitchen. "I'm busy here!"
TRRRIIINNNNNNGGGG!
"Marik, come on, answer it!" Isis yelled. "The phone is just five inches from where you are!"
TRRRIIINNNNNNGGGG!
"MARIK!"
A low grunt came from the living room, but it was drowned out by the blaring of Linkin Park's Nobody's Listening song. Marik shifted on the red taffeta couch, tearing his gaze away from his book, The Prince by Machiavelli. He blinked his violet eyes impatiently and lifted the handset from the receiver.
"Ishtar residence. Marik speaking, what do you want?" he asked lazily.
"Marik…"
Marik felt his body's hairs curl in terror. He recognized that voice. It was the voice of Nefer Atemu, or more commonly known as Yami Yugi. He quickly removed the handset from his ear, staring at it as if it might explode any moment now.
"Marik, please…" came Yami's voice. "Please, listen to me."
The pharaoh's voice sound distressed, as if he hadn't slept for weeks. Marik gripped the handset very hard he could have cracked it between his fingers. He put it back to his ear.
"What?" he grunted.
"I…" Yami began, but he hesitated. "I…uh…I need your help."
Marik was stunned. "What? You need my help? Have you forgotten that we're enemies?!"
Yami did not answer for a while. Marik heard him sigh, as if this phone conversation alone was costing him every little ounce of his insufferably high pride.
"Please," said Yami. "I am badly in need of the Rod's power."
Marik's shock increased exponentially. The pharaoh was actually begging for his help!
"What do you want to use my Millenium Rod for?" Marik inquired as he reached for some popcorn on the tea table. "Your Millenium Puzzle is the most powerful Artifact!"
He heard a care-worn sigh from the other end of the line. Marik was finding this phone call very weird and intriguing.
"I can't use my Puzzle." Yami replied dully. "It's—well—I can't. I just can't, and don't ask silly questions! Will you help me or not?"
"Whoa, hold your chariots, pharaoh, you're the one asking for favor here!" Marik spat back. "I wouldn't have you raising tones with me, Puzzle boy! What if I don't want to help you, huh? Come to think of it, why should I even bother to help you? Kiss my ass!"
Yami's voice hardened. "Oh, very well."
He hung up the phone. Marik stared at it again for five minutes before returning it to the receiver.
"Weird…" he mumbled as he lay back down on the couch.
"What did he say?" Ryou asked hopefully. "What did he say?"
Yami was frowning very badly, and that was enough for Ryou. The ghost hovered some 30 inches from Yami's bed and crossed his legs. Yami wasn't even looking at him.
"I'm sorry, Yami…" Ryou whispered apologetically. "It's just—"
"Never mind, I'll think of a way." Yami said wearily as he buried himself into Yugi's pillows. He reached for a thermometer and put it into his mouth.
Ryou smiled gratefully. "Thank you…"
No answer.
"Grandfather thought I had gone mad." Yami explained through the thermometer. "You know, I ran all the way home barefooted, screaming ghost, ghost! And Yugi won't come out; he's still very scared. Right now he's still whimpering in his soul room…"
Ryou hung his head in shame before looking around at Yugi's room. It was very dark, because Yami had pulled all the curtains out. Yugi's games, cards and things were scattered everywhere. An empty tray of mushroom soup was on the floor, beside the foot of the bed.
He returned his deadened gaze to Yami, whose eyes were still closed. Ryou floated forward and touched his friend's forehead lightly, careful not to push his hand into Yami's head. He felt Yami give a shudder. He withdrew his hand.
"Your fever is bad…" Ryou said concernedly. "Do you want me to get you some paracetamol or something?"
"I got this fever because of fatigue." Yami replied, then added. "And partly because of you too."
"I'm sorry…"
Yami waved his right hand impatiently before taking the thermometer out of his mouth. He squinted to see his temperature: 39 degrees Celsius. He sighed heavily and sat up, looking up at Ryou's pearly and transparent form.
"You know, when I first heard your story I really thought I was going mad." Yami told him. "But then, when I really think about it, it does make sense. The Millenium Ring somehow found a way to make sure that that truck went out of control and ram into you. It kept that shit alive with your body. Now it makes sense, the fast recovery and all."
"If ever I go back, I'll really discard that cursed Ring." Ryou said spitefully, clenching his ghostly fists. "I've had enough of it!"
Yami scratched his nose thoughtfully. "You can dump the Millenium Ring into a trash bin, but as long as it recognizes your body as its primary host it will always come back to you. When an Artifact chooses an owner, it goes with it until the owner dies."
"Or in your case, reborn into someone else's body?" Ryou added.
"Yes, and—"
The bedroom door burst open, and light burst into it, penetrating the darkness. Party crackers popped suddenly, adding colorful ribbons and confetti to the bedroom mess. Joey, Tristan, Téa and Bakura jumped into Yugi's room.
"SURPRISE! GET WELL SOON!" the four yelled cheerfully.
Yami immediately nodded to Ryou, who quickly vanished into thin air. Joey, Tristan, Téa and Bakura did not see him.
"How was toilet cleaning, huh?" Joey roared as he switched on the lights.
"Here you go, Yugi." Bakura said as he placed a chocolate cake onto Yami's lap. It had the message get well soon written on the chocolatey surface with green icing.
"So how are you doing?" Téa inquired as she sat down at the foot of the bed. "Bet you thought we'd forgot about you, huh?"
Yami was staring at the cake on his lap. He looked at Bakura, who smiled innocently. It struck him how the Tomb Robber could act so well, to make his other friends believe he was Ryou. He returned his gaze to the cake and swallowed nervously. What if it was poisoned?
"Your grandfather was worried about you." Tristan said thoughtfully. "He told us you came running home last night without your shoes and shrieking your head out about a ghost. What was that about?"
"Erm, it was nothing." Yami answered shortly as he put the cake away hastily. "And I can't eat cake, I'm burning here."
"Well then, save it for later!" Bakura interjected cheerfully.
Yami gazed at him, then swallowed nervously again. He then looked at Tristan, Joey and Téa.
"I'm really sorry, guys, but I'm afraid I'm too sick to admit visitors today." He said. "You might find me boring—"
"Not at all!" said Téa.
"Yugi old dude, what a rude thing to say!" Tristan added.
"Come on, we just want to be with you." Bakura pressed.
"There's nothing wrong with that!" Joey protested.
At the same time, Sugoroku Mutou entered the room with another tray of drinks. He smiled at his grandson and his grandson's friends. Yami grabbed his chance.
"They won't be staying for drinks, grandpa, they're leaving, actually." He said firmly. "Please show them the way out. Now."
A stunned silence greeted this statement. Sugoroku blinked.
"Well, if you say so, Yugi…"
Téa, Tristan, Joey and Bakura all looked at him. Yami dropped his eyes and refused to look at them. Then they started to leave. Joey and Téa threw Yami disbelieving looks as they were ushered out. Yami listened for their footsteps going down the stairs and finally out of the Game House before whispering for Ryou.
Ryou reappeared. He'd closed the door and turned the lights off again, plunging them into darkness once more.
"I thought I had it…" Ryou said fearfully. "I could feel the Ring looking for me. Somehow it knows I'm here."
"Never mind, the Tomb Robber did not sense you." Yami replied.
"Are you sure this is all right, Yami?"
"What?"
"Sending them out like that, I mean, I saw the look on Téa's face…"
Yami pulled the blankets to his chin. "Leave them. They will know about it when the time comes. For now, we've to plan."
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