The Yami Convention 2
*which torments the ice cream shop manager again*
by Rhapsody Moonschild and Tat Claire Kokoro
|~*DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the property of Kazuki Takahashi. It does not belong to Rhapsody Moonschild and/or Tat Claire Kokoro. "Pika pika" may not be copyrighted, but just in case… Pokemon is not our property either.*~|
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: I DON'T KNOW! (by Rhapsody)
Kikai sputtered in disbelief. She couldn't find words for a long moment, gazing down into oh-so-serious slanted violet eyes…
He meant it. Oh, God, he meant it…
"But we're only sixteen!" she said finally.
"Maybe this life, but not really… I love you, Kikai, and I want to spend the next centuries with you, not alone in my Puzzle… I'll ask again. Kikai Bakura, love of my life, will you marry me?"
"I—but—well—I love you too—but I don't know!"
She burst into tears and ran out, yelling "Baakuurraa!!!!"
Yami looked after her in shock. After a moment, he sank onto both his knees and let his tears drip onto the carpet.
And it was like this that Yugi and Pika Pika found him, a scarce half-hour later when they arrived at the shop, seeking someplace safe from Bakura.
"Yami… Yami, are you okay?" Yugi asked—a stupid question, for one could clearly see he was in great pain.
"What's wrong?" Pika Pika said, bending down to Yami's level. At her hand on his shoulder he looked up and her face triggered another wave of tears.
"Just like her, yet not…" he whispered, and touched her cheek with a trembling hand. Slightly frightened, Pika Pika shot a look in Yugi's direction and he joined them on the floor.
"Yami, is this about Kikai?" he asked gently.
Yami did not answer, lowering his head and convulsively squeezing the small box he still had in one hand.
Pika Pika and Yugi exchanged a glance, and she gently tried to extricate the box from his grasp. His fingers suddenly went limp and she had no problem.
"It's a ring…" she whispered as she held the opened box up to the light. "Sapphire and amethyst."
"Like her eyes," Yami said quietly. "Like her eyes."
Yugi had a sudden shocking realization. "You asked her, didn't you? And she said no…"
"What do you mean?" Pika Pika asked him. Yugi looked away.
"Just something we were talking about…"
"She didn't say no," Yami said in a surprisingly steady voice. "She said she didn't know and she ran away."
I wonder if Pika Pika would do that? Yugi thought, and fingered the promise ring in his pocket. But that doesn't matter… We have to help Yami!
"We need to find Bakura," Pika Pika said to Yugi.
"Why?"
"Whenever Kikai is upset she runs to him…"
"Okay," Yugi said, filled with purpose. "Let's go!"
"What about him?" Pika Pika whispered with a meaningful glance at Yami.
"Well, um…" Yugi thought a moment, "You stay with him and I'll go find Kik—"
Yami moaned and Yugi decided not to mention the girl by name.
"I'll go find Bakura and his… er, cousin."
Yugi left, and as he passed his own room he threw his ring into it with surprising force. Forget it, he wouldn't be hurt like Yami…
He began a search for Ryou's dark.
Ryou's dark was currently hiding out in Ryou's place of employment. He glowered out the window at the Dobermans standing watch and stirred his spoon around in his mostly-melted sundae.
"Tell me again?" Ryou asked politely. Bakura stabbed the spoon into the sundae dish hard but answered the question.
"There's this dog that wants to take over the world, and…"
"Bakura, are you sure you don't have a fever?" Ryou said with disbelief. He held up a hand to feel his dark's forehead but Bakura waved it off.
"Yes, I'm sure! Aren't those dogs proof of my story?!"
"They might just like the way you smell," Ryou said with logic.
Bakura slammed his fist on the table. The barking outside intensified for a moment and then a girl with silvery hair ran into the shop. She was a mess. Her clothes were torn some from the dogs, she had leaves in her hair, and her mascara had run down her red face from crying. When she saw Bakura she threw herself into his lap, sobbing loudly. Everyone in the shop turned and stared at them.
Bakura's first thought was: What did that damn pharaoh do?! and he asked the question aloud.
"He… asked me to… marry him!" Kikai replied. She sniffled and wiped her nose on his sleeve.
"WHAT?!?" Bakura was outraged. Everyone turned to look at them again, and—
"That's enough!" the long-suffering manager declared. He removed himself from behind the counter and approached their table angrily.
"Mop-head, you're fired! And as for you two star-crossed lovers, get lost! And never come back!!!"
The burly man picked up all three in his large, powerful hands and threw them outside, ignoring Bakura's livid protests that he and Kikai weren't lovers.
As the dogs realized Bakura had returned to be tormented, they growled menacingly and advanced in his direction. However, Bakura was having nothing of it. He pulled a large mallet from one of Kikai's pockets (anime women's mallet-storage space, gotta love it) and proceeded to kick some doggy butt. The animals crept off whimpering and Bakura returned to the much more important task of comforting Kikai.
"Shh, it's okay, you don't have to marry him," he soothed the girl. Passersby gave them strange looks. Ryou was sweatdropping but Bakura didn't even bother to shoot them a bothered glare.
"But—but—" she said, hiccupping a little, "I want to! Except I'm kinda scared…"
Bakura became even angrier than he was before. No way was his cousin marrying that perverted pharaoh!!!
"You are not marrying him and that's final!"
He dragged Kikai to her feet and took her wrist, stomping off in the direction of their home to give her a talk. In his rush he ran into a small someone, who took one look at him and squeaked a bit, frightened.
"I guess… this isn't the b-best time to ask K-kikai something?" Yugi said, his voice cracking.
Bakura shoved past him without bothering to answer.
"Oh boy," Yugi sighed to himself, and followed after.
