Heya! How is everyone? Anyone want a cookie? *passes cookies round* And that is in no way, shape or form a peace offering for the fact I haven't updated since the last Ice Age. Well, you won't have to worry about it for much longer. I'm nearly finished writing this story. Isn't that great! Soon I can start on the *sequel*!
Uh, everyone get's rather *mad* at each other in this chapter, much like Harry Potter in the fifth book. Although, these guys swear a lot more. Just so you know. And when I say 'football', I'm talking FOOTball, as in you use your foot. Soccer, basically.
Dedication: To Night's Child, who is a cripple at the moment. Hope you get better. Note the ankle injury in this chappie.
Disclaimer: See previous 33 chapters.
Chapter 34: Don't Look Back In Anger
* * *
Their first day back had been an amazing contradiction to the rest of the term, Yami thought idly as he sat through double maths almost two months after. Anzu's death had shocked him exceedingly, though he didn't like to admit it. Yugi was over it too, though he had been very badly affected by it, in a completely different way to Yami. But since that bombshell, life had plodded along rather uneventfully.
Yami watched the minutes tick past on the strange, mirror-image clock the teacher was so fond of. Its hands slowly made their way backwards, very symbolic of how the lesson (and, Yami thought, his life) was progressing. It was the semi-final match for the school football team, and he had promised to go along to watch. The bell rang, and sounds of chairs scraping along the floor deafened him as everyone bolted out of their seats, eager to escape. Jou and Honda ran off to the changing rooms
The crowd cheered as the Domino High team ran out of the tunnel. Otogi craned his neck, watching the cheerleaders, as Shizuka performed a rather active routine. The game itself was a close one - Domino were pressing forward with a swift pass-and-move attack, but the other team were holding them at nil-all.
Twenty minutes in, Mai and Isis made an appearance. "What are you two doing here?" asked Yugi.
"Oh, we were at the hospital and thought we'd drop by."
"Are you okay?" Yugi suddenly sounded concerned.
"Of course," said Isis. "I had an appointment for an ultrasound."
"And I had the afternoon off, so I said I'd come with," added Mai. "We got some pretty strange looks, but oh well. I saw the baby!"
"Is it healthy?" asked Ryou, ever the sensitive one.
"Yes, in perfect health, just like the mummy." Mai glanced at Malik, who nodded. Today was the day Isis received her HIV and Hepatitis test results back.
Isis cast around for a subject change, and found Yami and Seto. "Wow, you two look like death."
"Thankyou, Isis. You do wonders for my self esteem." Yami grinned at her.
"We were up late," Seto offered as an explanation. Mai raised an eyebrow. "Oh, not together, per se, but each of us were awake at night, alone."
The conversation was interrupted by a scoring opportunity, but the Devils were once again denied. Ryou was leaning over the banisters, shouting. "What? Offside? OFFSIDE! Where the fuck'd you learn to ref, you fat git?"
"He, uh, takes his football seriously, doesn't he?"
"I suspect it's the English in him." Bakura smiled. Then he turned to Yami, suddenly noticing something - or lack of something - on said teen's chest. "Pharaoh, where's your puzzle?"
"At home, why?"
"You left your puzzle at home?" asked Malik in disbelief.
"Well, there's no point in wearing it anymore. It kind of... died."
"What?" screeched several people at once.
"Yami, why didn't you tell me?" asked Seto, hurt. Yami shrugged.
"Your puzzle has completely lost its power and you didn't think it a significant enough to tell us?" Bakura scorned.
Yami glared at him. "It's your fault in the first place, *sorceror*," he whispered, deathly-soft. The whole party turned to face Bakura.
"That... was... a long time ago," Bakura finished rather lamely.
"WHAT?" stormed Seth's reincarnation. "You mean *he*... that was *him*?"
"In a manner of speaking."
Kaiba landed a punch hard and fast to Bakura's temple, making a satisfying thud. Bakura dropped like a fly, and Kaiba went to start on him again, shaking with anger and white as a sheet. Malik turned to round on Seto, but Ryou got there first.
"Why the hell did you do that?" he shouted in the CEO's face.
"What do you mean, *why*? He killed me, and put Yami in a puzzle, that's why! You don't think that warrants a smack in the head?"
"It was 5000 frickin years ago!"
"I don't care."
"Seto," Yami began humbly, "calm down."
"I am calm!" He shouted, proving himself wrong instantly.
Ryou and Malik helped Bakura up, a throbbing bump already visible on the side of his head. "You, Kaiba. What do you know about it? I did what I could to save Egypt. There were people starving. Waves of Shadow Monsters crashed upon the villages..."
"...Lead by you," Kaiba interrupted.
"No. Of their own accord. People looked to the Pharaoh to restore order, but he was too busy shagging his priest to give a shit."
"Liar," hissed Yami.
"Can we all just stop, please?" Ryou asked. "It was five millenia ago, and nothing has come of it... well, apart from your puzzle, Yami... But otherwise, everything's hunky-dory. So can you *please* shutup so I can watch the match?"
"Yes, here is not the place," agreed Malik. "Besides, I think we need a little private chat with the Pharaoh."
"Private as in alone," Isis added, watching Kaiba. While it probably wasn't a good idea to leave Seto alone with Bakura, Yami nodded, and allowed himself to be dragged away.
* * *
On the pitch, Jounouchi was having a rough time of it. Made considerably worse by the wanker defender on the right. He looked up, catching said defender leering at him. Stupid pratt.
"Crawl home, dog, you ain't gettin past me." And intelligence is one of his strong points, to be sure, thought Katsuya. But the canine comment did not leave him unruffled, and the anger focused him more keenly. He found the ball at his feet, two defenders bearing down on him. He used his pace to get past the first, and neatly tapped the ball through the other's legs.
Not happy to be nutmegged, the defender launched himself at Jou, catching his ankle from behind. Jounouchi crumpled to the floor in agony. The ball bobbled away. "Penalty!"
Jou lined up the shot, and slammed it neatly in the top left corner. 1-0. The crowed roared as Honda slapped him on the back. "Yeah, that's right, I'm the... ow!" he hobbled to a stop. "Pain ankle crap shit ankle hurts you BASTARD!" he shouted at the defender, before falling to the floor once again.
* * *
Once in a secluded spot, Malik started on Yami. "Why the *fuck* didn't you say anything before, Pharaoh?" he spat.
"I don't know why everyone's making a big deal out of this." Yami crossed his arms defensively.
"Pharaoh," Malik started in a tone that suggested he was a kindergarten teacher scolding a mischievous little lad. "Your puzzle lost it's power because the Shadow Realm has drained it to re-open itself, thanks to Bakura's spell. That *doesn't* mean we get angry at Bakura," he added, as Yami's eyes flared dangerously. "What's done is done, Pharaoh. But, unfortunately, what follows is that you have to decide what to do next."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, your puzzle being a finite resource, and the Realm of Shadows needing some kind of energy to sustain it's power, it will immeadiately start to look for another source. And, as the curse, or spell, or whatever you want to call it, has defined the Priest and the Pharaoh as it's target, it will drain you and that stupid stuck-up corporate bastard next. And it will kill you."
* * *
*foreboding drum music* and the end draws nigh...
Am on holidays, so should get more fic writing done. Am bad bad bad authoress. Shall try v. hard to make it up to y'all. Reviews get me motivated, though, you know...
Uh, everyone get's rather *mad* at each other in this chapter, much like Harry Potter in the fifth book. Although, these guys swear a lot more. Just so you know. And when I say 'football', I'm talking FOOTball, as in you use your foot. Soccer, basically.
Dedication: To Night's Child, who is a cripple at the moment. Hope you get better. Note the ankle injury in this chappie.
Disclaimer: See previous 33 chapters.
Chapter 34: Don't Look Back In Anger
* * *
Their first day back had been an amazing contradiction to the rest of the term, Yami thought idly as he sat through double maths almost two months after. Anzu's death had shocked him exceedingly, though he didn't like to admit it. Yugi was over it too, though he had been very badly affected by it, in a completely different way to Yami. But since that bombshell, life had plodded along rather uneventfully.
Yami watched the minutes tick past on the strange, mirror-image clock the teacher was so fond of. Its hands slowly made their way backwards, very symbolic of how the lesson (and, Yami thought, his life) was progressing. It was the semi-final match for the school football team, and he had promised to go along to watch. The bell rang, and sounds of chairs scraping along the floor deafened him as everyone bolted out of their seats, eager to escape. Jou and Honda ran off to the changing rooms
The crowd cheered as the Domino High team ran out of the tunnel. Otogi craned his neck, watching the cheerleaders, as Shizuka performed a rather active routine. The game itself was a close one - Domino were pressing forward with a swift pass-and-move attack, but the other team were holding them at nil-all.
Twenty minutes in, Mai and Isis made an appearance. "What are you two doing here?" asked Yugi.
"Oh, we were at the hospital and thought we'd drop by."
"Are you okay?" Yugi suddenly sounded concerned.
"Of course," said Isis. "I had an appointment for an ultrasound."
"And I had the afternoon off, so I said I'd come with," added Mai. "We got some pretty strange looks, but oh well. I saw the baby!"
"Is it healthy?" asked Ryou, ever the sensitive one.
"Yes, in perfect health, just like the mummy." Mai glanced at Malik, who nodded. Today was the day Isis received her HIV and Hepatitis test results back.
Isis cast around for a subject change, and found Yami and Seto. "Wow, you two look like death."
"Thankyou, Isis. You do wonders for my self esteem." Yami grinned at her.
"We were up late," Seto offered as an explanation. Mai raised an eyebrow. "Oh, not together, per se, but each of us were awake at night, alone."
The conversation was interrupted by a scoring opportunity, but the Devils were once again denied. Ryou was leaning over the banisters, shouting. "What? Offside? OFFSIDE! Where the fuck'd you learn to ref, you fat git?"
"He, uh, takes his football seriously, doesn't he?"
"I suspect it's the English in him." Bakura smiled. Then he turned to Yami, suddenly noticing something - or lack of something - on said teen's chest. "Pharaoh, where's your puzzle?"
"At home, why?"
"You left your puzzle at home?" asked Malik in disbelief.
"Well, there's no point in wearing it anymore. It kind of... died."
"What?" screeched several people at once.
"Yami, why didn't you tell me?" asked Seto, hurt. Yami shrugged.
"Your puzzle has completely lost its power and you didn't think it a significant enough to tell us?" Bakura scorned.
Yami glared at him. "It's your fault in the first place, *sorceror*," he whispered, deathly-soft. The whole party turned to face Bakura.
"That... was... a long time ago," Bakura finished rather lamely.
"WHAT?" stormed Seth's reincarnation. "You mean *he*... that was *him*?"
"In a manner of speaking."
Kaiba landed a punch hard and fast to Bakura's temple, making a satisfying thud. Bakura dropped like a fly, and Kaiba went to start on him again, shaking with anger and white as a sheet. Malik turned to round on Seto, but Ryou got there first.
"Why the hell did you do that?" he shouted in the CEO's face.
"What do you mean, *why*? He killed me, and put Yami in a puzzle, that's why! You don't think that warrants a smack in the head?"
"It was 5000 frickin years ago!"
"I don't care."
"Seto," Yami began humbly, "calm down."
"I am calm!" He shouted, proving himself wrong instantly.
Ryou and Malik helped Bakura up, a throbbing bump already visible on the side of his head. "You, Kaiba. What do you know about it? I did what I could to save Egypt. There were people starving. Waves of Shadow Monsters crashed upon the villages..."
"...Lead by you," Kaiba interrupted.
"No. Of their own accord. People looked to the Pharaoh to restore order, but he was too busy shagging his priest to give a shit."
"Liar," hissed Yami.
"Can we all just stop, please?" Ryou asked. "It was five millenia ago, and nothing has come of it... well, apart from your puzzle, Yami... But otherwise, everything's hunky-dory. So can you *please* shutup so I can watch the match?"
"Yes, here is not the place," agreed Malik. "Besides, I think we need a little private chat with the Pharaoh."
"Private as in alone," Isis added, watching Kaiba. While it probably wasn't a good idea to leave Seto alone with Bakura, Yami nodded, and allowed himself to be dragged away.
* * *
On the pitch, Jounouchi was having a rough time of it. Made considerably worse by the wanker defender on the right. He looked up, catching said defender leering at him. Stupid pratt.
"Crawl home, dog, you ain't gettin past me." And intelligence is one of his strong points, to be sure, thought Katsuya. But the canine comment did not leave him unruffled, and the anger focused him more keenly. He found the ball at his feet, two defenders bearing down on him. He used his pace to get past the first, and neatly tapped the ball through the other's legs.
Not happy to be nutmegged, the defender launched himself at Jou, catching his ankle from behind. Jounouchi crumpled to the floor in agony. The ball bobbled away. "Penalty!"
Jou lined up the shot, and slammed it neatly in the top left corner. 1-0. The crowed roared as Honda slapped him on the back. "Yeah, that's right, I'm the... ow!" he hobbled to a stop. "Pain ankle crap shit ankle hurts you BASTARD!" he shouted at the defender, before falling to the floor once again.
* * *
Once in a secluded spot, Malik started on Yami. "Why the *fuck* didn't you say anything before, Pharaoh?" he spat.
"I don't know why everyone's making a big deal out of this." Yami crossed his arms defensively.
"Pharaoh," Malik started in a tone that suggested he was a kindergarten teacher scolding a mischievous little lad. "Your puzzle lost it's power because the Shadow Realm has drained it to re-open itself, thanks to Bakura's spell. That *doesn't* mean we get angry at Bakura," he added, as Yami's eyes flared dangerously. "What's done is done, Pharaoh. But, unfortunately, what follows is that you have to decide what to do next."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, your puzzle being a finite resource, and the Realm of Shadows needing some kind of energy to sustain it's power, it will immeadiately start to look for another source. And, as the curse, or spell, or whatever you want to call it, has defined the Priest and the Pharaoh as it's target, it will drain you and that stupid stuck-up corporate bastard next. And it will kill you."
* * *
*foreboding drum music* and the end draws nigh...
Am on holidays, so should get more fic writing done. Am bad bad bad authoress. Shall try v. hard to make it up to y'all. Reviews get me motivated, though, you know...