*Falls at all her reviews feet* I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!! I really didn't mean to take so damn long with this!!! But I promise I'm back on track now and it shouldn't take one quarter as long for the next chap! MY APOLOGIES!! Forgive me!
Anyway... as for the contest that I had, we don't have a winner yet, but we do have finalists. I'm going to draw out each of those final outfits and post them in my art class and let the other students in the course pick which they like best. So sometime in the next few chapters I'll be emailing people with the results. Three more chapters to go before the winner is revealed... the count down is on :)
Malik: Oh stop rambling! Come on, I get to talk in this chapter!
LYB: Patience is a virtue...
Malik: Patience? What's that? ^_^
LYB and Ryou: o_o U....
Malik: What?? I get to be angsty and thoughtful in the chapter.
LYB: Plus your falling hopeless for Ryou...
Malik: O_O!
Ryou: ^_^
Cyris: This chapter isn't actually as long as it looks, it just had a lot of dialog. Plus some Battle City spoilers. And forgive any bad grammar
and spelling, LYB wanted to get this up ASAP
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Wonderwall
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I woke up to sun light flicking my eyes, Oddly I didn't feel for once like I should go back to sleep and forget the world existed. I felt rested and comfortable, for a second I couldn't figure out why, then I went to stretch only to find a pair of milk white gentle arms wrapped around me, a warm body cuddled close to me. I blushed slightly, I had forgotten about letting Ryou fall asleep on my chest but now I was surprised to find myself so completely content to have him lying against me. I looked out the window, seeing the sky just sky just turning a pale blue with the rising sun. The same aqua blue of my sisters eyes. I closed my eyes and imagined her, dark skin like my own, long raven hair. Her face seemed older, more worn with care and age... the blue eyes resolved to a clear violet, the shade of purple you see in the sunset - my eyes. Just like Rishid said, clear violet eyes... not as stormy as mine, hers were spirited and peaceful also like liquid. I wished I could reach out and touch her, this vision, this lovely self-sacrificing woman. There were so many things I wished I could ask her... where did you come from before you married into the grave keepers clan? Did you miss the sun, or did you always live underground? Could you sing like me? Or play instruments like Isis? Would you be proud of Rishid for how he's handled this whole mess, I know he was your first son, though father never loved him like you did... would you be proud of me? Would you have stepped up and consoled me so the dark that made it's own being within in me could never take shape? Or would it have happened anyway... would you cry for his death? For me? Would none of this have happened? So many things... who you were, what you were like, how you could so easily offer your time, your heart, your life... for someone you never knew. You saved Rishid, just a baby you'd never seen before... you never had a chance to see me, and you gave up everything for me; why would you do that?
The body beside me shifted a bit and a heard a small yawn. I kept my eyes closed, happy to have been broken of my thoughts. My biggest problem as I'm sure I've noted is that I think way to much for my own good. I bet I wouldn't be so bitter if I didn't think so much. I should make it a point to go a whole day without one of these inner debates - on second thought that could have disastrous consequences for everyone unfortunate enough to go near me, chances are they'd get a damn good dose of my bad temper. I don't get temperamental often, but when I do, I'll be the first to admit you don't want to be around me. At least for the time being I felt blissfully sedated as I felt Ryou's fingers flex slightly, remaining tangled in the soft light fabric of my shirt. I felt him raise his head a bit to look at me and I wondered what I did look like at the moment: expression was blank, eyes closed in peaceful sleep. He lowered his head again, laying it against my shoulder and he snuggled close to me. All I really wanted at that moment was to enjoy his company before the sun came fully up and everything that happened last night gone completely with the dark. I shouldn't even be taking this so seriously, this is Ryou were talking about here. At least now he was seeing the better side of me... he kinda had a habit of getting me in my more frustrated moods. I adore him, Beautiful midnight angel that he is. Some kind of dove that for the moment was peacefully laying in my arms... I loved the way he felt, with his silk hair and milky skin. I sucked on my lower lip a bit, I could still taste that soft skin on me from where I laid my lips against his shoulder while washing his hair. I couldn't help it! I just had to see if it felt as soft as it looked. I mentally shake my head, so much for my vow of never sharing a bed with him. He's laying here, cuddled up to me and I'm crooning over him. It's just that... I don't know... he scares me.
I'm drawn to him and didn't I warn myself this would happen? That if I touched him I could become addicted to the way he felt? He even ~feels~ gentle and innocent and I'm forced to digress to my early problem. Falcons are made to hunt and kill doves, porcelain dolls are fair game for a child to break. I've had my chance to hold him and I should end this now and let everything go back to the way it was before. The thing is... how do I get back there? My, I'm still the bitter one aren't I? But, what can I say, for whatever reason... last night... he brought out a better side of me, something new and strange to me, and I'm grateful for it.
He shifted against me again, cuddling close to me and I smile slightly, enjoying the way he feels warm against me. "It's hard to believe you can cause so much trouble," he mummers softly, , I'm pretty he still thinks I'm asleep. "So why do you do it? I know there's so much more to you then that... I've seen how caring you can be. Everyone knows there's something more to you, so why do you have to be such an anti-social?"
"Because that's just the way I am." I replied calmly so as not to startle him but I felt him stiffened and I could feel the blush in his cheeks from the way his skin warmed against mine. I could feel his eyes travel up to look at me, and I opened me eyes to look at him. "I don't expect anyone to understand why I act like I do, just deal with it. It's me." My voice was hard but I made no move to let him go either. I was actually thankful for his presence, his body was wonderfully comfortable and being near him was doing strange and heart-fluttering things to me.
"I didn't think you were awake." he said, shifting slightly to get rid of a kink in his shoulder.
"I've been awake for awhile." I answered in a warm, open tone and I let my fingers idly playing with a lock of his silvery white hair. I smiled secretly, I love his hair, it's like silk to the touch. "You looked so cute sleeping there, so I didn't want to wake you."
"And here I thought YOU were the one asleep." he smiled. I gave a low laugh, I seem to be doing that a lot lately.
"No, just thinking." I shifted my arms a little, pulling him just a bit closer to me and he tucked his head into the knoll of my shoulder. "Our talk last night... I just started to wonder."
"Wonder what?"
"About my mother." I answered softly, letting my hand fall down through his hair to rest on his arm, idly running my thumb across the skin. He sighed softly, smiling. It's nice to see him smile, and it his face isn't so pale today and I smirk to myself, pleased with the fact that he looks much more health and I hadn't heard him cough all the while. His fingers brush my skin near my waist where my shirt crops off and I bit back a sigh, I loved the way his touch feels, it just seemed so... I don't know... right... he's the first person I've ever allowed to touch the scars on my back. I won't even let Isis near them, but his touch is gentle and I don't mind it at all. "I tried to imagine what she looked like."
"Imagine?" he said, furrowing his brow in confusion. I nodded.
"Remember I said I could see what she looked like?" he nodded curiously, silently asking me to continue. "I sort of do... and I really don't. My mother died in child birth, giving her life for mine." I looked at the window, letting myself zone-out a bit. I could feel him pulling away from me and from the corner of me eye I could see him watching my face. "I just had to think about it... what kind of a person would you have to be to give your life for another? Her life for her only son?"
I didn't really expect him to answer... it wasn't like the question had an answer. Nothing came to my mind that I could say, at least he had known his mother... my voice was hitched. I felt wonderfully relieved when he laid his hand on my chest in a comforting manner, "She couldn't have known."
"She knew." I answered briefly, to what seemed like nothing in particular and I wondered if I had the expression on my face as he did the night before when he explained why he hated hospitals. "She knew she wasn't able to carry another child, but she went ahead anyway. To give a stranger life... so her family would have a son." [1] He offered me a soft smile and nodded to show it was okay, that he understood. I gave a relieved smile and sighed gently before shifting once more, putting both arms around him, holding him close. I smiled, trying to tell myself I shouldn't get so worked up over nothing, but it was so wonderful to be near him. I was quiet a moment before speaking again. "It's funny... I can somehow still see her. In everything my sister does. But maybe that's just me... when I was little... I asked Rishid was my mother looked like and he pointed to Isis and said 'she looked just like that, only with these big violet eyes. She had an unbreakable spirit, you could see it in her eyes. They were so clear.'" I paused a moment, an amusing memory coming to me mind. "Not long ago, before I moved out of Isis' apartment, I caught her staring at me, this funny look on her face." I smirked a bit "And I asked her what her problem was, she just shook her head and said that when she was young, she never missed her mother because she just had to look in my eyes to see that untouchable spirit- then she shook her head again. She said she couldn't see our mother in me anymore. Said my eyes had changed... they weren't clear like they had been- somewhere along, I lost that- whatever it was. Whatever they could see in me." I looked thoughtfully out the window again, "I didn't know her... but I feel for her. Does that make sense? I can remember her through stories and imaginings, but I never knew her... And sometimes, it just feels out of place, because I used to feel her near me and now... I just don't. I think I forgot about her, about having that spirit; then you reminded me." I shook my head, smiling dully, my wispy blond locks tickling my forehead. I couldn't believe I was being so sincere with someone, but I was thankful he was listening to me ramble. "I think to much."
He shrugged, "It's okay Hamlet." he said jokingly, hugging me gently. I laughed and poked him playfully.
"Okay, I'm not that bad." I said with a teasing role of my eyes. "He thinks to the point of being crazy."
"You are crazy." he replied smartly with a smirk and I gave another chuckle looking at the window again. I couldn't deny it.
"What do you find so interesting outside?" he asked, following my gaze. From where we lay all you could see was a crystal blue sky outside.
"It's not exactly outside." I said tipping my head in curiosity. "It's on the window pane."
He joined me in looking at the window ledge, a layer of fresh white powder was sitting just outside the glass. "Finally!" he said, delighted, sitting up, pulling away from me despite the fact he coughed a bit. His flu temporarily and blessedly forgotten. "We finally got snow!"
I narrowed my eyes at the white stuff on the sill "That's snow?" I remarked, I don't know what exactly I expected, maybe something a little less friendly looking. Something wetter maybe, a little more like ice. He looked at me as if I were a child, like to say 'Well of course it's snow!' then his face registered realization. So sue me if I've lived in a hot desert regions all my life. Sure I'd heard of the frozen rain drops... but I'd never actually seen it. I wasn't sure I wanted too. Bakura told me it was horrible stuff that made your hands wet and numb when you touched it. And it blew up in your face with the slightest breeze making your skin feel like it was burning. But Ryou had a wide smile on his face as he scrambled out of bed. I noticed right way how much better me must have felt... it was as if he never had anything more then a bad case of sniffles and I made a mental note that I do make a better healer then a spell caster.
"You've never seen it before?" he asked eagerly, walking to the window and throwing it open. I shook my head no and crossed my arms behind my head.
"Should you be standing in the open winter air like that?" I said, giving him a concerned look. "Snow is supposed to be cold, wet and miserable. And you with a flu, get back in bed." The last thing I wanted was for him to fall victim to that seemingly harmless baby powder type fluff. I know it's just frozen rain or what the hell but I doubted being in cold air was good for his health. He laughed at me.
"Snow's not miserable! Snow is fun!" he smiled, and I gave him a doubtfully look as he took a bunch of it up in his hand from the open window frame, "I don't care if I get pneumonia from this, at the very least I was going to prove cold climates aren't so bad." I rolled my eyes in response.
"You know, you can be horribly stubborn at times." I remarked.
"So are you." He replied, sticking his tongue out at me. I wanted to either rip that teasing little tongue off of his pretty little face or cover his mouth with mine, just to see if it tasted as tempting as it looked. I smirked at both thoughts, sometimes it just feels good to humour my ego. "Come on Malik," he chided "After waiting so long for winter to officially start, I refused to pass up such a beautiful day."
"Beautiful my ass, that shit is cold and wet."
"Oh you have no sense of fun. Haven't you ever taken the time to just play around a bit?"
I mulled this thought over in my mind a bit. There's not much opportunity for childish games in an underground tomb. And one I got free, I found my time pretty well consumed until recently. I just shrugged a bit, looking at the wall. I think that he understood the words behind my actions better then I ever could have verbally explained because he looked at me and smiled sweetly. "Come on! There's so many good thing you can only do with snow. Like... snowball fights." he chucked the ball at me quickly, giving me no time to react until it shattered into fluffy flakes again when it struck my shirt.
"HEY!" He cried on instinct, bringing up my arms as a reaction, only to find that the powder didn't tingle or burn coldly like I thought it would, merely melt charmingly on my skin. I brushing myself off "No fair! You have the home field advantage here!"
He quickly shut the window and grabbed some warmer clothes from his bag "Come on," he smirked again, "I'm going to show you why winter is my favourite time of year." He smiled at him, looking amused before shaking my head and crawling out of bed.
I watched him from the door as he stepped outside into the cool air, wandering out into the snow where I knew the path that lead down to the main cabin was. Though you couldn't tell for sure, it was buried under a good foot of winters trademark white. It wasn't all that cold out, it actually felt rather fresh against my face contrary to what Bakura had told me. Ryou seemed perfectly content as he stood outside in his ski jacket which was probably more then enough to keep him warm in this mild weather. He looked back at the cabin after walking a few feet and laughed looking at me standing there. "Come out and see it," he called "It's not like it will hurt you. It's a beautiful day... even for winter, I couldn't have asked for a better day for you to see this season for the first time". I slowly stepped out of the doorway, blinking as the brightness glinted off the snow in my eyes. I had put on a heavy long sleeved sweat shirt and my black cloak, the same one my yami had worn to protect him from the winds on the Battle City blimp. It seemed to do the trick for me now. But I didn't even think about that for a moment, I was staring at the new world with a childish fascination. I can't describe it, kind of like seeing the world for the first time. I had seen snow in pictures, but pictures did this frozen world no justice. It was a beautiful copy of a white desert, I felt like falling to my knees, it looked like a strange version of my home, drifted and flowing with pale sand. That's what it was... a wonderful white desert with trees made from colored glass where the ice clung to them. The sky was it's own crystal... a special type of blue it can only have when everything else is white and there's nothing vibrant to outshine it. Ryou looked at the frozen landscape with a calm affection, I could see why he loved this time of year. I took a few steps out into the snow, marvelling at how it was like walking through cold, fine sand. I leaned over, running a gloved hand through the powder before taking up a handful and admiring the way the light played on all the little crystals. I made a mental note to tell Bakura he was a liar and snow wasn't really all that bad.
I felt a familiar evil smirk come across my face watching Ryou stand there, scanning the forest as I slowly shaped the snow in my hands as I had seen Ryou do earlier before chucking it at him, smacking him right between the shoulders. He gave a cry of shock as the cold ball of fluff struck him splattering cold wet flakes everywhere and he turned to look at me, shock on his face. I already had another snowball waiting in my hand as I smirked at him "I like this snow."
He returned the crazy grin, almost imitating his yami as he snatched up a handful of snow. "Two can play at this game. Let's see who does better, the Sun God or the Snow King..."
Soon I found myself ducked behind the edge of the cabin, steeling glances at a makeshift fort wall of snow, a pile of snowballs at my side. "Romeo to Foxtrot, Romeo to Foxtrot;" I heard Ryou speak to his fist as if someone really would answer. Childish, yeah, I know, but amusing none the less. "Tango spotted!" he glanced up over the snow wall only to duck back down as I bombarded him with snowballs. "Romeo under fire!" he cried delight on his voice.
"Tango hit!" I cried from my own fort place around the corner of the cabin. "I repeat, this is India to Alpha, Tango hit!"
"India?!" he yelled, peaking up over his fort, "Why India?"
"For Ishtar!" I responded, glancing around the corner "It's better then Mike for Malik. Or would you prefer I use Juliet there Romeo?" I added, throwing a snowball in his direction. Personally I would have found it funny if he took up the offered code name, me being the Shakespeare nut I am. He ducked the snowball but it missed anyway.
"Romeo for Ryou," he retorted "At least it's not as tacky as Mike!"
"That's India to you, Romeo!"
He fired a hard packed ball at me but it hit the edge of the cabin as a retort, the cold ammo shot splattered on the bank making ice crystals sprinkle over my hair and chill my face. "You always call your enemy Tango you moron!" he yelled.
"I knew that Romeo!" I snapped back and flung another snowball at him again, watching him drop behind the snow bank wall. "Tango hit!" I cried in a delighted voice when he didn't resurface.
"But not down!" he called back, I could vaguely see him moving behind his hiding place "Remember the rules, the loser is the first one to get hit in the face or surrender!"
"Yeah well... yield or..." I trailed off, putting a finger to my chin in mock thought "hmm... guess I can't say die."
"Get pummelled?" he offered, looking around the edge of the wall, I could guess by the way he glanced around he was looking for a new location to move to.
"Pummelled works." I said casually, before cupping my hands over my mouth to yelled back at him "Yield or get pummelled!!"
"You're not very creative." he laughed.
"Sue me. I'm new at this whole pll-aay thing." I stretched the word as if I had never heard it before, teasing him about his earlier remark that I had no sense of fun. I doubted I could make up for all my lost childhood years but at least I could have a bit of childish fun in the here-and-now.
"Romeo, moving out!" he called, and I secretly watched him creep from behind the wall and sprint for the other corner of the house. I knew it was an open invitation to pound him with snowballs but frankly I'm not that stupid. I know enough from sneaking around on people that he was going to try to get me from behind and I was well aware that in a second, I was going to get my ass beaten with an onslaught of white fluff if I didn't move. I glanced upward, silently judging the height to the roof, it was sloped steeply so it wasn't that far up but not steep enough you could easily see what was on top of it. A perfect hiding place for my purposes. I quickly stepped up onto a drain barrel that sat on the cabins corner and glanced back to make sure Ryou hadn't yet made his appearance before jumping up and grabbing hold of the eve, swinging myself upward, using the top of the kitchen window as a quick foothold to swing myself soundless on to the roof. I'm wonderful at these quick and silent escapes, but right now, I didn't want to escape, I was hunting.
I crouched myself down low so Ryou couldn't see me as I watched him, moving delicately on hands and knees like a large cat waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, as he moved around the corners of the cabin one by one. Instinct wouldn't tell him to look up here as he immerged into my former hiding place, perplexed as to my disappearance and I watched slightly, shifting my weight onto my hands to avoid making a sound as I shifted my body in his direction, crouched low, waiting. The height was my advantage here, the same way a falcon hunts. Fly higher then the dove below so your prey never sees you. I like to think of myself as a falcon, it just seems to suit me. I hovered lightly as he looked at my tracks, confused as to how I could vanish without leaving a track. "Malik?" he called, looking out toward the main cabin, stepping out in what he didn't know was dangerous territory. I pounced, skidding forward and diving for him, catching my white-haired dove about the waist and he gave a cry of shock as we both tumbled into the snow. Unfortunately for this hunter, I failed to take into account that although snow would cushion our fall, it had the wonderful ability to give way and just as I thought we had finished tumbling across the winter blanket and I had him pinned, it caved and we both gave a startled cry, toppling over a small incline before crash-landing at the bottom.
We both ended up laughing once we came to a stop, and I smirked, watching him shake snow from his hair, making the silver flakes land on my face. At least I can say I was warm as I looked up at him and laughed, "Well, you were the last person I ever expected to have lying on top of me." He blinked and looked down, blinking again realizing he really did have me pinned beneath him. I think he must have blushed about five different shades of red as he lay there staring down at me and I expected him to jump up at any moment and start apologizing profoundly but he just looked at me, as if he found something exceedingly interesting about my eyes. I lay back feeling rather serene, enjoying the cushion the snow provided for my head, just watching his eyes. He has amazing eyes, the deepest shade of henna brown so deep their almost black, then toward the center they change into this light chocolate color laced with a deep shaded amber. I have to laugh at myself for paying so much attention to detail, but I just like his eyes. "Hey, I'm not complaining," I smile, my voice sounding a little more gentle then I wanted it to, "Better you then Joey or Honda."
"Or Kaiba." he added with a smirk, and I was glad he realized I was only poking fun at them.
"I wouldn't worry about Kaiba," I laughed, "Yugi's got him pretty whipped."
He chucked and nodded, and I smiled, watching the way his eyes light up when he laughs, so much better then the clouded way they looked when he was sick not long ago. "Yeah, but I think poor Yami is getting irritated about being single."
"Yami?" I snorted, putting on a mocking look "Hell I'm getting pissed off with being single!" It was true enough... I hate being single. As strange as it sounds... I love having someone to care about, someone who I know I can be content with, everything doesn't seem so bad then. He crossed his arms on my chest smartly.
"Well, it's your own damn fault for being so cocky." he said in a mock scolding voice "If you would show your more spirited side you'd have girls AND guys crawling out of the woodwork to date you."
"Nope," I replied stubbornly, looking up at him, "I refuse to change, I like me just the way I am."
His face softened a bit as he let his arrogant grin melt into a warm smile. "Yeah," he said in gentle tone "I wouldn't have you any other way." I smiled a bit, somehow I knew he meant it. He suddenly started to grin at me childishly again, picking up a handful of snow holding it over my head. "I win." he smiled teasingly.
I looked thoughtfully at the snow, knowing all Ryou had to do was drop it to officially win the snowball fight because he would have hit my head. I refuse to lose to him. Okay, I refuse to lose to him in such an undignified manner. If I was going down, I was going down in glory, better yet if I could still win. The only thing was how was I going to do it. "That so..." I murmured slowly, waiting, hoping some opportunity would present itself. He opened his mouth to reply to my comment giving me just the opening I was looking for and I moved quickly, catching his lips with mine, offering him a gentle kiss. He gave a bit of a shocked whimper but didn't pull away from me and I once more realized I had made a mistake. My whole being shut down and for a minute, all I could feel the warm pressure against my lips and something screaming at me to keep this contact for as long as possible. But fortunately... or maybe unfortunately... I have emotional defences about 20 miles thick and they kicked in, scrambling up through the jumbled mess of my mind making me remember what the intended plan had been. I quickly shoved him away and re -tackled him. "Works like a charm!" I grinned from my new place holding him down, trying to brush of the strange giddy feeling in my chest.
"That's not fair!" He pouted, looking so adorably cute with his lower lip quivering and I wanted to lean down and taste him again. I picked up a bit on snow and crushed it playful against his hair.
"I win." I smirked and stood up, I don't think I was ever happier that my sweat shirt was a bit to big and helped hide ... the ... effects my antics had on my body. He just lay there a minute, staring up at the sky, looking like he was light-headed and I just stared at him a moment, taking in how beautiful he looked in the white bed, from now on when I see him I'll think of snowy days... or better yet, snowy midnights. Yeah... I smiled a bit, tonight I'll have to stay up with him, I want to see what the moon will look like on the snow. Maybe it will look like him like I hope it will... but for now, I think being out in the cold won't help his flu and he looks spaced out again.
I chuckled a bit and he gave a gasp as I scooped him up in my arms, holding him to my chest, his arms instinctively wrapping about my neck as he looked down at the ground nervously. "I think I should take you in." I smiled, "I may be new to cold weather but logic tells me being wet and cold won't help your flu.
"I don't doubt it." he responded, smiling a bit shyly. So I was right, his cold had started to bother him again. He curled up snugly against me and he rested his forehead to mine. Something told me to pull away, but I liked the feeling of having him this close to me on more then just this physical level and I don't know why, my mind just slows when he talks and I don't think anyone has ever sat patiently to listen to me ramble.
I offered him a soothing look. "What do you say I make you some tea, then we'll go to the main cabin for breakfast."
"Well..." He pretended to look like he was thinking long and deep, "Deal." he nodded. I laughed and carried him inside then set him down after kicking the door closed behind me. "I'm going to get something better on." He said, looking down at his ski jacket and old jeans, "This might be a little unnecessary for the cabin." I nodded in agreement and gestured to the stairs.
"You do that, and I'll get the kettle."
He nodded quickly and smiled, moving toward the stairs, stopping briefly to look at the stereo that sat by the broken television. "You like music?" he asked, dropping down to examining the thing. I nodded.
"Love music, anything is fine, I like everything." that was true enough, I could listen to Beethoven one minute then blast Disturbed the next. I know it sounds really strange, but music means a lot to me. It's a way of hearing myself think aloud, depending on the song. Some just mean more then others and if I find one that connects to me I file it into memory for someday when I'm alone and happen to feel that way. Then I sing. As a result, I have a CD collection that I think even Kaiba couldn't copy. I wondered if there was anything over there I felt like listening to at the moment and I walked over to examine the system over Ryou's shoulder. No CD's, though it had a player. "Just turn on the radio." I suggested and he gave a nod, flicking the switch and letting the thing come on. At the moment some radio DJ was talking about Oasis, and I made a thoughtful noise. I like a lot of their stuff, I like their name to, but maybe that's just me being from Egypt.
"This station good?" he asked and I answered with a nod, then flashed him a smile, wrapping my arm under his to help him up. He put his arm across my shoulder and instantly I put my other arm out to steady him as he stood... then I froze and quickly looked away, bitterly remembering the last time I held him like this. I could see his tired pale face, the confused frightened eyes; I flexed my hand that laced under his arms feeling his blood falling across it, blood his darker promised to me. "Malik?" he asked softly, looking at me concerned, I shook my head, freeing myself of my memory flash.
"Yeah?"
"You okay?"
No... I'm not okay... of course I'm not okay "Fine, just fine."
He seemed satisfied with my words and charming smile as I let him go and walked to the small kitchenette. I rubbed my hands together compulsively and I felt the worst urge to wash them, but I knew the feeling of his blood on it wasn't real, only my bad conscientious that seems to follow me about. It wasn't Bakura's blood that promised my liberation, now it was Ryou's blood promising to remind me no penitence could free me of exactly who I was and what I had done. I never should have brought Bakura into my world, I never would have if I had seen how much the two of us would hurt Ryou. I never should have brought Ryou into my world. My lip tingled slightly and I sucked on it thoughtfully, I could feel his lips still. I could still taste him... not like earilier this morning. I could taste the kiss, feel it burning a part of me I didn't know existed, but I liked the way it felt... warm and inviting. I shook my head, turning down the invitation, I could never have that peace, bless my little black heart, my conscience won't let me go... so I suppose this is how karma has decided to punish me... I wonder if he even knows why I don't think I deserve to be near him. So then why do I want to be near him? I sat on the counter and watched him go up the stairs, if he did know, he didn't care. I'm pretty sure he can remember Battle City, he seems content enough with my presence now despite everything. But if anyone has a right to be angry at me after everything that happened, it's probably him. There are so many things I want to explain to him... but I don't think I could. I keep my seat on the counter and fill the kettle from there and put it on the stove without moving from my spot as well. I don't think I can explain what exactly I feel, it feels so foreign to me. He gives me a strange feeling of comfort, like I'm not so alone, like maybe I'm a bit too hard on myself, like I'm wanted. He just makes me feel better. I smile slightly, listening to the song playing on the radio, yeah, I couldn't have picked a better one.
*Today is gonna be the day
That they're gonna throw it back to you,
By now you should've somehow
Realized what you gotta do.
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do, about you now...
Backbeat, the word was on the street
That the fire in your heart is out.
I'm sure you've heard it all before
But you never really had a doubt.
I don't believe that anybody feels
The way I do, about you now...
And all the roads we have to walk along are winding
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding
There are many things that I would
Like to say to you - but I don't know how...*
I hum to it a minute then glance up the stairs, up to where I knew he would be, allowing myself to sing.
"Because maybe,
You're gonna be the one that saves me...
And after all
You're my wonderwall..."
Someday, I'll have to thank him for this temporary bliss I know can't last, after all... I nod a bit and let my mind drift on for once, not so bitter or lonely thoughts as I sing.
"Said maybe...
You're gonna be the one that saves me...
You're gonna be the one that saves me...
You're gonna be the one that saves me... ...
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[1] Yup, Malik's mother really is dead. She finds Rishid as a small baby by a well and takes him in as her own son, despite what Malik's father says. It's agreed that as much as he dislikes the boy, should she not bare a son, Rishid will take the ritual instead, but it will betray the beliefs of the grave robber clan. When Rishid is 6, Isis is born. Then four years later just after Rishid turns ten, Malik is born. So Rishid is spared the ritual, the Ishtar families traditions are saved, though Malik's mother dies in childbirth. Sad, no?
[2] for those who are confused by what I said about Ryou in Battle City: you've been subjected to the horrible world of english censoring. The reason Ryou has his arm cut up and Malik brings his to Joey and Tea is this: Malik and Bakura decide that yes they are going to work together, Bakura has to help Malik get the God Cards and in exchange Bakura gets Malik's Millennium Rod. So Bakura takes a switch blade and cuts open his arm then changes back into Ryou (who needless to say is in a bit of pain and very confused) and Malik brings the injured hikari to Yugi's other friends. conveniently the part with Bakura cutting open his arm doesn't appear in the english version... so have many other great scenes *cough- what Malik really says when he's looking at the Sun Dragon Ra and the scars on his back are showing- cough* but I won't get in to that. Later on in series, Yami Bakura manages to get to the Battle City finals and goes up against Yami Yugi to win Osiris (Slypher) for Malik. I won't get into the details but it's an amazing battle!! Long story short, Bakura gets out four of the five ouiji pieces: D-E-A-T and at the end of this turn, the last letter H comes out and Yami instantly looses. But Yami summons Osiris and it has enough power to finish off Bakura. Malik speaks to Bakura via the Mill. Rod and offers him a solution to the problem, let Ryou back in control of their body. The battle has made the cut on Bakura's arm fester and bleed again so when Ryou comes back into his body, he doesn't know how he got there only that he's in an amazing amount of pain. Yami becomes afraid to hurt Ryou and won't attack, so when the turns time runs out... Bakura will win. To bad for Malik, Yami Bakura starts to fear for his hikari's life and fights off his control to switch bodies with Ryou, thus saving his light and letting Yami win. All Ryou x Bakura fans don't take it to serious... Bakura saves him so he can still have a mortal body... DAMN! But for Malik fans, yes Malik does feel bad about this later and offers to tell Bakura about the scars on his back to get back on his good side.
Malik: Wow, I got to sing again...
*Fan girls all get starry eyes* siiiiighhhh....
LYB: Sorry, I just happen to like the new voice they gave Malik on the english version, oh goddess it's beautiful! What their doing with it is this: the weird demented voice that he normally has in the english version is actually the voiced used to represent his yami side in later eps, the good voice is his light side ^_^
And the song in here is called "Wonderwall" by Oasis. It's an amazingly beautiful song.
Ryou: Please Read and Review everyone!! And we promise the next chapter will be up very soon!!
Anyway... as for the contest that I had, we don't have a winner yet, but we do have finalists. I'm going to draw out each of those final outfits and post them in my art class and let the other students in the course pick which they like best. So sometime in the next few chapters I'll be emailing people with the results. Three more chapters to go before the winner is revealed... the count down is on :)
Malik: Oh stop rambling! Come on, I get to talk in this chapter!
LYB: Patience is a virtue...
Malik: Patience? What's that? ^_^
LYB and Ryou: o_o U....
Malik: What?? I get to be angsty and thoughtful in the chapter.
LYB: Plus your falling hopeless for Ryou...
Malik: O_O!
Ryou: ^_^
Cyris: This chapter isn't actually as long as it looks, it just had a lot of dialog. Plus some Battle City spoilers. And forgive any bad grammar
and spelling, LYB wanted to get this up ASAP
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Wonderwall
**********************************************
I woke up to sun light flicking my eyes, Oddly I didn't feel for once like I should go back to sleep and forget the world existed. I felt rested and comfortable, for a second I couldn't figure out why, then I went to stretch only to find a pair of milk white gentle arms wrapped around me, a warm body cuddled close to me. I blushed slightly, I had forgotten about letting Ryou fall asleep on my chest but now I was surprised to find myself so completely content to have him lying against me. I looked out the window, seeing the sky just sky just turning a pale blue with the rising sun. The same aqua blue of my sisters eyes. I closed my eyes and imagined her, dark skin like my own, long raven hair. Her face seemed older, more worn with care and age... the blue eyes resolved to a clear violet, the shade of purple you see in the sunset - my eyes. Just like Rishid said, clear violet eyes... not as stormy as mine, hers were spirited and peaceful also like liquid. I wished I could reach out and touch her, this vision, this lovely self-sacrificing woman. There were so many things I wished I could ask her... where did you come from before you married into the grave keepers clan? Did you miss the sun, or did you always live underground? Could you sing like me? Or play instruments like Isis? Would you be proud of Rishid for how he's handled this whole mess, I know he was your first son, though father never loved him like you did... would you be proud of me? Would you have stepped up and consoled me so the dark that made it's own being within in me could never take shape? Or would it have happened anyway... would you cry for his death? For me? Would none of this have happened? So many things... who you were, what you were like, how you could so easily offer your time, your heart, your life... for someone you never knew. You saved Rishid, just a baby you'd never seen before... you never had a chance to see me, and you gave up everything for me; why would you do that?
The body beside me shifted a bit and a heard a small yawn. I kept my eyes closed, happy to have been broken of my thoughts. My biggest problem as I'm sure I've noted is that I think way to much for my own good. I bet I wouldn't be so bitter if I didn't think so much. I should make it a point to go a whole day without one of these inner debates - on second thought that could have disastrous consequences for everyone unfortunate enough to go near me, chances are they'd get a damn good dose of my bad temper. I don't get temperamental often, but when I do, I'll be the first to admit you don't want to be around me. At least for the time being I felt blissfully sedated as I felt Ryou's fingers flex slightly, remaining tangled in the soft light fabric of my shirt. I felt him raise his head a bit to look at me and I wondered what I did look like at the moment: expression was blank, eyes closed in peaceful sleep. He lowered his head again, laying it against my shoulder and he snuggled close to me. All I really wanted at that moment was to enjoy his company before the sun came fully up and everything that happened last night gone completely with the dark. I shouldn't even be taking this so seriously, this is Ryou were talking about here. At least now he was seeing the better side of me... he kinda had a habit of getting me in my more frustrated moods. I adore him, Beautiful midnight angel that he is. Some kind of dove that for the moment was peacefully laying in my arms... I loved the way he felt, with his silk hair and milky skin. I sucked on my lower lip a bit, I could still taste that soft skin on me from where I laid my lips against his shoulder while washing his hair. I couldn't help it! I just had to see if it felt as soft as it looked. I mentally shake my head, so much for my vow of never sharing a bed with him. He's laying here, cuddled up to me and I'm crooning over him. It's just that... I don't know... he scares me.
I'm drawn to him and didn't I warn myself this would happen? That if I touched him I could become addicted to the way he felt? He even ~feels~ gentle and innocent and I'm forced to digress to my early problem. Falcons are made to hunt and kill doves, porcelain dolls are fair game for a child to break. I've had my chance to hold him and I should end this now and let everything go back to the way it was before. The thing is... how do I get back there? My, I'm still the bitter one aren't I? But, what can I say, for whatever reason... last night... he brought out a better side of me, something new and strange to me, and I'm grateful for it.
He shifted against me again, cuddling close to me and I smile slightly, enjoying the way he feels warm against me. "It's hard to believe you can cause so much trouble," he mummers softly, , I'm pretty he still thinks I'm asleep. "So why do you do it? I know there's so much more to you then that... I've seen how caring you can be. Everyone knows there's something more to you, so why do you have to be such an anti-social?"
"Because that's just the way I am." I replied calmly so as not to startle him but I felt him stiffened and I could feel the blush in his cheeks from the way his skin warmed against mine. I could feel his eyes travel up to look at me, and I opened me eyes to look at him. "I don't expect anyone to understand why I act like I do, just deal with it. It's me." My voice was hard but I made no move to let him go either. I was actually thankful for his presence, his body was wonderfully comfortable and being near him was doing strange and heart-fluttering things to me.
"I didn't think you were awake." he said, shifting slightly to get rid of a kink in his shoulder.
"I've been awake for awhile." I answered in a warm, open tone and I let my fingers idly playing with a lock of his silvery white hair. I smiled secretly, I love his hair, it's like silk to the touch. "You looked so cute sleeping there, so I didn't want to wake you."
"And here I thought YOU were the one asleep." he smiled. I gave a low laugh, I seem to be doing that a lot lately.
"No, just thinking." I shifted my arms a little, pulling him just a bit closer to me and he tucked his head into the knoll of my shoulder. "Our talk last night... I just started to wonder."
"Wonder what?"
"About my mother." I answered softly, letting my hand fall down through his hair to rest on his arm, idly running my thumb across the skin. He sighed softly, smiling. It's nice to see him smile, and it his face isn't so pale today and I smirk to myself, pleased with the fact that he looks much more health and I hadn't heard him cough all the while. His fingers brush my skin near my waist where my shirt crops off and I bit back a sigh, I loved the way his touch feels, it just seemed so... I don't know... right... he's the first person I've ever allowed to touch the scars on my back. I won't even let Isis near them, but his touch is gentle and I don't mind it at all. "I tried to imagine what she looked like."
"Imagine?" he said, furrowing his brow in confusion. I nodded.
"Remember I said I could see what she looked like?" he nodded curiously, silently asking me to continue. "I sort of do... and I really don't. My mother died in child birth, giving her life for mine." I looked at the window, letting myself zone-out a bit. I could feel him pulling away from me and from the corner of me eye I could see him watching my face. "I just had to think about it... what kind of a person would you have to be to give your life for another? Her life for her only son?"
I didn't really expect him to answer... it wasn't like the question had an answer. Nothing came to my mind that I could say, at least he had known his mother... my voice was hitched. I felt wonderfully relieved when he laid his hand on my chest in a comforting manner, "She couldn't have known."
"She knew." I answered briefly, to what seemed like nothing in particular and I wondered if I had the expression on my face as he did the night before when he explained why he hated hospitals. "She knew she wasn't able to carry another child, but she went ahead anyway. To give a stranger life... so her family would have a son." [1] He offered me a soft smile and nodded to show it was okay, that he understood. I gave a relieved smile and sighed gently before shifting once more, putting both arms around him, holding him close. I smiled, trying to tell myself I shouldn't get so worked up over nothing, but it was so wonderful to be near him. I was quiet a moment before speaking again. "It's funny... I can somehow still see her. In everything my sister does. But maybe that's just me... when I was little... I asked Rishid was my mother looked like and he pointed to Isis and said 'she looked just like that, only with these big violet eyes. She had an unbreakable spirit, you could see it in her eyes. They were so clear.'" I paused a moment, an amusing memory coming to me mind. "Not long ago, before I moved out of Isis' apartment, I caught her staring at me, this funny look on her face." I smirked a bit "And I asked her what her problem was, she just shook her head and said that when she was young, she never missed her mother because she just had to look in my eyes to see that untouchable spirit- then she shook her head again. She said she couldn't see our mother in me anymore. Said my eyes had changed... they weren't clear like they had been- somewhere along, I lost that- whatever it was. Whatever they could see in me." I looked thoughtfully out the window again, "I didn't know her... but I feel for her. Does that make sense? I can remember her through stories and imaginings, but I never knew her... And sometimes, it just feels out of place, because I used to feel her near me and now... I just don't. I think I forgot about her, about having that spirit; then you reminded me." I shook my head, smiling dully, my wispy blond locks tickling my forehead. I couldn't believe I was being so sincere with someone, but I was thankful he was listening to me ramble. "I think to much."
He shrugged, "It's okay Hamlet." he said jokingly, hugging me gently. I laughed and poked him playfully.
"Okay, I'm not that bad." I said with a teasing role of my eyes. "He thinks to the point of being crazy."
"You are crazy." he replied smartly with a smirk and I gave another chuckle looking at the window again. I couldn't deny it.
"What do you find so interesting outside?" he asked, following my gaze. From where we lay all you could see was a crystal blue sky outside.
"It's not exactly outside." I said tipping my head in curiosity. "It's on the window pane."
He joined me in looking at the window ledge, a layer of fresh white powder was sitting just outside the glass. "Finally!" he said, delighted, sitting up, pulling away from me despite the fact he coughed a bit. His flu temporarily and blessedly forgotten. "We finally got snow!"
I narrowed my eyes at the white stuff on the sill "That's snow?" I remarked, I don't know what exactly I expected, maybe something a little less friendly looking. Something wetter maybe, a little more like ice. He looked at me as if I were a child, like to say 'Well of course it's snow!' then his face registered realization. So sue me if I've lived in a hot desert regions all my life. Sure I'd heard of the frozen rain drops... but I'd never actually seen it. I wasn't sure I wanted too. Bakura told me it was horrible stuff that made your hands wet and numb when you touched it. And it blew up in your face with the slightest breeze making your skin feel like it was burning. But Ryou had a wide smile on his face as he scrambled out of bed. I noticed right way how much better me must have felt... it was as if he never had anything more then a bad case of sniffles and I made a mental note that I do make a better healer then a spell caster.
"You've never seen it before?" he asked eagerly, walking to the window and throwing it open. I shook my head no and crossed my arms behind my head.
"Should you be standing in the open winter air like that?" I said, giving him a concerned look. "Snow is supposed to be cold, wet and miserable. And you with a flu, get back in bed." The last thing I wanted was for him to fall victim to that seemingly harmless baby powder type fluff. I know it's just frozen rain or what the hell but I doubted being in cold air was good for his health. He laughed at me.
"Snow's not miserable! Snow is fun!" he smiled, and I gave him a doubtfully look as he took a bunch of it up in his hand from the open window frame, "I don't care if I get pneumonia from this, at the very least I was going to prove cold climates aren't so bad." I rolled my eyes in response.
"You know, you can be horribly stubborn at times." I remarked.
"So are you." He replied, sticking his tongue out at me. I wanted to either rip that teasing little tongue off of his pretty little face or cover his mouth with mine, just to see if it tasted as tempting as it looked. I smirked at both thoughts, sometimes it just feels good to humour my ego. "Come on Malik," he chided "After waiting so long for winter to officially start, I refused to pass up such a beautiful day."
"Beautiful my ass, that shit is cold and wet."
"Oh you have no sense of fun. Haven't you ever taken the time to just play around a bit?"
I mulled this thought over in my mind a bit. There's not much opportunity for childish games in an underground tomb. And one I got free, I found my time pretty well consumed until recently. I just shrugged a bit, looking at the wall. I think that he understood the words behind my actions better then I ever could have verbally explained because he looked at me and smiled sweetly. "Come on! There's so many good thing you can only do with snow. Like... snowball fights." he chucked the ball at me quickly, giving me no time to react until it shattered into fluffy flakes again when it struck my shirt.
"HEY!" He cried on instinct, bringing up my arms as a reaction, only to find that the powder didn't tingle or burn coldly like I thought it would, merely melt charmingly on my skin. I brushing myself off "No fair! You have the home field advantage here!"
He quickly shut the window and grabbed some warmer clothes from his bag "Come on," he smirked again, "I'm going to show you why winter is my favourite time of year." He smiled at him, looking amused before shaking my head and crawling out of bed.
I watched him from the door as he stepped outside into the cool air, wandering out into the snow where I knew the path that lead down to the main cabin was. Though you couldn't tell for sure, it was buried under a good foot of winters trademark white. It wasn't all that cold out, it actually felt rather fresh against my face contrary to what Bakura had told me. Ryou seemed perfectly content as he stood outside in his ski jacket which was probably more then enough to keep him warm in this mild weather. He looked back at the cabin after walking a few feet and laughed looking at me standing there. "Come out and see it," he called "It's not like it will hurt you. It's a beautiful day... even for winter, I couldn't have asked for a better day for you to see this season for the first time". I slowly stepped out of the doorway, blinking as the brightness glinted off the snow in my eyes. I had put on a heavy long sleeved sweat shirt and my black cloak, the same one my yami had worn to protect him from the winds on the Battle City blimp. It seemed to do the trick for me now. But I didn't even think about that for a moment, I was staring at the new world with a childish fascination. I can't describe it, kind of like seeing the world for the first time. I had seen snow in pictures, but pictures did this frozen world no justice. It was a beautiful copy of a white desert, I felt like falling to my knees, it looked like a strange version of my home, drifted and flowing with pale sand. That's what it was... a wonderful white desert with trees made from colored glass where the ice clung to them. The sky was it's own crystal... a special type of blue it can only have when everything else is white and there's nothing vibrant to outshine it. Ryou looked at the frozen landscape with a calm affection, I could see why he loved this time of year. I took a few steps out into the snow, marvelling at how it was like walking through cold, fine sand. I leaned over, running a gloved hand through the powder before taking up a handful and admiring the way the light played on all the little crystals. I made a mental note to tell Bakura he was a liar and snow wasn't really all that bad.
I felt a familiar evil smirk come across my face watching Ryou stand there, scanning the forest as I slowly shaped the snow in my hands as I had seen Ryou do earlier before chucking it at him, smacking him right between the shoulders. He gave a cry of shock as the cold ball of fluff struck him splattering cold wet flakes everywhere and he turned to look at me, shock on his face. I already had another snowball waiting in my hand as I smirked at him "I like this snow."
He returned the crazy grin, almost imitating his yami as he snatched up a handful of snow. "Two can play at this game. Let's see who does better, the Sun God or the Snow King..."
Soon I found myself ducked behind the edge of the cabin, steeling glances at a makeshift fort wall of snow, a pile of snowballs at my side. "Romeo to Foxtrot, Romeo to Foxtrot;" I heard Ryou speak to his fist as if someone really would answer. Childish, yeah, I know, but amusing none the less. "Tango spotted!" he glanced up over the snow wall only to duck back down as I bombarded him with snowballs. "Romeo under fire!" he cried delight on his voice.
"Tango hit!" I cried from my own fort place around the corner of the cabin. "I repeat, this is India to Alpha, Tango hit!"
"India?!" he yelled, peaking up over his fort, "Why India?"
"For Ishtar!" I responded, glancing around the corner "It's better then Mike for Malik. Or would you prefer I use Juliet there Romeo?" I added, throwing a snowball in his direction. Personally I would have found it funny if he took up the offered code name, me being the Shakespeare nut I am. He ducked the snowball but it missed anyway.
"Romeo for Ryou," he retorted "At least it's not as tacky as Mike!"
"That's India to you, Romeo!"
He fired a hard packed ball at me but it hit the edge of the cabin as a retort, the cold ammo shot splattered on the bank making ice crystals sprinkle over my hair and chill my face. "You always call your enemy Tango you moron!" he yelled.
"I knew that Romeo!" I snapped back and flung another snowball at him again, watching him drop behind the snow bank wall. "Tango hit!" I cried in a delighted voice when he didn't resurface.
"But not down!" he called back, I could vaguely see him moving behind his hiding place "Remember the rules, the loser is the first one to get hit in the face or surrender!"
"Yeah well... yield or..." I trailed off, putting a finger to my chin in mock thought "hmm... guess I can't say die."
"Get pummelled?" he offered, looking around the edge of the wall, I could guess by the way he glanced around he was looking for a new location to move to.
"Pummelled works." I said casually, before cupping my hands over my mouth to yelled back at him "Yield or get pummelled!!"
"You're not very creative." he laughed.
"Sue me. I'm new at this whole pll-aay thing." I stretched the word as if I had never heard it before, teasing him about his earlier remark that I had no sense of fun. I doubted I could make up for all my lost childhood years but at least I could have a bit of childish fun in the here-and-now.
"Romeo, moving out!" he called, and I secretly watched him creep from behind the wall and sprint for the other corner of the house. I knew it was an open invitation to pound him with snowballs but frankly I'm not that stupid. I know enough from sneaking around on people that he was going to try to get me from behind and I was well aware that in a second, I was going to get my ass beaten with an onslaught of white fluff if I didn't move. I glanced upward, silently judging the height to the roof, it was sloped steeply so it wasn't that far up but not steep enough you could easily see what was on top of it. A perfect hiding place for my purposes. I quickly stepped up onto a drain barrel that sat on the cabins corner and glanced back to make sure Ryou hadn't yet made his appearance before jumping up and grabbing hold of the eve, swinging myself upward, using the top of the kitchen window as a quick foothold to swing myself soundless on to the roof. I'm wonderful at these quick and silent escapes, but right now, I didn't want to escape, I was hunting.
I crouched myself down low so Ryou couldn't see me as I watched him, moving delicately on hands and knees like a large cat waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, as he moved around the corners of the cabin one by one. Instinct wouldn't tell him to look up here as he immerged into my former hiding place, perplexed as to my disappearance and I watched slightly, shifting my weight onto my hands to avoid making a sound as I shifted my body in his direction, crouched low, waiting. The height was my advantage here, the same way a falcon hunts. Fly higher then the dove below so your prey never sees you. I like to think of myself as a falcon, it just seems to suit me. I hovered lightly as he looked at my tracks, confused as to how I could vanish without leaving a track. "Malik?" he called, looking out toward the main cabin, stepping out in what he didn't know was dangerous territory. I pounced, skidding forward and diving for him, catching my white-haired dove about the waist and he gave a cry of shock as we both tumbled into the snow. Unfortunately for this hunter, I failed to take into account that although snow would cushion our fall, it had the wonderful ability to give way and just as I thought we had finished tumbling across the winter blanket and I had him pinned, it caved and we both gave a startled cry, toppling over a small incline before crash-landing at the bottom.
We both ended up laughing once we came to a stop, and I smirked, watching him shake snow from his hair, making the silver flakes land on my face. At least I can say I was warm as I looked up at him and laughed, "Well, you were the last person I ever expected to have lying on top of me." He blinked and looked down, blinking again realizing he really did have me pinned beneath him. I think he must have blushed about five different shades of red as he lay there staring down at me and I expected him to jump up at any moment and start apologizing profoundly but he just looked at me, as if he found something exceedingly interesting about my eyes. I lay back feeling rather serene, enjoying the cushion the snow provided for my head, just watching his eyes. He has amazing eyes, the deepest shade of henna brown so deep their almost black, then toward the center they change into this light chocolate color laced with a deep shaded amber. I have to laugh at myself for paying so much attention to detail, but I just like his eyes. "Hey, I'm not complaining," I smile, my voice sounding a little more gentle then I wanted it to, "Better you then Joey or Honda."
"Or Kaiba." he added with a smirk, and I was glad he realized I was only poking fun at them.
"I wouldn't worry about Kaiba," I laughed, "Yugi's got him pretty whipped."
He chucked and nodded, and I smiled, watching the way his eyes light up when he laughs, so much better then the clouded way they looked when he was sick not long ago. "Yeah, but I think poor Yami is getting irritated about being single."
"Yami?" I snorted, putting on a mocking look "Hell I'm getting pissed off with being single!" It was true enough... I hate being single. As strange as it sounds... I love having someone to care about, someone who I know I can be content with, everything doesn't seem so bad then. He crossed his arms on my chest smartly.
"Well, it's your own damn fault for being so cocky." he said in a mock scolding voice "If you would show your more spirited side you'd have girls AND guys crawling out of the woodwork to date you."
"Nope," I replied stubbornly, looking up at him, "I refuse to change, I like me just the way I am."
His face softened a bit as he let his arrogant grin melt into a warm smile. "Yeah," he said in gentle tone "I wouldn't have you any other way." I smiled a bit, somehow I knew he meant it. He suddenly started to grin at me childishly again, picking up a handful of snow holding it over my head. "I win." he smiled teasingly.
I looked thoughtfully at the snow, knowing all Ryou had to do was drop it to officially win the snowball fight because he would have hit my head. I refuse to lose to him. Okay, I refuse to lose to him in such an undignified manner. If I was going down, I was going down in glory, better yet if I could still win. The only thing was how was I going to do it. "That so..." I murmured slowly, waiting, hoping some opportunity would present itself. He opened his mouth to reply to my comment giving me just the opening I was looking for and I moved quickly, catching his lips with mine, offering him a gentle kiss. He gave a bit of a shocked whimper but didn't pull away from me and I once more realized I had made a mistake. My whole being shut down and for a minute, all I could feel the warm pressure against my lips and something screaming at me to keep this contact for as long as possible. But fortunately... or maybe unfortunately... I have emotional defences about 20 miles thick and they kicked in, scrambling up through the jumbled mess of my mind making me remember what the intended plan had been. I quickly shoved him away and re -tackled him. "Works like a charm!" I grinned from my new place holding him down, trying to brush of the strange giddy feeling in my chest.
"That's not fair!" He pouted, looking so adorably cute with his lower lip quivering and I wanted to lean down and taste him again. I picked up a bit on snow and crushed it playful against his hair.
"I win." I smirked and stood up, I don't think I was ever happier that my sweat shirt was a bit to big and helped hide ... the ... effects my antics had on my body. He just lay there a minute, staring up at the sky, looking like he was light-headed and I just stared at him a moment, taking in how beautiful he looked in the white bed, from now on when I see him I'll think of snowy days... or better yet, snowy midnights. Yeah... I smiled a bit, tonight I'll have to stay up with him, I want to see what the moon will look like on the snow. Maybe it will look like him like I hope it will... but for now, I think being out in the cold won't help his flu and he looks spaced out again.
I chuckled a bit and he gave a gasp as I scooped him up in my arms, holding him to my chest, his arms instinctively wrapping about my neck as he looked down at the ground nervously. "I think I should take you in." I smiled, "I may be new to cold weather but logic tells me being wet and cold won't help your flu.
"I don't doubt it." he responded, smiling a bit shyly. So I was right, his cold had started to bother him again. He curled up snugly against me and he rested his forehead to mine. Something told me to pull away, but I liked the feeling of having him this close to me on more then just this physical level and I don't know why, my mind just slows when he talks and I don't think anyone has ever sat patiently to listen to me ramble.
I offered him a soothing look. "What do you say I make you some tea, then we'll go to the main cabin for breakfast."
"Well..." He pretended to look like he was thinking long and deep, "Deal." he nodded. I laughed and carried him inside then set him down after kicking the door closed behind me. "I'm going to get something better on." He said, looking down at his ski jacket and old jeans, "This might be a little unnecessary for the cabin." I nodded in agreement and gestured to the stairs.
"You do that, and I'll get the kettle."
He nodded quickly and smiled, moving toward the stairs, stopping briefly to look at the stereo that sat by the broken television. "You like music?" he asked, dropping down to examining the thing. I nodded.
"Love music, anything is fine, I like everything." that was true enough, I could listen to Beethoven one minute then blast Disturbed the next. I know it sounds really strange, but music means a lot to me. It's a way of hearing myself think aloud, depending on the song. Some just mean more then others and if I find one that connects to me I file it into memory for someday when I'm alone and happen to feel that way. Then I sing. As a result, I have a CD collection that I think even Kaiba couldn't copy. I wondered if there was anything over there I felt like listening to at the moment and I walked over to examine the system over Ryou's shoulder. No CD's, though it had a player. "Just turn on the radio." I suggested and he gave a nod, flicking the switch and letting the thing come on. At the moment some radio DJ was talking about Oasis, and I made a thoughtful noise. I like a lot of their stuff, I like their name to, but maybe that's just me being from Egypt.
"This station good?" he asked and I answered with a nod, then flashed him a smile, wrapping my arm under his to help him up. He put his arm across my shoulder and instantly I put my other arm out to steady him as he stood... then I froze and quickly looked away, bitterly remembering the last time I held him like this. I could see his tired pale face, the confused frightened eyes; I flexed my hand that laced under his arms feeling his blood falling across it, blood his darker promised to me. "Malik?" he asked softly, looking at me concerned, I shook my head, freeing myself of my memory flash.
"Yeah?"
"You okay?"
No... I'm not okay... of course I'm not okay "Fine, just fine."
He seemed satisfied with my words and charming smile as I let him go and walked to the small kitchenette. I rubbed my hands together compulsively and I felt the worst urge to wash them, but I knew the feeling of his blood on it wasn't real, only my bad conscientious that seems to follow me about. It wasn't Bakura's blood that promised my liberation, now it was Ryou's blood promising to remind me no penitence could free me of exactly who I was and what I had done. I never should have brought Bakura into my world, I never would have if I had seen how much the two of us would hurt Ryou. I never should have brought Ryou into my world. My lip tingled slightly and I sucked on it thoughtfully, I could feel his lips still. I could still taste him... not like earilier this morning. I could taste the kiss, feel it burning a part of me I didn't know existed, but I liked the way it felt... warm and inviting. I shook my head, turning down the invitation, I could never have that peace, bless my little black heart, my conscience won't let me go... so I suppose this is how karma has decided to punish me... I wonder if he even knows why I don't think I deserve to be near him. So then why do I want to be near him? I sat on the counter and watched him go up the stairs, if he did know, he didn't care. I'm pretty sure he can remember Battle City, he seems content enough with my presence now despite everything. But if anyone has a right to be angry at me after everything that happened, it's probably him. There are so many things I want to explain to him... but I don't think I could. I keep my seat on the counter and fill the kettle from there and put it on the stove without moving from my spot as well. I don't think I can explain what exactly I feel, it feels so foreign to me. He gives me a strange feeling of comfort, like I'm not so alone, like maybe I'm a bit too hard on myself, like I'm wanted. He just makes me feel better. I smile slightly, listening to the song playing on the radio, yeah, I couldn't have picked a better one.
*Today is gonna be the day
That they're gonna throw it back to you,
By now you should've somehow
Realized what you gotta do.
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do, about you now...
Backbeat, the word was on the street
That the fire in your heart is out.
I'm sure you've heard it all before
But you never really had a doubt.
I don't believe that anybody feels
The way I do, about you now...
And all the roads we have to walk along are winding
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding
There are many things that I would
Like to say to you - but I don't know how...*
I hum to it a minute then glance up the stairs, up to where I knew he would be, allowing myself to sing.
"Because maybe,
You're gonna be the one that saves me...
And after all
You're my wonderwall..."
Someday, I'll have to thank him for this temporary bliss I know can't last, after all... I nod a bit and let my mind drift on for once, not so bitter or lonely thoughts as I sing.
"Said maybe...
You're gonna be the one that saves me...
You're gonna be the one that saves me...
You're gonna be the one that saves me... ...
*************************************************
[1] Yup, Malik's mother really is dead. She finds Rishid as a small baby by a well and takes him in as her own son, despite what Malik's father says. It's agreed that as much as he dislikes the boy, should she not bare a son, Rishid will take the ritual instead, but it will betray the beliefs of the grave robber clan. When Rishid is 6, Isis is born. Then four years later just after Rishid turns ten, Malik is born. So Rishid is spared the ritual, the Ishtar families traditions are saved, though Malik's mother dies in childbirth. Sad, no?
[2] for those who are confused by what I said about Ryou in Battle City: you've been subjected to the horrible world of english censoring. The reason Ryou has his arm cut up and Malik brings his to Joey and Tea is this: Malik and Bakura decide that yes they are going to work together, Bakura has to help Malik get the God Cards and in exchange Bakura gets Malik's Millennium Rod. So Bakura takes a switch blade and cuts open his arm then changes back into Ryou (who needless to say is in a bit of pain and very confused) and Malik brings the injured hikari to Yugi's other friends. conveniently the part with Bakura cutting open his arm doesn't appear in the english version... so have many other great scenes *cough- what Malik really says when he's looking at the Sun Dragon Ra and the scars on his back are showing- cough* but I won't get in to that. Later on in series, Yami Bakura manages to get to the Battle City finals and goes up against Yami Yugi to win Osiris (Slypher) for Malik. I won't get into the details but it's an amazing battle!! Long story short, Bakura gets out four of the five ouiji pieces: D-E-A-T and at the end of this turn, the last letter H comes out and Yami instantly looses. But Yami summons Osiris and it has enough power to finish off Bakura. Malik speaks to Bakura via the Mill. Rod and offers him a solution to the problem, let Ryou back in control of their body. The battle has made the cut on Bakura's arm fester and bleed again so when Ryou comes back into his body, he doesn't know how he got there only that he's in an amazing amount of pain. Yami becomes afraid to hurt Ryou and won't attack, so when the turns time runs out... Bakura will win. To bad for Malik, Yami Bakura starts to fear for his hikari's life and fights off his control to switch bodies with Ryou, thus saving his light and letting Yami win. All Ryou x Bakura fans don't take it to serious... Bakura saves him so he can still have a mortal body... DAMN! But for Malik fans, yes Malik does feel bad about this later and offers to tell Bakura about the scars on his back to get back on his good side.
Malik: Wow, I got to sing again...
*Fan girls all get starry eyes* siiiiighhhh....
LYB: Sorry, I just happen to like the new voice they gave Malik on the english version, oh goddess it's beautiful! What their doing with it is this: the weird demented voice that he normally has in the english version is actually the voiced used to represent his yami side in later eps, the good voice is his light side ^_^
And the song in here is called "Wonderwall" by Oasis. It's an amazingly beautiful song.
Ryou: Please Read and Review everyone!! And we promise the next chapter will be up very soon!!