A/N: Finally, after sooo long a new chapter! Whee! ^_^
To the reviewers:
Blue Lagoon Loon: If you dun like bugs, then you're *really* not gonna like what Jou and Honda are trying to do in this chappie.^^;
Toby Kikami: Yeppers, that's the right song. And you'd best believe Keith probably has a following of fan girls in the YGO-verse. According to Yukie over at KG, they're skeery and mail him their underpants, ohyestheyare. *cackle* And although the school furnace doesn't blow up, YnB *does*--in the metaphorical sense, o'course.
Sailor Comet: *gives s'mores to her to toast* Gomen, sorry for the long wait! And not to worry, the Bakuras will not be separated, for better or for worse.^_^
Kool-Aid Addict: Mwee! Again, I'm so sorry for the delay. Dear Lord, it's *watchiiiing* meeeee-- *hides*
Yami Mikan et. al.: Uh, yeah. Remind me to nail your door shut when you're asleep, imouto-chan. That way your plethora of spirits can't sneak in and bother me. Well, anyway, here's the next chapter for your enjoyment. That way Ki will stop throwing pointy objects at me over the breakfast table. @_@
CHAPTER FIVE = = = = = = =
Ryou wiped beads of sweat from his forehead, toying nervously with the Ring as he watched Yuugi scraping spiders off the hatch to the furnace. The near-totally dark, smelly, sooty little room looked to be a post-war bomb shelter or something, and neither he nor Yuugi, who'd volunteered to come along, liked it much. However, it would serve their purpose, or so he hoped.
"Are you sure Tsuzuki-sensei isn't going to suspect anything?" Ryou asked for the umpteenth time. Yuugi sighed and picked a stray arachnid out of his hair.
"I'm absolutely positive. He's claustrophobic anyways, so he won't hang around down here. Too stuffy. Now, I wonder if they've fixed the latch on this--"
Outside, Ryou heard an unnerved screech and feminine yells of protest, followed by familiar laughter from Honda and Jounouchi, neither of whom were bothered by bugs and both of whom still retained their preschool tendencies of sticking said bugs in girls' hair. Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside: before Ryou could hide the Ring, a figure in a pink blazer burst inside.
Bakura groaned inwardly: it was Miho, Honda's sometime crush and his own personal tag-along. She wasn't bad in most ways--but Bakura *really* wasn't interested in girls, and Miho never really seemed to have grasped that fact. She approached his elbow, panting nervously, and the white- haired boy realized belatedly that she wouldn't be able to see the Ring anyways in the dim light.
"Bakura? Is that you?"
"Erm--yes, yes it is. What's the matter?"
"Oh, that stupid Jounouchi is sticking bugs in people's hair again," she muttered, undisguised disgust in her soft voice. "And Honda's helping. He can be such a lout sometimes!"
*And this after he admitted he loved you?* Ryou thought briefly, aware that it was uncharitable to judge Miho, but unable to forget Yuugi's musings about how much Honda had liked her. *Maybe he wouldn't have been such a lout if you'd given him a chance.*
\And maybe, my host, you should take your own advice.\
Ryou flinched, and then noted the fleeting air of fear in his darker half's mental voice. He felt bad--for a moment.
/Last time I checked, Honda never murdered anyone. Nor did he try to institute a reign of darkness on the whole planet./
\Oh? Go ask him, he might surprise you.\
Ryou debated saying something biting to his other half, but was interrupted when Miho poked his shoulder.
"Hmm, sounds like the cavalry may have arrived."
Yuugi, meanwhile, had sidled up to Ryou and was now trying to suppress a giggle at the sounds from out in the basement storage area. Anzu had apparently left in a huff, and returned with a member of the freshman girl's physical education class. Specifically, Ryou could hear Shizuka Kawai chewing her brother and his best friend out for being immature dorks to Anzu.
"--you *know* she's got arachnophobia, Honda; it's just mean to do stuff like that!"
"Shizuka, it was just a joke, we didn't mean--"
"Nii-chan, I can't believe you'd help Honda with something like this. I mean, what would you do if some guy put bugs in my hair, knowing *I* was scared of them?"
A pause, and then, guiltily, "I guess I'd kick his ass."
"Exactly. Now tell me how Anzu's feelings are different from mine?"
"Uhh--"
Yuugi rolled his eyes at Ryou, barely visible in the glow radiating outwards from the furnace. "I'll go break that mess up, if you don't mind: Shizuka will get in trouble if she leaves her class for too long. The door's all clear."
As soon as he was gone, Miho squeezed closer to Ryou and looked at him intently. "So, what are you and Yuugi doing cleaning out the furnace room? It can't be very good for your health--"
"Ah, nothing," Ryou said, wishing that Miho would lose interest and go elsewhere. "We just figured we could get it done faster than anyone else."
"That's very conscientious of you," Miho said perkily. Then, "EEK! Did you hear that?!"
"Hear what? You squeaking?" Ryou asked rather shortly as Miho jumped and clung to him like a drowning woman to a lifeline.
"No, silly, something scuttling around outside--it was a rat, I know it. I can't stand rats!"
Ryou was about to remind her that unless she had done something foolish like coat her ankles in honey, she was in no danger from rodents--when he suddenly noticed where Miho's hands had migrated.
"GAAH! Miho, what on earth d'you think you're doing?!!"
"What?" Miho squeezed, and then realized belatedly that she was grabbing Ryou's crotch. "Oh. Um--Oops?"
"Get OFF!" Ryou yelped, trying to pry Miho forcibly away from himself. Unfortunately, this only resulted in her grabbing the edge of his uniform jacket and yanking it up in the process. After a scuffle and several minutes of squeaking and howling, Ryou finally managed to shuck the disgruntled Miho off his back. She sniffed and looked hurt.
"I wasn't doing that on purpose, you know."
"Right," Ryou muttered, edging away from her nervously lest she attempt to jump his bones. Inside his head, he could feel wrath from the Ring's inhabitant building up like water behind a dam.
Miho "hmph-ed" and turned to leave, pausing only to add, with an injured look at the white-haired boy, "You know, Bakura, you're not very nice! I bet Honda wouldn't have shoved me around like a sack of potatoes!"
It was lucky that she left at that point, with a flounce of her skirt, because Yami no Bakura fairly well exploded about two seconds later.
\POLITE!!! That grabby little slut, how dare she?!!!\
/I think it really was an accident, koe,/ Ryou acknowledged, startled by the fury in his other half's voice.
\Accident, my eye!! She tried to cop a feel on you!!! Honda wouldn't have shoved her around--honestly!!!\
Ryou paused, a little rattled. /Koe?/
\What?!\ came the snarly reply.
/Are you--jealous?/
\WHAT?!!! NO! Of course not!\
Ryou paused, listening to the ancient soul's vehement denials while staring at the now-accessible furnace hatch. He realized, with a start, that he was beginning to have second thoughts about destroying the Ring. In the past, his sociopath darker half had been both a torment and comfort to him, a part of himself that he had to protect others against: lately, however, he was discovering more about his other self than he'd ever thought possible. Yami no Bakura, rendered helpless, was easier to understand than Yami no Bakura in control of their shared body. It was easier now for Ryou to read his unwanted "guest's" emotions--and Yami no Bakura seemed more human now to his unwilling host than ever before.
*Stop that. He's a horror. He doesn't care about anyone but himself. He hurt the only real friends you've ever had.*
Ryou steeled himself and moved towards the furnace hatch. The heat grew greater, and as if in reciprocation, his other half's fear grew as well, forced through the link in their souls. Ryou paused, and willed himself to raise his hand, to open the furnace hatch.
His arm would not comply. And Ryou knew immediately that it was not because someone else's will was controlling it.
/I can't do this./
\What?!\
/I can't destroy y-I can't do this./
The tomb robber's fear receded, replaced by-was it?-a tentative sort of hopefulness. \You-you can't?\
Ryou sighed unhappily. /Maybe I *am* weak, like you said--but no, I can't do that to you./
Yami no Bakura was silent, but Ryou sensed his bewilderment all the same. When no biting remarks were forthcoming, the pale-haired boy sighed and started towards the furnace room door--
--and ran slap-bang into the massive torso of upperclassman Goro Inoshigara.
Ryou squeaked as shrilly as Miho had and tried to leap backwards, but the gigantic, spike-headed senior grabbed the smaller boy by his collar before he could escape, hefting him until his toes barely touched the ground. Ryou struggled frantically, looking up into the senior's bleak face, the right half of which still bore traces of burns from a disastrous game with Yuugi involving a test tube full of nitro. Inoshigara glowered.
"I come down here to get some sports equipment, and instead I get disrespect from a bunch of idiot sophomores. You, you're Bakura, right?"
"Y-yes." Bakura managed, as his windpipe was currently under a great deal of stress.
Inoshigara's glare darkened, and his eyes lit on the Sennen Ring in Bakura's hand. "Obviously, you don't know how we do things at this school. Allow me to demonstrate."
To Ryou's horror, the huge senior yanked the Ring from his quaking fingers, and in a few deft, practiced movements, stepped across the room, flung open the furnace hatch, and tossed the Ring inside.
Ryou felt utter horror coursing through him, some of which was his own, most of which was Yami no Bakura's. /KOE!!/
\SHIT!! What the he-?!!\ Ryou heard his other half's voice cut off, and a shock of despair and loss wracked his mind. Unbidden, tears sprang into his eyes: minutes ago, he would have been willing to do this thing himself, but now--
Inoshigara noticed Ryou's sniffles. "Geez, you *are* a wuss, aren't you?" He turned and half-dragged, half-carried Ryou out of the furnace room, into the basement proper, and up the stairs. In the semi-darkness, Ryou could see a fight had broken out between a group of newly-arrived seniors from the gym, and the sophomore class. Jounouchi could be heard yelling threats and cracking skulls somewhere at the back, Anzu was apparently laying about with a baseball bat, but where were Honda and Yuugi--?
"OI! You, Inoshigara, get your hairy paws off Bakura!!"
Out of nowhere, Honda leapt in front of the gigantic senior, fists cocked and ready for battle. Ryou felt a thrill of joy at the sight, briefly offsetting the loss and fear crowding in on him. Unfortunately, it was short-lived, as Inoshigara just chuckled and swept the tall brunet against the wall of the basement stairwell with one hand, knocking him flat.
"Honda!!"
Inoshigara ignored him and continued upwards, muttering about not being able to stand crybabies. Behind him, Bakura could hear Anzu yelling "Yuugi, that psycho's got Bakura!"; for some reason, this seemed to make the gigantic senior nervous, as he increased his pace. The two of them emerged to a deserted main hallway, and Inoshigara promptly picked Ryou up and slammed him against the wall.
"If you're going to insist on whining, girly-boy, I'm going to give you something to cry about!"
Ryou, wide-eyed and frozen with terror, struggled feebly, aware that his whimpering was only making the vicious senior student angrier.
*Oh god, he's going to beat me into a pulp--someone, anyone, please, help me--*
Suddenly, he felt a strange sense of detachment from the whole affair. The world went dark, and then utterly black. *Odd--has he killed me? Did he break my neck? Wait a minute, I'm not dead--I can see now--*
Ryou looked up at Inoshigara, and realized fuzzily that he, or someone using his mouth, was speaking to his assailant.
"Wuss, is it? Girly-boy, I believe you called him."
"Him?" Inoshigara asked scornfully. "What are you, nuts? Just shut up and take your lesson like a man!"
"I'll give *you* a lesson," hissed the Bakura-who-was-not-Bakura, and suddenly, Ryou recognized, with a thrill of delight, the sensations coming over him. It had been a while since it had happened, thanks to Yami no Yuugi, but it could only be one thing--
/Koe?!/
\Yes. Apparently, fire works no better on the Ring than water. And be damn grateful that's the case!\
Ryou watched with detachment as his own fist, propelled by Yami no Bakura, crashed into Inoshigara's jaw. The tomb robber, well versed in physical combat when his guile didn't work, started pummelling his huge opponent with all four limbs. Between blows, Ryou could hear his dark half shouting at the battered and bewildered bully.
"THE ONLY ONE--*oomph!*--WHO GETS TO CALL MY HOST--*crunch!*--A WUSS-- *crack!*--IS *ME*!!!!!"
The erstwhile King of Bandits delivered a final kick to Inoshigara's stomach, knocking him over on his back. The behemoth senior, attempting to rise with fear stamped on his brutal features, glanced past Bakura and suddenly went pale. He stood up, turned, and limped off down the hall as fast as he could. Yami no Bakura crossed his arms over his chest and smirked triumphantly.
"Look at that lout: he's scared to death of me!"
"Actually, I think he's scared to death of *me*," Yami no Yuugi commented casually as he approached his foe from behind. "Although that was a remarkable display of ancient Egyptian martial arts, 'Bakura': nice work."
"Man, am I ever glad you're okay!" Honda gasped, wandering up in Yuugi's wake with Miho, Anzu, Jounouchi, and Seto Kaiba in tow. "I thought for sure Inoshigara was gonna pound you!"
Yami no Bakura's eyes slanted wickedly as he looked the panting, sweaty Honda up and down.and widened when Yami no Yuugi promptly uttered the sealing spell, turning the tomb robber back into his lighter half.
\What the HELL was that for?!! Ungrateful Pharaoh, and just when I'd done something decent for once--\
Ryou allowed shy gratitude to course through his link with his host. /I'm glad you're alright, you lunatic--and thank you./
\Oh, shut up.\ Yami no Bakura groused.
"Are you alright, Honda?" Ryou asked aloud, noticing the lump the tall boy was nursing just above his ear.
"Oh, I'm fine," Honda reassured him with a warm smile. "It's no big deal."
"That's good. So, what exactly *happened* down there anyways?"
Anzu spoke up at that point. "Well, a bunch of the senior class boys came down to get gym equipment ostensibly, but I think they were just looking for a fight with some easy marks. We showed them, though: or rather, Jounouchi, Honda, and Kaiba did."
Kaiba scowled briefly, then shrugged. "You're not half-bad with a baseball bat yourself, Mazaki."
"You really should have seen it," Anzu carried on with a grin, "Yuugi yanked a mat right out from under five guys--"
"Unfortunately, there was no time to start a Game of Darkness," Yami no Yuugi said, sounding rather disappointed.
"--and Kaiba jumped clean over this other guy's head to help Jounouchi take on five boys at once!"
"Just like a knight in shining armour," Miho gushed, smiling sweetly. "Defending maidens and defeating the wicked dragon."
Kaiba shot Miho a withering look, and Jounouchi flushed red and butted in.
"Hey, *I'm* the knight in shining armour--*he's* the dragon!"
"I'm not even gonna get started on the whole 'lance' imagery," Honda muttered to Ryou, who giggled. Kaiba flushed the same shade as Jounouchi and narrowed his eyes at the blond.
"If you're going to make wisecracks, be prepared to back them up. I'll meet you *and* that smart mouth of yours at my car after school, and we'll see just who defeats whom."
With that, the tall brunet turned on his heel and stalked away, leaving Jounouchi looking torn between annoyance and delight. The blond shrugged and half-grinned, before noticing the smirks on Anzu, Honda, and Yami no Yuugi's faces.
"What?"
"Nothing," the former Pharaoh said pleasantly, sauntering past Jounouchi towards the stairwell again. "Have fun playing with your dragon, Jounouchi."
Anzu snorted with laughter.
Honda shrugged and rolled his eyes. "Hey, big deal. C'mon, you guys, we've got to clean up down there, or Tsuzuki-sensei will have our heads." He tugged the rather distracted-looking Jounouchi after him by the arm, then glanced back at Ryou. "You coming along?"
"In a minute," Ryou reassured him. Anzu, noticing that Miho was staring after Kaiba rather forlornly, took pity on her friend.
"Oh, c'mon, you knew he wasn't straight from the moment you saw him, Miho. Hey, Bakura, it was Miho who saw Inoshigara dragging you off first, did you know? I bet there would have been even more trouble from him if she hadn't told me and I hadn't told you!"
Ryou looked at Miho, who blushed and looked at her toes. "Uh, I suppose. Listen, Bakura, I really am sorry for--you know--"
"It's fine," Ryou reassured her, feeling much more charitable. Anzu tugged Miho back downstairs, asking her on the way about taking the boys out for ice cream after school, and Ryou was left alone in the hallway with his thoughts--and his dark side.
/Well, that was rather odd, wasn't it?/
\That High Priest always was a poufter.\
/Oh, hush. *I* didn't know Kaiba wasn't straight--I just thought it was unrequited love on Jounouchi's part./
\Apparently not. So, glad to have me back, my host?\
/Only when you're not causing trouble. And eyeing Honda like he was rare steak. Oh, that reminds me: I wanted to ask you something./
\Ask away, girly-boy wuss.\
Ryou had to laugh. /Were you upset because of Miho trying to grope me--or because of what she said about Honda?/
\Neither!! I was just mad about that bint feeling up *my* body!!\
Ryou smiled, not believing a word of it. /So you like him a bit too, hmm?/
\I do not.\ The tone of offended dignity in the former King of Thieves' voice incurred Ryou's laughter yet again.
As the bell sounded, Ryou made his way to the basement stairwell, his private thoughts confused. He couldn't destroy the vessel of his darker half, and anyways the incident in the basement had proved he couldn't even bring himself to: but there was still the fact that Yami no Bakura was dangerous to others as long as he continued to pursue his goals, most of which involved raising havoc and getting his mitts on the other Sennen Items. The only option now was to figure out a way to keep his other half trapped in the Ring. Yami no Yuugi could do it--but he'd said himself the spell was only temporary, and they needed a somewhat more permanent solution. Ryou felt a little cartoon lightbulb appear over his own head.
*I wonder if the Ishtars will be at the museum this evening--*
= = = = = = = =
A/N: Mwee-hee, alright. I infringed on Elf-san's copyright on dragon jokes and swiped one for myself, not to mention ratcheted up the KaiJou factor in the story and added some not so subtle hints of YnB/B and HonBaku. So sue me. (No, really, don't actually. Yu Gi Oh and all related thingies are definitely not mine, and I have no money). Up next: some Ishtar-baiting as per Icey's request. And Springer. Ph33r my meandering plotline. Oh and yeah, Sailor Comet, I guess ya got your wish. ^__^
To the reviewers:
Blue Lagoon Loon: If you dun like bugs, then you're *really* not gonna like what Jou and Honda are trying to do in this chappie.^^;
Toby Kikami: Yeppers, that's the right song. And you'd best believe Keith probably has a following of fan girls in the YGO-verse. According to Yukie over at KG, they're skeery and mail him their underpants, ohyestheyare. *cackle* And although the school furnace doesn't blow up, YnB *does*--in the metaphorical sense, o'course.
Sailor Comet: *gives s'mores to her to toast* Gomen, sorry for the long wait! And not to worry, the Bakuras will not be separated, for better or for worse.^_^
Kool-Aid Addict: Mwee! Again, I'm so sorry for the delay. Dear Lord, it's *watchiiiing* meeeee-- *hides*
Yami Mikan et. al.: Uh, yeah. Remind me to nail your door shut when you're asleep, imouto-chan. That way your plethora of spirits can't sneak in and bother me. Well, anyway, here's the next chapter for your enjoyment. That way Ki will stop throwing pointy objects at me over the breakfast table. @_@
CHAPTER FIVE = = = = = = =
Ryou wiped beads of sweat from his forehead, toying nervously with the Ring as he watched Yuugi scraping spiders off the hatch to the furnace. The near-totally dark, smelly, sooty little room looked to be a post-war bomb shelter or something, and neither he nor Yuugi, who'd volunteered to come along, liked it much. However, it would serve their purpose, or so he hoped.
"Are you sure Tsuzuki-sensei isn't going to suspect anything?" Ryou asked for the umpteenth time. Yuugi sighed and picked a stray arachnid out of his hair.
"I'm absolutely positive. He's claustrophobic anyways, so he won't hang around down here. Too stuffy. Now, I wonder if they've fixed the latch on this--"
Outside, Ryou heard an unnerved screech and feminine yells of protest, followed by familiar laughter from Honda and Jounouchi, neither of whom were bothered by bugs and both of whom still retained their preschool tendencies of sticking said bugs in girls' hair. Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside: before Ryou could hide the Ring, a figure in a pink blazer burst inside.
Bakura groaned inwardly: it was Miho, Honda's sometime crush and his own personal tag-along. She wasn't bad in most ways--but Bakura *really* wasn't interested in girls, and Miho never really seemed to have grasped that fact. She approached his elbow, panting nervously, and the white- haired boy realized belatedly that she wouldn't be able to see the Ring anyways in the dim light.
"Bakura? Is that you?"
"Erm--yes, yes it is. What's the matter?"
"Oh, that stupid Jounouchi is sticking bugs in people's hair again," she muttered, undisguised disgust in her soft voice. "And Honda's helping. He can be such a lout sometimes!"
*And this after he admitted he loved you?* Ryou thought briefly, aware that it was uncharitable to judge Miho, but unable to forget Yuugi's musings about how much Honda had liked her. *Maybe he wouldn't have been such a lout if you'd given him a chance.*
\And maybe, my host, you should take your own advice.\
Ryou flinched, and then noted the fleeting air of fear in his darker half's mental voice. He felt bad--for a moment.
/Last time I checked, Honda never murdered anyone. Nor did he try to institute a reign of darkness on the whole planet./
\Oh? Go ask him, he might surprise you.\
Ryou debated saying something biting to his other half, but was interrupted when Miho poked his shoulder.
"Hmm, sounds like the cavalry may have arrived."
Yuugi, meanwhile, had sidled up to Ryou and was now trying to suppress a giggle at the sounds from out in the basement storage area. Anzu had apparently left in a huff, and returned with a member of the freshman girl's physical education class. Specifically, Ryou could hear Shizuka Kawai chewing her brother and his best friend out for being immature dorks to Anzu.
"--you *know* she's got arachnophobia, Honda; it's just mean to do stuff like that!"
"Shizuka, it was just a joke, we didn't mean--"
"Nii-chan, I can't believe you'd help Honda with something like this. I mean, what would you do if some guy put bugs in my hair, knowing *I* was scared of them?"
A pause, and then, guiltily, "I guess I'd kick his ass."
"Exactly. Now tell me how Anzu's feelings are different from mine?"
"Uhh--"
Yuugi rolled his eyes at Ryou, barely visible in the glow radiating outwards from the furnace. "I'll go break that mess up, if you don't mind: Shizuka will get in trouble if she leaves her class for too long. The door's all clear."
As soon as he was gone, Miho squeezed closer to Ryou and looked at him intently. "So, what are you and Yuugi doing cleaning out the furnace room? It can't be very good for your health--"
"Ah, nothing," Ryou said, wishing that Miho would lose interest and go elsewhere. "We just figured we could get it done faster than anyone else."
"That's very conscientious of you," Miho said perkily. Then, "EEK! Did you hear that?!"
"Hear what? You squeaking?" Ryou asked rather shortly as Miho jumped and clung to him like a drowning woman to a lifeline.
"No, silly, something scuttling around outside--it was a rat, I know it. I can't stand rats!"
Ryou was about to remind her that unless she had done something foolish like coat her ankles in honey, she was in no danger from rodents--when he suddenly noticed where Miho's hands had migrated.
"GAAH! Miho, what on earth d'you think you're doing?!!"
"What?" Miho squeezed, and then realized belatedly that she was grabbing Ryou's crotch. "Oh. Um--Oops?"
"Get OFF!" Ryou yelped, trying to pry Miho forcibly away from himself. Unfortunately, this only resulted in her grabbing the edge of his uniform jacket and yanking it up in the process. After a scuffle and several minutes of squeaking and howling, Ryou finally managed to shuck the disgruntled Miho off his back. She sniffed and looked hurt.
"I wasn't doing that on purpose, you know."
"Right," Ryou muttered, edging away from her nervously lest she attempt to jump his bones. Inside his head, he could feel wrath from the Ring's inhabitant building up like water behind a dam.
Miho "hmph-ed" and turned to leave, pausing only to add, with an injured look at the white-haired boy, "You know, Bakura, you're not very nice! I bet Honda wouldn't have shoved me around like a sack of potatoes!"
It was lucky that she left at that point, with a flounce of her skirt, because Yami no Bakura fairly well exploded about two seconds later.
\POLITE!!! That grabby little slut, how dare she?!!!\
/I think it really was an accident, koe,/ Ryou acknowledged, startled by the fury in his other half's voice.
\Accident, my eye!! She tried to cop a feel on you!!! Honda wouldn't have shoved her around--honestly!!!\
Ryou paused, a little rattled. /Koe?/
\What?!\ came the snarly reply.
/Are you--jealous?/
\WHAT?!!! NO! Of course not!\
Ryou paused, listening to the ancient soul's vehement denials while staring at the now-accessible furnace hatch. He realized, with a start, that he was beginning to have second thoughts about destroying the Ring. In the past, his sociopath darker half had been both a torment and comfort to him, a part of himself that he had to protect others against: lately, however, he was discovering more about his other self than he'd ever thought possible. Yami no Bakura, rendered helpless, was easier to understand than Yami no Bakura in control of their shared body. It was easier now for Ryou to read his unwanted "guest's" emotions--and Yami no Bakura seemed more human now to his unwilling host than ever before.
*Stop that. He's a horror. He doesn't care about anyone but himself. He hurt the only real friends you've ever had.*
Ryou steeled himself and moved towards the furnace hatch. The heat grew greater, and as if in reciprocation, his other half's fear grew as well, forced through the link in their souls. Ryou paused, and willed himself to raise his hand, to open the furnace hatch.
His arm would not comply. And Ryou knew immediately that it was not because someone else's will was controlling it.
/I can't do this./
\What?!\
/I can't destroy y-I can't do this./
The tomb robber's fear receded, replaced by-was it?-a tentative sort of hopefulness. \You-you can't?\
Ryou sighed unhappily. /Maybe I *am* weak, like you said--but no, I can't do that to you./
Yami no Bakura was silent, but Ryou sensed his bewilderment all the same. When no biting remarks were forthcoming, the pale-haired boy sighed and started towards the furnace room door--
--and ran slap-bang into the massive torso of upperclassman Goro Inoshigara.
Ryou squeaked as shrilly as Miho had and tried to leap backwards, but the gigantic, spike-headed senior grabbed the smaller boy by his collar before he could escape, hefting him until his toes barely touched the ground. Ryou struggled frantically, looking up into the senior's bleak face, the right half of which still bore traces of burns from a disastrous game with Yuugi involving a test tube full of nitro. Inoshigara glowered.
"I come down here to get some sports equipment, and instead I get disrespect from a bunch of idiot sophomores. You, you're Bakura, right?"
"Y-yes." Bakura managed, as his windpipe was currently under a great deal of stress.
Inoshigara's glare darkened, and his eyes lit on the Sennen Ring in Bakura's hand. "Obviously, you don't know how we do things at this school. Allow me to demonstrate."
To Ryou's horror, the huge senior yanked the Ring from his quaking fingers, and in a few deft, practiced movements, stepped across the room, flung open the furnace hatch, and tossed the Ring inside.
Ryou felt utter horror coursing through him, some of which was his own, most of which was Yami no Bakura's. /KOE!!/
\SHIT!! What the he-?!!\ Ryou heard his other half's voice cut off, and a shock of despair and loss wracked his mind. Unbidden, tears sprang into his eyes: minutes ago, he would have been willing to do this thing himself, but now--
Inoshigara noticed Ryou's sniffles. "Geez, you *are* a wuss, aren't you?" He turned and half-dragged, half-carried Ryou out of the furnace room, into the basement proper, and up the stairs. In the semi-darkness, Ryou could see a fight had broken out between a group of newly-arrived seniors from the gym, and the sophomore class. Jounouchi could be heard yelling threats and cracking skulls somewhere at the back, Anzu was apparently laying about with a baseball bat, but where were Honda and Yuugi--?
"OI! You, Inoshigara, get your hairy paws off Bakura!!"
Out of nowhere, Honda leapt in front of the gigantic senior, fists cocked and ready for battle. Ryou felt a thrill of joy at the sight, briefly offsetting the loss and fear crowding in on him. Unfortunately, it was short-lived, as Inoshigara just chuckled and swept the tall brunet against the wall of the basement stairwell with one hand, knocking him flat.
"Honda!!"
Inoshigara ignored him and continued upwards, muttering about not being able to stand crybabies. Behind him, Bakura could hear Anzu yelling "Yuugi, that psycho's got Bakura!"; for some reason, this seemed to make the gigantic senior nervous, as he increased his pace. The two of them emerged to a deserted main hallway, and Inoshigara promptly picked Ryou up and slammed him against the wall.
"If you're going to insist on whining, girly-boy, I'm going to give you something to cry about!"
Ryou, wide-eyed and frozen with terror, struggled feebly, aware that his whimpering was only making the vicious senior student angrier.
*Oh god, he's going to beat me into a pulp--someone, anyone, please, help me--*
Suddenly, he felt a strange sense of detachment from the whole affair. The world went dark, and then utterly black. *Odd--has he killed me? Did he break my neck? Wait a minute, I'm not dead--I can see now--*
Ryou looked up at Inoshigara, and realized fuzzily that he, or someone using his mouth, was speaking to his assailant.
"Wuss, is it? Girly-boy, I believe you called him."
"Him?" Inoshigara asked scornfully. "What are you, nuts? Just shut up and take your lesson like a man!"
"I'll give *you* a lesson," hissed the Bakura-who-was-not-Bakura, and suddenly, Ryou recognized, with a thrill of delight, the sensations coming over him. It had been a while since it had happened, thanks to Yami no Yuugi, but it could only be one thing--
/Koe?!/
\Yes. Apparently, fire works no better on the Ring than water. And be damn grateful that's the case!\
Ryou watched with detachment as his own fist, propelled by Yami no Bakura, crashed into Inoshigara's jaw. The tomb robber, well versed in physical combat when his guile didn't work, started pummelling his huge opponent with all four limbs. Between blows, Ryou could hear his dark half shouting at the battered and bewildered bully.
"THE ONLY ONE--*oomph!*--WHO GETS TO CALL MY HOST--*crunch!*--A WUSS-- *crack!*--IS *ME*!!!!!"
The erstwhile King of Bandits delivered a final kick to Inoshigara's stomach, knocking him over on his back. The behemoth senior, attempting to rise with fear stamped on his brutal features, glanced past Bakura and suddenly went pale. He stood up, turned, and limped off down the hall as fast as he could. Yami no Bakura crossed his arms over his chest and smirked triumphantly.
"Look at that lout: he's scared to death of me!"
"Actually, I think he's scared to death of *me*," Yami no Yuugi commented casually as he approached his foe from behind. "Although that was a remarkable display of ancient Egyptian martial arts, 'Bakura': nice work."
"Man, am I ever glad you're okay!" Honda gasped, wandering up in Yuugi's wake with Miho, Anzu, Jounouchi, and Seto Kaiba in tow. "I thought for sure Inoshigara was gonna pound you!"
Yami no Bakura's eyes slanted wickedly as he looked the panting, sweaty Honda up and down.and widened when Yami no Yuugi promptly uttered the sealing spell, turning the tomb robber back into his lighter half.
\What the HELL was that for?!! Ungrateful Pharaoh, and just when I'd done something decent for once--\
Ryou allowed shy gratitude to course through his link with his host. /I'm glad you're alright, you lunatic--and thank you./
\Oh, shut up.\ Yami no Bakura groused.
"Are you alright, Honda?" Ryou asked aloud, noticing the lump the tall boy was nursing just above his ear.
"Oh, I'm fine," Honda reassured him with a warm smile. "It's no big deal."
"That's good. So, what exactly *happened* down there anyways?"
Anzu spoke up at that point. "Well, a bunch of the senior class boys came down to get gym equipment ostensibly, but I think they were just looking for a fight with some easy marks. We showed them, though: or rather, Jounouchi, Honda, and Kaiba did."
Kaiba scowled briefly, then shrugged. "You're not half-bad with a baseball bat yourself, Mazaki."
"You really should have seen it," Anzu carried on with a grin, "Yuugi yanked a mat right out from under five guys--"
"Unfortunately, there was no time to start a Game of Darkness," Yami no Yuugi said, sounding rather disappointed.
"--and Kaiba jumped clean over this other guy's head to help Jounouchi take on five boys at once!"
"Just like a knight in shining armour," Miho gushed, smiling sweetly. "Defending maidens and defeating the wicked dragon."
Kaiba shot Miho a withering look, and Jounouchi flushed red and butted in.
"Hey, *I'm* the knight in shining armour--*he's* the dragon!"
"I'm not even gonna get started on the whole 'lance' imagery," Honda muttered to Ryou, who giggled. Kaiba flushed the same shade as Jounouchi and narrowed his eyes at the blond.
"If you're going to make wisecracks, be prepared to back them up. I'll meet you *and* that smart mouth of yours at my car after school, and we'll see just who defeats whom."
With that, the tall brunet turned on his heel and stalked away, leaving Jounouchi looking torn between annoyance and delight. The blond shrugged and half-grinned, before noticing the smirks on Anzu, Honda, and Yami no Yuugi's faces.
"What?"
"Nothing," the former Pharaoh said pleasantly, sauntering past Jounouchi towards the stairwell again. "Have fun playing with your dragon, Jounouchi."
Anzu snorted with laughter.
Honda shrugged and rolled his eyes. "Hey, big deal. C'mon, you guys, we've got to clean up down there, or Tsuzuki-sensei will have our heads." He tugged the rather distracted-looking Jounouchi after him by the arm, then glanced back at Ryou. "You coming along?"
"In a minute," Ryou reassured him. Anzu, noticing that Miho was staring after Kaiba rather forlornly, took pity on her friend.
"Oh, c'mon, you knew he wasn't straight from the moment you saw him, Miho. Hey, Bakura, it was Miho who saw Inoshigara dragging you off first, did you know? I bet there would have been even more trouble from him if she hadn't told me and I hadn't told you!"
Ryou looked at Miho, who blushed and looked at her toes. "Uh, I suppose. Listen, Bakura, I really am sorry for--you know--"
"It's fine," Ryou reassured her, feeling much more charitable. Anzu tugged Miho back downstairs, asking her on the way about taking the boys out for ice cream after school, and Ryou was left alone in the hallway with his thoughts--and his dark side.
/Well, that was rather odd, wasn't it?/
\That High Priest always was a poufter.\
/Oh, hush. *I* didn't know Kaiba wasn't straight--I just thought it was unrequited love on Jounouchi's part./
\Apparently not. So, glad to have me back, my host?\
/Only when you're not causing trouble. And eyeing Honda like he was rare steak. Oh, that reminds me: I wanted to ask you something./
\Ask away, girly-boy wuss.\
Ryou had to laugh. /Were you upset because of Miho trying to grope me--or because of what she said about Honda?/
\Neither!! I was just mad about that bint feeling up *my* body!!\
Ryou smiled, not believing a word of it. /So you like him a bit too, hmm?/
\I do not.\ The tone of offended dignity in the former King of Thieves' voice incurred Ryou's laughter yet again.
As the bell sounded, Ryou made his way to the basement stairwell, his private thoughts confused. He couldn't destroy the vessel of his darker half, and anyways the incident in the basement had proved he couldn't even bring himself to: but there was still the fact that Yami no Bakura was dangerous to others as long as he continued to pursue his goals, most of which involved raising havoc and getting his mitts on the other Sennen Items. The only option now was to figure out a way to keep his other half trapped in the Ring. Yami no Yuugi could do it--but he'd said himself the spell was only temporary, and they needed a somewhat more permanent solution. Ryou felt a little cartoon lightbulb appear over his own head.
*I wonder if the Ishtars will be at the museum this evening--*
= = = = = = = =
A/N: Mwee-hee, alright. I infringed on Elf-san's copyright on dragon jokes and swiped one for myself, not to mention ratcheted up the KaiJou factor in the story and added some not so subtle hints of YnB/B and HonBaku. So sue me. (No, really, don't actually. Yu Gi Oh and all related thingies are definitely not mine, and I have no money). Up next: some Ishtar-baiting as per Icey's request. And Springer. Ph33r my meandering plotline. Oh and yeah, Sailor Comet, I guess ya got your wish. ^__^