all disclaimers apply as usual
author's notes: Finally an update to this story. This chapter's a bit short, but well, I had to get them over this hurdle first. Where does this story go after this chapter? I'm not entirely sure yet. I rarely if ever plan my fics out in advance and I have accomplished the key aspects in this fic I wanted to. I write "on the wing" and allow the story to progress as it wants to go at the time I sit down to write it. No outlines, no notes, nothing. Guess we'll all have to wait and see...including myself. I would love comments or reviews in forms of ideas from my readers of this. To see what interests you...perhaps I'll see a direction for which way this fic can go since I see so many open pathways for it. This fic and its open plot areas at just that flexible at this moment and is even so open as to its closure within a chapter. So, fellow readers, I'd love to hear from you. Want more? Want it to end? Want more humor? Or fluff? Or adventure? Just please don't request agnst. I dislike dreary, dark plots so I very rarely write such. Real life is too much of that already. And without further adieu...on with this chapter.
The early morning rays of the sun couldn't come soon enough. Yami had ditched the idea of the ex-lax for the time being. He figured it'd work better another day, when he'd not have to risk dealing with any of the after-effects himself. And Bakura's threat upon him didn't fruitrate either. The thief, once released of his binds, had fallen asleep first. This allowed Yami to sleep, though lightly and alert in case the thief did awaken and remember his threat.
Yami was already dressed back into his street clothes and had his bags packed just as the sun's rays began to lighten the room. His stirring woke the strangely peacefully sleeping thief.
"Must you stir like a rat?" Bakura growled.
"Perhaps you've enjoyed your stay here, but I have had enough of this place."
"Stupid pharaoh." Bakura muttered and pointed at a sign on the back of their door. It gave discharge times. "If you do know how to read, then I suggest you read that, king."
Yami glared a threat towards the thief, but walked over to the sign anyway. Discharge times were listed. And the earliest discharge time was 10am. Yami glanced at the clock on the sidewall. It was only 7am. He uttered a few soft choice words before casually returning to his side of the room. Bakura laughed. While he too, didn't really enjoy their little stay, he was being treated as he should be...served upon by others. He'd relish the final hours. A thief afterall has to have patience and Bakura, as the King of Thieves, was the master of such.
Bored and impatient, Yami had to find a way to bide his time. He flipped through the tv channels once again, but found nothing to his liking. Then he remembered a device that had been placed in their room earlier at the request of Rebecca. He had completely forgotten about it! It was a video game machine.
"Hey thief, up for a little competitive play?" Yami asked smugly as he held the two controllers.
"If it means it gives me another way to beat the crap out of you, then so be it." Bakura replied as Yami tossed the second controller to him.
"Driving or sports?" Yami asked as he looked at the limited selection of games present.
"Driving. I want to run over your little ass and see you splat all over the pavement." Backura cackled.
Yami ignored the thief's little fantasy and set up the game before sitting upon the foot of his own bed.
Both selected cars and characters then awaited the start of the race. It was a street race, complete with spectators, traffic, traffic lights, signs, and other realistic street experiences.
A big busted lady stood in front of their cars with a flag.
"Oooh, come to daddy girlie." Bakura replied as he waited for the endowed girl to wave the flag to start.
"You're sick Bakura."
"And you're dickless if you can't see the beauty in that creature on the screen."
Yami simply replied with a "hmph" and suddenly the girl waved the flag. Both Bakura and Yami hit the button to give their cars full throttle and gas. Their cars squealed off to a start with rubber burning smoke into the air behind them.
Neither ancient egyptian knew much about driving cars. It was a modern item that neither of their vessels knew how to use so neither spirit could tap into knowledge from them. They only knew basics from watching others in cars they were passengers of.
"You drive like a grandma!" Bakura cackled as he easily sped past the pharaoh's car. Suddenly he encountered a sharp turn. Unaware that he should've let off on the gas and slowed his car down, Bakura's car sped off the turn and smacked into a wall of spectators.
"Killing innocents, now why am I not surprised." Yami shot back as his car carefully and slowly navigated the turn and showed Bakura's car stuck and unmoving in the wall of people and haybales.
Bakura growled and thew his car into reverse. Once his now dented car was back on the road, he sped off to catch up to the conservative king's. Before passing the king's car however, another opportunity presented itself to the tomb robber. "Oooooh, squirrel!" Bakura chittered with excitement as he aimed his car into the little rodent and splatted it. "That will be you king...just wait!" Bakura cackled as he was once again on the correct path in the race.
Yami was doing well and growing used to driving his car until suddenly, a dog ran out in front of his vehicle. He slammed on the breaks and his car began to screech and slide. His screen began to spin as his car did. It careened into a wall of rock, broadside before coming to a halt.
"King can't drive! King can't drive! Shoulda hit the mangy mutt!" Bakura mocked.
"You're such a son of a bi---" Yami started as he constantly tried to get his car moving again. The once ruler got his car free and moving just as Bakura's car was catching up. Yami backed right into the oncoming Bakura. The rear of his car smacking into Bakura's driver's side door. "Well, that was certainly pleasant." Yami smirked as he heard the thief gripe in anger.
As both wrestled to free their cars from each other only to bang into each other once again in a stretch further down the race, both lost track of time. They had no idea that their long awaited discharge was looming ever nearer. The thief and pharaoh were too engrossed in their little 'duel of metal and speed' to notice. Mr. Motou and the rest of the gang entered their room an hour early only to find the two ancient egyptians locked in battle via the tv screen and video game. Neither even acknowledged the presence of their guests.
The newcomers were going to speak, but when noticing the heavy concentration and game faces upon the two egyptians, they opted to remain quiet and become spectators until the game was over...except for a certain couple of verbal 'friends.'
"Hehehe, neither of them can drive." Joey commented.
"I don't think they're trying Joey." Tristan remarked. "They've turned it into more of a demolition derby...dueling each other by use of cars."
Occasionally, Bakura would break free of Yami's car long enough to splat a furry animal or person, only to be smacked into by the king's car in retaliation for killing said objects along the roadway.
"Stupid pharaoh." Bakura muttered as once again, the impact and forward motion of the pharoah's car sent the thief's into a nearby tree.
Solomon Motou and Professor Hopkins watched the ancient Egyptian teens with curiousity. They still had a bet going afterall. The entire reason these two teens were in the hospital to begin with was due to an intense rivalry the spanned time and generations. Memories or not, these two ancient spirits had issues with each other and were locked in a seemingly immortal struggle to best one another in anything and everything. Based off what they had studied and seen, it was expected that the ancient spirit of the pharaoh and his high priest counterpart, Seto would be the two locked in this struggle, but the writings neglected this other player...the King of Thieves. The rivalry between these two "kings" was apparently much deeper and more intense than the pharaoh and his high priest...this rivalry wasn't professional in terms of status or rank...it was personal. And personal battles tended to be the bloodiest, cruelist, deadliest of all. But the two elders of the room were beginning to realize that this little seemingly harmless video game was having a rather nasty consequence on the two, supposedly healing teens. Plus, both seemed impervious to the fact that they shared the bodies they had with their other halves...Ryo and Yugi. It was time to put an end to this and return these two to reality.
Solomon walked over to the game system and pulled the plug.
"HEY!" Yami and Bakura both yelled as the tv screen went blank. Then both shook out of their game induced stupor and realized they were not alone anymore.
Naturally, Yami quickly recomposed himself into the dignified, calm, cool, and mannerly being he usually was. Bakura simply gruffed and pouted with little care as to how he presented himself to others.
"Sorry grandfather, I thought that video game system would be a good idea for those two." Rebecca replied as she suddenly realized that the two egyptians could turn even the most innocent of intentions into something dangerous.
"It's not your fault Rebecca. These two just have such a big problem with each other that it brings out the immaturity in both of them." Mr. Motou replied and eyed Yami as he said such. Yami knew that it was all directed towards him. If Yami had used his brain like he normally did, he would've known how to control the situation without letting it result in petty showdowns with the thief. He let his inner emotions get the best of him. Even without memories, Yami knew that inner, personal emotions can be a fatal flaw in a good king or person for that matter. By letting such happen, it lowed Yami to Bakura's level and he detested that completely.
"Still though, don't ever give either of these two keys to a car." Joey interrupted trying to lighten the mood and bring everybody back into good spirits.
"I think that goes for their alter-egos too...Ryo and Yugi, since these two probably tap into the knowledge of those two or lack thereof." Marik added as he slid into the room quietly unnoticed until now.
Yami blushed and turned his face away from everyone and towards the window. He wasn't sure how long the tomb keeper had been there, but for some reason, he felt a need to always act dignified and respectable around him. And now there was a chance that Marik saw another side to the pharaoh.
"So, did you two eat breakfast?" Tea added, siding with Joey in trying to change the subject and lighten the mood.
Both Yami and Bakura looked at each other. How could both of them forget about FOOD!?
"No we didn't eat Tea. We were a bit...preoccupied." Yami answered.
"I guess we'll have to stop somewhere and eat after you two are discharged then." Mr. Motou reponded. "You can't heal properly if you don't nourish yourselves."
Shortly, the doctor arrived in the room to give a final assessment and instructions to the two patients that were no longer to be in his care. Bakura got a set of shiny new crutches and a sling that was quite flexible though the thief continuously reminded the doctor and everyone else that he could take care of himself and do things without aid of such 'weaknesses.' Yami was given instructions as well though he had no extra equipment to take home, just a prescription for medication to deal with the nagging pain of healing.
"Don't forget this one's mental pills." Joey joked with the doctor as he pointed towards Bakura. For once, Bakura actually agreed with Kaiba...Joey was indeed a stupid dog.
"And we'll take this one to the pound and have him put to sleep." Bakura responded, eyeing Joey with a devious smirk.
Joey wanted it to come to fists, but he held himself in check. "At least I don't have fleas like you do." he shot back.
Professor Hopkins and Solomon Motou quickly shooed the others out to wait in the lobby before the scene became ugly. They would remain with the two egyptian teens and the doctor to finalize the discharge.
"You two need to sign these forms." the doctor replied as he handed Bakura and Yami a clipboard full of paperwork and pens. Both scribbled signatures that were quite unreadable and for good reason. Neither knew exactly how they were signed in...if their 'real' names were used or that of their vessels'. Technically neither existed...only the vessels of the bodies they shared. And trying to explain that two ancient egyptian spirits inhabited bodies of two Domino High school students and interchanged appearances and personalities with said teens just seemed a bit far-fetched for those trained in medicine and science.
Once all the formalities of the discharge were complete. Yami and Bakura were told to get into wheelchairs. They were not allowed to walk out under their own power...hospital rules. Once outdoors, in the fresh air...Yami lept out of the wheelchair and in as dignified manner as he could, made a dash towards the parking lot of cars. He didn't know where or what vehicle would be the one he'd be getting into, but he wanted as far away from the hospital as he could get. He didn't want them to pull him back for any reason. Bakura tried to duplicate the same tactic, but found he couldn't do as he said...walk under his own power. His casted leg buckled under the weight it was being asked to support and he nearly fell. With a bit of swearing under his breath, he grabbed the offered crutches and hobbled as fast he could away from the hospital. The others all shrugged and looked at each other before they too, followed suit of the two ancient egyptians.
to be continued...