::grin:: My holiday hasn't been the greatest (a family member passed away), but this fic
and your reviews have certainly been helpful in keeping my spirits up.
And I can't thank The Thief Kuronue enough for doing some sketches of Ryou! You can
view it at ?actionretrieve&id48421 .
Well, I shouldn't keep you any longer-- I did leave quite a cliffhanger, didn't I?
Enjoy.
GUIDE
: Ryou to Bakura :
: : Bakura to Ryou : :
Blah is thoughts
-----
Yami had heard the bell, but was tending to a customer. When the sale had been made, he
took a look at who had rung the bell. He couldn't see much of the face, as there was a
collar, a pair of sunglasses, and a large, floppy hat hiding most of it. The guy was wearing
loose, white cotton slacks, a pale blue tank, a brown duster, and a pair of sandals. He also
had a worn backpack on as well. Completely mismatched, and on any other day Yami
would have dismissed him as a street beggar or a homeless guy; but this was no ordinary
day.
He had had an odd feeling all day. At first he attributed it to being out of school, since he
had decided to drop out and run the shop instead. He hadn't been doing well anyhow, and
it helped Sugoroku to have someone on hand to run the shop and do the heavy lifting. It
was good work, and Yami liked it, but it was a bit boring at times.
That feeling hadn't left him all that morning, leaving him unsettled. The Sennen Puzzle
seemed to pick up on this, and Yami had the feeling that it was a little unsettled itself. It
didn't go away as the day progressed, but by lunch time had grown used to it. Until that
stranger arrived, he thought. With no one else waiting to be checked out, he walked over
to this mystery person.
"Konnichiwa," he said. The stranger seemed to be a bit perturbed himself, but spoke
evenly, and with an accent that Yami couldn't quite place.
"Konnichiwa."
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Yami had asked. He had expected a no, thank you
anyway, but it seemed that everything would be out of place today.
"Actually, yes, there is. You see, I've been away from the Duel Monsters scene for a bit,
and I was wondering if there were any new Occult cards," the stranger asked.
"A new shipment just came in," Yami told him. "Here, I'm not much of an Occult Deck
expert, but I believe these are the hot items at the moment." He picked out a few and
handed the cards to him.
"Yes, I believe these will do nicely," the stranger said. "Arigatou."
Yami had waived the gratitude off, as humble as ever, and led the guy to the counter. He
rang up the sale, the entire time trying to figure out if he had ever met him before. He
seemed so familiar, and the Puzzle had suddenly appeared to become heavier. He hand the
bag to the stranger, who started to leave, but Yami stopped him.
"Forgive me for asking, but have we met before?" he asked before he could stop himself.
The stranger smiled.
"Perhaps in a past life," he said, before disappearing out the door.
Two things hit Yami at once. As the stranger had turned, he had seen a wisp of hair...
white hair... and the stranger had spoken in ancient Egyptian. Yami bolted out the door,
not caring about what the other customers thought, but by the time he reached the
sidewalk, the stranger was gone. He looked all around, but there was no sign that he had
even been there.
-----
Ryou went back to the school, took up residence in a tree, and looked the cards over. He
hadn't gotten any new ones in over a year, and these appeared that they would provide a
good refresher. He needed to get a new Change of Heart card, since his old one was
getting rather worn from so much use between he and Bakura.
After studying the cards, Ryou placed the bag in his duster's inside pocket and decided to
take a nap.
The last bell woke him, and he immediately began scanning the school yard for his old
friends. He spotted them, dropped down out of the tree (startling a few kids) and walked
over. He stayed far enough way that they wouldn't spy him, but close enough that he
could hear them talking.
"Remember, my apartment, seven tonight, okay?" Yuugi was saying. A party or a
sleepover? Hmm, this could be useful, Ryou thought. "And don't forget your sleeping
bags!"
They parted ways and Ryou decided to follow Yuugi back to the game shop. Once there,
he resided himself in another tree, this one right outside Yuugi's window. He could also
see both the front and back entrances, which would tell him when everybody had arrived.
He laid down on his side and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
It wasn't that he wasn't used to waiting, it was just that he had never been the best
example of patience. If he had something to do, then he was fine. Unable to handle it any
longer, he took his sketch book out of his bag and began sketching a few scenes around
him. It worked, and by the time he was finished, everybody had arrived. Ryou allowed
some time for them to get settled in-- easier to make an entrance that way without alerting
anyone.
He put his sketchbook away, picked up his bag, and went to the back door. The lock was
easily pried open and he was inside in under a minute. He sighed and looked around. He
hadn't been here in over two years. Nostalgia flooded him, but he pushed it away for the
moment. He went up the back stairs that led to the living room and bedrooms. He crept
down the hall, listening. It sounded as if everyone was gathered in the living room. He
paused just before the entryway into the living room.
It seems that Fate is on my side today after all, he thought. Yami was telling everyone
about the 'stranger' that came into the shop today. Ryou waited for the finale, and could
barely contain himself. After so long....
"I asked him if we had met before, and he turned around, smiling, and said, 'Perhaps in a
past life', before vanishing out the door. It didn't realize it until he had already gone, but
he had said it in Egyptian!"
"You sound surprised, Pharaoh," Ryou said, appearing in the doorway. He heard
collective gasps, but retained his mystery still; he was still partially in the shadows. "It
doesn't befit you."
"You!" Yami managed to say. Ryou grinned. A shocked Yami wasn't often seen; if only
he had time to sketch it.
"That'll work," Ryou said. He loved this. Teasing, teasing, teasing.... He had definitely
been around the others too long.
"Who are you?" Yuugi asked. "R..." he trailed off, unable to say anything. Ryou smiled a
soft smile, and walked out of the shadows, lifted his hat off and made a grand bow.
"At your service," he replied.
A/N: ::dodges projectiles:: Yes, yes, I know, another evil cliffhanger. What can I say?
Couldn't resist. ::sheepish grin:: Don't worry, I'll be back in three days' time.
My, oh, my, Ryou is such a tease, isn't he? I hope I'm not the only one that can see him
doing this, both in my fic and outside. To me, it makes sense, but... ::shrugs::
Preview of Coming Chapters: How will Yuugi & Co. react to Ryou? Or his traveling
companions? More importantly, how will they react to Ryou's line of work?
'Til next time...