Chapter 2
The array of pizza and cake, was just the first thing to catch Akifa's attention. Many days sitting in this dreadful Ring can make anyone go crazy with malnutrition. And not to mention the many lonely nights on the inside, watching everyone else have conversations or just the company of his communication. Ryou set quiet as his chocolate orbs scanned the area around him, his hands folded neatly in his lap. All the presents had been opened already and the cake was about to be cut into, and the young Hikari still couldn't figure out what was to come after they left from him.
Akifa snorted, crossing his arms and flopping back against the hardened wood inside the soul room. " Hey Ryou, it's time. Are you ready for some fun?" The white haired boy rose his mocha hues to catch his blonde friends attention, his face clearly read curiousty as he tried to catch some kind of information. " I...I...suppose I am. But exactly where are we going,Jounouchi." The blonde shook his head, a cheesy smile spread over his features. " Ahhh no you dont, I'm not telling you anything."
Ryou had to bite his bottom lip from screaming out, tell me already. Sometimes he despised the way the others kept him in the dark, or even tried to keep him back from anything dangerous, as if he was a weakling. That he couldn't take care of himself. If he could keep a sadistic and evil psycho Yami under control and even maintain some real conversation, without it ending in blood shed.
Then he was sure as hell able to handle whatever the others had in mind. He felt as Akifa stirred on the inside, and he could tell that he was not a happy Yami. That was one thing that you dont want, a angry, or displeased Yami. Ryou even wondered if Yuugi knew that, or if Yami Yugi never had a bad moment. But the white haired boy hardly doubted that. He shrugged that off and took a glance around the room, the pizza was gone and all the presents were opened, which he got what he wanted.
The only thing left was the cake, but between Honda and Jounouchi, it was already half eaten. Those two just couldn't keep there hands off anything that resembled foods. Ryou rolled his eyes as he leaned back in his seat. He pondered what his Yami meant by he wanted to talk to him, this was notlike his darker half. Akifa never did like to sit him down and have a serious conversation. So Ryou couldn't help but wonder exactly what he was up to.
He would never forget all the hardships his Yami has taken him through. Some of them he would rather not tell anyone about. He has awoken, many times, after Akifa had controll of the body and on more then one occasion has found himself naked, that raised a few brows. Not to mention the one time that Him and Malik had somehow wound up in the same bed, at one occasion. That still made the young Hikari's blush everytime they saw each other. Speaking of the platinum blonde, he pondered where in the hell Malik was at, anyhow.
He knew to well, that he wanted to be here, but something was keeping them apart. His eyes slid closed for the briefest moment and when they open he found himself being jerked from the chair, and the girls gathering up his many presents from the table. Whatever else they had in store was about to go down now. Ryou was a little glad to get this over with but he was a little nervous, still.
'Hikari, I wish you would let me talk to you now.'
' Akifa-sama. I told you, when we get home. I'm all yours.'
'Yes you will be.'
'And what does that mean.'
'Nothing young one. You will see, remember, you dont want to ignore your friends. It is rude.'
' Yami-Sama, that is not fair. You know i hate it when you do that.'
'That is just bloody tough, then isn't it.'
The connection ended quicker then the Yami had brought it on. Ryou had to blink a few times, and try to regather his thoughts. He didn't notice that he had became slow and misty eyed, he tended to do that when he was having a conversation with his Yami-sama. He had to blink a few times to try to come out of the darkened state. Yuugi was the first one to slip over next to him, and pull the Hikari up from his seat. " Are you ready now Ryou?" The white haired youth glanced up, noticing his friend. Smiling some to him, as he brushed his fingers through his hair
nervously.
" So, i hope you like to dance Ryou, cause we are all going over to the ice ring, And they have some dancing there."
"So that is the other present. The other party i mean."
" Yes, sorry we scared you."
" Yes, well i feared the worst. You can not tell when Honda and Jounouchi are planning it."
Yuugi smiled some as he tuigged his firned toward the doors. He was met with all of the others, whome were as eager as he was to get to the skating rink. If there was one thing he loved, it was skating. He had tried on several attempts to try and get Akifa to skate with him. The only one time he had somehow actually gotten him to slate, he had wound up with one sore and angry Yami. Even then he had noticed something about his Yami's eyes that frigtened him some. He was unsure, but he had a feeling that he wanted to tell him something then.
Sometimes, he was a little curious as to what it was. Something gnawed at him, screaming in the back of his mind that his Yami was in love with him. But no, that couldn't be it, and to be honest, he was unsure of how he felt for him. He bit at the bottom lip, scared of the conversation now. He was not sure how he could answer something like that and how he could deal with it. He was pulled into a state of thought as the others tugged him into the skating rink. He could hear his Yami stirring around inside the soul room of the Sennen ring.
Scattered thoughts racing through his head. He had the power to block Akifa but then why would he do that to the only person that kept him sane at night. He never did like being alone, but they all had someone to spend the nights with, Ryou only had Akifa. He was like his best friend. The times he could relate to, the times the other got him through. Sometimes he wondered if he could ever find someone to love him as much as he felt the love coming from his Yami.
That kind of scared the young one, more then any bully could possibly bring unto him. Ryou was not a strong boy, I mean yea he had his confidince and the fighting spirit. He knew how to stand up for himself and exactly how to defend his friends, but all of that self confidence had came from his Yami.
He silently made his way over to the changing aread outside the rink, the place you change into your skates. Of course he didn't know they were bringing him here, so he didn't bring his Skates with him, but Jounouchi had surpirsed him by laying a box before his feet, and offering a smirk. " Don't worry Ryou-san, we got your skates and compensated them for you."
He offered a weak smile, not wanting to alert the other into his thoughts, he didn't want any of them to begin to learn about his feelings or the conversation he thought he already knew would be trasferesed between him and his Dark half. He nodded brightly and sweeped them up, placing them onto his feet. He knew how to skate, but he wasn't the best skater in the whole world.
Sometime down the line he had taken lessons from Yuugi, to make him just a little better. But he could at least say, now he didn't quite fall as much as he used too. Steadily he pulled himself up and hoisted said self onto the ice. The rink was not even crowded, and in fact, they were the only ones out there. He had to laugh to himself though, he had never seen Seto out on ice before, but as he glanced up, he saw the chocolate haired tycoon skating amongst them, almost as if he counted them as his own.
But he knew all to well, Seto was merely doing this for Mokuba. Seto had told him on a number of ocassions that he was the only one out of the whole group that he could stand, since he reminded him alot of his little brother. Ryou felt priud of that statement, Seto Kaiba, thought of him as a friend. But he didn't even associate with the others, not one bit. He grasped the wall and closed his eyes and he could hear the dark chuckle roll through his head and just knew that his Yami was getting a kick out of this.
' Ryou, you arem't going to fall, 'Kari-Kun, just let go and remember everything...Yuugi taught you.'
' Hai I know Yami-sama, I am just getting ready.'
' Of course you are, and no matter what you do, you are not getting out of the conversation later, I need to do this.'
' I...I...know, but can I ask you what it is you wish to talk to me about.'
'No, if I was to tell you that, then you wouldn't want to talk. You are not getting out of it, Bunny.'
Ryou hated it when Akifa called him bunny, even the others had called him bunny. He guesse it was cause of his untamed white locks, but Akifa's was worse then his, none of the others dared to even call him that. They would be stupid to even try. Yet Jounouchi on many occcasions had done so. He had only resulted in his untimy beating.
He took a deep breath and did as his Yami has instructed, he let go of the wall. The flow of the wind grabbed ahold of him and began to slowly pull him out into the middle of the ice when he felt contact with another body. He turned his eyes around and felt the blush creep up into his mily white complexion, it was Jounouchi's sister, her sweet innocent smile was bright enough to lit up the whole room.
She giggled some as she took ahold of Ryou's sweater and tugged him out onto the ice. He felt his heart hammer away at his chest, hands willingly trying to grab onto anything that he could reach, untill she reached over and took his hand in hers. " I see you still dont know how to skate very well, Ryou-san." His cheeks turned a pale pink, and he cut his eyes from her.
Nodding quickly, and grasping onto her hand for dear life. It had been some time since he had went skating. And she could sense that, leading him carefully around the rink. He finally settled into the fact that a girl had ahold of his hand and began to skate with ease at her side. The whole time he could not escape the low growl coming from his Yami.
Ryou slipped his hand from hers and began to take ease to the ice once more, skating along side her. She flashed him a sweet smile and they began to do some turns together, like some famous couple, whom skated of course. " See Ry-chan, it isn't that hard. I know you know how to. I've seen Yuugi-san teach you. You were just a little rusty, ne?" He nodded, feeling all the eyes of the guys staring him down, not in a bad way though. He glanced over and caught site of Seto coming there way, and was wondering what he wanted.
The tall tycoon came to a halt just before them and flashed him a smile. " Care to, skate with me and Momuba,Ryou." He was tooken at first, not knowing exactly what to say, so he finally said ok. He had been skated all over the rink, and was still wondering what Seto had in mind. He never was this cheerful toward him.
But then, he figured maybe Seto was just beginning to be nicer, but then he thought that snakes could learn how to ne friendly also. So what did he know, nothing. Mokuba had joined them also and it wasn't long untill the whole gang had came out onto the ice, joining them in suit. Something was clicking, even with Seto there, it was all going so smoothly. So smoothly that it scared the young boy, but he melted into the concept. This was probably his best birthday yet. Better then the one that they had thrown him last year.