K: I did a title revision and added something on this short chapter. Plus I think nothing significant happened, so I guess I have to make a major disaster :smiles wickedly:

Summary: The meeting isn't the beginning; the parting is not the end… Witness how a simple friendship blooms into love. And prove to yourself that no matter how far your feet go, your heart will take you back to the Cherry Road.

Disclaimer: I own this story and its title, not the characters, not yu-gi-oh, not even the PC I used to upload this!

Warning: Shounen-ai! RyouxMalik

The Cherry Road:
where souls meet and part
By Hunter K

Chapter 4: For You

The bell rang after a very long boring subject called Physics. The students chattered and other's stretched from being sore in their sitting position for the past whole hour. Malik darted his sight across the room, staring coldly at anyone who dare come near him. He was still furious at what the teacher did. Purple eyes buried on the whiteboard, intense enough to make a crack that leads to the next room. Malik got his bag packed and stood determinedly. He is definite. He will take his earrings back. By hook or by crook!

…-…-...-…-…-

Twelve noon, moment to kill time for the teachers and faculty staff. All were out eating their lunch except Mr. Karita, who sitting at his desk, studying the earrings he got earlier. He was mesmerized by the sparkling thing he held between his middle and index finger when he heard a knock on the door. 'Must be one of those stupid students looking for a teacher', he thought, since no sane student dares to go to the faculty room just for him. The door slid open, he slip the earring back to his pocket and looked surprisingly at the student he saw.

Malik stood indignantly at the doorframe, an introverted Ryou peeking from behind.

"What do you want?", Mr. Karita composed himself before spitting, "Don't you know it's lunch time?"

"I want my earring back!", Malik spat back.

Karita let out a shrewd smile. "It was already confiscated."

"Sir, have you ever asked why Malik is wearing the earring?", Ryou asked, a little too shy to stare Mr. Karita in the eye.

The teacher groaned while Malik gave him an odd stare. Ryou just continued, thinking as logically as possible, "Do you know that jewels means a great deal to Egyptians? They don't just wear it for nothing." Ryou hesitated for a while, thinking of what lie he had to say next. "Jewels are given to them as special symbols. They aren't just bodily decorations like the way we use them.", Ryou gestured, moving pass Malik. To Ryou, it's okay to lie to Mr. Karita about Egyptian civilizations than lying to a real history teacher. He didn't consider the teacher finding out the real fact from others.

Malik stared, his mouth ajar. He never knew Ryou know too much about Egyptians, at least that's what he believed. Malik nodded. Backing his friend's statement, he said, "That earring was given to me after my mother's death."

Mr. Karita smirked. "Okay, I think I put it here…" he started to scrutinize on his desk drawer. "Damn! It wasn't here! I forgot where I put it! Come back tomorrow, I'll give it back to you…"

The two didn't believe. They knew the teacher doesn't want to hand them over the jewel. Malik growled, depression written allover his face.

"Well, at least we can get it tomorrow…" Ryou tried to cheer his friend.

"I want it now!", Malik snarled. "You get the books we needed for our homework at the library. I'll just finish my business with him."

"But Malik," Ryou argued. Malik just stared at him. His violet orbs still reflect determination. "Okay, but make it fast. I'll wait for you in the library."

…-…-…-…-…-…-

The library was empty, except for Ryou and the librarian who was constantly dozing over his paperwork at the counter. Ryou stared at the books in front of him. he had all the books he needed and already borrowed them overnight so he can do his homework later. All he was waiting for was Malik.

Regularly, he turned to the window or the door to check if Malik was already coming. No sign of his friend. He pick all the books after an hour of waiting, 'Maybe he already got home…', he thought.

The white-haired teen made his way to the corridor, books blocking most of his view. He just got out of the library when he bumped on someone, plunging him on the floor with a loud thud. All the books he was carrying flew down, scattered.

"Just where on hell are you going?", the boy he bumped on asked, towering above him with arms crossed in front of his chest. "Hey, have a little faith!"

Ryou just stared at him, trying to compose himself. "You got it?", Ryou asked while he helped Malik gathering the books. Malik nodded and smiled.

"Of course!", he gestured an okay sign, "Isis would be mad at me if I didn't!"

"Isis?", Ryou asked, carrying the books on both hands.

"Yeah, my sister.", Malik smirked while putting the last book atop the pile Ryou was carrying. "Why not visit home so you can meet her?"

…-…-…-…-

The boys walked next to each other on their way to Malik's house. "I'm home!", Malik shouted by the doorstep and when no one answered, he just continue to enter the disengaged door.

"How's your first day?" a tanned woman with eyes similar to that of the sphinx' and straight black hair that ran down her hips greeted while emerging from the rear room which appears to be the kitchen to Ryou. "Who's with you?"

"This is my friend, Ryou." Malik said, throwing his things on the sofa.

Isis greeted the boy and smiled, "It's the first time my brother brought a friend with him. Have a seat.", she pointed at the sofa. Ryou cocked his head to look at his friend then sat.

"We'll do our home works in my room.", Malik told his sister and gestured Ryou to follow him upstairs.

Ryou nodded at the Egyptian girl, pulling all his books and followed Malik upstairs. When he entered his friend's room, he let out a restrained yelp. Opposite to that of the living room, Malik's room is a disaster area. Scrap papers, candy wrappers, chocolate foils, comics, CD suits, clothes, everything is scattered around the small room that Ryou cannot find a place to step on. Ryou mentally sighed.

"I think we should clean up before we get our work done?" Ryou smile at his friend. Malik was already panic-stricken. He didn't know where to put his things and started to throw everything on the closet. "Tsk, tsk…", Ryou shook his head, "that's not the proper way to clean. Come on, I'll help you."

…-…-…-…-

Malik sprawled on his bed, too tired to move after all the cleaning they have done. Ryou was still busy dusting Malik's shelves, wiping all the books and magazines surfaces. Ryou let out a scared yap, letting a magazine fall on the floor.

Malik tried to lift his head, "Wha-". What he saw was a yaoi doujinshi lying, with its centerfold open, on the floor, and a stunned Ryou staring at it, with the deepest tinge of read across his face. Malik felt heat surge to his face. He tackled the said doujinshi, rapidly closing it and tossing it on his closet. "That was…" he clarifies to his friend, still blushing.

Ryou exaggeratedly shook his head. "That was normal…", he whispered shyly, "It's just that…"

Malik grew curious and started to eye his self-conscious friend, and thought of how cute he was. "That?"

"It-it was my first time to see a real one in front of me…", Ryou blushed madly, "I-I haven't tried to read one."

Malik smiled childishly, "You can always borrow mine…", patting Ryou's head.

"No." Ryou crossed him to stop patting, blushing a deeper tone of crimson, "Not that I wanted to read."

Malik just smiled teasingly, "Come on tomato face, don't be shy. You're the one who said it's normal…"

"Let's just do our assignments, silly!"

…-…-…-…-

Ryou came home late last night. He did have a great time doing assignments with Malik but he also have to go home. He didn't allow Malik to walk him home. Afraid that Malik would get lost again.

'Malik.', he smiled at the thought. He doesn't have a good friend after his sister died. But now, he has Malik. He enclosed the letter on an envelope after writing what happened yesterday. It was his routine to write his sister when he's sad, glad, mad, any emotion on the extreme side. He found it easier to deal with emotions that way.

He placed the letter on his pocket before going to the post office. Later, he'll go to Malik's and show him around town so he'll get familiar.

…-…- a few days later -…-…-

It was Monday. Ryou woke up a little too early, because he already had a reason to. From then Malik agreed they'd walk to school every morning, and walk home in the afternoon.

The room was boisterous. Students talked, specially the girls. But what caught Ryou's ear was, they are talking about the very same thing. It was about Mr. Karita…

"Did you know that Mr. Karita wasn't our P.E. teacher anymore?"

"Yeah, I heard he was dying to resign last Friday."

"And he did! He's not gonna yell at us anymore!"

"Good for us!"

"What made him quit?"

"Says he was threatened by a student…"

"What? A student?"

Ryou turned to Malik, who was smiling victoriously beside him. He eyed the Egyptian fiercely.

"Hey! Quit staring!", Malik safeguarded, "I just gave him a lesson. Serves him right."

"What exactly did you do to him?"

Malik leaned closer to Ryou. "You wanna know?", he hissed on the other's ear. Malik's eyes turned to a void, with only the mysterious shade of violet in it, nothing more. The color depicted angst, aloofness, hatred, death. Ryou shivered under that fatal gaze. "I told him not to touch you or I'll send his fucking ass to kingdom come." he whispered evilly on Ryou's hair, before giving him a slight peck on the cheek. He smiled contently, staring at Ryou, who confusedly held his cheek, blushing the deepest known hue of red in the world.

tsuzuku

AN a.k.a Some random, nonsense story:

K:Sorry if it's short. The damned wall clock keeps on ringing every hour that makes me upset for another hour. Plus it's past 3am and I'm wide-awake doing this crap. Hope you like it. And, Flame, yeah, Karita is a terrorist. He's the brain behind the Sept.11 bombings nn;

Malik: grinsThis reviewer is getting kinda regular, it's hard not to greet her. :Turns to flame: Ei there flame. We're waiting for another review nn. And, lad was sure a funny word to use for me. This writer's psycho!

K: But that's what Mr. Terror's thinks. You are a lad! What can I do:whined and whined:

Malik: :shrugs: There goes the reason…

K: :Clock rings! Pulls the wall clock down and brawls with it: There! Take that! It's your fault that I got scared continuing my "Blood Bound" ficcie!

:Stands victoriously atop a wrecked poor clock:

R&R buddies:does the Vash Stampede 'Love & Peace' pose:

Malik: foolish author… you think he's still sane readers? Go give him a review! That might keep him sane for a while. sighs

K: YAY! A kiss! . Now that was longer :smiles:

Malik: :blushing madly: Do I really have to do that?