The Game of Life
By: Rogue Fox
Part Two. Oreo's and Something Not So Sweet
*+*+*Yugi*+*+*
I knew from the minute Himeko walked in the door, near midnight, that something was bothering her. That bothered me, because Himeko was one of those girls that strive to be untouchable. I didn't dare ask her about it then. Whatever it was, it was still fresh and the last thing I wanted was to be an outlet for her anger. I decided to wait till morning, if her mood seemed tolerant.
I'm good at reading my two sisters. Yuki's easier to read because her mind is not nearly so complex as Himeko's. I'm not saying Himeko is smarter or anything like that. Quite the opposite. Himeko, despite how much she tries to deny it and despite all her abilities, is still very much a normal girl. Her mind is cluttered with thoughts and worries like when the next dance will be, if that certain someone likes her, how she'll ever get that homework assignment done and get any decent mall-crawling in, that kind of thing. Yuki's mind, though still hard to understand at times, is much more simple, just because she tackles things one at a time and doesn't procrastinate like her sister. She doesn't really care about when the dance is, she already finished that homework assignment, and it'd be nice if that certain someone liked her, but if he doesn't, that's okay, because he's entitled to his opinion. I smiled to myself. Even Yami had trouble reading them as well as me. Kaiba was a challenge though, since he knew Yuki, and thus Himeko, so well.
Somehow, I sensed that Kaiba lay at the root of Himeko's troubles. I debated going into her room and talking with her about it. It might not be such a bad idea. She would probably want to vent anyway, and I didn't really care all that much if it was on me, so long as she got it out. I knew Yami wouldn't dare. He alone knew the destructive force Himeko could unleash firsthand, and was in no hurry to have in unleashed on him. I would have to bring a peace offering if I did go. I stood from my desk, where I had been enjoying the luxury of solving a nice, simple jigsaw puzzle. In the area of peace offerings for Himeko, junk food was always a prime choice. Yuki would rather something sweet and thoughtful. She liked sweet cards, which Kaiba had told me. He was in the habit of re-winning her affections with them after an argument. I had also discovered that this was how he had mended the argument about the bodyguards so long ago. He had given her a sweet card to read in class, and she had forgiven him. I thought it was funny, but took note of the method. You never knew when you might need something like that.
Finally in the kitchen, I surveyed the contents of the cabinet. We had potato chips, which I decided against. Himeko didn't like how fatty they were. She sure caught up to our time fast. A few minutes later found me climbing the stairs to the bedrooms, armed with a bag of Oreo's, two glasses, a half-full carton of milk, a bag of Hershey's Kisses, and Pockey sticks from my own private stash. I paused at Himeko's door to situate myself, wonder why I felt so compelled to help her, say a quick prayer incase she blasted my head off, and then knocked on the door.
" Go away!" Himeko shouted through it. I had been expecting that.
" Himeko, it's me." I said, ignoring her first remark.
" You could be the Queen of England and I wouldn't let you in right now." She told me matter-of-factly.
" Will you let me in anyway?" I asked.
" No." Himeko said simply.
" Please? I brought some of your favorite foods." I offered.
" Comfort food?" Himeko asked. I could hear the temptation in her voice. She, like every other girl I had ever known, and a huge passion for her comfort foods.
" Yeah. Let me in, and we can talk about it." I said, wishing I had splurged and brought the jug of chocolate ice cream up. She loved ice cream, all flavors. Then, miraculously, the door opened. Himeko had changed into a pair of boxer shorts I recognized as Yami's and an oversized shirt that read "GURLZ RULE!" on the front.
" I don't really want to talk about it." She told me. I could tell she had been crying. Instinctively, I reached to her with my soul and felt her out. She had been pretty badly upset, but not to the point where she couldn't hide exactly what it was. " Stop that." She told me harshly. I was used to her harsh words. It was Himeko's way of venting.
" What's the matter?" I asked, coming into her room anyway and setting the food out. I started pouring the milk as Himeko grabbed a handful of Oreo's and pulled one apart, licking the cream on the inside.
" Nothing, and yet, everything at the same time. And that made no sense at all." She said. I wondered to myself if it was just her time of month. " You know what? This age sucks." She told me. I smiled.
" Well, it isn't all fun and games. Life's only sugar coated, you know." I said.
" Yeah. And the inside's really sour." She said, accepting the milk I offered her and plunging the uneaten half of her Oreo in.
" There are sweet parts too." I said, chewing thoughtfully on a Pocky stick. " You know any other age that has Oreo's?" I asked. Himeko chuckled.
" No, I really don't." she agreed. I prided myself on making my sisters laugh when they were upset. It's one of those things that I like being able to do.
I stayed with Himeko until she admitted that she felt better about whatever was bothering her, and then left her. I contemplated calling Yuki and seeing how her date had gone, but decided that one in the morning was not a good time to call her. I thought about calling Honda instead, but then decided that he would probably be too elated to make any sense, so I put it off till morning. Finally content to go back to my own room, I clicked out the light, muttered to myself about never being able to finish my puzzle, and snuggled into bed.
For a guy who lived his entire life as an only child, having siblings suddenly wasn't too much of a shock. Sure, having to share the bathroom with Yami and waiting for my turn on the phone when Himeko had it was certainly something to get used to, but I wasn't suffering from a nervous break down. Yuki handled it remarkably well, the way she handles everything, despite the fact that she was very used to being oldest and boss. Yami kind of took over in that area, but Yuki still managed to command a kind of respect from all her siblings. Just something about her that seemed to demand respect. Danged if I know what, though. Himeko and Yami were already quite used to the idea of siblings. The only problem was, they were still not used to our time. Yami had a big problem with the microwave. He swore the thing was cursed when he overcooked his TV dinner one night and burned his hand trying to get it out. That's not saying he liked the conventional oven any better. He accidentally spilled some sauce on the hot burners and nearly scared us all to death (and when I say us all, I mean everyone in the group was there for dinner) when the smoke alarm went off. Scared himself pretty bad too. It was funny to everyone except him after the fact. And Yami sure knows how to hold a grudge against inanimate objects. Himeko adjusted far easier than Yami, simply because she has a dash more common sense than him. She figured if she used an oven mitt when the food was hot, she wouldn't get burned. Yami, however, had a mental lapse in which he imagined himself invincible. Himeko had become quite attached to many modern conveniences Yami wouldn't even touch. For instance, computers. Yami had a big problem with anything smarter than him. He calls it unnatural. I think it's that Pharaoh arrogance kicking in. Himeko just loved computers to pieces. She liked being able to store tons of information in the blink of an eye. Now, I have trouble getting her off it.
I closed my eyes and sighed. I have trouble getting to sleep. It takes time, but I sleep like a rock once I get there. Even though, lately, it had been worse than usual. Sleep just would not come. I kept thinking about tomorrow, what I was going to do with my time, try to figure things like Himeko out, decide I never would, and before I knew it, it was morning, and I was cussing the sun out. That's what I got for staying up so late. I knew it was my fault, but I didn't particularly care right then. I could here Yami moving around outside my door. Damn him, I thought angrily, why does he get to be such a morning person? Yami was always up by six at least. It was now ten, and I doubted he was even dressed yet. The one thing Yami didn't mind about this age was the TV, and he spent countless morning when Himeko, me, and sometimes Yuki and others would be sleeping in front of it, eating cereal dry from the box and not making any effort to be quiet. I heard the phone ring and commenced cussing out the whoever was calling in my head. My cussing teacher moved down the stares to get it. Every nasty word I knew came from him. In no time, he was coming back up the stairs and in even less time, he was pounding on my door.
" Come on, little guy! Phone!" he yelled.
" Tell whoever it is to go away and call back at a decent hour!" I yelled back. I buried my head under the pillow, but that didn't quite muffle the sound.
" Okay, I'll tell Anzu you were to busy snoozing to talk to her..." Yami said, trailing his voice off. I was out and running down the stairs before he was even finished. The moment the name Anzu left his mouth, I was moving.
" Will you two please shut your damn mouths?!" Himeko screeched. I winced, hoping Anzu and the rest of the world hadn't heard her. I picked up the phone and opened my mouth to speak, but Grandpa came into the kitchen then. Grandpa slept on the ground level of the house, while the younger part of the household lived upstairs.
" Remind me to tell her that she needs to watch her language." He told me, opening the refrigerator. I love Grandpa dearly, but I was very anxious for privacy, and I knew only one place to get it in this house. I slipped toward the basement.
" Yes, Grandpa." I replied dutifully, carrying the cordless phone down to the basement. Once safely there, I put it to my ear.
" Anzu?" I asked into it.
" Your house is wild." She said by way of greeting. So she had heard all that. We need soundproof walls, I decided.
" Yeah, you should see us on school mornings." I said, glancing around the basement. Our home was new, because the small one Grandpa and I had lived in all my life just wasn't big enough for the new additions to the family, plus the constant stream of guests. Yami, Himeko, and I had turned the basement into a recreation room. There was an old comfortable couch that sagged in the middle where Mokuba, Yoshi, and Yukio jumped on it, a worn, overstuffed chair that often found Yuki curled up reading a book or Honda doing his homework, a computer desk equipped with all the latest technology where Kaiba would do his work when he was here instead of his office or home and Himeko would surf the net. There was also one of those convertible game tables that us guys used to merciless levels, a table where Mai often designed, planned, and sewed a good deal of her creations, a sewing machine right next to it. The sewing machine was a birthday gift to her from us all. It was one of those real nice ones that had a computer in it. Mai loved it to pieces. There was a small card table where we played all sorts of games, and even a TV with video games. It was our room, and many weekday afternoons found us here, chatting and wasting time.
" So, what's up?" Anzu asked, shaking me from all the good memories in this room. I would be sad to leave it when I had to go to college. I was also wondering where I was gonna put that used pool table Ryou was going to bring.
" The same as usual." I said. I could here Yami and Himeko wrestling upstairs. Grandpa yelled at them to knock it off. " Everybody's trying to kill everybody else." I explained.
" Bet you're anxious to get out of there." Anzu said with a laugh. God, I loved her laugh.
" What makes you say that? Why would I want out of ground zero for the twin ticking time bombs?" I asked sarcastically. A small explosion punctuated my words. By small, I mean it sounded like the dishwasher had just blown up. Of course, what with Yami, it might very well have been the microwave.
" The fact that you live with twin ticking time bombs." Anzu said with equal sarcasm. " Listen," she began, dropping her sarcastic tone. I listened quietly. " You want to come with me? I was thinking about catching a movie and maybe going to the park, and those things are no fun to do alone."
" And the other girls are all busy. For example, it sounds like Himeko is waging war on something electrical upstairs." I said, pausing to listen to the crackle of electricity and Himeko yell angrily. Anzu laughed.
" No, you're actually the first person I called. I haven't even called Yuki to ask how her date was." Anzu said.
" Wow, what an honor." I cracked. " Well, if I know Yuki, she's probably not even functioning. She's even less of a morning person than me."
" Exactly why I didn't call." Anzu agreed. " So, do you want to go? I know you haven't gotten your driver's license yet, but a little walking never hurt anyone."
" It can hurt if your legs are as short as mine!" I cried indignantly. I meant it as a joke. Anzu seemed to always think that when I joked about my height, I was being self-degrading.
" Yugi! You've gotten taller! Last I checked, you've grown a whole four inches! That's something!" she cried.
" Five. Maybe six by now." I corrected, glancing at the door frame Yami was using to keep track of our mutual growth. Naturally, he had a head start, but I was fast catching up.
" Yeah, well, will you answer the question already!" Anzu asked loudly.
" Sure. Of course I'll accompany you on your outing." I said in my most chivalrous voice. Anzu laughed.
" Great! I'll be there in about an hour. Talk to you then." She said, hanging up before I said goodbye. She had a bad habit of doing that. I hung up the phone, looking down at the floor, which seemed a little too far away. Five inches. Not even as big as my whole hand, and it made so much difference for me. I was growing. I tried not to think about it, but whenever the thought managed to catch me by surprise, I couldn't help but feel happy. Ecstatic, even elated. I was so happy that I wasn't stuck being so short all my life like my grandpa. Just five measly inches. And they were sure late coming. But they made me feel so good and so much better about myself. Here I was, after most guys had already completed the worst of their growth spurts, starting my very first one. Speaking of which, I was ravenously hungry. I had been eating practically nonstop lately, yet if anything, I seemed to be losing weight. Jou, Kaiba, and Honda all found it funny. Kaiba told me that it was like being stretched out until you think you're so thin you could pass for a pole and you think you're way too tall for the rest of you. Jou said the worst part was your feet. They just seem to take off all on their own, until you look like you're wearing clown shoes. My feet didn't seem too big, I thought. But I was just starting, so who knew what could happen. At this rate, Yami told me I could well into college before the worst of it was actually underway. I hoped that wasn't the case. I have a tiny jealous streak, and I can't help but be jealous of all the guys who are so much taller than me. In other words, half the human population. I hated being a midget. I really hated it. And I had always thought I was stuck that way. For the rest of my life. But now, I was growing. And I wanted to be able to show off. To be able to show all those bullies that in the end, their teasings and beatings really didn't matter. I was normal. Just a little late coming into my growth. Only about three years late.
I tromped up the stairs, and sidestepped Himeko as she stormed me for the phone. I let her have it and ran up the stairs. Once in my room, I locked the door and quickly threw on my usual sloppy array of clothes. I might have tried for something a little better looking, but I just wasn't in the mood. After stepping out of the room, I was caught up in Huricane Yami-and- Himeko, who were fighting over the phone. From their shouts and cries of anger, I gathered that a sleepy and uncomprehending Yuki was on the other end of the line, and they were fighting to find out about her date. I chuckled. Honda really liked Yuki a lot, and I didn't blame him. If I wasn't fond of her in a brotherly way, I would have liked her too. She was just easy to like. What's more, she was a genuinely pretty girl. Not the sexy pretty you see on the magazines, but the real, genuine pretty. The kind of pretty that makes you think of loyalty, love, companionship, and trust. The kind of pretty that usually makes normal guys go out of their mind. Honda was single, and so was Yuki. For him, it just clicked. For her, I wasn't sure. I knew Yuki never agreed to anything she didn't intend to stick with, but I couldn't help but feel that she liked Honda, but she could never love him. I sighed. It's tough knowing the decision your little sister needs to make without being able to tell her what the right choice is.
" Yugi!" Himeko wailed suddenly, interrupting me from my thoughts. She came storming down the stairs. I instantly wished she'd go right back up them, into her room, and change. She was wearing another one of her seemingly endless supply of black leather skirts, but this time the top was a dark blue button up shirt, on which only two strategically chosen buttons had been buttoned, thus exposing a lot of skin.
" No." I said, adopting Yami's bluntness. Yami appeared at the top of the stairs, hoping on one foot.
" Damn it, Isis, I think you just broke my toe!" he yelled. Himeko wheeled on him.
" You deserve it!" she screamed. Grandpa stepped into the room to see what all the fuss was about.
" Himeko, don't you think that outfit shows a little too much?" he asked.
" No!" Himeko protested. I pointed back up the stairs.
" Go change. Now." I said, trying to sound mean and threatening. I didn't think I succeeded at first, but then Himeko stomped her foot and wailed. Maybe it did work after all. Yami hopped down the stairs. I figured Himeko had stomped his foot. The next forty-five minutes consisted of three screaming matches between Himeko and Yami, two attempts to bargain with her on my part, and about twenty direct orders to change from Grandpa that were totally ignored. I was glad to slip away when Anzu poked her head in. I motioned to her to go and then followed her out just as screaming match number four broke out. Once we were safe outside the house, I sighed.
" They sure can be noisy." Anzu said as we started walking down the sidewalk.
" It's their nature." I told her. I was trying hard not to pay attention to the fact that Anzu was wearing a skirt. Not as short as Himeko's, but a skirt nonetheless.
" So what movie do you want to see?" Anzu asked.
" There's that new romantic comedy that you said you wanted to see." I suggested. I would have rather seen an action or adventure movie, but at the moment, Anzu was the only thing in the world that mattered.
" Really? You'd see that with me?" she asked in disbelief. I looked up at her. She didn't seem as high up as she always had.
" Sure. Why not?" I asked. Anzu shrugged and smiled.
" No reason." She answered as we set off for the movie theatre, and I sank a little deeper into bliss.
*+*+*Himeko*+*+*
" No, no, no, and finally, NO!" Yami yelled in my face. I hated it when he did that. I really, really hated it. So how could I be responsible for the energy ball that was suddenly en route to his head? " Ah!" he cried comically, ducking just in time. I broke into gales of laughter while he screamed at me and Grandpa chuckled. Grandpa was great. I couldn't have asked for anyone better. When Yugi set to explaining to him about Yami and I, he seemed to have already known about it. He accepted us, and all the abnormalities we brought with us, into his home with perfect faith. I'm pretty sure that there were moments when he doubted his decision, but he stayed with us. Like I said, I couldn't have asked for better.
" Isis! First you break my f- my dang toe," Yami started in, correcting his almost naughty language just in time, prompted by a glare from Grandpa, who would allow cursing to a certain extent, but that extent had already been passed. " Then you've got the nerve to throw an energy ball at me?! Then you laugh, on top of it all?! What next? Are you going to try to murder me in my sleep?!" he asked me, his voice rather high for him. If I wasn't utterly infuriated by the remark, I would have laughed. " That's high treason, you know!" he reminded me. I made a rude noise.
" Please, get off your high horse, Ammon. That was a millennia ago, and the world won't care too much if I did." I said, trying to control my rage. It was very hard.
" Just. Change. Now." He said in his one-word-at-a-time voice.
" I. Don't. Want. To." I returned, mocking his tone. I ducked as he swung at me. Sorry, but Ammon and I hit each other. It's just the way we are. Most people won't think too highly of a guy who hits his little sister, or at least tries. You can guess that he's never swung at Yuki. Of course, Yuki's much better at getting him to calm down than me or Yugi, who seemed to have taken the escape route. I made a mental note to introduce him to a little psychological torture later. Not that he was helping me or anything. He was usually with Ammon on these little discussions. I ran for the door and slammed it behind me, then wheeled around and stuck my tongue out at Ammon. It was the only thing I could think of to do. Naturally, he came after me. I made a hasty retreat. I may act defiant of Ammon, but I do respect him. I know he loves me, and I know he only wants to protect me. He'd already had a bad experience that had to do with me and someone that could be called a maniac... But that was a long time ago and he should've known to trust me by now! Besides, I was a lot younger then, and I thought a little danger never hurt anyone. What a stupid thought. That would be how girls like me, who think they're tough stuff, get mixed up in bad things, like thieves, for example. Long story there. And this is not the time to tell it.
I love Ammon. I really do. But there are moments, like I suppose there are between every brother and sister, when I could just kill him, even if he was trying to protect me. This was one of those moments.
" I hate you, Ammon!" I screamed. People on the street stopped and stared at me, but I really didn't give a crap. To hell with all of them! What did they know, anyway? " I wish you would die!" I added, a little more quietly. Of course, my angry speed walking had taken me too far from home for him to hear me. That's probably why I was being so bold. But in any case, I didn't really mean it. How could I ever wish Ammon, my brother, my friend, my life- long, loyal companion, dead? But that's the funny thing about words. You can say something like that, something cruel and impulsive that you could never really mean, and they come back to haunt you. Words have a life, you know. They travel through the air and when they can no longer be heard, they die. But if you say something like that, they might return from the dead and haunt you.
I stormed on down the street, my mind drifting between little worries, memories from so long ago, and bigger worries. Like why Ryou had been showing up at school with dark circles under his eyes, yawning like a madman. Like why when I asked him, he complained of chronic nightmares about the Millennium Ring. Like why Yugi tossed and turned at night with insomnia, or why Ammon spent countless nights on the couch watching late night movies, trying to get to sleep. Even Yuki had complained of sleeplessness. Maybe I was just paranoid. But night is when the human spirit is most prone to premonitions of the future. Nightmares and sleeplessness are textbook signs of trouble to come. We're talking right out of every spell book I'd ever read here.
I stopped on the sidewalk, so caught up in thoughts and memories at the same time, I halfway expected to see a flash of white and someone to suddenly crash into me. It was just like that day... Mad at Ammon, storming down a street, and then... I shook my head furiously. Stupid memories, I thought angrily, that was too long ago to worry about now. Dead is dead and that's that!
How long had I been walking? I glanced at my silver watch. It wasn't digital, which Ammon needed to read a clock at all. Ammon still preferred the sun. It was almost noon. I had been walking for a few hours without destination, just trying to blow off steam. Funny, I thought, it only seems like it's been a few minutes.
" Help-mmmh!" a voice suddenly cried. I can't say I actually heard it. I felt it. It was a soul connection, no doubts there. I could feel Yuki's presence near me, her soul grazing with mine.
Himeko! Help! she cried frantically. I started running. I knew she had to be at the Kaiba mansion. It was way too early for her to even be thinking about leaving the house. She normally wasn't even awake by ten in the morning, unless school intervened.
Yuki, what's the matter? I asked quickly, but I was too late. Our connection had been severed. Either someone of considerable supernatural power had intervened, or Yuki was suddenly no longer in capacity to carry out a mental conversation. In short, she'd either been killed or knocked out. I prayed for the latter as I ran on, trying to reach Ammon, Yugi, or even Ryou... Anyone.
Someone! Please help! Come on, don't you people think?! I screamed mentally, gulping in air.
What's up? Yugi responded almost instantly.
I'm here, and I do think, thank you. Ryou snapped. I had obviously caught him at a bad time. I really didn't care about telepathic etiquette at the moment.
We've got a problem! Yuki just contacted me through a soul connection, and- I stopped thinking, instead choosing to relay the experience to the two guys mentally.
Well, that would be a problem. Ryou said, considerably better tempered than before.
No duh, Captain Obvious. I cracked, despite the fact that I had just tripped over a rock who seemed to exist for the sole purpose of delaying me right then.
I'm moving. Yugi announced.
See you at the Kaiba Mansion. Ryou said, removing himself from the conversation.
Where's Ammon? I asked Yugi.
I don't know. I'm with Anzu. Try to pick him up. he told me. I could hear a lot of talking through his ears as he tried to relay the situation to Anzu while following his own advice. I must be out of range. I'm not sensing him or getting a soul connection with him. Yugi said after a moment.
Damn. Neither am I. He'd better not have done one of his disappearing acts. Wait, I'm in range to pick up Yuki! I cried happily. She's definitely alive! I told him. Shit. Oh shit, shit, shit. I muttered.
What? What is it? Yugi asked frantically.
I'm picking up Ammon, too. He must have gone over to see Yuki after we fought. I'm picking up a lot of energy waves, and they've definitely got Ammon's signature on them. I said, biting my lip physically. A little trait I picked up while I was in Yuki's head. I prayed Yugi wouldn't notice I wasn't telling him everything, even though he usually did.
And? What else? What aren't you saying? he asked. He did notice, after all.
And... There's someone else there. I said.
Who? Kaiba? Yugi asked. He could be as dense as Yuki sometimes.
Do you think Kaiba can throw an energy wave that matches Ammon's? I asked.
No... But who can? he asked. I sighed, both physically and mentally.
Get a connection with Ryou and tell him he might want to steer clear of the mansion. There's someone there I don't think he's gonna want to see. I said, as I saw the mansion draw closer. I was almost there.
Oh. You were right. Shit. he said, dropping me to get Ryou. I frowned. Running in a skirt is no easy business. But my mind was on other things. So that was why he was always on my thoughts lately. That was why I kept remembering him, thinking about him, even dreaming about him. Hindsight's always twenty-twenty, they say. Boy, are they right. Well, I thought to myself, he always did say he would come for me one day. Guess today's that day.
By: Rogue Fox
Part Two. Oreo's and Something Not So Sweet
*+*+*Yugi*+*+*
I knew from the minute Himeko walked in the door, near midnight, that something was bothering her. That bothered me, because Himeko was one of those girls that strive to be untouchable. I didn't dare ask her about it then. Whatever it was, it was still fresh and the last thing I wanted was to be an outlet for her anger. I decided to wait till morning, if her mood seemed tolerant.
I'm good at reading my two sisters. Yuki's easier to read because her mind is not nearly so complex as Himeko's. I'm not saying Himeko is smarter or anything like that. Quite the opposite. Himeko, despite how much she tries to deny it and despite all her abilities, is still very much a normal girl. Her mind is cluttered with thoughts and worries like when the next dance will be, if that certain someone likes her, how she'll ever get that homework assignment done and get any decent mall-crawling in, that kind of thing. Yuki's mind, though still hard to understand at times, is much more simple, just because she tackles things one at a time and doesn't procrastinate like her sister. She doesn't really care about when the dance is, she already finished that homework assignment, and it'd be nice if that certain someone liked her, but if he doesn't, that's okay, because he's entitled to his opinion. I smiled to myself. Even Yami had trouble reading them as well as me. Kaiba was a challenge though, since he knew Yuki, and thus Himeko, so well.
Somehow, I sensed that Kaiba lay at the root of Himeko's troubles. I debated going into her room and talking with her about it. It might not be such a bad idea. She would probably want to vent anyway, and I didn't really care all that much if it was on me, so long as she got it out. I knew Yami wouldn't dare. He alone knew the destructive force Himeko could unleash firsthand, and was in no hurry to have in unleashed on him. I would have to bring a peace offering if I did go. I stood from my desk, where I had been enjoying the luxury of solving a nice, simple jigsaw puzzle. In the area of peace offerings for Himeko, junk food was always a prime choice. Yuki would rather something sweet and thoughtful. She liked sweet cards, which Kaiba had told me. He was in the habit of re-winning her affections with them after an argument. I had also discovered that this was how he had mended the argument about the bodyguards so long ago. He had given her a sweet card to read in class, and she had forgiven him. I thought it was funny, but took note of the method. You never knew when you might need something like that.
Finally in the kitchen, I surveyed the contents of the cabinet. We had potato chips, which I decided against. Himeko didn't like how fatty they were. She sure caught up to our time fast. A few minutes later found me climbing the stairs to the bedrooms, armed with a bag of Oreo's, two glasses, a half-full carton of milk, a bag of Hershey's Kisses, and Pockey sticks from my own private stash. I paused at Himeko's door to situate myself, wonder why I felt so compelled to help her, say a quick prayer incase she blasted my head off, and then knocked on the door.
" Go away!" Himeko shouted through it. I had been expecting that.
" Himeko, it's me." I said, ignoring her first remark.
" You could be the Queen of England and I wouldn't let you in right now." She told me matter-of-factly.
" Will you let me in anyway?" I asked.
" No." Himeko said simply.
" Please? I brought some of your favorite foods." I offered.
" Comfort food?" Himeko asked. I could hear the temptation in her voice. She, like every other girl I had ever known, and a huge passion for her comfort foods.
" Yeah. Let me in, and we can talk about it." I said, wishing I had splurged and brought the jug of chocolate ice cream up. She loved ice cream, all flavors. Then, miraculously, the door opened. Himeko had changed into a pair of boxer shorts I recognized as Yami's and an oversized shirt that read "GURLZ RULE!" on the front.
" I don't really want to talk about it." She told me. I could tell she had been crying. Instinctively, I reached to her with my soul and felt her out. She had been pretty badly upset, but not to the point where she couldn't hide exactly what it was. " Stop that." She told me harshly. I was used to her harsh words. It was Himeko's way of venting.
" What's the matter?" I asked, coming into her room anyway and setting the food out. I started pouring the milk as Himeko grabbed a handful of Oreo's and pulled one apart, licking the cream on the inside.
" Nothing, and yet, everything at the same time. And that made no sense at all." She said. I wondered to myself if it was just her time of month. " You know what? This age sucks." She told me. I smiled.
" Well, it isn't all fun and games. Life's only sugar coated, you know." I said.
" Yeah. And the inside's really sour." She said, accepting the milk I offered her and plunging the uneaten half of her Oreo in.
" There are sweet parts too." I said, chewing thoughtfully on a Pocky stick. " You know any other age that has Oreo's?" I asked. Himeko chuckled.
" No, I really don't." she agreed. I prided myself on making my sisters laugh when they were upset. It's one of those things that I like being able to do.
I stayed with Himeko until she admitted that she felt better about whatever was bothering her, and then left her. I contemplated calling Yuki and seeing how her date had gone, but decided that one in the morning was not a good time to call her. I thought about calling Honda instead, but then decided that he would probably be too elated to make any sense, so I put it off till morning. Finally content to go back to my own room, I clicked out the light, muttered to myself about never being able to finish my puzzle, and snuggled into bed.
For a guy who lived his entire life as an only child, having siblings suddenly wasn't too much of a shock. Sure, having to share the bathroom with Yami and waiting for my turn on the phone when Himeko had it was certainly something to get used to, but I wasn't suffering from a nervous break down. Yuki handled it remarkably well, the way she handles everything, despite the fact that she was very used to being oldest and boss. Yami kind of took over in that area, but Yuki still managed to command a kind of respect from all her siblings. Just something about her that seemed to demand respect. Danged if I know what, though. Himeko and Yami were already quite used to the idea of siblings. The only problem was, they were still not used to our time. Yami had a big problem with the microwave. He swore the thing was cursed when he overcooked his TV dinner one night and burned his hand trying to get it out. That's not saying he liked the conventional oven any better. He accidentally spilled some sauce on the hot burners and nearly scared us all to death (and when I say us all, I mean everyone in the group was there for dinner) when the smoke alarm went off. Scared himself pretty bad too. It was funny to everyone except him after the fact. And Yami sure knows how to hold a grudge against inanimate objects. Himeko adjusted far easier than Yami, simply because she has a dash more common sense than him. She figured if she used an oven mitt when the food was hot, she wouldn't get burned. Yami, however, had a mental lapse in which he imagined himself invincible. Himeko had become quite attached to many modern conveniences Yami wouldn't even touch. For instance, computers. Yami had a big problem with anything smarter than him. He calls it unnatural. I think it's that Pharaoh arrogance kicking in. Himeko just loved computers to pieces. She liked being able to store tons of information in the blink of an eye. Now, I have trouble getting her off it.
I closed my eyes and sighed. I have trouble getting to sleep. It takes time, but I sleep like a rock once I get there. Even though, lately, it had been worse than usual. Sleep just would not come. I kept thinking about tomorrow, what I was going to do with my time, try to figure things like Himeko out, decide I never would, and before I knew it, it was morning, and I was cussing the sun out. That's what I got for staying up so late. I knew it was my fault, but I didn't particularly care right then. I could here Yami moving around outside my door. Damn him, I thought angrily, why does he get to be such a morning person? Yami was always up by six at least. It was now ten, and I doubted he was even dressed yet. The one thing Yami didn't mind about this age was the TV, and he spent countless morning when Himeko, me, and sometimes Yuki and others would be sleeping in front of it, eating cereal dry from the box and not making any effort to be quiet. I heard the phone ring and commenced cussing out the whoever was calling in my head. My cussing teacher moved down the stares to get it. Every nasty word I knew came from him. In no time, he was coming back up the stairs and in even less time, he was pounding on my door.
" Come on, little guy! Phone!" he yelled.
" Tell whoever it is to go away and call back at a decent hour!" I yelled back. I buried my head under the pillow, but that didn't quite muffle the sound.
" Okay, I'll tell Anzu you were to busy snoozing to talk to her..." Yami said, trailing his voice off. I was out and running down the stairs before he was even finished. The moment the name Anzu left his mouth, I was moving.
" Will you two please shut your damn mouths?!" Himeko screeched. I winced, hoping Anzu and the rest of the world hadn't heard her. I picked up the phone and opened my mouth to speak, but Grandpa came into the kitchen then. Grandpa slept on the ground level of the house, while the younger part of the household lived upstairs.
" Remind me to tell her that she needs to watch her language." He told me, opening the refrigerator. I love Grandpa dearly, but I was very anxious for privacy, and I knew only one place to get it in this house. I slipped toward the basement.
" Yes, Grandpa." I replied dutifully, carrying the cordless phone down to the basement. Once safely there, I put it to my ear.
" Anzu?" I asked into it.
" Your house is wild." She said by way of greeting. So she had heard all that. We need soundproof walls, I decided.
" Yeah, you should see us on school mornings." I said, glancing around the basement. Our home was new, because the small one Grandpa and I had lived in all my life just wasn't big enough for the new additions to the family, plus the constant stream of guests. Yami, Himeko, and I had turned the basement into a recreation room. There was an old comfortable couch that sagged in the middle where Mokuba, Yoshi, and Yukio jumped on it, a worn, overstuffed chair that often found Yuki curled up reading a book or Honda doing his homework, a computer desk equipped with all the latest technology where Kaiba would do his work when he was here instead of his office or home and Himeko would surf the net. There was also one of those convertible game tables that us guys used to merciless levels, a table where Mai often designed, planned, and sewed a good deal of her creations, a sewing machine right next to it. The sewing machine was a birthday gift to her from us all. It was one of those real nice ones that had a computer in it. Mai loved it to pieces. There was a small card table where we played all sorts of games, and even a TV with video games. It was our room, and many weekday afternoons found us here, chatting and wasting time.
" So, what's up?" Anzu asked, shaking me from all the good memories in this room. I would be sad to leave it when I had to go to college. I was also wondering where I was gonna put that used pool table Ryou was going to bring.
" The same as usual." I said. I could here Yami and Himeko wrestling upstairs. Grandpa yelled at them to knock it off. " Everybody's trying to kill everybody else." I explained.
" Bet you're anxious to get out of there." Anzu said with a laugh. God, I loved her laugh.
" What makes you say that? Why would I want out of ground zero for the twin ticking time bombs?" I asked sarcastically. A small explosion punctuated my words. By small, I mean it sounded like the dishwasher had just blown up. Of course, what with Yami, it might very well have been the microwave.
" The fact that you live with twin ticking time bombs." Anzu said with equal sarcasm. " Listen," she began, dropping her sarcastic tone. I listened quietly. " You want to come with me? I was thinking about catching a movie and maybe going to the park, and those things are no fun to do alone."
" And the other girls are all busy. For example, it sounds like Himeko is waging war on something electrical upstairs." I said, pausing to listen to the crackle of electricity and Himeko yell angrily. Anzu laughed.
" No, you're actually the first person I called. I haven't even called Yuki to ask how her date was." Anzu said.
" Wow, what an honor." I cracked. " Well, if I know Yuki, she's probably not even functioning. She's even less of a morning person than me."
" Exactly why I didn't call." Anzu agreed. " So, do you want to go? I know you haven't gotten your driver's license yet, but a little walking never hurt anyone."
" It can hurt if your legs are as short as mine!" I cried indignantly. I meant it as a joke. Anzu seemed to always think that when I joked about my height, I was being self-degrading.
" Yugi! You've gotten taller! Last I checked, you've grown a whole four inches! That's something!" she cried.
" Five. Maybe six by now." I corrected, glancing at the door frame Yami was using to keep track of our mutual growth. Naturally, he had a head start, but I was fast catching up.
" Yeah, well, will you answer the question already!" Anzu asked loudly.
" Sure. Of course I'll accompany you on your outing." I said in my most chivalrous voice. Anzu laughed.
" Great! I'll be there in about an hour. Talk to you then." She said, hanging up before I said goodbye. She had a bad habit of doing that. I hung up the phone, looking down at the floor, which seemed a little too far away. Five inches. Not even as big as my whole hand, and it made so much difference for me. I was growing. I tried not to think about it, but whenever the thought managed to catch me by surprise, I couldn't help but feel happy. Ecstatic, even elated. I was so happy that I wasn't stuck being so short all my life like my grandpa. Just five measly inches. And they were sure late coming. But they made me feel so good and so much better about myself. Here I was, after most guys had already completed the worst of their growth spurts, starting my very first one. Speaking of which, I was ravenously hungry. I had been eating practically nonstop lately, yet if anything, I seemed to be losing weight. Jou, Kaiba, and Honda all found it funny. Kaiba told me that it was like being stretched out until you think you're so thin you could pass for a pole and you think you're way too tall for the rest of you. Jou said the worst part was your feet. They just seem to take off all on their own, until you look like you're wearing clown shoes. My feet didn't seem too big, I thought. But I was just starting, so who knew what could happen. At this rate, Yami told me I could well into college before the worst of it was actually underway. I hoped that wasn't the case. I have a tiny jealous streak, and I can't help but be jealous of all the guys who are so much taller than me. In other words, half the human population. I hated being a midget. I really hated it. And I had always thought I was stuck that way. For the rest of my life. But now, I was growing. And I wanted to be able to show off. To be able to show all those bullies that in the end, their teasings and beatings really didn't matter. I was normal. Just a little late coming into my growth. Only about three years late.
I tromped up the stairs, and sidestepped Himeko as she stormed me for the phone. I let her have it and ran up the stairs. Once in my room, I locked the door and quickly threw on my usual sloppy array of clothes. I might have tried for something a little better looking, but I just wasn't in the mood. After stepping out of the room, I was caught up in Huricane Yami-and- Himeko, who were fighting over the phone. From their shouts and cries of anger, I gathered that a sleepy and uncomprehending Yuki was on the other end of the line, and they were fighting to find out about her date. I chuckled. Honda really liked Yuki a lot, and I didn't blame him. If I wasn't fond of her in a brotherly way, I would have liked her too. She was just easy to like. What's more, she was a genuinely pretty girl. Not the sexy pretty you see on the magazines, but the real, genuine pretty. The kind of pretty that makes you think of loyalty, love, companionship, and trust. The kind of pretty that usually makes normal guys go out of their mind. Honda was single, and so was Yuki. For him, it just clicked. For her, I wasn't sure. I knew Yuki never agreed to anything she didn't intend to stick with, but I couldn't help but feel that she liked Honda, but she could never love him. I sighed. It's tough knowing the decision your little sister needs to make without being able to tell her what the right choice is.
" Yugi!" Himeko wailed suddenly, interrupting me from my thoughts. She came storming down the stairs. I instantly wished she'd go right back up them, into her room, and change. She was wearing another one of her seemingly endless supply of black leather skirts, but this time the top was a dark blue button up shirt, on which only two strategically chosen buttons had been buttoned, thus exposing a lot of skin.
" No." I said, adopting Yami's bluntness. Yami appeared at the top of the stairs, hoping on one foot.
" Damn it, Isis, I think you just broke my toe!" he yelled. Himeko wheeled on him.
" You deserve it!" she screamed. Grandpa stepped into the room to see what all the fuss was about.
" Himeko, don't you think that outfit shows a little too much?" he asked.
" No!" Himeko protested. I pointed back up the stairs.
" Go change. Now." I said, trying to sound mean and threatening. I didn't think I succeeded at first, but then Himeko stomped her foot and wailed. Maybe it did work after all. Yami hopped down the stairs. I figured Himeko had stomped his foot. The next forty-five minutes consisted of three screaming matches between Himeko and Yami, two attempts to bargain with her on my part, and about twenty direct orders to change from Grandpa that were totally ignored. I was glad to slip away when Anzu poked her head in. I motioned to her to go and then followed her out just as screaming match number four broke out. Once we were safe outside the house, I sighed.
" They sure can be noisy." Anzu said as we started walking down the sidewalk.
" It's their nature." I told her. I was trying hard not to pay attention to the fact that Anzu was wearing a skirt. Not as short as Himeko's, but a skirt nonetheless.
" So what movie do you want to see?" Anzu asked.
" There's that new romantic comedy that you said you wanted to see." I suggested. I would have rather seen an action or adventure movie, but at the moment, Anzu was the only thing in the world that mattered.
" Really? You'd see that with me?" she asked in disbelief. I looked up at her. She didn't seem as high up as she always had.
" Sure. Why not?" I asked. Anzu shrugged and smiled.
" No reason." She answered as we set off for the movie theatre, and I sank a little deeper into bliss.
*+*+*Himeko*+*+*
" No, no, no, and finally, NO!" Yami yelled in my face. I hated it when he did that. I really, really hated it. So how could I be responsible for the energy ball that was suddenly en route to his head? " Ah!" he cried comically, ducking just in time. I broke into gales of laughter while he screamed at me and Grandpa chuckled. Grandpa was great. I couldn't have asked for anyone better. When Yugi set to explaining to him about Yami and I, he seemed to have already known about it. He accepted us, and all the abnormalities we brought with us, into his home with perfect faith. I'm pretty sure that there were moments when he doubted his decision, but he stayed with us. Like I said, I couldn't have asked for better.
" Isis! First you break my f- my dang toe," Yami started in, correcting his almost naughty language just in time, prompted by a glare from Grandpa, who would allow cursing to a certain extent, but that extent had already been passed. " Then you've got the nerve to throw an energy ball at me?! Then you laugh, on top of it all?! What next? Are you going to try to murder me in my sleep?!" he asked me, his voice rather high for him. If I wasn't utterly infuriated by the remark, I would have laughed. " That's high treason, you know!" he reminded me. I made a rude noise.
" Please, get off your high horse, Ammon. That was a millennia ago, and the world won't care too much if I did." I said, trying to control my rage. It was very hard.
" Just. Change. Now." He said in his one-word-at-a-time voice.
" I. Don't. Want. To." I returned, mocking his tone. I ducked as he swung at me. Sorry, but Ammon and I hit each other. It's just the way we are. Most people won't think too highly of a guy who hits his little sister, or at least tries. You can guess that he's never swung at Yuki. Of course, Yuki's much better at getting him to calm down than me or Yugi, who seemed to have taken the escape route. I made a mental note to introduce him to a little psychological torture later. Not that he was helping me or anything. He was usually with Ammon on these little discussions. I ran for the door and slammed it behind me, then wheeled around and stuck my tongue out at Ammon. It was the only thing I could think of to do. Naturally, he came after me. I made a hasty retreat. I may act defiant of Ammon, but I do respect him. I know he loves me, and I know he only wants to protect me. He'd already had a bad experience that had to do with me and someone that could be called a maniac... But that was a long time ago and he should've known to trust me by now! Besides, I was a lot younger then, and I thought a little danger never hurt anyone. What a stupid thought. That would be how girls like me, who think they're tough stuff, get mixed up in bad things, like thieves, for example. Long story there. And this is not the time to tell it.
I love Ammon. I really do. But there are moments, like I suppose there are between every brother and sister, when I could just kill him, even if he was trying to protect me. This was one of those moments.
" I hate you, Ammon!" I screamed. People on the street stopped and stared at me, but I really didn't give a crap. To hell with all of them! What did they know, anyway? " I wish you would die!" I added, a little more quietly. Of course, my angry speed walking had taken me too far from home for him to hear me. That's probably why I was being so bold. But in any case, I didn't really mean it. How could I ever wish Ammon, my brother, my friend, my life- long, loyal companion, dead? But that's the funny thing about words. You can say something like that, something cruel and impulsive that you could never really mean, and they come back to haunt you. Words have a life, you know. They travel through the air and when they can no longer be heard, they die. But if you say something like that, they might return from the dead and haunt you.
I stormed on down the street, my mind drifting between little worries, memories from so long ago, and bigger worries. Like why Ryou had been showing up at school with dark circles under his eyes, yawning like a madman. Like why when I asked him, he complained of chronic nightmares about the Millennium Ring. Like why Yugi tossed and turned at night with insomnia, or why Ammon spent countless nights on the couch watching late night movies, trying to get to sleep. Even Yuki had complained of sleeplessness. Maybe I was just paranoid. But night is when the human spirit is most prone to premonitions of the future. Nightmares and sleeplessness are textbook signs of trouble to come. We're talking right out of every spell book I'd ever read here.
I stopped on the sidewalk, so caught up in thoughts and memories at the same time, I halfway expected to see a flash of white and someone to suddenly crash into me. It was just like that day... Mad at Ammon, storming down a street, and then... I shook my head furiously. Stupid memories, I thought angrily, that was too long ago to worry about now. Dead is dead and that's that!
How long had I been walking? I glanced at my silver watch. It wasn't digital, which Ammon needed to read a clock at all. Ammon still preferred the sun. It was almost noon. I had been walking for a few hours without destination, just trying to blow off steam. Funny, I thought, it only seems like it's been a few minutes.
" Help-mmmh!" a voice suddenly cried. I can't say I actually heard it. I felt it. It was a soul connection, no doubts there. I could feel Yuki's presence near me, her soul grazing with mine.
Himeko! Help! she cried frantically. I started running. I knew she had to be at the Kaiba mansion. It was way too early for her to even be thinking about leaving the house. She normally wasn't even awake by ten in the morning, unless school intervened.
Yuki, what's the matter? I asked quickly, but I was too late. Our connection had been severed. Either someone of considerable supernatural power had intervened, or Yuki was suddenly no longer in capacity to carry out a mental conversation. In short, she'd either been killed or knocked out. I prayed for the latter as I ran on, trying to reach Ammon, Yugi, or even Ryou... Anyone.
Someone! Please help! Come on, don't you people think?! I screamed mentally, gulping in air.
What's up? Yugi responded almost instantly.
I'm here, and I do think, thank you. Ryou snapped. I had obviously caught him at a bad time. I really didn't care about telepathic etiquette at the moment.
We've got a problem! Yuki just contacted me through a soul connection, and- I stopped thinking, instead choosing to relay the experience to the two guys mentally.
Well, that would be a problem. Ryou said, considerably better tempered than before.
No duh, Captain Obvious. I cracked, despite the fact that I had just tripped over a rock who seemed to exist for the sole purpose of delaying me right then.
I'm moving. Yugi announced.
See you at the Kaiba Mansion. Ryou said, removing himself from the conversation.
Where's Ammon? I asked Yugi.
I don't know. I'm with Anzu. Try to pick him up. he told me. I could hear a lot of talking through his ears as he tried to relay the situation to Anzu while following his own advice. I must be out of range. I'm not sensing him or getting a soul connection with him. Yugi said after a moment.
Damn. Neither am I. He'd better not have done one of his disappearing acts. Wait, I'm in range to pick up Yuki! I cried happily. She's definitely alive! I told him. Shit. Oh shit, shit, shit. I muttered.
What? What is it? Yugi asked frantically.
I'm picking up Ammon, too. He must have gone over to see Yuki after we fought. I'm picking up a lot of energy waves, and they've definitely got Ammon's signature on them. I said, biting my lip physically. A little trait I picked up while I was in Yuki's head. I prayed Yugi wouldn't notice I wasn't telling him everything, even though he usually did.
And? What else? What aren't you saying? he asked. He did notice, after all.
And... There's someone else there. I said.
Who? Kaiba? Yugi asked. He could be as dense as Yuki sometimes.
Do you think Kaiba can throw an energy wave that matches Ammon's? I asked.
No... But who can? he asked. I sighed, both physically and mentally.
Get a connection with Ryou and tell him he might want to steer clear of the mansion. There's someone there I don't think he's gonna want to see. I said, as I saw the mansion draw closer. I was almost there.
Oh. You were right. Shit. he said, dropping me to get Ryou. I frowned. Running in a skirt is no easy business. But my mind was on other things. So that was why he was always on my thoughts lately. That was why I kept remembering him, thinking about him, even dreaming about him. Hindsight's always twenty-twenty, they say. Boy, are they right. Well, I thought to myself, he always did say he would come for me one day. Guess today's that day.