The Game of Life
By: Rogue Fox
Part Twenty-Four... Too Tired
A/N:
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*
I lay awake in my bed, staring at the ceiling, trying not to think about anything. But as much as I tried, problems kept swarming through my head, problems with no feasible solution. I just wanted to sleep... I rubbed my hand over my eyes and rolled onto my side, heaving a helpless sigh as I tried to get comfortable. Just then, a baby's squall ran through the halls. I sighed again, forcing myself onto my feet. I stumbled through the hall a few doors down, to Charity's nursery. She cried and cried. It seemed like that was all she did. I wondered to myself often if she was colic. But she didn't respond to any of the comfort motions that my mother had used with Yoshi and Yukio. I scooped the infant into my arms, gently rocking her back and forth as I padded in my bare feet out into the hall again, her cries waning to distressed coos. I moved through the mansion to the kitchen, where I opened the fridge one-handed and pulled a pre-prepared bottle from the shelf, popping it into the microwave. I sighed as Charity began to cry again.
" Hang on, it's warming up." I crooned, but to no avail. I wanted to cry too, but I didn't. My mother had been my age when she had me. I wondered if this was what she went through. My sixth sense flared as someone entered the room, and I whipped my head to see Malik padding softly in. He stared at me and Charity, who was still crying like the world was ending around her. Annoyance flared in my throat. " What? Never seen a baby cry before?" I asked. I was tired, exhausted. And I had more problems on my hands than I knew how to deal with. So I felt perfectly justified in being a little upset.
" No." Malik told me matter-of-factly. That cooled me down, especially since the microwave began beeping at me, and Charity, who knew that sound, cried even harder. Malik winced as I yanked the microwave open. " Man, how does she breathe when she does that?" he asked. I didn't dignify that question with an answer, too concerned with getting Charity to notice the bottle. She finally did notice, and with a noise that sounded like she was telling me "Well, it's about time," she began sucking happily away. I sighed, exhaustion creeping over me.
" Don't you have any siblings?" I asked Malik. He seemed surprised I remembered he was even there.
" Huh? Oh, just Isis. I'm the baby." He told me, smiling shyly. That smile of his lit up his dark face. Charity cooed in my arms and Malik shifted. " Man, she's small." He noted. I smiled.
" Babies generally are." I said softly. " I can't imagine growing up without little kids running around." I said absently. " I've always had tons of kids around me."
" I was never really around people much. Just Isis, and my mom, when she was alive. And Rashid, our old family servant. But that's it." Malik explained. So that explained the bewildered look he wore most of the time. We must have looked like a madhouse gone wrong to him. Charity squirmed in my arms, pushing the bottle away. I propped her against my shoulder instinctively as she hiccuped. " I just can't believe I was ever that small." He said with a sigh, leaning close to study Charity. She cooed and grabbed at his golden earrings, making him lean back suddenly.
" Watch it, babies love shiny things. She'll yank that right out of your ear, whether you like it or not." I advised. " And I can promise you that you were once this small, if not smaller." Malik shook his head and sighed, then leaned close to Charity again. " Wanna hold her?" I offered. Malik floundered a moment before nodding reluctantly. I carefully placed Charity in his arms, helping him prop her against his shoulder. She heaved a baby sigh and toyed with his bright hair.
" She's heavier than she looks." Malik noted, shifting a little under the new weight. " Cute, though." He noted as she burped and sighed again. I could tell she was going to sleep.
" She likes you." I said. " She never sleeps with anyone she doesn't like. She'll cry forever and a day if I leave her with Honda. He's just not good with babies." Malik laughed a little.
" So she likes Yami Bakura?" he asked.
" Loves him." I answered, returning his smile. Suddenly, my sixth sense went off again as Malik's yami slipped silently into the room. I fell silent. Himeko calls me naïve, but I'm not stupid. I remember very clearly who was holding a dagger to my throat. And I know a dangerous guy when I see one. But I also know a lost guy when I see one. The yami paused and observed Malik with Charity, grunted, grabbed some food item from the pantry, and left. Malik shook his head after he was gone.
" He's not a bad guy, once you get used to him." He told me. He looked like he was pleading with me.
" He... Doesn't talk much, does he?" I asked, trying to be polite. Malik shook his head.
" No, not really. He thinks actions speak louder than words." He explained. " Um, I think she's asleep." He added, motioning to Charity. I started and took her.
" Thanks for holding her. I needed a break." I said, sighing as Charity curled against me.
" It's fine." Malik said, then looked closely at me. " You look tired."
" Lots of stuff on my mind." I said by way of explanation. A guilty look flashed over Malik's face.
" Sorry. I guess we're a problem. I know Yami Yugi doesn't like having me and my yami around." He said, looking at the floor with rapt interest. I shook my head.
" I don't mind. The more, the merrier. And Ryou seems to like having you here." I said. " Yami... holds grudges easily, and he doesn't like forgiving. Besides, Charity likes you." Malik smiled.
" You think?" he asked.
" Yeah, I do." I agreed. Malik walked with me to Charity's nursery, and watched me lay her in her crib. Then he followed me as I checked on the boys systematically, pausing to place a blanket on Yoshi, who had sleepwalked across his room and laid down beside his video games. Then I came to Seto's room. Malik hung back, nervous. He was very conscious of how others reacted to his presence. I went in without further thought, finding Seto asleep at his desk. I pulled a blanket over to him and put it over his shoulders. I decided I would try to talk him into taking a break from work and getting some rest. He needed it.
Malik went to his own room, the one he was sharing with his yami for the night. Isis had kicked them out for some reason I didn't catch. I went to my room and lay back in bed, all my problems coming back with a vengeance. Malik was a nice guy, but he was right. The presence of he and his little family did cause problems.
To start with, tension was high. It had been a few months since the Ishtars actively joined us, and we were nearing the end of our junior year. Malik went to a school across town, and it didn't make any sense to transfer him so close to the end of the school year. But since it was the end of the year, there was a huge rush to prepare for semester finals. And when yamis get stressed, they fight. Not a day had gone by for two weeks without Himeko burning someone with her energy balls, or Yami threatening the crush someone's soul. That made us all tense. And the tension between Yami and Malik's yami was affecting us. Those two rarely openly fought, but the tension was thick when they were in the same room together, and the niceties strained. To add on to the school related troubles was the fact that Mokuba was getting into fights again, and Seto and I had repeatedly had to meet with Yukio's teachers about his behavior. Yoshi had had detention four times in the past two months.
Social troubles ran abound as well. Aside from the obvious tension Malik's yami, who insisted on being called Ishtar, caused, there were other troubles. Bakura, who had yet to falter in his attraction to Himeko, was slipping back into depression. While Ryou remained healthy and unharmed, Bakura was showing up at school with dark circles under his eyes, and too often for comfort Jou informed us that he was hung over. Ryou reluctantly admitted that he was staying out late at night and coming home drunk. No one knew what to do with him. Malik was eager enough to try to milk what was troubling Bakura out of him, but the poor Egyptian was told in no uncertain and rather vulgar terms to mind his own business. Himeko tried to talk to him, but after getting told off by a hung over Bakura, she refused to speak to him. Which resulted in more tension. On top of that, the friendly fights between Honda and Seto were rapidly becoming vicious and violent.
And then there were my personal problems. I was stressed, and I knew it. That day at the spa Mai got me for Christmas was nice, but it didn't last. I was often tired, not just because of late nights with Charity. My illness was getting worse, and fast. I'd been fainting in school, and I pretty much lived with a headache. I was beginning to think that Seto had a suspicion about why, too, which only stressed me out more. The company had been piling work on Seto, and I didn't want him worrying about me with all he had to do. Everyone seemed to up to their eyeballs. And because I was stressed, I'd started having more power surges, which made us all even more stressed.
The next thing I knew, it was morning. A morning like any other. I got up, dressed, and stumbled into the kitchen. One of the maids had already tended to Charity, who was in her highchair, goo-gooing away. The boys were up, groomed, and appeared to be in good shape.
" Got your homework, Yoshi?" I asked.
" Yes, Yuki." He answered dutifully.
" Did Seto sign your permission slip for your field trip, Mokuba?" I requested.
" Yes, Yuki." Came his response.
" Yukio, did you-" I began, but Yukio interrupted.
" I brushed my teeth and my hair and I got my show-and-tell." He told me in advance. I smiled wearily.
" Good." I said, then sighed. " Look, no trouble today, okay? Just... Please, promise you'll try?" I pleaded. The three looked up at me affectionately as Charity cooed.
" We'll try." Yoshi promised. Yukio crossed his heart while Mokuba nodded solemnly. I sighed, noticing Malik bound into the room. He seemed to bring happiness wherever he went.
" Morning." He greeted everyone. The boys smiled and greeted him. They seemed to like him. Charity shrieked happily at the sight of him, and he smiled. " I'm not getting close to you. You're one big mess." He told her. Charity shrieked again. Just then, Ishtar stalked into the room. He flipped his wrist in greeting, and I nodded to him. Malik followed him out the door, knowing that if he wasn't on that bike of theirs when Ishtar decided to leave, he'd get left behind. Just as they were going out the door, Seto ran into the kitchen.
" Slept in." he said in explanation as he grabbed a piece of toast. I turned down the one the maid offered me, my stomach revolting at the sight of it.
" Imagine that. You were only up till two last night." I said. Seto glared at me.
" Don't nag at me, girl." He said. " Those board members are merciless. It's not my fault."
" I know. But it's not good for you." I replied. Yoshi looked up from his eggs and pointed his fork at me.
" Don't be a hypocrite. You're the one up at odd hours with Charity." He reminded me. I shot him my own glare.
" Someone's got to feed her. If you want to get up at three to do it, feel free. I could use the sleep." I retorted. Yoshi shrugged.
" Sure thing." He agreed. I was about to tell him I was being sarcastic, when the limo honked outside. Seto grabbed his briefcase.
" Enough. Let's go." He said, tossing Yukio his bag. Mokuba grabbed his and Yoshi took his own from me. And that was how the day started.
We got to school with no incident, and Charity was dropped off at Grandpa's. We walked up to our usual table in the courtyard, where Yami and Himeko were having their usual fight, Yugi was calmly talking with Anzu, and Mai was sleeping with her head on the table.
" Do you two ever take a break?" Seto asked Yami and Himeko as we walked up.
" Bite me." Yami told him.
" Don't even start with me, Seto Kaiba!" Himeko snapped.
" Whatever. Just don't bug me." Seto said, sitting next to Mai, who scooted over companionably to share the table as he leaned down to rest himself. Jou, who arrived just then, snuck up behind him and rapped on his head. Seto sat up and made a very rude gesture at Jou.
" Hey, if I can't sleep, neither can you." Jou said happily.
" Shove it." Seto retorted. Honda slid up behind me and greeted me with a hug, and Seto glared at him. They didn't say anything to each other, though.
" Hey, where's Ryou and Bakura?" Anzu suddenly asked. Yugi looked around, as though he expected to see them in their usual spots, Ryou on Anzu's other side and Bakura standing with Yami and Himeko.
" Dunno. Aren't they usually here before us?" he asked Himeko, who shrugged.
" I know Ryou is, but I don't know or care about Bakura." She said, emphasizing Bakura's name to make her point that she was mad at him by refusing to call him by his Egyptian name. I shrugged. I knew Ryou was too much of a good student to skip, even if he was sick, and he always dragged Bakura along for the ride.
We went on in our usual manner for a few minutes, when suddenly, those of us with sixth senses fell silent. We sensed it before we saw it. Malik was on the school grounds, and Ishtar was with him. They were moving quickly in our direction. The next thing we noticed was the dormant, or unconscious, presence with them. I jumped up with more energy than I'd had in months and ran over to the courtyard entryway. Malik was waiting for me, a distressed expression on his face.
" It's Ryou." He muttered to me, watching warily as Yami and Yugi jogged up behind me. Ishtar nonchalantly slipped an unconscious Ryou off his shoulders.
" Sleeping on the street." He said quietly, his voice hoarse and distorted. " Bad hurt." I didn't need Malik to interpret for his yami, kneeling down to inspect Ryou. His left eye would have been swollen shut if he was awake, but even though he wasn't, I could tell it was nasty shade of blue and purple. There was a long cut on his right arm, and when I slipped my hand under his head, I felt the huge goose egg bump on the back of his head. Himeko knelt down with me, rage distorting her features.
" Damn him. Damn that bastard to hell." She muttered. She looked up at Ishtar and spoke to him in Egyptian. He replied, in the same broken and distorted speech. Himeko paused, considered, and proceeded to give him simple and clear instructions. He nodded, picked Ryou up, and carried him off.
" Where's he taking Ryou?" Jou asked, unable to hide the suspicion in his voice.
" To Grandpa's house." Yami said, whose native tongue was ancient Egyptian, standing up. He grimaced, and looked at Malik. " He'd better not screw up." He growled. Malik kept his face tactfully blank.
" He won't." he promised.
" Lovely. So we've got a drunk and enraged tomb robber on our hands." Himeko growled.
" Bakura hasn't hurt Ryou in ages!" I protested.
" So what?" Himeko scoffed. " He just did. This is a problem and it needs to be dealt with."
" So, you're skipping?" Mai asked.
" You bet." Yami said.
" We'll be sure to take extra good notes for you." Honda promised.
" I'm coming!" Yugi and I both chimed in.
" No, you're not!" Himeko and Yami shot back.
" Am too!" we both cried.
" Whatever." Yami and Himeko conceded. Yugi and I exchanged a triumphant look.
" I've spent a lot of time around Bakura. I'll come too." Malik said. Yami growled, but no one protested. And that would be how we ended up piling into Yami's car. Just before I climbed in, Seto grabbed my arm.
" Be careful, okay?" he whispered into my ear. I smiled up at him.
" I will." I promised him. He opened his mouth to tell me something else, but Malik pulled me into the car just then. I ended up wedged between Yugi and Malik in the backseat, while Himeko sat in the passenger seat and Yami drove. Malik kept one eye on Yami at all times. I don't think it was that Malik didn't like Yami. It was that he didn't trust Yami's temper. And Yami was already unhappy. Malik's current philosophy seemed to be, "when faced with a pissed former Pharaoh, don't agitate the situation." Personally, I agreed, and Yugi and Himeko seemed to feel that same. So we all kept very quiet.
And that's how it stayed for the next three hours. Cramped and quiet. We drove all around town looking for Bakura, but we didn't find him. So Yami drove us home, or his idea of home. Grandpa was waiting for us at the door.
" Do you five have any idea how worried I've been?" He yelled as we climbed out of the car.
" Oh, damn." Himeko muttered, her face going pale.
" Watch your mouth, young lady. You're of royal birth, so act it!" Grandpa ordered. " Yami, you know better than to run off and skip school and not tell me where you're going! You and Himeko should be setting an example for your hikaris! And as for you two, Yugi and Yuki, I am extremely disappointed in your lack of good judgement. I certainly thought better of you than this!" Grandpa continued to lecture us loudly. Malik shifted uncomfortably. " And you, young man, are going to catch it when you get home. Your sister's been frantic. She's been calling me every five minutes, asking if I had any idea where you were. Your yami seemed to know, but she can't get a straight answer out of him. And on top of all that, your yami drives up to my house with Ryou on the back of his motorcycle, bloody and unconscious! I nearly had a heart attack!" Grandpa continued.
" Is Ryou okay?" I asked eagerly.
" He's in the hospital, for your information. They told me that he might have a concussion. Isis is with him right now, and I think Ishtar is too. The doctors had to call Mr. Bakura, who is on a very important archeological dig in Kenya, and I can tell you firsthand that he was not happy at all." Grandpa informed us crossly. Himeko opened her mouth to say something, most likely foul, but closed it again. Malik winced.
" Um, can Yami drive me to the hospital? I should probably talk to Isis. She'll want to yell at me." he asked meekly. Grandpa glared at Yami.
" He can, and he had better come right home, because I need to discuss with him the terms of his punishment." He said severely. Yami nodded, eyes downcast, and motioned for Malik to get into the car. " You." Grandpa said, pointing to Himeko and to Yugi. " Go to your rooms. I'd better not hear a peep. You're in a world of trouble." Then he pointed to me. " You are going to sit in the kitchen and help take care of Charity until Kaiba comes to pick you up." We all nodded, and stumbled over ourselves to obey. I couldn't remember Grandpa ever being this upset with us. We usually told him everything we were doing, dangerous or otherwise. I went into the kitchen, fatigue creeping over me. In her playpen, Charity gurgled happily at me. She appeared to be happy, so I picked up a few toys she had thrown out and put them back in, and then sat at the table with my head in my hands. Charity cooed at me, her red fuzz covered head rolling to look in my direction as she kicked and flailed, shaking one of those gel-filled chewing rings.
" Tired?" Grandpa asked me suddenly. I looked up at him and sighed. I hadn't heard him enter the room.
" Yeah." I admitted. He nodded.
" Thought so." He told me. " You look it." He sat with me at the table and sighed. " Must you all try to solve every problem yourselves?" he asked.
" I guess we're used to being able to." I said. " Bakura's been drinking." I told him suddenly.
" I thought so. I saw him last Friday morning. He looked like he'd been to hell in a hand basket." He informed me. " There's nothing you can really do about this, Yuki. You can't make this problem go away."
" I don't want him to hurt Ryou anymore, or himself." I said.
" I know you don't. But, Yuki, you have a bad habit of trying to save the world and everyone in it all by yourself." Grandpa said, laughing a little. " You can't do everything, and you can't make everyone's problems disappear. This is something Bakura has to fight by himself. If he decides he needs help, he'll find a way to get it." Grandpa paused as Charity cooed loudly. " You're already taking on so much for a girl your age. Raising three boys and a baby girl, not to mention all your other responsibilities." He told me, nodding to the golden orb around my neck. I fingered it absently. Suddenly, the urge to chunk it in the trash overcame me. I swallowed it. " You're going to kill yourself with the stress. But that doesn't matter to you, does it? You're already dying." He noted. I looked up at him.
" What?" I asked.
" I know, Yuki. I've known for a while. Remember when I took you to the doctor last month, when you started fainting in school?" he asked.
" When they said I'm anemic?" I clarified.
" Yes. The doctor had a few of his colleagues look at you. He told me he'd never seen anything like it. Your body seemed to be falling apart from the inside. He couldn't diagnose it, and no one else could either. So he went with the best bet and said you were anemic, but you're not. He told me that if your body kept going like it was, you'd die in about two or three years. And that was if you led a stress free and relaxed life." Grandpa paused. " Yuki, Yugi is my grandson. I love him. And because of that, Yami is my grandson as well, and I love him. And because of that, Himeko is my granddaughter, as are you, and I love you both as well. I love the boys, and I love Charity. I love you all. If I had known what would happen, though, I never would have given Yugi the Puzzle. I thought it would help him, not kill you."
" The Puzzle's not killing me, Grandpa. It's not your fault." I said, but I couldn't keep the distress from my voice. It didn't bother me that I was dying. It bothered me that someone knew about it. " Please, don't tell the others. I-"
" I won't tell them, Yuki." Grandpa promised, interrupting me. " This is your fight, not mine or theirs. Just like Bakura has to face his alcoholism alone, you have to face your death alone. I just wish there was a way to stop it."
" I won't be alone, Grandpa. I have all of you with me, always." I said, smiling wearily. " I promise I'll fight it to the end." I really did mean it, but I was so tired. I didn't think I could fight anything at all. I didn't know if I'd be able to get up again, much less fight anything or anyone and win.
*+*+*Malik*+*+*
My nerves were shot. Try riding in a car with a guy who hates you and your yami with a passion, and knowing he's stressed and ready to kill something and upset. Yeah, now think about how you'd feel. Uh-huh. I felt about ten times worse.
Well, I did live through the ride. Yami dropped me off and left without saying goodbye. Well, I thought, I can be snooty too. So I ignored him as he drove off and went into the hospital. I hate hospitals. I don't like how everything is so painfully white, and I hate the way it smells. Like hydrogen peroxide. It smells clean, too clean. I like things that are clean, but that's too clean even for me. To top it off, it feels so impersonal and uncaring. And this is where people come to be taken care of? Man, what is the world coming to?
I walked up to the front desk. I was raised speaking ancient Egyptian and Arabic. So in a way, I'm bilingual. I've learned a number of languages, aside from that, including Japanese. But Japanese, despite being the language I currently use the most, is not my native tongue. Ryou tells me my accent is very good, but it isn't his native tongue either. And I always have to think about what I'm going to say and how I need to say it. Communication is difficult for me, a trait given to my by my yami. I prefer soul talk, and communicating telepathically. Talking to my yami is easiest, since he hears my every thought and feeling. But the clerk sitting at that desk could not. So I had to communicate verbally.
" Umm, what room is Ryou Bakura in?" I asked slowly. The nurse looked up at me, giving me a suspicious look. My faint accent always got me that look. That, and my odd, contradicting appearance.
" What's your relation?" she asked me.
" I'm his best friend." I said. I was lying through my teeth. I had no clue if I really was Ryou's best friend. But I hoped Ryou wouldn't mind. The nurse looked at me with that suspicious look again, and then tapped at her computer.
" What did you say his name was?" she asked. I repeated Ryou's name, and she asked me to spell it. So I did. Then she told me his room number, after giving me a sultry glare. I had a mind to tell her I was sorry I made her do her job, but I kept my mouth shut. Then I had to figure out what floor the room was in. I ended up asking a janitor. He directed me to the second floor. I didn't want to ride on an elevator with a bunch of strangers, so I ran up the stairs. When I finally did find the room, Isis was in it. Ryou was still asleep, looking a little better than when I'd last seen him. He'd been cleaned up, and there were bandages where he'd been cut. He was hooked up to one of those heart monitors, which upset me. Isis read my expression.
" It's just a precaution. Since he has a concussion and he'd already fallen asleep, they need to make sure his heart keeps beating." She told me in Arabic. It felt good to hear my language.
" Where's my..." I paused. There is no good word for "yami" in the Arabic language. " ...other?" I finished.
" Outside. He tried to smoke in the room, and the nurses kicked him out. He'll be back in a bit." Isis told me.
" I told him to stop that." I muttered absently, looking at Ryou. His breath was coming smoothly and evenly.
" We both know he'll do what he wants." Isis responded. " Malik, you scared me today. The school called and told me you never showed up. I called every number I could think of, and you weren't there." I looked at the ground guiltily.
" I'm sorry." I said. Isis sighed.
" Just don't do that again. Call me or something, okay? Tell someone where you're going and what you're doing. I'm not going to lose you, too." She told me. I was touched by her sentiment, but I wasn't sure how to express it. So I just nodded. There was still one major problem, though. Bakura was still on the loose, drunk and most likely upset. I wasn't eager to think of the implications of that scenario.
By: Rogue Fox
Part Twenty-Four... Too Tired
A/N:
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*
I lay awake in my bed, staring at the ceiling, trying not to think about anything. But as much as I tried, problems kept swarming through my head, problems with no feasible solution. I just wanted to sleep... I rubbed my hand over my eyes and rolled onto my side, heaving a helpless sigh as I tried to get comfortable. Just then, a baby's squall ran through the halls. I sighed again, forcing myself onto my feet. I stumbled through the hall a few doors down, to Charity's nursery. She cried and cried. It seemed like that was all she did. I wondered to myself often if she was colic. But she didn't respond to any of the comfort motions that my mother had used with Yoshi and Yukio. I scooped the infant into my arms, gently rocking her back and forth as I padded in my bare feet out into the hall again, her cries waning to distressed coos. I moved through the mansion to the kitchen, where I opened the fridge one-handed and pulled a pre-prepared bottle from the shelf, popping it into the microwave. I sighed as Charity began to cry again.
" Hang on, it's warming up." I crooned, but to no avail. I wanted to cry too, but I didn't. My mother had been my age when she had me. I wondered if this was what she went through. My sixth sense flared as someone entered the room, and I whipped my head to see Malik padding softly in. He stared at me and Charity, who was still crying like the world was ending around her. Annoyance flared in my throat. " What? Never seen a baby cry before?" I asked. I was tired, exhausted. And I had more problems on my hands than I knew how to deal with. So I felt perfectly justified in being a little upset.
" No." Malik told me matter-of-factly. That cooled me down, especially since the microwave began beeping at me, and Charity, who knew that sound, cried even harder. Malik winced as I yanked the microwave open. " Man, how does she breathe when she does that?" he asked. I didn't dignify that question with an answer, too concerned with getting Charity to notice the bottle. She finally did notice, and with a noise that sounded like she was telling me "Well, it's about time," she began sucking happily away. I sighed, exhaustion creeping over me.
" Don't you have any siblings?" I asked Malik. He seemed surprised I remembered he was even there.
" Huh? Oh, just Isis. I'm the baby." He told me, smiling shyly. That smile of his lit up his dark face. Charity cooed in my arms and Malik shifted. " Man, she's small." He noted. I smiled.
" Babies generally are." I said softly. " I can't imagine growing up without little kids running around." I said absently. " I've always had tons of kids around me."
" I was never really around people much. Just Isis, and my mom, when she was alive. And Rashid, our old family servant. But that's it." Malik explained. So that explained the bewildered look he wore most of the time. We must have looked like a madhouse gone wrong to him. Charity squirmed in my arms, pushing the bottle away. I propped her against my shoulder instinctively as she hiccuped. " I just can't believe I was ever that small." He said with a sigh, leaning close to study Charity. She cooed and grabbed at his golden earrings, making him lean back suddenly.
" Watch it, babies love shiny things. She'll yank that right out of your ear, whether you like it or not." I advised. " And I can promise you that you were once this small, if not smaller." Malik shook his head and sighed, then leaned close to Charity again. " Wanna hold her?" I offered. Malik floundered a moment before nodding reluctantly. I carefully placed Charity in his arms, helping him prop her against his shoulder. She heaved a baby sigh and toyed with his bright hair.
" She's heavier than she looks." Malik noted, shifting a little under the new weight. " Cute, though." He noted as she burped and sighed again. I could tell she was going to sleep.
" She likes you." I said. " She never sleeps with anyone she doesn't like. She'll cry forever and a day if I leave her with Honda. He's just not good with babies." Malik laughed a little.
" So she likes Yami Bakura?" he asked.
" Loves him." I answered, returning his smile. Suddenly, my sixth sense went off again as Malik's yami slipped silently into the room. I fell silent. Himeko calls me naïve, but I'm not stupid. I remember very clearly who was holding a dagger to my throat. And I know a dangerous guy when I see one. But I also know a lost guy when I see one. The yami paused and observed Malik with Charity, grunted, grabbed some food item from the pantry, and left. Malik shook his head after he was gone.
" He's not a bad guy, once you get used to him." He told me. He looked like he was pleading with me.
" He... Doesn't talk much, does he?" I asked, trying to be polite. Malik shook his head.
" No, not really. He thinks actions speak louder than words." He explained. " Um, I think she's asleep." He added, motioning to Charity. I started and took her.
" Thanks for holding her. I needed a break." I said, sighing as Charity curled against me.
" It's fine." Malik said, then looked closely at me. " You look tired."
" Lots of stuff on my mind." I said by way of explanation. A guilty look flashed over Malik's face.
" Sorry. I guess we're a problem. I know Yami Yugi doesn't like having me and my yami around." He said, looking at the floor with rapt interest. I shook my head.
" I don't mind. The more, the merrier. And Ryou seems to like having you here." I said. " Yami... holds grudges easily, and he doesn't like forgiving. Besides, Charity likes you." Malik smiled.
" You think?" he asked.
" Yeah, I do." I agreed. Malik walked with me to Charity's nursery, and watched me lay her in her crib. Then he followed me as I checked on the boys systematically, pausing to place a blanket on Yoshi, who had sleepwalked across his room and laid down beside his video games. Then I came to Seto's room. Malik hung back, nervous. He was very conscious of how others reacted to his presence. I went in without further thought, finding Seto asleep at his desk. I pulled a blanket over to him and put it over his shoulders. I decided I would try to talk him into taking a break from work and getting some rest. He needed it.
Malik went to his own room, the one he was sharing with his yami for the night. Isis had kicked them out for some reason I didn't catch. I went to my room and lay back in bed, all my problems coming back with a vengeance. Malik was a nice guy, but he was right. The presence of he and his little family did cause problems.
To start with, tension was high. It had been a few months since the Ishtars actively joined us, and we were nearing the end of our junior year. Malik went to a school across town, and it didn't make any sense to transfer him so close to the end of the school year. But since it was the end of the year, there was a huge rush to prepare for semester finals. And when yamis get stressed, they fight. Not a day had gone by for two weeks without Himeko burning someone with her energy balls, or Yami threatening the crush someone's soul. That made us all tense. And the tension between Yami and Malik's yami was affecting us. Those two rarely openly fought, but the tension was thick when they were in the same room together, and the niceties strained. To add on to the school related troubles was the fact that Mokuba was getting into fights again, and Seto and I had repeatedly had to meet with Yukio's teachers about his behavior. Yoshi had had detention four times in the past two months.
Social troubles ran abound as well. Aside from the obvious tension Malik's yami, who insisted on being called Ishtar, caused, there were other troubles. Bakura, who had yet to falter in his attraction to Himeko, was slipping back into depression. While Ryou remained healthy and unharmed, Bakura was showing up at school with dark circles under his eyes, and too often for comfort Jou informed us that he was hung over. Ryou reluctantly admitted that he was staying out late at night and coming home drunk. No one knew what to do with him. Malik was eager enough to try to milk what was troubling Bakura out of him, but the poor Egyptian was told in no uncertain and rather vulgar terms to mind his own business. Himeko tried to talk to him, but after getting told off by a hung over Bakura, she refused to speak to him. Which resulted in more tension. On top of that, the friendly fights between Honda and Seto were rapidly becoming vicious and violent.
And then there were my personal problems. I was stressed, and I knew it. That day at the spa Mai got me for Christmas was nice, but it didn't last. I was often tired, not just because of late nights with Charity. My illness was getting worse, and fast. I'd been fainting in school, and I pretty much lived with a headache. I was beginning to think that Seto had a suspicion about why, too, which only stressed me out more. The company had been piling work on Seto, and I didn't want him worrying about me with all he had to do. Everyone seemed to up to their eyeballs. And because I was stressed, I'd started having more power surges, which made us all even more stressed.
The next thing I knew, it was morning. A morning like any other. I got up, dressed, and stumbled into the kitchen. One of the maids had already tended to Charity, who was in her highchair, goo-gooing away. The boys were up, groomed, and appeared to be in good shape.
" Got your homework, Yoshi?" I asked.
" Yes, Yuki." He answered dutifully.
" Did Seto sign your permission slip for your field trip, Mokuba?" I requested.
" Yes, Yuki." Came his response.
" Yukio, did you-" I began, but Yukio interrupted.
" I brushed my teeth and my hair and I got my show-and-tell." He told me in advance. I smiled wearily.
" Good." I said, then sighed. " Look, no trouble today, okay? Just... Please, promise you'll try?" I pleaded. The three looked up at me affectionately as Charity cooed.
" We'll try." Yoshi promised. Yukio crossed his heart while Mokuba nodded solemnly. I sighed, noticing Malik bound into the room. He seemed to bring happiness wherever he went.
" Morning." He greeted everyone. The boys smiled and greeted him. They seemed to like him. Charity shrieked happily at the sight of him, and he smiled. " I'm not getting close to you. You're one big mess." He told her. Charity shrieked again. Just then, Ishtar stalked into the room. He flipped his wrist in greeting, and I nodded to him. Malik followed him out the door, knowing that if he wasn't on that bike of theirs when Ishtar decided to leave, he'd get left behind. Just as they were going out the door, Seto ran into the kitchen.
" Slept in." he said in explanation as he grabbed a piece of toast. I turned down the one the maid offered me, my stomach revolting at the sight of it.
" Imagine that. You were only up till two last night." I said. Seto glared at me.
" Don't nag at me, girl." He said. " Those board members are merciless. It's not my fault."
" I know. But it's not good for you." I replied. Yoshi looked up from his eggs and pointed his fork at me.
" Don't be a hypocrite. You're the one up at odd hours with Charity." He reminded me. I shot him my own glare.
" Someone's got to feed her. If you want to get up at three to do it, feel free. I could use the sleep." I retorted. Yoshi shrugged.
" Sure thing." He agreed. I was about to tell him I was being sarcastic, when the limo honked outside. Seto grabbed his briefcase.
" Enough. Let's go." He said, tossing Yukio his bag. Mokuba grabbed his and Yoshi took his own from me. And that was how the day started.
We got to school with no incident, and Charity was dropped off at Grandpa's. We walked up to our usual table in the courtyard, where Yami and Himeko were having their usual fight, Yugi was calmly talking with Anzu, and Mai was sleeping with her head on the table.
" Do you two ever take a break?" Seto asked Yami and Himeko as we walked up.
" Bite me." Yami told him.
" Don't even start with me, Seto Kaiba!" Himeko snapped.
" Whatever. Just don't bug me." Seto said, sitting next to Mai, who scooted over companionably to share the table as he leaned down to rest himself. Jou, who arrived just then, snuck up behind him and rapped on his head. Seto sat up and made a very rude gesture at Jou.
" Hey, if I can't sleep, neither can you." Jou said happily.
" Shove it." Seto retorted. Honda slid up behind me and greeted me with a hug, and Seto glared at him. They didn't say anything to each other, though.
" Hey, where's Ryou and Bakura?" Anzu suddenly asked. Yugi looked around, as though he expected to see them in their usual spots, Ryou on Anzu's other side and Bakura standing with Yami and Himeko.
" Dunno. Aren't they usually here before us?" he asked Himeko, who shrugged.
" I know Ryou is, but I don't know or care about Bakura." She said, emphasizing Bakura's name to make her point that she was mad at him by refusing to call him by his Egyptian name. I shrugged. I knew Ryou was too much of a good student to skip, even if he was sick, and he always dragged Bakura along for the ride.
We went on in our usual manner for a few minutes, when suddenly, those of us with sixth senses fell silent. We sensed it before we saw it. Malik was on the school grounds, and Ishtar was with him. They were moving quickly in our direction. The next thing we noticed was the dormant, or unconscious, presence with them. I jumped up with more energy than I'd had in months and ran over to the courtyard entryway. Malik was waiting for me, a distressed expression on his face.
" It's Ryou." He muttered to me, watching warily as Yami and Yugi jogged up behind me. Ishtar nonchalantly slipped an unconscious Ryou off his shoulders.
" Sleeping on the street." He said quietly, his voice hoarse and distorted. " Bad hurt." I didn't need Malik to interpret for his yami, kneeling down to inspect Ryou. His left eye would have been swollen shut if he was awake, but even though he wasn't, I could tell it was nasty shade of blue and purple. There was a long cut on his right arm, and when I slipped my hand under his head, I felt the huge goose egg bump on the back of his head. Himeko knelt down with me, rage distorting her features.
" Damn him. Damn that bastard to hell." She muttered. She looked up at Ishtar and spoke to him in Egyptian. He replied, in the same broken and distorted speech. Himeko paused, considered, and proceeded to give him simple and clear instructions. He nodded, picked Ryou up, and carried him off.
" Where's he taking Ryou?" Jou asked, unable to hide the suspicion in his voice.
" To Grandpa's house." Yami said, whose native tongue was ancient Egyptian, standing up. He grimaced, and looked at Malik. " He'd better not screw up." He growled. Malik kept his face tactfully blank.
" He won't." he promised.
" Lovely. So we've got a drunk and enraged tomb robber on our hands." Himeko growled.
" Bakura hasn't hurt Ryou in ages!" I protested.
" So what?" Himeko scoffed. " He just did. This is a problem and it needs to be dealt with."
" So, you're skipping?" Mai asked.
" You bet." Yami said.
" We'll be sure to take extra good notes for you." Honda promised.
" I'm coming!" Yugi and I both chimed in.
" No, you're not!" Himeko and Yami shot back.
" Am too!" we both cried.
" Whatever." Yami and Himeko conceded. Yugi and I exchanged a triumphant look.
" I've spent a lot of time around Bakura. I'll come too." Malik said. Yami growled, but no one protested. And that would be how we ended up piling into Yami's car. Just before I climbed in, Seto grabbed my arm.
" Be careful, okay?" he whispered into my ear. I smiled up at him.
" I will." I promised him. He opened his mouth to tell me something else, but Malik pulled me into the car just then. I ended up wedged between Yugi and Malik in the backseat, while Himeko sat in the passenger seat and Yami drove. Malik kept one eye on Yami at all times. I don't think it was that Malik didn't like Yami. It was that he didn't trust Yami's temper. And Yami was already unhappy. Malik's current philosophy seemed to be, "when faced with a pissed former Pharaoh, don't agitate the situation." Personally, I agreed, and Yugi and Himeko seemed to feel that same. So we all kept very quiet.
And that's how it stayed for the next three hours. Cramped and quiet. We drove all around town looking for Bakura, but we didn't find him. So Yami drove us home, or his idea of home. Grandpa was waiting for us at the door.
" Do you five have any idea how worried I've been?" He yelled as we climbed out of the car.
" Oh, damn." Himeko muttered, her face going pale.
" Watch your mouth, young lady. You're of royal birth, so act it!" Grandpa ordered. " Yami, you know better than to run off and skip school and not tell me where you're going! You and Himeko should be setting an example for your hikaris! And as for you two, Yugi and Yuki, I am extremely disappointed in your lack of good judgement. I certainly thought better of you than this!" Grandpa continued to lecture us loudly. Malik shifted uncomfortably. " And you, young man, are going to catch it when you get home. Your sister's been frantic. She's been calling me every five minutes, asking if I had any idea where you were. Your yami seemed to know, but she can't get a straight answer out of him. And on top of all that, your yami drives up to my house with Ryou on the back of his motorcycle, bloody and unconscious! I nearly had a heart attack!" Grandpa continued.
" Is Ryou okay?" I asked eagerly.
" He's in the hospital, for your information. They told me that he might have a concussion. Isis is with him right now, and I think Ishtar is too. The doctors had to call Mr. Bakura, who is on a very important archeological dig in Kenya, and I can tell you firsthand that he was not happy at all." Grandpa informed us crossly. Himeko opened her mouth to say something, most likely foul, but closed it again. Malik winced.
" Um, can Yami drive me to the hospital? I should probably talk to Isis. She'll want to yell at me." he asked meekly. Grandpa glared at Yami.
" He can, and he had better come right home, because I need to discuss with him the terms of his punishment." He said severely. Yami nodded, eyes downcast, and motioned for Malik to get into the car. " You." Grandpa said, pointing to Himeko and to Yugi. " Go to your rooms. I'd better not hear a peep. You're in a world of trouble." Then he pointed to me. " You are going to sit in the kitchen and help take care of Charity until Kaiba comes to pick you up." We all nodded, and stumbled over ourselves to obey. I couldn't remember Grandpa ever being this upset with us. We usually told him everything we were doing, dangerous or otherwise. I went into the kitchen, fatigue creeping over me. In her playpen, Charity gurgled happily at me. She appeared to be happy, so I picked up a few toys she had thrown out and put them back in, and then sat at the table with my head in my hands. Charity cooed at me, her red fuzz covered head rolling to look in my direction as she kicked and flailed, shaking one of those gel-filled chewing rings.
" Tired?" Grandpa asked me suddenly. I looked up at him and sighed. I hadn't heard him enter the room.
" Yeah." I admitted. He nodded.
" Thought so." He told me. " You look it." He sat with me at the table and sighed. " Must you all try to solve every problem yourselves?" he asked.
" I guess we're used to being able to." I said. " Bakura's been drinking." I told him suddenly.
" I thought so. I saw him last Friday morning. He looked like he'd been to hell in a hand basket." He informed me. " There's nothing you can really do about this, Yuki. You can't make this problem go away."
" I don't want him to hurt Ryou anymore, or himself." I said.
" I know you don't. But, Yuki, you have a bad habit of trying to save the world and everyone in it all by yourself." Grandpa said, laughing a little. " You can't do everything, and you can't make everyone's problems disappear. This is something Bakura has to fight by himself. If he decides he needs help, he'll find a way to get it." Grandpa paused as Charity cooed loudly. " You're already taking on so much for a girl your age. Raising three boys and a baby girl, not to mention all your other responsibilities." He told me, nodding to the golden orb around my neck. I fingered it absently. Suddenly, the urge to chunk it in the trash overcame me. I swallowed it. " You're going to kill yourself with the stress. But that doesn't matter to you, does it? You're already dying." He noted. I looked up at him.
" What?" I asked.
" I know, Yuki. I've known for a while. Remember when I took you to the doctor last month, when you started fainting in school?" he asked.
" When they said I'm anemic?" I clarified.
" Yes. The doctor had a few of his colleagues look at you. He told me he'd never seen anything like it. Your body seemed to be falling apart from the inside. He couldn't diagnose it, and no one else could either. So he went with the best bet and said you were anemic, but you're not. He told me that if your body kept going like it was, you'd die in about two or three years. And that was if you led a stress free and relaxed life." Grandpa paused. " Yuki, Yugi is my grandson. I love him. And because of that, Yami is my grandson as well, and I love him. And because of that, Himeko is my granddaughter, as are you, and I love you both as well. I love the boys, and I love Charity. I love you all. If I had known what would happen, though, I never would have given Yugi the Puzzle. I thought it would help him, not kill you."
" The Puzzle's not killing me, Grandpa. It's not your fault." I said, but I couldn't keep the distress from my voice. It didn't bother me that I was dying. It bothered me that someone knew about it. " Please, don't tell the others. I-"
" I won't tell them, Yuki." Grandpa promised, interrupting me. " This is your fight, not mine or theirs. Just like Bakura has to face his alcoholism alone, you have to face your death alone. I just wish there was a way to stop it."
" I won't be alone, Grandpa. I have all of you with me, always." I said, smiling wearily. " I promise I'll fight it to the end." I really did mean it, but I was so tired. I didn't think I could fight anything at all. I didn't know if I'd be able to get up again, much less fight anything or anyone and win.
*+*+*Malik*+*+*
My nerves were shot. Try riding in a car with a guy who hates you and your yami with a passion, and knowing he's stressed and ready to kill something and upset. Yeah, now think about how you'd feel. Uh-huh. I felt about ten times worse.
Well, I did live through the ride. Yami dropped me off and left without saying goodbye. Well, I thought, I can be snooty too. So I ignored him as he drove off and went into the hospital. I hate hospitals. I don't like how everything is so painfully white, and I hate the way it smells. Like hydrogen peroxide. It smells clean, too clean. I like things that are clean, but that's too clean even for me. To top it off, it feels so impersonal and uncaring. And this is where people come to be taken care of? Man, what is the world coming to?
I walked up to the front desk. I was raised speaking ancient Egyptian and Arabic. So in a way, I'm bilingual. I've learned a number of languages, aside from that, including Japanese. But Japanese, despite being the language I currently use the most, is not my native tongue. Ryou tells me my accent is very good, but it isn't his native tongue either. And I always have to think about what I'm going to say and how I need to say it. Communication is difficult for me, a trait given to my by my yami. I prefer soul talk, and communicating telepathically. Talking to my yami is easiest, since he hears my every thought and feeling. But the clerk sitting at that desk could not. So I had to communicate verbally.
" Umm, what room is Ryou Bakura in?" I asked slowly. The nurse looked up at me, giving me a suspicious look. My faint accent always got me that look. That, and my odd, contradicting appearance.
" What's your relation?" she asked me.
" I'm his best friend." I said. I was lying through my teeth. I had no clue if I really was Ryou's best friend. But I hoped Ryou wouldn't mind. The nurse looked at me with that suspicious look again, and then tapped at her computer.
" What did you say his name was?" she asked. I repeated Ryou's name, and she asked me to spell it. So I did. Then she told me his room number, after giving me a sultry glare. I had a mind to tell her I was sorry I made her do her job, but I kept my mouth shut. Then I had to figure out what floor the room was in. I ended up asking a janitor. He directed me to the second floor. I didn't want to ride on an elevator with a bunch of strangers, so I ran up the stairs. When I finally did find the room, Isis was in it. Ryou was still asleep, looking a little better than when I'd last seen him. He'd been cleaned up, and there were bandages where he'd been cut. He was hooked up to one of those heart monitors, which upset me. Isis read my expression.
" It's just a precaution. Since he has a concussion and he'd already fallen asleep, they need to make sure his heart keeps beating." She told me in Arabic. It felt good to hear my language.
" Where's my..." I paused. There is no good word for "yami" in the Arabic language. " ...other?" I finished.
" Outside. He tried to smoke in the room, and the nurses kicked him out. He'll be back in a bit." Isis told me.
" I told him to stop that." I muttered absently, looking at Ryou. His breath was coming smoothly and evenly.
" We both know he'll do what he wants." Isis responded. " Malik, you scared me today. The school called and told me you never showed up. I called every number I could think of, and you weren't there." I looked at the ground guiltily.
" I'm sorry." I said. Isis sighed.
" Just don't do that again. Call me or something, okay? Tell someone where you're going and what you're doing. I'm not going to lose you, too." She told me. I was touched by her sentiment, but I wasn't sure how to express it. So I just nodded. There was still one major problem, though. Bakura was still on the loose, drunk and most likely upset. I wasn't eager to think of the implications of that scenario.