Chapter 13: Settling In

Kaede walked wearily next to Javas, who kept looking at her but saying nothing. The man, she hadn't decided what kind of nick name to use until she got his name, walked in front of them. She had suggested a vine to them and used that to tie around his hands before she turned the plants back to normal. T.R covered the binds with his hand, as if leading the older man around. He wasn't pleased about that. Still, the man didn't put up any kind of fight. He was as calm as ever, indifferent really, and didn't care how uncomfortable he was. She could have admired him for that had her feeling not been so confusing.

They walked for what seemed like ages on the inner part of the sidewalk, passing every so often a weed or tree that she'd mutter 'good afternoon' to in response to its greeting and ignore the hassle of the city people all together. They had decided not to get a cab, even though the stranger did have some money on him, due to the fact that the cabby could ask a bunch of questions, not that all cabbies do, it's just something none of them had to mind power (or will power) to even deal with right now. So they simply decided to walk.

After about three hours of walking Javas finally stopped in front of a small coffee shop like building. Everyone else sort of went on a couple of steps and nearly fell over when he said they had arrived. Kaede was pleased, her feet were throbbing fiercely and the urge to sleep was unbearable.

They walked up the concrete stoop and stopped at the black tinted glass tiredly. Javas walked up to the shabby looking mailbox and simply flipped it up to reveal a keypad, and made a motion for everyone to back away as he typed in the code. They obliged.

"This is a place my Dad uses to retire to when the heat was up." Javas told them casually. What heat he was talking about none of them cared. When the door opened everyone poured in.

The apartment was not a cheep grungy sort of place you'd expect to see collage kids reduced to. Actually, it was quite the opposite. It looked more like an emperor's suit than an apartment. The cream colored walls housed an assortment of fashionably comfortable looking couches and chairs, either a dark red, a dark blue, or a dark tan. A highly detailed coffee table stood in the middle of the room, loaded with bits and parts of computers, sprawled out, with screwdrivers and some screws. A large wide-screen television sat in the bottom right had counter with a DVD and a tape player as well as some other things that couldn't be made out. The book cases aside to the left of the three door ways were packed with reading material and expensive looking objects and photos of Javas as a toddler feeding the ducks to taking apart his first hard drive at eight. The windows were even housed in luxurious velvet blue curtains.

Javas removed his shoes and walked in and entered the door to the north, either ignorant to the staring the three of them were doing, or that he didn't care. T.R was the first to react. He yanked the tall man from the door hard with a scowl on his face and led him through the door to the West. Kaede stood there, gawking at how uncluttered everything was. Spending three months in a house that was never picked up made the room seem like it was run by neat freaks. She wasn't able to get over how dust free the pictures were.

After minutes of staring she watched T.R trot back into the room, looking very pleased with himself, dusting off his hands, and followed where Javas had gone. Kaede watched him suspiciously and waited a minute or two in puzzlement. She walked to the room he had just left, making her aching limps move, and ignoring the enticing call of sleep.

She glanced inside the room and found a small office-like room with one window and the same cream walls. It contained a desk covered in papers and pencils, a long green couch (you know, the kind that shrinks tell you to lay in and tell them all your problems), and a chair. The chair was occupied by their prisoner. His legs were bound tightly to the bottom leg of his chair as were his hands behind his back by what looked like vines. He was also gagged with a thick jungle like green trailing plant. He stared at her.

Kaede sighed and muttered under her breath. The gag was a bit much, after all, and it was tied far too tightly. She'd have to nag at T.R about this later when he was in a 'good mood'. Which would be never. She was sure he wasn't going to scream anyway. The gag slithered out of his mouth and joined the plant around his wrists.

"Thank you." He said in his newly dark voice. She said nothing as she turned away and went through the north door. Sometimes, silence was the best answer.

It was the kitchen. The floor pattern was a classic black and white tiles, and housed gray counters and a black refrigerator, a black microwave, a sink with a window over it, and a coffee pot. All the normal everyday things you'd find in a kitchen. Javas was searching the refrigerator for anything eatable, while T.R popped open the bottle of amber looking liquid. He took a swig of the stuff and smiled viciously, like a fox enjoying the first hen of the day, and took another greedy gulp. Kaede rolled her eyes.

She staggered to the coffee pot and poured some into a clean mug, trying to get the smell to at least make her feel more awake. It actually made her feel bitter. Her body was pissed that she wasn't going to just collapse on a couch immediately. It was better to been shown were she was sleeping in an unknown house hold, no matter how she felt. If Javas was smart, he'd show her the room she'd have soon, or she'd start snapping at people.

Javas pulled out an apple and nearly froze at the large steaming pot in her hand in mere shock. Kaede ignored him and started her usual ritual of sugaring the shit out of the drink before she started into the family room. T.R didn't blink an eye as he followed her, bottle close to his lips.

When everyone was finally settled, Kaede on the tan couch with a hot cup and sleepy eyes, nursing the drink, Javas sat closer than she would've liked, the man now sitting in the middle of the room after being dragged in with both T.R and Javas's efforts, and T.R sat on the other side, completely cool and collected, was when they started to talk.

"Alright. You are Yugi Mutou. Correct?"

"Yes and no."

"What the heck is that suppose to mean?!" Javas growled.

"What I said." Replied the man.

"How can you be Yugi Mutou and not be?" she asked him tiredly.

"When I've got another spirit dwelling inside me." Javas started at him a moment, just a moment, before he busted out laughing.

"That's ridiculous!" He barked, "You sound more like you should be in an insane asylum." Javas continued to laugh. Kaede looked at the man disappointedly, wondering whether or not Javas was right. That they were just dealing with some wacko who just looks a lot like Mister Mutou. But the fact that he had Mr. Mutou's prized Egyptian artifact was scaring her.

"Are you Mr. Mutou's brother he told me about?" She asked him, a little more awake.

"Kind of. That was actually a bit of a lie."

"Mr. Mutou lied."

"Not so much as lied. He kind of fibbed. He was covering for me. People ask questions sometimes when you see two people who look a lot a like walking around."

"I thought you just said you had two people inside of you." Javas retorted.

"We do. It's just that sometimes we can separate into two different beings." Javas raised an eyebrow.

"And how do you do that?" The man hesitated.

"…By magic."

"Uh-huh."

"And Yugi had to cover for me by calling me his brother."

"I see…I see you are completely insane. Kaede, we should call the police." Kaede started at the puzzle around his neck, thinking.

"…Are you two people right now?" she asked him slowly. The man was silent a moment.

"…We could be."

"Mr. Mutou is in there somewhere?"

"Yes." Kaede puzzled a few moments, looking at T.R's stern face and the cloud fogging the back of her skull. Javas snorted.

"I'll believe that when I see it. Prove it."

"I would if I could."

"What do you mean could? Why not if you can prove it?!"

"…Because I promised a friend something." He replied sadly, his dark purple eyes sliding to the floor morosely. Javas's face twisted as he snorted in annoyance.

"We should call the police." He said in disgust.

"You can't." T.R said tightly, rising off the couch nimbly. Javas narrowed his eyes angrily.

"And why not?"

"First of all, after that stunt you pulled with the buses and the boys you were running from come, they probably will take you in and dear old dad wouldn't be too happy with that. And you wouldn't be able to help us, as you said you would." The boy said curtly. Javas gritted his teeth irritably. He was right, and that would ruin the time he had.

"Fine." He snarled. T.R grinned at his frustration.

"Maybe we should all just go to bed and sleep on it." Kaede said, planning more to break up the future argument, although sleeping would be a nice bonus. It turned Javas's whole mood around.

"Oh! You're right of course. I forgot to show you to your room." He got up and finally took a bite out of the apple he had been handling as he offered his other for hers. She got up without his help, making him frown a bit, and walked off toward the west doorway, containing something that looked a lot like a hotel bed room. A giant queen size bed, a large closet, and a redwood chest at the foot of the bed were in the room. A walk in bathroom also came with her room. A blue robe hanging on a hook next to the door with a pair of slippers completed everything.

Javas watched as she admired the cream curtains and smiled as she examined the large white velvet sheets.

"I hope this is satisfactory." He said.

"Very." She said nervously chewing her lip. Something about this was a bit too odd. She was relieved when T.R finally stepped into the room, looking it over placidly, putting a hand on the bed, and looking inside the bathroom.

"Hm. Not bad for mortals. The Pharaoh's chamber was always far more glorious than this, but those hotel managers have been stretching the truth for centuries. I hope my room is just as good…" Kaede frowned at his rudeness, but said nothing. She gave him a look instead.

"Er. We may have a problem with rooming." Javas said.

"What problem?" T.R asked coldly.

"Well, remember how I said that this was only a place my Dad used when the heat was on?"

"Yes."

"Well, there's only two bedrooms…of course you can have my room if you like…I don't mind bunking with-"

"No, no. I'll simply sleep on the couch outside, Javas. No need to share a room." T.R replied.

"No, I'm the host. I take care of my guests. It's quite alright."

"I really don't mind." Javas said smiling.

"No, if you really do mind I'll share a room with her. It wouldn't be the first time." T.R said courteously. Javas blinked a moment, before what he just said sunk in, and his face suddenly turned a dark shade of purple.

"Um. How about this. I'll take the couch and you guys can each take a bed room." Kaede reasoned carefully. For the first time in her life she was actually starting to care where she slept. Both sides of this argument were troubling her. She had a vague memory of her sister acting very funny once when a boy had invited her over for a party and then sleepover once. She was very pleased about it, and starting getting all dressed up for it and being very happy, yapping something about boys. Aunt Marie latterly blew the roof when she found out the night before and forbid her to stay the night. Chirsta had a fit. It was later that Aunt Marie explained about the birds and the bees. Kaede felt a bit sick after it.

Now with the thought of either of them in her room was making her feel ill, even though she knew they probably wouldn't attempt anything like that. It was just the fact that they were male and she was female and they'd be in the same room with a bed and there was always that what if…

Both boys protested at her when she brought this up.

"No, no! That wouldn't be proper at all! Not for a lady." Javas replied hastily.

"Yes." T.R agreed.

"Completely improper as a host."

"Yup. I'll just share a room with Javas." T.R replied.

"Completely-What did you just say?" T.R covered a sly look with an uninterested one as he looked at his nails.

"Well, it is simple isn't it? As host you have to take care of your guests. And since you don't want her without a room, or me, and I can't possibly sleep well if you're stranded to a lumpy couch. And I'm also sure she wouldn't feel comfortable with company in her room than that leads to one alternative. That you and I will share a room. Understand?" Javas started at him a moment. Opened his mouth, and then shut his mouth again. For a while he reminded her of a goldfish in that state of shock. She wondered if he'd ever stop when he finally he regained his composure.

"…Yes. Yes of course." He agreed.

"Good. You can help me get situated." T.R smiled at her and walked out of the room, not before giving Javas a meaningful look, and was followed out by him, looking awfully pale.

"Goodnight." Javas said in a troubled tone before he shut the door behind him, leaving Kaede alone with a pained look on her and the thoughts buzzing in her mind. Well, really only one chilling question in her realm that stuck out in her realm of weariness. Was being alone in her room really necessary compared to finding one of them dead the next morning?

Book Dragon: "Please Review."