Chapter 6: The Bridge Meeting
Malik appeared silently in the world of white, his body taking a dim glow as his feathers dissipated as though they were never there. Thank goodness Bakura hadn't questioned him on where he was going. Actually, he seemed somewhat relieved to find that Malik had plans prior to so Malik assumed that Bakura had plans of his own.
You see, right after dinner, Malik had announced that he'd be spending the next day elsewhere. In truth, he was referring to the Bridge meeting, which he had decided to attend on a whim. He had to agree with what Ryou was trying to say- If he was missing for too long... other angels would start to get suspicious.
Glancing up ahead, he noticed the pearly gates, and sighing, raised the mandatory shroud up so it shadowed his face and concealed his identity from everyone, except of course, other angels.
"Let's get this over with."
-
"Hear 'ye all," Yami announced, taking his stand before all and sundry on the Bridge. "My deepest thanks are expressed to those who have come here today. One million years ago, this would've never been possible."
The Bridge was astonishing. It actually was a bridge. Crystal steps arched to form a semi-circle above the ground, and marble railings rose up accompanied by breathtaking white lilies that sprung up everywhere. One side of the Bridge led one to Heaven, while the other, Hell.
Yami's words were true. In the ancient past, demons and angels would've never thought to even see one another, let alone stand along side each other. But, a certain event occurred that made not seeing each other impossible, so thus, the Bridge was created.
"Of course, we meet here today to speak about discrepancies and hopes for further times," Yami continued. Sighing, he said, "I know... that we will never be able to ever stay together in one place. It's just not what was planned by either of our Masters. But, we should be glad. At least we know that we'll get this chance to see each other, if nothing else." Raising his head to look at everyone, he continued, this time with more confidence. "Now, before we begin, I'll give you some time to settle quietly and then we will begin with the customary song of the angel choir."
As soon as Yami exited the bridge, everyone began to talk amongst themselves. One might compare it to how students begin to talk when the teacher leaves.
"Quietly," Kaiba's voice boomed above the others, and the demons immediately lowered their voices.
Yami turned, flashing a small look of appreciation to the demon before motioning for the angels to soften their tones as well.
The angels and demons were most definitely separated. To allow them to mingle would be, well, unethical. Instead, either side of the crystal bridge separated them. Marik stood silently on the demon's side, traditionally arms crossed, eyes closed, and one canine bared. He hadn't wanted to come, and in truth he usually didn't, but for some reason he was drawn to attend this time.
Whether or not that had to do with a white-haired angel, he refused to think about.
And as usual, Bakura wasn't there on the rare occasion that Marik was. No, he was lounging about on earth, enjoying his time, and the very thought of it all made Marik clench his fists and grind his teeth.
"Damn him," Marik said for at least the fiftieth time. "Damn him eternally." That made the fifty-first.
Marik wasn't the only demon that didn't want to be there. Kaiba was no exception. His reason for being there remained the same. He had to be there. The Teller of Prophecies presence was, if anything, required. He would have to speak his part at the end and reveal a prophecy that was to pass regarding Heaven and Hell. A dangerous feat, yes; especially when we're talking about two beings that, at the heart of it all, want each other destroyed.
Kaiba had to wonder why he had even been granted that power. He hated demons, he hated angels, he hated people- and he hated people most of all. They were so unmindful of everything that occurred in their favor, and did they ever show thanks?
"Oh, well thanks for helping me. I guess I passed out or something."
Jounouchi...
"Blast it," Kaiba muttered inaudibly. Why had he told him that he would come back? Why had he stopped? Why hadn't he left the night before?
Oh yes…because Kaiba himself had once needed help... and it had been granted.
"All right," Yami declared, "We will now begin with the solo courtesy of Ryou, head of the angel choir…"
Ryou, who now stood at a marble podium with the rest of the choir behind him, smiled, though it remained somewhat hidden beneath his hood, and began.
"I don't know what words I can say,
The wind has a way…to talk to me.
Flowers sing a silent lullaby,
I pray for reply,
I'm ready.
Quiet day calms me, oh serenity…
Someone...please...tell me
Oooh, what words I can say
Maybe I will know one day..."(1)
Marik, who refused to pay attention any time it was required, now found himself staring at the meek stranger. Only one word could describe it, and that was beautiful. Though the angel's song was accompanied by the choir's hums, only that stunning voice caught the demon's ear.
"That voice," he murmured, still in awe, listening as the angel finished their song.
"I don't know what words I can say,
The wind has a way...to talk to me.
Flowers sing a silent lullaby,
I pray for reply,
...I'm ready..."
Ryou nodded humbly, indicating a small bow, nothing too flamboyant. Still, he remained unconscious of how his voice seemed to affect those who heard it. Though the song was short, it seemed to continue, as everyone- angels and demons alike- were still enraptured by its unknown power. It seemed a sin to speak and it wasn't until Ryou uttered a quiet "thank you" that everyone loosened up.
"Thank you Ryou," Yami smiled. "Now let us begin with the general discussions..."
Exiting the pedestal, Ryou made it not five feet before someone grabbed him by his shoulders and obviously transported them, because one minute Ryou had seen the assembly of angels and demons, and the next, they were fairly off in the distance.
Turning to question he who had brought him there, he found himself pushed to a wall as warm lips fixed themselves to his own and strong hands pinned his own to his sides. Ryou jerked back as soon as the shock wore off, breaking the kiss and causing whoever was before him to take a slight step back.
"How dare you!" Ryou said, freeing his arms and in the process causing his hood to fall back. His snow-white hair fell neatly in place, some of it settling annoyingly over his eyes. "Oh no..."
The first thing Ryou saw was the black garb- traditional demon wear for meetings at the Bridge. The second were the hauntingly dazzling violet eyes that wouldn't get out of his head since the last time the angel had seen them.
Yes. It was Marik.
"What are you doing!" Ryou stammered, unable to help his cheeks from turning pink.
Marik seemed to yawn, unaffected by the angel's worry. "Simply collecting my reward."
"Reward? What in God's name are you talking about?"
"Remember?" Marik tapped his chin. "You said you'd rather kiss me. I was merely seeing that my end of the bargain was met."
"I never said that I'd!"
"Ah, ah, ah," he shook a finger. "You said you'd never be my maid, ergo, you indirectly agreed to a kiss."
"But that doesn't mean!"
"Shh," Marik pressed a finger to his lips. "Please don't spoil the moment..."
"Moment? What moment? You and I should not even be seeing each other!"
The demon blinked. "I didn't know we were dating... but hey, I won't complain."
"You know what I mean," Ryou said seriously, raising his hood. "I cannot believe this is happening... Angels and demons are not supposed to see each other during Bridge meetings..."
"Which is exactly why I transported us away from the meeting."
"Stop making excuses. You and I? This is wrong!"
"Well then..." Marik crossed his arms and titled his head, a smirk ever present on his face. "From deduction one could assume... that Bakura, a demon, and your little angel twerp... should not be together either. Am I not right?"
Ryou eyes widened. "That's a whole other story-"
"-And yet it's the same."
Ryou lowered his head, suddenly sad. "But it's still different. They don't even know... who they are."
"You mean of each other's angelic and demonic complex?"
"That too."
"As long as they don't fall in love, we'll be fine. But they're happy together," added Marik. "Bakura may be a stubborn prick half the time, but when I listened to him talk about his "human" friend Malik... well, I saw a side of him that in truth scared the shit out of me," Ryou glared at him, "But it also, I don't know, kind of made me... envious."
The choir angel faced him with a confused expression. "What do you mean?"
"Bakura used to always spout this crap about how Hell wasn't enough. It was farcical if you ask me, but I always listened waiting for the day when he'd grow tired of his little ideas. He never did. Before he left, he said that he wanted-"
"-Something more," Ryou finished, meeting his eyes.
"Yes," Marik raised a brow. "But how did you know?"
"Because Malik said the same thing to me before he left. Marik, please understand, I want them to be together too... but what we want, well, it doesn't really matter. We're only two beings against thousands of years of ritual."
That comment surprised the demon. "You know, for as ethereal and lovely as you are, I sense that there is a darker part of you that's a lot like me."
Ryou smiled forlornly. "Are you saying that because you truly believe it, or you just want me to like you?"
"I just want you to like me, and I truly believe it." Marik grinned charmingly and lowered the angel's hood. Leaning in again, he stopped suddenly.
"What is it?"
"Oh nothing. I'm just surprised. Bakura actually is here. He just arrived."
Ryou gasped. "That's not good!"
"Why's that?"
"I sense that Malik is here too!"
Marik leaned his chin on his knuckles. "That's just great. You know what we're going to have to do, don't you?"
Ryou looked hesitant. "What?"
"Make sure they don't see each other for the remainder of this Bridge meeting..."
-
Bakura stood silently, wondering why he had even decided to come to the meeting at all. It's not like he wanted to. Maybe it all came down to boredom. Malik had other plans that sadly didn't involve him so he was left to sulk around the house, and believe you me, Bakura would never ever resolve himself to a notion as low as sulking.
Funny, it was like everything around him was trying to tell him that loving a human was wrong; from the separation of the two beings, to the different dress, and even the appearance of each other.
By appearance, it is an implication to the wings, which humans most definitely don't have. All souls have wings when they die, beautiful white feathery wings that seem to rain crystals with each beat of them, but if the soul is doomed to Hell, then Satan's fire chars them off leaving only a black, leathery surface. Because his memories of his real life on earth were forgotten, Bakura had to wonder what he had done to have been granted a place among those down below.
"Yes," a demon spoke up, "And what of the new law banning demons from being placed in Heaven as punishment for atrocious acts done in Hell?"
Yami looked very tired from all of the arguing. Of course, being Lawmaker of Heaven was a tedious job, but sometimes he had to wonder why he had been granted it.
"Because," he answered, "Does it make much sense to place a potentially dangerous demon in a purified place like Heaven? What if something were to go wrong? If you remember correctly... the reason this law was enacted in the first place was because one of the demons you sent to Heaven as chastisement somehow broke free and though he did not cause any damage, it had the capability of turning out catastrophic."
The demon who had voiced the question piped down, knowing that he might've been out of place. That particular event had been one of the most controversial ever. Just as Hell wasn't allowed to reveal why the demon had been penalized, Heaven couldn't reveal just exactly how the demon got out.
Malik shook his head, remembering the occasion quite clearly. It was actually somewhat fresh and had occurred what humans would've called a "year" ago. To him, the idea of angels and demons being even as close as they were permitted during Bridge meetings was stretching it. Malik had "grown up" in Heaven learning from Yami and Ryou that demons were bad, and though Ryou sometimes took their side, deep down he agreed that they were awful.
Looking up, Malik's eyes widened as he could've sworn he saw a demon that looked just like-
"Malik!" Ryou said happily, stepping in front of his friend. "I'm so glad you made it."
Malik looked over Ryou's shoulder but the demon was no longer there. "How odd..."
"Um, what is it?" Ryou asked nervously.
"I just thought I saw... a demon that looked like Bakura."
"My, my, that's quite ridiculous, don't you think?" he feigned a laugh.
"Yeah, ridiculous," he smiled, though uneasily. "So Ryou, where'd you disappear to after you sang? I looked for you but it was like you'd vanished."
"You don't say?" Ryou sweatdropped. "I had business to take care of."
"During a Bridge meeting?"
"Say, how's it been on Earth with Bakura anyways?"
Malik's face immediately fell. "Funny you should ask..."
-
Bakura pushed Marik away from him, holding his bruised cheek. "What the hell was that for!"
"I had to do it," Marik shrugged. That was a close one. "Thought maybe it'd knock some sense into you. Are you staying for good?"
"Actually-"
"Let me guess... no?"
Bakura exhaled, his face suddenly miserable. "Actually, I was going to say that maybe I should."
Marik blinked. "What?" That wasn't the answer he expected to hear.
"I totally misjudged the situation. Sure, I expected to go to Earth and possibly have…," he almost cringed, "…Fun... but I messed up big."
"What happened?" Marik asked, suddenly captivated.
Bakura looked at him for a moment, then faced the ground. "You are going to kill me."
"Why? What did you-" he froze there, suddenly aware of what Bakura kept unspoken. "Oh my Lucifer no. Don't tell me," he held a hand up, "You fell in love with him, didn't you?"
"...Yes."
-
"Why Malik?" Ryou asked, worried. "What's wrong? Bakura didn't hurt you did he?"
"No, of course not," Malik assured him. "Bakura's been very kind to me. But that's the problem..."
Ryou shook his head, still unaware of what he was trying to say. "You're not happy there?"
"No, I'm very happy," he smiled but for a moment, "But that's where I was wrong. I tricked myself into thinking I could always stay there."
"What are you saying?"
Malik took a deep breath, then said sorrowfully, "I should've never gone to Earth."
-TBC-
(1)- Some of you might have recognized this as the song Melfina sings in Outlaw Star. I thought it was cute but the meaning behind it is very sad. If you've never heard it before, find it somehow! It's so mellow. I believe this is where a disclaimer goes. Ehem, me no own Outlaw Star. End. I never do YGO disclaimers because were I to own it... you wouldn't just be reading it... it'd be on television instead of the very strange "Waking the Dragons" segment crap which to me has no purpose. Does everyone have to throw Atlantis into an anime? The Vision of Escaflowne comes to mind...
Jeez! Sorry for the sadness! It was unavoidable though. Actually this chapter came out the way it did on a whim. I still kept my promise though! I always do. It was up in a week. Unfortunately, that won't be possible again because the next chapter of my other story was delayed in its place. Heh. Major cuteness between Ryou and Marik though, so it kind of balances it out…Kind of. Either way, there ya go.
AmethystRoze