A reason to live
Chapter Five- Mysteries Unveiled?
Seto's POV
Algebra. The most boring class of the day. I had finished the big "test" about ten minutes ago. And there was still 50 minutes left of class before I was free to go to lunch. Not that that was a good use of my time either.
I glanced casually around the classroom, reading some of the posters hanging on the four walls surrounding me and the 19 other unfortunate students. I spotted Yugi. Him and the rest of his happy little "friendship gang" (1). He looked like he was struggling with his work.
How was it that Yugi, the short little kid, could have so much luck? He always had a group of people surrounding him. I don't understand why anyone would want to be around him. There's nothing special about him, just the fact that he will do anything people ask of him.
Not that I wanted to be friends with any of "them" or anything, but he was always just so cheerful. So kind to everyone. Even his enemies trust him with their lives. I wonder if that's his real smile. Or his real emotion. I also wonder if his hair just naturally grows in spikes, or if he dumps gallons of on to make it stay the shape he wants.
I started to amuse myself with saying each of the "friendship gang's" names in my head (yeah... real amusing...huh...--' ). Tristan...Joey...Tea...Dice Boy...I mean Devlin...Duke Devlin...and the quiet one... I stopped on him. I think his name was Ryou, though everyone calls him Bakura. I had never seen him smile. His eyes sparkle every once in a while, but that's as close as I've seen it come.
Fleeting images from my dream sprang to the center of my attention, like the annoying crickets my brother had brought home and let lose last week. (To tell you the truth, I was deathly afraid of crickets. Maybe I had been tortured with them in a past life or something.) I had actually confronted the stranger. Why was I sticking my nose into its business anyways? Though people think I do that on a normal basis, it is not true.
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It has been almost a week since the day when I had really reflected on what was in my heart. Another Sunday of...not rest, but more work. I need a vacation.
I walked through my front door with but one thought in mind: my bed. My matterice, my pillows, my blanket. (Not my sheets though, I don't like them. They are just a waste of space.)
I walked mindlessly past Mokuba, who just stared at me, wondering if I was going to play with him. I opened the doors to my big room, and without even bothering to change, lay down on top of everything. I even left the light on, telling myself that I would get up in a few minutes to turn it off...if only I could just rest my eyes for... one...minute... I soon fell into a somewhat deep sleep. That is, until my dream.
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I recognize this place. Its dank, misty air. The sound of nothingness reflecting in my ears. Not even the ground made a noise when I walked upon it.
I have started to figure out the dream-signs for myself, and slowly eased my mind into knowing that this was yet another one of my lucid dreams...or shall we say, "Nightmares."
It has been a while since I've dreamed of this place. In some park, a park with one huge oak tree. But I was not in it this time. I was not in my tree. Could this possibly be the next stage of my dream? I wondered what might happen in this one. Then I heard it.
The noise of a pair of feet padding softly on the fallen leaves. Could it be? Maybe the hooded figure would be showing up after all. Not that I really wanted it to come, but if I could find out why it was crying, maybe I would be able to stop this dream and sleep peacefully for once. It again, sat at the base of the tree and began to cry.
It wasn't the type of crying that one would normally hear. Not the crying of one who is sorrowful, or even one who may be depressed. No. This was coming from a different source of pain. This was coming directly from the soul of the being. This cry was an outburst of loneliness.
I inched my way forward, losing a bit of confidence each time I took a step. If I was going to confront this problem, what better choice did I have then now? Again, the being turned to face me, not trying to stop its sniffling.
I crouched; one knee on the ground, the other spread across in a bent form on the right side of the figure, and reached my hands up, to brush the hood down off its head. My hands made contact, and the being sucked in its breath. I slowly slid my hands back, to reveal the pale face of the forgotten boy who sat not even two seats away from my in class.
This crying figure was Ryou.
Two big, tear filled, chocolate eyes looked up at me with a longing. A longing to be accepted. By someone. Anyone. The same longing I often felt within myself, though I dare not show that side of me. He didn't seem so frightened and edgy as he did when I had seen him in the halls, darting to get out of the way of people who didn't even care to notice that he had to make it to class on time too.
I reached my right hand up to his face. I had a strange urge to feel his soft skin against me. I placed my hand upon his cheek, and after jumping a little from being touched, he allowed himself to relax and rested the side of his head into the palm of my hand, soaking in the warmth it seemed, like the Earth might do after a long cold winter.
He stayed like that, eyes closed, a look of relief spread across his face, for what seemed like hours, before his eyes began to open. He brought his gentle gaze up to mine, and moved his hands to that they were resting with my right one. He slightly pulled down, and lowered it. And uncertain, but no longer forgotten look came to his face. A look like he had just been freed from himself. I heard the words "Thank You" uttered somewhere in my mind, though I saw no one's lips move. Ryou gave a great, pure smile, and was slowly floated away into the heavens, while at the same time, the darkness around me dissolved.
I wished to see that smile again. So pure. So happy. So perfect.
My surroundings were no longer desolate. I was confused and, well, confused. First of all, why was Ryou, a boy I had never said two words to in all of the time I had known him, in my nightmare? It was as if he had been the one causing it. I didn't understand. Maybe I wasn't supposed to. After all, it is just a dream.
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My eyes opened slowly, as I squinted from the light coming in through my windows. I was on the floor, a pillow clutched in my arms.
I looked around, lost. It still hadn't registered to me that I was on the floor. I stood up, an aching pain in my neck.
Wait!...the sun...it's shining through my windows...but...I get up for school before the sun rises! I ran to my clock, which was flashing 9:30 am. I had missed my first class! And algebra was starting in 15 minutes! It took five minutes to drive to school, provided there was no traffic.
To take a shower, or not take a shower. That is the question. My mind made up, I ran to my bathroom.
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Ryou's POV
The teacher called out the attendance, stopping on one name in particular, repeating it, seemingly surprised that the student wasn't here.
"Kaiba...Seto Kaiba..." with that, she put a little mark on the attendance sheet and continued with the names. Skipping mine as always.
There were footsteps heard, walking down the hall to our class. The door opened, and with everyone's eyes fixed upon him, Kaiba walked through, regaining his composure. His eyes wandered, looking for the teacher, but instead or finding her, it was my gaze that he caught.
Time stopped, and I found my heart beating faster than I thought was possible. Why was he staring at me with that frightened look in his eyes, and why was it that I did not have the strength to look away?
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Seto's POV
"Kaiba would you take your seat please?" She said with an extra emphasis on the "please" part.
I regained consciousness, and looked away from Ryou. I thought of backing up and leaving, but I instead found myself nod and head over to my seat, trying to not look at the boy who had visited my dreams at least once a week for the past few months. Hopefully that was all over now.
Why was I so nervous anyways? Was it the fact that I had been so content with just being there for someone? Comforting them in a way that I didn't know of? The figure was probably just my mind putting some random face with the shady body that has haunted my mind. But some how, that conclusion did not seem to be correct.
And why in my dream had I wanted to touch him so badly?
"His hair does look soft..." I heard myself think
"No! Ah! Why the hell did I just think that for?"
Was I going crazy, or is having conversations with yourself in your mind normal?
Class consisted of sitting, writing nonsense onto my paper, and trying not to let my eyelids droop down to the point of where it was noticeable by my teacher. When there was only five minutes left of class, our teacher said that she had a special announcement.
"We have only one A on the test from last week...Seto Kaiba."
Why does she always have to do that? Every test, my name, and sometimes a few "lucky" others would be announced to the world. Not that it cared. It was as if to say, "If you want to be like them, study and do well on your work." Little did she know I had no need for studying her stupid work. I could, literally, do it in my sleep.
Class ended, but as I stood to walk out the door, my teacher called me over.
"Seto, would you please take a seat by my desk?" she said.
Reluctantly, I obeyed. Better to spend a few extra minutes in here now, then to get a detention from a pissy teacher for not staying. I sat for a moment, and then heard the shuffling of feet as they approached, stopping about 10 feet away and sitting in a chair on the other side of the teacher's desk.
I looked up, curious, and saw a shy Ryou, hands and feet moving around, trying to find some comfortable resting place. My stomach gave a jump. I wish I hadn't looked up... well, as they say... curiosity kills the cat... with the cat being my good mood this time.
"Seto, I have assigned you to tutor Ryou on his algebra. Since he is struggling, and you are obviously not, I have decided to give you a challenge. You and Ryou will have a sort of "Shared Grade". The average will be taken out of each piece of work that you each turn in. Each time you do good, or bad, it will affect each of you." She said in a voice as obnoxious as ever.
"What? That's bullsh...um... I mean, that doesn't sound like a good idea..." I blurted out, interrupting her next sentence.
Ryou sat there, wanting to say something, but not having the words.
"Well, look. You each lack greatly in your social skills, so it's not as if this will be completely useless. Plus, what have you got to lose?"
"My GPA...Maybe??" I said at the same time Ryou said something that sounded a whole. Lot like "My sanity", but that was probably just in my mind as well. Maybe this was all a bad dream.
"Look, I'm putting you two on this assignment, so its either you do this correctly, or you fail my class this semester. If you do well, next semester will be back to normal."
I looked at her stunned. What right did she have to make me special from all of her other students. Oh well, really, how hard could teaching algebra to someone be?
"Fine. Since it doesn't seem like I have much of a choice." I said as I turned to leave. "Be at my place at 6:00 tonight. Don't be late. Don't worry about bringing anything." "Why me..." I mumbled as I left for lunch.
Why had I suddenly been paired up with the subject of my random dreams? They probably had nothing to do with each other, I convinced myself, as I got out my book and began to relax, sitting at the table under the big tree outside.
Far past these roads there is a place
Where all of our precious dreams remain
Someday I know I'll find a way
To keep myself from holding on.
Stay awake with the sound of my voice
I'm restless from the silence in the air.
I want to be somewhere I can see the roads
A place where every time you breathe a wish comes true
I want to be where love is real
And memories of distant days come to life again
Inside this room, time will stand still
As long as I'm not aware of change
The world outside leave me behind by myself
It shows no mercy for those who hold on.
Stay awake with the sound of my voicew
Im restless from the silence in the air.
I want to be somewhere i can see the roads
a place where everytime you breathe a wish comes true
I want to be where love is real
where memories of distance days come to life again
Far past these roads there is a place where all our preciouse dreams remain
Someday i know i'll find a way to keep myself from holding on
I want to be somewhere i can see the roads
where everytime you breathe a wish comes true
i want to be where love is real
where memories from distant days come to life again.
(ok.. up at the top of the story I put "friendship gang" lol.. I know I've read this somewhere...I just didn't want to steal someone's idea... So I'm sorry if it is your idea... I just don't remember where I read it! So here's your credit! That idea belongs to (insert name here). Thank you for reading this! And please review!!the song is "The longest story" by Daphne Loves Derby.. which you should totally check out if you havnt! they are so awesome. Now... onto the thank yous: .
Sozuki: yay!!! i love boarders now!! thay are so special ( i just hope they get the next fruits basket early XP) thank you soo much for reviewing! ( im bad.. at this thank you buisness.. hmm.. lol but you know how happy it makes me!)
troublemaker007: hehe.. yes this is infact a setoxryou! yay! im so glad you like this story! you make me really really happy lol!
Kage Onna: well.. its going to be setoxryou.. but not really yaoi.. im not going to write lemons or anything, cus i dont like them lol and i dont want to think about those two like that.. eh.. :::stops thinking about that:::: ahem, anyways.. yes, just fluff which i love and nothing gross ( in my mind.. but my mind is mine.. so.. right im not making sense). i'll try to make it likeable!