Yami's koi: arigato for every review I got: thanks for the encouragement. I love that a lot.
Ryou: Neutral Man's still on holiday, but he has about three more days until he gets back. So he'll probably make it into the endnotes.
Yami's koi: I had a day of angsty inspiration three days ago and NOW I just got more. AND some more! See ya at the end!
My ghostly projection makes its own way to my hikari who, sensing the approaching danger, squeaks and attempts to run. With this reaction, I watch in horror as my memory – if it really is that – darts forward swiftly and tackles him down to the ground, pinning him to the floor. Now Ryou lies on the floor, staring up at his yami in utter terror.
"B- Bakura...?" He begins to ask, but I silence him with a fist in his already injured cheek.
"You will say nothing, you fucking slut!" My ghost hisses, repeating the motion. Ryou bit his lip, trying so hard not to yell out. For if he did, he would be struck harder. And he knew that.
But at this my image howls with laughter, rising to a stand before leaping heavily down onto the slender form beneath him, crushing any air inside of Ryou with an elbow in his stomach. The hikari's eyes begin to water, and he cries out, unable to breathe. He arches up from the floor.
My smirk seems to darken, and I make to stand again...
"STOP!" I scream, sinking down to the floor, "DON'T!"
Ryou
'How do you have any idea of my Egyptian heritage? I don't recognise your bastard face from anywhere... not even vaguely. If you're just trying to freak me out, then I'll get you. Both of us.'
I sigh, then glance up at Sensei. His face is pale with anger, and he is staring right at me.
"And just what have you got there, Ryou?" He asks silkily, approaching me fast. Somehow in the midst of this situation I think fast – and draw from my pocket a crumpled piece of paper, switching it with the other.
Now Sensei leers over me.
"I'll take that, Ryou," He declares, snatching it from my hands, "And I'll read it out to everyone, shall I?" He bellows, right in my face. Naturally I had turned my head, and, still staring outside of the door, I shrug.
"Go one then. Do it already."
A nerve begins to twitch in his face, but he seems to allow it to pass. I hear rather than see him unfold the paper. He then reads out:
"Homework: Complete and colour worksheet..." He glances up at me, and I face him again. He's backed off a lot, which I am grateful for. His breath reeks.
Bakura
"BAKURA?!" A husky yell emits from the cupboard, and I hear loud footsteps echo off the wall. Just as I land for a second time on my light, the illusion fades and I scream again, my head in my hands and shaking a no.
"Bakura?" A slightly softer voice asks. I know it is Yugi. But I refuse to look up. If I do so, then he will see how horrified and scared I am.
Because I can no longer deny how terrified I am for my hikari. The Afterlife, Shadow Realm... all dark places... would never treat him the way he deserves. In the Shadow Realm, his soul would eventually be devoured and then lost forever, wandering aimlessly in the plains of darkness, until he himself became one of them.
But I somehow know that he isn't there. No, I would hear his thoughts, feel his pain, and discover his whereabouts if that were the situation...
He is almost definitely in Ra's debt now. And the Gods never allow a crime to go unpunished...
So what are they waiting for? Where's my chastising, whatever happened to that? Did they simply forget or am I dreaming?
No. I have never once had a dream yet in this life where Ryou was not involved. Of course, the plot and... genre... altered during the courses of time, until my sheets needed a wash every morning, my body needed to shower...
"Bakura?" Yugi repeats, resting a hand on my shoulder, "What is it?"
I glance up at him from my uncomfortable position on the floor, making an almost hopeless attempt to wipe my face clear of all fear.
"I... had a flashback..." I merely say, before rising abruptly and stalking out of the room, barely giving them time to hear my excuse. I race to the bathroom upstairs and stand over the toilet. With little grace you can muster when doing this, I raised my arm and held out two fingers. Slowly I entered these into my mouth, until they touched the back of my throat.
My body's natural reactions get the best of me. Vomit chokes its way out of me, every last bit of undigested food in my stomach forcing itself out of my mouth. Never thought that I would become bulimic... For now I know that this will not be the last time.
Not by a long shot.
Ryou
YES! We're finally out of that dank, dim aged building! Who exactly CARES about some old geezer who lived about fifty years ago and focused his energies on arriving early?
Still... I haven't been able to reply to the Pharaoh's message. I of course need to... since I don't want my face to look like a mashed potato.
"Class, I want you to start poems on a certain genre. I want this genre to be shown clearly through the words in which you use, especially in the last verse. You are limited to three verses only. Start now." Tsuruoka snaps, striding outside into the corridor. Even though we are three turns of a corridor away from the Hall, we can all hear Sensei Taishukan screaming at Jou perfectly. Yet even louder is the roaring voice of Tsuruoka.
Intently I listen, and then kick myself for my forgetfulness. Stealthily I activate the hidden ability of the Millennium Ring to hear what Jou is replying with, just in case I miss anything, and immediately my ears shudder. It seems I can hear perfectly well what is being said even from here, and without my Ring. With a sigh, I focus more on my poem.
Of course this poem is angst. What else could it be? I'm not about to dye my hair shocking pink, use blusher on my cheeks and adapt a style which indicates that fluffy little bunnies and kisses can overrule any form of evil. Because it can't. And I'm not the only one who knows that, right?
Wait... I can hear the approaching footsteps of inspiration near me again. With a small smile on my face, I begin to write.
Bakura
I've recovered from my small episode in the bathroom. Now I have returned to the intense formality of these books. Yugi's covering those written on the Ancient Spells, as is his Pharaoh, and I'm left with the Afterlife and History of Pharaohs: three thousand pages worth of total nothingness to me.
And if the Pharaoh's name gets mentioned, I'll retch again. He's pissing me off too much as it is. If he dares to insinuate that Ryou shall be suffering the most deadly of all punishments, and there is naught we may do to save him, then he will endure my best technique in Tomb Robbery.
Yet have I made much progress in finding useful information? On several pages I have noted down scraps of information about the afterlife, but now it seems to taunt me, leering out from every page to fill me with hope. I can only see the words I want to look at, though my mind screams at me to translate what was actually text in reality.
This is what I have just read:
'Although many differed opinions argue against the concepts of the Gods and their ways of life, of all the most spectacular is undoubtedly the tale of an Ancient Pharaoh. He had no spouse, therefore no legal heirs to the throne, and yet, it is thanks to this one Pharaoh that we must owe our existence today.
Myth may have become a wild fairy tale throughout time, and, whether real or not, this is a story none must ever forget. Roughly five thousand years ago-' So the Pharaoh, if he was brought into the world when Yugi was fifteen, and was eighteen when he 'died,' is Five thousand and twenty years old? Bloody hell, he's ancient... '- This Pharaoh, and his people, began to indulge themselves in playing Shadow Games, or Duel Monsters. From this, higher stakes became involved, and an evil Sorcerer and his minions, along with these Shadow Monsters, played one fatal Shadow Game with the Pharaoh. If the Pharaoh were to lose, then his kingdom, and his world, would fall into darkness. And if he were to win, then the Shadow Games would be locked away, forgotten, until the end of time. In this catastrophe...'
Fuck THAT! For Gods sake, who doesn't know from whence Duel Monsters originate? And who CARES that Kaiba and the Pharaoh had some family feud some thousand years ago, when you're looking to save your hikari?!
I sigh heavily and turn the page. This chapter is getting me nowhere fast, and its distressing me now. I finger in my pocket the last words Ryou wrote, those written for me. Later I shall read them again, when the Pharaoh and his Yugi have gone. Only then will I show weakness.
Ryou
"RYOU BAKURA!" A voice bellowed, "WHY did you show not only yourself up, but myself up this assembly?"
I glance up at the pale educator towering above me. I slide on an emotionless mask, and say,
"He shouldn't be so suspicious, sensei. I was checking to see if I'd done that work yet, which is what the school promotes, and then you say not to! Maybe Jou was right about him, though..."
"THAT'S IT! READ OUT WHATEVER YOU HAVE MANAGED TO WRITE NOW! Then we'll see who's so arrogant, shan't we?" Tsuruoka snarled, stepping back two paces from my desk as I rise. True enough, I have only written three stanzas. But I just hope that my shitty ability at poetry doesn't suck as much as I think it does. I stare down at my paper and begin to read:
"'I'm still alive,
Didn't think I could survive.
My tears begin to fade away,
And then, I vowed that you would pay.
He next saw the revitalising lights,
My chains took flight...
And then my friends deserted me, would not come:
They left me here, until my body was numb.
My body is full of a pain
That I cannot name:
A dark feeling inside...
My suicide.'"
I stare up at Tsuruoka with a smile of triumph. Sure, the poetry in itself is too simplistic for my liking, but the message inside is clear enough. And from the look on the old bastard's face, he's deeply regretting ever calling at me to read out.
"Get out of this school, Ryou Bakura," He whispers in a deadly quiet hiss, "I do not want to see your face again until tomorrow. I expect an apology for such lack of shame for yourself. Now go home and explain to your parents why you've come home so early!"
I blink. What the FUCK was I supposed to have done now? Sure, this unexpected twist doesn't bother me, of course, but I would deeply appreciate it if I knew even the foundations of why I am going home earlier than usual.
So, I do this by asking the question nearly every truant asks his educator at some point.
"Huh? Why?"
"DON'T ask questions, Bakura!" He spits, slamming his fist down onto his front desk with a fractious look on his face.
Fuck... only the formation of that word is too much for me. He struck a nerve there, and he knows it. I reach by the side of my desk to retrieve my back, thrusting forcefully my belongings into it. My eyes never look down at what I am doing, but instead focus entirely on him. With a glare so murderous I feel almost frightened that I would get screamed at for it, I march out of the room. Yet, before I do, I pause.
"Don't expect an apology either, asshole." I whisper, shooting one last glance at the almost impressed look of the Pharaoh in the back corner. With a small toss of my head, I stride out of the door and into the unsurprisingly filled corridor. Several students whip their heads around. One even begins to follow me, but turns off suddenly at a corner.
Ah... now I know why I should have avoided this particular area of the school. For Jou is right around the corner, skulking. I pause, almost considering going back, but the Godly warning trickles down my back with such force it takes me by surprise.
Instead then, I'll do some spying. There is a certain point in the gardens in which you can sit on a bench and look in to see who's there. And the upside to the brilliant plan of mine? Those inside, if at a random angle, cannot see you.
And the downside? How to get out there in the first place. The doors leading out to the gardens may be locked. Then again, the locks had needed replacement ever since Yugi had been at this school, in the 'real' world.
I crouch down to the floor, making sure that I keep low when I move towards the doors. My right hand creeps up and tests the lock. No game, it seems. Locked.
Well, I can always call on my Ring's powers again. I close my eyes briefly and, with a small glimmer of light, the door lock clicks. I raise my arm again, and literally fall through the door. Wriggling my way along, I can just make out, through the bushes, where Jou stands. His usual posture is assumed – the trademark folding of the arms, his head lowered and eyes sulky – and I sense his inner rage boiling inside of him. It is just poised to surface, any moment now...
"AAAAWWWWWWWW, SOMEONE'S BOBBIN'!"
Shit. Fuck, bastard, tit-wank.
I hurl myself forwards into the bushes on pure instinct, gasping at the pain from my supposedly healed stomach wound, before rising and casually opening the door. I pray that Jou's mood will not be taken out on me, or that it has at least cooled sufficiently. Just enough so that I do not gain even more bruises.
Jou's head slowly looks up at me when I enter, and his eyes blaze with recognition. Then his lips curl up into a sneer.
"Got bollucked, Ryou?" He sniggers darkly, unfolding his arms and approaching me. I've never before actually been intimidated by our slight height difference, but now I feel it. Fuck, has he always been so tall? What is it about us hikari's that seems to demand we have a shortage in height? I'm not as innocent as that anymore, so shouldn't I really be putting on a major growth spurt?
"What did you do anyway?" I decide to ask, squashing the insane urge to hit him.
Jou jerks his head up an inch, never once glancing away from me. "Gave him some shit the other day. So I'm getting done for every bastard thing now. But I did give him the super scary forbidden sign." He says the last part mockingly, and I can guess what he is implying. The two fingered salute.
Something returns to me now, my old hikari curiosity. Folding my own arms and stepping back slightly, just for my own comfort, I ask:
"Why did you save me last night?"
He shrugs, and averts his gaze to a door on the left. It is swinging, so obviously someone has just entered. Even when he answers me, he does not wrench his stare from the door.
"Guess I didn't want you dead or raped. I know those cunts, I know what they can do, and don't ask me why. And... You have that look." He glances back now for the briefest of moments to regard my face, "The look that says you're haunted."
I blink. Never before has anyone been able to detect even my most hidden attributes before. But then, this is a complicated lifestyle that I must adapt to in order to return home. For that is the one motivation, that one spark of hope, that I have managed to maintain. Even if I must face this alone, then the thought of Bakura shall keep me walking forwards.
"Jou," I begin, eyeing the door now myself, "How can you tell?"
Heard from his lips is the quietest of laughs, and from his lips the barest of smiles. "I've seen that look for fifteen years now. To not recognise it would be stupid."
Fair enough. A valid answer. Maybe it could have been clearer, but I don't want to sound too intrusive.
Again I marvel at the different features I am so unaccustomed to seeing on his usually cheery, smiling face. The rings underneath his eyes suggest weariness and a struggle worth contemplation. His gaunt look could spook even the Game King, and a long, pale scar that runs across his left cheek only enhances my opinion. The clothes he wears are quite worn, with tears at the knee and inner thigh. Dirt and what most probably is blood pools on his jacket and collar. I heave a large sigh.
"Well, I'm going home. I got done by teach for reading out a poem. He told me to go home, so I told him fuck off. You coming with?"
"Hey kid, just because I talk doesn't mean I like." Jou states coldly, turning to face the door he is transfixed upon face on, "Go if you have to. I don't want you to even think about talking to me again. But I will say this: if you're gonna die, I'll save your ass. I don't favour people, but..." He trails off, leaving me with an unsated curiosity.
Still, if I must leave, then I know it. There is a tension in the air that suggests the talk is over. Glancing one long, last look at Jou, I wander away, through the same doors that he stares at. Perhaps he stared at it to drop me a hint that I could not take?
Anything here is possible, I decide, as I emerge from the corridor and into a narrow outdoor passageway to quickly get out of here. It takes just the odd rise of dust from the sloping roof, or mayhaps even a fallen brick, to suggest that I am not alone. With a shudder, I renter the building. The long route doesn't seem quite so bad now after all.
Bakura
Fucking hell. It's only ten and I desperately want, need, both Mutou's to leave. I feel almost as if I am attached to a seat of magnets. Every time I attempt to stand, a pull emits from the text I am reading, as if to persuade me never to relent until I have found my hikari once more.
Though hope is still here. One of my likes about this world is that it can actually rain in Japan, and not for about four months, either. The gentle drizzle of rain lands gently on the windows, occasionally being blown in through the slightly open window.
Though many things I find as a form of solace, this has been the only thing that has managed to calm me enough to read. I painfully remember that I had barely slept, and am reminded constantly by many symptoms. For instance, my face is paler than usual, my silvery locks managing to reinforce this statement. Dark rings have formed under those emotionless eyes of mine. My posture is that of defeat.
I almost remind myself of when Jou was ambushed by those supposed thugs. They had forced his eyes open and, much to my vindictive amusement, had sprayed almost half a litre of a fire extinguisher into them. His eyes had been so red, and could hardly keep themselves open.
The tiniest flicker of a smile manages to find its way to my mouth before fading. I turn the page, and am faced with more bloody formality and technical shit I doubt even my light could have been able to translate. Well, into understandable English, anyway.
Someone, Ryou's 'new' school
Sod this. I've stood here, listening too long about how brilliant other students are. Coincidentally, those are the ones I've managed to bully. Or put in a coma for a couple of days.
Hai... this is the way things work here at Domino High. If a certain person is rumoured to have gotten the highest score in School records, his body comes in the next day with the accessory of a sling, with perhaps a few stitches. The worst casualty to ever be inflicted by bullying was 'drink driving' from someone who has been expelled from this place because of it. Lucky him.
I'm going to dismiss everything now. Fuck it, I've stood here listening to shit from too many people now. I hate it when bastards are telling me what to do, trying to push me around.
I hitch my bag higher onto my back, and push open the door. Since going home won't work out, I'll go to the cemetery that bears my second name within its walls. Then I'll hang, maybe find some cash to burn, then come back to meet with a few gies here. After that... what will become of poor old, hostile me?
I smirk. It's pretty damn obvious. I find another bastard to take the piss out of, maybe to fight with. My allowance has been cut again, so I can't train. Without training, I can't improve.
And that is why she is dead.
I reflect on what happened. Why did she have to be so stupid? Why couldn't she have just gone to the pizza place like I told her to, instead of going underneath that cliff? More importantly why... did that rock have to fall...?
I am so lost in myself that I only come back to reality when legs are forced form underneath me. I land with a crash, and a small yelp, just outside of the school entrance. Angrily I turn over, fully prepared to fend myself from my attacker... and my eyes widen.
"YOU!"
Yami's koi: ooh, it's official now: every bloody chapter I do ends with a cliffhanger. Ok, I gotta apologise. Last week I was in Gran Canaria so I couldn't write, and I was really bad because of it. And the hotel was pretty shitty. An ant bit me and the scab's still on my foot. We found two cockroaches. And loads of ants.
Neutral Man: sounds like you had the time of your life, then.
Yami's koi: that reminds me, Good Riddance (Time of your Life) and Headstrong will have two new chapters coming out very shortly.
Ryou: great. Care to hazard a guess at who has died, and who has wide eyes and cries 'YOU!'?
Yami's koi: so. Himiko-da-evil-witch, I love plushies too. Here you go, all the plushies you could possibly wish for! Fires seventeen truckloads from cannon Right, I've noticed there's some confusion about Ryou's 'world.' No, it's not the past. I'll just let your imaginations figure out that one for a while. Ryou's next task is deathly. All the violence you could possibly want is in the next chapter! Oh and, excuse my bad excuse for poetry in this chapter, it's been one of my more weaker days. Please review, Luvvies.