Happy Valentine's Day!
May love and friendship be with you always.
"A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away." - Arabian Proverb -
"Love doesn't make the world go round, it makes the ride worthwhile." - F.P. Jones -
Chapter 5: Wrong Choice
Yuugi cursed himself from his lack of foresight. The teen was sitting in a coffee shop, pondering on some matters that had been ignored during the development of his plan. How he didn't stop to think about such things was beyond his grasp. He had succeeded in getting away from Domino City, but now what? He had nowhere to go, no way to earn a living; he didn't even know the city. As Otogi would say, "this was a bad example of acting before thinking".
Finishing his cup of chocolate and placing it on the table, Yuugi grabbed the newspaper he had bought the moment his airplane landed, and looked at the ads section. Most of the flats were really expensive and some others were a little beyond his possibilities. Maybe he should look for a little room. After all, he didn't know how much time his savings would last. A certain advertisement caught his attention.
"Single room, cheap price. Interested? Go to Yester Street 54 or call 786-98-09."
An opportunity he just couldn't let go.
Yuugi didn't notice the waitress lurking through the booths, in hopes of cleaning his table for the next costumer, until she approached him with her hands on her hips.
"Would you like anything else, dear?" she asked.
"Huh?...No thanks. I'm okay."
The teen didn't move. The waitress tried again.
"So you're finished?"
"Yes, thank you."
The teen continued to look at the newspaper. The waitress stared in shock. Had she just been ignored? Well then, desperate times call for desperate measures…and some indirect comments wouldn't hurt, would they?
"You know, we've got plenty of people waiting. If you don't need anything, you could go and read the newspaper somewhere else."
Startled, Yuugi blushed brightly and mumbled an apology. Grabbing his handbag, he stood up, and headed for the door.
Pleased with herself, the waitress started to clean the table. Only one hour before his turn was over, and then she could go home and rest her sore legs. The new costumers, an elderly couple, entered the shop and sat at the table, asking for two cups of coffee. Just when the waitress was about to retrieve the order, she felt a light tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she found the tricolour- haired boy looking at her questioningly.
"Yes?"
"Could you tell me where is Yester Street?"
-()-()-()-
Ryou gazed out the school window, not really seeing the ground below. It was barely believable that just two weeks ago he had seen Yuugi off at the airport, not knowing it would be the last time he talked to his fellow light. Looks can be quite deceiving. Who would have thought that behind that cheerful façade laid a tormented heart? He had ignored his suspicions and now regretted it. He truly regretted it. First Bakura, and now Yuugi. Everyone he loved or truly cared for was slowly disappearing from his life.
Yes, Ryou had loved the ancient thief, but had never admitted it. Over the last few days, before Ceremonial Battle, Bakura had been more gentle, more caring…more human. Ryou didn't mind all the beatings, all the slicing words, all the times of betrayal, because he knew what the cause of such harsh treatment was. It was the same treatment Bakura had received when he was just a little boy in Ancient Egypt. That's why the spirit was always on the defensive. But Ryou knew what lied beneath that cold heart, he had seen it once…
-----
Ryou threw his book across the room. He couldn't bring himself to finish his homework, mainly because of the slight headache he'd had all day and that, now, seemed to be getting worse. The albino teen sighed and slumped on the bed, making the springs creak in protest. He knew so much noise would disturb Bakura, but right then he didn't care. A flash of light emerged from the Millennium Ring.
"QUIET, boy! Don't you see I'm trying to rest? Or are you too stupid to realize it?", the spirit snarled. "You should be sleeping by now! I need your body tomorrow and I can't use it if it's all worn out. My plans won't succeed and it will be your fault, just like always!"
Need…use…fault…always.
Ryou didn't even flinch at the hard tone. But it did help to worsen his headache.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you, mortal!" Bakura shouted, grabbing the teen by the neck. Only then, did the thief realize the pale features on his light's face; only then, did his heart skip a beat.
"What's gotten into you?"
"I-I've got a headache, more like a migraine, b-but I'll be okay."
Bakura looked at Ryou's brown eyes, searching his mind for the truth. The light teen closed his eyes when he saw the thief raise his left hand to his face. He waited for the blow that was sure to come… but, instead he felt a pair of fingers being pressed over his eyelids, inducing him to sleep. Ryou welcomed the tingling sensation that ran from his head, down his spine and to the tip of his toes, making his migraine fade away.
Just before sleep overcame his senses, Ryou felt Bakura's fingers playing with his hair, caressing the bridge of his nose, and trailing them down his cheek to reach the sensitive spot behind his earlobes. The albino wanted to say so much, but darkness enveloped him as the thief tucked him into bed.
The following morning, Ryou woke up as good as new. The headache was only a distant memory. He finished his homework in time and rushed to school, arriving just as the bell rang. The day passed uneventfully, and that night, lying in the dim light of his room, a single thought roamed his mind.
Bakura never took over his body.
-----
Maybe if Ryou had asked, the spirit of the Ring would've stayed. Maybe not. It was too late to know, anyway. The albino looked away from the window, paying attention for the first time to the bickering between his friends. Not that he didn't know what they were arguing about. The rumours behind the disappearance of Yuugi Mutou had spread wildly through the entire school. Only when Mr. Mutou had talked to the principal – coming up with a fake excuse about his grandson's leaving - did the gossips quieted down.
"What about the return ticket that allowed Yuugi to come back to Domino? If he swapped it, the change could be tracked down by Kaiba's computer," Otogi pointed out.
"Well, yeah. According to Seto's research…" Joey said, ignoring Malik's rolling of eyes, "…that was one of the main obstacles. Yuugi neither changed nor sold his ticket, which means, he still has it and maybe bought a new one so his movements couldn't be followed."
"Bought a new one?" Honda repeated. "But who did he get the money from?"
This time, Malik was the one to answer.
"I assume that Yuugi took all his savings and the money his parents left him." Looking at the confused faces before him, the Egyptian elaborated. "Yuugi once told me, that after his parents died, Grandpa Mutou withdraw his daughter's and son-in-law money from the bank and kept it in the Game Shop. Mr. Mutou thought that the money should only belong to Yuugi, telling him to make use of it whenever he needed."
Just then, Kaiba arrived, carrying his metallic portfolios. He had been talking to the Switzerland's hotel manager and to the airline's director, in hopes of getting some information. The brunette had even asked to see the videos on the security cameras but, for obvious reasons, his request had been turned down.
"How is Mokuba?" Joey asked.
"Not better, but at least he got out of his room." Kaiba answered.
"And what about Yuugi?" the blond-haired tried once again.
"Nothing."
"If…" Honda started.
"I don't think school is the most appropriate place to talk about these matters. We could have someone eavesdropping and not realizing it." Ryou said quietly. "There's no need to revive the rumours."
Everyone became silent and turned to look at the albino teen. But the brown gaze was not fixed upon them. It was looking beyond their table, into a pair of blue eyes staring slyly at the gang. Ryou didn't want Anzu to meddle in this situation. It would only make it worse.
And what would they tell her anyway? a part of him asked.
The truth, the other part answered, that Yuugi has slipped right between our fingers.
-()-()-()-
He read it on the newspaper.
Yester Street 54
He read it once again on the sloppy placard hung upside down above the peeled door.
Yester Street 54
Then, where the hell was he? After following the directions he got from the waitress, Yuugi found himself in front of a building that seemed about to collapse on itself in any minute. The grey walls had cracks all over them; many of the windows didn't have glass and those few that did, were half broken. Not to mention that this seemed to be the worst part of the city.
Yuugi shrugged, ignoring the alarm that went off in his mind, and pressed the doorbell.
"Who is it?" a rough voice roared from the inside.
"I-I came to see t-the apartment," Yuugi stuttered.
Immediately the peeled door swung open, and a tall, bulky figure appeared on the doorway. The smell of alcohol reached Yuugi's nostrils as he raised his head to look at the person before him. A man in his late forties stood up on swaying legs. His prominent stomach told Yuugi silent stories about his drinking addiction while his badly shaven face greeted the teen with unfriendly, small black eyes.
The figure stared at Yuugi with something close to wonder. Was his mind playing tricks on him? This boy had a pair of stunning and shy lavender eyes filled with so much innocence and trust. He seemed a little boy, but the slight built of his chest told otherwise. Oh, it would be fun to break that innocence, to extinguish the light behind those eyes; to show the teen that the life wasn't as fair as it seemed. The man licked his dry lips, smirking in a way that showed his rotten teeth.
"Follow me," he said.
Yuugi did as he was told. They walked up tumbledown stairs, heading for the roof of the building. Suddenly the man stopped and turned around to look at the short teen.
"What's your name?" he growled.
"Y-Yuugi, sir"
"I'm Earl, and I'm the owner of this building. Renting a room in a place like this is illegal. So if you want to stay here, I suggest you don't tell anyone where you live and avoid meddling up with me. If not, you'll get kicked out. Understood?"
Yuugi nodded. The man laughed ironically.
"Well then, I'll show you to your chambers."
Earl pulled out a rusty key from the pocket of his shabby trousers and opened the door on his left, pushing the startled teen through it. The room was totally empty except for an old and yellow mattress lying on the far corner of the concrete floor. There was a little skylight over the frame of the steel door and a single light bulb - hanging from the ceiling by a single cable - swayed solitary in the dusty fog.
"I'll see you tomorrow morning. That's if the cockroaches haven't eaten you alive," Earl snorted cruelly, slamming the door behind him.
Yuugi stood in the middle of the room shaking violently. A little voice nagged at the edges of his mind. Get out of here, while you still can. Get out! But he couldn't. Staying in that cranky room would be better than spending the night outside…right?
Placing the handbag in the floor and grabbing his sketchpad, Yuugi stepped out of the room and over to the edge of the building. The soft breeze played with his blond bangs and caressed his face as the teen looked at the ground below. Amethyst eyes closed, losing themselves in past memories.
There were so many feelings in the pit of his stomach. So many things to express… and that was where the sketchpad provided him release. He opened the notebook in a random page and started to draw. Pencil lines crossed the page in an intricate pattern Yuugi only understood. The day soon turned into night, but the young teen kept drawing, pouring in his art his longing to feel protected.
The morning found Yuugi curled on the rooftop, clutching the notebook tightly to his chest. There were dry tearstains on his cheeks. His hands and feet were numb, but his heart was in peace, for in the sketchpad he had drawn his only protector: the Millennium Puzzle.
Any comments, suggestions, and/or critics will be welcomed.
(Flames will be used to make me some hot chocolate)
Review Responses
KNT: (Glomps back) I'm glad you're enjoying the story (though I smacked Yuugi in the head for making you cry). And Yami? Well he… oh the phone is ringing! I've got to answer it.
Kasumi Rose: Thank you! I asked Yuugi to tell me where he flew off, but the guy told me he didn't read the destination on his ticket. I think we'll have to wait, until he realizes where he landed (wink).
Sailor Centauri: Your wish is my command; I hope you liked this chapter.