I know I won't get this done by Christmas… I tried though.
Summary: It's Christmas and Ryou has to baby-sit Yugi's two little cousins and tells them a story about a stranger he once knew. (Hence the title) BxR
Disclaimer: I don't own Christmas or Ryou… or this laptop even. Ahh I'm so lame!
-The Stranger I Once Knew-
Ryou's P.o.V.
It was Christmas Eve and I was snuggled up on the couch next to the living room window, watching the many snowflakes slowly drift down from the sky like manna from heaven. I took a small sip from my hot chocolate and smiled at the field of white, fascinated by its beauty.
Spending the holidays alone was the norm for me. It all started when my mother and my sister died. That was the first Christmas I had to spend by myself. My father's still here, but he's not really here to me. He's an archaeologist who's always away on a dig of some sort, always leaving me alone. At first, the tears were shed and hopes were shattered, but later on, I adapted to it and learned to feel happy that things are they way they are, and not worse.
"Bring, bring!" the phone rang, its shrill sound cutting through the frozen air.
I had to think this over; did I really want to answer the phone when I'm this warm and comfortable sitting here in my chair?
"BRING, BRING!" it rang again, louder and more urgently this time, as if trying to convince me to pick up.
I sighed and put on a pair of fuzzy slippers, even the carpet was cold these days. I stood up, leaving the comfort and warmth of the chair and shuffled over to the phone reluctantly, my hands securely wrapped around my hot chocolate for warmth. I reached my hand out to pick the phone up but recoiled immediately as the cold plastic met my skin, forcing my hand back to the cocoa mug. Curse that heating system that always seems to breakdown during Christmas. The phone had rung 5 times already and I worried that the caller would hang up soon. Thinking on my feet, I just elbowed the speakerphone button. (Remind me later to reward myself for my ingenuity.)
"Moshi moshi," I croaked, my voice hoarse from not speaking to anyone for so long. I took another sip from my drink and rubbed my throat, willing it to work properly.
"Ryou? It's me, Yugi."
"Oh, hello Yugi," I tried again, with improvement.
"Um, hey, are you doing anything tonight? I was wondering if you would like to go to the arcade with me and the others, we'd absolutely LOVE it if you came," he chirped, sounding unnaturally happy.
"Oh… oh! Erm, no thank you, I'm just not the type for arcades," I replied, my voice fully back to normal, "thanks for asking though."
I heard what sounded a lot like a sigh of relief.
"In that case, can you baby-sit my two cousins?"
Ah, I knew he was up to something. "That sounds nice," I said with a knowing grin.
"Its not as nice as you think!" he warned.
I laughed to myself. "I'll watch my back," I said playfully. "I'll be there in 5 minutes."
"Thank you sooo much Ryou!" I heard him say, followed by a clinking noise. I pressed the speakerphone button again and hung up as well.
I quickly finished off the last of my hot chocolate and set the cup down on the kitchen counter. I walked to the door and took my coat and shoes out from the closet, putting both on simultaneously. Then I pulled a pair of mittens out from my coat pockets and slipped them on, now ready to leave. I checked the right pocket of my jeans for the house keys and stepped outside into the snow that has not yet been shoveled away. I double-checked that the doors were locked and started on my way to Yugi's.
It seemed that every child in the neighborhood was outside and joyfully playing in the snow. They were either lying down, waving their arms and feet about, making miniature snow angels that replicated its creator, or building lopsided snowmen with black coal eyes and a carrot nose.
A little boy, about the age of 4 caught my attention. He was rolling and building up a very large snowball (for his size) out of the once virgin snow, when he suddenly lost his grip and it started to roll away. With all the fresh snow on the ground, it was hard for a small child to tell the difference between pavement, and road. The boy waddled after it, further, and further… onto the street.
I was watching so intently that I hadn't realized my feet have stopped. Then I saw it, the headlights of a large SUV. It was as if my mind stopped working. I subconsciously remembered the many movies I've watched where the hero runs across to the middle of the street and pushes the child back into safety. But my arms, legs, mind, refused to move. I watched as the SUV inched closer and closer to where the boy stood, and my heart started to race as I thought of what was about to happen. Then a pair of arms appeared into the scene.
Mom.
"Kevin! Never, I say NEVER go out onto the street again! How many times do I have to…" Her voice was drowned out by the sound of that same SUV driving by, reducing the snowball to mush.
That's right, parents. I can't even remember what it's like to have a parent around to watch over me. I started walking again, nibling at my bottom lip, so caught up in my own thoughts that I wouldn't have known I had already passed Yugi's door if he hadn't burst out of it, as if on cue.
"Ryou! Oh I'm so glad you're here! You'd better hurry up inside before they get out of the closet. I locked it, but they seem to know how to worm their way out of anyth-"
"What! In the CLOSET?" I asked in disbelief.
"Well yeah, how else would you keep them from killing you?" he replied, as if it was the greatest idea in the world. "Uh oh! I think they got out!" he shouted as two small figures ran into the living room and onto the couch. With that, he ran off.
"Good-bye?" I chuckled at his silly behavior and walked inside to see two young children, merrily jumping about, making a mess of the house. I took off my winter clothing and my shoes and setting them aside in the guest closet. Then I shook my head and ruffled my hair, like a dog would do, until I got all the snow out of it.
"SANTA'S HERE!" I yelled loudly, hoping to get the children's attention.
They immediately stopped their mess making and stared at me with their large eyes. "Ryou!" they exclaimed excitedly and ran over to give me big welcoming hugs.
"What took you so long?" the older girl asked with a pout. She had long brown hair tied up into two pigtails, her spiraling curls reaching the middle of her back, and large bottomless blue eyes.
"Yeah! Yugi was being so stupid!"
"Hey watch your language kiddo," I directed at the younger boy. He looked much like his sister, except his hair was much darker.
"Gomen. But stupid isn't a bad word!"
"Yes it is, no S-words of any kind are allowed, including stupid."
"But he really WAS being stupid!"
"Language," I reminded with no prevail.
"Gomen, gomen! But Ryou, listen! He was trying to give us ice cream!" he continued.
"Oh, Haru's right," said, the girl. "We don't want ice cream." They both made a face, and said in unison, "We want cookies and milk!"
I made way to the kitchen with Haru and Hana on my tail. "Chocolate chip or Oreos?"
The two children each shouted their favourites simultaneously, creating a jumbled mess of syllables. "Chocoreochip!"
I smiled and grabbed a pack of each out from the pantry, then a couple of glasses, and the milk from the fridge.
"To the chair!" I commanded dramatically, and they obeyed the same way, marching like a couple of life-size toy soldiers. Once you entered the living room, you could see it. It was a big, ancient, red, armchair with gold patterns. Yugi asks me to baby-sit these two so often that I've declared it my own. I plopped myself down and made myself comfortable before I could tend to the little ones' needs.
"Ryou, tell us another one of your stories," Hana begged, her large sky-blue eyes gazing up at me, as she opened the cookies and poured milk for Haru and herself. I just had to give in, knowing exactly how strong the influence of the puppy pout was (having used it many times myself). "Please?"
"Well…" I pretended, "I'll think about it."
"But Ryou!" Haru shouted in discontent.
"No buts."
"But-"
"I said no buts."
He fell silent for a moment, but started again, "But, but, we'll be good!"
"Hmm, well… oh alright," I faked, grinning widely.
They started cheering when I reminded them, "Nuh-uh, you two are going to be good remember? And that means no loud noises."
As if they'd do anything for a good story, they both pretended to zip their mouths up.
"That's right. Now here goes." I sat there silently for a moment eyebrows furrowed, nibbling at my lip again, trying to think of a new story to tell them.
Haru took his Oreo for a dip in the milk.
"Once upon a time, there wa-"
"Wait!" He interrupted.
"What? Did you drop your cookie in your milk? Do you have to go to the bathroom?" I asked Haru, all too familiar with their usual troubles.
But it was Hana who answered, and it wasn't the usual. "No silly, you forgot to tell us the title. Every story has a title."
Haru nodded in agreement as he took a bite of his cookie.
"Oh," I said, and started thinking of the perfect title for my story, but a title immediately came to mind and before I even realized it, it was out of my mouth. "The Stranger I Once Knew." I blurted.
Haru, dropped his Oreo in his milk, but decided to ignore it and move on to more pressing matters, such as getting another cookie. "But Ryou, if you know him then how can he be a stranger?"
"Hey! How do you know it's a he?" Immediately defending her rights as a girl.
"It's a he alright. And I can't tell you how he can be a stranger if I know him. I guess you'll just have to listen and see then huh? Be good, remember? Less questions." I cleared my throat mock-pompously and began my story.
"The Stranger I Once Knew.
"Once upon a time…"
Ah not the longest chapter ever, but its just an introduction. But how do you like it? I'd love reviews, and flames aren't appreciated much. Do feel free to give friendly advice though. And yes it's KINDA a cliffhanger, because you have no idea what's going to happen in the story yet. But I'll try my hardest not to keep you guys waiting and upload something soon, I don't know though. I've given up on writing… I just don't get the inspiration as easily as before, hence the yearlong gap since I last updated. But yeah, Happy Christmas ya'll. If you see any mistakes, make sure you tell me. I might need a beta.