Make Yourself
Chapter 13: Whatever Floats his Boat
By: Shounen Squared

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, any of its characters, or any of the songs throughout this little FANfic.

As several days passed, life moved on in the residence of The Sleep and Ryou. After the whole "Ryuuji incident", Bakura had turned to his boys and boyfriend with an excited smirk upon his lips.

"It's times like these that require some cheer. I called Danno, Hirahara, Kuro, Mike, and Toya," he paused when he received a look of approval from Seto, Yami, and Marik, and a look of confusion from Ryou. "They're from our affiliate band, MassoKissed. Toya's letting us all go on her father's boat and tear the sea up. There's going to be music, dancing, and drinks." The tan blonde bassist gave a satisfied 'yes!' when Bakura had paused again. "The guys and the boat will be waiting for us at the Domino pier; we leave in one hour."

Ryou was a bit baffled as to why Bakura had waited so long to tell them about this boat bash, but he didn't care. He had never been on a partying speed boat before, so he couldn't help but feel anxious.

Suddenly, something caused his stomach to churn and his knees to feel heavier than lead. "I. . .I'm going to take a shower now," he mumbled before walking toward the bathroom.

Seto raised an eyebrow at Bakura. "Has it occurred to you that it's barely past January? It's going to be cold, you know. Like, freezing cold. Isn't this odd timing for a boat bash, especially for him?" By "him" he meant Ryou, and his constant 'know-it-all' attitude implied much more of a sure statement than an unsure inquiry.

"Yea, he's pretty pale," added Marik. "Pale and frail. Knowing him, he'll probably freeze in the cold winter air, faint, plunge off of the boat, and die of hypothermia like those people in Titanic. Besides, Ryou isn't exactly the 'hog-wild drinking and going crazy' type."

"Not lately. But I speak from experience, boys, that when ready and given the right people, Ryou will cut loose just like the rest of us."

Bakura strolled along the beach, arm linked within Ryou's arm. He spoke to him about the members of MassoKissed that he would be meeting today for the first time. Ryou did not know much about the band at all, except that their latest single was a percussion-heavy song called "Forget Me." Bakura analyzed each member as if some serious mental preparation was required.

"First there's Mike. He's pretty friendly, though not cheery in the least. His role in the band is lead singer, but he's a leader in other ways, too. He's always responsible for booking concerts, scheduling single releases and TV/radio appearances, and is often called upon to step into the other members' little spats and fights. He's the manager and producer so he's very stressed constantly, and really snippy. Unless you know him well like we do, it's best to keep your distance from him a bit, and to be very careful of what you say to him.

"Then we have Ran, the most 'unique'"--he made the "quote-and-quote" hand motion--"member of the band. She just wants to have fun and party all the time. She's the only female in the band (a bass vocalist-slash-guitarist) and the guys often argue with her that she doesn't take her work seriously enough. She's a tease, and she can even turn on a gay guy if she wants to. I'll bet you anything that she'll be the one handing out shots. Just be careful--she's a huge flirt. If she does flirt with you for any reason, don't be scared or intimidated. Just play along; I won't mind." He winked, nudging Ryou's ribcage a bit.

"The last three are pretty simple. Hirahara, the lead guitarist, is morbid and kind of icy, but luckily, he doesn't talk that much. When he does, though, his words are usually pretty cruel or harsh. He manages to piss the band off from time to time, but they keep him in the group because his style is so distinctive and perfect for the band. Just ignore him unless he addresses you, which I doubt will happen.

"Tanak is the drummer. He's cheery, and sometimes nutty as a fruitcake. He's gay--I mean really gay--and he's the boyfriend of Kuro, who plays keyboard and synth. Kuro is pretty cool and aloof. Kind of emotionless and boring, but he's not mean to anybody, especially Tanak and his fans." He looked at Seto, Yami and Marik, who walked behind them. "Did I leave anything out?" When all of them thought for a second and shook their heads, Bakura turned back to Ryou. He could see the other rockstars out on the pier, waving at them. "Remember everything you've learned today."

As one party of five met the other, a young man with hot pink hair and black roots approached Ryou and extended his hand. In a soft, high-pitched voice, he said, "Ryou? You must be Ryou. I've heard so much about you from Bakura-kun."After being asked for a hug, Ryou could not help but make an assumption. It seemed really ignorant, but he could not help but think that this was the gay and cheery Tanak. If not gay, he was surely cheerful.

"He's pretty cute," murmured a solitary girl in the back of the group. "Don't you think so, Mikey?"

Mike, who in appearance reminded Ryou of Joel from Good Charlotte (an American band), quirked an eyebrow at the perky girl. "What do you think?" He stepped up to the front and shook Ryou's hand firmly. "Mike." Following Mike was Kuro, who also reached his hand out for a handshake. "Pleasure," he had said. Hirahara nodded his head from the group of ten to the edge of the boat, beckoning everybody to board.

Ryou now remembered why he had nearly fainted earlier back at home. Large bodies of water made him nervous; not scared, nervous. After all, who knows what things are living in there! And since he was not the most athletic person, he had always had this vague fear that he would fall in and drown. It was big and dark. He could barely see what so many people loved about it.

So, coyly, Ryou brought up the rear in a single-file line of teens and young adults stepping onto the boat. When Bakura held out his hand and offered support, Ryou graciously took it. Could he somehow know that he got nervous around the ocean? He set his left foot onto the white edge, and more pliantly than he had thought. His weight shifted as his right foot moved forward, and suddenly the support of solidity slipped out from underneath him.

All he could manage was a choked 'whoa!' before he felt himself slip into the water. Bakura's breath hitched slightly by instinct, and he could feel himself being tugged to the cold winter water along with his beau. He knew that if he allowed himself to be pulled in, he would be too frozen and stiff to help Ryou. As quickly as he could, he tightened his grip on Ryou's hand, and used his other hand to latch onto his lower arm.

Hardly before any of the other teens could manage to turn around to see what was happening, Bakura had forced his weight backwards and heaved Ryou roughly over the edge. Both of them fell to the textured floor with a thud. Ryou did not complain about the bumpy landing; he laughed at his clumsiness. Hearing his other half laughing the situation off, Bakura allowed himself to as well. "Clutz," he joked.

"You weren't even on before you fell off," added Tanak, who also chuckled. It had all happened so quickly that he had not even seen it happen.

Ran leaned over him, checking his face, arms, legs, et cetra for cuts or scrapes. "You okay, kid?" She skimmed over Bakura when Ryou nodded his head at her. Kuro knelt down to Ryou and placed his arm behind his back, lifting him up from his laying down position. Then he handed Ryou a warm, fluffy and white towel.

He wrapped it around him and could not help but smile. "You always want to be such a hero, 'Kura. I wasn't drowning or anything," he teased. Remembering that somebody had gotten some warmth for him, he turned and added a quick thank-you to Kuro.

At first, Bakura had taken offense to the teasing that Ryou was dishing out. At first, he almost said a bitter "sorry" and walked to the other side of the deck. But he realized Ryou's intentions and just laughed at himself.

When Bakura got to his feet, he held his hand down to Ryou, grinning. "Promise I won't let you fall this time."

Ryou did almost fall over again, startled by the sudden blasting music. Yami, Marik, Seto, and Bakura laughed and patted the only minor present on the back. Not only had Ryou been caught off guard by it, but also by the type of music being played. He had expected to hear their own music: "The Rude Awakening", "Forget Me", and other rock and metal songs. Instead, it was a song famous in America called "La Tortura" by Shakira, featuring Alejandro Sanz.

With a roll of his head and a loosening of his neck, Bakura began to dance. Most of the teens laughed because it was completely in Spanish, and they had no idea what they were listening to. Still, Tanak and Marik sang out loud: "Que te fueras sin decir a dónde ay amor, fue una tortura--Perderte!" and "No sólo de pan vive el, hombre y no de excusas vivo yo. . ." Ryou could not say he had ever heard or heard of this song in his life. Nor did he have a remote clue as to what the guys were singing.

Ran, who had gone to the restroom to change, emerged from the doorway in a renewed outfit and set of accessories. Instead of a large and loose hoodie, she was wearing a stretchy and form-fitting pink T-shirt with a fairly low neckline. Yes, somehow, she was wearing a T-shirt in late Winter. And instead of baggy black capris, she now had on fringed Daisy Duke shorts (she only shivered once upon coming into the cold wind). Around her waist was a black nylon belt with many pockets. Mike simpered hopefully, and when Ran took out shot glasses and a large bottle of Sex on the Beach, she affirmed his hopes, and he cheered (not failing to smack Ran's ass before she strutted out into the middle of the deck). A pale pink whistle and cowgirl hat were the finishing touches to her ensemble.

She wrapped her legs around the metal beam teasingly, which was on a platform. She blew her whistle, in order to grab everyone's attention. "Who's taking shots first?" The straight males (Mike, Hirahara, Marik, Yami, and Seto) and Bakura all yelled, all hoping to get first dibs on shots.

Ran spun around once on the beam and jumped down to their level and pointed to Bakura. Ryou had never drank alchohol before. Well, actually, he had once before, but he could not remember that. He watched in fascination as Ran stood behind Bakura. She wrapped her left arm around his shoulder, and tilted the liquid into his mouth with her right hand.

When finished, Bakura slammed the tiny glass down on the nearby platform. The young lady blew her whistle loudly rhythmicly to her holding the sides of Bakura's head and shaking it side to side, nodding it up and down, playing with his ears, slapping him across his behind a few times, and smacking his palm. From habit, Bakura had reached into his pocket to give money. "They're free this time, hon," she assured him, smacking his ass again with a smirk.

Because her whistle was still between her lips, she only pointed to Ryou and then to the bottle of Sex on the Beach, obviously asking him if he wanted a shot. Blushing slightly, he shook his head and held his palms up. "I'm not legal," he explained. Ran shrugged with a pouty face, but he saw Bakura whispering something in her ear. Suddenly, her face glowed, she nodded "yes" to him, and pointed toward the top deck. That is where Bakura walked off to.

Without his boyfriend nearby, shy Ryou did not know of much to do other than sit quietly. He was too afraid of attempting to meet somebody new and then embarass himself.

It was not long before Tanak and Kuro cheered in brief dismissal of dancing. When Kuro began walking up to the top deck, the pink-haired man pranced over to Ryou's seat; he peered at him curiously upon sitting down. He had been told by Bakura and company that he was supposed to keep Ryou's amnesia "on the down-low" and act as if he was meeting him for the first time. He hated having to keep such a crucial secret from somebody he cared about. Not only was Ryou a friend of his friends, but . . .

He tilted his head at Ryou. "Where's Bakura?"

Ryou was a bit startled by the attention. In his book, this was a lot of attention for somebody he'd just met. "Oh. He's up those stairs."

Tanak looked up toward the ceiling, probably just to acknowledge that he knew what Ryou was talking about. "Kuro went up there, too. Maybe they're up there making out?" He winked and nudged the white-haired minor, chuckling in case this teen did not understand that he was joking. "It doesn't seem like you like to do much without him, huh?"

"N-not really."

"And you're not going to drink anything or take any shots at all?" Tanak seemed disappointed.

"I'm not old enough," Ryou mumbled, twisting a strand of hair around his index finger.

Suddenly, five men and a woman burst into laughter and cheers; footsteps could be heard coming down the metal ladder. Tanak's head shot up to see why everyone was shouting, and as soon as he saw, he too began to cheer. "Oh my God. . . Whoo hoo! Go 'Kura! Go Kuro!" His tone was full of undoubtable amusement.

Ryou's brown eyes jumped and widened greatly at the sight before him.

There stood Bakura and Kuro, dressed in matching skin-tight black vinyl pants and black vinyl muscle shirts (sleeveless). And of course, their nylon belts resembled that of the one that Ran wore, complete with Sex on the Beach and shot glasses. The two young men just smirked and held up their bottles of alchohol.

"That's right, bitches!" yelled Bakura. "We're the 'Bang-Bang-Shot' twins, 'Kura and Kuro." He turned to Kuro then. "Who should get shots first, Kuro-kun?"

"Who else?" His voice was soft but his expression was mischevious as he pointed to the pair sitting on the white seats, also known as Ryou and Tanak.

A pair of whistles began to blast. With a glint in his eye, Bakura crept over to Ryou and took his hand. Somehow gently, he uprooted Ryou from his chair and snatched him forward. He wrapped an arm around his lower back and held him tightly to his body. Putting the "dominatrix" act on hold, he held Ryou's head close to his face and whispered in his ear, "I want you to try this so badly. But I don't want to pressure you, so just tell me what you want to do."

"Why not?" was the quiet response. Ryou didn't seem to regret that choice at all.

Running a hand through his soft white hair, Bakura tilted Ryou's chin upward, then tilted the glass upward, pouring the drink into his mouth. "Was it good?" Bakura asked, placing the shot glass in Ryou's hand.

As he finished his drink, Ryou allowed himself to lick his lips and confidently say, "Yes!"

Everyone but Bakura and Ryou applauded, yelled, and a couple of people blew whistles. Somewhat pleased with the attention, Ryou downed another shot glass's worth of Sex on the Beach and then told Bakura that he didn't want any more.

Bakura snaked his arms around Ryou's waist and kissed him one more time, tasting the alchohol that Ryou had just gulped down. As the cheering faded, and as Kuro finished giving a shot to Tanak, the "Bang-Bang-Shot" twins decided that since there were no more gay guys on the boat, there was no point in giving out any more shots--they delegated the task back to Ran once more.

"Are you having fun?" Bakura asked curiously, taking Ryou's hand and sitting down where he had been.

Ryou had started to sit down next to Bakura, but Bakura had other plans; he wrapped his arms around the fragile figure and pulled him onto his lap. Ryou did not mind the new seating arrangement whatsoever.

"Yea," he replied with a smiling, listening to another upbeat song begin.

There's 13 for you. Yay, this one was longer! Oh, and two whoever suggested I add more characters to get rid of writer's block, this is actually entirely coincidental. I got this idea (to bring MassoKissed into the story) as I began writing Chapter 12. So yea, I have an idea to go about the story, but you won't get to see it for a little while! ((Giggle)) Thank you for your dedication, and I'll see you all next chapter :)