B-o-n-d-s
Disclaimer: This is getting old...but I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!
Author's NotesThe idea came to me while I was cleaning up my room...But that's okay – it could've been worse – it could've hit me while I was sitting on the toilet... . Okay, I shouldn't have said that...
Review responses:
reenas – as – Yeah, I know it was different from the rest...But you can always blame my muse...whoever she is...maybe it's a he...hmm...Ahem, moving on.
A lilmatchgirl – I'm glad you liked it! Oh, and I was inspired after the flu was over, not while in the middle of it...I was feeling equally miserable and cranky just like you.
FalsE FortunE – Aw, you reviewed every single story! Thank you! I'll be sure to write a Mai × Joey or Kaiba × Serenity story soon!
Sanctuary
Tea × Ryou
It was pouring outside; the streets of Domino City doused completely, raindrops falling heavily down and creating circular waves over small puddles of water on the concrete.
A loud splash was heard when Tea Gardner tried to jump over one of the larger puddles, only to land in another, smaller one.
"Drat!" She exclaimed, glaring at her shoes that were soaked through, her socks damp and her feet cold. "Of all the days..." she muttered, holding a plastic bag over her head to at least shield her head from the downpour. That didn't help her much, though, since her brown tresses were already half wet, seeming almost black under the dark sky.
She raised her leg a bit to shake the remaining water off her shoe, trying to get home as soon as possible. She was reprimanding herself all the way down the street, wondering why on earth she chose to go to the store right before the rain started to fall. Glancing slightly at the bag over her head, she grimaced, noticing the box of cookies sticking out of the bag, the paper wet and bent slightly due to the heavy drops.
Great, she thought, just peachy!
She was muttering under her breath, angry at the rain, at herself and at the stupid school uniform. She was freezing now.
Standing at the edge of the sidewalk, she was so caught up in her tantrum that she didn't notice the car approaching quickly, driving over the puddles recklessly and spraying everything around. When she raised her head at the odd sound, it was already too late – the car drove past her without trying to avoid the puddle next to her, and another loud splashing sound was heard, accompanied by the girl's shriek.
She was left to stand stiffly in the middle of the street, staring with wide eyes ahead, drenched from head to toe. Spending a few moments in stunned silence like that, she blinked and then turning around slowly, shook with anger and raised her fist in the air.
"You bastard!" She screeched and trembled when a cool breeze flew by, making her huddle and embrace herself. She ignored the onslaught of the rain over her head; she was already soaked to the bones, what were a few rainy drops on her head, anyway...
Letting out an exasperated sigh, she took a step forward, forgetting about the cookies in the bag and a pack of chewing gum she bought at the store. She headed down the street, every step she made creating a sloshing sound as she glared mutely at her own reflection in the puddles, when a voice behind her made her stop and turn around briskly.
"Tea!" The white haired boy exclaimed, watching her curiously. "I thought that was you!"
He approached her, holding a black, wide umbrella over his head. Another shiver swept through her and she tightened her arms around her firmly.
"H-hey, Ryou," she managed to splutter miserably, gazing at him under wet bangs. Ryou stopped right in front of her, instantly putting the umbrella over her soaked form. He looked at her worriedly.
"You are soaking wet!" He said in a somewhat incredulous manner, wondering why she went out to walk in that kind of weather. She offered him a weak smile, shaking uncontrollably in front of him.
"Y-yeah, well..." She mumbled and looked down in embarrassment, her cheeks flushing slightly. Ryou glanced at her figure, noticing the way her shirt was plastered to her body in an almost possessive manner, the skirt clinging to her thighs firmly. He gulped and blushed profusely, averting his eyes away to stop the sudden surge of odd emotions stirring up in him.
He jerked out of his reverie when he noticed her shivering and somehow managed to speak without stuttering, trying to avoid staring anywhere but at her face.
"You're shivering," he said and she looked up after hearing the concerned tone in his voice. His eyes were soft although she noticed a slight tinge of pink on his cheeks. She blinked, rubbing her upper arms with her cold hands. She could feel the numbness in her fingers already and let out a shaky breath.
"Come on," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder and then sliding it between her shoulder blades to guide her down the street. She looked at him strangely and noticed that kind look in her eyes again. She smiled a bit despite her slightly trembling lips. Dear, sweet Ryou...
"My house is just around the corner," he said after a moment of silence, switching the umbrella to his other hand so it could cover her more. "You can't walk around like that."
She blinked again and then lowered her head to look at herself. Tiny droplets were sliding down her slender legs, absorbed by her socks. Her skirt was practically embracing her thighs, making it look like she was wearing a mini skirt. When she glanced at her shirt, her cheeks reddened, her eyes widening slightly – every curve of her upper body was visible under the, now, almost transparent material. She crossed her arms quickly over her chest; glad she was wearing a bra underneath. She glanced at the white haired boy and he blushed when she caught him staring at her.
"W-we're almost there," he spluttered, cheeks pink as well as he quickly torn his gaze away from her. She kept on staring at the concrete firmly, clutching the material to her chest tightly.
÷ ÷ ÷
Ryou fumbled with the keys for a bit, his fingers also slightly numb from holding the umbrella for so long. The doors opened with a soft creak and he ushered her inside gently, closing the doors behind him again.
She stood there in the middle of his living room, water spilling and falling down her shivering figure, creating a small puddle underneath her feet.
"I'll get you a towel," she heard him say and saw a glimpse of his white hair when he disappeared down the hall and into the bathroom. She looked around; sighing at the warmth of the house, the dark couch in the living room, pictures and paintings hanging on the walls...it was a nice room, cozy and welcoming. She was afraid to move, not wanting to soak the floor further, so she just stared ahead, looking at the oddly shaped vase, residing on the shelf above the fireplace. It looked so ancient.
When she heard footsteps approaching, she turned her head to see Ryou, holding a white towel in one hand and something that resembled a pair of pants and a shirt in the other.
"Uhm, here," he said, offering her the towel. She took it with a soft 'thank you', putting it on her head to dry her hair. Ryou watched her silently in some sort of amazement and wonder. It was a weird feeling to see her, standing there, in the middle of his living room, drying her hair with his towel. He snapped out of it, when he saw the puddle on the floor. She blushed in chagrin.
"Sorry," she chimed uneasily but he only shook his head, turning away to get her a pair of slippers, forgetting to leave the clothes for her behind. She continued to dry her hair slowly, not feeling cold anymore, only wet and uncomfortable in her drenched school uniform. He came back quickly, handing her a pair of slippers and she blinked when he offered her the clothes, as well.
"I couldn't find anything else besides my sleeping...clothes..." He trailed off when he realized how that came out and blushed faintly. She stared at him for a moment but then gradually took the soft, navy blue fabric from his hands. Taking off her shoes with a slopping sound, she sighed, wriggling with her stiff toes. She took her socks off carefully and then stopped, when she remembered he was still standing there.
"Uhm...where could I-"
"Oh!" The boy exclaimed, snapping out of his stupor and pointed down the hall. "First door to the left."
She nodded and not knowing where to put the plastic bag, simply placed it on the floor, away from the puddle. She tiptoed quickly over the soft carpet, careful not to leave wet marks behind her too much. Ryou sighed when he heard the click of the bathroom lock and went to the hall to get a rag to wipe off the puddle. He came back with the bucket and the worn out looking cloth, crouching a bit to wipe away the water.
He was finished after a minute, placing the bucket and the rag into the small closet doors in the hall. He turned around to see if there was anything he missed and spotted the bag. With another sigh, he peeked inside to see what was in there when he heard footsteps coming from the hall. He wanted to put the bag on the kitchen sink when he stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the girl in the middle of his living room, wearing his pajamas. She was blushing slightly, too, feeling strange in his clothes. The pants were a bit too long, concealing the slippers almost completely, the sleeves dangling limply down her arm, half-hiding her fingers. The shirt was hanging loosely as well, covering her thighs. But, still – she looked so adorable to him. He caught himself thinking about her the way he knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help it. He took a step forward, seemingly mesmerized by her, but she stopped him with her voice.
"I left my clothes in the bathroom to dry off," she spoke in a somewhat uneasy voice, "I hope you don't mind."
He shook his head absentmindedly, his feet carrying him automatically to the kitchen since his brain didn't want to. He put the bag down, turning around to look at her. She stared back at him, not knowing what else to do or say. A few moments passed in an uncomfortable silence until he ineptly offered her to take a seat on the couch and turn the TV on if she wanted. She agreed with a curt nod, sitting down on the couch and taking the remote in her hands. He turned around again to rummage through the bag. She pressed the button and the TV jumped to life, various sounds filling the room and making her relax a bit. The silence was really making her nervous...and the way he was looking at her was...making her feel odd. In a somewhat good way, but...
She shook her head mentally when he approached her and put a glass of warm milk on the table, placing the plate with cookies beside. She gaped at the plate and then looked at him questioningly.
"Are those...mine?" She asked him; puzzled by the way they looked – crispy and tasty. He nodded with a smile, sitting down on the couch next to her with his own glass of milk.
"Yep," he replied in a light tone, "I managed to salvage most of them." She stared at the cookies in disbelief. After all they've been through they still looked scrumptious. She looked at him with a grateful smile, suddenly feeling unusually warm and content.
"Thank you, Ryou," she said softly, making the boy swallow although she couldn't see it. He glanced at his clothes on her briefly and then smiled quickly when she looked at him oddly.
"No problem."
She took the glass of milk and one cookie in her hands, taking a sip and munching on the cookie thoughtfully. She leaned back into the soft fabric of the couch, letting her eyes wander to the TV screen and a movie that was currently playing.
She placed the glass on the table after finishing the milk in one gulp. She was kind of hungry...
Closing her eyes in contentment, she failed to notice that the sounds drifted away, the light disappeared and before she knew it, she fell asleep, leaning her head on his shoulder involuntarily.
He glanced at her, shoulders tensing and eyes widening for a second in a mixture of surprise and excitement, before he relaxed, putting a hand over her shoulder tentatively.
This feels nice, he thought, closing his eyes as well, and forgetting to turn the TV off.
Like in a dream...
Started and finished – 24/02/2005
Last words- Well, slightly longer than I originally planned, but what the heck. This is weird, though – I'm having these ideas almost every day...and then I know I won't be able to write anything for weeks when I'll run out of them...Eh, go fig.
-Alena-