(cackles) they're sleeping! i can update before they wake! Yay! (theysiblings)
xKokurox: I'm glad you loved the interactions between Yami and Kura. I thought it was damn amusing. I'm sorry I didn't update before new years. Please don't abandon me! (kowtows)
Pink-kiss-candy: Darling, you are my only new reviewer after all that for this story. I applaud you. Keep it up! Don't stop now! I wanna hear from you again! Love ya!
Satra: Hate my siblings? (cackles) Yes they're very...stubborn. They keep me from posting entire stories in a single month. I have no self control. Bakura is loving the new twists. Heh. You'll find out his plans...Review again, darling! Love ya!
Silver Mirror: Thanks for the compliments. (Grins happily) Review again, dear!
Freak in the Shadows: Um...o.O...about your review for the last chappie...um...(no comment) Love ya!
Miyosuke: I'm sorry your favorite character's already gone. Um...yeah. But I'm pleased you're reading the story despite that detail! Love ya!
Dragonlady222: You're persistance is charming. I love you dear. Yes, Bakura's finding out quite a bit about Yugi and Yami. (smirks) and will continue to do so. Review again, darling! (kowtows)
Blackalbino: Is adorable yaoi threatening to take over your brain a good thing? (looks worried) Either way, it won't be adorable for much longer. Enter antagonists. (cackles insanely) Review again, darling!
Wishfull Thinker: I LOVE YOU. Reviewing for each chappie? That deserves something. This chappie's dedicated to you. (smiles happily) Don't fear, I don't do explicit love scenes nor do I have disney endings. I know exactly how you feel. ...About your criticism: it's good. That's the kind of things I've been hoping to receive more of. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. (bows) I know what you mean. It seems everyone's falling for Bakura's facade too easily. Just wait until later. Not everything is what it may seem at the moment. The scene with the teacher. I'm sorry if that was confusing. I shall try harder to make things more clear next time. (thank you!) You really like my poems? Yay! Poetry is one of my...shall we say: passions? (smirk) I'm glad you enjoy them. Yes that one in chappie four could have been for Ryou...I kind of let you guys decide which character it should portray for some of them. I love you! Review again! (hugs)
Shadowed Mirage: Thanks for all the complimetns. (smiles cheerfully) I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. Ryou's parnter in crime? (smirks) Review again, dearie!
This chapter is dedicated to Wishfull Thinker. A special thanks to Pink-kiss-candy who was the only brave soul to join our lovely reviewing squad. They are the tenth reviewer that made this update occur so soon. I applaud them. (the rest of you cowards suck)
I'm posting some special notes at the end of the chapter.
Sanity
Requires a voice
Needs a sound
Before all thoughts
Are turned around
Needs a touch
From someone else
The mind needs emotions
Needs to be felt.
Chapter 7: Trials of "love"
(Bakura's POV)
I'm still getting over the shock of all this. I mean, the almighty pharaoh has a crush on me? I must admit, I didn't see this one coming. I sigh, sitting up. I don't think I'll be getting any more sleep tonight.
Still, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. I mean, could I possibly get any closer to him than a romantic relationship? It's not something new to me. I did it a number of occasions back in Egypt to crush some enemies. Heh. Stupid dupes.
I slowly begin to pace the dark living room, considering all my options. Just how close am I willing to get with him? It certainly would hurt him deeper than if I were nothing more than a good friend. This is unforeseen but could work.
First thing's first; I've got to make sure without a doubt that he really does have the hots for me and isn't hallucinating or whatever…high on something perhaps, ha! That would be amusing to see…I'm getting off topic. Focus.
So before I start getting any extreme ideas I have to first affirm my suspicions. I can feel a smirk form on my face. And I know just how to find out…
(Yugi's POV)
I sit glumly at the kitchen table, not touching my breakfast. How can I go to school today? What on earth is the matter with Yami? I can barely focus at school as it is! How can he do this to me? I'm the other half of his freaking soul! We're not supposed to act this way towards each other! We're supposed to by loyal, always trusting one another; coming to each other when something's wrong. I groan, burying my head in my hands. Why does he have to overcomplicate everything?
"Wow. And I thought I was having a bad morning."
I look up to see Ryou standing at the sink, a sideways grin on his face.
"Oh…hi Ryou," I mutter, looking at my hands.
"Don't get too enthusiastic, you might just smile," he laughs lightly, plopping down in the chair next to mine. "So are you going to tell me what's wrong?"
I sigh, giving in easily. I need to talk to someone about this.
"Yami's distancing himself even more. What happened last night? He seemed upset about something." I look at Ryou questioningly.
He looks down, almost guiltily.
"It was my fault really," he sighs. "I was talking about how the school said I didn't have to come for the rest of the week. They said I should stay at home, recover from my traumatizing experience," he says sarcastically, rolling his chocolate eyes.
My brow creases in confusion. "But why would that make Yami upset?"
He shrugs helplessly. "I was just talking about this duel monster thing at the mall that was opening at noon today." He looks at me seriously. "I think he's disappointed he won't be there when it opens."
I smile in relief. That sounds like Yami. Duel monsters is like the very essence of his existence. He's always making it a big deal, dramatizing everything.
Ryou looks at the table uncomfortably. "I felt bad about mentioning it to him after I saw how he reacted."
I hold up a hand. "Don't feel bad. He's just insanely fond of the game; almost unhealthily passionate."
He smiles back, looking more at ease. I feel myself smirk as a devious plan begins forming in my mind. Hehe.
I lean in, Ryou looking at me questioning. "What about this?" I ask sneakily.
He smiles, shaking his head. "I know that look…"
"You've got it!" I snicker, rubbing my hands together cunningly as I unfold the details to him.
(Yami's POV)
I sit in a corner of my soul room, in the shadows. Why did I act like that last night? I feel so ashamed…so out of control. I'd better apologize for my actions. Poor Ryou looked so startled.
I feel my heart grow heavy. I can't allow myself to feel that way toward one of Yugi's friends. It's not moral. It's so…so…I growl in frustration, unable to come up with a word. Plus, it's Ryou of all people; one of the most angelic and innocent people I've ever met. I'll have to be more careful from now on, make sure there's someone else besides just the two of us. Both times I've acted insanely we were basically alone. I can't trust myself by myself with him…wow. That was a profound statement.
(Yami?)
I sigh. I'm actually surprised Yugi's talking so normally to me. He probably wants to question me again about last night.
((Yes abiou?))
(You wanna take over for a while?)
I smile humorously. ((Yugi, you really should be the one in control during class.))
I can feel him giggle. (But Yami, I think you'll want to be in control for this.)
All right, he's scheming something. I'd best be very cautious. I take a breath, bracing myself.
((That's quite all right, abiou. You enjoy whatever your teacher's telling you to do.))
He cackles. (The teacher isn't here!)
What? All right, now I'm worried. What has that boy done now?
((Yugi...)) I say sternly only to be no less than booted out of my soul room.
"YUGI!" I scream. Then I stop, turning beet red when I look about. I'm at the mall. In the middle of the mall, to be precise. And everyone's staring at me.
"Talk about over-dramatization," a voice says.
I look over to my left. Oh Ra….
"Ry—Ryou!" I exclaim, fidgeting nervously.
He grins. "Well it's about time. I was afraid he wouldn't pull it off, but man, he really shoved you out here, didn't he?" He approaches. I can feel myself sweating.
"What…what are we doing here?" I ask.
He snickers. "We're here to see this new Duel monsters store that's going to open. Apparently Kaiba Corp. has been feeding this place all its latest duel technology."
My brow furrows. "But…what about school?"
"I don't technically have to go for the rest of the week," he shrugs, avoiding my eyes.
I stride forward, forcing him to look at me. "And Yugi and I?"
"You're home sick," he grins, starting to stroll along.
"WHAT!" I shriek. How? Wha…oh that does it!
He rushes back, grabbing my arm and tugging me along with him. "Shush, will you? You're attracting quite a bit of attention to yourself."
I rip my arm from his grasp, glaring at him. "You helped Yugi skip school!"
He rolls his eyes. "We've already gone over this. You're home sick."
I narrow my eyes. This isn't like Ryou. I stride forward so our noses are only centimeters apart, peering intently at his eyes.
"What the heck are you doing?" he asks confusedly.
"This isn't something I would have ever thought you…"
"Would do?" he sighs, shaking his head in mock sorrow. "Yugi's apparently awakened my evil side. Plus, I didn't want to spend the day alone." He starts walking again.
"Wait!" I call, racing to catch up. "What about Bakura?"
He stops, looking at me in puzzlement. "What about him?"
"Isn't he…mad you're skipping school?" I ask, desperately trying to deter the white-haired hikari from his and Yugi's plot.
He sighs in exasperation. "I'm not skipping, remember? I'm coping."
I feel myself give in. They've obviously meticulously planned this. Heck, they even included duel monsters, knowing I wouldn't be able to resist. Damn they're good.
"All right," I sigh. "So, what do we do now?"
A huge grin spreads across his face. "The store doesn't open until noon, which gives us…" he glances at his watch. "Three hours."
"Great. What are we supposed to do for three hours?" I ask in exasperation.
"Yami," he slides a slender arm around my waist. "We're in a mall."
I nod, my mouth having gone completely dry. I look around trying to focus on something, anything to distract me from the close contact. He doesn't seem to notice my anxiety, wandering towards a store in a calm, impassive stride. It's a clothing store. An expensive-looking clothing store. I feel my muscles relax as he releases me, wandering inside.
"I need some new clothes," he mutters, starting to look about.
"Oh." I mentally slap myself. What kind of reply is that? Oh.
"Did you want anything?" he asks as he browses about.
"I…didn't bring any money," I stutter, blushing slightly.
He waves his hand. "I've got more than enough. My father sends me some to live off of each month and I haven't really been spending it lately."
I fidget, uncomfortable with the whole situation. How am I supposed to….whoa. Is that leather?
(Bakura's POV)
Heh. This is so amusing. He's squirming like nothing else when I get close to him. He tensed up like a statue when I put my arm around him. I've never seen him so out of control before…which makes it appear my suspicions are correct.
I walk around a few displays, watching him become entranced with…something. I walk over to see what he's looking at. I smirk. I should have known.
"Need some new rawhide, eh?" I grin.
He jumps slightly. "Yugi's not very much into leather."
I shrug. "It'd be nice for when you're in control though. You might as well wear something you want to." He looks up as if he's had a sudden epiphany.
"That's…true…What are you going to try on?"
He's caught me off guard. I haven't really thought about that, to be truthful. I shrug again, glancing about in an uninterested fashion.
He glances at me then at the pants then back at…me….oh this can't be good.
"Do you ever wear leather?" Should have seen that one coming.
"Nope. Not really my style," I shrug, internally badgering myself for being caught in such a position. I just had to take him to a store with leather…Ra strike me down now.
"You sure?" He grins mischievously.
I smirk. So that's how he wants to play is it? Two can play at that game.
"Tell you what, I'll try one of these on and prove you wrong," I grin, scrounging through the rack. Heh.
He looks slightly taken aback. "I—wasn't trying to force you to…"
"You're not forcing me to do anything. I know a challenge when I hear one," I smirk, marching away to the dressing rooms, pair of pants in hand.
(Yami's POV)
Oh Ra what have Yugi and I done? We've definitely awaken some demonic side in the normally bashful hikari. This really isn't like the Ryou I know…or thought I knew. Perhaps this is the real him, we've just never taken the time to get to know him is all.
I sigh, walking back toward the dressing rooms, a few pants and a jacket in my hands. Ryou's right about one thing, there's no reason I shouldn't have something I like to wear. I'm not really fond of a lot of the things Yugi has. He actually wears his school uniform a lot; much to my dismay. If I had my own body I'd go on this humongous shopping spree…I shake my head.
'Don't think like that. I'm only going to make my situation more difficult for myself by dreaming about such.'
I try on some black leather jeans with chains that go up and down the sides. The jacket is just a regular leather jacket, but the thing is: I've never actually worn one. I grin as I feel the material on my skin. And from the feeling, I think I'm going to like it. I open the door to the room and look about. Other teens are wandering the store. I'm actually surprised how many are here at the mall on a school day.
"Hello there." I look over to see a teen with jet black hair that comes down to his shoulders smirking at me. His arms are covered in tattoos. They're mostly of scantily clad people staring seductively out of his skin. I feel myself scowl.
"Did you want something?" I ask tersely.
He strides forward confidently. "Depends. What are you offerin'?"
'Pervert.' I internally gag.
"See Yami, what'd I tell you? Leather's not my style."
The sick bastard and I both turn and our jaws drop. Ryou's standing there in leather pants, looking down in disgust at them. They're hugging his hips, low. I feel my face flush.
The annoying teen next to me whistles. "You two a couple? Cause I'd like to cut in." He walks over to Ryou and wraps a tattoo-covered arm around the boy's waist, pulling him close. "What might your name be?"
The hikari scowls. "Piss off." He shoves the jerk away and strides over to me. "See what I mean?"
"Huh?" I ask dumbly, still staring at the hikari.
"The pants," he says in exasperation. "I'm not fond of such…clingy material."
Is it warm in here? It feels really warm…
"If that's not your style I can't wait to see what is," the pervert grins.
"Oh, are you still here?" Ryou asks distractedly, not even sparing the boy a glance.
"Little bitch," the boy growls. He strides forward and grabs Ryou's arm roughly.
"Let go of him. Now," I snarl fiercely, stepping forward.
The guy turns and looks at me. I give him my angriest glare that threatens a slow, painful death. He releases the boy, walking away muttering under his breath. Ryou runs a hand over his arm where the boy's fingers had dug into his flesh.
"Thanks," he smiles.
"Are you all right?" I ask worriedly, coming closer.
He nods. "Yeah. I'm used to his type trying to cause trouble."
(Bakura's POV)
I can't believe Ryou. That's the kind of thing he would allow all the time; getting bullied about or hit on by perverted freaks like that one. Me? Heck no. I only let that guy go that far to see what Yami's reaction would be. And it was just what I expected. Always the loyal superhero there to save the day. Heh.
It's really amazing that Ryou sometimes managed to elude such people. Of course, that could be because of the fact that he never socialized. The kid had a waste of an existence.
Yami bought a number of pants as well as the leather jacket, which he decided to wear around the mall. (Well, technically I paid for it all…) I passed on the leather. Like I've stated, not my style; well, Yami seemed to think they were…heh.
It looks like my suspicions were correct, which means I can move forward with my plans. I'll get extremely close to him, make him vulnerable, then stab him in the dark.
All righty, peoples. One more chappie after this then it starts getting darker. Our hot antagonsts will be joing us shortly. (smirk) Next chappie's hilarious. I think it's one of my favorites so far. Yay!
The ten reviews thing still stands.
REVIEW! (NOW!)