SS-Heys and hellos minna-san! Lookie! I'm getting chapters out quicker!
Tym-Yes it's a miracle…
SS-It doesn't sound like much, but getting the chapter started is the hardest part, once I've gotten a few paragraphs down, it's cake.
Tym-Um…good idea! *runs out to eat the cake on the counter*
SS-Somebody's gonna have a huge tummy ache later.
&words to readers&
~Hm…not much to say…I suppose that's good, that way we can get this chapter started sooner! But as always, tkx to all you readers, love the comments/reviews!
Last Time
~Lets see, Ryou finally started talking about the angel thing…that's good. Bakura told Yami his plan (You all remember that one) and their charge's heard…that's bad. Ryou won't talk to Bakura…that's really bad (For him anyway). Harlon and Kelina are gone…that's, well, it isn't good (For Yami having Kel gone is good). And Yami is doubting his bond with Yugi…that's really, really, bad (And that's an understatement).
SS-Too many bads…not good. My head hurts from all that bads, so let's get started! Oh yea, and I don't own YGO, just to remind all of you.
~*~*~*~*~
Sent to Save Me
Chapter 5
****Yugi's room****
Yugi began to stir as light streamed through his blinds. He pulled his blankets over his head, but his thin sheets blocked out only a small portion of the rays. He turned over, however, that did little since his bed was a twin and turning over doesn't put him out of range of the sun. He turned again, causing him to fall off, only this time, Yami wasn't there to catch him. Yugi met the carpet and woke up in one of his worser moods.
"Ouch…Yami I know that I'm not much of a morning person but did you have to let me fall?" When he received no answer, he got up and looked around as he rubbed his head. "Yami? Yami where are you?" The window opened and a small breeze came in, followed by Yami appearing by the desk. "Where were you?"
"I was out, thinking. Did you need me for something?"
"Uh…no, it was nothing." He wanted to say yes, but then realized that Yami did have other things to do besides waiting on him. He shouldn't have gotten mad. He looked at his clock, 10:30 am. If he was going to talk to Ryou…again…he mine as well get there as early as possible. "I'll go get ready, then I can talk to Ryou, ok?" His angel was staring out the window, spacing out…Yugi didn't like it…it wasn't like Yami at all. "Yami? Yami!"
He snapped out of it and turned to his charge.
"What is it?" Yugi walked over to him and touched his forehead.
"Are you feeling all right?"
"Yes…why?" Yugi saw that Yami really thought nothing was wrong, so he figured that he'd ignore it for now, and think about it later. "Are you feeling ok Yugi?" The younger didn't answer, he just grabbed some clothes and walked to the bathroom. 'Bakura was right…Yugi doesn't need me anymore. At least…he doesn't act like he needs me anymore. Then again, the world hasn't ended yet, so there has to be another explanation.'
Yugi was thinking the same thing as he changed…sorta. 'I wonder what's wrong with Yami. Why is he acting so weird? It's like he doesn't care anymore. I hope that's not it…maybe he's just confused…or is preoccupied with something else. Yea, that's got to be it.' He pulled a polo shirt over his head and opened the door, then walked back into his room and tossed his PJs onto the messy bed. They met each other's gaze for a moment. It was very familiar, yet so different. 'But what if that isn't it? What if there's more to this than I thought?'
'He looks so distant, what happened to that child I found in need of help two or three weeks ago?' He sighed as Yugi broke the gaze and walked out without a word. 'Maybe it's just my world that's ending…'
****Ryou's room****
Ryou had been awake since 8:30 am, and was currently drawing random pictures in his notebook while listening to the radio on his headphones. He was still doing his best to block out the world around him (Mainly Bakura) and keeping his hands busy at the same time. It was a nervous habit he got from his mother…and even though he never liked it, he appreciated it now. As long as he seemed engaged in some activity, Bakura wouldn't try to talk to him. And as long as he was nervous, his hands would find some work to do. It was an endless cycle, and ironic enough, it was caused by Bakura's presence.
'Hm…I'm running out of things to draw…but I can't stop, otherwise Bakura would try to talk to me. How long can I keep doing this?!' *ring ring* 'Huh?' His headphones were thick, but he could still make out some noises…including the ringing of the phone near him. He removed his head phones and placed them around his neck while he answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hi Ryou." Ryou was happy to hear Yugi, but at the same time…he wasn't.
"Hello Yugi. Want to talk again?" He could hear a low chuckle from the other end and assumed that he was right.
"Yea. How many times have I asked you to talk anyway?" Ryou leaned back into his chair. It was nice having a regular conversation for a change.
"I'm not too sure…2 or 3?"
"Well…want to make that 3 or 4?"
"Sure. I have nothing better to do today, and it would be nice to get out of the house."
"Ok. I'll meet you at…"
"Not…at the park."
"Ok. Um…how about you come over to my house then? My mom and dad left a while ago. They won't be home for a while so you can even stay for lunch."
"Um hm. That sounds good. I'll be over in a few minutes."
"Cool. See you then." He hung up and started putting his stuff away. He closed his notebook and shoved it into his drawer, pushed the pencil and eraser he was using there too, and placed his headphones on top of his stereo. As he walked out he paused at the doorway and looked over to his bed. The ring that held his guardian sat there lifelessly…the golden eye in the middle seemingly staring at him. He shook of the weird feeling he got and proceeded downstairs…leaving the object behind.
As he continued down the stairs, he realized that he didn't hear his father in the kitchen. He glanced over and saw that there was a cup of hot coffee on the counter next to one of his dad's books. The keys to their Land Rover were also gone.
'I guess dad went out to get something.' It looked like he had just left suddenly…it didn't worry him at first…until it hit him. He was alone. Or more precisely…all alone with his mother. A wave of panic shot through him as he made it to the bottom of the stairs. He didn't bother to look around, he just made his way to the door as quickly as his legs could take him. Unfortunately…he never made it to the door.
"Where do you think you are going Ryou?!" He tensed…not bothering to look in the direction of the shrill voice.
"…Out?" He soon regretted saying that.
"You've already gone out too many times this week, and since when did you talk back to me you little…*smack*" The rest was fuzzy. She must have hit him hard before she finished the sentence because that was the last that Ryou heard for a few hours.
Upon hearing the sudden cracking sound Bakura appeared from the ring and floated out the door. When he saw Ryou's mother slapping and hitting her son relentlessly anger surged through him. He waved his hand before her and she slumped to the floor. Then he made his way to the bottom of the stairs and stood over her. He rubbed his hands together and a few sparks started gathering…then they became a nice ball of electricity (Talk about static electricity). He held it above her and was about to throw it until he heard Ryou stirring from his position by the wall. Bakura looked over and sighed…he squashed the ball of electricity and just waved his hand over her…reciting a small spell while doing so. She then promptly vanished to her room.
"No big loss. I'll heal Ryou first…then I'll deal with her." He walked over to his charge and looked at him. He was lying next to the wall like a rag doll…helpless and beaten badly. Bakura placed his hand over him and a good amount of white light surrounded the younger boy…healing most of his wounds. When the light vanished all that was left were a few scratches and one or two bruises. Then he picked him up and carried the unconscious Ryou back to his room and laid him on his bed gently.
"Hm…he'll probably be out for an hour or so. Now what'll I do till then? That sleeping spell combined with the memory charm should keep his so called 'mother' asleep for a few hours so he'll be safe." Then a thought occurred to him. 'Where is his father?'
****In Yugi's house****
"Where could Ryou be? What do you think is keeping him?" After coming to the conclusion that Yami didn't care enough anymore to answer him…he didn't expect him to reply. Yugi was sitting on his couch, looking out the window. It had been 20 minutes since he had called Ryou and now he was sure that something (Or someone most likely) had stopped him. He called a few minutes ago…but there was no answer from the other end. Even though he was still worried about his friend…his attention was divided. He was still thinking about Yami and why he had been acting so weird all of a sudden. Said angel was sitting on the other end of the couch…also lost in thought.
'I bet Ryou's mother stopped him…and that Bakura is with him right now. I'm sure Yugi knows that too…so why isn't he saying anything about it? Does he want me to bring it up?' A week ago, or even two days ago those two would be locked in a conversation about the situation…or would at least be discussing a plan on what to do about it. Who'd have thought that they would be sitting a part in silence right now?
Yugi really didn't like the situation…both of them. He wanted to solve them, but which one first? On one hand Ryou was one of his best friends, he needed his help and probably right now. On the other hand, Yami was his guardian, he couldn't expect him to do anything (Let alone proceed to help Ryou) if there was tension between them.
'What do I do? What problem do I solve first? Ryou may need me right now; however, how much good can I do without Yami's help? Argh…what do I do? Even Kelina and Harlon are gone…there's no one I can talk to!' Even though Yami had other things on his mind, he could still sense Yugi, and how he was feeling overloaded with all his thoughts. He quietly scooted next to Yugi and put his hand on his shoulder, alarming the youth.
"Yugi? What's wrong?" Yugi was slightly shocked that Yami wasn't so wrapped up in his own thoughts to sense his inner struggle. He turned slightly to face his angel before replying.
"I'm fine. I'm just a little dizzy."
"Why?" He placed his hand against Yugi's forehead to see if he had a fever. "Do you feel sick?" This only added more confusion to Yugi's mind.
'He certainly changed…I thought he was too busy with his own problems to act like this. What's going on?'
"Yugi?!" He snapped his head up, then realized that he hadn't answered Yami's question yet. "Are you all right?" Yugi nodded slightly.
"Yea…Yami. Yes, I'm fine." Yami sighed in relief, with all the other things going on in his mind right now he forgot about all the things that Bakura had said. But that was only for a moment. He was about to hug him and make sure he felt safe, but drew back and started for his side of the couch again. Then a small hand grabbed his arm, stopping him from reaching his destination. "Yami?"
"Yes? What is it Yugi?" He wasn't quite sure how to phrase this…he didn't want to offend him, but he also had to get his message across.
"Do you…um…do you…"
"Do I what?"
"Well…don't take this the wrong way or anything, but do you…not like being my guardian anymore?" Yami blinked…then again. He was completely taken aback by his charge's question.
'He thinks that I don't care about him anymore? He's the most important thing to me. Ugh. And I thought that he didn't need me anymore…man how stupid I was to think for a second that Bakura was right!?!' While he was blaming himself for thinking the way he had, Yugi took his silence the wrong way, and thought Yami was trying to think of a nice way of saying yes.
'Oh great, I guess he really doesn't like watching over me anymore. Hm…I never should have asked.' He turned back to the window, trying to hold back his tears. But he couldn't, tears started welling up in his eyes and sniffles were escaping his mouth. Yami heard his almost silent cries and realized that he must have given him the wrong impression.
'Man…how many times can I be stupid in one day?!?! He probably thinks I'm trying to tell him yes nicely.' He hurried over to Yugi and embraced him the way he wanted to before. A hug that would make him feel safe and cared for. "Yugi? Yugi you misunderstood. I love being your guardian, I don't do it because I have to, I do it because I care about you and want to make sure that you aren't hurt. Please, stop crying." Those words stifled Yugi's sniffles and shocked him a lil. He tensed, but started to realize that he really meant it. "Yugi? What's wrong?" Yugi relaxed when Yami gently rubbed his back, and smiled.
"Nothing's wrong…I'm sorry I asked that question…I just wasn't sure with the way you've been acting lately." Yami nodded, of course he understood. He had to admit, he was distracted a lot lately, and it must have worried Yugi a lot.
"There's no need to be sorry, my attention was divided today. There was a lot on my mind, I should have told you instead of keeping you in the dark." Yugi looked up at him, smiling again.
"Just because you're my angel, doesn't mean you have to hold everything in. Tell me if there's something on your mind. I want to help you if I can." Seeing a smile on his face made Yami forget all his anger he held against Bakura…for now.
"Ok, I promise to tell you if anything's wrong." Yugi placed his head against Yami's shoulder again, while Yami wrapped his arms around him protectively. Yugi sighed (A happy sigh), relieved that one of his problems was solved. Now all he had to do was figure out what to do about Ryou…easier said than done.
****Back in Ryou's room****
While Yugi and Yami were mending their friendship, Ryou's father had returned to find both his son and wife fast asleep. He wondered why both were so tired, but decided to ask later. He just returned to his book and (cold) coffee.
Bakura was sitting in Ryou's chair, waiting for his charge to wake, and thinking of what to say to him when he did come to. Ideas came and gone…but none of them really seemed like good ones. He quickly gave up on that and turned his attention to the notebook that was sticking out of the drawer of Ryou's desk. Curiosity got the better of him, so he took it out and began thumbing through the pages.
He discovered that Ryou had some talent, and was slightly impressed by his skill. Then he came to the picture that Ryou was working on this morning. Even though it was just a sketch, it was very good; although, it hit him a lil hard. On one side of the notebook was a drawing of Yugi walking down the street with a smile on his face. Above him was a lighter image of Yami, watching over him as he continued down the sidewalk. On the other side of the notebook was a picture of Ryou, also walking down the street. Only he was looking down, and no smile graced his lips. Then Bakura saw that there was nothing above him except the sky. The place where he should be looking after him was replaced with clouds.
His first thought was that he hadn't finished it…then he saw the date scribbled down in the bottom right hand corner, indicating that he had completed the drawing (A/N: I do that too so that I can remember when I finished a drawing). His second thought was why should he care about this? Did it matter that Ryou felt that he didn't care about him the way Yami did about Yugi? Why should it matter?
'Why am I even mulling over this? It means nothing…it's just something he was doing to pass the time.' He quickly shut the notebook and shoved it back into the drawer. 'So what if he thinks I don't care? I'm not going to go soft like Yami just because of some doodle in a book.' He sat back down and sighed. 'Then again…how can I complete my mission if he doesn't even think I care? Wait…I care?! Well, yes…only enough to make him trust me. No…not even…ARGH! Why is this so confusing!?!?! I should ask someone about this, but I'm not going to talk to Yami again. Or his lil friends. Hm…but who does that leave? Nobody.' He sighed in frustration and closed his eyes, trying to think of some other solution to his problems.
He stayed that way for a few moments, then a cold gust of wind blew in through the crack of the window. A familiar voice made him snap his head up.
"Hello Bakura. Kill anybody lately?" Bakura was used to the insults, and would usually retaliate with something equally low, but he didn't really feel like it this time.
"What do you want now Yami? Or have you just come to add more annoyance and problems to my life?" Stunned by the lack of an insult, Yami figured something was wrong.
"What's wrong Bakura? Run out of insults? Lost your touch? Or is something actually the matter?" He sighed.
"The last one I suppose. But it's nothing that concerns you." At this point, Bakura was still sitting in the chair, arms crossed over the top with his head resting on top of them. He turned his head up a little to say the next part of his response. "Speaking of what concerns you, shouldn't you be with lil Yugi? Or have you actually taken my advice and left him to his own responsibilities?" Yami leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, that way he could keep an eye on both Bakura and the unconscious Ryou.
"Bakura, I realized that whatever advice you have about charges is absolute bs. I'm still surprised that I believed it for even a second." He turned his head towards Bakura. "True, I was being a little over protective of Yugi-"
"A little?"
"Ahem…a little over protective, but he didn't mind. Actually, he likes the fact that I care a great deal for him. So maybe you should start rethinking your ideas because Yugi and I like the way our friendship is going and wouldn't prefer it any other way." Bakura only replied with a 'Hmph' and placed his head on his arms once again.
"Yami, I don't give a $*** about your relationship with your charge…so you don't have to keep hammering on about it." Yami was really starting to worry about his 'friend'. Sure, he could be cold and even icy at times, but it was all a part of their ongoing game of insulting each other. Neither really took the other's comments seriously, because they both knew it was all in good fun, and they would both return to normal in a few minutes. Even though their little games would last longer than this one had, Yami had a feeling that Bakura wasn't playing the game right now.
"Why are you acting this way Bakura? You know that I was only joking before, right?"
"Yami I…never mind. Just go away." That wasn't good enough for him though.
"Bakura, what_is_wrong? And don't you dare stay silent. I won't leave until you tell me what's wrong." Bakura lifted his head to him again.
"Why is it that you care anyway? I assumed that after our little 'conversation' you would be too wrapped up with your charge to talk to me. Actually, I thought that you didn't give a d*** about me or my problems anymore."
"Well, I don't. But Yugi was worried about Ryou, especially when he didn't show up to talk with Yugi when he was supposed to. I didn't want him to leave so I came here to check on the situation for him." Bakura just rested his head once more, ignoring the other angel. Yami sighed, he wasn't going to get anywhere at this rate. "So, why are you in a much fouler mood than usual? What has caused you to be this sour?"
"Again, why do you care?"
"Well, when I find out what made you this way, I can use it against you whenever I get bored."
"Heh…" Yami stopped leaning on the wall and walked over to Bakura, towering over him.
"Listen, either you tell me what's wrong now…or I'll wake Ryou and ask him myself." Bakura grabbed the corner of his shirt, stopping him from moving towards his charge.
"Fine, fine, you want to know?!" Yami smiled in victory.
"Yes, in fact I do."
"All right." Bakura reached over to the desk drawer, pulled out Ryou's notebook, and tossed it at his 'friend's' feet. "There you go." Yami reluctantly picked it up, staring at it questionably.
"You're not insulting me because of a notebook?"
"You said you wanted to know, and you got your answer." Yami turned it around, looking for something special about it, but found nothing. So he sighed and opened it, flipping through the pages. After 6 or 7 pages he managed to figure out 2 things, 1) They were drawn by Ryou. 2) He had lots of talent. Yami couldn't see how a few sketches and pictures could upset Bakura. Was he jealous? No, he wasn't the type to get green-eyed over something like drawing. Then what was it?
He kind of answered himself. When he made it to the last page, he wound up staring at himself. There he was, watching over Yugi (Or part of him…it's mostly his head and phases out near the body like a shadow) like he normally would. Yami smiled, Ryou really got the features down. It seemed so realistic for a sketch. Was this what Bakura was angry about? No…maybe it was the picture adjacent to it. The one of Ryou, walking alone with nothing but the clouds above him.
That had to be it. The only question was, why? Why would this upset his 'friend'? "Is this what made you confine to that chair? A sketch that Ryou made?" He didn't reply, so Yami took that as a yes. "So what? Are you…jealous or something?" Bakura looked over at him.
"Hmph, of course not. Why would I be?"
"You tell me." Silence. Yami was really getting impatient now. He held up the notebook and shoved it in the other angel's face. "Bakura, if you don't tell me what this means to you I can't help." More silence, Yami was wondering how much more he could take of this.
"…Why do you want to help me?"
"…What?"
"Well, why?" What should he say?
"Because if I don't help you…you'll never help Ryou."
"Hmph. So you're just doing this to make me do something useful?"
"Argh…Bakura you're the one who wanted a charge! It's your duty to keep him safe and happy, and sitting here certainly isn't doing that!" Bakura got up and walked over to meet Yami.
"Listen, I'm not going to have the same conversation with you again. First, I'm going to tell you my idea, then you'll criticize it, and will argue until one of us leaves." He turned around and went up to the open window. "And I certainly don't want to go through that again."
Yami was running out of ideas. Yugi wanted him to help Ryou, but the only person who can do that is Bakura. He won't do anything because of that sketch, and Ryou is still in the danger zone. His job is to make sure that Yugi is happy, and he won't be happy until his friend is safe. So technically, he was failing his job because Bakura was ignoring his…this sucked.
Yami turned away from him to face the sleeping Ryou. He smiled a little, even with everything that's been going on, he seemed to be content.
'I wonder what he's dreaming about.'
*Dream*
Ryou was walking down the street. It was very cloudy and it looked as if rain was going to fall if given the opportunity. Small bits of laughter caught his ears, so he looked across the street to find the source. It was Yugi. He was smiling, and apparently happy. The sky must have noticed his joy as his side of the block was illuminated with streams of sunshine. Suddenly he was lifted up…by who? Ryou glanced up…it was his angel, Yami. Ryou stopped to watch. Slowly, ever so slowly, Yugi floated higher, safely in the arms of his seraph. Soon he disappeared, and not long after, so did the streams of light. He was left in the dark again, all alone.
Ryou sniffled, then continued walking. He didn't know where he was going, he just knew that he had to keep going. After a few more feet, he was mysteriously out of the city, and was now walking down a thin gravel path. It led him to a small clearing near a lake, so peaceful and serene…he wanted to stay there forever. Then the dark clouds that have been following him lifted, replaced by clear skies and a gently breeze. He took it all in slowly before remembering what happened to Yugi when the sunshine washed over him a few minutes ago. Ryou turned quickly and gasped slightly. He was right, in front of him was his angel…Bakura. His face was emotionless, yet held some meaning he couldn't explain. The younger reached out to him, but was stopped when the other stepped back. Ryou was confused, why was he backing away from him? A small smile appeared on the angel's face, then he blinked and slowly disappeared.
The charge didn't move. He just stood there, waiting for him to return. He didn't; however, someone else did…his mother. He wanted to step away, to run, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he ran to her and hugged her. She returned the embrace, this felt right. It wasn't the cold, almost heartless woman he had become accustomed to. This was the woman that loved him, the one who cared for him, the one he loved.
Back by the lake's edge stood a figure in white. He smiled, looked down, then up into the endless blue.
"This is right. This is the way it's supposed to be." Hearing the familiar voice, Ryou quickly broke the hug and turned around.
"Bakura?" His angel didn't hear him, his words floated through the wind, he was gone. He walked up to the lake and looked around, but no one else was there. Ryou looked down and a small smile graced his lips. Lying by his feet was the familiar golden ring. He bent down and picked it up, a small tear appeared. He felt his mom put her hand on his shoulder, then everything went black. The lake and the scenery disappeared as darkness surrounded everything.
*End Dream*
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SS-Few…well, that's all. My hands are getting tired.
Tym-It's ok, that was a long chapter anywayz.
SS-Good. But the next chapter might come out quicker because I'm on…SPRING BREAK!!!!! *falls back onto her bed…with sleepy sheep on them*
Tym-Yea…so she'll rest up while I close up. That's all! Ashes everyone! (Hey, that was easy)
SS-Uh huh, Sweet Dweams minna-san…I know I will.
Tym-Oh…and please review! SS hasn't been getting many lately and she's feeling sad. =( But don't worry, SS isn't one of those authoresses that won't continue because no one reviews…she'll finish the story because she wants to, and because there are some people out there who like it. But it would be nice if she could read your comments more often…*yawn* Anywayz… better go-*tummy grumbles*…uh...ASHES!!! *dashes out*