Necropolis demon
Disclaimer: Still don't own YuGiOh ok, Sheesh!
Necro: Emergency! Emergency! Necro's got writer's block! Help me! Help me!
I'm so sorry for not being able to update as soon as possible, it's just that I've been so busy doing all sorts of stuff and…my friend's computer broke (it won't connect to the internet) and right after it was fixed my friend found out that his internet card had also expired so he had to buy another one but didn't have any money…sad isn't it?
The GameChapter 8 Stares, Glares and Flashes
Monday morning at long last, the weekend seemed to have lasted for so long, not that anyone was complaining! Early that morning, Kaiba called home to have his limo pick him, his brother and Ryou up so they could get a ride to their respective schools. For breakfast they had eggs, bacon, some bread and orange juice, after they had eaten breakfast the limo arrived as if on cue, waiting for them downstairs by the side of the street.
Kaiba, that morning was his usual self…in fact the brunette acted as if his kiss with Ryou never happened…after all, in Kaiba's thoughts 'if there aren't any witnesses why worry? You just act as if nothing had occurred'.
Ryou on the other hand was in a relatively good mood that morning because he had the weirdest dream last night; he had dreamt that during his sleep, Kaiba had kissed him…even if it was real or not it sure got Ryou in a good mood, plus the fact that he was going to ride Kaiba's cool limo to school…well that just made things perfect.
They rode Kaiba's limo to school, first stopping by at Mokuba's school and dropping off the younger Kaiba then heading off to Kaiba and Ryou's high school. The stylish limo parked by the school's front gate, drawing the attention of everyone to it as usual but when the passengers exited the vehicle, students were more than surprised. Everyone always turned their heads to see Kaiba step out of his undeniably fashionable limo but today was different…
First to step out was Kaiba in his usual neatly ironed school uniform with his sturdy suitcase in hand but people were surprised to see someone else getting off the car. The moment Ryou exited the car and showed his face everyone turned their heads and looked at him with gaping mouths and wide eyes, they were just so surprised to see the CEO and the white blond together; people were already a bit intrigued with the news report about the whole yacht incident and people were really anxious to hear more about that issue, rumors had been starting to stir up though they weren't too apparent yet.
As the two teens made their way to their classroom, other students would suddenly start fidgeting uncomfortably or would start whispering…great, yesterday's staring was bad enough, why'd the staring have to continue at school? People would get out of Kaiba's way as the brunette walked through the crowd of students, Ryou trailed behind the CEO and pretty much felt everyone's eyes on him and his classmate. Finally the two teens arrived at their classroom to be met by some of their classmates specifically Yugi's group who also stared at them upon their entry.
Everyone quickly averted their eyes when Kaiba glared at them with his cold stare, the brunette took a seat in his usual place by the window and started to read a book as Ryou settled his bag beside his desk and sat in his usual seat. The pale teen stared outside the window and felt so serene and at peace, simply ignoring and averting his attention from everyone's suspicious looks and watching the clear blue sky…ah peace…
"Ryou!" came a certain blond's loud voice…oh well, so much for peace.
The white blond turned towards his loud classmate and greeted in his usual cheery way, "Good morning Jo-" the blond cut off Ryou.
"Ok, spill!" Joey spoke, looking a little angry in a comical way of course.
"Spill what?" Ryou replied innocently, cutely blinking and looking like a lost little boy. Just then, Yugi and the others sauntered towards their side.
"Ya' know what I'm talking about." Joey spoke, leaning close and making sure that Kaiba who was sitting a seat away behind Ryou's desk wouldn't overhear. "C'mon…tell us more about what happened with you and Kaiba."
"Yeah, what were you guys really doing at the mall?" Tristan started.
Ryou sighed and explained, "I told you guys already. Me, Mokuba and Kaiba simply went grocery shopping, that's all."
"Oh really? That's it?" Joey eyed the pale teen suspiciously making the teen flinch and back away from his seat a bit.
"Well…we sort of fooled around a bit and had some fun." Ryou answered softly.
"Really? What did you three do?" Yugi questioned.
The pale teen looked down and answered softly, "We went to the arcade and played a few games, had a picture of the three of us taken and ate dinner, that's all." He said, peeking through his bangs.
Joey suspiciously eyed the pale teen, drawing his face closer and scaring the shy teen, "sounds like a date." He softly teased; Yugi's group always had the feeling that their pale friend was gay but they didn't really think much about that issue, in fact they didn't even spread rumors about it throughout the school. Ryou blushed and looked away just in time to see their teacher enter the classroom, "Um…sensei's here, you better get back to your seats." The white blond said quickly, making Yugi and the others avert their attention from him to the teacher. Reluctantly, Yugi's group returned to their seats.
At least during the class no one bothered Ryou too much, ok so there were a couple of times when someone would pass a note to him but compared to the constant staring and rumors this was a whole lot better. When lunchtime came Yugi and the others continued their inquisitions.
"Well?" Joey started, "what else happened?"
"That was it, I swear!" the pale teen replied, "Kaiba, Mokuba and I went grocery shopping then Kaiba bought us some new clothes and after that we went to the arcade, had a picture taken and ate dinner."
"He bought you new clothes?" Tea asked excitedly though she was a bit shocked, not believing her ears, Seto Kaiba? Bought a classmate of his some clothes? Doesn't sound like Kaiba at all.
The pale teen nodded and looked down, "Everything was Kaiba's treat?" Yugi asked and Ryou nodded.
"Sounds like a date." Said Tristan, suspiciously eyeing the white blond and teasing their shy classmate; specifically Joey and Tristan always enjoyed teasing the white blond about his love life but…this time it's kind of weird, what if it really WAS a date…come to think of it…is Kaiba even gay?
"It-it was not a date." Ryou blushed, "Mokuba was with us s-so…"
"How do we know that you didn't perhaps leave Mokuba somewhere?" Tea questioned, "What if you and Kaiba left Mokuba in the arcade and then you two had a date huh?" she joked.
"Well…" at this Ryou couldn't think of an excuse, everything that happened did sort of sound like a date.
Again, Ryou felt pressured around his friends and so Yugi decided to help him out, "hey guys, I think Ryou's telling the truth-" Yugi didn't dare go on with what he was about to say when he saw that glint in Joey's eyes.
"No! I wanna know everything!" At this Joey yelled out loud, drawing everyone's attention.
"What Ryou said was all that happened mutt." Came Kaiba's rich and cold voice.
Everyone immediately turned around and was met by Kaiba looking down at all of them with a glare, "How do we know that's true?" Joey questioned gruffly, "how do we know you two didn't ditch Mokuba after ya' guys played at the arcade eh?" the blond growled.
"Why would I leave Mokuba alone? He's my brother!" Kaiba growled back.
"Coz you're a heartless bastard you-" Joey retorted but got cut off by their soft-spoken friend.
"Please, that's enough you two." Ryou intervened, "We were NOT on a date. See?" at this Ryou showed to his friends a copy of their picture from Kodak yesterday, "It couldn't have been a date since Mo…ku…Ba…was…with…" at this the pale teen's words trailed off softly when he remembered… Stupid Ryou, Oh it was such a mistake showing his friends their picture, Ryou had totally forgotten about the hugging pose.
Before Ryou could return the picture back into his pocket, Joey made a mad grab for it, wrestling with the pale teen and obviously winning. Tristan and Tea immediately looked over Joey's shoulder to get a good look at the photo, leaving their shortest friend out.
"Let me see!" Yugi whined, the other three showed their spiky haired friend the photo all the while keeping their eyes glued to it.
Their expression was…to put it simply, shocked. Can you imagine? Seeing Kaiba sweetly hugging Ryou from behind? Joey's eyes were wide open while his mouth was agape, Tea looked shock and covered her mouth his her hands, Tristan's face froze up in an expression of surprise while Yugi's big eyes seemed bigger than usual.
Joey, being the loudest one among them was the first to speak up, "Is that Kaiba HUGGING you from behind!" he shouted, not believing his eyes and letting everything register to his brain. There was long silent pause in the classroom as everyone tried to think straight and make sure what they heard wasn't just in their heads…The word 'hugging' pretty much drew everyone's attention, making everyone in the classroom rush towards Ryou's place like a stampede to have a look at the picture, yells of "Let me see! Let me see!" were constantly heard as their classmates tried to grab hold of the photo.
In the midst of the confusion Kaiba used his height to his advantage and grabbed the photo, knowing that Ryou couldn't tackle for it even if his life depended on it. Everyone stopped shoving and pushing each other when they noticed that the rich brunette had snatched away the photo from Joey…they didn't dare take it from Kaiba who was glaring at all of them, making everyone shrink back in fear. Giving a last threatening glare to everyone, the students returned to what ever they were doing, quietly muttering in disappointment.
As the crowd of snoopy students dispersed Kaiba returned the photo to Ryou, the pale teen felt so embarrassed for being so absentminded about the picture he blushed and felt like crawling into a hole. "Sorry" the white blond apologized, looking down at the floor and refusing to look up at Kaiba who was now standing in front of him.
"I'm so stupid to forget how people would react to that photo…" Ryou mumbled quietly, "but still…I can't believe they made such a fuss about it." At this he laughed nervously as he met Kaiba's cool stare.
"It's ok." The brunette replied stoically, brushing the apology off, "You better get used to such." Kaiba added, looking down at Ryou who was still sitting on a chair.
The white blond teen gave a confused look about Kaiba's words, get used to what? Just then the pale teen got the idea, 'Reporters' he thought. The reporters were likely to trail and not to mention stalk Ryou because of the rumors and the yacht incident, scouting for opportunities to interview the white blond. Unlike Kaiba, Ryou didn't have any bodyguards to fend off reporters or any connections that could help him avoid the media, he was just a normal teen who'd easily get swarmed and pressured by journalists and correspondents.
Come to think about it…it's strange that Kaiba and him haven't encountered a reporter since the incident yet…it seems so odd this way, by now he'd think that he and his classmate would be bombarded with questions from the media but here they are at school, not being pestered or stalked by the press…how strange.
Well, the media are bound to catch them sooner or later, even if Kaiba DID manage to fend the paparazzi off for almost a day and a half with a few calls and a few strict orders to his bodyguards and connections who could've been the reason why Kaiba, Mokuba and Ryou weren't discovered at Ryou's place the night before yesterday. Soon…just a little more time and Kaiba's defenses against the inquisitive world would fall, leaving Ryou and Kaiba vulnerable to interviews…
'Mokuba's probably used to handling this sort of stuff, I wonder if reporters are at his school, stalking him right now.' Ryou thought to himself, imagining all sorts of paparazzi, holding up microphones and asking for statements.
Finally, that day of school was over and considering the fact that no reporter was in sight and the fact that they didn't have any assignments or tests on the next day that just made Ryou's day perfect…almost.
Ryou was walking down the hall with his schoolbag in hand when he finally set foot on the outside grounds of the school building. A flash of bright white light met the pale teen's sight, making him wince and rub his eyes, trying to adjust his vision.
"P-please stop with the flashes" the pale teen managed to say out loud as he closed his eyes, "I have very sensitive retinas." He added softly, when he opened his eyes he was met by the sight of a dozen reporters from different newspapers and T.V. news crews from different channels.
About a second after Ryou had stopped rubbing his eyes microphones, voice recorders and stuff were pointed at him, "Mr. Bakura, do you have a statement about the yacht incident?" a female journalist questioned, ready to scribble down information on her notepad.
"Mr. Bakura, where did you, Mr. Seto Kaiba and his younger brother go or should we say disappear to after the party?" a man holding out a microphone asked, shoving his way through the crowd.
"Rumors and gossip have been flying, what really happened at the party?" a woman whom Ryou recognized as a reporter on T.V. asked. The white blond couldn't answer any of the questions that were thrown at him, he was never really good at this kind of thing…gossip and such were never really directed to him before so…
The crowd of reporters, journalist and correspondents sure attracted a lot of attention, the students dropped whatever they were doing and turned to look and snoop around at the scene Ryou was causing. The pale teen was too busy trying to respond to the questions to be embarrassed at all the attention he was getting from the reporters, student body and teachers.
Ryou just stood there, looking from left to right at all the reporters and cameras looking like a confused child, just then Kaiba came striding out of the school building, immediately looking up to find the reporters swarming his classmate. Ryou looked behind him with a sign of relief now that Kaiba was around, the shy teen gave a wary smile and a look that simply said 'help me'.
Once Kaiba was in clear view the media immediately swarmed him as well, not forgetting about Ryou. A crowd of reporters and such surrounded the two teens, Ryou looking a little claustrophobic while Kaiba merely looked strict as usual since he's been so used to such.
"Mr. Kaiba, any explanations about the incident?"
"It's simple really." The CEO started, "a contestant harassed a fellow contestant and I punched him." He replied flatly and simply.
"Why did you punch him Mr. Kaiba? It doesn't seem to be proper etiquette considering that you yourself is the host of the whole contest." The woman from the T.V. news questioned.
"First of all, I did not throw the first punch HE did and second…" the brunette gave a very intimidating glare at everyone that would make babies cry, "I do not and will not tolerate such behavior from such a guy towards a contestant who's already having a hard time fitting in." he exclaimed calmly, referring to Ryou's discomfort of having people look down at him.
Strange…this feeling of security, Ryou never had anyone defending him like this, except for Mokuba and Yugi's group…come to think about it, why did Kaiba have to get involved with convincing everyone that the pale teen's work was indeed accepted for its brilliance and not by sheer dumb luck? Mokuba was doing fine defending Ryou so why did Kaiba have to jump in?
"It seems that the cause of the whole brawling was because of jealousy. Is that correct Mr. Bakura?"
The pale teen looked up and spoke softly in his usual calm manner, "From what I've heard and experienced first hand, I'd say yes." He paused and looked at Kaiba who was listening as well, "the participant who…harassed me was a bit drunk and well he seemed angry at me…" Ryou trailed off.
"The man was jealous of all the attention Ryou was getting so he decided to take out his anger on his fellow contestant." Kaiba stated stoically, answering for Ryou who had a hard time putting together a couple of words that wouldn't make him sound…boastful.
"Ryou? That seems like a rather…informal way of addressing a contestant, don't you think?" a reporter from the newspapers asked the CEO timidly, afraid of upsetting the brunette. At this, the reporters seemed to have opened up another issue about the two teens. Kaiba merely looked composed as usual, not twitching at the rather…brave question directed to him.
"Mr. Bakura or Ryou as I would prefer to call him is a classmate and a friend of mine." He replied, "Therefore, I see it fit to address him as I normally do." He added bluntly, casting a slight glance at the said teen beside him then turning back to the media.
A friend of mine…Kaiba probably doesn't even know the definition of the word 'friend' or if he does he probably defines it as a 'casual acquaintance' or 'assistant' or in his case 'underling'. After a few questions relating to the incident and surprisingly how Ryou was acquainted with Kaiba, the CEO's familiar limo parked in front of the school gate and in it was Mokuba waving at his brother and Ryou.
"Big brother!" Mokuba who had already changed into a pair of blue jeans and a black T-shirt instead of a school uniform happily waved from inside the limo, for a moment the press paused a bit to turn and look at the child. Kaiba immediately took hold of Ryou's wrist and abruptly made their way towards the limo with the reporters trailing after them, asking last minute questions and such.
The CEO quickly opened the nearest door and ushered Ryou to get in, the pale teen obliged and scooted next to Mokuba while his classmate was still trying to make the reporters back off a bit so he could close the door.
Finally after a cold glare and the words 'no comment' Kaiba managed to close the door and roll the windows back up. The CEO gestured for the driver to start moving, leaving the reporters behind. When there were finally no more flashes from the cameras Mokuba spoke up, "You've become a celebrity huh Ryou." The black haired boy said with a grin.
"I can't believe you two can handle those reporters." The pale teen responded while sitting up straight, placing his school bag on the floor next to Kaiba's suitcase and settling his hands on the leather seat.
The younger Kaiba grinned and spoke, "well, big brother's pretty good at keeping our private info confidential and at handling the press." The boy said proudly, smiling at the pale teen, "he's pretty good at keeping our locations secret too, that's why those reporters weren't able to find us after we disappeared…well until today at least."
"Nearly two whole days." The older teen suddenly spoke up calmly as if he was intrigued at the whole thing, "it seems that I'm losing my touch don't you think Mokuba?" He asked, averting his gaze from the window to Mokuba.
"Yeah, last time it took the press two and a half days to get a straight comment from you after stalking you." at this the boy grinned. Well…this conversation seemed normal for the two Kaibas…it's strange how they seem to think that this issue is a game and that they react to it as if they've been playing 'cat and mouse' with the media…
"Lucky you, you're used to all this." Ryou spoke to the younger Kaiba with a smile, "I don't think I'd survive if I was in your place." He added, he and the younger Kaiba giggling a bit.
Abruptly, Mokuba stopped giggling, "Well, you'll have to deal with it." He said flatly, still smiling at the pale teen whose face was now stuck in mid smile.
Still smiling…it was like Ryou's face was put on pause by a universal remote…PLAY, "Excuse me?" he asked, his smile frozen as he registered what was said to his brain.
"Deal with it." Mokuba repeated, "What? You don't expect those reporters to just ignore you that easily and only direct their lenses at us Kaibas do you?" he said.
Oh right, of course…Kaiba told Ryou about that earlier, that the pale teen would have to get used to the media asking him questions and stuff…the reporters, correspondents, snoopy classmates, suspicious friends…stalkers…STALKERS!
"Oh no, I can't handle THAT!" Ryou groaned, his eyes widening in horror, "I'm not like you guys, I don't have a limo to rescue me or any bodyguards…what do I do Mokuba?" he asked almost frantically, he did NOT want to have all eyes on him this way.
"Well, normal people who get into these situations well…usually have zero chances of privacy." Mokuba started, at this Ryou froze, "You'll probably wake up and find a dozen reporters outside your window waiting for you downstairs while you're still in your pajamas."
"And then there are those times when the paparazzi will ask for an interview and wont take no for an answer…then they'll start chasing you through alleys and streets and finally they'd corner you then you'd have no choice but to answer and all sorts of gossip and weird issues start to pop up then they'll probably start invading your love live and-"
"Ok, Ok, I get it! I'm doomed." The pale teen cut off the black haired boy, raising his hands up in defeat.
Kaiba who was staring out the window and at the same time listening to the two's conversation spoke, "I've already made sure you won't have any stalkers or anyone putting hidden cameras around your place." He spoke offhandedly.
"Oh good, thank you."
"But I can't block out ALL the reporters." The brunette added, at this Ryou sighed in defeat.
"Oh well." Ryou sighed.
"But you can avoid them if you want." Mokuba brightly spoke up. The pale teen turned to face the black haired boy with a questioning look on his face, "I mean it, big brother usually calls his connections with his cell phone to make sure that the place he's headed to isn't jammed with the press." The black haired boy explained.
Ryou thought for a second then sighed in defeat; he didn't have a cell phone or any connections to call so it was useless, "No, I don't think that would work for me. I don't actually have a cell phone or anyone to warn me of such." He scratched the back of his head.
The CEO and Mokuba suddenly became dead silent as if they were having a mental conversation, they just looked at each other and stared, Kaiba with his usual business look and Mokuba with a mischievous grin; the two Kaibas looked like they were having a silent debate with each other…Kaiba lost since Mokuba smirked in triumph. Abruptly, Kaiba signaled for the driver to stop and turn the other way around, instead of heading to the Kaiba mansion they changed their course to another destination.
"W-where are we going?" the pale teen managed to ask, jolting to awareness when the limo made a sharp turn to the right, "Isn't your place the other way? Where are we going?"
The black haired boy sitting beside Ryou merely grinned evilly at his pale friend, "Oh, you'll see Ryou." He smiled even wider, "You'll see." And with that they headed towards their unknown destination.
Necro: Well, this chapter seemed rather…odd to me, sorry if it's not so good. I had writer's block and haven't typed for like /counts fingers/ a week which is longer than my usual 2-day breaks. Review! Before I run you guys over with Kaiba's limo! /tries to open the door but can't/ stupid door…
Don't forget to check out my other fic Destined Duel ok.
Sadly, I don't think I can update as often as I used to due to my friend getting grounded. He was grounded since his grades were slipping so he's not allowed to use the Internet as often as he used to. (My friend's the one who posts my fics for me coz I don't have any Internet access)