The group had been very quiet as they had followed Bakura to his apartment, Anzu and Yuugi exchanging concerned looks as Bakura seemed both worried and calm at the same time. Jounouchi kept prodding Honda to hurry up as the brunet kept lagging behind, lost in his thoughts.
The quiet hadn't lifted when they had reached the apartment. Nor had it when Bakura had excused himself to go change.
Yuugi looked down as he felt Anzu take his hand and squeeze it, giving him a reassuring smile. He returned it, trying hard not to be nervous. He was always the one telling Bakura to trust in his friends, that they would never turn against him, no matter what. He had said it so many times the past week alone... Why was it that now, when it mattered the most, he couldn't quiet the voice of worry inside him that wondered if his friends could handle the news after all...
"Sorry to have kept you waiting."
Yuugi looked up, heart skipping a beat and hand clutching at Anzu's briefly.
Bakura gave a soft smile, sitting down on the chair across from her friends, smoothing her skirt slightly. Yuugi swallowed hard. They had definitely gotten bigger since last time. Not that they were really large or anything but they were--
Yuugi shook off the thought, exhaling softly. If there was ever a time NOT to be noticing such things, now was it... Taking another deep breath, he turned to look at his other friends.
Honda was fidgeting slightly, seeming to want to say something but not able to form the words. His hand moved as if to accompany the start of a sentence, but fell back to his lap as he grew more flustered.
Jououchi was staring with wide-eyed disbelief, also seeming at a loss for words. He rubbed his eyes a few times, looking from Bakura's face to her chest. "What the hell!" he finally managed.
Bakura gave a small smile. "It's a long story," she said, smoothing her skirt again in an almost nervous way. Taking a deep breath, she began explaining.
"Wait-- wait wait wait, you're-- you're just going to let this happen!" Jounouchi exclaimed, cutting Bakura off. "You said they can do stuff to stop it, right?"
Bakura fidgeted a little. "They can..." she nodded. "But--"
"Then get that stuff done!" Jounouchi interrupted. "Whatever it is they have to do, we'll help you though it. You don't have to just sit by a let this happen!" he insisted emphatically. "You can fight this!"
Bakura was quiet a long moment, toying with the fabric of her skirt. "I don't want to fight it," she finally said, voice very soft.
Jounouchi stared. "What?" he asked, uncomprehendingly. "Is the stuff to stay you that bad?"
"It isn't that," Bakura said, shaking her head. "I just... don't want to do it." She took a deep breath, finally looking up. "This is what I want," she smiled. "For me... this is freedom."
There was an awkward silence as Jounouchi seemed unable to grasp what Bakura had said. "You-- you WANT to be a chick...?" he finally managed, looking very overwhelmed and confused. "That-- that doesn't make any sense? You're a guy! Why in hell would you want to be a chick for?"
Anzu muttered under her breath as Yuugi grimaced slightly.
Bakura gave a soft laugh. "A lot of reasons," she smiled softly. "You've even said I was too girly, haven't you?"
The blond grimaced. "I didn't-- I mean-- I was just joking, ya know?" he defended lamely, looking a bit unhappy. "Doesn't mean you have to go and change who ya are just because I was an ass."
"It wasn't just that," Bakura assured with a small fond smile. "I put a lot of thought into this, Jounouchi-kun, it wasn't just because of one person or one thing. This is who I am," she said, hand resting on her chest. "This is who I want to be."
The blond played with his hands a moment. "So-- so you're just gonna-- just like that, huh?" he said, shaking his head. "How much time you got left before they can't make you stay a boy anymore?" he asked, getting to his feet.
Bakura blinked. "It's-- it's already pretty far along, I--"
"How long?" Jounouchi repeated, voice insistent.
"I-- I guess another month...? I-- I don't really know, I haven't asked..." Bakura said, uncomfortably.
Jounouchi grinned. "So I have a month to change your mind, right?" He cracked his knuckles. "Get dressed in normal clothes again, we're going out!"
Bakura blinked in confusion. "Out where...?" she asked in befuddlement.
"You gave Anzu all this time to convince you to be a girl right? Now it's my turn! I'm gonna show you all the good parts about being a guy so you'll wanna stay one!" the blond declared with a grin. "Now go get changed, we got a lot of stuff to go do!"
Yuugi put a hand to his forehead, suppressing a groan. He recognized that look... This was not going to end well. Not at all..