A/N: I GOT THIS DONE BEFORE I WENT AWAY FOR THE WEEKEND! (Keels over in shock) But ne'r mind. Let's (finally) get on with it:
Disclaimer: Same old, same old…
Chapter Five: A Mask
"I attack with the Mystical Shine Ball!" Ryou declared, and Amane snorted. "You may laugh, but… it…" He trailed off, looking out of the window. The two were sitting on the floor of Ryou's bedroom, which was slightly cleaner then Amane's, just beneath the window which looked out on a typical English suburb. Amane craned her neck to try and see what he was looking at.
"What? What is it?" She asked. Ryou gave no reply, suddenly leaping into action and diving under the bed. "Ryou?"
"It's that gang leader!" Ryou said, voice muffled as he hunted around under his bed for his mask. He remerged, his hair even more ruffled then usual, and put it on; making sure his hair was hidden. White was just too easily recognisable. "The one we've been looking for."
"Are you going after him right now?" Amane asked, anxiously. It was midday on a Saturday. The criminal was stupid enough to be out, let alone Ryou going after him. They'd be spotted easily. Ryou was preparing regardless, placing the Ring down onto his bed. He had no proper costume besides his mask. He'd put it in the washing machine at the wrong temperature and it had stretched out of all shape, with no hope of it being redeemed.
"I've got to." He answered, pulling the window open. He paused for a moment on the sill, and looked back at her, features hidden by the silver material. "Don't worry."
"Ryou, this guy's tough. He won't hesitate to kill you! Are you sure-"
"Don't worry." Ryou repeated firmly.
"I don't." Amane assured him, sighing. "I just hate being left behind." Then she shrugged, as Ryou hesitated. "Go on then, Faceless! Go catch yourself another criminal!"
Ryou nodded, and hurled himself down into the street. The man was far enough away now not to see where he came from. He chased the man, and caught him, not knowing that when he returned his house, and his mom, would be gone.
Amane to, sitting and picking dejectedly at the carpet before sighing and beginning to gather up the cards. This had happened a lot since Ryou had discovered his powers. She didn't have any. So she was left behind. He tried to include her; indeed, not even their mom knew, but sometimes… She felt a little jealous. She understood well that it wasn't as glamorous as the comic books made out, but while her brother was out doing good, she was stuck here. They were twins. They should face these things together.
She headed back to her own room, biting her lip. She had been glad for Ryou, of course, she thought it helped him face the guilt of all those people that ended up in comas. She couldn't work out what kept happening. She had stopped playing herself after Jason. She was ashamed, but she was too frightened to play a game with her own brother. He still played though, despite all the… accidents. Ryou didn't seem to know how else to make friends. Or maybe he just didn't know how to stop. But after Jason…
Amane began to wonder vaguely how Jason was. She and Penelope sent letters back and forth, which was usually easier said then done, as they moved so often, but Penelope never mentioned her brother. Amane wondered if he had woken up, and if he was alright. She hoped he had. She picked up a pen, and pulled out a piece of paper. She would ask this time. This letter, she would finally write it…
Dear Penelope
Hope you're doing okay! I've been meaning to ask: How's Jason? You haven't mentioned him since Ryou and me first moved. Is he still
Amane screwed up the paper, and then thought better of it and unfolded it, tearing it into shreds. She couldn't write that! There was a strict unspoken agreement- she never mentioned Ryou, and neither Penelope. And they never mentioned what had happened to make them move in the first place. Ryou knew nothing about the correspondence either. She didn't want to upset him. Not when he finally seemed to have some sort of purpose to his life. She went to start again, but there was a smell of smoke that was starting to irritate her. It wasn't uncommon for her mom to burn the food, but normally she noticed. Perhaps her mom had dropped off again…
However, when Amane opened her bedroom door, there was a hint of heat that suggested something more serious was up, and tentacles of smoke were coming up the stairs towards her. Leaning over the landing, she could see the fire, it was in the kitchen after all, but it wasn't just some burnt food, that was for sure. Then, a spark flew, and the hall carpet was alight. Amane watched in horror, and then ran down the stairs part of the way.
"Mom?" She yelled. "Mom!"
The living room door was blocked, and, as she reached the foot of the stairs, so to was the front door. She was about to start heading back up when her mom appeared at the door to the dining room, also blocked.
"Mom!"
"Amane!" Her mom shouted back, coughing on the amount of smoke in the house. "Get up stairs! Now!"
"But-"
"Amane! The front door is blocked, so the back, and the windows are too small to get out of! We've got to go up!"
The fire was licking the bottom of the stairs. Amane screamed shortly, and looked at her mom in despair.
"Go!" Her mom yelled. "I'm right behind you!"
Amane turned and ran. That was the last conversation she had with her mom. She was standing at the bathroom window, wondering if she could shimmy down the drainpipe, when she heard the most almighty crash. She rushed out again, tears streaming in the smoke, unable to breathe. The stairs had collapsed. Her mom was nowhere to be seen, and now she was right out in the thick of the flames…
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
The room was unfamiliar. Amane had woken up, but she didn't know where. Her arms and back hurt.
"Amane?"
Amane rolled over at the voice, surprised. "Penelope!"
The girl smiled. "Thank goodness. I almost thought… it was happening again."
Amane levered herself up, holding her head. "What did happen…?" She wondered aloud, before starting to piece her memory together. "Ryou had gone. And then there was… fire, and smoke… and the stairs…I'm in hospital, aren't I?"
"Yes." Penelope nodded. "Your house set on fire. Your arms and back got burnt up pretty bad…"
"So I can tell." Amane smiled wryly, ignoring the aches in her back. They must have pumped her full of painkillers. Apart from the pain, however, she didn't feel too bad. A house was just a house to her. When you moved as often as they did, you don't get attached to a building. "What are you doing here?"
"They got in touch with us after it happened. You had your phone in your pocket, and I happened to be at the top. And then my mom and I came down."
"Thank you." Amane said, hugging her. Her arms were bandaged up to the elbow and moved stiffly, hurting when she tried, but she did her best. "It's good to see you… Now, where's mom?"
"Amane…" Penelope hesitated. Amane pulled away.
"She's… she's okay, isn't she?" Amane asked, worried now. "Penelope? Tell me! What happened? Was it her face that got burnt? Or did she loose one of her limbs? She can still walk, right? We can't afford to have the house converted for a wheelchair! Oh… Not that we have a house any more... I suppose we could get one of those bungalows. Right? And wheelchairs get to skip all the queues at theme parks! So we'll get out of hospital, and it'll be great! Right?" Penelope didn't look at her, studying the floor. "Penny…" She begged. "Right?"
"Amane…" Penelope began again, swallowing. "She died. The stairs collapsed on her. I'm sorry."
"But…" Amane stared at her, and then shook her head. "Okay- What about Ryou! Where's Ryou!" She demanded.
"No-one knows." Penelope replied, trying to keep the harshness out of her voice- she knew what it was like to loose a brother- but not quite managing it.
"He's dead." Amane said, flatly.
"Well, we don't know-" Penelope began, but her heart wasn't in it. Amane shook her head again, cutting her off.
"No. He's been missing since the day of the fire right? Everyone's assuming he's dead. I bet the police are just waiting for his body to show, right?"
"Amane…" Penelope tried. "I'm sorry. Please… I'm so, so sorry."
"Don't you dare say you're sorry!" Amane yelled, and then rested her head on her knees, drawing ragged breaths as she began to cry uncontrollably. Vaguely, she registered she shouldn't have gone off at her like that. But as they remained motionless, it became clear she didn't have to apologise. Penelope came and awkwardly wrapped an arm around her.
"I've lost everything, Penny…" Amane said, softly.
"You've got me." Penelope promised. "I know we're not as close as we were when we were kids. I know since you moved away and Jay… it's been harder, but you've got me." She lowered her voice. "You can stay with us until…" She trailed off.
"Until when, Penelope?" Amane whispered. "Until when? Who's waiting for me now?"
Penelope had no answer. But, later, Amane did. There was a whisper in her brain. She pushed it aside. The gang member Ryou had been chasing after couldn't have killed him. She had to wait for Ryou. She stayed with Penelope, back in her home town, but she rang the police every day, hoping they'd found something. They never did. Her mom was gone, and Ryou had disappeared without a trace. It was the only thing that kept her going through the grief. She couldn't eat more then a few bites, she only slept when her eyes couldn't stay open, and still there was a whisper. She waited a month at Penelope's house. There was no sign of Ryou. She couldn't even give her mom a funeral. The body was required as evidence- apparently, there was 'suspicious circumstances' surrounding the fire. Amane didn't care. She just wanted her brother and mom back; or at least to put her mom to rest properly. After a month, the Police were finished with the post mortem at last- Amane didn't feel it had been their top priority, somehow- and her mom got a funeral. They still didn't know the cause of the fire. And Ryou still hadn't turned up. By now, the hope that he had survived was diminished, and the whisper all the louder. At the wake following her mom's funeral, Amane managed to slip away, and took the next plane to Egypt. That was the last she saw of Penelope. She left a note explaining she had gone to find her father, but not where. She couldn't let anyone interfere.
There was a whisper in her head, reminding her that she might still have one family member left. Her father had last been heard of on a dig in Egypt. She would go to a town near to the old site. She would find him. She would tell him what had happened to his wife and son. He might not care- he hadn't been in touch since they turned thirteen in anything more then a brief postcard, and even those had stopped a few weeks later- but she'd tell him, and live with him, and it would be fine. She wasn't going to go into Care. Her mom wouldn't want that. She had always told Amane and Ryou that, should they end up without her, they should use her life insurance money to do something important to them. Right now, this was the most important thing to Amane. She hoped her mom would have approved.
The whisper didn't stop when she reached the town, and nothing had been seen or heard of 'Professor Bakura' since he had left some years ago. It didn't stop when she became Abaca, with no surname, and with no parents. It didn't stop when she lost her characteristic white hair, dying it black to fit in. It didn't stop regardless of the fact that months and years passed with no luck. Now she had given up on her brother, she didn't have anything else to hope for. So she had to find her dad. She just had to. For some reason, she never told Midha who he was. She didn't want the pity.
Amane never found her father. Yet, just as the hope was beginning to die, she'd seen that old recording of Ryou- his hair longer then ever, but undoubtedly him. An old hope had come back with a vengeance. She used the last of her savings on the ticket to Domino Airport. It was her last chance. She'd never get back to Egypt. This was her last shot.
Ryou was alive. And she'd found him, as the two stood, hugging, on an abandoned train platform, a million miles from where they'd begun.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
"Amane…"
"It's been so long since anyone called me that…"
"You…You dyed your hair."
"Yes."
Joey blinked, completely forgetting about his awesome play as Ryou held the girl that had accompanied his opponent like he couldn't quite believe she was there. He didn't really want to interrupt, but curiosity was beginning to get the better of him. He'd heard the name 'Amane' before- Penelope had mentioned her. Yet, he had no idea who she was. It seemed a lot of Ryou's past was coming back to him now.
"Um…" He said, tentatively. "Ryou? Who…?"
Ryou pulled away, looking around in apparent surprise at them all, as though he'd forgotten they were there. Then he began to smile, but looked like he was about to cry.
"Everyone… This is Amane." He said, almost unable to believe it.
"I'm his twin sister." She added, by way of explanation, smiling also. Joey looked at her more closely, as did the others. Indeed, now that the hat had gone, you could tell. Her skin had tanned from her days in a hot country, and her hair was a different colour, but you could still tell. They looked the same.
"Ryou!" Téa was saying indignantly. "You never said you have a sister!"
"I didn't!" Ryou protested. Then he reconsidered. "Well, I did, obviously, and then I didn't, and now I do. If you see what I mean."
"Not really…" Joey began, and then trailed off. The ground beneath him was starting to shake. "…Oh no…"
"Joey! The train!" Yugi yelled.
"Midha!" Amane screamed. "Move!"
The two were way ahead of her, scrambling for the edge of the platform as the train loomed down in front of them. The next few seconds were chaos. Joey and Midha ran, she tripped on one of the rails and stumbled, before Joey grabbed hold of her, dragging her along until she regained her balance, but it was all useless. Even if she hadn't tripped, they wouldn't have made it. Several people screamed, for all the good it would do. The driver slammed down on the breaks, which slowed his progress, but not enough. There was no time. Joey and Midha reached the edge of the tracks just as it was about to hit.
The train juddered to a halt, and, for a moment, Joey and Midha stood frozen in fear. Yugi and Tristan ran to the edge to help pull them up, and so no-one noticed Ryou sighing in relief, lowering his raised arm. Amane looked at him with a cocked eyebrow, the only one who had realised he'd set the air against the train, slowing it, stopping it in its tracks.
"You've still got it, then." She muttered. Ryou shrugged.
"I lost it for a while." He whispered back. "I still can't believe it. Amane, how did you-"
"Catch up later!" Tristan yelled, tugging on his arm. "There's a very angry train driver just there, and if we don't run, he'll have the police down here!"
They ran, but ground to a halt just outside the doors to the old station. Serenity was standing there, looking upset. She hugged her brother hard, but then pulled away enough to swat his arm.
"Joey! Why have a duel on train tracks! You could have been killed!"
"Sorry…" Joey muttered, sheepishly. Behind him, Ryou sighed and leant against the wall, closing his eyes. First Amane, and then the train… He was supposed to be explaining to the others who she was and how she'd come to be here, and he didn't even know himself. The drama was too much to take at once…
"Ryou?" Serenity asked. "You alright?"
Ryou nodded, standing again, and smiled slightly. "Time for introductions." He muttered, glancing at his sister. "Serenity… I'd like you to meet Amane."
"Amane?" She repeated, surprised, staring at the girl. "But I thought…"
"So did I." Ryou laughed giddily. His mood kept swinging from confusion to extreme happiness. Perhaps the how and why didn't matter so much. She was back. That was good enough for him.
Serenity felt stupidly happy as well. It was his sister. Someone he loved who he had thought to be dead. But he loved her as a sister. She pushed the thoughts from her brain, coming to her senses. She didn't like to think about why that seemed so significant to her. When push came to shove- deny everything.
"Amane," Ryou began, getting ready to list. "This is Serenity, her brother, Joey, Yugi you know, Tristan and Téa." He smiled. "They're very good friends of mine."
"I see." Amane murmured back, her smile slipping for a moment. It reasserted itself a second later. "Well, this is Midha." She turned to look at her friend, who just glared back. "Oh… I think she's going to kill me for not telling her… Sorry?"
"…I can't believe this!" Ryou laughed again. "Amane! How did you get here! I thought you were dead!"
"Nope, I'm alive." Amane reassured him, smiling. "And… well, that's a bit of a story."
An awkward silence descended upon the group.
"…Perhaps we ought to leave you two to catch up." Serenity said, eventually. The others hurriedly agreed, and Ryou and Amane slipped off, back in the direction of his flat. Midha did not accompany them. As soon as they were out of sight, she turned back to Joey.
"We need to finish our duel!" She declared. Then she turned to Yugi, and winked. "I think he was about to beat me… But can I play you next anyway?"
"I thought you didn't want a duel…" Téa pointed out. "You just wanted to 'talk', right?"
"Abaca just wanted to talk." Midha dismissed. "I came here to duel champions!"
"Well, who am I to deny you that?" Joey answered, activating his disk once again.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
"This is nice…" Amane said, following him into the living room and sitting down on the settee. It was weird. Things were a little awkward between them, they hadn't spoken in so long; and yet, somehow, she felt perfectly comfortable with him. It felt like days, not years, had passed.
Ryou nodded, sitting down to. "So… Explain. I saw mom being lifted out of the house. I thought…"
"Why do I have to go first?" Amane demanded.
"…A lot's happened to me in the last few years." Ryou answered, cryptically.
"And how do you know my life hasn't been incredibly eventful?" She pouted. Ryou looked out of the window, and answered without looking at her.
"Do you still have that amulet dad sent you when we were thirteen?" He asked. Amane nodded, confused.
"Sure, it's right here." She answered, lifting one of her hands. She wore long, elbow length fingerless gloves, but the amulet was on top. "Why? Hey… What happened to your thing? You always used to wear it…"
"It's buried. Under several tons of sand and rock. In a cave. In a desert. In the middle of Egypt."
"…Maybe I will go first." Amane reconsidered, before launching straight into the story of what had happened to her since he had left to go after that gang leader. When she'd finished, Ryou shook his head in dismay.
"I was in Egypt for a while. I was so close to you, and I never even realised…"
"Never mind that!" Amane dismissed, leaning closer to him. "C'mon! What are you doing in Japan…?"
Ryou told her everything. How he had come to Japan with the same idea as her- to find their father. It was so silly. They had both had it in their heads to find him, but Amane had headed to where he had last been seen, and Ryou to where he was seen the most often, and they'd ended up on different sides of the planet. He told of how he'd got sidetracked and given up; how he'd played Monster World with Yugi and the others. He explained about the Millennium Items, and his Yami. He told her what he remembered of Duellist Kingdom and Battle City and everything else. He told her about the day the Ring was destroyed, and then he told her about how he'd just a few days ago begun to use his powers again. And then, he stopped.
"…That's a pretty amazing story." Amane agreed, and Ryou felt a rush of gratitude that she'd believed him so easily. "Hmmph…You make my life look boring. But… Ryou, if you'd just waited a few more minutes, you would have seen I was alive. I waited a month for you. Why couldn't you have waited a just a few minutes…?"
"I know." Ryou answered. "I just… I was so scared… I just ran. But then, if I hadn't, the Ring would never have been destroyed. And everyone would still be…"
Amane was silent for a while. Then, quietly, she asked "This… Spirit. He can't come back, right?"
Ryou shook his head. "No."
Amane snorted. "It's probably best for him that he can't! I'd give him a piece of my mind! Then we'd see who was 'the darkness'!"
Ryou considered her, and, slowly, began to smile. He couldn't help it; he snorted, and before he could stop himself he was laughing. Amane looked at him in confusion.
"What?" She demanded, again and again. "What?"
"It's just…" He tried, hardly able to breathe now. "It's just… you…"
"Me?" Amane asked. His laughter was contagious.
"I can just imagine you… his face… you'd get…" Ryou was completely unable to finish his sentences and thus explain what it was he found so amusing. The sight of him incapacitated in such a way got Amane laughing to, and soon they were both there, tears pouring down their faces. Nothing was particularly funny, but they were together again at last. Perhaps the most amusing thing was that it was if the years had been brushed irrelevantly away, to the surprise of both of them, it was as if they had never been apart. Then, as the laughter finally died down, Ryou came to two sudden realisations.
They'd ended up lying on the floor laughing, just like when they were kids, and Ryou sat up now, his hair ruffling behind him.
"What's up?" Amane asked.
"I still don't have any food!" Ryou moaned. "And… I don't have a spare room!"
"Well… It's a little late in the day to be eating now anyway…" Amane pointed out, glancing up at the clock. While they hadn't been looking, the hands had continued to sneak cunningly around the face, now nearing midnight. "And as for the spare room… What about that fourth door? Opposite us?"
"That's not a spare room." Ryou said, and stood up, gesturing at her to follow. Mystified, she did. The door opened to reveal a small room containing only some boxes and a metal staircase. He ascended the stairs easily, his sister behind him, and they reached the roof.
"Wow…" Amane said, glancing around her slightly nervously and backing away from the edge.
"Still afraid of heights?" Ryou teased, lightly.
"Still afraid of water?" She shot back. "Besides, I'm not afraid of heights. I'm afraid of falling from them."
"It's perfectly safe." Ryou assured her, standing up on the wall that ran around the perimeter to prove his point.
"Ryou, get down from there!"
"It's alright!" Ryou laughed. "I always…" He trailed off, looking at something down in the street that, in her current position, Amane couldn't see. Tentatively, she approached the edge.
"What is it?" Ryou merely pointed down into the depths of an alleyway some streets away. Squinting in the light that the street lamps provided, Amane could just make out a man and a woman, having an argument. The man tried to walk away, but the woman grabbed hold of his arms, started hitting him.
"He won't hit her back…" Amane murmured. "But if they keep this up, she'll kill him!" She turned to Ryou, who was looking intently at her now, and sighed. "Well, don't wait for my position! Go on, Faceless, do your thing!"
"Actually," Ryou replied. "No-one calls me that anymore." He jumped. Amane stood, and, from her vantage point, watched him save someone else, as she waited on the sidelines.
"It really is…" She sighed. "Just like it used to be."
It was windy on the roof, and she shuddered slightly in the cold. She ducked back inside, to her new home.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
It was Monday lunchtime, but Ryou was not in the canteen or outside. Instead, he sat in their now empty classroom, one leg tucked beneath him in a way he wouldn't get away with in class, frowning at the paper before him. His pen twirled idly in his left hand, his right absent mindedly flicking the Spiderman comic he'd been using to lean on.
Amane had arrived on that Friday afternoon, and such a lot had happened since then. Yugi had found himself putting Midha up for a few nights, leaving Ryou with his sister. She was sleeping on the sofa for now, but they'd decided that eventually she would have Ryou's, slightly larger, room; while he'd attempt to cram in and around the foot of the stairs, and would get roof access. He had no idea how they'd afford it. But he wasn't worrying too much about that now. It was amazing. He almost hadn't realised how much he'd missed her until she was back. The weekend had been one of the best. It was strange, because finally being reunited at last meant it felt like something special should happen, but there was nothing to be done, except… hang out. So, that's what they did. With Serenity, and Midha, and Yugi and all the others; showing the two new comers around a bit. He'd duelled Midha just as all the others had, and eventually won- but only by using the Destiny Board. She really was a good player, and when, the day before, they'd said goodbye, Amane seemed understandably upset. But she refused to go back to Egypt. Ryou didn't say it in so many words, but he was glad she'd decided not to leave him again.
When Monday had arrived, he'd left her at home- with her promising 'to be good'- in order to go to school. The first thing he'd done was pick up the mountain of paper work that she'd have to fill in to get a place at the school. He was beginning to fill it in himself- she wouldn't have a clue- but it was so much harder when he had no legal parent or guardian… The only other item in the room was a book on one desk, and a bag on another, that some people had left behind from the previous class. Unfortunately, one of the owners was about to come back for it. Penelope threw the door open to see Ryou there.
"Ryou!" She gasped, then looked away. "I'm just getting my book."
Ryou nodded, and turned back to what he was doing. What could he even say…? He needed to tell her Amane was alive. He owed that to her. But how to get into a conversation with someone he hated…?
"Penelope…" He began, hesitantly. "I need to tell you something."
"Don't bother." She replied, looking at the floor. Then she slammed a fist down on his table, startling him. "If this is that crap about the Ring you got your little…" She trailed off, seeing what her fist was leaning on. "This is an application form! You're not moving school?"
"…Not exactly…" Ryou answered. "Penelope… Amane, she's alive!"
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
"Hey," Joey said suddenly, looking around at the bustling canteen and swallowing his mouthful of crisps. "Where's Ryou?"
"He had to do some paper work so Amane can apply here." Yugi informed him. "He's in the Maths room."
Téa looked surprised, then worried. "Um… Not the same maths room that Penelope was just going back to, right?"
They looked at each other in concern.
"We'd better go!" Tristan declared, eventually. "If Ryou puts his foot in it, he's done for!"
They stood, and started heading hurriedly after Penelope. Joey kept his thoughts to himself. He hadn't told anyone about Penelope's brother, not even Ryou. He just couldn't bring himself to do it…
"It's such a shame they don't get on…" Téa was sighing. "They're both such nice people- I wonder why she hates him so…?"
Joey still remained silent. It wasn't Ryou's fault, but then, if Penelope couldn't accept that… well, she had every right to hate him. Then they heard a sound they never thought they'd hear- Ryou was yelling. Not in fear, but in anger; a mish-mash of rapid, animal shouts they couldn't even understand. They ran last few metres, and between him, Tristan and Yugi, managed to restrain him. Eventually, the strength and the rage drained out of him, and he sat down, looking surprised. Penelope fled the room.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
"…Not exactly…" Ryou answered. "Penelope… Amane, she's alive!"
Penelope blinked. "Is she here to?"
"Yes, that's who the application form is for." Ryou replied. "…You don't seem surprised…"
"Nah, I knew I'd see her again." Penelope smiled. Something inside screamed at her not to take her guard down, remember who she was speaking to, but she ignored it. Just this once.
"Even though she was supposedly dead?" Ryou asked, mystified.
"Dead?" Penelope laughed. "What are you talking about? You're the one who was supposed to be dead! Amane just went off to look for her dad!"
Ryou didn't reply. He didn't even look at her, he just stared at the desk. It was rather disconcerting. His hands curled into fists, his breathing haggard. She'd never seen him like this… If he was having some sort of attack, she'd have to fetch the nurse, regardless of personal feelings.
"Ryou…?"
"You… you knew… she was alive." Ryou hissed, slowly standing up. "You knew she was alive- and you didn't tell me!"
"What?" Penelope echoed. "I didn't know-"
"Don't lie!" Ryou screamed. "Don't lie! Why didn't you tell me! You of all people should know what it's like!"
"I thought you-" Penelope began, frightened. She'd never seen Ryou loose it before, it scared her. She backed away, but Ryou didn't seem to notice her words nor her movement, he just continued to rant, things she couldn't even understand. It was like he'd gone mad. Still ranting, he took a step towards her. Penelope retreated again, backing into a chair leg and ending up on the floor. Thankfully, the others arrived on the scene just then. Yelling, Joey and Tristan grabbed hold of his arms as Yugi pushed him back, away from her.
"Woah, Ryou, calm down!" Joey shouted, as Ryou struggled and thrashed against them.
"He's gone totally nuts!" Tristan declared as Ryou behaved like some sort of caged animal. He glanced at over at Penelope, who Téa had helped to her feet, and was now watching Ryou in horror. "What did you do!"
"She knew!" Ryou howled, enraged, the first coherent thing he'd come out with for a few minutes. "She knew! Let me go!"
"And what are you going to do if we do?" Joey muttered, tightening his grip. "Man, for someone who's usually such a wimp, he sure can be strong…"
"Ryou!" Téa pleaded. "Come on… this isn't like you…"
"She knew Amane was alive." He said flatly, stopping thrashing now, but still shaking in rage. "She knew! She knew my sister, my only family, was alive! And she kept it from me! She didn't tell me! Let me go!"
Ignoring Ryou's request, they turned to look in horror at Penelope. No matter how much she disliked him, not to tell him that his sister was alive… That was low. Looking ashamed, she suddenly turned and ran from the room.
"Penelope! Wait!" Téa yelled, going after her. The second the door closed behind them, Ryou sagged. Cautiously, his friends released him, and he sank down into a chair, suddenly emotionally exhausted. The others didn't quite know what to say. If it had been Joey, Tristan, maybe even Yugi; they would have known what to do, what to say. But for Ryou to lose his temper, and to such an extent… it was unheard of, almost unnatural. Ryou rubbed at his face, and then buried it into his arms.
"Ryou…?"
"She knew." He muttered again. "She knew Amane was alive, and she hid it from me. I just… I'm sorry…"
"Hmmph." Joey snorted. "Don't worry about it. You had every right to get angry! That is low."
"Yeah, if she knew Ryou didn't." Tristan snorted. Ryou lifted his head and stared at him, going pale as he realised what his rage had blinded him to, what he had failed to think of. "Not to be controversial, but what if she didn't realise he thought Amane was dead?"
"…Then I am the most appalling sort of person." Ryou responded eventually, so quietly his voice was barely audible. "Guys… What am I going to do? What am I going to do…?"
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Téa stood before Penelope, frowning. The girl looked guilty, looked frightened by the events, but Téa forced herself to remain unsympathetic, holding on to the growing anger on Ryou's behalf.
"Tell me honestly…" She said, slowly. "Did you know his sister was alive?"
Penelope nodded miserably. "But…"
"You never told him."
"I thought he knew!" Penelope shouted. "Téa, I swear to you, I didn't know. If I had, don't you think I would have told him! I might hate him, but I'd never wish that on anyone, okay! I know what it's like to lose a twin! I know what it's like!"
"You…"
"Once, I…" Penelope swallowed and began again. "Ryou, Amane, me, and my twin brother. We were close when we were kids. He and my brother, they were very into Monster World. Then, we started playing one day and… Never finished." She began to walk away. "Like I said, I know what it's like to lose a sibling. Only mine hasn't come back yet."
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Ryou was at the convince shop. More precisely, he was standing, waiting, in a long queue, wondering if he could actually afford the stuff. Since Amane had arrived, she had footed some of the bill, but, of course, he had to buy twice as much as he used to. He had been living off their university fund, and she had been living off the life insurance money from their mother. Both accounts were running low.
I need a job… Ryou groaned, mentally. I wonder if there's any going here…?
And then he felt something hard, round, and metal in the back of his neck. He froze, heart suddenly doubling in pace. He'd seen enough movies and dealt with enough criminals in his time to know exactly what was being pressed into him, ready to blow his brains away if he so much as moved.
What is it with me and food shopping! Ryou demanded. It never goes to plan! All I wanted was some bread and milk, but no. Nothing's ever simple…
"Don't make a sound." The person behind him, pressing the gun through his hair, so no-one could see, hissed in his ear. "Just keep queuing…"
Ryou glanced up. He was next to be served. He shuffled forward slightly at a prompt from the weapon. He considered being frightened, but somehow, after everything that had happened to him, he couldn't imagine being killed in a shop with a name like 'Smiley Fun Happy Turbo Express Superstore'. Somehow, death had lost it's edge- he hadn't just been knocking at death's door, he'd been invited in for a cup of tea and a biscuit. And so, he wasn't so much scared as frustrated. It was just one thing after another… The thing was, he wasn't that quick to react. There was no way he could do anything before the man pulled the trigger…
The person in front only had a few items left to be rung up. Ryou had to think quickly, but the cold, sneering presence of the gun was hard to ignore. They shuffled forward a little more. People were starting to send suspicious glances at why the man was getting so close to the white-haired boy.
I could use my powers… Ryou considered. As long as I can find a way to do it so they don't think it's me…
"Next customer, please!" The woman on the till called happily. She was pregnant. Slow moving. Evidently, this was why the robber had chosen this till. They moved forward, and he removed the gun from Ryou's hair, pointing it instead at the woman behind the till, firing a warning shot at her feet. Someone screamed, and then there was silence as the terrified customers prayed for their lives.
"I won't have to shoot again if you all gi… girrgh… uhrrgh…" He sank to his knees, the gun resounding as it impacted on the floor tiles, it's owner clawing desperately at his throat.
Ryou, meanwhile, watched in a kind of distressed interest. He hadn't been aware he could pull people's breaths back up their throat… He could suffocate people on a will. Well, that was new. He felt positively like Vader. He let it go, and the man drew deep, gasping breaths as he lay shaking on the floor. Ryou crouched down, pretending to be checking his pulse. Then, putting his false Aussie accent back on, he whispered in the man's ear.
"I don't appreciate being a hostage. I don't appreciate people who point guns at innocent people. And, most of all, I don't appreciate people who stop me shopping. Do it again, and I will pull every atom of oxygen in you straight out of your bloodstream."
He stood, put the money for his food (Which he'd managed to hold onto this time) down on the counter, and left before the man knew what had happened. It wasn't hard to slip away in the confusion. Everyone was concerned with the woman who had nearly been shot, and so no-one noticed the hostage disappearing out of the doors. None the less, Ryou walked home as quickly as he could. He was lucky, no-one caught up with him. More to the point, no-one would believe the criminal's story about his identity as Masquerade. For one thing, the would-be thief hadn't seen his face, or heard his real voice. Even if he described what 'Masquerade' looked like, and someone believed him, and suspected Ryou, they'd give up then. The boy was about as threatening as a cuckoo clock, which happened to be what Amane was watching on television when he went in, laden down with carrier bags.
"Round the Clock stories." Amane explained, turning the set off as Ryou dumped the bags on the kitchen counter and then walked through to flop next to her. "Oh, don't pull that act." She rolled her eyes. "You think a shop is bad? Try grocery shopping in an Egyptian Market…"
"I bet you never got a gun pushed into the back of your neck." Ryou shot back, grumpily. "And I didn't even get a job."
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Even after Amane's arrival, once Ryou's outburst faded a little from memory, things fell more or less back into a routine. He still walked home with Serenity, and, although she didn't know it, he still went out when he was needed to, in essence, fight crime. This had been going on about two weeks, and, despite the danger of it all, he couldn't be happier. Just that weekend, they'd put shelves all around the walls of the room that housed the roof access, and moved all Ryou's stuff into there. It was a little crowded, but there was enough room for a wardrobe and bed, and really, that was all he needed. It was a nice compromise. This way, they both had rooms, but while Amane got the size, Ryou was able to keep his roof access- which was important, if he was going to keep an eye on the city. The nightmares had stopped, however, and so he missed some simply because he was asleep. But he was happy with the arrangement. Tonight, however, he felt a little… daunted. It had taken almost a fortnight to sort out all the paper work, but, at last, Amane would be starting at their school on Monday. Which, right now, meant only one thing to him…
"Just think." He said to Serenity, breaking the relative silence their walk home had subjected to. Something seemed to be getting her down… "The next time we do this, Amane will be with us!"
"Mmm." Serenity said, non-committaly. Ryou looked at her in concern.
"Pardon me, but… is something wrong?" he asked. Serenity jumped. She'd been thinking how she would miss it just being the two of them. She was pleased for Ryou, she was delighted to see him so happy, but somehow… She felt as though she could tell Ryou everything from her petty fears to her problems, and she didn't know if she could do that with someone else around.
"No." She answered.
"Don't say that." Ryou replied quietly. "Just say that you'd rather not tell me. It's alright, if you're not ready to talk. Just don't pretend everything's fine. I did that for the longest time, and the only advise I can give you about it is: Don't."
"Really, I'm good!" She laughed. "I was just thinking about something…"
"Okay." Ryou said, letting the matter drop for now. They reached the corner where they would part. "Serenity…" He bit his lip. "I wanted to say something to you…"
"What is it?"
"I… I…" Ryou began. Then the words swallowed themselves, and he had to find something else to fill the gap. "Thanks!"
"For what?"
Ryou smiled. "For… being there, I guess. You kept me hanging on. I had… nothing, really. My family was dead. My friends… They're fantastic, but once the Ring was gone… I ended up back where I'd started. I was losing my mind. You made me face up to my thoughts and…" He trailed off, embarrassed.
"You're welcome." Serenity answered, surprised. "…Could I ask you something?"
"Sure…"
"You're scared of water, right?" She asked, hurriedly, as though saying the words faster would embarrass him less. "So why get on a boat to go to Duellist Kingdom? Why come in the canal?"
"That's where my friends were." He answered easily. "They were the only ones who stayed friends with me after Monster World. They're the only ones who weren't too frightened to come near me. And if they did that for me, I figured I could sail across the ocean for them. If they weren't too scared to come near me, I thought I should face my fears to. Of course, I spent most of the ride vomiting over the side, but…"
"What about the canal?" She asked, quietly.
"…That's where my friends were." He repeated. "Good bye!" He added, hurrying away, embarrassed.
"Bye…" Serenity replied. "…What's got into him?" She wondered aloud.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
"And, on the lighter side of the news, it looks like the Police force is going to get an extra helping hand…"
"Ryou! You're on!" Amane yelled, as her brother emerged from the bathroom. He walked into the living room, towelling his wet hair. "Check it out!"
"Japan's very own Superhero! Several eye-witnesses have reported him to be a young Australian male-"
"Australian!"
"It's the only accent I can imitate." Ryou shrugged. "Mine's too distinguishing…"
"-with amazing powers such as air-bending and, indeed, flight! Although all sightings have been in and around the Domino area in the last fortnight or so, no-one has any idea of the hero's secret identity, particularly as each time he appears he is dressed differently- right down to what he uses to cover his face. He's been seen in everything from jumpers to tea cosies-"
"A tea cosy?" Amane echoed, indcredously.
"Shut up. It was all I could find at the time…"
"And with such a variety, this masked man is impossible to track down! Those he has saved refuse to hear anything against him, although the police-"
"See?" Amane said, gesturing at the television. "I told you that you need a proper outfit! You've been at this a fortnight now! It's about time!"
"Outfits just cause problems." Ryou sighed, sitting down next to her on the sofa. "Remember that time I didn't manage to prevent a building being crushed because I was waiting for the washing machine to finish with it? It was on fast cycle! Or how about all the trouble of carting it round all the time? I kept having to lie! And as for getting changed… by the time I'd found somewhere private, changed, hidden my clothes, and got back, they'd gotten away! And let's not even go into the amount of times I was hopping around trying to get my socks off! Besides, it was really uncomfortable. It kept bagging at the elbows-"
"Okay, I get it!" Amane said, holding up her hands. "Now, be polite and listen to the Police man when he's talking to you…" She pointed at the screen, where the Police chief was putting out a televised plea.
"And so, we'd ask this… 'Masquerade', whoever he is, to make himself known to us. We urge him to bring the criminals into our custody so that they may feel the full extent of the law, although we are grateful-"
"Masquerade!" Ryou repeated, groaning, and turning off the television set. "Why can't they ever think of a cool name…?"
"Heh heh heh…" Amane laughed. "Masquerade! That's even worse then 'Faceless'!"
"Oh, be quiet…" Ryou said, tolerantly. "Come on, we need to go to bed. School in the morning…"
"Yeah, yeah." Amane sighed, downcast, and gave a mock salute before heading into what was now her room. Ryou looked after her and wondered just what Domino high was going to make of her.
Please, let it be alright…
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Amane stopped right outside the school gates. She was usually so confident, but she was suddenly so nervous- Ryou's long-lost twin sister sounded like such a false story. She couldn't imagine the looks she was going to get. Besides, she'd never even liked school that much. She'd always found it pretty boring…
"I tell you what." She said to her brother, who was waiting to go in. "You go. I'll go get a job. You said we need money, right?"
"Amane…"
"Come on…" She pouted. "I'm scared!"
Ryou grabbed her elbow, where the omnipresent gloves on her arms ended, and began to forcefully steer her in. At first, she protested and struggled, but in the end the scuffle descended into giggles, and she began to walk of her own accord. Still, she couldn't resist a final attempt.
"Do I really have to…?" She begged, quietly, looking suspiciously back at the people who watched her with similar expressions, straining to hear what they were saying. She tried to pull the puppy eyes. It had always worked before, after all.
"Come on." Ryou whispered. "For me? Or… For mom? Dad? You know how much they cared about our education…"
She snorted. "That's emotional blackmail, you jerk. Besides, I'm not the one spending the University fund, am I?"
"Amane… Please?"
"Fine." Amane replied, pushing her bangs out of her eyes in irritation, in exactly the same way as her brother was known to do. Then she sighed. "The puppy dog eyes is supposed to be my speciality…!"
Ryou laughed. "It had to come back to bite you someday."
Inside, waiting at her desk, Penelope was equally nervous. Part of this was because she was about to be reunited with an old friend, but it was more to do with Ryou. He'd quietly told her that Amane would be starting today, and then they'd made their agreement. He'd formally apologised some days earlier for losing his temper with her, but the atmosphere was still tense and volatile. Yet, for Amane's sake, they'd promised to at least try to be civil. Penelope was nervous, because she was going to have to be friendly to the boy who had condemned her brother.
Then, they entered. Ryou, of course, looked the same as always; and, being his twin, Amane looked very similar. But, somehow, she looked different to how she used to be as well. Her hair was shorter, still long, but not as long as her brothers. The black dye had faded by now, so it was as startlingly bright as ever it was. Her tan from the heat of Egypt had quickly faded away, but she was still a little darker than her unhealthily pale counterpart. The Domino Uniform looked awkward, draped over skinny arms and legs, arms that wore white gloves up to the elbow. The room was full of mutterings and murmurs, but Amane was looking around in search of one person in particular. Penelope waited. Then Amane found her, and grinned.
"Nelly!" She yelled, waving enthusiastically.
"Hi." Penelope replied, simply- although inside she was wondering just why Amane had to be so embarrassing, even after all this time.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Two boys hung lazily on a park bench, discussing the day's events.
"What do you think of Bakura's sister?"
"She's hot!"
"I guess… I wouldn't date her, though."
"Why not?"
He shrugged. "Well… Let's face it. Bakura's not the most masculine looking person in the world, is he?"
"So…?"
"So, his sister only looks a little more… girly then he does. It would be like dating Bakura! Freaky."
The other guy considered. "You have a point." He admitted. Then, as an after thought, he added "Poor guy."
"Poor girl." The other guy corrected. "She's never going to get a date because her brother looks like a girl…"
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Masquerade was at work that afternoon, so it was probably a good job Ryou hadn't applied for that job after all. In a way, he was glad to get back to it. A few days had passed since Amane had started school, and yet, he was still fielding constant enquires, and it was rather exhausting. Amane seemed to have a surplus of energy to- she'd wear him out and still be going strong. At least she got on with Serenity. Almost more then Ryou did. But that didn't matter right now. Today, he was chasing a couple of joyriders. Now, Ryou could out-fly any bird, any bicycle, but a car was a challenge. He pushed every once of energy he had into flying; not even pulling his usual trick of creating pillows of air beneath his feet and running. Today, he had a wind at his feet, and he climbed higher and higher and higher; until he couldn't even see the car anymore, and then he went higher still. It wasn't really necessary, but today he was addicted to height. And then he went down, feet first.
His feet crashed heavily into the bonnet of the car, which, after the sheer velocity of his dive, crumpled like crepe paper. Masquerade smiled beneath his mask, which was today a ripped pillowcase, (It certainly was a nuisance, as now he'd have to replace it, and it was very awkward to keep his hair up in- he'd had to resort to tying it into a bun) and immediately took to the sky again. Sometimes, being a super hero was so cool.
Too tired to fly now, he air-walked to a nearby street, pulled off the mask, and faded back into animosity. When he reached the flat, Amane was doing some homework- or, at least, it was spread on the living room's small table. Yet, her eyes were firmly fixed on the television set in front of her.
"You're on again." She called as he entered.
"Why don't you ever say 'Hello'…?"
"Ssh!" She cried. "Kaiba's talking about you!"
"Kaiba?" Ryou blinked. "What does he want with me?"
"If you be quiet, we'll find out…"
"And so," Kaiba snarled on screen, sounding as though his statement was wrapping up. "It is my intention to publicly unmask 'Masquerade' as the fraud he is, in the vain hope that this nation's media will drop this foolish idea of 'Superheroes!'" With that, he left the small podium, ignoring the questions thrown at him.
The living room was silent bar a news update on the stocks. Kaiba Corp. shares were falling even as the reporter was speaking. Apparently, Kaiba's shareholders didn't like his new project. Yet, somehow, KC was still the best off…
"Ding ding ding!" Amane yelled, suddenly. "Congratulations, Ryou! You have overtaken Yugi and the Blue-Eyes as Seto Kaiba's obsession!"
"No, I haven't…" Ryou protested weakly, but he knew it was true. He buried his head in his hands. A moment ago he'd been soaring like an eagle, now he was sinking like a stone. "What does Kaiba have against me? I haven't done anything wrong…" Then he sighed. "You'd think by now he'd believe all the supernatural stuff that's been thrown under his nose…!"
"Still…" Amane said, cunningly, poking her slightly-older brother in the arm. "If he's going to 'unmask' you, you're going to need a real mask…"
"Amane…"
"I'm going to make you one!" She decided, happily.
"I said I didn't need one." Ryou grumbled.
"Not a suit," She wheedled. "Just a mask…"
"No." Ryou said, flatly. "I don't like those things. I can't breathe. Or get my hair in."
"It's got to be better than tea cosies and pillow cases!" Amane pointed out.
"Amane, no!"
"You're having one." She decided, stubbornly. "And no more arguments, or I'll ask you embarrassing questions about how you feel about Serenity Wheeler."
Ryou choked, and he wasn't even drinking anything. Then, he sat in silent defeat, trying to hide his blush behind his hair.
It wasn't even like he could answer any questions. He wasn't entirely sure himself.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Seto had been wondering how long it would take them to show up at his house. He leant back in the arm chair, sighing.
"I said I'd unmask him." Seto snarled. "What more do you want from me? When are you going to leave me alone?"
The man chuckled. "My, you are forced into a corner, aren't you? The thing is, you'll see the last of us when we're done with you."
"And when's that?"
He shrugged. "That all depends on how much trouble our dear Masquerade gives us."
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
A secret is a very ambiguous thing. Sometimes, they're good, sometimes they're bad; sometimes they should be kept and sometimes they shouldn't. I have a lot of secrets, most of which I'd rather not know myself. But the biggest has to be Masquerade. Another me. I can't ever tell anyone, but it does make you wonder who would actually guess. And it makes you wonder how much you know about other people. If you hide so much, how much do others hide? Penelope still hasn't told us what's happened to Jay. Amane doesn't like talking about her time in Egypt much. Yugi and Tristan never mention their parents, the Wheelers like to pretend everything's fine with theirs. And as for Kaiba… Well, I have a lot of secrets, but, somehow, I think he has more than any of us. What could he possibly stand to gain? What part does he have in a superhero's story…?
…Of course, it's entirely possible that I'm paranoid. By all rights, after everything's that happened, I should be completely out of my mind by now. A bit of paranoia would probably be healthy right about now.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
A/N: And so, Chapter 5 draws to a close- and this fic is already much longer than the entirety of AfI. Wow… Anyhoo, I'm afraid I have some bad news- I'm going to have to put this fic TEMPORARILY on hold. Someone's birthday is coming up and I promised I'd write her a fic. (Glare) But the second 'Ripples' is done, I'll be back, I promise! I wish I could give a rough estimate of how long, but… It shouldn't be too much longer than usual. (I hope). Maybe… A month? (Sweatdrop) I'm really sorry! Believe it or not, this has been my top priority since my last update, and so nothing has been done on Ripples. I TRIED TO JUGGLE BUT I DROPPED THE BALLS! (cries)
Anyway, coming up in Chapter Six: Reunited!- Ryou and Jason! A 'Love Hina' situation! Masquerade'smotivation!Penelope finally gets more of abackstory!And someone ends up in hospital… It's all in A Superhero Story Chapter Six- A Patient, coming ASAP!