A/N: Well, here we are again. It's back to school on Wednesday so I doubt I'll be able to update again before then. Although, all my friends are back tomorrow or Tuesday, so I can't really go out and do anything… Meh. We'll see how it goes, ne? I'm afraid this chapter is still a little shorter then usual, but it's not a big difference… Also, this gets more… serious. Things are rapidly slipping away from the 'feel-good' affairs of the beginning… Hmm… See what you think!
Disclaimer: Same old, same old. And the book Ryou refers to towards the end is Across the Nightingale Floor, by Lian Hearn. Yeah…
Eight- A Pyromaniac
Amane worried her lip with her teeth as she thought. "Okay… I can do this…"
"I know you can." Ryou answered. "Take your time."
"Okay… Um… Standard Deviation… It's the square root of… right?"
Ryou nodded. "Keep going."
"The square root of… the sum of… x minus the… mean of x, square it… and… um…" She suddenly screamed in frustration. "It's no use! I can't do it! Why do we have to do dumb tests anyway? Back in Egypt, I just played hooky on test days…"
"I know." Ryou said, comfortingly. "But you've been doing so well since you came here, Amane. You can do this."
"No, I can't." She said, miserably. "I don't get half the basic stuff. I guess I'm just stupid… I don't have a hope of remembering friggin' standard deviation!"
Ryou chuckled. "Amane, you're not stupid. You just missed a lot of school and you're going to need to catch up a bit, that's all. You're not stupid at all! And as for not remembering… you just did!"
She blinked. "I did?"
Ryou nodded. "Yes. Well, you didn't put it over 'n', but…"
"Give me that!" She said, snatching the book from him. Sure enough, there it was. Inside a square root bracket was what she'd said- a little 'E' shaped thing, a bracket, x,a dash, an x with a line above it, another bracket with a little two floating above, and below a line with a letter 'n' written beneath it. A few weeks ago, all the strange squiggly symbols wouldn't have meant a thing to her. She grinned.
"Excellent!" She whooped. "Ha ha!"
Ryou laughed at her enthusiasm. "Yes, well done… Why don't we leave it there tonight?"
"…No." Amane said, to his surprise; and, indeed, hers. "Ryou?"
"Yes?"
"I am going to pass this test!" She declared, determinedly. "I'm tired of flunking! And, Ryou…"
"Yes?"
"I am going to study!"
If her words weren't shocking enough, her actions were even more so. Amane was as good as her word, a miraculous work ethic suddenly overtaking her in a way Ryou had never been before. He supposed now that she'd realised she could do it, nothing would stop her from doing so. Over the next few days, Amane worked incredibly hard, and, anxious to encourage her, Ryou did to. September passed into early November, and with it came the onset of a proper winter, with all the weather, illnesses, and ailments that blow in with the cold wind. And so it was, after almost a week of hard work, that the day of the test dawned under a light frost and a biting wind.
On this particular morning, Ryou was sitting on the sofa- due to the lack of a proper table in their flat- eating breakfast. Or, at least, what he passed as breakfast; which, as he didn't eat very much, was what most people would qualify as a snack. Swallowing the last bit and reaching for the glass of orange juice before him, Ryou frowned. Amane still wasn't up yet, and, at this rate, he'd have to drag her, kicking and screaming, out of bed. It had happened before. Sometimes, he felt more like a parent then a brother… But, then again, she looked after him a lot as well- she was very useful to have around whenever he lost things or needed an excuse for his superhero-ing or-
However, as it turned out, he didn't have to resort to any such extreme measures that morning. Amane staggered into the kitchen, and then into the living room, where she collapsed into the chair next to him, closing her eyes.
"Good morning…" Ryou said, a little suspiciously.
"M'ing…" Amane mumbled, or, at least, that's what it sounded like. Ryou sighed.
"Come on, Amane… You're not playing sick to get out of the test, are you?" He asked, wearily.
She looked at him, and below her tousled hair that suggested disturbed sleep, a pale face peered out. Even her lively blue eyes, so different to his own mild brown ones, seemed half-asleep. "I'm not sick!" She protested violently.
Ryou was becoming convinced, although he still remained a little suspicious. True, she had never said that before, and she looked and sounded ill, and she hadn't wolfed down copious amounts of breakfast; but it wouldn't be the first time she'd tried to fool him. However, she had never denied being sick before… perhaps this was a new tactic?
"Then why haven't you eaten breakfast?" He tried, tentatively.
"I'm not sick." She repeated. "Not today. We have that test today."
"Okay, now I know you're ill." Ryou joked, but she didn't react. Sighing, he came to accept that, this time, she wasn't faking it. "Amane… maybe you should stay home today… but if this is some sort of reverse psychology, I swear I'll-"
"I'm not staying home." She said again, adamantly, looking at him with tired eyes. "I'm not missing the first test I ever studied for, Ryou. No way…"
"I think you might have to." Ryou answered, a little bewildered by this entirely foreign situation. He lifted her hand, pressing it to her forehead. Even from there, he could detect the heat coming from it. "Amane, you're giving off more heat then a radiator."
"The radiators aren't on." She replied, dopily. "And if they are, why is it so cold in here?"
"You see?" Ryou said, gently. "The radiators are on. It isn't cold in here at all. Amane, just go back to bed."
"But…"
"Don't worry. They'll only make you do the test when you get back. Let's just hope you remember what you've learnt!" He told her, mildly amused. With a little more persuasion, Amane agreed to going back to bed. Ryou, meanwhile, was thoroughly wierded out. He'd never had to convince her not to go to school before… it was the exact opposite to what he usually did, and he didn't like it very much. Regardless of this, he went and finished getting ready for school. Just before he left, he knocked on her door, intending to go and say goodbye; but when he went in, to his surprise, she was completely conked out- dead to the world. She really was sick this time… Apparently, she'd come down with the bug that was sweeping through the school. He just hoped he wouldn't come down with it- a sick superhero is not a productive one. And he had missed so much school already…
Speaking of which, he needed to go, before he was late. He left the flat quietly, without even saying goodbye. Amane, for the moment, didn't stir; only tossing fitfully in her sleep as the morning wore on. It wasn't until several hours later that she finally awoke.
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Although he left home earlier then the others, Ryou lived furthest away from the school, and, as a result, was usually the last on there. Today was no different, but even from a block away he got the distinct feeling something was wrong. The air was muggy, hot, and heavy. Tendrils of smoke began to curve lazily round his head, occasional orange sparks riding upon them. As he drew closer, he could smell the scent of smoke, and quickened his pace; heart hammering. He knew all about what fires could do. He continued his approach, fingering the gauze of the mask in his pocket. He may find himself needing it.
He rounded the corner, and, just as he feared, the school was ablaze; flames leaping from the windows like fiery phantoms. The whole building glowed, spewing out gusts of black smoke and crackling and growling to itself; although, for the moment, it seemed the fire was in the middle of spreading impossibly fast across from the west side. A huge crowd bathed in its brilliant shadow, both students and the general public, gathered to see the spectacle. Ryou forced his way through until he found his own friendship group huddled together. On such an occasion, no-one wasted time on greetings.
"What happened?" Ryou asked of them. "Besides the obvious, that is…"
"No-one knows." Tristan shrugged. "I heard it only started about ten minutes ago, just before we arrived. It's spreading really fast, though… I wonder when the fire brigade will show up…"
"Is everyone alright?" Ryou checked, as if they would know.
"Half the students were off school with that bug." Téa answered. "I take it Amane's off sick to?"
Ryou nodded, but hardly noticed her words. As he stared up at the dancing flames, the writhing fog, he could only think of another day; another time when he saw exactly this. It made him feel ill himself. He couldn't even help- his air would only fan the flames. He couldn't do a thing. He couldn't stop it. Just like he hadn't been able to stop it then. He had been too late, far too late, and his mom had died. He hadn't even been able to save his own mother. And now he wouldn't be able to save his school. This couldn't be happening. Not again. Not again…
Meanwhile, the others were growing concerned.
"Do you think Penelope's sick to?" Yugi asked. The girl was usually the first there, and could often be found before school making use of the music room. They'd quickly discovered she was a skilled piano player, but when they had moved, hadn't been able to bring the instrument with them. As such, she often got to school really early in order to practise before school. This morning, however, as they scanned the accumulated crowd, she was nowhere to be seen.
"I haven't seen her." Téa answered, anxious now.
"You don't think…" Joey trailed off, looking in horror at the burning building. "Well… she hangs round with Amane a lot right? So she's probably caught this bug off her, and she's at home- sick, but safe. Right, Ryou?"
He turned, but Ryou had gone. The others turned, confused, but they couldn't see him anywhere. More then one heart began to sink.
"Tell me he hasn't…" Téa groaned, turning back to the school again.
"He has!" Joey exclaimed. "That idiot!" Then he paused. "Still… the guy has guts… I never would have thought he had it in him!"
"Guts might not save him in there…" Yugi remarked, sadly, worriedly, as they all stared at the building. It was completely alight now, including all across the doors. There was no longer any way in. "We'll just have to hope he makes it out okay…"
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Unaware of the tumult he was causing amongst his friends, Ryou was inside the burning building, desperately searching. For once, he wasn't being his usual sensible safe, assessing the risk. All he could think was that he had all but killed her brother. He couldn't let her die to. He just couldn't do that. Whatever their relationship now, they had once been friends. Penelope couldn't die. He couldn't let her die.
The fire, he knew, was mostly on the other side of the building, but it was approaching fast. He chocked in the smoke, his eyes watering, but for the moment at least, it wasn't too thick. He ran down towards the music room as the fire began to lick at the display boards posted next to the stairs. There wasn't much time. No, there wasn't any time. But he couldn't run now. He couldn't run. Not again.
He forced the door to the music room open, and although it was unlocked, the room was deserted. The piano stood there, silent, but with the contented air of one that had only just been used. Everything else stood undisturbed, unaware of its fate. Ryou lingered no longer, heart pounding. The air was getting thicker, heavier, and even his efforts to drag oxygen out from the smoke and into his lungs couldn't protect them completely. It was only a matter of time before he was completely unable to breathe. He remembered his old lessons, and crouched down low, where the smoke would be less abundant, pulling a cloth from his pocket to cover his mouth. It happened, of course, to be his mask; but he couldn't help that now. Desperately, head pounding and swirling, he tried to think where she could be.
Panicked slightly, he began to wonder if he had got himself trapped in this nightmare for no reason- what if she really was at home sick? The fire was here now, licking at the wooden doorframes and singeing the carpet, teasing him because soon they to would be alight. Through the smoke, Ryou could make out the front doors, even now almost over taken by the flames. If he ran, he could make it. He forced his lead-like legs to stumble forward more quickly, but even as he did, he detected the sound of running water. Turning quickly, he saw the door to the girls toilets, and swallowed.
First the bathroom, and now this…
He rammed his shoulder into the door, and it swung open beneath the sudden, lurching weight. He stumbled through, and straight into Penelope, who was washing her hands at the sink. She wasn't very happy to see him.
"What are you doing in here?" She asked, quietly, dangerously.
Ryou said nothing, trying to get his breath back. The air was reasonably clear in here, although he could see smoke curling up underneath the door. Apart from that, you almost wouldn't be able to tell the place was on fire at all. Apparently, Penelope remained blissfully unaware.
"No answer? Then you know you shouldn't be in here!" She yelled. "You… you… pervert!"
"No, I-"
"Why else would you be in here, you sick freak!" Penelope screamed at him. "First you do all that stuff to Jay, and now you're after me, is that it!"
"No! The school-"
"The school won't allow this kind of behaviour, and so they shouldn't! People like you shouldn't be here!"
Urgent now, Ryou grabbed hold of her, and although she protested and struggled, he dragged her over to the door, swung it open, and showed her. Then he let the door swing shut again.
Penelope regarded him in a mixture of shock and horror. "It's on fire?"
"That's what I tried to tell you!" Ryou answered. "Now, listen. The fire has all but consumed the main doors, and the carpets are about to go up. We're going to have to run, and the chances are you'll get burnt, but it's better then dying. I'm afraid you're just going to have to trust me."
"But…" She bit her lip, frightened. "…Okay."
"We need to go as fast as we can." Ryou instructed. "Here, put this over your mouth…" He handed a folded piece of grey material.
"What about you?"
"I'll be alright." He smiled, slightly. Then, to her surprise, he caught hold of her wrist, and dragged them both outside, into the fire and flames and smoke. He pulled her along, and, although it shamed her to admit it, Penelope did nothing but stumble along behind him, eyes streaming in the smoke.
She saw that he was, indeed, alright; an arm up over his mouth, but he was probably breathing better then she was. How could he do that? She glanced down as best she could at the cloth he'd given her. Even from that glimpse, she could tell it was a mask. It was the mask.
"You're Masquerade." She said, through it.
Ryou glanced back at her, giving a slight nod, and then continued their flight. Now was neither the time nor the place.
The doors were ahead of them, but the blinds at the windows on either side were alight, and so was the carpet beneath it, along with the wooden doorframe around it. There was no way safely through. He carried on heading for it straight on regardless, and he felt Penelope tugging backwards, but he dragged her on, praying she'd trust him for just a little while longer. He thought he could get them through this if she'd only keep up…
Just as they passed through the doors, Ryou called a wind to blow in from outside, fanning the flames backwards so that, just for a moment, they were almost flat on the ground. That was all they needed as he jumped, sending them careering through, and out into the fresh, moving air at last.
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Penelope and Ryou had made it out, and found themselves immediately surrounded by their friends. She lowered the mask slowly from her face, scrunching it up in her hand. Ryou, meanwhile, had sat heavily down on the ground, where he was proceeding to cough his guts up.
"Ryou!" Téa yelled, hugging him fiercely. "You idiot! You could have died in there!"
"I'm sorry." He apologised, weakly, but he smiled. However, Téa wasn't finished with him yet.
"What were you playing at, running in there!" She demanded, shrilly. "What if you'd got trapped? Then there would have been two of you for the fire-fighters to get to!"
"You came in… just to find me?" Penelope asked, surprised. He glanced up at her. "But… why would you do that?"
Ryou shrugged. "Just wanted to be the hero for once, I guess." He discreetly prised the mask from her hand, pushing it into his pocket. "And because you're my sister's best friend… and, once upon a time, you were one of my two best friends as well."
She said nothing. Ryou really was Masquerade. That man last week had been telling the truth. But… once again, he had rescued her… was it just guilt? And how had he known she would be in the fire? More to the point, how had he known there would be a fire?
He really was a… bad guy?
He had to be. Otherwise, what made it all worthwhile…?
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Shortly after Ryou and Penelope had tumbled out, sufficiently blackened, the fire brigade managed to battle its way through and began to clear the area. Penelope decided to go straight home, claiming she had a lot to think about, but the others, not entirely sure what to do, eventually headed down to the Game Shop. Grandpa was, to say the least, a little surprised to see them back so soon- particularly Ryou's grimy attire. Soon, however, they were gathered in the little sitting room at the back, for once in silent contemplation.
"Well, I'm not complaining." Joey said, suddenly. "Any extra time off is fine by me…"
"We probably won't be able to go back until after Christmas now." Yugi nodded.
"I just don't understand who would have done this!" Téa said, aghast at the wanton arson. "Someone could have been hurt! Ryou nearly was!"
"Eheheh…" Ryou laughed, sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Soot and smoke still clung to his skin, making his face look grey and giving his hair the appearance of a Dalmatian. He couldn't wait to get home and shower…
"And whose fault was that?" Tristan rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Ryou, when you start acting irresponsibly, it really freaks me out. Next thing we know, Joey will be winning the Nobel prize!"
"Yeah, and you'll manage to chat my sister up." Joey shot back, instantly; surprising them all- they didn't even think he knew about that, and would never have expected him to joke about it. Even Tristan was too surprised to retaliate.
"Hmmph… and while we're on the subject of who's after who…" Joey turned and smirked at Ryou. "What's with all this dashing dramatically into burning buildings after Penny, eh?"
"It's not like that!" Ryou protested. "She's just an old friend of mine. And… well, after what happened to her brother…"
"Oh." Joey bit his lip, realising he'd put his foot in it again. "Um… sorry…"
"That's alright." Ryou winked at him. "I could easily embarrass you by remarking on how much closer you seem to be getting to my sister…"
Joey gulped. "Ah! I! Um! No! You see, the thing is…" It was then he noticed that Ryou and the others were laughing, and he sighed in relief before joining in. "That was a cruel trick."
"I'm sorry." Ryou apologised; before looking at him sideways. "Although, your reaction does suggest…"
"That maybe it was a sensitive spot." Téa completed, and the group closed in on the hapless blond. "What is it, Joey? He didn't inadvertedly hit the nail on the head, did he…?"
"What? No!" Joey floundered. The truth was, he wasn't entirely sure himself…
"You have to admit, Joey-" Yugi began, only to be interrupted by a mobile phone ringing. Gratefully, Joey pulled it out from his blazer pocket, where he concealed it while at school. Téa frowned disapprovingly at it, but Joey was relieved.
"Speak to me, yo." He said, laughing. However, the smile quickly disappeared. "Yeah, that's right… What!" He bit his lip as he listened. "Yeah- he's my dad… um… It's Takeo! That's it- Takeo Wheeler. I'm his son, Joey. Yeah. Yes. Okay. Thanks. Bye now." He hung up, and then groaned loudly, burying his head in his hands. "I couldn't remember my own father's name." He despaired. "How embarrassing… But then, he hardly bothered to take the time to tell me…"
"Joey?" Yugi put in, cautiously. "…What happened?"
Joey shrugged, but his eyes looked more worried then his body would let on. "The old man's in hospital again."
"The drink?" Tristan asked, saying what no-one else would. Joey shook his head.
"No. Apparently, the flat was on fire…"
"Two fires in one day? That's weird…" Tristan commented. "Yugi, do you think…?"
Yugi shook his head slowly. "…I don't know. It's suspicious; but the Millennium Items are gone now…"
Ryou fought to keep his expression suitable. But Amane's words from their argument were echoing back to him now:
"I'm burying my head in the sand! You're the one who just lied to one of your best friends to cover your 'superhero' backside! Why not tell them, Ryou! To protect them! Don't be so arrogant! I know, and nothing's happened to me…"
But now… the fire at the school… the fire where Serenity was living… and the fire, all those years ago, at his own home. Surely, he couldn't be that unlucky… His hands unconsciously tensed up into fists.
"I'd better go." Joey sighed, standing up.
"We'll come with you!" Téa declared, instantly, and the others echoed their agreement immediately.
"Thanks, guys…" Joey said gratefully.
"…Would you mind awfully if I ditched?" Ryou asked, quietly. "You know… with Amane sick and everything… I'd like to go and check on her."
"You go ahead." Joey dismissed, wishing he could go and do something so pleasantly mundane with someone so friendly.
"Thank you… Also, I could really use a shower." Ryou said, dryly, cheering the mood slightly. "Oh… I'll go and meet Serenity as usual, let her know…"
Joey smiled slightly. "Thanks."
With that, they all split up and went their separate ways.
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Meanwhile, unaware that at the end of the day, she'd have no home to go back to, Serenity was happily eating lunch with some of her friends. Hinata High was a school for the brightest and best, and although she wasn't the cleverest there, Serenity enjoyed a challenge. Today, as she bit into a cheese and cucumber sandwich, her friend Risado was quizzing her on her Spanish. Serenity, who had only been taught English and Japanese at her last school, often had difficulty keeping up.
"What are you eating?"
"I'm eating a sandwich with cheese and... cucumber." She replied, giving up at the end.
"Um…" Her friend spooned up a mouthful of yogurt as she tried to think of another question. "Do you have brothers or sisters?"
"Yes." Serenity nodded, smiling slightly at the thought of her brother. "I have a big brother- he's called Joey."
Her friend hesitated, but then, looking Serenity right in the eye, she asked:
"You live your brother, I know that, but… What happened to your parents?"
"…That's not Spanish." Serenity answered, shortly.
"'Ren… please, I don't want to pry, but… You only ever talk about Joey. What about your parents?"
"Is it that important?"
"Yes! I'm worried about you, is all…"
Serenity looked down at the remains of her lunch. Suddenly, she wasn't hungry any more.
"My dad is an alcoholic, and my mom's a control freak." She said, simply. "Try saying that in Spanish."
She grabbed all her stuff, and before Risado could stammer a reply, she had run out of the canteen.
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Ryou walked home slowly, still turning the day's events over in his mind. Two fires in one day. One at his school, one at the home of his… Who? His friend- that would do. Serenity did mean a lot to him, and so, of course, did her brother. Yugi and the others had assumed, quite naturally, that if this was more then a coincidence, then it would be after the King of Games. Perhaps that was true. Taking into account their experiences over the last few years, it was certainly more likely. But… The method. The fires. Just like the one at his home all those years ago…
He shuddered, not wanting to think about it. He had lost his mom. He had almost lost his sister. And now he had found her, he was anxious to get home and see what she thought- if she wasn't still asleep. She'd seemed pretty ill this morning… Still, she should be awake by now. She probably knew about the fire by now. It had probably been extinguished, and yet, even this far from the school, the air still carried drifts of smoke and ash with every wind. As Ryou watched, this struck him as strange- it shouldn't happen. It was too far away, too long ago… And then, he realised the smoke was not coming from behind him, but from ahead.
Heart in his mouth, Ryou forced himself to keep walking slowly, but, as the air became thicker and thicker, more and more sludgy, he found himself going faster and faster, running as fast as he could, not daring to look up to where his block of flats loomed over the horizon. Past the Remington Bridge, where this had all began, he went, past Hinata High as the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch, and still onward, on and on. No, no, no, no; his heart seemed to be beating it out, pumping it around his body. He didn't notice as his feet stopped hitting the pavement, impacting instead on bouncy balls of air, propelling him along impossibly fast. He didn't even look down to see he was hovering a good five centimetres above the ground.
Then, he reached his street. He thumped back down to the ground.
In contrast to his reckless, mindless speed of a few seconds before, Ryou slowed right down, his breathing coming in deep, shaking gulps. He was enchanted by the horrors before him, unable to resist the allure of the sights and sounds. He pushed his way through the small group of onlookers, most at work at this time of day, and stared up at the colossus, the towering inferno before him. He stared up at what used to be his home, a block of flats, consumed by flame.
He bit his lip, but the flat didn't matter. He turned wildly around, scanning those that were grimy, wrapped in blankets, or staring at the scene in horror. The ones being interviewed by the Police as fire-fighters battled tirelessly to bring it under control. They really were being overstretched today… Divisions from other Tokyo districts had even been drafted in. But they were all outside now, trying to extinguish the flames. There were evacuees of the building standing around, police officers and paramedics, fire-fighters and even reporters from the lunchtime news; but nowhere, nowhere, amongst them was Amane. He ran over to the nearest fire-fighter, desperate.
"My sister!" He gabbled. "My sister- We live in the flat on the top floor! She stayed home today! She's-"
"Hey, calm down there, son." The man said, kindly. "What are you trying to tell me?"
"My sister- my twin sister- I think she's still in there!" Ryou explained, urgently.
"We searched all the flats thoroughly…" The man frowned. "Are you sure your twin isn't out here? What does she look like?"
"Like me!" Ryou despaired. "I'm telling you, she's not out here!"
The man gazed at him a moment longer, trying to ascertain if he was lying. Then, he grabbed hold of his radio, and spoke into it.
"Hey, I've got a kid out here saying his sister's still in there- the top floor flat. Yes, I know we've searched it already! Better send a team in just in case…" He switched it off, looking levelly at Ryou.
"Thank you." Ryou said, quietly. This time, he did not run. He waited. He waited as the team suited up, and ran back inside. He waited, and waited, and waited, as they did their job. He waited as they came out empty handed. He waited as he was told he was lucky- she must have gone out. And still, he waited. He waited and waited and waited, until the flames were all but beaten out. He waited until they were all taken to a local leisure centre where they could sleep that night if they had to. And still, he waited. But Amane was not there, and Amane did not come.
He waited. And, finally, he ran.
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Seto was at work. Of course, this was not unusual. It was, in a way, refreshing to be able to spend his time doing something useful rather then the idiocies they made him sit through at school. However, today, his mind was not on the work in front of him. He was thinking, which wasn't unusual, but he was thinking about his past, which was. The school had been set alight. How very… intriguing. Making a decision, he picked up the phone, and, hesitating over the choice for only a second, rang the number.
"Hello, Domino Elementary School, how may I help you?"
Seto rolled his eyes. Mokuba was in his final year at the Elementary school now, and would come up to Senior School the following year. He was the oldest there, not to mention the smartest. And it would certainly save Seto a lot of trouble.
"This is Seto Kaiba. Please inform my brother he has a dentist's appointment to attend."
The receptionist frowned on the other end. She knew it was dangerous to argue with this man. But still, somehow, she was suspicious. Shouldn't the elder Kaiba be in school himself…?
"Excuse me, sir, but we were not informed of this." She said, tentatively. Seto sighed.
"Mokuba obviously didn't tell you. Let me talk to him."
"Sir, he'll be in class right now, and I probably shouldn't disturb-"
"Let me speak to my brother."
The woman hastened to comply, and Seto drummed his fingers on the desk, waiting. He frowned, trying to remember what class Mokuba would be having. Ah, algebra. The kid was going to love him…
"Hi, Seto!" He chirruped a moment later, but suddenly became worried. "What's up?"
"My school burnt down. What classes do you have this afternoon?"
"Algebra, and the Geography." Seto detected the scowl in his voice, and considered. His brother probably knew all this stuff already anyway.
"Fancy ditching?"
"What?" Mokuba asked, surprised.
"My school burnt down. So, I have a free afternoon."
"Don't you have work?" Mokuba asked, unable to believe this.
"Only if you don't want to go out. Do something. So, want to come out, kiddo?"
"Sure!" Mokuba said happily. He and his brother never got to spend time together. And Seto seemed even more stressed then usual recently…
"Pretend you had a dentist appointment you forgot about, then." Seto instructed. "I'll pick you up in ten minutes." He hung up, leaning back in his chair.
They would not take Mokuba from him.
Then, he stood, grabbed his coat, and walked out of the office.
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Serenity walked across the playground that day, heading towards the gate to leave for another day, when Risado came and caught her up.
"'Ren!" She shouted after her. "Serenity, please, wait!"
Serenity carried on looking towards the gate. It was strange, but today, she could not see her usual entourage waiting for her. Where were they…? She really wanted to talk to Ryou, but with the others there, she didn't know if she could. Yet, it didn't seem like it would be a problem as none of them were there… Risado caught hold of her arm.
"Serenity…" She said, turning the girl to face her. "Please, don't be angry. I'm sorry I invaded your privacy. But… you know, you haven't been here long… and I was worried that if you and your brother had… run away from home, or something… you'd be taken away again."
Serenity looked at her, and spoke honestly. "In a way, I have. I used to live with my mom, but she smothered me… so I left. I came to live my brother and my dad, but he doesn't know I'm there half the time. I…I promised someone I would go back to my mom, but the longer I stay here, the less likely I think it is…" She looked down at the ground. "Impressive, huh?"
"Nope." Risado replied. "Serenity, as long as you're alright, it doesn't matter what or who your parents are. It really doesn't matter."
They had almost reached the gates now.
"Thanks." Serenity smiled. "Thank you. Sometimes, I almost think I'll- Ryou! What happened!" She ran over to him. On coming out of the school, she'd seen him, standing near the gates, looking into nothing, covered in soot and dirt. Risado moved away, deciding not to involve herself again. Serenity noticed her leaving and was thankful, but didn't turn away from Ryou. He was scaring her a little. She was stood right in front of him, but he didn't look at her. She gripped his shoulders. "Ryou. Come on, Ryou. Look at me. Tell me what happened." He did look at her now. He looked awful, his face grey, almost black, streaks cut through the dirt where tears had fallen.
"Serenity…" He whispered, quietly, almost as if he was surprised to see her. "I…it's gone…"
"What's gone?" She asked, bewildered, and more then a little worried.
"Everything." He answered, still whispering, his voice hoarse. "Everything's gone. I've got nothing. Everything's gone…Everyone's gone…"
"Ryou, you're making no sense." She said, gently. "What's happened?"
"It's happened again…" He said, almost to himself now. "It's happened all over again…"
His words scared her. What scared her more was when tears began to seep down his face again. One thing was clear- she needed to calm him down before she'd get any answers. And she couldn't do that in the middle of the street.
"Okay, Ryou. Why don't we just go back to yours, and we'll sort this all out there?" She said, taking hold of his arm. He shook his head.
"We can't."
"…Alright, how about mine?" Serenity said, a little reluctantly as she recalled what had happened the last time Ryou had ventured near their flat. Again, a shake of the head.
"We can't, Serenity… It's gone to…"
"Okay…" Serenity bit her lip. She didn't know what to do with him when he was like this…! Where could they go? He seemed to have an aversion to his home or hers. What did he mean by 'it's gone'? She filled the worry away, trying to deal with the more immediate problem. Her first thought was one of their other friends, but if Joey was having a problem, the chances were the others would be with him. She didn't have any parents to go to. In fact, the only responsible adult she really knew was…
"Come on, Ryou." She said, kindly, taking his arm. "We'll go to the Game Shop. I bet Yugi's Grandfather can help us out…"
He gave no response to this, so, scared now, she began steering him appropriately. He walked well enough, but did not speak. He didn't even seem to be aware of his actions.
Ryou… She thought, anxiously. What has happened to you…?
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"I…I don't even know what to say to him." Serenity said, almost in tears. She and Grandpa Motto were stood in the kitchen of the Game Shop, through which they could see into the living room. Ryou was sitting in there, cleaned up now, drinking some form of hot beverage. His hands were still shaking. When they'd first arrived, Grandpa had been surprised, but just as Serenity had known he would, he had risen to the occasion, and, between them, they had got Ryou sat down, got him to drink something, and, gradually, as he came back to himself, coaxed the story out of him, little by little. "…What do you say to someone who's lost everything? His home, his sister… He'd only just found her again after the first time. It's just so… unfair…" She whispered, feeling herself beginning to cry to; worried for Ryou, worried for Amane.
"Now, don't you start!" Grandpa cried, not unkindly. "I'm an old man! I can only deal with one crisis at a time!" He handed her a piece of kitchen towel, and she got herself cleaned up. "And as for young Ryou… he'll be fine. You'll see- he's in shock right now, but soon he'll be back to himself and he'll fight his way through this. And Amane will turn up, I'm certain. In the meantime, you should go down to the hospital."
"But…" Serenity looked through to her friend, wishing she could help.
"He's just lost his family." Grandpa reminded her. "Don't let yourself lose yours."
"…Mmm." Serenity agreed, eventually. Ryou himself had once said that to her. Well, not in so many words. But he had opened up to her, spilling his soul and his past, to make her see. She had said it herself:
"I'll give my mom another chance, as she's still here. It hardly seems fair that you want to see your family but can't, when I'm being so pig-headed about my mom… Just not yet. I'm not ready to go back yet. But I will, one day. I promise."
When was 'one day'? How long till that day came…?
Not today. She said to herself. That's all that matters. Not today. Today, I have to help Ryou.
She moved into the living room, sitting awkwardly down next to him.
"Ryou… I'm going to go up to the hospital now, to see my dad."
He nodded. "That's good."
They lapsed back into silence again.
"Thank you…" He said, quietly, as if he was hardly there. "Thank you for helping me… and I'm sorry to be such a nuisance… Sorry for how I behaved… it's just, when I found she was gone again-"
She placed a hand on his arm. It was shaking. "It's okay." She said, slowly. "She'll be fine, you'll see. And it's okay. You have every right to be upset."
Ryou looked at her, the first time he had made contact since she came in. "…I once read a book. It was a novel, but there was a lot of wisdom in it… A man once said 'Children cry. Men and women endure'."
"He's wrong!" Serenity said, fiercely shaking her head. "He's not right at all!" She looked at him, willing him to understand the sincerity of her words. "It's okay to cry, Ryou. You cry all you need to."
He remained silent for a moment longer, looking away again, and when he did speak, it was even quieter, so she wasn't sure he spoke at all. "Thank you."
Serenity didn't know what to say to that, but still did not leave. Not just yet.
"All my life…" Ryou said, slowly, still not looking at her. "All my life, I've been told 'Don't cry, you're not a child'; 'Don't cry, don't be a baby'… You're the first who has ever…" He trailed off, and, she realised, he'd taken her advice to heart, and he really was descending into tears.
"It's okay…" She said again, impulsively moving to hug him, wishing she could make it alright again with such a mere embrace. "You cry all you need to, okay? But listen to me, Ryou- when you're done, we'll sort this all out. It's not okay, it's not okay at all at the moment, but you'll get through. We'll get you through it. We'll work it out… someday it'll be over… It'll be over someday…"
Normally, Ryou would have been embarrassed at being held in such a way, at being hugged at all; at acting like, and being treated like, a child. But today was far from normal. Normality had disappeared from his life a long, long time ago. And although he knew she was right, and soon he would have to stop crying and act, at that moment, he just needed to cry. He needed to cry more then anything, and to have someone there letting him do so was… wonderful. At that point, what he absolutely needed the most, above all other things, was her.
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I'm always running.
Last time, I ran away. I lost my mother that day, and, for a time, I lost Amane. I ran from my problems, and then I ran from myself and my powers. I ran from Monster World. I ran from every friendship extended to me. Even now, I'm trying to run from my feelings.
I'm sick of running. I won't run anymore.
It's time to stop. It's time to stop, turn around, and face the things perusing me.
I'm just… so glad.
I ran alone. I shall walk with people beside me.
…I'll see you soon, Amane. I promise.
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A/N: Dearie me… I don't know how I can be so mean to the characters sometimes… (Sob) It only makes me feel saaaaaad… Which is strange, because, modesty aside, I'm usually fairly optimistic… Hmm again…
Rhetorical questions? This time, m'dears, there are NONE! Why? Because, next chapter, we take a step back from Masquerade and friends. We take a step back from today's Domino. We take a step back a couple of years… After Ryou has the Ring, after Jason has gone… While they're moving around England, before their last home burns… And there, we shall meet a man; who is given a job to do. And there, we shall meet a young boy, destined one day to become head of a large electronics company… Kee kee kee… A Superhero Story Nine- An Innocent, to be 'revealed' soon…
And now, I'm going to quit trying to be mysterious and just say 'Bye bye, see you next time'!