AN: This. Chapter. Took. FOREVER. I mean, why Writer's Block now, of all times? . It's painful! I can't even write a paragraph without erasing it and starting over at least three times! TT I hope, for any of you that are writers, that you never develop writer's block…It's like a never-ending curse. Anyways, this chapter turned out…well, you'll see… Um, the chapter title doesn't fit as well as I would have liked, but that's because of stupid writer's block…growls
Thanks to…
Wallsmex: Ah, you shall find out in this chapter. I'm really glad you like the story. I wish I could update daily like I use to, but school (and now, writer's block) is making that quite difficult. Thanks so much for reviewing, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.
dragonlady222: Ryou is suffering too much… . I hope their 'father' doesn't find them soon, either! Better yet, he never finds them! Thanks for reviewing! Please look forward to this chapter!
Pharaoh Felicia: Really? Thanks! I hope you continue reading it, then! Thanks for the review.
Egypt Mesi: Lol, I know. My conferences are always 'come if you can'. But you know, my cousin goes to a private school, and his conferences are mandatory. Scary how schools can be, huh? Thanks for reviewing!
ONIX-21: Thanks! This chapter took a lot to write, so I hope you enjoy it. (It's really hard to write properly when you have writer's block… . Thanks a bunch for reviewing!
casaragi: Lol, I would dance, too, if their father disappeared. But alas, he is as persistent as a cockroach. So school is boring for you, huh? Well, I can't say it's not boring…it's sure keeping me occupied ;;. Hm, well, hyperness is a good thing, yes? Thanks so much for the review!
Ivory Willow: TT I'm sorry! You even told me to update soon, and I'm like, two weeks behind! Stupid Writers' Block and homework! I'll try hard to update by next Sunday, okay? I promise! Thanks lots for the review!
The Vampire Prince: You shall see what happened to Bakura in this chapter…And conferences – it's like Peter's conferences, you know? Mandatory. Thanks for the review!
MadPie: Thanks for the support! I'm keeping up with the reading, but I seriously am having difficulties finding time to myself. And! To make matters worse, I have writers' block! I can't seem to write anything decent! This chapter took forever because of the editing and rewriting and revising and…;; You get the picture. Thanks for the review. Please continue reading this story!
You-Know-Who-Winnie-the-Pooh: Haha, really? Okay, I look forward to seeing which sentences you pick. But…I don't normally growl at people at school. Hm, I'll keep that advice in mind (I'll go back later to revise that, see what I can work out). Thanks for the review!
Chapter Eighteen: Money Makes the World Go 'Round (Part III)
It was driving him nuts.
The rhythmic ticking of the kitchen clock was usually inaudible to Malik's ears, but today, it was like the thundering of a hammer on his skull. The silence that had settled in the modest condo was so not a comfortable one. As the Egyptian nervously glanced next to him on the black and white couch, he noticed Marik was slightly bothered as well. His brother's hands were clenched tightly around his book, which meant that he was having trouble concentrating. When Malik looked back behind the couch, he saw that Ryou hadn't moved an inch from his chair in the kitchen.
This is crazy. Malik softly sighed as he tugged at the collar of his tee. This quiet was really stifling. Usually, Ryou was in a bright and loquacious mood after school. Only now did Malik notice how different the atmosphere was when Ryou came home, how much he looked forward to picking the child up. There's got to be something really wrong… Ryou usually brushes his problems aside and pretends everything's alright when Marik and I are around…
There was a creak from the couch as Malik got up. His twin gave him a questioning look, but Malik was in such a rush that he didn't notice. In a few strides, the younger Egyptian had covered the distance between Ryou and him, and was about to say something to the boy.
Malik was reaching for Ryou's shoulder when his brother coughed. Glancing back, he saw Marik throw him a frown. Nonetheless, Malik would've shook his head and tapped Ryou regardless of his twin, but the way Marik shook his head and scowled told him that his interference would just make things worse.
Malik blinked as he stared at the child's snow-colored hair. Why was it that he felt such a strong need to help Ryou? Why was it always only Bakura? How come he couldn't help? Swallowing hard, Malik curled his outstretched hand into a fist and reluctantly turned away, his expression pained. He had to admit – he was jealous of Bakura. Even though he loved his twin, to have a brother that actually sought support from him was something that Malik knew he would never have.
The child seated at the dinner table clearly didn't respond to Malik's fading footsteps. As Marik watched Ryou from the corner of his eye, he wasn't sure if the boy even noticed that someone had been standing behind him.
Completely oblivious to his twin's plight, Marik studied the slumped child carefully. There's like a big, black cloud over his head, Marik thought. I wish he would talk to us…tell us what's wrong. He knew he shouldn't interfere in other people's business, since it might offend them, but lately, that was getting difficult around Ryou and Bakura.
Marik almost jumped when he heard a grinding sound of metal against metal at the front door. Muttering a few words under his breath, the teen slowly got up and saw Ryou stirring as well. Malik, who was turning back around, was saying something about dinner.
Bakura quietly stepped inside the condo and slammed the door shut. Ryou was mentally bracing himself for a conversation about conferences – until he saw the Blue Eyes White Dragon backpack in one of Bakura's hands. In the other, he held an Apple laptop.
Ryou blinked, suddenly feeling as if he had been shoved off the top of a building. There was a pause in which time seemed to be hushed to a stop. That's…my laptop… Ryou swallowed hard. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
How could he have forgotten that his laptop was in his backpack? That's why Bakura never came by to drop it off today. He must've been really, really mad… Ryou's throat constricted at that thought. I should have just told him about it when I got it…
Bakura slowly made his way to the kitchen, and carefully placed the laptop on the table, keeping his gaze away from Ryou. "It's for school, isn't it?" Before he could say anything else, both Marik and Malik stepped forward and started talking at the same time.
Ryou couldn't hear them. He was deaf as they tried to defend him. Why didn't I just tell him? he screamed at himself. As he tried not to cry, Ryou couldn't help but feel despicable inside. He regretted his silence on the matter so much that it hurt as if he was dying. All he could do was sit there and stare at the Apple computer. This was…too much.
"I can't," Bakura started, but his voice faltered. Marik and Malik exchanged glances as they fell silent. Ryou couldn't bring himself to look at his brother as Bakura coughed to clear his throat. Already the child could tell that Bakura was pissed.
"I can't believe you all…" Bakura paused, struggling to find the right words. "Were…all of you in on this?"
The twins couldn't say anything.
To Ryou, the fact that Bakura didn't sound mad made it worse. Something other than dread and shame trickled through his body, making his mouth feel dry – it was self-loathing. Ryou wasn't stupid. He knew his brother was having difficulties with taking care of him. Although Ryou didn't completely understand why Bakura's work demanded so much time both in and out of the house, he could discern enough to know that it was really stressing his brother. Aside from taking care of Ryou financially, Bakura always made sure that the child had a lunch and proper clothes. He even terrorized Malik about being on time to pick Ryou up from school.
However, love was something that Ryou wasn't used to. Never before had anyone given him so much attention, so much care. The thought of losing such precious things had driven Ryou insane – he loved his brother so much he didn't want to let go. But…now…I…I've done it…Betrayal of trust was the dirtiest thing anyone could do to someone they loved. And he had done it.
Shaking uncontrollably now, Ryou clenched his jaw as he fought the urge to throw up. It was like something was lodged in his throat, making it difficult to swallow or breathe. As much as it pained him, Ryou refused to look up. He felt like he deserved anything his brother was going to dish out.
Bakura closed his eyes when his question was met by a very long silence. The answer was evident. This…is… What made this matter even more unbearable was the fact that no one had told him. Exhaling slowly to stem off his anger, Bakura suddenly felt lightheaded. Meekly, he raised a hand and ran it through his hair.
"He didn't ask us to buy the laptop for him," Marik suddenly muttered. Malik voiced his agreement.
Bakura shook his head. This is…pathetic. He scoffed. "You didn't even ask me about it," he steadily said.
The older twin evenly replied, "We can help, too, you know."
"The least you could have done is told me," Bakura snapped, his jaw tightening.
Marik was about to say something when a whimper escaped from Ryou. The child, numb both mentally and physically, stumbled out of his chair.
Malik immediately tried to reach for the boy, to pull him back up, but faltered as Ryou knelt in front of Bakura and started to cry.
"I-I'm sorry, Bakura…I didn't mean to," Ryou whispered as he sobbed, his head bowed. "It's just…I thought we didn't…have enough money, and…it seemed like…so much…"
"I don't want to hear it." Bakura pressed a hand against his forehead as he took a step back. This is such a waste of time…of effort… If he heard any of them say another word, he was going to snap.
As Bakura continued to back up, he groped for the door. How stupid… To think that he had actually believed… Bakura didn't even look at them when he stepped outside. Stuffing his hands into his pockets as he walked toward to elevator, Bakura chuckled softly.
What a fucking joke.
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AN: I…don't really approve of the cussing, but…it puts a big emphasis on how pissed Bakura is. I'm sorry this chapter took so long… TT I tried really hard for a whole week to write this, but I could not get over my stupid writer's block! Hopefully, I'll have better luck next chapter. Please expect the update next Sunday (not the first one of October, but the second).