Chapter 3
"Hell, no!" Kiara exclaimed. "Hell to the no! Do I look like Joey-kun to you?"
"Hey!" Joey said behind her, sounding offended.
Yugi stepped forward. "I'll do it for you, K-chan."
Kaiba opened his mouth to object but Kiara beat him to it. "No, Yugi. That's extremely kind of you, but I'll pass. I don't know what Kaiba could possibly want from me but I'm not going for it. I don't duel. And that's that." Kiara said with finality. She turned and walked away. "I'll see you guys tomorrow, I need some sleep. It's been a long day."
Everyone but Tea turned and watched her leave. Everyone was speechless. It certainly had been a surprising turn of events. Tea however was watching Kaiba walk away. She was not sure but she got the weird feeling that she had seen a crestfallen look cross his face before he turned. "What on earth?"
"You say something, Tea-san?" Yugi looked at her.
"No. K-chan's right though. It has been a long day and it's getting dark. I'm going home." And with that the group exited the park as the wind picked up and a light drizzle fell.
/
The next day, Kiara could not have been more relieved. She and Bakura were laughing and talking just like they had always done. She had lost a lot of sleep the night before worrying that Bakura would never speak to her again or would act weird.
He proved her wrong. At 6:30 AM sharp Bakura's bright and cheery voice called out from the other side of he bedroom door. "WAKE UP, SLEEPYHEAD! WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!"
Kiara groaned as she turned around and unplugged her clock. She then promptly threw it at her door. It shattered. She pursed her lips; what did she need it for anyway when she had a human glitch called a morning person for a best friend. "What are you doing in my house, Bakura-kun?"
His voice sounded like it came from in the kitchen, "You gave me a key, remember?"
She got up and threw on a clean uniform. She opened her door and answered, "Yeah, for EMRGENCIES! Not so I have wake up to your disturbingly chirpy voice."
His head poked out from the kitchen doorway, "Ready yet?"
"What are you doing in there?"
"Making your lunch." Naturally PB&J ingredients where scattered over her counter. The sandwich was made so he was cleaning up.
"What are you, my mom?" She paused, "You know what?" Bakura looked up at her. "YOU, are going to make someone a VERY special wife." He gave her dirty look before he reached he pointer finger out and wiped peanut butter on her nose. She laughed and cleaned her nose in the sink. The two left her house in a run hoping they could make it to school in time.
/
After school in the Wednesday afternoon sun, the group separated. They all had various homework assignments they had to catch up on. A few minutes later, it was just Bakura and Kiara once again.
"Hey, my house is closer we could study there. There shouldn't be anyone home yet, so it should be quiet," Bakura said gesturing to a side street.
He unlocked the front door and started to enter but stopped abruptly causing Kiara to collide into him. Looking over his shoulder, Kiara spied a large man sleeping on the couch. Bakura seemed unsure what to do so Kiara whispered that they could go to her house instead.
The boy nodded and turned to go when a harsh voice called out, "That you, Baku-chan?"
"-Chan? Just who does he think--" Kiara's anger filled statement was cut off by Bakura's hand.
He took a deep breath before answering, "Yes, father. You're home early."
"Come over here and give your old man a hug."
Bakura stiffened and bit his lip. "Stay here," he whispered before he went inside. She could not put her finger on it but this house made her extremely uncomfortable. She wanted to run away but could not take her eyes away from the scene that unfolded before her. The man got up and embraced Bakura. He ran his hands through the boy's hair and kissed his forehead.
"I missed you, Baku-chan," Kiara heard clearly despite his quiet tone.
Kiara was about to lose the lunch Bakura had so thoughtfully made for her so she coughed. The man looked up angrily. Bakura quickly got between his friend and father. "Father, I'd like the introduce you to a close friend of mine, Kiara Greene."
She took her cue and stepped inside. The feeling she had in the pit of her stomach got ten times worse once she actually entered the residence. The man held out a hand and she grudgingly shook. The flesh he touched crawled like there were maggots stuck there. She held her hands behind her back and rubbed her skin to sooth it.
Bakura's father eyed her warily and she eyed back. His son went ahead and explained that they were going to study upstairs and that they would keep quiet.
Kiara spoke up, "Actually, I completely forgot I lent Tea-san my notes the other day and I'd be absolutely lost without them! I really have to go get them."
"Oh ok, I'll wait for you upstairs," Bakura said.
"I was hoping you'd go with me," she thought fast, "There's a group of rough looking guys that always hang out at the beginning of Tea's neighborhood."
He gave her a look. Normally, she was not afraid of anything. "I guess…"
She grinned. "Great! It was nice meeting you, Mr. Ryo," she bowed in his direction before grabbing Bakura's hand and dragging him out the door.
Neither of them spoke of the incident nor of the feeling of sick the still floated over their heads. In the end, Kiara talked Bakura into studying at her house because it was the middle point between Tea's house and his own.
Late that night, they had both finished each other's mock tests and were yawning unabashedly. "Bakura-kun, why don't you stay here tonight?" she tried to sound innocent. "It's so dark out. The walk home could be dangerous. It gets creepy around here at night, too."
"I'll be fine! And so will you!" Bakura said smiling. "I'll be going now. See you tomorr--," he double-checked his watch, "I mean, later today, okay?" He turned to go.
"Yeah," she said flatly as she lost sight of her friend in the deep darkness. "Be safe," she whispered.
