You know I have no idea what happens in this chapter which is weird cos I only proof read/spell-checked this yesterday. I think I'm still recovering from seeing The Tempest today at The Globe. If you haven't seen it (if you live anywhere near London) I recommend going to see it because it is AMAZING! I want to go see it again!
Anyway, that has nothing to do with Yugioh, nor this story. I think there's some fluff in this, but I think it's mainly serious but there's definite fluff in the next chapter.
Atemu woke to the sound of pebbles hitting the window. He groaned and rubbed a hand across his eyes, surprised to find his other arm underneath something warm and heavy. Atemu looked down briefly to discover Yugi, sound asleep, snuggled under the covers with him. It took a few moments to remember the night before, the terrible dream, Grandpa's visit and then Yugi coming into the room. He smiled at the memory but his good mood didn't last long. Another rattle came from the window and Atemu growled softly wishing whoever it was would go away.
The window suddenly blew out in a curl of black tendrils and sharp shards of glittering glass. Atemu let out a yelp and sat up straight, desperate to drag the uncontrollable shadows back to where they belonged. Unfortunately his sudden movement caused Yugi to stir.
"Wha…?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. Atemu bit his lip wondering how on earth he was going to explain the blown window. What was he supposed to say? That the window broke by itself? Thankfully, whoever had been throwing rocks at his window wouldn't be able to annoy him anymore.
Atemu shivered as a breeze blew through the shattered window, reminding him that he wasn't in Egypt anymore for the third time. Yugi, having gathered together his wits again, hopped out of the bed and over to the window, looking down. Atemu thanked the gods that the window had blown outwards and not inwards, otherwise Yugi might have had shredded feet by now.
"Joey!" Yugi shouted out the window. "Why are you throwing rocks? You broke the window!"
"I swear that was not me!" was the reply and Atemu internally cursed. His grandfather was sure to guess that this was his fault although there was no way that he could prove it. "I need to talk to you!" Joey shouted up at the window as well. Atemu sighed and left the warmth of his bed as Yugi replied to him.
"So why were you throwing rocks at Atemu's window?" Atemu reached the window in time to see Joey's shocked expression. He sent him a cheery wave which the blonde returned a little nervously. Atemu got the feeling that Joey was wary of him because of his friendship with Bakura. That and they hadn't exactly gotten off to a great start either.
"Sorry!" Joey shouted up, whether to him or Yugi, Atemu wasn't sure. Yugi just sighed and turned away from the window.
"I suppose I should go and let him in." Yugi paused and eyed the broken window. "And tell Grandpa we need a new pane of glass in here." Atemu cringed, thinking of the trouble he was going to get in for that.
As Yugi disappeared to go and let his friend in Atemu began to get ready for the day. Whoever had packed his case clearly had little knowledge of him, only knowing his size, as there seemed to be a little of every style in the bag. Atemu left some of the brighter coloured clothes in the bag, offended by their bright colours that attacked his eyes that morning, and pulled out crimson shirt and a pair of dark coloured jeans. He paused to also grab one of the buckled accessories to hide the golden collar around his neck. Sometimes he wished that he could take the bands off, but they were permanently there now and he wasn't able to get them off without great difficulty and it wasn't really worth it.
Once he was dressed, Atemu descended the stairs to find Joey sprawled on the couch, his head in his hands. Anxiety curled in Atemu's stomach as he wondered what was going on. Yugi looked slightly shocked and sympathetic while Grandpa was nowhere to be seen. The smell of breakfast affirmed that he was probably in the kitchen, cooking something.
"What's going on?" Atemu asked, sitting gingerly on the edge of a chair. Joey glanced up and Yugi shot Atemu a look as if to say 'play nice'. Atemu felt offended by that but decided to not mention anything. That would probably work out better for him at the moment.
"It doesn't matter," Joey muttered as Yugi left the room. Atemu raised an eyebrow.
"It must be pretty important for you to have to start throwing rocks at my window in an attempt to get Yugi's attention," he said, watching Joey carefully. Joey glared at him through his fingers.
"Well, it's nothing I think you'll understand," Joey sniffed, his whole body screaming 'back off!' Atemu thought for a moment before looking at Joey in the eyes. This boy was a street fighter, he could tell. He had the same look about him that Bakura had when they had first met, however Bakura's situation had been a lot direr and he had been looking out for more than just himself. The thief court was proof of that. But Atemu also knew that this boy was not going to open up to him without a fight so he decided to let the matter drop. It wasn't as if he had come here for him anyway.
"If you don't want me to know that's fine. I just thought that you might like to know that I know quite a few people with bigger problems than you," Atemu said quietly. This boy was well groomed so he rationalized that he at least had a home and someone to look after him. Joey, however, didn't seem to like that comment and shot him another death glare.
"Oh yeah, rich boy? What could you possibly know about me huh? You've had everything handed to you on a silver plate!" Joey shouted. Atemu frowned, trying to put that image to his life. Sure, he had had things given to him when he wanted them but he rarely wanted anything other than some time to play with his father. Any time with his father would be good actually. Then there was the fact that his life had always been in danger, shuddering at the memories dredged up from last night's dream. His life wasn't all rainbows and sunshine either, but this boy didn't need to know that. So he decided to just be vague about things.
"Perhaps. But I know people who have no other option in life but to steal for a living because they don't have the funds for anything else. No one cares about them but you must have a home and a roof over your head. Money to pay for even a scrap of bread." Atemu looked Joey right on his eyes, knowing that the other boy would see nothing there; nothing that Atemu didn't want him to see. If the court had taught him one thing, it was that to show your emotions could be dangerous. The thief court had taught him to always keep a tight hold on all his valuables but they had their good sides too. The thief court had shown him what true loyalty was and what was going wrong in his own kingdom. However, these were things that Joey wouldn't be able to understand.
Joey, at that moment, just looked shocked. Atemu had the feeling that he had been expecting shouting, or denial. Instead he had gotten a straight answer which had thrown him off guard. Atemu had learnt what to expect with people like Joey and it wasn't often that they met someone like him, however oblivious Joey might be to who he actually was.
"I…" Joey was at a loss for words. Atemu could sense that he no longer knew what to say. Then he sighed and put his head back into his hands. "I'm sorry," he mumbled through his fingers. "I'm just having a really bad day."
"Well, at least you haven't been arrested yet," Atemu muttered, thinking of the previous day. Well, he couldn't say that he had experienced that before and it had been educational if nothing else. His father had acted like he expected him to and Atemu knew that he would probably be flogged for bringing attention to himself when he returned to Egypt. If you return whispered a little voice in his head. Atemu told that voice to shut up. His father had survived worse. He hoped.
Joey just laughed at Atemu's comment and shook his head. "Yet," was all he said, before Yugi came rushing back down the stairs, looking a little startled.
"I heard shouting. Is everything all right?" Yugi asked his eyes wide, which Atemu hadn't thought possible. Yugi eyes were already wide according to nature but apparently they could get wider.
"Sorry Yug', that was me. I misinterpreted what your brother said," Joey said, sending Yugi a reassuring smile. Yugi just smiled and jumped back up the stairs again, probably to go and find a different shirt. Atemu hadn't been aware that Yugi owned a bright, canary yellow t-shirt but apparently he did. And it didn't suit him.
"You're a good friend to him," Atemu said quietly, watching Yugi go. He wished he had friends like Joey, friends that he could rely on to not pick his pocket when it suited him (Bakura wasn't that reliable) or friends that had time for him. Even friends who would tell him when they were feeling worried. Atemu felt sad, thinking about Mana and Mahad, knowing that he might never see them again. His eyes stung at that thought but he angrily blinked the tears away, telling himself that he wasn't going to cry. He would see them again, he was sure of it. They came through anything those two.
Joey just looked confused. "Um, yeah. We've been friends since we were twelve and Yug' saved me and Tristan from Ushio. Well, more like he shouted that we were his friends even though we picked on him a bit and then got beat up with us." Atemu felt a stab of anger at the knowledge that that oaf had hurt Yugi more than just once yesterday. He curled his hand into a fist and tried to push the anger away. Joey hadn't done anything permanently bad to Yugi and it couldn't have been too bad if Yugi still considered them to be friends.
"What I meant was that you always seem to be there for each other. You've got…" Atemu cut off, not wanting to divulge in all the problems he had with his own friends.
"What?" Joey asked, suddenly looking interested. Atemu stayed silent, but Joey wasn't warned by his glare. "C'mon, you can't leave it at that. What is it that you think we've got?" Joey actually looked interested. Atemu sighed, glaring at the floor now.
"You've got time for each other, someone to go to when you need them," he snapped, resisting the urge to tell him that he couldn't do that with Mana or Mahad. They were always in training or doing some errand for a member of the court or, in Mahad's case, taking part in the councils. Atemu never felt more alone in the palace during these times and while Bakura might liven things up a bit when he was actually in Egypt, his long absences meant that Atemu spent most his time alone with no one but Hotep, who might be a good listener but would never be able to talk back to him.
"Oh," Joey said quietly and Atemu got the feeling that he had at least grasped some meaning from the words. However Atemu was sure that he would never be able to tell all that he had meant and he liked it that way. No one would ever be able to tell what he was feeling, not even Yugi because no one had ever tried.
Joey had walked in the living space of the house that morning feeling extremely desperate and depressed. He had been annoyed when Atemu had walked down the stairs and kept him company while Yugi was getting dressed. But even after a few moments Joey had begun to realise that Atemu was not as straightforward as he had first thought. His comment about Joey being a good friend had sounded wistful, even a little sad and Joey had realised that Atemu's life might not be as good as he had imagined it. Looking at the other boy's face now, so similar to Yugi's and yet not at the same time, made him feel that, even though he was beaten around a bit by his dad and his sister lived in the next city over, he still had the better life. There was something far too lonely about Atemu, something that was only implemented by years left to his own devices. Joey began to wonder what that was like.
A few moments Yugi wandered downstairs, thankfully wearing a different top. This one was white with a blue design on it and he was also wearing blue jeans. He looked like the total opposite to his twin. Yugi was opened his mouth to say something, probably to ask him what he wanted to do now, when the phone rang. Since he was sitting next to it, Joey picked up the receiver, something he had done many times before, having worked in the Game shop a few times.
"Game shop, how can I help you?" Joey asked, knowing that there were very few people who would ring this number for anything other than the Game shop. However, Joey wasn't prepared for the answer that he received.
"You could try telling my idiot of a cousin to open the front door," a cool voice drawled down the line and Joey was suddenly thrown back to when he was fourteen, sitting in detention with a certain annoying sixteen year old brunette, who had looked down on him the whole time either calling him 'dweeb' or 'mutt'.
"K-Kaiba?" Joey stuttered, shocked to hear his voice again. He hadn't thought he would ever see Kaiba again when the CEO had left high school early.
"Yes, mutt. Now tell Atem to open the fucking door!" Clearly Kaiba hadn't gained any new patience in the past two years. Nor had he gained a clean mouth. Joey put his hand over the receiver and looked at Atemu.
"Apparently he wants you to open the door," Joey said, not in any fit state to attempt to be polite. Atemu just raised an eyebrow and rose elegantly from the chair before leaving the room. Joey blinked, wishing that he could move like that. It would sure impress a few girls in his neighbourhood that was for sure. He put the phone back to his ear but there was nothing but a monotone, telling him that Kaiba had hung up. A moment later, the CEO himself was standing in the room wearing a dark shirt, black trousers and a white sleeveless jacket which he took off and threw on the couch next to Joey. He scowled and put the phone back in its cradle.
"What do you want?" Joey spat at him, annoyed with his arrogance already.
"Nothing to do with you, mutt," Seto snapped, then sniffed. "Is that eggs and bacon?" Joey blinked at Kaiba's sudden change in tone.
"Freshly cooked," Grandpa said, suddenly appearing from the kitchen. Joey jumped, wondering how long the old man had been there. How was it that Solomon Motou was able to sneak around even though he was sixty-eight?
Joey was shocked to see Kaiba's eyes light up as Grandpa put four plates of eggs and bacon on the coffee table. Joey wanted to say that he had already eaten breakfast but then decided it couldn't hurt. Besides he was hungry again considering his breakfast had been three hours ago.
They all tucked into the breakfast, even Kaiba, who normally declined anything less than first class. Joey waded his way through his plate, his eyes on Kaiba the whole time as he conversed with Atemu in Atemu's home language, something which sounded a bit like Arabic and yet also Japanese, Chinese and a whole bunch of other languages besides Greek or Latin. Joey was surprised that Kaiba even knew the language as it sounded so obscure. When the plates were cleared away, the joking expression fell from Kaiba's face and he turned to glare at Joey.
"You got a problem mutt?" he snapped and Joey internally sighed. Back to the old Kaiba now that the food had disappeared off the table. New, but not something Joey could use against him.
"Not at all other than your mouth," Joey shot back, knowing that it would get him in trouble. Kaiba looked about to explode but surprisingly he stopped when Atemu placed a hand on his arm and shook his head. Joey wondered why he would do that for him. Less than an hour ago he had been shouting at Atemu and calling him a spoiled brat! What was with this kid?
Kaiba seemed to deflate and sighed, pressing one hand to his forehead. "Well, I actually came all the way to this dump to tell you that your father will be visiting in a week. He's told me that you both must be present to explain what happened yesterday." Joey wasn't able to gage to reaction in the room. Yugi looked shocked and a little nervous but Atemu had gone pale under his tan, almost as if he wanted to either throw up or run out of the room. Kaiba seemed to take this as a reason to continue with his rather odd news. "He also stated that he would be sending Mahad here to Japan to receive medical help. He's been… ah… shot down." Joey wasn't sure what Kaiba had been going to say but judging by Atemu's horrified expression he had both gotten what Kaiba had been going to say and wished that he had never heard it.
"Mahad…?" he said faintly, his voice barely a whisper. Joey got the feeling that this Mahad was someone close to him, someone that Atemu didn't want to lose. Perhaps this was one of Atemu's friends from Egypt? It certainly seemed that way. "What about…"
"Mana's fine. Apparently she wasn't anywhere near. She'll be staying in Egypt for now." Kaiba's answer was quick and sharp, giving Joey the feeling that he liked to deliver bad news swiftly. It seemed to work as Atemu's eyes closed, a single tear falling down his face. When he opened his eyes again they were hard, his face a blank mask.
"Thank you, Seto, for coming here personally," he said quietly as if they were in a court rather than Yugi's living room. Joey wanted to reach out and give Atemu a hug or something, like he might do to Yugi or his little sister, but Atemu was too closed off for that possibility to even work. He was now as cold as ice, not meeting anyone's gaze as he clearly struggled to keep his emotions in check. Kaiba nodded and put one hand on Atemu's shoulder, probably for support. He then got up and left the room.
"Well that was as cheery as always," Joey remarked once Kaiba had left. "What was rich boy doing here?"
"Seto is my… our cousin," Atemu said, correcting himself. "It means a lot that he would drop everything to tell me that. He's usually very busy." Joey wondered how on earth two people like Yugi and Kaiba could be related but he decided to ask that another time.
"I'm sorry about… err…"
"Mahad?" Atemu looked up at him and Joey almost felt a jolt like static electricity run through him with the force of that look. Calculating… almost a glare. Joey wondered if now was the right time to try and make a truce with him.
"Yeah. My sister's gonna be in the hospital soon too," Joey said and suddenly wished he could take the words back. He hadn't intended to tell Atemu about Serenity. Initially, he had thought that Atemu might make fun of him but after yesterday he had been conflicted about his opinions. Now he wasn't sure why he had told Atemu about her but Atemu didn't react other than his eyes widening slightly. No emotion ran through his face, just a mask of indifference. Yugi still looked like he was recovering from the shock that his father was coming to Japan to take any notice of the conversation.
"What is her name?" Joey blinked. That hadn't been the question he had been expecting.
"Serenity. She's losing her eyesight and needs an operation but we can't afford it. I think my mom's gonna try and find some money for it but the truth is… she's gonna go blind." Joey stopped himself before he could say any more. Atemu was still looking at him with that calculating look but now it was more measured somehow, as if he were thinking something through at a million times an hour, calculating the positives and negatives of a plan. However Joey was not expecting his next comment.
"I'll pay for it." Even Yugi was stunned out of his shocked reverie.
"Atemu, the operation costs nearly three thousand pounds!" Yugi cried his eyes wider than usual. Atemu just shrugged.
"I stand by it. I said I'll pay for Serenity's operation and I will." Joey was surprised by the determination in Atemu's voice and wondered how much money he had if he was able to pay three thousand pounds for an eye operation and the after care for someone he didn't even know. This made him a little suspicious.
"Why do you care what happens to my sister?" he asked curiously. Atemu gave him that hard look again but it was softer than before.
"Because I watched someone at home go blind as well. And I wouldn't wish that kind of suffering on anyone, not even my own worst enemy." And with that Atemu got up and left the room, leaving two stunned teenagers behind him.
I have no words for this really. Still trying to re-arrange my brain. Probably not the best because I'm trying to write chapter something or another of this story.
Anyway, answers. Yes, that's what you all probably want.
Magical Guest: Yeah, I've never been mentioned but I'm trying to get into recognising the people who review my stories. I also quite like vaseshipping, although I'm not too sure when it comes to the Yugioh characters. If there is romance in this though, it will probably be that. And, as I promised, Mahad mentioning!
osmrt1: I'm happy that you like this although I'm pretty sure that this is not the best out there. I quite liked shimmerdragoness' Homecoming, which is pretty good. There are also some really good one-shots out there that I think are better than this but, hey, it's your opinion. Thanks for reviewing!
CrimsonStrawberry17: Your questions are kind of answered in this chapter and I'm glad that your enjoying this story. And yeah... your are my only constant-review-without-fail-every-chapter reviewer if that makes sense. So thanks for carrying on reviewing this story!