"What is your relation to the patient?" the way-too-apathetic receptionist at the Tokyo General Hospital asked.
"We're adopted siblings!" I lied -well kind of- since we were 7-years-old we shared the same legal guardian.
"Oh, and who honors this 'adoption'?" the women said, razing her eyebrows smugly, it took all I had not to reach across the counter and slap her stupid half moon shaped rhinestoned glasses of her face!
"The country of Egypt," I replied a little too loudly.
"Are you two illegal?"
"Why the hell should that matter?" I yelled. "Are you not going to help him if we are?"
"ma'am, please calm down there's no need to raze your voice," the receptionist replied.
"No need to raze my voice?" I scoffed "You won't let me in to see my best friend, when he could be dieing and you say 'there's no need to raze my voice'? I should pull out all your hair for saying that!" I yelled taking her completely aback. "Let me tell you something you little-"
"Mara," Iris replied, firmly yet gently squeezing my arm, making me feel like a little kid, I hated it and loved it at the same time. "Why don't you go sit down, I'll deal with this"
I opened my moth to protest, but I lost my nerve when she gave me the "look", and went to take my seat. I starched out on a couch, lightly closing my eyes. I could have really gone for a dirty martini or a really fast ride right about then.
"Hey Mara, are you okay?" I opened my eyes to see Adam sit down across from me.
"Peachy," I replied sarcastically.
"Okay I asked for that one!" Adam replied, he stretched out his legs and leaned back in the chair. "I'm thinking of going back to Domino for the break, what about you?"
I looked at him out of the corner of my eyes, smart move Muto! I thought "I don't know… Egypt's nice this time of year, maybe I'll visit my grandfather" I replied solemnly "I've got some questions for him anyways"
"About what?" Adam asked.
I sat up and pulled the Millennium Rod out of my bag, and held it up. "this," I replied, I hadn't thought of it until now… but Adam was in position of a strange pyramid shaped puzzle with the same eye-shaped crest on it, it sat on a shelf in his room, I had asked about it once or twice back in our freshmen year of collage -when he was my language tutor- but I had long since forgotten what his reply was.
He gave me a "hm" sound and ended the conversation. I could be hard to talk to at times, especially when I didn't want to talk.
We sat in silence until Iris came back, hands stuffed in her sleek white leather jacket. I sat up straight, and looked at her hopefully "Well?" I asked. She said nothing, and just shook her head solemnly, her sleek black hair dancing around her shoulders. I let out a frustrated sigh, and dropped my head. "I'll be right back!" I replied, I stood up and headed out of the waiting room.
"Your emotionally compromised, shouldn't drive!" Iris yelled after me.
"I'm not planning on it!" I yelled, stomping off.
When I got to the parking lot I sat down on the side walk, not caring what the passer bys thought about me. I dug threw my bag until I found what I was looking for: an electric blue cigarette case with the words "children see, children do" scratched in to it, I flipped the top open and pulled one out, I stuck it in my mouth and fumbled around for my lighter.
"that's a bad habit!" Marik said, though I was sure he was just taunting me.
Shut-up! I told him, lighting my cigarette and taking a heavy drag. I'll do what I dam well please! "ak!" I felt a sudden sharp pain in my temple.
"behave!" he scolded.
I grumbled to myself, and took another heavy drag to take the pain away. I looked at the cigarette case again, remembering that it was my birth father who first drove me to smoke, being that he always smoked, on the day of my half sister a birth I stole his cigarette and scratched "children see, children do" onto it with his car keys; in an effort to get him to stop smoking, but he didn't care, he never cared about me, or my sister, that's why he was willing to let me go live in Egypt, and why he left my mother the moment she was diagnosed with cancer.
I only smoke when I'm stressed I explain.their's no direct threat to my- or I guess our health I inhaled another heavy drag, when I felt a hand on my shoulder and I dropped my cigarette in my lap, and burned myself. I jumped to my feet and dancing around, trying to get the hot ember off my pants.
"Oh, sorry!" Adam replied. "I didn't know you smoked"
I doubled over letting my adrenalin settle. "not often!" I said threw gritted teeth. I could here Marik laughing in my head. "Well, what do you want?" I asked, trying to regain my composure, though I could tell it wasn't working.
"The hospital has a back entrance, we could sneak in!" he offered.
"did Iris go home?" I replied knowing full well she would yell at us both then give us the silent treatment for a week, and after that she would call us Bonny & Clyde until one of us snapped, if she knew we broke into a hospital.
He laughed.
"Well, get on with it!" Marik scoffed, and I had to think twice before I answered him out loud.
"alright!" I replied to Adam, "lets go!"
Adam smiled, "okay, lets go!"
As I walked down to the back of the hospital I turned my attention to the little man in my head!
Just Shut-up! I told him
"I'll do what ever I dam well please!" he scoffed.
Then I had a thought, and shook my head back and forth vigorously a couple times.
"Are you serious?" he asked, with an amused laugh.
It's logical! I told him you're in my head, that should have been like an earth quake to you or something!
By this time we were at the back door of the hospital with the words "staff entrance" painted on them as I studied the lock Adam asked: "can you hack it?"
"you don't 'hack' a key lock, you 'pick' it!" I replied, "and no, I can't, but watch this!" I began banging on the door "Hello, Hello?" I yelled. It took a while but finally someone came.
"Patents are supposed to check in up front!" an angry intern snapped.
"I'm sorry, but we're on the laundry staff, and I forgot my key at home!" I replied. "Could you let us in?"
"what about his keys?" he asked.
"uh… we share a key!" I replied.
"and you're uniforms and I.D. badges?"
"in our lockers!"
He gave us one last skeptical look before stepping aside and let us in. "oh, and one more thing!" I replied, the intern turned to look at me, and I hit him in the face as hard as I could, knocking him out. I turned to Adam, "come on!" I whispered. And we walked briskly down the hall.
"how are we going to find him, and what was that?" Adam asked.
I chuckled "Stay quiet and fallow!" I checked in every room, except those labeled 'surgery' until I came across a nurse. "excuse me, sir, we've been wandering around for a while now, the secretary keeps getting us confused, could you tell me where Reino Bakura is staying?" I asked sounding as innocent as possible.
"of cores young lady!" she replied, "fallow me!" she checked her clip board and ushered us down a hall way. I turned and gave a thumbs up to Adam. "he should be in here!" the nurse replied, stopping out side a room with a number I really can't remember.
"thank you ma'am!" I replied sweetly, as I closed the door behind me. As soon as it clicked shut I giggled, wallowing in self satisfaction, before I had to face the matter at hand.
I listened to the steady beep of his heart monitor, that was a good sign, but he was still out. Adam tried to read the information on the side of his bed, but it was all medical gibberish, all he could make out were the things I already could have guessed: stabile, unresponsive, unknown cause.
"the Ring" Marik muttered.
What? I replied.
"The Millennium Ring you dumb blond, put it around his neck!" he yelled.
Okay, okay don't yell at me!
"or what? You'll shake your head again?" he mocked. I walked over to the box containing his personal effects and dug threw them until I found the Millennium Ring.
"what are you doing?" Adam asked.
"if I told you you'd think I was crazy!" I muttered only I said it in a way that made me sound crazy. I hung the leather strap around Reino's neck and instantly his eyes flew open. It startled me and I yipped and jumped backwards, slamming my back into a wall.
Adam looked at me with wide eyes.
"presto!" I replied with a nervous laugh. Again I could tell this wasn't Reino, and I stood in the corner and shivered, as he stretched and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
"Well hello again, Mara, how have you been?" he laughed trying to stand up. When he was hindered by the I.V. and heart monitor attached to his arm, he reached over and yanked them off. Let out a high-pitched shriek. "aw, what's wrong, Love? Are you hemaphobic, or are you just upset because I'm hurting you friend?"
"Mara, Reino, what's going on-" Adam was interrupted by a bright flash of light emanating from his back-pack.
"ah, and you brought the Pharaoh with you too?" not-Reino asked. "and it's not even my birthday!"
He took one step towards me before Adam chimed in again "Don't you dare touch her!" his voice was suddenly deeper, and I turned and looked at him, their was something very un-Adam about him.
"Or what Pharaoh, tell me, what will you do?" not-Reino laughed, then a verbal fight broke out.
What's going on? I asked Marik.
"their the sprits from the Millennium Items, Blondie!" he replied. "They took over your friends bodies, I could do the same!"
Then why don't you?
"because, you're more complicated to control than they are, you have something of a wall built around yourself, I can only take control when you get angry," he explained.
I was jolted out of my mind conversation when I was suddenly brought back into the one happening right in front of me. "It appears I need to barrow your duel disk, Love!" not-Reino replied again he advanced toward me.