A/N: I got my French test back. It seems that I am a great guesser, because almost every word I guessed was right. I could have got a good number from it, but then I screwed up the easiest exercise in the whole test and lost immediately 8 points ( -Goddammit!) My french teacher said that if she had had a sponge with her she would have thrown it at me. I totally would have deserved it. Well, I'm still quite pleased with the test since I got 8+.
The spring is just around the corner. In sunny days I can see the snow melting. NOOO the snow. Well actually I love spring just as much as I love every other season.
I'm also sick. It's nothing serious, I am not going to die. All I have is that I have lost my voice. It's no fun, 'cos I can't talk.
11. Bare Feet
The ringing of the alarm clock woke Yami up in the morning. He didn't bother to turn it off. Yami stared at the ceiling and sighed. Exhausted, he felt so exhausted. He really didn't mind the sound of the alarm clock, though most people did. It was still better than the sirens.
The sirens had ceased at some point during the night. Either that or Marik and Bakura had ran away, not wanting to get caught. Yami couldn't tell exactly when the blessed silence had ensued. All he knew that he had fell asleep and slept to this point, which meant something like two hours or so.
Yami yawned. Maybe he should get up. He had school today. And so had Yugi. Yami turned his head so he could see the ex-hikari, who slept in his room while Ryou and Malik had inhabited Yugi's room.
Yugi had already got up. That didn't mean he was awake. Eyes still closed he searched for the alarm clock. When he found it he slammed it silent. Yami blinked, staring at the clock. Yugi tried hard to open his sleepy eyes. The sound of alarm ringed still in Yami's ears. Or was it the sirens? A mix of them both, Yami decided.
Yugi rubbed his eyes and declared:
"I'm going to take the shower first."
Yami nodded. Yugi swayed out of the door. Yami turned to face the ceiling again. Damn, he was still feeling drowsy. Though he was in no hurry, he didn't want to fall asleep. He shouldn't. He didn't want to risk to be late for school. School, Yami grumbled half-heartedly under his breath and sat up. Should he quit school? Yami did not like school. Though he was many thousand years old he had just that much kid in him, that he hated school. Originally Yami had gone to the school just because Yugi asked. Yugi had wanted him to get friends. And he had. Yami liked his friends much, but the school, the studying it didn't inspire him. Was it right that the only thing that made him go to school was his friends? Yami scowled. Maybe he should do like Bakura, Marik and Malik. Just not care enough to go there. Yami shook his head, discarding the thought. He would study at least until Yugi had finished school. Then Yami would go to work. Maybe. Yami stood up. Breakfast first. Important decisions later. Yami chuckled to himself. Later. When it came to decisions, it was always later.
Yami started going down the stairs when a thought occurred him. Had Marik and Bakura came home or were they still outside playing their own little games? At least they hadn't cuddled next to Yami at night. Waking up between two psychos would had given him a heart attack. Halfway down the stairs Yami stopped and searched for Bakura. He was in the house. He was downstairs.
Yami was surprised that his yami had listened to him and slept on the couch.
Bakura's light against his darkness, Yami mused. The balance must stay.
But that Marik had followed Yami's commands too... My, my, this was very unusual.
Yami almost laughed when he saw the psychos. Almost. If those two were to wake up and found Yami laughing at them, Yami would regret it for the rest of his short life.
Yami still couldn't help but smile at the sight appearing in front of him. So he smiled, but for a while only.
Marik and Bakura both slept on the same couch.
Marik had crawled into a ball. His knees were close to his chin and his forehead leaned against the back of the couch. He looked like a small animal, a cat maybe. He was sound asleep and a little smile had crept its way to his lips. Bakura laid next to Marik in a weird position. His head almost touched the floor and his legs had been thrown over couch's back. His other hand was on Marik's side, and it seemed to be the only thing keeping him on the couch. Marik's face was all black, and so were his clothes. Bakura had now more black hairs than just the one Yami had given him. It was because both yami's were covered in thin layer of ash.
Being a psycho sure was dirty work, Yami thought, amused.
Two just a little crazy men covered in ash, sleeping on a couch after a busy night of burning houses.
There shouldn't be nothing wrong with this picture. Really this was completely normal to anyone, but something bugged Yami. It took a while for Yami to spot it. A small detail that made the whole picture seem wrong.
For a sleeping person Bakura's eyes were very open. Small pupils seemingly stared into nothingness.
Yami frowned. Sure he had heard about people sleeping one eye open, but both eyes?! Impossible. After observing the white-haired yami for a while Yami came to a conclusion, Bakura wasn't asleep. This 'state' he was in was more like a fake death. Bakura's eyes resembled eyes of dead people so much, that Yami had an urge to go and close them. But he didn't.
Yami couldn't think of a reason why would someone, even as crazy as Bakura do this. Why would someone want to replace real sleep with this? It didn't make sense. Fake death probably let the body rest, but the mind... Mind was always aware. Yami's musing were interrupted when Bakura suddenly blinked, his ash-covered eyelids closing for a second, before opening again, revealing pupils that had lost its glazed state. Bakura had woken up. He had probably felt Yami's presence and reacted to it, much like a dog. Yami wasn't sure did Bakura even realize that Yami was in the room, or was he just waken up without knowing the presence. Bakura sat up, staring dumbly to the back of the couch. Then slowly, he turned and let himself drop off the couch.
Yami smiled. This was amusing to watch.
Only half awake and half in that state of fake death Bakura tried to crawl past Marik. But he couldn't. Marik had grabbed Bakura's hand when he felt him moving. Now Marik, still asleep held his hand in a tight grip. Bakura in a kneeling position blinked. His eyes were at the same level as Marik's. Bakura tilted his head, and tried to pull his hand free. No luck, Marik's grip didn't loosen. Bakura poked Marik with his free hand.
"Not yet," Marik grumbled after enough poking to wake him up. " I'm not getting up yet."
"You can sleep to midday for all I care, but can you release my hand first?" Bakura asked.
"No!" Marik answered pulling Bakura's arm closer to his chest causing Bakura to loose his balance and fall against the couch. Bakura blinked again and sifted his position carefully into a more comfortable one.
"Okay," he said and leaned his head against Marik's back. Soon his eyes were as glazed as before
Yami chuckled. It seemed that even the psychos can be too tired to fight back. Burning houses must had wore them out.
Yami passed by the psychos, and went to the kitchen and made himself coffee.
As he poured the coffee Yugi and Ryou appeared.
"Morning!" Ryou said, smiling happily. " It seems that we have a couple of Sleeping Beauties there."
"Yup," Yami admitted. "Coffee?"
"Yes, please."
Yami handed him the mug.
"They won't be sleeping for long," Yugi mused." Malik is coming down."
Yami paused for a while. He heard Malik rushing down the stairs. Poor psychos. Yami shook his head. Malik was the worst person to wake someone up. He had woken Yami up, once. Yami shuttered at the memory. But maybe Malik would be nicer to his friends.
"Marik and Bakura!" Malik's happy voice yelled. "Now is not the time to sleep!"
Yami hoped he hadn't spiders with him.
Yami felt through the Mind Link how Malik sat on Bakura's lap. Staring at both of the yamis Malik pondered. Then he put his ice cold fingers on Marik's neck and quickly jumped away. Marik screeched and dropped on Bakura.
Yami felt the confusion seeping through the Link, before it was slammed shut.
Malik giggled, it could be heard to the kitchen without any Mind Links, and so could the words that were spoken next.
"Good morning, darlings! Did you sleep well?" Malik asked.
"Until you came, " Marik answered grumpily
"Wonderful," Bakura said sarcastically. "Can you get up, Marik?"
"Why?"
"'Cos my back is killing me."
"You don't love me anymore?"
"It's not that..."
"I knew it! You hate me!" Marik screamed.
"Yup," Bakura admitted.
Marik humphed, but got up. Soon they both were on their way up the stairs.
"What's for breakfast?" Malik asked when he appeared to the kitchen.
"What you want," Yugi answered. "Help yourself. I'm going to go check if the newspaper have arrived."
It had. The hikaris and ex-hikaris were sitting at the table when now much cleaner Bakura and Marik arrived.
Bakura started making himself a sandwich. Marik read the paper over Yugi's shoulder.
"We missed one," he declared.
"Dang," Bakura cursed mouth full of sandwich.
"Missed who?" Ryou asked.
Marik grinned to him.
"Yesterday," he started reading what the paper said. " Near the river ...one of the houses caught fire... unknown reasons... fire spread... three houses burnt down.. severe fire damages for three more... a family of five and a cat... lived in the first house... asleep when the fire started... all dead... the cat survived... is now taken care of ... polices suspect incendiaries." Marik sighed. "You know they're never going to catch us. I still feel bad about the cat. Should we go back and kill it?"
"Nah," Bakura shook his head. "Let him be."
"But Bakura..." Marik pouted.
"All we gain from killing that cat is polices on our tails."
"God, you're such an Egyptian!"
Bakura smirked.
"True. But you only say that because you know I'm right."
Marik let the matter drop, and started eating.
Yugi was the first to finish his meal.
"I'm going to go pack my schoolbag," he said. "Finish your breakfast in peace."
"Yes sir," Malik said and snatched the paper to his side of the table. "Our bags are packed already, so we can move to Ryou's place when you leave."
"You too Bakura," Yami said.
White-haired psycho raised his gaze, and stared at Yami, confused and chewing a piece of tomato.
"You're not staying in this house," Yami continued
"You can kick me out of your house, but you can't kick me out of your head," Bakura reminded cheerfully.
"Well I think this as a good start," Yami said before following Yugi upstairs.
Bakura's carefree mind was again completely set on the half-eaten sandwich in his hands.
About half an hour later everybody were ready enough to leave. They all had gathered to the hall.
"You first," Yami gestures towards the open door.
Marik and Malik started putting their shoes on.
"Bakura, I have only one key. Go with Marik and Malik and help them get in, will you?" Ryou said.
"You want me to pick your lock?" Bakura asked.
"I know that you can do it," was all that Ryou said.
"Okay," Bakura nodded.
He walked next to Malik and stared at the pile of shoes for a while. A little smile appeared to his lips. Then he simply took his socks off and walked out of the door.
"What are you doing?" Yugi asked.
"I don't have any shoes," Bakura said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, wiggling his toe against the ground. "I can't lend Ryou's shoes. He needs them. So I'm going out like this."
"What happened to your shoes?" Malik asked.
"I think I threw them way," Bakura said, though he sounded uncertain like he didn't really remember what had happened. And he probably didn't. 'I guess I couldn't eat them,' he added in his mind, and only Yami could hear it.
It was Ryou's turn to oppose:
"I know it's almost summer Bakura, but you can't walk around the town barefooted. You'll get sick."
Bakura started laughing. It was a horrible piercing laughter, that made Yugi and Ryou flinch and Marik and Malik raise their eyebrows.
He was amused partly because Ryou still acted like a hikari and not like a free and happy person he should be. But there was more in this laughter. Yami could sense it. Something that defied all logic, just plain madness.
"The wind blows from the sea today," Bakura said.
Then he turned around and started walking away.
"Hey, wait for us!" Marik and Malik screamed and rushed after him.
Yugi and Ryou turned to stare questioningly at Yami. Yami shrugged, like he didn't know what was wrong with Bakura. But he knew. It was blowing from the sea after all.
"Let's just go to school, before we are late," Yami said.
Secretly he hoped that the wind would change.
A/N: Have you noticed how the longer, more important author notes are always on the top, and never here? I wonder how many of you actually read them, not that I care, I'm just curious. Funny :)