A/N: Hello. New chapter. A nice size chapter too. Ryoga is forced to return to school. More Kamishiro bickering, some Rio and Miki bickering, and siblings arguing with each other and other people. Oh yeah, and Shark and Ken get forced to spend time together. Thank you for reading, people enjoy and review darlings.
Ryoga wasn't happy to be heading into class. Rio had linked her arm with his and was guiding him along. He'd been called in to see the teacher the moment he arrived at school and told if he didn't start at least making some effort he would be expelled. Of course, Rio had thrown a hissy fit when she'd heard the news and things had only grown worse when he was told he'd been assigned a tutor.
This was going to kill him. The teachers had been all understanding. They told him how they understood things had been tough the past few years. And they knew he'd fallen into a bad crowd and struggled to recover on his own. But Rio was managing. And while they knew it wouldn't happen overnight, and the appreciated that he was at least attending school now, he needed to improve his attendance and exam results. They said they were going to start off gently, so he could ease back into normal school work, and told him if he missed more than half his classes in a day, he'd be sent home and his parents contacted. It was hardly fair.
Rio dragged him in, still pissed off after the argument the day before and now this on top of it. He didn't want to think what their parents would do if they were ever at home long enough to find out. As they crossed the threshold, Ryoga paused, glancing around the classroom. His heart was hammering against his chest. He'd been dreading this moment.
But… Ken wasn't there. He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and let Rio pull him to his chair. She sat silently at his side and Ryoga ignored the people murmuring about his presence this early. Ryoga had decided long ago they were all morons, so why bother what they thought?
"Nervous?" Rio whispered.
He glared over. "No. Why would I be?"
"Because of what happened with you and Ken?" she murmured.
"Don't bring that up here," he hissed.
She frowned but dropped it and let Ryoga focus on not paying attention. Only a few minutes later, the teacher called class to begin. Ryoga was a little surprised there was still no sign of Ken. Had he really got then into so much trouble they'd been kept off school?
Fifteen minutes late, the door opened and Ken sauntered in.
"You're late," the teacher said.
"I know," Ken replied. "But better late than never, hmm?"
"I'm sorry." Ryoga turned in his chair and Rio's head snapped around. Miki was in the doorway, with Nico a step behind her. A murmur ran through the classroom, mainly the boys, as Miki smiled and ran a hand through her hair. "Our little sister's been ill and we had to look after her."
She flashed a charming, sweet smile and Rio grumbled something about weak minded boys as the male half of the class fawned. Ryoga remembered Miki's words about men falling at Hibiki's feet and how jealous she'd seemed, but apparently she'd learnt some lessons from her big sister.
"That's… that's quite alright, Tsukikage," their teacher said. "Take a seat, Hishikawa, we'll talk after class."
"Please don't be so hard on him," Miki said. Ryoga glanced at the teacher and was sure he saw him slightly flushed. "Thank you."
Ken had a seat as the door shut. Ryoga was almost annoyed, and a little flustered, when Ken didn't even glance at him. He didn't seem like himself. The charm wasn't there today. He just didn't seem right. And Miki seemed more… alive. But she didn't seem the same as the girl he'd met the past few nights either. Had something happened in the family?
The class was boring and quiet and by the end of it, Ryoga was half asleep on the desk. It didn't matter. Kaito had pointed out several times that he was very intelligent. He knew he could remember things without even trying. He was good with numbers and formulas. He just couldn't be bothered.
Rio nudged him as they were getting up for a break and Ryoga followed her out silently. Ken was waiting back behind to talk to their teacher. Ryoga was a little concerned but in the end he and Rio went up to the roof. Yuma and his gang were there, and Nico was with them too. Ryoga frowned and sat in the edge of the roof, listening to Yuma's whining.
"Rio. Can you get her to tell me what's wrong?"
Rio sighed. "Nico? He won't stop trying?"
"She's been like this all morning," Kotori said. "Just ignoring us."
"Oi," Ryoga snapped, glaring over at Nico. She turned her attention to him. "What's up with Miki and Ken?"
Nico smiled. "Hibiki came back."
"Hibiki?"
"Uh-huh," she said, nodding quickly. "She was there this morning with Hiro making us breakfast." Ryoga's eyes widened and Nico tilted her head. "And Miki's soul returned. Akina's too."
Ryoga stared up at her, taking it all in before returning his gaze to the school below. Hibiki had returned to the family and the girls' missing souls had returned? Did that mean Fate had won? Or was Mother Grace a more benevolent force than he'd thought? Charity had seemed wary of Mother Grace after all. Despite how she seemed controlling and trying to isolate her children, perhaps she could keep them safe from the hunters. Perhaps her good qualities outweighed the bad ones.
But that didn't explain the sudden differences in both Miki and Ken.
Yuma huffed as they walked back towards class. Shark wasn't joining them. He had remained sitting on the roof, staring down at the people below. Rio had tried to talk him into joining them, but Shark just said he'd come to class after lunch. He was starting to worry about Shark. Whatever was happening it was getting to him. And no one was telling him what was going on.
He frowned and tilted his head. Nico was sitting on her desk, flicking through her deck, waiting for class to start. Yuma hurried over, leaning next to her.
"So, Akina's really got her soul back?"
"Yes," Nico replied.
"Then why are you mad?"
She frowned and folded her arms. "I'm not mad."
"Then why've you been ignoring us all morning?" Kotori snapped.
"Akina said Hiro went into Mother's room last night," she muttered. "It's all because of your friend Ryoga."
Yuma frowned and took a seat as class started once more. It was Shark's fault? What had Shark done? And what was wrong with going to see their mother? Wasn't that what mothers were there for?
But on the plus side, Akina had her soul back. Did that mean she could duel again? The thought bought a grin to his lips. Akina was full of surprises for him. He couldn't wait to get to duel her again. He glanced over at Nico and an idea hit him. Maybe if he duelled Nico he'd be able to understand her and he could show her he was trustworthy. No matter how much they hung around together, she'd never seemed to accept them as friends. Just people to be around.
Yes. That was definitely the solution. He would duel Nico at lunch and then their hearts would connect and they'd understand each other. After all, it was how he got Shark on his side. And Kaito. A good deal that got their hearts racing was the perfect way to get her to understand.
"Yuma," Kotori snapped, poking his side.
Yuma yawned and lifted his head from the desk. "Fifty two?"
"Yes," she said, folding her arms and glaring down. "That's the answer to question one, but class is over now. You slept the entire time."
"I was dreaming about duelling again," Yuma yawned, picking up his bag and following her out and the rest of the gang joining them
Shark was still up on the roof when they got there. Yuma wasn't sure if he'd been there the entire time or had been somewhere and come back, but he still looked lost in his thoughts. For Shark to be that thoughtful it was something important. He wished Shark would open up but that wasn't how he was. Shark was Shark and he wouldn't talk about his feelings until he was forced into a corner.
Even Rio seemed to be having a hard time with him.
Shark's sister was arguing with him when they arrived on the roof. Well, she was arguing, Shark was sitting there, watching him the world go by.
"I know you're going through this weird thing right now," Rio said. "But whatever happened between you and Ken you need to get over it and man up."
"Wait, what happened between Shark and Ken?" Yuma said.
"They made out the other night," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "The point is you need to stop lying around and acting so stupid."
Yuma stopped paying attention to the argument after that. Kotori was giggling with Cathy and Tetsuo and the others were staring over at Shark. Was that what was bothering Shark? He stared over at him. He knew Shark didn't say much and Rio knew everything in his life and no one else did, but why wouldn't Shark say something about that?
"So, to summarise, Shark has a boyfriend now?" Class Rep whispered to Tokunosuke.
"I guess so. Wait until everyone hears."
"Hey!" Shark yelled, glaring over. He got up slowly and the pair stepped back. "Nothing happened and if I hear rumours otherwise I'll know who to make suffer for it." They nodded quickly and he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Nothing happened."
"So, Shark has a secret boyfriend?" Tokunosuke whispered the second Shark turned his back.
Rio huffed. "I'd rather him than her."
"You don't get a say in any of this, Rio," Shark snapped, folding his arms. "And I'm not interested in either of them."
"You should be grateful," Rio snapped back. "Any man would be honoured to have me giving them advice. Why do you get to be all high and mighty over it?"
"I'm not acting all high and mighty. But if you don't want me telling you who to see, you don't get in to stick your nose into my love life."
"So you do have a love life?"
"If I had one you wouldn't get to stick your nose into it."
"If I've learnt anything from Miki and Ken it's that sibling squabbles can go on forever," Nico said with a sigh. Yuma nodded and sat with the rest of the group. "It's weird having Hibiki back, Miki acts weird when she's there."
Yuma frowned, turning his attention from the bickering twins and back to the group. Nico still seemed a little distant but at least she was being civil again. Down below there was chatter and chaos expected in any school and soon Shark and Rio fell into silently glaring at each other, sitting with them to eat.
"So, what's Hibiki like?" Kotori said. "She knew Shark, right?"
Nico shrugged. "Wouldn't know about that really. She changed a little before she left, but she's back to normal again now. Miki acts weird around her. She gets all cutesy and pretties herself up, like she's competing. And that gets Ken all riled up."
Yuma nodded. He understood that. Sometimes siblings acted differently around each other. Shark was different when he was around Rio. He was sure Miki and Ken would get used to it though. He was sure it was just because it was new.
Ryoga was watching Miki and Ken absently as he ate. They were sitting on a bench down below, surrounded by Ken's fangirls and Miki's newly acquired admirers. She'd really turned on the charm today. And listening to Nico, he began to realise why. After what she'd said about Hibiki… She was trying to get the admirers to compete with Hibiki, just because she was back? And just why had she returned to the family? To covert Miki back to her soul hunting ways? To give Fate a way in?
He was forced to return to class after lunch. It wasn't that Ryoga wanted to be there, and Rio wasn't even talking to him anymore, but he didn't want the teachers calling his parents. He laid his head on the desk, vaguely listening to the teacher droning on. Rio glared down but he didn't care. He just closed his eyes and listened. He'd pick it up. Like Kaito said, he was bright. He knew it, he just didn't care.
Still anything was better than having to deal with this tutor after school.
And the end of school came far too quickly for Ryoga's liking. Rio paused, waiting for him and he sighed, rocking back on his chair, muttering about extra classes. Usually, Rio would have said something, but she seemed in such a foul mood she just walked straight out with the rest of the class.
To Ryoga's horror, it was only Ken who stayed behind, sitting on his desk and looking bored. Ryoga prayed to whatever deity was out there it was a mistake. That Ken really wasn't his tutor. There was silence for a few moments before the teacher smiled.
"Ken's going to be tutoring you after school for a while, Ryoga," he explained. "I'll be back to check on you in an hour."
Ryoga swallowed heavily. An hour? He had to spend an hour alone in the classroom with Ken? The door closed and Ken glanced over. There was a moment of silence before Ken slid off his desk and walked slowly over. Ryoga sat straight in his chair, watching him warily as he took a seat next to him.
"So, Ryoga?" Ken purred, leaning over. Ryoga tilted his head away, glaring at him out the corner of his eye. "Should we get to work?"
"If you think I'm going to let you have your way again-"
"What? You didn't enjoy it?"
"Yeah, I love being pinned down and having kisses forced on me. And everyone talking about me. Rio keeps telling people we were together, people are starting to think we're a couple and your sister is mad at me for something you did!"
"Sounds like someone's upset I didn't stick around for more."
"Look, I'm being forced to do this," Ryoga snapped. "So stop flirting and just get on with what we have to do to get out of here!"
"Rude, Ryoga," Ken teased, but he turned away and pulled over a book none the less. "I thought we had something special."
"No you didn't. We had nothing. You just wanted a distraction."
Ken smiled and opened up his text book, leaning uncomfortably close and to talk it over with him. But for now that was all he did. For a while it seemed like they were actually going to do work. And for a while they did. Ken wasn't a bad tutor, he seemed to understand everything but Ryoga would have been more comfortable if Ken hadn't been so close. Every time he tried to scoot over and get some more room, Ken tugged him back over and told him to focus. The problem was Ryoga couldn't focus with Ken that close.
After half an hour, Ryoga stared to grow bored. Really, he'd pay more attention if things didn't take so long. There was only so long he could be distracted by the way Ken's smiles and careless brushes of their hands made his cheeks redden and his heart pound. Ken smiled slightly, resting his arms on the back of the chair, tilting his head and putting on a charming smile. Ryoga didn't like that. Not by at all.
"You're bored," Ken said. Ryoga nodded and rolled his head back, staring at the ceiling. "You're cute when you're trying to look cool."
"Cute?" Ken smirked and Ryoga pursed his lips. He preferred Ken when he was smiling naturally rather than being purposefully charming. "I'm not cute."
"You know, if it was just the situation you weren't fond of, we could always try another way," Ken murmured.
Ryoga narrowed his eyes, turning to glare at him. "Why are you being so persistent?"
"Because you're fun." He scowled and Ken's hand brushed his, which he yanked back as quickly as he could. "You know the funny thing about siblings? If they're so close, they can become an extension of one another. You've noticed how Rio dislikes being seen as an extension of you."
"What's your point?" he snapped.
"Just because you have a crush on Hibiki doesn't mean you get to hurt Miki."
Ryoga's stomach churned and he turned away. It wasn't like that. Why did no one listen to him when he said he didn't like Hibiki? He wasn't really interested in anyone. And even if he had once held more feelings towards Hibiki they'd been forgotten when he forgot her. They weren't going to return in an instant.
There was a moment of silence before Ken caught his hand, squeezing gently. Ryoga forced himself to look back- he wasn't going to act like some girl with a crush- and found Ken uncomfortably close again.
"Sometimes someone's feelings for one sibling can start melding into their feelings for another," Ken said quietly. Ryoga nodded slightly, his gaze flickering down to Ken's lips for half a second. What was wrong with him? "But I suppose that's not always a bad thing." He paused and Ryoga found his mouth running dry. He should say something rather than just sitting there but something in his mind disagreed. "You know, maybe you'd enjoy yourself more if you just let go and stopped putting up barriers."
"Shut up," Ryoga muttered, lowering his gaze to his lap. At least his mouth was working now. "You have no idea about me."
He wanted that to be true. He really did. But the truth was Ken's arguments were slowly wearing away his defences. He seemed to know far too much. This was ridiculous. He'd never been interested in anyone before, why was he suddenly sitting here completely lost. This wasn't like him. Wasn't that what Yuma was always saying? 'Shark is Shark' and 'Shark should act like a Shark' and all that nonsense. Sharks did not sit around and let their weird feelings for their classmates make them all meek and quiet.
"Well, what's wrong with trying?" Ken replied softly. "Would it kill you to try it in a better situation? One where you're a little more in control?"
"It might."
Ken laughed softly and Ryoga cracked a small smile, lifting his eyes to meet Ken's once more. "Well, Ryoga? What do you think? No harm in trying, right?"
"I… guess…"
What was wrong with him? This was going to go wrong. This was trouble. This family was trouble and last time they'd been in a situation like this… Ken smiled, tilting his head slightly, bringing their faces even closer. Ryoga licked his lips nervously, his heart hammering against his chest, his fingers slowly moving up to close around Ken's tie.
"You know-"
"Mother won't approve?" Ryoga murmured.
"I have Mother's full approve when it comes to dealing with you," Ken replied softly. "It's Hiro who can't stand you."
"Then let Hibiki deal with him."
"Oh look, you said her name without blushing cutely."
"Shut up," Ryoga grumbled.
Ken laughed and moved to press their lips together for a brief second. "Make me."
Ryoga hesitated for a moment. Ken waited with a small smile. He was going to regret this. There was no way he wasn't going to regret this. But Ryoga gave into urges and pulled on Ken's tie, bringing him forwards and bringing their lips together more forcefully. He only vaguely registered Ken's hand sliding up to the back of his neck and pulling him closer. Ryoga was too lost in the heat rushing thought him. Why did it have to be Ken who made him react like this?
"So much for making me suffer for daring to touch you, huh?" Ken murmured against his lips.
"How many times do I have to tell you to shut up?"
"Hmm, you're such a tough guy."
"I have no objections to hurting you if you don't stop talking," Ryoga snapped.
Ken laughed, squeezing his hand gently. "We should get back to work. Much as I like kissing you, I'm pretty sure you don't want to get caught like this."
"There's nothing going on," he replied, turning away. He caught Kent frown out the corner of his eye. "Did you expect me to fall for you just over one kiss?"
For a moment there was silence and Ken pulled the text book over. Ryoga was still holding his hand through. Ken glanced at their hands for a moment and Ryoga turned away, quickly releasing his grip on Ken's hand, glaring at the text book in front of him.
"I see," Ken murmured. Ryoga ignored him, still glaring at the book. He wasn't going to admit to having any interest in Ken. It wasn't like that. It was just one stupid kiss, just him taking control of the situation. He didn't like him. "It's alright, Ryoga, we can do this as you want it."
"Just shut up and get on with this," Ryoga snapped. "There's nothing going on. Now drop it."
Ken nodded and they returned to studying. He meant it. He wasn't going to let this happen again. He'd given and kissed him this time just prove he could do it and not fall for him. Simple.
"Ryoga!" Rio snapped. They both flinched and turned to see Rio and Miki in the doorway, glaring down at them. "Are we going now? I've been waiting for an hour now."
Ryoga's face fell and he closed his books. "Well, uh, I was supposed to be-"
"You're having secret meetings with your boyfriend, I know," she said, hands going to her hips. "Come on, before Yuma comes and searches you out."
"Yeah," he muttered, getting up and putting his books away. He glanced at Ken. "Thanks, I guess."
"No problem," Ken replied with a small smile and a wink. "Given you're not interested, you played the part pretty convincingly. I look forward to our next session. Maybe we can get a bit further."
"That's enough of your flirting," Miki snapped. She paused and Ryoga frowned as she glanced over, flicking out her hair. "Time to go. See you tomorrow, Kamishiro."
Ken laughed and nodded, packing up as well and letting Miki take his arm. "See you tomorrow, Ryoga. You too, my lovely Rio."
Ryoga scowled, not sure if he was more annoyed by Ken's flirting because it was Rio or because it wasn't him. The thought was a brief one but it bothered him more than it should have. His mind flashed back to Ken's words earlier about siblings, how the feelings for one could merge into feelings for the other.
"You certainly make the second most attractive pair in the school," Ken laughed, letting Miki pull him away.
"You're ridiculous," Miki snapped. "Her… attractive…"
"Hey," Ryoga growled, stepped forwards. "She's my sister."
"I can defend myself," Rio argued. "And at least I don't flaunt my looks to get shallow boys to think I'm nothing more than a decoration."
Miki turned and Ken caught her around the waist. "She's not worth it."
"Not worth it?" she snapped.
"Pathetic, cold and reliant on her brother," Miki sneered.
"There's only one way to settle this!" Yuma called. They all turned to see him jumping up and down in the doorway. "Tag duel!"
"What?" they snapped.
"You four have to duel," he said, tilting his head. "Ken and Miki against Shark and Shark's sister."
"Rio!" she snapped. "Fine! Let's duel!"
Ryoga nodded and glare at Ken. "Sure. You lose, you stop flirting."
"Fine by me," Ken said as they walked passed.
"With both of us," Ryoga hissed, so only the two could hear. Ken frowned and Ryoga smirked raising his voice. "Let's go."
"And when we win?" Miki called.
"You can name your prize," Rio said as she strode out with Ryoga behind her. "If you win you deserve whatever you want."
In the Next Chapter: Ryoga and Rio face off against Miki and Ken. Watery decks clash and family secrets are spilled.
Raging Sibling Rivalry
