"You understand, of course, Ryou?" His father's voice asked through the telephone line. Ryou bit back his first two answers with considerable effort and forced a smile on his face and into his tone as he responded.
"Of course, father. I'll begin packing immediately." Ryou's father let out a relieved sigh.
"Thank you Ryou. I'll be there with the moving truck in a few days." Then the line clicked off and Ryou was left with only the buzzing of the landline to comfort him.
"Love you too, dad." Ryou drawled, and immediately winced, feeling guilty. It wasn't that he hated, or even disliked, his father. It was only… Ryou sighed heavily and prepared to pack what little had made its way out of the boxes from his last move. This was the third time in as many years that Ryou had moved. This was worse though; he wasn't just moving across Great Britain, he was moving all the way to Japan. What little he knew about Japan he'd learned from his father before his mom and sister- but the point still remained. While he might be able to speak Japanese, highly accented and a little rusty but still passable, he had no idea what to expect from the people. On the bright side, he mused, at least he wasn't leaving any friends behind.
Ryou paused as he reached a certain golden box. This was the one thing he'd managed not to loose and subsequently replace in the past ten years. Strangely enough though, he'd always been distracted when he tried to put it together and had never finished it. He almost thought- Ryou didn't know what he thought. He lifted the lid though, and was pleasantly surprised. The last time he'd tried to put it together, he had apparently half completed it. A vague pyramid shape was beginning to make itself known. Ryou shrugged, he might as well try his luck again, it wasn't like he really had anything left to pack, his dad had already canceled the cable and internet packages, and school had let out for the summer, so he had nothing else to occupy his time while he waited for several days for his father to finally arrive.
It took three days, quite a bit of refusing to let the puzzle distract him with telemarketers on the phone and a sudden urge to go greet his neighbors for one last time, and more almost-cursing than Ryou really cared to admit, but abruptly all that stopped. Ryou stared in shock at the puzzle. It was now only missing one piece. Ryou remained frozen for a few short moments before a crisp knock on the door shook him out of his shock. He put the puzzle down and approached the door, sighing. Ryou unlocked and unbolted the various safety devices on his door before swinging it carefully open.
"Ryou, I'm terribly sorry but we're running a little late and we have to hurry." His father announced, entering the small apartment. "Are your bags packed, do you have to take a bathroom break?" He asked seriously, and Ryou flushed a little in annoyance. He was 16 now for goodness sakes, not a small child. Not that his dad would know the difference- Ryou stopped his thought right there, wincing in guilt. His father had apparently forgotten he was talking to Ryou at all and had moved on to surveying the apartment with a creased forehead. "Is this really where you've been living for the past year?" He asked, sounding slightly surprised and a little guilty. Ryou wrinkled his forehead in confusion.
"Um, yes, father." He answered, looking around as well. This was actually one of Ryou's favorite apartments that he'd lived in so far. Ryou's father sighed and shook his head, before focusing back on Ryou.
"I'm very sorry. The next apartment is much nicer, I promise." He said solemnly. Ryou smiled weakly, he didn't really believe anything his father promised these days, but he tried to keep a positive outlook anyways. "Did you say everything was packed?" His father asked, apparently done judging the apartment he had paid for.
"Yes, it's all right over there. Is the truck ready?" Ryou asked, making his way to the couch to pick up his travel bag. He didn't mention that almost everything in the apartment belonged to the owner and he only possessed mostly clothes and two boxes of personal belongings at this point. It wasn't worth it, and in any case he didn't want to fight, however passive-aggressively.
"That's nice." His father said absently, having apparently stopped listening after Ryou had confirmed his question. Ryou grimaced, but wasn't exactly shocked. This was the general trend of their interaction, after all. Most of the time his father couldn't even look him in the face, he saw too many ghosts, Ryou assumed, after all, when he was young his relatives- Ryou stopped his thought there again and resolutely focused on packing the nearly finished puzzle in his travel bag, tying it, slinging it on his bag and picking up the closest box.
One step at a time, that was the only kind of thinking that wouldn't get him in deep trouble these days. Pick up a box, follow father to the truck and repeat until finished. Ryou's father knocked lightly on the cab's window and spoke to the truck driver, handing him a set of instructions to the airport Ryou assumed he would be departing from. It would be a private airport, his father would hand him an address for when he landed in Japan, and a new truck driver would dump his belongings off at the same address. Maybe a neighbor would help him unload, maybe they would steal his meager belongings, Ryou could never quite be sure. In any case his father would depart on a different airline, a public one in first class, Ryou guessed he was quite lucky to have such a successful archeologist for a father, but he'd almost rather his father be less successful and more attentive- that, Ryou scolded himself firmly, was not a step at a time thought.
Ryou's father finished conversing with the truck driver and beckoned Ryou to follow him to the car he had obviously rented. Ryou did so, lowering his head and steeling himself for the silence he was sure would ensue. It was, indeed, as awkward as Ryou had thought it would be. He didn't have the best relationship with his father on a normal day- shut up Ryou instructed his brain- and for some reason or another today his father seemed to be having a particularly introspective day.
Which was perfectly fine with Ryou, his father was his own person and it was none of Ryou's business what he wished to do with his time, even if that time was the tiny, tiny piece of time shared with Ryou, who almost never saw his- Ryou succeeded in shutting his thoughts off this time. Besides, earlier his father had briefly reconfirmed Ryou was okay with the move, and that by itself was more communication than Ryou and his father generally had, so Ryou was not going to be pushy and ask for anything more. Ryou, for the most part, amused himself by picking out images in the clouds, or flipping the puzzle over in his hands, trying to reason why he felt unable to place the last piece in its proper location.
"Oh." His father said, noticing the nervous flipping motion Ryou was performing with the puzzle. "Did you finally solve that then? What has it been, eight years?" Ryou's father asked. Ryou started guiltily, glancing at his father to confirm that yes, he was talking to Ryou and was not on the phone, before lowering his head back to the puzzle.
"Um, yes. It was eight years." Ryou confirmed, biting his lip. "Thank you, by the way. It was quite a challenge, I've really enjoyed it." Ryou said, in almost a whisper, before he chanced glancing up at his father again. An attempt of a smile passed between the two family members. It wasn't much, Ryou accepted, but it was rather more communication than he'd gotten in the past several years, and he felt warm from his feet to his smile, which he directed at the puzzle. Silence once again blanketed the car, but this time it felt more comfortable, and less likely to strangle someone.
When they reached the airport, Ryou's father did indeed hand him a set of instructions, but more surprisingly, he dropped an absent minded kiss in Ryou's hair. This would send most sixteen year old boys groaning and swatting their father away, but Ryou didn't move for a good thirty seconds, even as his father walked back to the car. Maybe things were looking up after all; Ryou thought, satisfied, and he made his way onto the airplane, gripping the puzzle tight to his chest.
-switch-
Yugi yawned and stretched as he rolled lazily out of bed. He shuffled his way into the bathroom to brush his hair before going downstairs for breakfast. Before he managed that though, he caught sight of himself in the mirror.
"Other me…" His sleep coated voice groaned. Yugi's hands were bandaged with heavy cloth and there was a golden arm bangle adorning his bicep, neither of which had been there when he went to sleep last night. "I though we agreed that you shouldn't steal anything anymore." Yugi said sternly, taking off the bangle and searching for more, there was never just one piece of jewelry.
"Landlord, must we rehash this every day? I've agreed not to let you get caught while I steal. Nothing more." A translucent figure replied. He did not look anything like Yugi, being in possession of white hair instead of the tricolored monstrosity on Yugi's head. Not that, Yugi thought childishly, it was any less crazy than Yugi's hair. Neither looked anything like the other either, but the figure was obviously the other me to whom Yugi had been referring. Yugi pouted, and pulled off three more gold bangles from his left ankle. Really? His gaze seemed to ask.
"I think it's worth repeating that when I agreed to let you have control of my body at night, I didn't think you'd be robbing jewelry shops in the search for whatever you aren't telling me." Yugi exclaimed, throwing his hands up and glaring as he found five rings spaced on both hands. "Please tell me you at least return these and don't just hide them better when I go to sleep." Yugi begged, starting to massage his forehead. The other just scoffed and tossed his head.
"So naïve, after all this time. Remind me again what you said the first time we met?" A cruel smile worked its way over Other Yugi's face. Yugi mumbled something unintelligible, a bright flush creeping onto his cheeks. He steadily avoided the other's eyes and groaned as he pulled several pins with jeweled heads out of his hair, waving them accusingly in the air. "What was that? Couldn't quite catch it." The spirit said, raising an eyebrow. Yugi stuck his tongue out, and after one last check, gathered up the stolen jewels and stuck them under his mattress.
"I said, I think it's time for breakfast." Yugi said, rushing downstairs where the threat of humiliation was much less, after Yugi had explained about mental hospitals the spirit had quieted down in the presence of others, for the most part. That did not, however, mean the mental messages completely ceased much to Yugi's chagrin.
"Good morning grandpa!" Yugi yelled as he barreled down the stairs, praying the flush of embarrassment had fled his face. He also ignored his other self sneering that his question had been unanswered. After all, if his other self was going to be a jerk, Yugi did not have to put up with him.
"Good morning Yugi." His grandpa returned cheerfully. "I made chocolate chip pancakes." He slid a plate of the pancakes in front of Yugi, who gratefully dug in.
"Thanks grandpa, these are delicious." Yugi beamed at his grandpa, who smiled back, pleased. Yugi, ever since his eighth birthday, had figured out that his grandpa was only trying to protect him, and had done his very best to always treat his grandpa as though he was the most important person in the world.
"Ah yes, another day of refusing to let me teach those ingrates you call classmates their true place in life. How thrilling." The spirit dead-panned, apparently having gotten over his teasing mood and moved straight on to tetchy. The mood swings worried Yugi a little bit, especially in the beginning, after he'd gotten over the shock that, yes, there was actually a spirit in the ring his parents had given him, but Yugi was mostly used to them now. They did still seem odd though.
"I keep telling you." Yugi shot back firmly, as he always did during these mood swings or when the spirit implied he wanted to do something truly unforgiveable. "Joey and Tristan are my friends. Their true place in life is wherever they want." Which was, of course, not entirely true. Joey and Tristan were kind of jerks, but Yugi thought that underneath it all, they weren't bad people. The spirit didn't deign to reply to this, choosing instead to radiate condescension.
"Ah!" Yugi exclaimed, finally looking at the clock. "Anzu's going to be here soon! Thanks for breakfast grandpa." Yugi yelled behind him as he darted up the stairs as fast as his legs could manage.
"Yu-" Yugi could hear his grandpa calling; he stopped and jogged back down a couple steps expectantly. His grandpa just shook his head, amused. "You're going to break your neck running that fast." He said, and Yugi laughed, before setting off again. The Other Yugi seemed to agree.
"That's not just your body you're risking." He grumbled, floating around as Yugi stripped off his pajamas and tried to brush his teeth while yanking on his school uniform.
"Oof." Yugi groaned as he fell, he quickly got back up though and spat in the sink before responding as he continued struggling with his clothes. "It is, actually, just my body I'm risking." Yugi said firmly, he didn't approve of the spirit's decisions while in control of his body and it frankly concerned him when the spirit started saying things like 'our body'. He tried to combat and draw lines whenever the subject came up. "Also that's a bit rich coming from you." Yugi pouted.
At this, the Other Yugi clammed up; seeming to sense that further talk would just lead to Yugi concernedly demanding to know what exactly he was doing at night. It was a rather common demand that Yugi made almost every other day, and while he hadn't gotten an answer at this point, he wouldn't give up just yet.
Yugi enjoyed the petty feeling of having shut the spirit up while it lasted though. Even if he hadn't gotten the answers he wanted or drawn the lines he needed to, he had technically won the argument and that was enough for the moment. He barreled back down the stairs, turned around and ran straight back up, grabbing his almost forgotten bag, the Millennium Ring flying out from under his shirt the whole time. Finally, he reached the door, took a quick mental recount, and decided he had everything he needed for the day. He opened the door, shooting a quick smile back at Grandpa, and stepped outside.
"Morning, Yugi." Anzu grinned, and Yugi smiled back, pleased.
"Morning, Anzu." He chirped, slinging his back over one shoulder to free his arms for the morning hug.
"Really, Yugi." Anzu frowned as she pulled back from the hug and Yugi's face comes into clear view. She licked her thumb and started rubbing at a spot Yugi supposed he missed this morning. "I don't know why your grandpa even lets you out of the house." She fussed over him for a little while, fixing his tie, worrying over his hair and generally being a mother hen. Yugi doesn't really mind though, it's nice to have someone to make sure he didn't forget his shoes, which has happened more than once.
"Anzu…" Yugi whined anyway, because he might as well put up a token protest. He attempted, though not very hard, to pull away, but she just clicks her tongue and pulls out a handkerchief to wipe at a persistent smudge.
"Why won't you ever let me turn her into a doll? I can't stand watching this every day. It's humiliating." The spirit whined nearby and Yugi glared at him.
"Well it's lucky for you that you aren't in charge isn't it? I think it's nice that she worries so much." Yugi responded, and it really is nice. It concerned him when the spirit says things like that though. Sometimes, Yugi isn't sure that he isn't going to wake up one night and find a little doll version on Anzu on his bedside table. It's happened once or twice, but he's always managed to convince the spirit to turn the person back into an actual person.
"Ready Yugi?" Anzu asked, interrupting his thoughts, and having apparently satisfied her need to clean Yugi up.
"Ready Anzu!" Yugi grinned his mega-watt smile and folds his hands behind his head. "Today is going to be a great day." He said firmly, and he ignores the spirit's scoff, until he disappeared back into the ring, grumbling the whole time.
"Oh Yugi, you say that every day." Anzu laughed, nudging Yugi a little. Yugi laughed back, but he thinks today it is true. He can feel it deep inside him. Something is different today, and Yugi can't wait to find out what.
And so we begin. The next chapter is the true beginning of this story, I think. But while this one was written, the next isn't, so this is going to be interesting. I hope you enjoy it.