Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Half Full or Half Empty? ❯ Blurred ( Chapter 13 )

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Blurred
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- One week later -

Shika's POV…
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I watched Ryou as the blur of azure ocean went by us at an astounding speed by the window. We were currently on the bullet train to Shiranuka for school camp. Luckily the sound of giggling and shouting 12th graders was drowned out for me - I was listening to Crazytown on my Discman. Ryou was reading a magazine on "The World's Most Beautiful Tropical Islands". He seemed to be fascinated in travel. Suddenly someone ripped my headphones off my head from behind me, followed by squealing and giggling. I got up on my knees on my seat and looked behind me. Taree had put my headphones on her own head and was thrashing her head about to my music; her blonde hair was flying in all directions possible. Anzu was giggling along with her.

"I love Crazytown!" she cried.

"So do I! now give `em back, Taree!" I shrieked, grabbing my headphones back off her.

Taree grinned ear-to-ear and handed me back my headphones. "Hey Shika, I wonder if we'll be in the same bunkrooms?" she said, her voice tinted with seductiveness. My eyes widened at her statement.

"Uh I-I don't know, Taree." I managed to croak. I slunk back down in my seat and put my headphones around the back of my neck.

Ryou looked up from his magazine and gave me an odd look. "Something wrong, love?" he asked.

I swallowed. "No, everything is fine." I plastered a fake smile on my face. Ryou gave me one of those `I don't believe you' looks, but went back to reading his magazine.

After six agonizing hours, my stomach began to do somersaults. I wasn't the best traveller, put it that way. Thank god we arrived in Shiranuka soon after. It was a pretty little village - a total of about five main streets and no traffic lights with plenty of docks with boats and seagulls loitering around them. By the time we got to our campsite it was about six o'clock. Our campsite was on a small hill to the northeast of the town, in between a forest (which we were forbidden to go into alone) and a sheer cliff which led to a sixty foot drop to the ocean below. There were bears and other dangerous creatures in the forest which we were warned about. I noticed too, that I seemed to be one of the only girls that was paired with a boy. Everyone else was paired with the same sex.

"OK everyone!! Welcome to Camp Akiko! Now, as you are probably not aware of, we have put you and your partner into a group of six. The groups are as follows…" the camp owner, Seiji, as he asked us to call him, began to read out the list of groups. He dragged on and on until my name came up on the list caught my attention.

"Shika Haadimaal, Ryou Bakura, Anzu Mazaki, Taree Jomei, Jounouchi Katsuya and Seto Kaiba, you will be group number seven."

I groaned at the last person's name mentioned. Sure it was a bonus being with Jou, but his bitch was, well, a bitch. A pain in the ass, the biggest jerk-off ever… I could go on forever. I looked across the room; Jou gave the thumbs up with his trademark grin. Seto glared at me smugly with an icy stare as he sat slyly next to Jou.

"Now! Go to the reception to get your bits and pieces needed while you're here on this camp and go to your respected bunkrooms. Report here at seven thirty for dinner." Seiji stated his final information before heading off to the kitchen with the other teachers to prepare dinner.

"I wonder what we need to get from reception." Taree stated as she slung her backpack over her shoulders.

"We'll soon find out." Seto said coldly as he carried his suitcases at his sides. Although the looked more like briefcases than suitcases.

Me and my new group made our way to the reception. We had to queue up for a while, though. Once we found out what we needed from the reception, we all wished we had never come.

"Please tell me I don't have to wear this." Anzu groaned as she held up our new `Camp Akiko Uniform'. For the girls, we had to wear a skirt similar to that of our Domino High school skirts, except they were white; a white polo shirt with the picture of a Northern Japanese Maple leaf on it with red lining around the sleeves and neck. Taree, of course, told the receptionist that she was a size smaller than her usual size. She seemed to love attracting attention. And boy did she get it.

The boys on the other hand had to wear a pair of white slacks and the same white polo shirt. Ryou did look cute in it though, his white hair blended with his uniform. I giggled when I saw him in it.

"Eh you guys, I'ma go find our bunkrooms. Seto, Ryou, you comin' with?" Jou asked as he picked up his overnight bag.

"Sure Jounouchi, we might as well put our bags down."

Jou rolled his eyes at the formality of his name. "Please, Ryou, call me Jou. Just Jou."

Ryou chuckled and kissed me lightly on the lips. He followed happily along behind Jou and Seto as they made their way across the other side of the campsite to the boys' bunkrooms. Anzu, Taree and I made our way to ours.

"Oh we are so not sleeping in here." Taree stated as she bust open the door revealing a pair of unstable looking bunk beds with dusty mattresses on them.

I peered into the cabin with disgust. It had cobwebs in the corners and the single window looked like it hadn't been cleaned for a millennia. I shrugged it off and threw my things on the bottom bunk. Anzu switched on the light and a spider darted across the top of the bunk on the opposite side of the room. Taree squealed and latched onto Anzu.

"I hate spiders!!!"

"Me too." Anzu agreed.

"Get Jou in here. He'd probably eat them for us." I said matter-of-factly. (Seriously, Jou used to eat live spiders and dirt when we were kids).

"So, what say we take a look around then, guys?" I suggested, itching to go and see my lovers.

Anzu and Taree exchanged glances. "Uh, I might just stay here and… relax, for a while. You should chill out with us for a while too, Shika." Taree said, climbing up on the top bunk, deliberately flashing me her lilac coloured g-string.

I gulped. "Err, I might go and see what Ryou and Jou are up to. See you guys at the dining hall." I said, getting up on my crutches as quickly as I could and shuffling my way across to the door.

"Suit yourself then. We'll have some fun later."

I nearly tripped up on the doorstep when she said that. I knew it! Taree definitely has the hots for me. But why isn't Anzu reacting to it? She must have picked it up by now. But why do I find myself getting aroused when she acts this way around me? Am I bisexual? I thought. I shook my head free of thoughts and thought of Ryou and Bakura. I smiled and sighed as I saw my pastel-haired spirit standing talking to his hikari in the dim moonlight. Ryou noticed me and smiled; Bakura gave me his naughty smirk and wrapped his arms around me.

"Haven't seen you all day, beautiful." He said, kissing the top of my head.

"Missed you." I replied, fingering his spiky white tresses.

"You too, Lotus." He tilted my chin up and pulled me into him, his lustrous full lips brushing against mine. He smiled contentedly; his eyes were warm ebony pools of dark liquid staring back at me.

"Well, well, would you look at that? Lotus has got a lover…" Seto said big-headedly, leaning against the side of his cabin.

"Drop it Kaiba." I said, not bothering to wind myself up.

"Have you a problem, mortal?" Bakura hissed as he pushed me aside and stood eye to eye with Kaiba.

Kaiba smirked and rolled his eyes. "You think I've seen enough of Yami? You spirits think you are so macho. Well think again, freak." He said, raising his hand to push Bakura backwards on his shoulder. Bakura grabbed his wrist and twisted it.

"I wouldn't if I were you." He growled.

Kaiba's face distorted in pain and he finally cried out like a whimpering dog. "Get your dirty paws off of me." With that said he loosened his shoulders and disappeared back inside the log cabin.

Jou stood open mouthed; nobody had ever stood up to Kaiba like that before. I laughed; Bakura seemed to be pretty tough in Jou's opinion - not to mention Kaiba's too. Jou made a whistling sound and went into the cabin to join Kaiba. Bakura folded his arms across his chest and smirked at Ryou and I. Ryou grinned sheepishly. He was adorable when he looked innocent. Hell, he looked adorable when he was guilty too.

"Well, we'd better head over to the dining hall. I wonder what's for our dinner." I said to Ryou.

"Worms on toast?" Ryou chuckled.

I grinned. "Come on, let's go."

"You'd better save me some." Bakura said before retreating to the Ring once more.

Ryou and I headed across the campsite to the dining hall. The sky was officially dark by now, and I even thought I saw a silver shooting star. When we got into the dining hall, there were only a few people there. It looked like they were having spaghetti bolognaise.

"Help yourself kids! I'm sure you'll enjoy it!" Miss. Keziaki tried to encourage us. Frankly, I wasn't hungry in the slightest after looking at what the other kids had dished up on their plates.

"Uh, you know, I might miss dinner tonight." I said and hobbled off quickly.

"Are you sure Shika?" Ryou asked, evidently hungry.

"Yeah, I'm kinda tired anyway Ryou. I'll see you in the morning. Love you." I kissed him before I left.

"Yeah, love you too."

I shuffled across the camp site alone in the dark. I hated being alone. But right now I needed some space - and sleep. Six hours of traveling is not my idea of fun. As I reached the cabin, I opened the door, only to be mortified at what I was seeing - and hearing. Anzu and Taree were fucking each other's brains out! They soon realized that I was standing as an audience and smiled at me.

"Heya Shika, wanna join in the fun?"

"Uh, no thanks!" I shrieked and exited the cabin quicker than I came in.

I heard a bundle of giggling after I had left. How on earth was I going to get sleep over the week if those two were having sex every night? I decided to go for a walk - or limp, rather. I made my way down to the edge of the cliff where the midnight-black waves were crashing and colliding against the sheer rock face below. I noticed another figure was sitting on the edge as well, throwing stones into the water below. As I got closer, I recognized him as Seto Kaiba.

"What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be with Jou?" I asked as I managed to sit down next to him with great difficulty.

He continued to stare at the rumbling waves below, his face as grave as I had ever seen it. "Jou and I had a fight." He finally spat out.

"Oh. What was it over?"

He turned to face me, and for the first time I actually realized that he was indeed quite sexy. He rolled up the shirt on his side and revealed a purpling bruise against his ribs, similar to the ones that I had which were turning yellow and fading away.

My eyes widened. "Jou did that to you?"

He nodded. I went to touch the bruise gently but he flinched. "Sorry."

He shrugged and put his shirt back down. "I've never known Jou to be violent like that before. He's always been so caring."

I stared out to sea and tried to fathom Jou ever hurting someone. Especially someone he loved. I remembered we used to have stupid little fights sometimes and Jou would always be the first to apologize. Seems this fight between him and Seto was a bit more serious.

"If you tell me what happened I could go and talk to him. I'm his best friend you know, Kaiba. Jou would listen to me over anyone else."

Seto heaved a sigh and stared up at the full moon, the serene light glistening in his sapphire eyes. "Alright, well we were in our cabin unpacking our things and after I had finished I went up to him to kiss him and he pushed me away. I asked him what was wrong and he just screamed at me. I asked him again and I ended up with this." He said, touching the spot where his bruise was. "He won't tell me what's wrong. I've got a feeling we'll be sleeping in separate beds tonight."

"I think I know what's wrong. I'll go and talk to him." I said as I stumbled to my feet. Kaiba passed me my crutches.

"I'll stay here then."

"You sure? You aren't cold are you?"

He shook his head and I saw him smile - as in actually smile. "No Shika, I'm fine. But thanks for asking."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Okay then. I'll be back soon."

I made my way across to the boys' side of the campsite and over to Jou's and Seto's cabin. Before I opened the door, I could hear Jou whimpering inside. Should I go in or leave him be? I knocked.

"Jou…? Everything alright, hon?"

I heard him gasp for breath but he continued to bawl his eyes out. I opened the door with a creak and found him on the top bunk, his face buried into his pillow.

"Jou… I talked to Seto. Why'd you hurt him? Are you okay?" I asked as I stood next to the bunk and reached a hand up to put on his back, rubbing it gently.

Jou turned on his side to face me, his eyes red with tears. In fact, his whole face looked like a tomato. He managed to sit up and rub his eyes, but his lips were still trembling.

"Jou, honey talk to me."

"I'm sorry! Tell him I'm sorry, Shika! I didn't mean to do that to him!" he cried.

I swallowed hard. "Tell me why, Jou. He wants to know what he's done wrong."

Jou slipped down from the top bunk and faced me, even though he was a heck of a lot taller than me. "I miss home. I hate coming on school camps. I hate being away from home period! You know that!"

"I thought that would be it. But Seto doesn't know that, Jou. Why didn't you tell him? He's really upset."

Jou's gentle caramel orbs floated down to the dusty floorboards. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and he rested his head on the junction of my neck and shoulder. "Tell him I'm sorry, Shika. I hope he forgives me."

"He will, Jou. I'll make sure of it. I'll go and get him, alright? You stay here and keep warm." I said, kissing Jou on the cheek tenderly to comfort him. I disappeared back out into the night and returned to Seto, who was dangling his feet over the edge of the cliff.

"What did he say?"

"He's homesick. Jou's never been a good traveler, Kaiba. You see, when he was separated from Shizuka and his mother he never liked to be away from home. His father is all he's got now. Shizuka sometimes stays for a few weeks but never any longer."

"Oh, that's awful."

"Yeah, I know. When we were kids he'd want to stay the night but he'd miss his dad so much that my mom would have to drop him back home some nights at ungodly hours of the morning. He's been like that ever since."

"I wish he had told me. Can we go back now?"

I nodded. "Sure, he wants to say sorry anyway."

"Okay."

Kaiba and I both got up and made our way over to where Jou waited anxiously. Seto pushed open the door. Jou stood, smiling through his tears. Seto took the blonde into his arms and caressed his blonde bangs. Jou wouldn't stop saying he was sorry as he nuzzled into Kaiba's broad chest. Kaiba turned and smiled at me while holding Jou closely.

"Thanks. I owe you one, Shika." He said.

I smiled briefly at him. "It's okay Kaiba. Don't mention it."

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