Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Heccubus ❯ Chapter 5

It had been easy to finish beating Jounouchi once Yugi wasn't there to give him tips, but then Anzu looked almost as if she wanted to duel me, but she was afraid to challenge.

 

“I think we've been underestimating you Bakura-kun. Why haven't you ever entered into any tournaments yourself or even duelled like this before?”

 

“I...this is a new technique. It's something Yami suggested since he got his own body, I wouldn't have listened to him before.” I glanced over at him, biting my lower lip, and saw him duelling with Yugi. This would be good, unless Yugi had the God Cards then I knew Bakura was in with a chance. He'd always lost to Atemu before, since the Pharaoh would never have allowed Yugi to duel him, but I knew that if it hadn't been for my intervening to help Atemu, cheating in other words, or the use of the God Cards the Pharaoh would probably have lost. But I had the feeling that Yugi was in fact the better player by a slight margin, he just didn't get the same sort of attention as his yami did. “Bakura's duelling Yugi, do you want to go cheer your friend on?” I didn't want to have to explain what my new technique consisted of, because it didn't make sense, and I didn't want to think too deeply about it, or about the way Bakura saw himself either.

 

“Yeah, he always supports me.” Jounouchi probably saw that as just part of friendship, he was very loyal, something he had in common with Kaiba, even if neither of them acknowledged it, and with Atemu and Yugi, people they'd both be happier to be compared to. I'd support Bakura, he needed someone supporting him, and I'd never given him that before.

 

“Bakura, show us what you can do without me interfering with your game.” He looked at me with shock written on his face as I sat beside him and acknowledged how badly I'd damaged his plans at times, then he just nodded and made his move. I couldn't remember the details of the deck he'd put together, but even though his move was in his usual reckless style I had a feeling it might not have been the best move he could have made. I didn't say anything, but what I was feeling had to be leaking through our bond.

 

“I'm not Battle Bred, I'm a Child of Desire. I can't think the way I advised you to, I already told you that.” He sounded weary as he explained. “Please, block any criticisms you might be feeling of my style. Considering how tightly his Shadow Magic is linked to gaming anyway...”

 

But I'd beaten him, and Atemu, their Shadow Magic hadn't been working that well then. Then I realised; he was telling me not to make him doubt himself, because that would make it harder for him to win.

 

“I don't know that much other Shadow Magic. We've got people here, couldn't you teach me a healing spell after this?” I felt a flash of annoyance from Bakura at that, but he swiftly suppressed it, or at least made sure I couldn't sense it.

 

“If anyone here has a suitably minor injury, or a headache or some other ache and you win then yes I'll teach you a spell to deal with it. But only if two of the others duel with Yadonushi-sama while we're duelling.” I didn't like it, but I could see the sense of it, and it might be a bit more of a challenge than facing Jounouchi alone.

 

“You mean a threeway duel where the other two are automatically allied against me, right?” I did have to clarify a little.

 

“Yes, unless and until you're defeated. If that happens they get to finish off by duelling against each other. but until you're out they focus on defeating you.” Bakura smiled at me coldly. -Not that I expect them to win against you, but it should give you a little more of a challenge.-

 

“Fine by me. Who's got a deck to duel me?” I could see how shocked Yugi was by my response, but I just waited for the others to respond. Eventually Anzu confirmed that she had a deck of her own on her.

 

“But I'm not sure how well it will work together with Jounouchi-kun's deck.”

 

“You'll outnumber me anyway, so why not try?”

 

“Okay.” She was still reluctant as they prepared to play against me, but her confidence seemed to grow as they whispered together about their strategies. I had to wonder about how well they could co-ordinate their strategies, since Jounouchi's was based on chance, and pure power mostly, while it had been so long since I'd seen Anzu duel that I'd forgotten her style.

 

They did better than I'd expected, and I finally reduced both my opponents' lifepoints to zero just a turn before Yugi finished defeating Bakura.

 

“What about that spell then Bakura?” He wasn't gloating, and Bakura didn't seem that upset by his defeat, probably because of how long it had taken Yugi to best him.

 

“Which would you prefer? The spell to heal minor injuries - bruises and cuts that don't need stitches - or the one to kill pain?”

 

“The first.”

 

“Does anyone here have a suitable injury then?” When no one answered at first I got a horrible, wonderful idea and spoke without thinking.

 

“Or is anyone willing to let a suitable injury be created. Wouldn't that be better Bakura?”

 

“Only if you aren't the `victim' Yadonushi-sama. In fact only if you inflict the injury.” Bakura's feelings as he spoke were a weird mixture of hope, dread, fear, longing and something else I couldn't name, all flavoured with his love for me.

 

“No need. I've got some bruises you can work on.” Jounouchi pushed his shirt up to show them and I watched as Bakura led Yugi through a spell I'd mastered shortly after accepting that Bakura was real.

 

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I'd been surprised to learn that I was supposed to go in for an interview the day after I'd been with Yugi. It seemed a remarkably short length of time for my exams to have been marked in, and I hadn't expected to be interviewed until after my exam results had been examined. Never-the-less I dressed more smartly than I had to take the exams, in a white linen suit with a red cotton shirt, even going so far as to wear one of those torture devices modern humanity called ties, a simple black one and reported to Dr. Bakura for inspection.

 

“Will I give the right impression sir?”

 

“I think so. Would you like me to come with you?” It was asked out of duty, I could tell that he was distracted by his research, but I still found it sweet for some reason.

 

“No sir, that won't be necessary.” He frowned, obviously unhappy with the formality I'd reverted to as soon as we got here, since he'd insisted I use his name, familial name at least, while we were in Egypt.

 

“If you're sure then.” I nodded, and left, carrying a bag with Ryou's `Tale of Genji' - it was a good story, and I wasn't far enough in my work on figuring out classical Japanese to read the original. I was probably messing up a bit by working from published translations, no matter how accurate they were technically there was always the issue of interpretation, but they'd do for a start. I could probably get a book on the subject as well when I'd gotten as far as I felt I could without any aid.

 

I arrived just slightly early for my interview and the secretary had me wait for the headmaster in her office. I just shrugged and pulled my book out, starting to read it from the beginning - I'd been a bit distracted from the plot by my work on translation before.

 

“Kurerunano-kun?”

 

“Yes Ma'am?”

 

“It's time for your interview.” She sound amused as she answered me, and for some reason I found myself blushing. I just wished I knew why, it wasn't because she was interested in me, not seriously, she saw me as too young, a refreshing change in a way.

 

“Thank you. I hadn't realised.” Then I walked through to the headmaster's office and waited for him to acknowledge my presence.

 

“Sit down Kurerunano-kun. After your performance on Monday we had your papers marked as quickly as we could. With scores like that why do you want to come here? You could get into much better schools if you wanted.”

 

“You have had students go from here to pre-med though, and...it has been suggested that I aim for that. Besides, some of the subjects I want to study aren't taught anywhere before university. So it wouldn't matter where I went, and at least here I'll get through the work quickly enough to have time to devote to my independent projects.”

 

“What sort of independent projects are you thinking of?” He sounded approving, there was that at least.

 

“Well, I can do some computer programming, in BASIC and FORTRAN mostly, I need to work in more depth on that. And,” I pulled out my `Tale of Genji' to illustrate, “I hope to be able to read this in the original form within a year.”

 

“I see.” He sounded impressed by my words. “How are you at sports and teamwork though?”

 

“Well, I grew up on the streets of Alexandria, in the slums, so I know how to use a knife. And I'm stronger than I look.” I let myself glance at him flirtatiously for the first time, and I saw how his breath caught in his throat.

 

“The main problem would be deciding what class to place you in. Even if I put you with the best of our final year you would be forcing them too fast. And I really should put you with your peers. Age wise that would put you with the fifteen year olds, but intellectually that would mean you should be applying for university.”

 

“Please, place me with Bakura-san. Dr. Bakura brought me here to be his companion. And I won't be insulted if you ordered the teachers to pace their lessons to the next best classmate's ability. As I said, it will allow me to work on personal projects.” I wasn't getting what I wanted, what else could I do? “Or you could personally tutor me in whichever subjects you think I should do to get a head start for college?” I could see his interest in that idea, and used a Shadow Magic spell to find out which subjects would work best in case he asked me to make suggestions. If I'd thought of it before I'd have done some research to find out what his areas of interest and expertise were, but as it was I had to use Shadow Magic to find out, a fitting punishment for my lack of forethought.

 

“What subjects did you have in mind for that?”

 

“I don't know exactly. Kaiba-san recommended med-school for me pretty firmly,” I couldn't see his idea that I could handle med school as anything but a recommendation, “and I like learning languages, so Latin, and Greek, ancient Greek that is. It would be useful if I went for Law instead as well.” And he'd studied Ancient Languages at university himself. “I'd like to learn other languages, ancient and modern, but they might not be as useful as those two and I already know the more important modern languages. Anatomy might be useful for med school, or if I could find a way to take some of the classes from pre-med...” I trailed off, leaving him to make his mind up.

 

“You say you speak the more important modern languages. Which are they?”

 

“Cantonese, Mandarin - although I'm never sure if those two are different languages or just different dialects - English, Spanish, Japanese of course - but I'm not entirely comfortable with the suffixes, for this or the Chinese variants - French, German, Italian and Arabic. I think the Italian will help me with Latin.”

 

“Yes, it will. Then I can take you out of your English lessons to study with me. I'll make the arrangements and put you in the same class as Bakura-kun.” He sounded happy about the idea of spending so much time with me, but I didn't think he'd try to take advantage of it, he just wanted me around him.

 

“Thank you sir.” I stood and bowed before leaving.

 

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I had to wonder how Bakura planned to explain his `date' with Honda to my father. Honda was the only straight guy in our circle, the rest of us were all at least bi if not out and out gay so my yami wore his female form for Honda, and once as a favour to Seto. Bakura made as sexy a woman as he did a man though, her hair was longer than his, falling almost to her ass instead of just over his shoulders. His height didn't change, but as a woman she had the tiniest waist, I'd seen Honda span it with his two hands and her legs were proportionally longer than his. She had bigger breasts than any woman I'd met, even Mai, but it didn't seem out of proportion, even if they should have. In short she was the stuff wet dreams are made of. And so different from her male self that my father would spot it in an instant. Even with how he locked himself away to write up his papers and read other papers in his area he'd still notice. He might not realise who she was - I'd seen Atemu assume she was someone else in that form - but he'd know there was a girl he'd never met before wandering around our home.

 

“Are you planning to leave through the Shadow Realm for your `date' with Honda?” It was the obvious solution, especially as it meant he wouldn't have to use his powers to make clothes to fit his female form, and could dress in one of the outfits he stored in the Ring.

 

“Yes Yadonushi-sama.” Bakura put his book down, paying his full attention to me, something I hadn't quite gotten used to yet, but still something he always did when I spoke to him. “Will that be a problem?”

 

“No.” Why would it? I wasn't going to try and restrict him, even if I could. “But how are you planning to keep my father from realising that you're gone?”

 

“I won't need to.” Bakura blushed faintly, not meeting my eyes. I had a bad feeling about this. “He wanted to spend some time with you alone and he asked me what sort of thing you're interested in. I told him that you used to be into Monster World, but that no one would play with you because a lot of people who did fell into comas and that there was a sale on today. All true, but he intends to take you out with him today to buy some Monster World equipment and to see a movie. He asked which of the ones currently showing I thought you'd enjoy. There's a comedy playing about a rich couple, the man having an affair with their maid, the woman having an affair with the pool boy, and the pool boy and the maid planning to steal from the couple that I thought you might like.” I wasn't sure I liked the way Bakura'd planned to use me as a distraction like this, and some of that must have shown on my face. “He asked, I'm not really in a position to refuse to tell the man about his own son - although I did hint that he shouldn't need me to tell him about you. I didn't plan on using you as a diversion, it just happened that way.”

 

I believed him, but I couldn't resist the chance to tease Yami.

 

“And why shouldn't I let him know that you're using our father-son bonding expedition as a chance to get some boy between your legs?”

 

“D-do you think he'd trust me around you if you told him that?” My yami looked shocked at my joking about what he needed, and I could feel his fear through our bond.

 

“I'm sorry for scaring you, I was only teasing. Still...” I trailed off speculatively. I really didn't feel up to interacting with my father, or for pretending he knew me at all. And if I worried him too much he might decide not to go on his next expedition after all. I didn't want that, didn't want to have to deal with him worrying about me or fussing over me the way my mother had before she died and the way my cousins had when I started getting weak again after that, before I got the Ring.

 

“What's in this for you? It depends what you want.” I didn't like the tone of his voice, he was still scared and he shouldn't have been, not with how weak I was.

 

“Not much.” I'd seen him in female form naked, and wearing boy's clothes, ill-fitting because he'd been wearing them before shape-shifting to female, but never really dressed as a girl, and I wanted to. “I just want to see you all dressed up for your date with Honda before you leave, and have a hand in getting you dressed up.”

 

“You want to choose my clothes for me?”

 

“And see you looking like a girl.” He bowed his head, lifting his hand to the Ring, I could see it trembling slightly and for a second I hated myself for making him react that way.

 

“Y-you didn't need to threaten me to get that. Do you want to see all the female clothes I have and choose then, or do you want to tell me the parameters of what to wear, and let me decide from there?”

 

“A compromise. I tell you what sort of thing I'd like to see you in and you show me what you've got that fits that.” I reached out to take his other hand as I spoke. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you, just tease you, but I wanted to see you dressed like a girl in your female form.”

 

“You already apologised once.” -And you didn't even need to do that.- I don't think Bakura even realised he projected that along our bond. “What do you want me to wear then?”

 

“Do you have any high heels?” I was sure they'd do wonderful things to his legs.

 

“Nothing higher than one and a half inches.” He shrugged when he saw my surprise. “I've only been female for Honda, and he gets off on the athletic type, heels don't do anything for him.” That sounded odd, but if Bakura was sure...

 

“What about skirts?” If Honda didn't want Bakura wearing heels then...

 

“How long?” Eventually she ended up wearing black sandals with two inch spike heels, a long full black skirt and a dark red shirt, she didn't even contest one of my choices and I felt guilty about scaring her all over again. But it was still worth it to see her like that.

 

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I smiled at Honda as I emerged from the Shadow Realm, waiting to see his reaction to my outfit, since it was far more feminine than he usually wanted me in. The skirt and heels had actually been a gift from Seto, for a meeting he'd been expected to bring a date to, a female date, and he'd wanted someone who he could talk to on an equal level. Honda'd bought my perfume and chosen most of my other female clothes, he'd offered to pay for them too, but I had lots of money, and an easy way of getting more if I absolutely had to - or a number of comparatively easy ways anyway.

 

He gasped at the sight of me, looking me up and down appreciatively and I couldn't help but feel a bit resentful that he'd never looked at me like that when I was dressed to his specifications.

 

“Can you walk alright in those heels?” They were higher than I'd thought they were, but I certainly had the sense of balance needed to wear them.

 

“Yes, it won't be a problem. Did you have a lot of walking planned for today?”

 

“Have you ever been to an amusement park?”

 

“Not as more than a passenger in Yadonushi-sama's body.” I shrugged in response, remembering the walking he'd done, and how hard he'd found it to balance on some rides, but he'd been denying his true self, his desire for death, so much and I didn't lie to myself as he did. “I'll be fine. But can we go to visit the Game Shop first please? Mutou-san told me he'd got the Exodia pieces I asked for in, so I need to speak to him. And...I don't want Ryou to know.” I let myself blush as I mentioned Yadonushi-sama and Honda came to the obvious conclusion.

 

“A surprise gift for him then?”

 

“For his birthday. I had something else planned if Mutou-san couldn't find them in time, but it looks like I don't need to worry about that.”

 

“You're not worried he'll expect something this expensive every time from now on?” But he did take my arm and start walking towards the Game Shop with me.

 

“I doubt it. And even if he did I can easily afford it. I have investments that give me an income equivalent to...I don't know, a mid-level salaryman's take-home pay, and I also have an annual income of at least six million Yen a year from healing people, usually a lot more.” Honda whistled in surprise and appreciation. I suppose that since I didn't flaunt my money the way the Priest almost had to people didn't realise I had it. “Will you be expecting me to pay for our `dates' once in a while now?” I smiled at him teasingly, wondering how he'd respond.

 

“No!” He sounded so outraged. “A gentleman always pays for his dates.” I bowed my head, letting a faint flush show on my cheeks. It felt so good that the people I had to feed on were at least friendly to me, mostly, even if they didn't really trust me, and Honda treated me the way he would a real girlfriend, even though he didn't see me that way. “Here, we're at the Game Shop, let me hold the door for you.” He was using that as an excuse to end the conversation, but I saw no harm in letting him do that. Was I supposed to say anything, or thank him? Better to err on the side of caution.

 

“Thank you.” I only realised then how few people had seen me in my female form, seeing the way Mutou-san stood to greet me.

 

“Hello miss. How can I help you?” His smile was almost a leer, but not quite, and he was old enough that most women would dismiss him as `harmless'. Besides, in this country no one tried to stop men groping pretty young women on crowded subways, and even ten years back the primary qualification for an Office Lady had been a `pretty face'.

 

“You can show me those Exodia pieces you told me you'd gotten for me.”

 

“I'm sorry, miss? I've only told...” He trailed off, staring at me in rising disbelief. “Kurerunano-kun? I'd heard you could...but...”

 

“You hadn't seen me like this? Most people haven't.” Honda, Seto, Ryou and now him. “By the way, I want you to put them in some sort of presentation box after I inspect them. What? They're a gift!” The blank look he gave me when I asked for a presentation box was more than a little annoying, but he brought the cards out. They were both damaged, nothing that would keep them from being used in a duel, but enough to make them look less impressive. I'd half expected that though, the cards were for using, not for keeping hidden away to look at, and I'd worked out a spell to solve that little problem. I cast it while he was getting the presentation box out, and the old man didn't bother to question what I'd done...he was familiar enough with what Atemu was capable of, even if he didn't realise how many advantages I had over the Pharaoh.

 

“I won't charge you for the presentation box.” For good reason in my opinion, even at only ten percent commission he was making a lot of profit from getting these for me. “Will you be taking them with you today?”

 

“No, not yet. I don't have anywhere to hide them. Keep them for me until the middle of August would you?”

 

“Of course. Do you have any other cards you want me to look out for?”

 

“Yes, actually I do. Give me a pen and some paper. Oh, and we need to negotiate your retainer. I was thinking fifty thousand Yen a month.”

 

“Fifty thousand a week would be more reasonable.”

 

“Fifteen thousand a week more like.” I smiled at him as he handed the pen and paper over to me.

 

“Forty thousand a week. You're asking me to take time from my business to do this for you.” He did know a bit about haggling, even if this was pretty mild, and he seemed to be enjoying it as well.

 

“No, I'm not. Just to keep back these cards for me if you come across them. And you do get a finder's fee, one that mounts up, especially for some of the more expensive cards. Twenty thousand a week.”

 

“I still have to check with your list every time I go on a trip or get new stock in. Thirty thousand a week.”

 

“It shouldn't take that long, and as you get used to my tastes you'll probably know when there's a card I'll want that I just haven't heard of yet. Twenty-five thousand.”

 

“Agreed.”

 

I'll have the first week's payment transferred to the shop account tomorrow. Now I think I've made Honda wait long enough for our date.” And with that I left the shop on Honda's arm.

 

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