Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Heccubus ❯ Chapter 8

“What's up with Bakura today?” Jounouchi was the one who actually asked the question, not Atemu as I'd expected, and it was far later than I'd expected the subject to come up. “He doesn't usually leave you alone like that, and there's something weird about the way he's acting.”

 

He had a point, Bakura usually only left me if I was at home or if it was absolutely necessary, and even then he usually made sure that someone had accepted responsibility for taking care of me, if he left me with my friends. But I really didn't like the air of...I don't know, disregard that Jounouchi had when he was talking about Yami. On the other hand, I hadn't quite finished the sushi he'd prepared for me, and I had promised to try to finish what he gave me - and arguing with my friends would probably destroy what little appetite I had.

 

“He almost looks sexier than he usually does, and he's a hot number even when he isn't trying to look good.” I hated the lust in Atemu's voice directed at Bakura, even though my yami had allowed the Pharaoh to fuck him, and his next words made me furious, giving me motivation to eat faster, so I could make my opinion of his attitude clear. “A great fuck, even if he's a murdering little bastard.”

 

“That isn't entirely fair mou hitori no boku. Ryou made it clear yesterday that Bakura was desperate to collect the Millennium Items so he could free the souls of his kin, not for their own sake, and you'd kill to protect me, wouldn't you? But he seems to have more energy today. Do you know why, Ryou?”

 

“No...” Would it be a good idea to let them know what I'd promised him? Probably not, or at least not the details. “Except that I made a promise that might have relieved some of the stress he's under since he thinks he has to take care of me.” I hated that he was right, Yami did have to take care of me, but Yugi's defence of Yami had calmed my anger at Atemu's attitude. Pity, that would have let me keep my other promise, especially since Yami was the only thing I still cared about enough to argue over.

 

“So, does that mean you'll be eating properly without needing Bakura to urge you on in future? If he's so worried about your eating habits there has to be a serious problem.” And now Anzu had reignited my anger, they'd always ignored what Yami did for me, even the things they knew about. Some of that anger was self-directed too, I'd never bothered making sure they understood just how much he went out of his way to make my life easier and safer, even with what he saw as necessary risks I'd never really been endangered.

 

“Yes, there is a serious problem. I was chronically ill before I got the Ring, no one could tell why, except for my having really weird blood work. One of the symptoms is a loss of appetite, when Bakura was sharing my body he used his magic to keep me healthy, making the doctors think my `Bakura's Disease' was in remission. Guess what happened now that I don't have a personal healer possessing me and working spells to help me damn near 24-7? That's right my illness has come back with a vengeance.” Ryou scowled at the other teens. “Not that any of you would have bothered to notice that, you all just preferred to assume the worst of him without finding out any of the facts. I suppose finding out the facts would just get in the way of allowing your prejudices and assumptions free rein after all.”

 

“But he was stealing the souls of your friends, to use in his sick games.”

 

“It was no more out of proportion for their offences than your Penalty Games against people who hurt your precious aibou were Atemu. He showed me the exact details of the spell he used on my `friends', if they hadn't been using me, and if I hadn't recognised that on some level nothing would have happened to them.”

 

“The people who hurt aibou deserved to suffer.”

 

“I'm not saying they didn't. Just that the punishments you inflicted were at least as out of proportion as the punishments Bakura inflicted on the people who were using me.” I didn't give him any chance to wriggle out of acknowledging the truth, just looked at him levelly, waiting for him to respond, so that I could cut his rationalisations down if he tried to make any, but pretty soon he couldn't meet my eyes and started to wriggle uncomfortably.

 

“Mou hitori no boku was being influenced by the Puzzle. And you insist that your Ring was good then, so that doesn't explain Bakura's behaviour.” I shouldn't have been surprised that it was Yugi making excuses for Atemu, so I made one of my own for Bakura, even though I still didn't really feel that he'd been much in the wrong.

 

“No, but the fact that he's a demon does - demons have different ideas about proportionate punishment you know.” I wasn't entirely certain about that, but then, on some level I almost believed the punishment had been proportionate, crazy as that was. I shook my head to dismiss the issue. “We need to get back to class, or I do anyway. And I've satisfied both of my promises to Bakura.” I wasn't going to explain what either promise was as I got up slowly, feeling a bit more energetic than I had when I'd sat down.

 

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It had worked, I could tell that Ryou had quarrelled with someone as soon as I got back to the classroom, and he looked healthier for it, not by much but healthier. But his friends didn't look too happy with him, or with me, and I wasn't sure how to change that. So I focused on the lesson, and on my personal project when that got too boring, ignoring the disapproving looks from the teacher, and answering the questions she asked to try and catch me out, to prove I didn't deserve the leeway I'd been given. I'd expected that, so it didn't bother me, as long as she was willing to teach the rest of the class, and work to their pace not mine I was happy with the teaching I was getting. But most of Ryou's friends weren't, not really, I could tell that the teacher was going too fast for them to really keep up, especially Atemu - he didn't have the background to really understand most of what we were learning, but then, that was to be expected. Given my supposed background I should have been having as much trouble as he was, and the fact that I didn't was making me stand out as a `genius', which thankfully helped to explain all the special treatment I was being given.

 

Jounouchi grabbed me as soon as the teacher'd left, pulling me over to where Yugi, Atemu, Anzu and Honda had gathered in a corner of the classroom.

 

“Was there something?” I made sure to look calm and collected, without letting any of my worry over Ryou show...they didn't seem to want him to hear this, and that could mean trouble for his relationship with them.

 

“Exactly what promises did you get Ryou to make?” Anzu sounded concerned about him, so at least that was good, perhaps they just thought I was twisting him in some way, or trying to control him - a patent absurdity considering our respective power levels.

 

“First, to eat what I gave him, or at least try to eat it all. Eating will give him energy and that will keep him stronger for more time than if I let him just skip meals the way he would without me here to care for him. And secondly I asked him to try to get into an argument today, because I think that will also make his strength last longer. And it worked, I saw that today. Might I ask what he was arguing with you about?” Since I was pretty sure they'd only be excluding Ryou like this if they had argued with him.

 

“Are you going to try to make him argue with us more often then?” Anzu was ignoring my question, but I had to wonder if she was the spokeswoman as something they'd planned, because she was most likely to be polite to me, I didn't think she was pushy enough to take charge this way unless it had been prearranged.

 

“I don't know, because I don't have any feel for what he's willing to argue about without me in his mind to...focus his emotions and give him the energy to allow himself to feel fully. So, what was he arguing with you about?” I was going to keep on pushing this, if Ryou could get up the emotional energy to argue about enough things it might buy him a bit more time until he couldn't even leave the house.

 

“About you. He thinks we're not treating you fairly.” I hadn't expected Honda to be the one who answered my question, let alone for him to have that odd look in his eyes that said maybe he agreed with Ryou. “He accused us of being hypocrites, of judging you by a different standard to the one we use with Atemu.” I knew that something of what I was feeling had to be showing on my face, I'd never expected Yadonushi-sama to defend me like that, or for me to be the thing he still cared about enough to actually argue over, even in his condition. Perhaps it meant he had more shinigami instincts than I'd given him credit for? And perhaps he'd want to make me his own if he ever started acting like a shinigami was supposed to? I was pretty sure it was a good sign anyway, for my twin hopes of getting him to care about me, and of getting him to acknowledge what he was.

 

“Then no, I won't be asking him to get into any more arguments. It sounds as if he can only muster the energy to argue with anyone over me, and I think it would do him more damage to destroy his friendship with you over me than to deal with the energy loss. And the arguments aren't enough to really make him healthy by themself.” The humans didn't need to know what it would take to make Ryou healthy, they all had a squeamish streak, even if Atemu's was pretty recently developed. “But if you're going to be trying to keep up your friendship with him might I suggest you try not to criticise me too often. He seems to have become very protective of me.” I let myself blush, lowering my eyes as I tried to persuade them to keep their peace with Ryou. “I won't push him to start any more arguments, but please don't provoke him.”

 

They didn't have time to say anything else, because when I heard the teacher coming back I left them, making my way back to my desk.

 

:What was that about Bakura?:

 

-They wanted to know about the promises you made. And I asked about your argument with them.- It could be seen as a betrayal of trust, but I wasn't stupid enough to lie to him, particularly not mind to mind. -I don't expect you to start any more arguments, and I asked them not to provoke you when it comes to me.-

 

:They weren't being fair to you.:

 

-I realise that, but you can't force them to change how they think. Focus on the lesson, you can't afford to get distracted.- And that was enough to get him to leave the subject alone for a while.

 

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Bakura really was acting weird I had to admit as we made our way home. At the same time he was more energetic than usual and more...deferential for lack of a better word. I felt better than I usually did by this time too, and the only thing I could attribute that to was the promise he'd extracted from me to eat what he prepared for me.

 

“How much of our homework did you get done in class?” I was pretty sure that had been one of the things he did while he was half-listening to what was going on in class.

 

“None of it. I wanted to wait and work beside you. Well, except for my Latin and Greek. Do you want me to leave a stew to simmer while we do our homework, or should I do a stir-fry or something afterwards?”

 

“Stir-fry with rice please.” I began getting my homework out, reluctantly, I'd been hoping he'd done some homework already so I could copy from him, even if that was cheating, but it looked like I'd have to do it the hard way. At least Bakura would help if I asked him to though.

 

“In that case, unless you object I'll go cut the vegetables and meat up now while you start on your homework.” I wanted to object, but I really couldn't, he was so much smarter than me that I knew he'd get his work finished faster, and without him here I'd have to work without his help.

 

“Go ahead.” He nodded and left, quietly once I'd opened my books, leaving his own still in his bag.

 

“I'll have to go and turn the rice off in twenty minutes or so. I was planning on frying it with the vegetables and meat.” I just shrugged at that, it didn't really make a difference to me what he cooked, I'd promised to try and eat it, but stir fry sounded lighter than stew did. He seemed to glance to see what I was working on before he started on his first assignment, the same as mine, and I managed to finish without him helping me just before he left to take care of the rice. I knew better than to take a peek at the second assignment he'd already started, not because he'd be angry, but because he'd get that disappointed look in his eyes. Bakura had explained that as a heccubus it was in his nature to manipulate people, but that didn't stop me being affected by his manipulations.

 

Even though Bakura had finished long before me he made a point of staying with me, working on the old languages he studied while I did my own work. When I had finished he set off to the kitchen, and I followed him slowly, sitting and watching as he swiftly fried the meat, vegetables and added the rice last. It would taste delicious, what I could eat of it, Bakura's cooking always did. He served our meal, putting more of it on his own plate than on mine - although there was proportionally less meat on his plate than on mine - and we ate in silence, while he looked at me with an oddly contemplative look on his face.

 

“Yadonushi-sama, should I prepare more meat for you to eat, or is there enough meat in what I prepare now?” Why was he asking that? As I looked down at my plate I realised that I'd finished my meat and I was just picking at the vegetables and rice left by now.

 

“Just prepare everything for your own preferences.” There wasn't much point in his catering to me if it meant he was cooking things he didn't really like and forcing them down to be companionable - although he'd emptied his plate as fast or slowly as I had.

 

“I am a heccubus, I do not really have preferences in a lot of things, it isn't in my nature to, even if I managed to work past most of my limitations so I could avenge my people and free their souls.” And that was just flat out disturbing, that he could say it wasn't in his nature to have any preferences, I just couldn't understand how someone so smart could be so submissive in such weird ways. “I'll try to make sure there's some meat at breakfast from now on though.”

 

“Thank you.” I couldn't think of anything else to say since he thought he was catering to my desires as well as my needs, and I wasn't so sure that he wasn't, since I'd eaten the meat so fast and especially considering my teeth after we split into our own bodies.

 

“There...is something else Yadonushi-sama.” I couldn't understand why Yami sounded so uncertain, but I nodded at him, trying to look encouraging.

 

“What is it Bakura?” smiling at him seemed to help too, and it gave me an excuse to slow my eating.

 

“Would you say eating more has helped you, made you feel better than when you skipped meals through lack of interest or appetite?”

 

“Yes.” I couldn't deny that, or the fact that I'd grown weak faster after my mother and sister died and there was no one around who cared to make me eat.

 

“Then I want you to consider trying Tai Chi; with its focus on learning how to handle personal energy flows I think it would work well for you, and most practitioners say a Tai Chi session tends to leave them feeling energised.” He gave me a quick smile. “I can arrange for a teacher to come to us in the morning for say, half an hour a day. Give it four weeks, say, and if you decide you don't want to keep on with it we can quit.”

 

I wasn't convinced, and it meant I'd have to get up earlier, but I'd have an excuse to go to bed earlier too, and Bakura didn't ask that much of me...”I'll try, for a month at least.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

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I wasn't sure that I could get a Tai Chi teacher to come to us in the mornings, but I'd wanted to convince him to try it and something about his body language had said this would be my only chance. He'd see it as a human form of alternative medicine for chronic fatigue, that and a sort of meditation, but it did have its roots in fighting, in learning how to defend yourself, and so it would do more for him than any other form of meditation could. Still, I'd made the offer, and that meant I was going to find a way to get a Tai Chi master to teach us the basics, and hopefully it would catch Ryou's interest enough that he'd want to continue. I knew that all I could do until Ryou acknowledged what he was, and started acting a bit more like a shinigami, fighting and killing, instead of letting me do it for him, was fight a holding action, keeping him from weakening too fast, never managing to make him any stronger. But as long as I could do that much, buy myself time to convince him to recognise the truth of his nature, I'd be content, I'd force myself to be content, if that was all that I could get. I needed to get the research done to find a local Tai Chi master, and then, once I'd got an appointment to meet with him it would be easy enough for me to convince him to do what I wanted. Him, or her, although I suspected Ryou would prefer a male, and so I'd try for a male first. But I wouldn't have time to do the research myself, and so...

 

“Seto, might I ask a favour of you?”

 

“Of course you can Bakura. Just tell me what I can do to help you.” I knew how Seto regarded me, as an ally it was important to keep happy, at least if it didn't interfere or adversely affect any of his own affairs, or other alliances. I approved, and what I intended to ask for wouldn't be too onerous for him, especially not since he had resources I didn't - such as an internet connection as opposed to my preferred `word of mouth' and magical communication methods of letting people know about what I did.

 

“I need to find a Tai Chi master to teach Ryou the basics of Tai Chi, for half an hour every morning before we go to school. I can pay very well, but I was hoping you'd be willing to find contact details for all the Tai Chi masters who live locally. I'd do it myself, but...” I didn't need to finish that sentence, he'd fill it in with whatever explanation he wanted to believe, and odds were it would be pretty close to the truth.

 

“I'll set up a search for you and have the contact details delivered...the day after tomorrow. Will that work for you?”

 

“Yes. Thank you.” It would have taken me longer, unless I used magic, and even then it would have been one hell of a drain for me to cast a spell that would give me the contact details rather than just a location. A drain I was not going to risk, not when I was trying to survive on the desire everyone felt around me, and on what I got by bedding six humans and trying to take as little as I could to keep them alive. Not even the day after I'd resorted to killing someone to get what I needed and it would take me days to design the right sort of spell, since I didn't have something appropriate already available, or even close enough to modify easily. Sometimes mundane methods were better than magical ones after all and relying too much on magic could very easily make you lazy. I wasn't offended that Seto put the phone down without bidding me farewell, even if most people wouldn't think that was very good manners nowadays it was a relatively recent concept that the high ranking needed to show the same sort of courtesy to their inferiors that was expected to apply to them. And among demons that concept had never been contemplated, and I wouldn't ever expect it to considering how very strongly our instincts could drive our reactions.

 

“What was that about?” Ryou sounded sleepy, but he was showing an interest in something, and there was no way I would do anything to discourage that, even if it meant admitting that I'd made my suggestion that he learn Tai Chi on what was almost an impulse.

 

“I realise that I didn't know the contact details of any Tai Chi masters in the area, so I asked Seto to find out for me. It still won't be a problem for me to convince one to come and teach you. But it might be easier if I can offer an...incentive. Will you object to that?” Such an incentive would likely be a one-off thing, and martial artists were supposed to be much safer to feed on than most humans - safer for them if not for us as much. I wasn't entirely sure what answer I wanted Yadonushi-sama to give, whether I wanted him to show some sign of possessiveness, or to trust my judgement enough to let me decide.

 

“I don't like the idea that you'd trade your body to get lessons for me. Don't, please. Find another way.” I didn't think he'd realised that he'd given me an order with his final sentence, but I found his concern for me comforting in a way, and even more comforting was his momentary anger at the thought of my trading my body for his advantage.

 

“As you wish Ryou. It just means I'll have to work harder to convince them and probably pay a little more, no great hardship. If I can't get a single master to come every day would you object to having more than one master coming here to teach you?”

 

“Do whatever you want.” And then his indifference and apathy returned. I was disappointed, but I wasn't going to say anything about it.

 

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