Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Opal ❯ Discovery ( Chapter 8 )

Wow, this chapter took me a week to type up. Though, it was mostly just because I was lazy and didn't really feel like typing. ^^;;

 

All well, it's a good eight pages, so that should make up for the time it took to update.

 

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Yu-gi-oh or any of its characters and I make no profit from this story.

 

Hope you enjoy!

 

Ch 8

 

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As with the previous morning, Bakura was the first to pull himself from the throws of sleep. Yawning hugely, he sat up and stretched out his tail and toes, jaws closing with a slight click. Relaxing, he scratched his head and looked across the room sleepily.

 

Ryou was still in bed, his back no longer to the Kaitsune. At some point in the night he had gotten his legs tangled in his blankets, the fabric wrapping tightly around them and leaving his upper body exposed. The boy's arms held tight to his pillow, his face mashed into it and his hair splaying across the sheets behind him.

 

Bakura smiled, his eyes still drooping. The sight was actually kind of…cute.

 

Giving another yawn he jumped from his mesh bed, landing smoothly and noiselessly below. He crossed the room to Ryou and leaned down, staring into the smaller boy's face. He looked so serene, laying there asleep. Lifting his hand, the Kaitsune poked his claw gently into Ryou's arm. The boy mumbled incoherently, tucking his arm under his chest.

 

Bakura tried again, but didn't have much luck in rousing Ryou. Frustrated, he was about to just shake him roughly awake, when he thought of a better idea. Leaning closer, he blew a puff of air into the human's face.

 

Ryou frowned and twitched, irritated, but didn't wake up. Smirking, Bakura repeated the action. Ryou frowned again, this time attempting to swat away whatever it was that was trying to disturb him, nearly smacking Bakura in the nose. One final breath and Ryou opened his eyes groggily.

 

Before Bakura knew what hit him, the boy bolted upright, screamed and raised a hand, slapping him clear across the face. As Bakura stumbled back, Ryou (whose mind was still fuzzy) rolled over and off the other side of the bed with a thump.

 

“Ouch!” he cried, sitting up. Rubbing his back, he sat up and looked over the bed, his gaze resting on Bakura and the rather large red mark on his cheek. “What happened to you?” he asked, pulling himself to his feet gradually.

 

“What happened to me!?” Bakura yelled, rubbing the mark gently, hissing. “You woke up, screamed as if you had seen death itself and hit me right across the face!”

 

“I did?” Puzzled, he checked his hand. From the violent shade of crimson now running across his palm and fingers and the numb feeling seeping into them, he believed it.

 

“Oh. Well, I'm sorry I hurt you, but you should know better than to ogle me while I'm asleep. You must have surprised me when I woke up.”

 

Bakura thrashed his tail angrily. “Surprised or not, you didn't have to hit me like that. What will those idiots say when they see this?”

 

By `idiots' Ryou assumed he was speaking about Malik, Marik, Yami, and Yugi. He didn't really know what they would say (one or more of them would probably make a crack about it), but one thing he did know. There was absolutely no way in hell Bakura would ever give them the real explanation. `He'll probably try to pass it off as a rash or something.' Chewing his lip, Ryou attempted to hide his amusement.

 

This proved hard to do, especially when Bakura spent the rest of the morning throwing what Ryou had christened the `Kaitsune Tantrum.' It was basically the same as a human child's tantrum, except with less crying and more bitching.

 

The situation was made worse when (of course) Bakura was questioned about the mark on his cheek. Like Ryou had suspected, he gave every reason under the sun except the truth about just how he had come to acquire it. The idea of word spreading that he had been slapped around by a human must have been too much for Bakura to stand.

 

After a hurried breakfast, Ryou was dragged down to the training room where, after Bakura made sure they were alone and the doors were locked, he spent several agonizing hours running laps and testing his mind and body. During this time, the ugly mark on the Kaitsune's face faded and he was dramatically easier on Ryou.

 

Lunch time soon rolled around, bringing with it a much needed break. Ryou spent an hour eating with his new companions and replenishing his energy, and once finished found that Marik, Yami, and Bakura were needed in some sort of soldiers meeting. “What do you do during these meetings?” he asked, curious.

 

Yami hesitated. “Well, we mostly just discuss military tactics, new policies, and general news about our home planet's condition. Commander Loki likes to keep us up to date on everything that's going on. Keep us on our toes, as you human's say.”

 

“Yes, that makes sense. How long do they last?” He couldn't help but ask questions. Ryou blamed it on the researcher in him.

 

Yami looked back at his food. “They can last quite a long time, depending on how much the Commander has to say. Hopefully this meeting will only be in session for around two to three hours.”

 

“Two to three hours?” Ryou asked, aghast. He had barely managed to work directly with Nibori and his crew for half that time!

 

Yugi sat up in his seat and looked past Yami to Ryou. “Yeah, amazing isn't it? I'm so glad Malik and I don't have to go to them.”

 

Ryou opened his mouth to ask an obvious question, but before he could utter a word Malik beat him to it. “Yugi and I don't attend the meetings with our mates since we are not military soldiers. Our main job is to collect and analyze data for the troops. We've been busy the last few days with a tough case, so that's why you haven't seen us around too often. Well, except for meal times. I'll be damned if I miss a meal for my job.” Yugi nodded. He agreed wholeheartedly with Malik, believing work to be important, but not to the point of denying yourself food and rest.

 

Ryou blushed at Malik's comment, slightly ashamed, and thought back to the days before he had met Bakura and just what he had put himself through for his research. He would go days with little food, practically starving to death, yet would continue to push his body to the brink of exhaustion. He was surprised he was still alive.

 

Mentally sighing, he turned his attention back to Malik. “What are you going to do while they're at the meeting today?”

 

Malik bit his lip in thought. “Yugi and I will probably go play a few games and then go to one of the viewing rooms to catch up on some news. We get a remarkable number of channels on the monitors there, you know. We could probably even see the latest reports on Mars.” He smiled warmly at Ryou. “Would you like to spend some time with us? It would be better than being holed up in Bakura's room until he gets back.”

 

Ryou glanced in Bakura's direction. The Kaitsune merely shrugged nonchalantly and lowered his eyes back to his food. The boy grinned, telling Malik he'd love to spend time with them.

 

The two smaller Kaitsunes cheered and collected their trays, hurrying to put them away and usher Ryou from the cafeteria.

 

“Hey!” Marik called indignantly. “You're just going to leave us here without even a measly `good-bye?'”

 

“Yep!” Malik yelled back, he and Yugi disappearing out the door and into the hallway with a frazzled looking Ryou between them.

 

Marik sighed and stabbed at his food half heartedly with a claw. “Sometimes I wonder why I'm still with that kid.”

 

“That's simple. He's an `animal in bed,' as you always say.” Bakura answered, clearing his plate and standing to take it and his platter back to the counter to be washed. Marik watched him leave, chuckling. Yami just rolled his eyes.

 

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