Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Ryou Bakura: Chaos Master ❯ The beginning of College ( Chapter 1 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he wants to know why my fanfics aren't funny. I think it's because of Ryou.

 

It'd been two years since the day Ryou had his first encounter with magic. Ryou had often thought that, at first the time increments being smaller. Then they just grew. One week turned to two, then into two months, and then into two years. And within those two years, Ryou's life had changed. He had graduated high school, and was just moving on ahead to college. To do what, he didn't know yet. But it felt nice. Life felt nice, and normal. Sami, the woman Ryou had met on that fateful day, who saved his life as well as threatened it, had decided to stay in Domino. In fact, she had lived with Ryou; an offer from his father in exchange for housework and cooking. And she had accepted. And while it was difficult to live with her - one could never be sure when Sami was ready to kill or not - Ryou found he liked that aspect of his life best. Sami had grown to be one of his closest friends, of which he felt he had few. And sometimes, it was just good to have someone other than Bakura or Yaten to speak to.

 

On this afternoon, he happened to be walking home from the aforementioned college. He had received a new list of books and supplies he would need that day, and as he walked, his mind went from the anniversary of the death of magic to how he would tell Sami how expensive his books would be. Within the two years of living with him, Yaten quickly saw how effective she was with money. Which wasn't hard to be, since Yaten himself had been terrible with it. Still, if anyone could find a way to get Ryou's supplies, it would be her. As long as she wasn't drunk when she figured the expenses. As he walked up the quiet road to his house, he became half-worried that that'd be how he found her. More often than not, he'd come home to her being a little tipsy. And as he walked onto his porch, he saw the main reason Sami was frequently tipsy: Bakura. The man was sitting on the porch, shotgun in hand. Ryou eyed the gun nervously.

 

“Bakura, what are you doing with that?” he asked skeptically, walking up the stairs and toward the door. Bakura glanced at him and huffed impatiently, the usual greeting he gave Ryou. Ryou found he might not want to know what was bothering him, after all. Normally, it was nothing important; more often than not, it was just stupid.

 

“Shooting pigeons,” Bakura mumbled, keeping his glare directly on the bushes near the house. Ryou raised an eyebrow, hiding a half-snort. Indeed, it was nothing important; the bush looked like a regular bush to Ryou.

 

“Excuse me?” He had been right in assuming that he didn't care for Bakura's problem, but he'd humor the spirit regardless. Bakura turned to him quickly, one eye twitching. If Ryou hadn't known him, he'd think the spirit was a raving lunatic. Which, according to everyone else, he was.

 

“You heard me. Those nasty bags of crap mock me. They mock everyone!” Bakura exclaimed angrily, and then returned his nasty glare to the bushes, where he waited for his witless prey. Ryou rolled his eyes, and deciding it best not to annoy Bakura any more than needed, walked into his house. It was dim in the foyer, as the lights had been kept off in favor of the sun. Ryou walked past, and straight down the hall toward the kitchen. He smelled something faintly of burnt chicken and another pungent smell he couldn't place, and could only guess at whatever Sami was trying to cook; he prayed she wasn't drunk. As he entered the kitchen, he wasn't at all surprised to see her standing by the stove. Her wings ruffled at his movement. She didn't bother to turn around, though.

 

“How was your day, Ryou?” she asked calmly, and when she heard a loud thump from his bag as a response, she sighed, “Not good, I take it?” Ryou's lips tightened and he sighed heavily. Sami knew that she had hit the target, and heard Ryou slink into a seat.

 

“I received a pricing list from the dean today,” he told her, “Everything is so expensive. Books, tools, clothing… we're lucky I decided not to live in a dorm.” Sami glanced back, and gave a weak smile. Ryou tried to return it, but ended up just failing. He ended up just giving another heavy sigh. Truly, he was lucky he wasn't in a dorm. That'd leave them nearly penniless.

 

“We'll be fine,” Sami assured, “Pierre pays me well, and I'm good with money. We'll get your books.” Ryou hummed grumpily. That was one thing he could never win with her: money. Being older than him, she was pretty much in charge of the household at this point. And while that suited him, as he was only nineteen, having an overworked maid didn't. He looked up at her and shook his head. No matter how much she promised him, he would never be all right with her doing the finances solo.

 

“I don't want you making all of the money. It's not fair that way,” Ryou stated sternly, crossing his arms, “There are other people in this house as well.” Sami nodded, turning something on the stove off and removing just one pan. Ryou watched her in slight interest, but she ended up just putting the pan on a cooler burner before turning around.

 

“I agree,” she said, “I'll talk to Katt. Ishizu said she needed help at the museum, so maybe Katt can work there.” Ryou gave a half-smile, and Sami remembered that technically, he owned the museum now. If Katt wanted the job, it would depend almost entirely on Ryou.

 

“I'll get her the job for that matter,” he stated, almost amused. Then, his tone became somber as he finished with, “That is, if I can keep it. City's getting impatient with the taxes.” Sami looked at him sympathetically and hugged him when she came over. Of everything of Yaten's that Ryou had inherited, the museum was the most important to him; it represented his father's life. She sighed. She had never gotten along with the man, but she understood his work. It was important, especially for children. She couldn't let it fall into the city's hands. Neither could Ryou.

 

“One thing at a time,” she said calmly, “Everything will be okay. I promise. I'll even drag Bakura's lazy ass into the city if I have to. It's not like he's doing anything particularly important.” Sami raised her voice at the last part so that Bakura heard, and smiled when she received a curse and a gunshot as a response. Ryou snickered, and then sighed again. This wasn't actually how he wanted to come home. He changed the subject.

 

“Where is Katt, anyway?” he asked, looking at Sami calmly. She grimaced a bit. Ryou could only guess where Katt could've been.

 

“She's probably with Malik again,” the woman sighed, “I swear, if he proposes, he'll be dead tomorrow. No sister of mine will marry anyone like him.” Ryou closed his eyes, stifling a laugh. Sami had never grown to like Malik, and he knew Katt wasn't making it better by staying with him constantly. Ryou poked her shoulder gently, and she glanced at him, blinking.

 

“Be happy. She's happy. Besides, you could get married some day too, right?” Ryou asked, and when Sami gave him a confused look, he said, “Bakura tells me you're irritated and you nag on him. He says it's mostly because you're here alone all the time.” Sami frowned, and let go of Ryou so suddenly, he almost fell off of the chair. Her face became gaunt, her eyes narrowing just slightly as she backed away a bit. She was offended.

 

“I nag Bakura because he's as sloppy as your father was,” she replied coldly, crossing her arms defensively, “Honestly, he wouldn't know what clean meant even if you drowned him in 409.” Ryou laughed again. That part was true enough; Bakura was never one to practice cleanliness.

 

“I'm sorry,” he replied, getting up and kissing Sami on the cheek politely, “I won't call you cranky again.” She took a deep breath, and shrugged her shoulders. Technically, there was nothing wrong with that. She was cranky. Hell, she was even worse than cranky. But Ryou was being nice, like always.

 

“Oh, it's not like I can stop you,” she huffed, and as Ryou left the kitchen, she called, “Dinner will be late.” Ryou smiled, and walked into the living room. That gave him a little time to unwind before relaying his first day. It wasn't truly terrible, though he did recognize that many of the bullies from school were now attending his college. Then, there was his last name, and the incident involving his father's death. From what he remembered, his father had been on a plane to Honolulu to discover the site of where ruins had been reported when the engine blew up, setting the entire plane aflame. He hadn't heard directly of what had survived, but his father had been gone for over a year since, and anyone who heard Ryou's last name gave him words of sympathy about it. He shook his head as he went to the mantle.

 

“I'm sure if you heard about my day, you'd have me transferred,” Ryou whispered, looking at the picture of his family that he kept on the mantle. He looked in particular at his parents. They had been so happy in that picture. “You also would've been happy to know about what I bought this summer,” he added, taking a small ring out of his pocket. It was silver with an emerald jewel in the center. His plan had been to ask Sami to marry him, but he could never figure out when the best time to give her the ornament was. She had never mentioned marriage to him before, either. Lips thinning, he wondered if she ever considered it.

 

“I'm sure your old man would've gone insane and started prattling on about how he raised you and how all your oatmeal made you grow,” Bakura said, walking into the house. His shotgun looked as though it had blown up, and Ryou laughed, realizing it had backfired when he shot it. At least that was something that went right, in Ryou's mind. He turned fully to face the spirit, a grin on his face.

 

“I'm sure my father would've been very happy,” Ryou stated proudly, “Mom would've loved to meet Sami. And Amane… well, she'd have threatened to kick Sami if she didn't take care of me.” Bakura nodded, and grinned as he looked at the ring in Ryou's hand.

 

“So, when are you giving it to her?” he asked. Ryou bit his lip, and looked away. He had no true game plan on that one, and it didn't help when Bakura added, “I hear Malik is giving one to Katt soon.”

 

“Good for him,” Ryou mumbled, “I hope he has a death wish, because Sami will probably kill him if he proposes.” Bakura nodded, and Ryou noted the look of amusement as Bakura thought about the many ways Sami could get rid of Malik, most of them probably very bloody. And most of them would probably involve a very sharp blade. As little fighting as she'd done in the past two years, Sami's skill with a knife hadn't diminished. With how often she cooked, it had to have improved. Which was bad for Malik.

 

“Why not give Sami the ring so she's too distracted to kill Malik?” Bakura suggested, and when Ryou refused again, he said, “Why not!? Malik would do that.”

 

“I am NOT MALIK!” Ryou screamed, louder than he actually meant. Sami appeared in the doorway, setting down a pot of soup. She looked over at Ryou, who was surely flustered now, and who pocketed the ring before she noticed it. She didn't see the ring, but she did notice the movement. At first, she gave him a questioning look, and then she seemed to wave it away as she looked up thoughtfully at what he said.

 

“I would love to hope not,” she said sternly, “I don't enjoy calls about a certain white-haired thief and his blonde friend running through campus in their boxers, screaming that an earthquake will kill us.” Then, she walked back into the kitchen. Bakura ran in after her, leaving Ryou to try his best not to recollect that particular scene. When Sami had actually gotten the call from the college, she was beyond angry with Bakura, and had spent the next three hours yelling at him for it. It was one of the only times Ryou had seen her lose her temper so violently.

 

“That's not true!” Bakura cried from the kitchen, “We weren't just in our boxers! We were wearing slippers, too! Besides, how were WE supposed to know it just ended up being a parade of garbage trucks?” Ryou snickered as Sami and Bakura continued to bicker as they brought out the food, and walked to the table, sitting down. He ate in silence as Bakura continued to stress that garbage trucks are the cause of earthquakes, even when Sami said that if he didn't stop making a fool of himself, she'd drag him home by his earlobe. Ryou didn't mind the silence he gave. He found their argument amusing, but when dinner ended, he had already gone up to his room to study, leaving Sami and Bakura to clean up together. Sami had made no complaint, but Bakura wasn't nearly as generous.

 

“He could've helped you with clean up,” Bakura mumbled as he brought in their plates. Sami, who was scrubbing a pot, grinned and shook her head.

 

“I would rather he studies for school than help me clean dishes,” she replied, “Besides, that's why you're here.” Bakura scowled, and Sami looked up at the kitchen clock. It was nearing eight, and Katt still hadn't called. As she washed the dishes, Sami wondered what could be keeping Katt, until the door opened. Sure enough, Katt and Malik walked in. Sami mumbled something incoherent to Bakura, and left for the hallway.

 

“We're home!” Katt called cheerfully, but when she saw her sister's annoyed expression in the kitchen door, she clutched Malik's arm. She didn't want to be on the receiving end of Sami's anger. Which, if anyone knew Sami personally, was smart. She wasn't the easiest to deal with when she was mad.

 

“Where have you both been?” Sami demanded firmly, “Katt, you said you'd be back for dinner. What happened?” Katt bit her lip as a drop of sweat rolled down her face. Sami knew the answer already, but for the sake of appearing at least willing to forgive it, she asked regardless. Katt paled at first before answering; what would be believed would depend on how much Sami had drunk that night, if any at all. Silently, she hoped the woman had downed a few Scotches. But Sami hadn't.

 

“Sorry, sis. Malik wanted to eat out, and I didn't want to say no,” Katt replied. Sami glared at Malik for a second, and then shrugged, deciding that she really would need to accept him dating her sister. There was nothing she could do to stop that, and ultimately, she did care about Katt's happiness. She gave a weak smile.

 

“Fine… there is some dinner left if you want it later,” Sami told her, and then looked at Malik again, “Is he staying the night again?” Malik shook his head, opening the door again as he placed his helmet back on his head.

 

“No. Ishizu wants me back home by ten,” Malik replied, and then glared at the floor, “I'm almost twenty years old. What right does she have to give me a curfew?”

 

“She's only being your sister,” Sami said, placing her hands on her hips, “You'd better get home before she decides to actually ground you. Bahamut knows if you were my brother, you'd be in a lot of trouble, as well.” Malik nodded, and kissed Katt, who blushed slightly. He knew it was mostly because Sami was right there, watching them carefully. He grinned confidently, tugging one of Katt's ears.

 

“I'll call you tomorrow. Maybe we can go out again,” he said, and Katt perked up as she hugged him and wished him a good night. Then, she watched him climb onto his motorcycle and drive off. She closed the door, and turned back to Sami as Bakura ran up the stairs, glad to be done with clean up. Sami herself seemed to retain just a bit of annoyance, but she was reserved enough to not stress it to Katt. Katt whistled after the silence dragged on for over a minute.

 

“So, how was your night?” she asked, walking into the kitchen with Sami, who sat down and sighed. Katt joined her, feeling that the verdict would be `not good' at best. And, to her slight disappointment, she happened to be right.

 

“From bad, to worse, and then to terrible,” her sister replied, “Ryou's worried about affording college, and the city's really getting angry because we haven't paid the tax on the museum yet.” Katt whistled again. She had tried to stay out of their finances, but Sami had been getting more and more stressed out over it. And she needed someone to speak to. While Katt didn't always enjoy listening to their problems, she gladly took the role. It sure wasn't like Bakura would. She patted her sister on the back, as Sami herself just looked down at the table.

 

“It's that bad?” she asked with slight concern, and Sami nodded, looking out the window. It was worse than bad, but she didn't feel a need to share that. Besides, Katt could hear her thoughts anyway. Even if she said nothing, all Katt had to do was read her thoughts. So, to prevent further frustration, Sami spilled everything.

 

“It's pretty bad, Katt,” she admitted, “I can't tell him that I'm running out of money, too, but honestly, I can't afford to keep the museum running, either. I just…” Sami's voice trailed off as she clutched the table cloth. Katt blinked, looking at her sister with concern again. She had never heard Sami sound so upset before. As the phone rang, and Sami answered it, Katt considered the problem. She would have to get a job as well, then. It wasn't fair that she was living with them for free, and now with her sister admitting how badly they were doing, she knew it was true. She hated the thought of working, but Sami was much more important to her than any discomfort she wanted to avoid. She steeled herself, and watched as Sami conversed with whoever had called.

 

“All right, Kaiba. Thank you for the invite,” Sami said, hanging up the phone. It snapped Katt out of her private thoughts, and she peered at Sami, tilting her head. Normally, Kaiba hated Sami and refused to be in the room with the woman for more than ten minutes. Why would he even invite her over? Sami noted the quizzical expression, and her mouth curled into a sly smile.

 

“What does Kaiba want?” Katt asked her. Sami tapped her fingers on the table, and then looked at Katt almost gravely. Katt didn't enjoy that look. It always meant something bad was going on. Then again, Kaiba did just call her. In Sami's mind, this could be very bad, indeed.

 

“Go get Ryou and Bakura,” she said grimly, “This is something we all should hear.” Katt blinked nervously, but obeyed as she got out of her seat and walked upstairs. A few moments later, she came back with Ryou and Bakura, both of whom were studying for tomorrow, even though Bakura technically had no need for college. They all came into the kitchen, Katt looking tense as Ryou glanced at Sami questioningly for an answer. Only Bakura seemed able to break the tense silence that filled the room.

 

“What's going on?” Bakura asked, and then his eyes widened, “Was it a tax collector!? Should I banish him?” Sami laughed, and then gestured for everyone to sit. That lightened the mood just slightly, but Katt still couldn't understand the grave attitude from before. If it wasn't someone trying to collect from them, what would make her sister seem so perturbed? Other than the fact that Kaiba called, of course.

 

“No, it's nothing like that,” the older woman answered calmly, “Kaiba invited us to a party tomorrow. He has a big announcement to make, but he refuses to say what it is, and I have my doubts.” Ryou snorted. That was why she interrupted them. Because Kaiba invited her to a party. Likewise, Katt turned away and laughed. Leave it to her sister to play dramatics over silly things. Bakura was the only one who took her seriously. And in order to do that, he joked.

 

“Maybe he's having a baby,” the old thief offered, laughing. But Ryou slapped him on the head and frowned. Whatever was going through the old spirit's head, Ryou just wasn't in the mood for.

 

“Bakura, Kaiba did NOT get a sex change this summer. Just drop it,” Ryou mumbled, and Bakura glared at him, rubbing where Ryou had managed to smack him. Sami glanced at them both, raising a curious brow, but Bakura simply ignored her.

 

“You never know! He's been shut in his house all summer,” Bakura pointed out, and Sami intervened at that point. Even if she had no idea where Bakura's terrible suggestion stemmed from, she knew that what he said wasn't it in the least. She seemed just as unwilling to deal with Bakura's rants as Ryou was.

 

“It doesn't matter what the announcement is,” Sami said sternly, “But we're going, and I expect you to behave, Bakura.” Bakura glared at her as well, and crossed his arms angrily. He didn't feel she had a right to say such a pointed thing at him; he was way older than she. He knew how to behave himself. Sometimes.

 

“You're not my mother,” the thief said firmly. Sami gave him an incredulous look, and nearly snorted in amusement herself. But she refrained.

 

“But I am the matriarch of this household,” she retorted, “When Ryou is at school, I expect you to follow my rules. And one of them is to not be an ass in public. Another is to look your best for tomorrow, Bakura. That means brushing your hair, and bathing.” Bakura narrowed his eyes, but didn't argue. He didn't need to be lectured by what he considered a child, even though Sami could've been older than him, for all he knew. He scowled at the thought.

 

“Fine, mom,” Bakura mocked, and stomped up the stairs as he mumbled, “I'm 3000 years old… I don't need a damn babysitter.” Ryou stifled a laugh, and Katt burst into laughter herself. Sami, however, didn't smile at all. She didn't appreciate Bakura's mockery, and she certainly had no patience for his insolence toward her. In her eyes, unless he knew how to care for himself, which he didn't, he would always need to be told what to do and what his limits were.

 

“I think you made him mad,” Katt stated obviously. Sami glanced at her, and held her head high, standing up and pushing her seat in. Ryou smiled warmly; she looked very regal when she became indignant. That was one thing he never minded when she argued with someone.

 

“Let him get angry,” she said, with a tone of amusement to her, “He needs to learn manners, and I'm not going to let Ryou be embarrassed because Bakura can't control himself. Now, I'm going to head up and rest. Goodnight, all of you.” She gave them both a hug and walked upstairs into her room. Ryou watched her go, and then turned back to the table, thinking his own thoughts, most of them concerning the museum, and how to pay for both it and college. He had forgotten about Katt, except that she asked him something five seconds later.

 

“What's wrong?” she asked. Ryou looked at her, and tears had begun to form in his eyes. He didn't want to state his problems, but he knew that he was obviously upset, and that Katt wouldn't let it go, even if he asked her to. He sighed, and decided to just make it easier on both of them.

 

“I know that we're doing poorly on money, Katt,” Ryou explained, and Katt gasped, “I… I saw Sami's logbook on our finances. I know she can't afford my father's museum. I just wish she told me. I'd have sold it in a second for her to breathe easier.” Katt patted his back reassuringly as he buried his face in his hands. She silently wished she hadn't been as ignorant as she was; Sami was hard enough to comfort when she needed it. Ryou would be impossible if he thought anything was hurting Sami.

 

“Ryou, she didn't want you to give it up,” Katt reminded him gently, “It's one of the last things of your father's that we actually decided to keep. Sami knows it means the world to you.” Ryou looked at her again, and sniffled. That comforted him to know, for it meant that somewhere, his father and Sami had a healthy respect for each other, even if they never said it. But the downside to that was stress. And all of it was on Sami.

 

“But if she overworks herself, how am I supposed to feel then?” Ryou asked, his voice shaking, “What if something happens to her? I can't let her keep pouring away her life for my father's museum. Or for me in general. Not like this. She needs help, Katt.” Katt nodded, and for once, actually hugged Ryou. His eyes widened just slightly, not expecting that from the older woman, but he understood that Katt probably felt the same way.

 

“I'll look for a job tomorrow,” Katt assured him, “Sami wants you to worry about school and nothing else. So, I'll be the one to help her.” When she let go, she winked at Ryou and then walked upstairs to her own room. But Ryou still wasn't convinced that everything would be all right. Sami had already made enough sacrifices for him over the last two years, even if they all had been from her own choice. He shook his head to clear it of that thought. It didn't matter what her choice was. He had to help.

 

“I have to do something,” Ryou whispered to himself, “I… If I'm going to marry Sami, I need to be able to support her. She won't like it, but I need to show her she doesn't have to work all the time.” He left the kitchen and turned out the lights in the first floor, and as he locked the door, he heaved a heavy sigh. This wouldn't be an easy path for him to choose.

 

“What would my father say if he saw what I let happen to my life?” he asked, as he locked and shut the door. He didn't know the specifics, but he knew Yaten would've been disappointed in him. Determined to find a job tomorrow, Ryou walked up the stairs and headed into Sami's room to check on her. She was already asleep. Not wanting to disturb her, Ryou left, this time going down the opposite way to his own room. He walked in, and closed the door. Then he sat in a seat by the bookcase and began to study silently, every so often glancing out the window.

 

“Sami, I promise that one day I'll get us out of this mess,” he said quietly to no one. He wasn't so sure what he could actually do, but he'd do it. Besides, it could've been worse. They could've been destitute. As Ryou leaned back, he remembered that thought and let out a sigh. Sometimes, it seemed as if it'd be that bad. Sometimes, he wondered if magic would actually ever come to help him in his normal life. Sometimes, he wondered if his life would ever go back to what it had once been. And sometimes, it's best to just not think about things like that. Deciding that he couldn't study, Ryou got up and fell on his bed. Tomorrow would be better. It had to be. Sleep always made things better. Or so Ryou told himself. Sometimes.

 

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

 

And so, the pilot for Chaos Master is done. Armed with the knowledge of his poor finances, and the knowledge that Katt's willing to help, can Ryou find a good job to support his family? And will Sami allow him to take time from his studies to help her? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!