Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Telephone ❯ Chapter 1

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Telephone
Riiiing....Riiiiing...
I paused, shifting in my seat and twiddling with my pant's leg as the dull tone rang in the phone over and over and over.
I sighed, flipping it closed when the voicemail came up. Dammit. This was about the fiftieth time I've tried calling him this week and he never answers his stupid phone. Another sigh, and my phone was pocketed before I stood up and sauntered into the kitchen, my first thought being to make some coffee or something to get me out of this funk.
It'd been a couple of weeks now since I'd last talked to him. I got depressed thinking about it. Two whole weeks...Fourteen days exactly. Wow. That's the longest we've gone without talking to one another. Makes you realize just how boring life is sometimes when you don't have your boyfriend to talk to. I blushed at myself.
Boyfriend...
Well...he was. And it's not like I was a girl. I mean...yeah, it's a little weird for me to refer to him like that, but...he was. And I really, really missed him. I didn't know what he was doing, I couldn't go over to his house, I couldn't get him on the phone, and the whole thing was making me anxious and depressed. God, I must have no life if all I do is sit around trying to call him up.
But...the truth was, I was lonely. Just a little. And hearing his sweet little angelic voice always put a smile on my face no matter how foul my mood was. He knew all the right things to say, just how to say them, and it made me feel incredibly lucky that I got to meet somebody like him and...be his boyfriend.
A cabinet door was popped open and I growled when I realized I had run out of coffee. Slamming the door shut, I opted for the fridge and popped it open as well, frowning upon realizing that I really had no food in here in the first place. Where had it all gone? I don't remember eating it all, but then...I was sort of moping around the house a lot lately, so maybe I'd eaten a bunch of stuff and just forgot. With that thought in mind, I looked down and pulled my striped shirt up, revealing my thin stomach and sighed in relief. If I was subconsciously eating a lot, I definitely didn't want to get fat doing it.
My ring tone roared through the silence that had set in, almost making me pee in my pants and I fished through my pocket, fumbling for it and flipping it open without looking at who it was. "Ryou?!" I called.
"Uh...no. Do I sound like Ryou to you, Bakura?"
I grimaced and sank down into a bar stool, squeezing my pant's leg again. "God, why do you always have to call when I don't want to talk to you? You know I'm waiting for a call from Ryou!"
The other sighed before speaking again. "And what's wrong with little old me? Honestly, Bakura, I only call you because I happen to want to talk to you and you brush me off like this? Well, fine, I'm not your bride anymore! We are so getting divorced."
I rolled my eyes. I knew this person was only trying to make me feel better, but in all honesty, he was making me feel sick to my stomach. "Malik, I'm sure Mariku would love to know you dropped your balls, turned into a woman, and married me, but right now, I can do without all the joking. Sorry." I really didn't mean to sound bitter, but...I was just tired of this. I wanted to talk to Ryou so badly, and I could never get him on the phone. And I know Malik was only trying to make me feel better, but...I just couldn't do it.
"I'm sorry, Bakura. I know you're upset about Ryou not calling you, but..." He trailed off and I heard an indistinct voice in the background, the deepness signifying that it was Mariku. "Huh? Uh...okay, I'll ask. Hey, Bakura." Ah, the attention was back on me.
"Yeah?"
"Mariku wants to know if you want to come over, just to hang out." His voice almost sounded pleading, but it was genuine. I knew he was concerned. We'd been friends forever, anyway. He, Mariku, me, and...Ryou. "I mean, I know you feel down in the dumps, but maybe hanging out with us and acting stupid will lift your spirits. Come on, 'Kura, whaddaya say?"
I could tell a smile was on the other's face. I could hear it in his voice, and I quaked, sighing, slumping in my seat. "Fine."
"Yay! 'Kura said he'd come!"
I almost laughed at his childishness, but I wasn't too far behind him. I was soon laughing too, already feeling a little better before I even got over there.
***
"Well, look who decided to finally come out of his hole in the ground."
The black front door of the two-story house creaked open to reveal a tall tanned individual about my height with spiky white-blonde hair and calm lavender eyes. "Hi, Mariku," I greeted, tossing him a casual wave of my arm.
A shorter blonde hopped up behind him, having to stand on his toes to see over the other's shoulder. "'Kura! You made it!"
Mariku rolled his eyes as he stood out of the way to let me in. "Way to point out the obvious, Malik."
The shorter one huffed and slapped Mariku in his arm, receiving a whiny 'Ow!' in response. "Don't be mean, Mariku!"
I laughed at their antics. This was Malik and Mariku at their best. Laughing and joking around. Well, one hardly ever saw Malik in a serious mood. Seriously, I think Mariku feeds him chocolate all the time and it keeps him hyped up like a puppy. Not that I mind. He's more fun when he's like this.
"Um...thanks for inviting me, guys." My hand traced down my pants and met with my pocket, cupping the bulge underneath it where my phone rested. I took a quick peek down at it, sighing when no new calls had been made. "Still nothing from Ryou. Doesn't he ever call you guys anymore?"
Mariku had closed the door and we had moved into the living room where a big screened TV sat; a PS2 game was paused, obviously been played before I came along. My question had caused the two Egyptians to pause what they were doing and look at me. Malik spoke first. "Um...well...you know Ryou." A nervous laugh, one I didn't like. "He's just...he's just so busy nowadays and he can't find time to chat on the phone anymore."
I looked down at the phone again. "Yeah, but...it's been two whole weeks since he's talked to anyone."
"Don't lose hope, 'Kura, I'm sure he'll pop up when you least expect him."
I nodded, trying to force myself to smile. I knew he was only saying it to make me feel better, but I tried believing it, tried believing Ryou still...loved me. "Yeah."
"Well." The shrimpy blonde clapped his hands together and gave Mariku and me a huge smile. "Who wants popcorn?"
"Malik, it's not even dinner yet. Don't break into the snack food until after we've eaten, okay?"
Malik huffed, annoyed with his taller look-a-like. "Fine, you killjoy. Who wants pizza?"
I raised my hand as I plopped down on the fluffy couch, eyes glued to the TV screen to try and figure out what game they'd been playing. "I'll take some. Just cheese. Nothing on it."
Mariku plopped down next to me also and picked up a controller that was stuffed under a pillow and resumed playing his game which turned out to be some kind of...I don't even know. His character was just riding a horse.
"Oooooh!" Malik was suddenly THERE in front of us and Mariku gave him a small glare, not liking how he was obstructing his view from his game. "Mariku, do you remember that stuffed pizza we got that one time? We put pepperoni and broccoli in it and--"
I took that moment to scrunch my face up and show how utterly nasty that sounded. "Umm...ew?"
"No, no, no!" Now he was in front of me, waving his arms around like my attention couldn't already be on him enough. Again, too much sugar, I think. "It's really good! Don't deny it before you try it, 'Kura!"
I sighed, crossing my arms. "Fine, fine. Whatever. As long as it's food, I'll eat it."
"Yay!" He launched himself forward, straight into my lap and squeezed the living daylights out of me as he hugged me. I hugged back. I know I sound like he annoys the flipping crap out of me, but he doesn't really. His bubbly personality was a breath of fresh air and...I'm normally in a better mood myself. God, I have such good friends. They want to hang out with me even though I'm being a jackass. The arms that were constricting me let up a little and he leaned up enough to kiss me on my cheek. "I'll be back after awhile, okay? Don't fool around with Mariku too much while I'm gone, okay?"
I smirked and saw my opportunity, taking the second he let off of me to wrap my arm around Mariku who looked like he wasn't paying the least bit attention to us. "You know he finds me desirable, Malik. Why, I'd say we've even had a few hot nights together."
Malik faked looking appalled, even throwing himself back and pointing an accusing finger at Mariku. "You...you cheater! You've been screwing Bakura this whole time behind my back? What, so his body is better than mine?" He leaned forward, trying to whisper, but his voice was so darn loud as it was, it was easy to hear. "What about his package? Bigger? Better?"
Mariku grinned, his eyes still glued to his video game. "Yup."
"Uwhaa, that was mean, Mariku!" Malik pulled back away, cupping his face with his hands and dry sobbing into his fingers.
Mariku rolled his eyes and grabbed the smaller one's arm, pulling him down and tugging him forward where he planted a quick kiss to his mouth. "Go get the pizza. We're hungry."
"Okay!"
I rolled my eyes at the pair and couldn't help but hold my head and laugh. "You two are so stupid."
Mariku shrugged, eyes never once leaving the screen. "Yeah, but that's why you love us, right?"
"Duh."
***
I had been watching Mariku play his game for about ten minutes before anything actually started to happen other than him riding on a horse around a vast forest. His character ended up in a desert and started fighting some giant flying creature that emerged from the sand. He began to chase the monster around on his horse, shooting arrows and such at it. I tried hiding my yawn, not wanting to appeared bored, but I was never really a gamer myself. I mean, I played them every now and then, but I wasn't glued to them like Malik and Mariku were. Mariku hadn't said much during the entire time either, so he just played and I just watched.
He had managed to climb onto the monster's back and was repeatedly stabbing a glowing symbol on its back over and over when I pulled out my phone and glanced at the screen. Still no calls. Why did I even bother looking when he wasn't going to call me? Because...I was...I was...
"Bakura?" Mariku's voice brought me out of my reverie. "Stop looking at your phone. You're just making yourself depressed."
I squeezed my tiny blue phone and looked down at the wrinkles in my jeans. I felt tears well up, but I wasn't going to cry, especially not in front of Mariku. I just...he was one of my best friends, Malik being the second, and Ryou being something else--my boyfriend--and...I just couldn't do it. "Mariku?"
"Mmm?" Still focused on his game...not looking at me.
"Do you think he hates me?"
He swore when his person fell off the monster and he was forced to chase it around again to get on its back. "What makes you say that?"
"I just..." They were coming up, those stupid tears, but I blinked them away. I was never usually like this. I mean, opening up like this. I usually held all my problems in, but this one was eating away at me so much, I couldn't contain it anymore. "I mean...I said something really mean to him before he quit calling me and I wanted to apologize so much for it, but he won't ever answer his phone and I'm scared to go over to his house." I bunched my knees up a little, squeezing the front of my jeans and digging my head into the knees. "I was...I was so mean to him, Mariku, you and Malik have no idea." They finally came out, the tears, but I was dug into my knees, so he couldn't see them. "We got into a stupid fight. I don't even remember what it was about and I told him I hated him. He...he looked so hurt about it and I made him cry. I never got to apologize and he won't answer my calls." I swallowed a sob. "H-he hates me. He hates me."
I hadn't realized it, but Mariku had paused his game, having finally gotten back on the monster's back, and he was staring straight ahead. I never understood why he didn't like looking people in the eye, but that was just the way he was. In a way, it was kind of comforting, not having those piercing orbs bear into you like they're scanning you or something. "Bakura...you know as well as I do that Ryou knows you didn't mean that. You know how he is. Hell, you know him better than any of us."
"But, he won't--"
"Like Malik said, he's probably busy with other things." He shook his head, laughing a little and returned to his game. "Just chill about it, okay, Bakura? I'm sure he'll call you when he gets a chance."
I nodded, glancing down at my phone once more and sighing when the screen remained blank.
"And stop looking at your phone. You have the thing on high, so it'll ring louder than sin if he calls."
I laughed a little. Mariku was just as good as Malik at lifting someone's spirits, even though he did it in a calm way, Malik in a...uh...stupid way.
"Who's ready for pizza?!"
Ah, the stupid one returns. I flipped my head around to see Malik trudging through the front door with about two pizza boxes in his hands, smiling up a storm and kicking off his shoes before gliding into the living room and placing the boxes on the coffee table in front of us. "Two stuffed broccoli and pepperoni pizzas, at your service!"
I recoiled. "It still sounds gross."
He popped open a box, ignoring Mariku's cries of frustration when he once again fell off the monster's back and into the sand. "Ah, ah, ah, just try it, 'Kura." He fetched a paper plate and cut off a slice before handing it too me. Cheese and broccoli seeped out of the thing, and I made a bit of a disgusted face before taking a small bite.
"Well? Do you like it? Huh?" The smaller one was leaning in my face, his purple eyes wide as dinner plates.
"I haven't even started chewing yet, Malik."
"Well, start chewing!"
I tried not laughing as I chewed what was in my mouth and swallowed, trying to decide whether or not I liked the taste. Surprisingly...it was really good. I licked around my teeth to get the rest of it before taking another bite.
"YAY! 'Kura likes it!" Malik looked so proud of himself... "This was Mariku's and my creation. We saw it on the menu when we went to the restaurant and got really weird looks from the waiter, but it tastes good, right?"
I nodded, taking another bite. "Yeah. I'm shocked. Like, REALLY shocked that something you suggested turned out to be good."
I got a slap to the back of the head for that one. "Meanie! You and Mariku are in cahoots, aren't you? YOU'RE PLOTTING AGAINST ME!" He made a dramatic motion like he was going to faint before plopping on the couch in between Mariku and me. "Fine, if that's how it is, then, 'Kura, you and I are so divorced right now."
"But...you already divorced me earlier today. Did we get remarried without me knowing?"
"Uh...HUSH, YOU." He crossed his arms, managing to point at me at the same time. "When Mariku is done, we're playing a fighting game, so we'll fight for the divorce!"
"...Fight...for the divorce...?"
"Right!"
"Uh..."
"If I win, we don't get divorced!"
"You're confusing me."
"Just hush and go with it."
Mariku rolled his eyes, finally killing the monster on his game and stopping to eat some pizza. "Why do I hang out with you guys again?"
Malik turned to him, face stuffed with pizza. "BECAUSE YOU ADORE US!"
He shook his head, smiling when he moved the pizza to his mouth. "Nah, I hate you guys."
Malik poked his lips out. "Aww, Mariku, why are you always so mean?" He turned away, pretending to cry. "Fine, if you keep this up, then I'm running away with 'Kura. We'll get married and have several children together!"
I shook my head. "Ugh, make up your mind, Malik. Are we married, or are we divorced? And since when can you get pregnant?"
Mariku laughed from the other side of the couch. "Well, you know, Bakura, he does look like a girl, don't you think?" His grin turned devilish. "You should see him in bed. He's so small, I thought he was a girl the first time we did it."
Malik's face turned redder than a tomato, and so did mine, but I was laughing my head off whereas he was blushing. "M-M-Mariku!" he whined, almost dropping his pizza. He really did look ready to cry then, but Mariku looped his arm around his shoulder and pulled him close, kissing his forehead.
"But, I'd still love you even if you were a girl."
Malik's face lit up and I couldn't help but roll my eyes as I reached over, now working on my second slice of stuffed pizza. "You guys are scaring me now." My words were ignored as Malik practically jumped into Mariku's lap, squeezing the older Egyptian and planting kisses on his cheek.
"Mariku, that's the sweetest thing you've ever told me!"
I rolled my eyes again. "Is it ever possible to eat in this house without you guys whoring all over each other? Seriously, I'm eating here!"
Malik giggled and planted himself back on the couch, continuing to demolish his pizza, snuggling up to Mariku a little. I groaned. Really, their display of affection was kind of cute, but it kind of made me jealous. I mean, I love these guys to death, really, they're the best friends anyone could ever ask for, but...
I just missed Ryou so much. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the little white-haired angel out of my head. He almost haunted me and I set my plate of half-eaten pizza down, no longer feeling hungry. I checked my phone, again having no calls and I sighed, leaning back and deciding to watch whatever antics Malik and Mariku came up with. Watching them was just as good as watching TV, and they really did help get my mind off of Ryou a little. Just a little.
As much as I wanted that, I felt bad about it. It's like I was trying to forget him, and I couldn't forget Ryou.
***
"Hey, 'Kura?" A knock came at the bedroom door and I grumbled a little, lifting up in bed and squinting when Malik came into the spare bedroom, flicking on a lamp beside the door. We had decided to turn the night into a slumber party and after hours and hours of games, I finally took refuge in the spare room and passed out. "Are you up?"
"I am now. What is it?"
"Um..." He walked in and closed the door and I had to smirk at little at his flannel pajamas that were decorated with rain. Malik always like the rain, but looking at them now made me want to pee. "I just couldn't sleep. You know Mariku snores like foghorn."
I laughed a little. "Yeah. I don't know how you put up with that every night. Come here." I patted the edge of the mattress, signaling that he could sit.
He blushed a little and climbed into bed with me, leaning back against the wall where the moonlight crept in and shown on his already flaxen hair, making it appear silver. "Mariku told me what you said about Ryou hating you."
I instantly felt a thunder cloud return over my head and I was depressed all over again. "Oh....yeah."
"'Kura?"
"...Yeah?"
He was acting like Mariku now, not looking at me when he talked, his attention focused on another part of the room. "You know Ryou loves you with his entire soul, don't you? You meant everything in the world to him."
I nodded, bunching up and hugging my knees again like I'd done before. "...I know. And I love him so, so much."
"And he knows that."
The tears were coming back, but I let them fall. Malik was the only one allowed to see me cry. Not even Ryou got to see this. "...I just...Malik, I hate this so much." I squeezed the fabric of my legs, crying into my knees. "I hate it so much. I love him, I love him and...and I know he'll never call me back."
His tanned hand was rubbing circles around my back, and he was shushing me, like a mother would do a child, but I didn't feel patronized by it. It was kind of comforting. "...'Kura, you're my best friend and Ryou was my best friend and I know that he forgives you for whatever you did to him."
"I told him I hated him." More sobbing, more rubbing from Malik.
"You know as well as I do that he didn't believe you. You two were inseparable."
I suddenly pushed myself forward and found Malik's shirt front, gripping it and crying and crying and sobbing into his shirt front. He smiled and patted my back. "He won't call, Malik."
"I know he won't."
"I love him so much, and he's not going to call. I hate this so much, Malik. I loved him, and he's gone."
"I know, 'Kura." He patted my back and ran his hand down my hair, soothing me a little. "It's okay. Even in death, you know Ryou loves you so much. Anybody can tell you that."
"I miss him."
"I miss him, too."
I sobbed into Malik's front, feeling a little better about getting all these pent-up emotions out. It felt...so good to have somebody there to hug and to cry on. And Malik was the perfect person. He didn't talk down to me, he didn't get annoyed with me, he just smiled and rubbed my back, telling me things would be okay.
I had a fight with Ryou two weeks ago. Fourteen days exactly. And I told him I hated him. He cried about it, and I felt horrible. When I woke up the next day, Malik called me on the phone, hysteric, saying Ryou had been in a car accident. I never even got a chance to tell him I was sorry.
I'm sorry, Ryou, I'm so sorry, and I love you, I love you so much.
I continued to cry into Malik's front.
End