Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ You Make Me Sick ❯ A real challenge ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2 "A Real Challenge."

Author notes: o_o; 22 reviews…wow! Thank you so much everyone! And because I'm uplifted, here's chapter 2!

* * *

This wasn't how I was planning on spending my weekend. Now, when my Aibou suggested that we go over to Ryou's house, being his guardian, I said I would go, but only for his sake. Now he goes and does this to me. Locking me up in Ryou's basement with him. The realisation only sunk in a few moments ago. They were not letting us out of this basement until we got along.

But we weren't about to do that anytime soon. Our personalities just didn't work together. And that's what intrigued me. I was used, as Bakura stated so often, to people agreeing with me, my ideas usually pretty well thought out and good. Then there was Bakura. He just took everything I was used to and turned it inside out. He doesn't take me seriously, nor does he want to even be around me. You have to understand how this spikes my interest. Someone as adamantly against being around me is a challenge.

There's nothing I like more than a challenge. And I mean a real challenge. Not a Duel Monsters challenge, but an emotional challenge. Those are the hardest to come by, and therefore the hardest to overcome. But it seemed Bakura was not interested in working together with me, he was perfectly fine with staying down here just so long as he didn't have to acknowledge my existence.

Too bad for you, Bakura; you're going to have to acknowledge me. Currently, he was leaning against a wall, and his eyes were closed. Perfectly fine as long as you're alone? Well tough luck, there's another person in this basement with you and I won't be ignored. "Bakura," I said, breaking him out of his peaceful state.

His eyes immediately narrowed at me. "What the hell do you want, Yami?" he demanded, keeping his arms folded. Bakura turned his head to face me and gave me an expectant look. "Or do you just like bothering me?"

"Yes, that's what I live for Bakura, to only annoy you," I replied sarcastically. "Like there's nothing else I can do with my existence other than to piss you off. What's wrong with you? All I want is to get out of here, and the only way to do that is for us to work together." I gave a frustrated sigh. "I know you don't like it-"

"You're damn right I don't like it!" Bakura snapped. "For all those times in the Duellist Kingdom when your little cheerleaders were praising your ability, I was wondering what the hell was so great about you. You're letting all their meaningless praise go to your head! You're not the leader of me, Yami." He turned his head away from me and stared straight ahead. "I am not going to do as you say."

My eyes narrowed. "Do you plan on staying down here for the rest of your life then? They will not let us out unless we work together."

"Then I suppose we're not going to get out of here then, are we?" Bakura asked, a smirk tugging at his lips. His soft, but firm lip-what in the name of Ra am I saying? I shook my head, shaking those strange thoughts out. I let out a frustrated growl, and Bakura smirk got wider. "Not so powerful without followers, are you Pharaoh?"

"Do you pride yourself on pissing me off? On contradicting me? What is the entire point of doing this? Do you realise the situation we're in?" I demanded, letting my temper flare for the first time. "Has it crossed your little mind what is going on here?"

"Yes, Yami, I do know what's going on here. Unlike you, I don't have my head flying up in the clouds," Bakura replied evenly. "And yes, I suppose I do pride myself on pissing you off, because it seems no one's been able to properly test you, Yami." His eyes flashed as he turned his head to look at me once more.

"What do you mean by that, Bakura?" I asked out of pure curiosity. I didn't want to play into his little game, but my curiosity wouldn't allow me otherwise.

Bakura gave a little chuckle, one laced with defiance. "Little Yami, so powerful, yet so dense! All this while it's been nothing but you. It's been nothing other than what the great Yami Yugi thinks. I've got a surprise for you, it's no longer your way or the highway."

I raised an eyebrow. "So what is it then, the highway?"

"Yes. My highway."

* * *

Joey blinked at Ryou and Yugi. "So wait, you mean to tell me that you two locked up Yami and Bakura in Ryou's basement?"

Yugi nodded. "Yep, that's exactly what we did."

"Do you realise what those two will do to each other?" Téa asked. "They'll tear each other apart! Do you think that's wise, Yugi?"

Ryou chuckled. "We are taking a big chance, that's true. But those two have got to push their egos aside and learn to be friends. But the only way for that to happen is for them to be put under extreme circumstances."

Tristan nodded, somewhat getting it. "I see…because those two won't even look at each other unless it's absolutely necessary."

Ryou nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, that's exactly it!" He smiled and turned back to his cards, as he and Joey were having a friendly duel. "Those two have such hatred for each other, I'm not sure where it started."

Joey scratched his nose. "Yami always liked provoking Bakura. I don't know why though, does he have a death wish or something?"

"He is a Pharaoh, maybe it's some kind of challenge," Téa suggested. Everyone turned to her, and she shrugged. "Well, he's a King, right? So he's used to getting his own way and having like everyone happy with him. Bakura hates him with a passion."

A look of realisation dawned on Joey's face. "Ah! I see what ya mean! So Yami tries to get past Bakura's bad attitude to see why he hates him so much, eh?"

"It's a theory anyway," Yugi said, scratching his nose.

"So! Who wants to take bets?" Joey asked, whipping out a small notebook. His friends sweat-dropped. "What?"

"Okay, I say they kill each other within the first 48 hours," Tristan said. Joey scribbled down the words in the notepad. "And here's 20 bucks for it." He put it on the table of the café they were eating at.

Téa wrinkled her nose. "That's mean Tristan!" Tristan initially ignored her, until she said, "I say 72 hours," and put down a 20 dollar bill as well.

Yugi laughed. "Téa, I never pegged you as one to take part in a bet!"

Téa giggled and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, there's never been a good enough bet for me to put my money into!"

Ryou shook his head, and Joey turned to him. "What about you, Ryou? Do you want some of the action?" Joey asked.

"I was never a gambling man," Ryou chuckled. "But I suppose for the good of fun, I'll say they actually find a way to coexist, but it'll take a little over a week." And so Ryou also put in a 20 to the pile. "What do you think, Yugi? Are you going to join me?"

Yugi stuck out his lower jaw and then wrinkled his nose. Joey looked at him intently, hoping to make the total to 80 bucks. "Ah, sure, why not? I take the same bet as Bakura, but I think it'll happen in 6 days." Then Yugi put in his 20-dollar bill.

Suddenly, another twenty landed into the pile, and the quintet looked up to see a surprising addition to the `jackpot'-Seto Kaiba. "I say they last less than a week, and only because one of them is dead." He gave a smirk. "What, did you think I'd let you losers have all the fun?"

"Okay, and just who was trapped a card?" Joey quipped. Seto gave him a death glare, and Joey gave him a purely innocent look. "But ya know what? Any and all bets are welcome and it's a pleasure doing business with ya, Mr. Kaiba."

"Whatever Wheeler, save it for someone, who has the patience for your mindless drivel," Seto said, then walked off. Joey growled, having to be restrained by Tristan and Ryou in order not to go running after the Kaiba Corps, President.

"I am going to KILL him one day!" Joey vowed.

"Just like Yami and Bakura are going to do if this doesn't work out Ryou," Yugi said to the white-haired boy.

Ryou nodded. "I am well aware of that, Yugi. But I have a feeling that those two are going to surprise us all."

"By how? Killing each other at the same time?" Tristan asked. Both boys shot him a warning look. "What, you can't say it might not happen."

"Shut up, Tristan…" Téa muttered.

* * *

Bakura stared at me, almost intent on drilling a hole through me with that steely gaze of his. I was still wondering what he meant about his last statement, but it seemed he wouldn't answer me. He looked up at the lone window that was far too high for either one of us to reach even if we had a platform, and noted something. "It's getting dark. I don't remember what Ryou said about bedrooms down here."

"There's a bedroom down here too?" I asked with amazement. "There's everything you need to survive down here."

Bakura looked at me like I had three heads. "You just noticed this now? You should really pay more attention to your surroundings, Yami." He gave a sigh and walked further down and stopped, frozen.

"What's the matter, Bakura?" I questioned, as I began to walk to where he was. "Why did you suddenly st-" My eyes widened as I saw what caused his reaction-there was only one bed. And there were two of us. The couch wasn't even a couch, it was a loveseat, and there were no sleeping bags, nothing. Just one bed…and two of us… "One bed…"

I looked over to Bakura, and saw that he was thinking of a way to get around the only possible solution, and his eyes searched around the room, wondering if there was a cot or something. In the end, he sighed and closed his eyes, fists clenched. "We'll share the bed. I am not pleased about this, but there is no other way around it. Do not take this as a victory, Yami. These are extreme conditions we are in."

A sudden smirk came to my lips and I attempted to make it as small as possible. "Take it as a victory, Bakura? I wouldn't dream of it." He snorted, and walked into the room, with me two steps behind. His frown deepened as he realised how small the bed was.

"Someone up there must hate me."

"Someone down here hates you too."

"Shut the hell up, Yami."

I smirked. "Now who's acting like a Pharaoh?"

Bakura turned and glared at me. "I don't want to hear another word from your mouth, Yami. This is the only way I would even consider being in the same hemisphere as you, if we were locked up in a basement. So don't start up on me or else you will be regretting it." He opened the closet and surveyed its contents. After a bit, he threw some silk blue pyjamas at me. "These should fit you."

Surprised at the gesture, I barely caught the pyjamas. "Th-thank you, Bakura," I stammered, as my hands felt the silk fabric.

"Don't thank me. You probably wouldn't sleep in that buckle-infested outfit anyway," Bakura muttered, finding black silk pyjamas for himself. I changed into the pyjamas as his back was turned and kept mine turned as he changed. I folded up my clothes and put them in the top drawer in the dresser. Bakura came up and put his clothes in the middle drawer. As he reached for the handle, our fingers brushed; and I swear by Ra, I felt an electric shock. Immediately, he drew his hand away and went to the bed.

I stood there for a moment, wondering what had happened. It must have been static shock or something, right? I was worrying about nothing. Before Bakura had a chance to make a remark about how stupid I looked, I walked over to the bed and slipped in. There was barely any room to move and Bakura and myself were pretty much sandwiched together. "Comfy," I muttered.

"If I find that your hands are somewhere where they shouldn't be when I wake up tomorrow, they will no longer be attached to your shoulders," Bakura hissed as he turned on his side, his back facing me.

"Like I'd ever touch you anyway," I muttered turning on my side, our backs practically touched each other. "Probably feel like sandpaper."

"Are you still talking?" Bakura demanded, as he reached up and turned off the light on the switch that was to the upper right of him. "You probably sleep talk too with my luck."

-TBC-

Author's notes: I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review! Suggestions are welcome, as is constructive criticism, no flames please. -SJ