Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Yugi's Attempt ❯ Playing the Game! ( Chapter 4 )

Insanity Gur: EKK! I have to go to school in ten minutes! Hurry hurry! Ok! I just need to… There ok! Hurry!

Johanna: … Then don't write so much of this.

Insanity Gurl: I WONT! LET'S HURRY UP!

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~ Sometime later ~

I fiddled absently with my bare foot, my other hand holding up my set of cards. The game had to be going on for at least an hour by now if not more, and clothing had been lost. As I glance around the circle I conclude that I have lost my socks and over shirt, Hope has lost her necklaces and both socks, Bakura hasn't lost anything and is smirking like a madman at Yami whom has lost every belt he was wearing.

Emma lost her socks and her necklace. Johanna lost one sock and a earring due to she wanted one sock to herself. Yugi lost his puzzle, a sock, and his choker, Kathryn lost her bracelets and earrings, Tristin lost his coat, and Joey lost his socks and shirt. Malik lost his shirt, only because he didn't want to give up his socks, and our dealer, Marik, said he didn't need to play the game since he was dealer and decided to be the one that was in charge of the clothing.

Things hadn't totally fired up just yet, but I was certain we'd be playing all night, or at least until someone lost everything. I really hope that person won't be me.

"Alright, show your cards." The blonde grinned; shuffling the deck absently as his amethyst eyes regarded us with amusement. I placed mine down, I only had a pair of threes and I knew I would be losing this round. I winced, but waited for everyone else to place their hands down. Our dealer looked over at the cards placed in the circle, soon glancing back up to us with that same amused grin. "Bakura, Hope, and Malik won."

I sighed, thinking over what I should add to the rapidly growing pile of clothes. I knew he had to be cheating in some way, just because he was Marik… Though, I should leave accusations out, I had other things to worry about at the moment. "It seems the Pharaoh isn't so great at this card game." Bakura sneered, looking over to the fuming Yami.

"Shut up." He said hotly through clenched teeth, reluctantly adding his shirt to the middle pile.

Yugi gave him an apologetic smile, adding his other sock to the stack. "It's just a game, no big deal." he said softly, as he grins at his darker half. Johanna smiles at him too as their arms intertwine around the Pharaoh's arm. Yami seemed to cool down, and dispersed his glaring contest with Bakura, letting his girl lean up against him.

I smiled at the little scene. Sighing, I decided to go back to the task at hand: Adding a piece of clothing. I didn't really know what to add, and I was glad no one was pushing me to hurry. It seemed they were engrossed in trying to get Joey and Tristin to `pay up'. I fiddled with my shirt hem, my other hand taking off the gleaming ring around my neck. I tossed it gingerly into the soft heap; I really didn't want to get anymore barer than I already was. I leaned back upon my hands, watching as the group now focused on the remaining person - Joey. His face was a soft scarlet, and I had to pity him, he really didn't have much else to loose. "You lost, you need to add something." Marik said casually, making a vague gesture over to the pile.

The blonde in question gave everyone a look of plea, but none came to his aid. Bakura leaned back, like I had done, and seemed to have a bored expression etched on his face now. "Hurry up, I want to finish this game before tomorrow." He grumbled, his arm behind Hope.

"C'mon Joey…" Malik giggled, gazing over to him with bright purple eyes.

"Well, maybe we could over look him?" The soft voice of Yugi his best pal said as all just sigh and bring their attention back to Joey.

"Rules are rules, there isn't any exceptions." The blonde yami said simply, shrugging as he advanced on the stunned youth. "You volunteered to play, so pay up, you did loose… Or would you like some help?" He grinned like the complete psychopath his is.

"NO! …Fine, fine." He grumbled, his cheeks turning a darker red.

I decided to focus on something else, and found myself looking at the equally embarrassed Kathryn. "You still need to give up something, don't you?" I asked, leaning over to her slightly.

Her eyes met mine and she nodded weakly, apparently she was thinking about what she should give up. "Are we really going to play until someone's totally done?" She asked, trying to avoid the scene a foot from her.

I was also trying to drain out the mindless giggles and ruffle of fabrics myself. I gave her a small smile, "Well, knowing Marik I think we'll be playing until the total end."

"Knowing me?" He asked, peering right in between Kathryn and I.

I blinked, off guard by his sudden appearance I had almost jumped ten feet in the air. Calming, I offered a nervous smile, "I mean, we are playing until someone loosed everything, right?"

"Right." He grinned, plopping back down in his own spot now. "Ok…" I huffed shuffling about. "Let's get back to the game." I added in my normal tone giving the two ahead of me a placid smile.

"Kathryn still hasn't given up something."

"Yeah…" She said weakly, fidgeting with her skirt hem.

Joey had just given up something, right? My eyes swept around the circle until they landed on the still blushing male. I noticed the pillow he held in his lap, around the edges I could see the fabric he wore under his jeans moments ago. I quirked a brow as I noticed the tiny yellow dogs embroidered on the indigo fabric. I shook my head, looking away before I turned a pink hue as well. I felt bad for him, if he lost the next round he's have nothing but that pillow to save him. Most of the group was focused on the red head who still hadn't given up anything. However, the little yellow dogs kept prancing though my thoughts and I couldn't help but giggle at that. I mean, if you squinted and looked at Joey at an angle, he did kind of look like one of those dogs. I giggled again.

"What's so funny?" Kathryn asked, a bit of anger bleeding into her voice.

I snapped back to reality, setting the dancing puppies aside, "I wasn't laughing at you, sorry."

"Pay up, pay up." Marik said in singsong tone, pointing to the pile of scattered clothes.

I decided to scoot away from the girl, she seemed agitated as it was and I didn't want to make it worse.

I focused on our messed-up circle, noticing how Johanna seemed half-asleep now that she taken Yami's shoulder as her pillow. The pharaoh in response had his arm around the youth's waist, I smiled at that, it was a rather cute scene. I looked at my own yami who was leaning up against the baseboard of the couch with Hope next to him. They were obliviously cheating. Joey still seemed a bit flustered, his cheeks still a deep ruby and it seemed Emma was teasing him. I shouldn't have laughed, but I couldn't help it, seeing the Tomb Keeper's girlfriend keep poking Joey's side and probably annoying every little bit out of him.

"Its just a blouse…" I heard the voice say to my right, and I snapped back to attention. I really seemed to be spacing out a lot more lately, I think it has something to do with the winter air. Or, just the influence of Marik and those yellow dogs. I pinched my own cheek; I needed to stop thinking so oddly.

"Or, you could give up your skirt." Marik snickered, setting back upon his legs, the crisp cards snapping casually back and forth between palms.

"I know…" She said softly, looking down to her lap. Reluctantly her shaking hands found her ivory buttons and she began to undo them as quickly as she could. Gingerly she raised the garment above her head, and tossed it to the pile the silk fluttering briefly before it landed on my millennium ring.

Malik grinned to her before he spread himself out upon his stomach, his head resting against girlfriend's thigh. It seemed all the payments were done now, and we were ready for another hand. I gave an apologetic glance to the girl whom was trying her best to keep her blouse covered and at the same time keep her cards eye level. But, looking around the room and noticing the pairs most had put themselves in, I don't think anyone was totally focused on Kathryn at all.

I shook my head, dispersing that thought as I went to pick up my newly dealt cards. "Kathryn." I blinked; glancing over in the area I had heard the whisper.

After a moment, realizing the whisper was only for her I went back to studying my cards pretending to be oblivious. "Hm?" She said faintly, looking it seemed behind Marik.

"Here." The male's voice came back in a swift breath, the fabric snap was probably only heard by Kathryn and I.

"Thanks, Tristin!" She smiled brightly, flicking her long red hair to the side and I continued to watch from the corner of my eye.

I hid my little smile as the girl was now wearing the shirt the boy was wearing moments before. She hugged into the giant black wool sweater, and seemed to relax now that she was completely covered. That was interesting, I thought. Once again though, I couldn't dwell in my mind for it was time again to show the cards.

"Lets see who lost this time." He said simply, the little grin never once leaving his face. The deck was placed beside his knee and he looked to all of us, waiting for the cards to be shown.

"I'm out." I heard Hope huff, throwing her cards angrily towards the general area Marik was in. However, she still missed. One card landed on Emma's lap, another buried itself in Malik's hair. Emma set the lost card aside, while the blonde seemed unaffected and still continued to nuzzle into his girlfriends leg looking to his own cards fondly. The lost queen went unnoticed as it was eaten by his hair.

I sighed softly, placing my cards down for Marik to look over. Perhaps if I were paying more attention to the game, I wouldn't have lost this round. I got comfortable on my back, viewing the world from a new angle. Yami grumbled, placing down his cards though I couldn't see what they were at my new up side down angle. I shrugged, I'd find out. "Who won?" I asked absently.

Marik was still trying to find and calculate everyone's cards, so he didn't answer me just yet. A grim smile plastered itself upon his face, leaning back upon his haunches he looked to all of us in that disturbing way of his. I really couldn't help but fidget, but he didn't seem to have noticed. "The winners are, Malik, Emma and Bakura." He replied with a smug look on his face.

Now, he had to have cheated that time, normally at least one other person won. Wait let me fix that. One *sane* person would of won. I sighed, there really wasn't much of a point to this game anyway, and fairness probably didn't count either. So, reluctantly everyone had to offer up another piece of clothing. Tristin lost his sock; Kathryn gave up her skirt only because the new shirt went down to her knees. Yami gave up a sock, and Yugi offered up his shirt to the middle. Bakura gave up his sock, I gave up my shirt, and Hope tossed in her last earring. Now, the only one left was…Joey. I blinked, he only had one thing left, and he looked like he knew that little fact as well. "Come now, Jou-kun." Marik said tauntingly, tilting his head.

"After this, the game's over…" The pharaoh said simply, glancing over to him before he leaned back against the wall, still cradling his girlfriend.

"Sad, but true." Marik said softly, holding a hand to his heart dramatically. "I really did love to see people squirm." He chuckled to himself and everyone decided to scoot further away from him. After all, he was still a sadistic lunatic…

"Fine." He said, his eyes never leaving the pillow in his hands.

With this last move Joey had removed his pillow, his fingers clasping the lip of his shorts. Okay, now I felt a little awkward. He was really going to do it, wasn't he? I felt myself flush from embarrassment now; I really needed something else to focus on. However, my eyes still had another thought and Joey seemed just as upset, his remaining clothing slipping cautiously off his hips. I looked down to the floor now as the little ruffle of fabric was heard, I wouldn't dare look back up.

"Bah, this isn't a friggin' strip show…" Bakura growled, I really didn't know if he looked away or attempted to hit something, but assuming it was him I would think he would have been glaring at someone by now.

"Oh, but it could be." I heard Marik snicker.

I set my eyes cautiously up now, Joey had sat himself back down, the pillow propped in his lap and his face darker than a tomato. "The game's over, so we can retrieve our clothing, right?" Kathryn asked, about to reach for her belongings when the blonde yami hit her hand away.

"Nope. You lost these garments, and I… As the dealer, get to keep them." He grinned.

"What the hell kind of rule is that?" Yami growled, equally flustered as most in the room.

"My rule." And Marik promptly stuck his tongue out at him, grabbing the clothes in his arms and standing upright. He was going to leave… Wasn't he?

Yugi snapped back to attention, "My puzzle's in there!"

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Insanity Gurl: THERE DONE! ^____^

Johanna: OK! ^_____^ Post it up now right?

Insanity Gurl: Yip please review!