The Gingerbread House (2)
Part two: Of missing aibous, vexing thieves, pancakes and thwarted kisses.
Disclaimer: Stillown nuthin'.
The Gingerbread House
When Yami no Yugi awoke the next morning, it was to warm sun streaming in through open curtains filling the room with cheerful, golden light. The room was quiet, the bed he lay on soft and comfortable…it was a wonderful way to wake up.
Then came the memories of the night before. Covering his face with his hands Yami groaned, not relishing the prospect of informing the company he’d hired the car from to get home in that their vehicle had broken down. Then there was the hassle of collecting their belongings from said car, calling a taxi and -
At least Ryou could give them a hand there. It was sheer good fortune they’d stumbled across the other last night, that the albino had been awake at such an early hour and willing to lend them a hand. Ryou was a kind, caring soul; they’d have to think of some way to repay him -
Yami twisted in bed, turning to look at Yugi, the one he’d fallen asleep beside but -
Where is he? The bed beside Yami was empty. The buckles, belts and jewellery Yami had removed from his other had been cleared from the bedside cabinet; peering over onto the floor the once-pharaoh could see his hikari’s boots had vanished as well. Yami’s own belongings were untouched, except -
Where’s the Puzzle?!
Alarm spiked through Yami and he was up and out of bed in an instant, carefully looking under the bed to see if the Puzzle had fallen down there but - no. It had gone. As had Yugi. So maybe - maybe Yugi had woken up early and put it on, leaving to go get some breakfast or something, to talk to Ryou. It wasn’t unlikely.
A little more calmly, Yami slowly pulled on his belongings again, slipping his boots onto his feet before walking over to the room’s doorway, and stepping out into the narrow hallway outside.
This place, Yami decided, glancing around said hallway and noticing the many doors set there, is definitely a lot larger than it looks from the outside. It wouldn’t be that hard to lose a room here, to mistake a bedroom for a bathroom. Ryou had said this was Bakura’s haunt - just what did the former tomb-robber need so many rooms for?
Edging down the narrow stairs to the floor below, Yami went hunting for the kitchen in the house. That was where Yugi was most likely to be, the younger male unable to properly function without his daily intake of sugar and/or caffeine in the morning.
The kitchen was empty. As was the living-room, the room covered with drapes, the room that held nothing but a dusty piano with a vase of wilted flowers on its top. A room full of bookshelves crammed full of books; a room lined with shelves of curiosities and strange things that chimed when Yami accidentally bumped into them. In none of them could Yami find Yugi.
Worry lancing through him once more, Yami ascended the stairs again, returning to the room he’d slept in, leaving nothing untouched in his search for some clue as to where his hikari had gone. Nothing, nothing, nothing. Out into the corridor, peering into a bathroom full of cracked tiles, bedrooms, an upstairs lounge, another bathroom. Locked door, locked door, locked door. Yami stood in front of one of the many sealed doors, ear against the wood. Was Yugi inside? But - if so - how…?
Another thought struck Yami as he leaned against the barrier - where was Ryou? The white-haired hikari should’ve been about somewhere, but - there was no life anywhere.
Yami returned downstairs to the kitchen, to the doorway leading to outside he’d seen the first time he’d entered the room. If Yugi wasn’t inside he logically had to be out - but the front door was locked so the back door would have to do.
Turning the key that was already in the lock Yami pressed down on the handle, expecting the door to swing open - but nothing happened. Thinking the key a little rusty he jiggled it about a bit, twisting it one way then another experimentally - but still the door would not open. Yami tried again, pushing against the door, yanking the handle sharply, gently, thudding into the barrier with his shoulder -
The door remained stubbornly unmoving.
He pulled it, pushed it, twisted it, lifted it, eventually lost his temper and kicked it - all to no avail. Tired, confused, and utterly defeated, Yami slumped against the door, pressing his forehead to the damned, cold wood, breathing hard.
"It won't open, you know, however much you pull at it."
Yami whirled around, startled at the cool voice speaking suddenly from the kitchen's doorway, his heart pounding. "You!"
A familiar face smiled laconically at him, dark eyes glittering from under a drift of snowy hair. "Pharaoh, your manners are deplorable. Don't I at least get a 'good morning'?"
Abandoning the back door Yami stalked across the gleaming tile floor, his own eyes gleaming murder. "What the hell have you done?! Where's Yugi?!"
"He's asleep." Bakura seemed amused at the other's ire, his arms folded lazily across his chest, pose languid against the door-frame. “As most sane individuals are at this time in the morning. You know it’s not even ten yet?”
"Where. Is. He?" A hiss of pure menace.
Another smile in the face of fury, Bakura standing straight and stretching, his back popping with the action. "Somewhere you'll never find him." Smoothly the former thief made to step past Yami, but the other spirit snatched his wrist, nails biting into pale skin.
"Bakura!"
The other spirit's smile vanished, his voice suddenly cold. "Release my wrist this instant Pharaoh, or I promise you your hikari will regret it."
Yami dropped the other's wrist as if stung. "You wouldn't dare." His tone was uncertain.
Bakura merely raised an eyebrow, and finished moving past the young king into the kitchen proper. Rifling through a cupboard he idly called out. "Would you like some pancakes?"
Yami scowled at him, crossing his arms over his chest. “Where’s Ryou?”
“I asked whether you would like pancakes.” The thief glanced over his shoulder, voice cool once more. “It’s good manners to reply.”
“When you won’t reply any of my questions?”
“This is my house, pharaoh.” Brown eyes were hard, stony as flint. “I set the rules. Now - would you like some pancakes?”
“Of course I don’t want damn pancakes!!” Yami exploded. “Give me back Yugi, and the Puzzle!”
“You never said ‘please’.” Bakura crossed to the room’s fridge, pulling out some milk, and mixing it with flour in a bowl. Yami’s jaw set, and locked, his fists clenching at his side. Bakura, noticing this, smirked. “Temper, temper. Is it so hard for you to ask for things politely?” More ingredients were put in with the mix in the basin.
“I don’t waste manners on those who don’t deserve them.” Yami strode forwards and snatched the bowl from the other’s grasp, holding it out of Bakura’s reach. “Answer my questions, Ra damn you! Where are Yugi, the Puzzle, and Ryou?!” The albino frowned at him, aiming to snatch the bowl back, but Yami carefully stepped out of the way, withholding the basin. Step, step, step. Step, step, turn, step - wall.
Damn. Yami raised his chin defiantly as he was cornered, crimson eyes flashing with their usual fire. “I asked you a question. It’s good manners to reply.”
Bakura’s smile was crooked. “Quite the persistent one, aren’t you?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” Yami still held onto the bowlful of pancake mix, one arm curled possessively around it as the other approached. “How many times have I banished you now? I do believe I’ve lost count.”
“Then perhaps you are getting forgetful in your old age, pharaoh.” Bakura laid a hand on the stolen bowl, smirking when Yami snarled at him.
“Answer my questions.”
A long pause, brown eyes thoughtful for a few moments. “…Very well.” Bakura was standing practically toe-to-toe with Yami, the only thing between them the bowl. “Yugi, as I have already told you, is fast asleep.”
“Where?”
“In one of the rooms of this house.”
“The Puzzle?”
“Locked in another room.”
“Ryou?”
“Never here to start with.” A fanged smirk. “You can be terribly gullible, pharaoh, and it is not so hard to pretend to be sweet and innocent for a short time for you to think me my yadounishi.”
Yami’s eyes narrowed. “…Why? What reason for the subterfuge? Why seal Yugi away and not I?”
“True, he would be the more compliant one…” Bakura trailed off. “You better suit my purposes.”
“And what pur-”
“No more questions.”
“How dare you-!”
“I said - no more questions.”
Yami scowled, glaring at the one in front of him, sinking into thought. What possible ‘purposes’ could Bakura have? He had already taken the Puzzle while Yami had been sleeping - what else could the thief possibly wish to take, to possess? Nothing sprang to mind.
So lost in thought was he, Yami failed completely to take in the darkening of Bakura’s eyes, the way those irises focused so intently on his face, the soft movements of the other leaning in -
That is, until, Yami felt warm breath across his lips.
Jolted rudely from his reflections Yami tried to take a step backwards, head thumping off the wall behind him before he suddenly shoved the bowl he held rudely into Bakura’s midsection, forcing the other backwards so he could slip free from where he’d been cornered. Some of the mix sloshed out of the basin, splattering the front of the albino’s clothes.
Crimson eyes were wide - furious. “What in the name of Ra do you think you’re trying to do?!”
Disclaimer: Stillown nuthin'.
The Gingerbread House
When Yami no Yugi awoke the next morning, it was to warm sun streaming in through open curtains filling the room with cheerful, golden light. The room was quiet, the bed he lay on soft and comfortable…it was a wonderful way to wake up.
Then came the memories of the night before. Covering his face with his hands Yami groaned, not relishing the prospect of informing the company he’d hired the car from to get home in that their vehicle had broken down. Then there was the hassle of collecting their belongings from said car, calling a taxi and -
At least Ryou could give them a hand there. It was sheer good fortune they’d stumbled across the other last night, that the albino had been awake at such an early hour and willing to lend them a hand. Ryou was a kind, caring soul; they’d have to think of some way to repay him -
Yami twisted in bed, turning to look at Yugi, the one he’d fallen asleep beside but -
Where is he? The bed beside Yami was empty. The buckles, belts and jewellery Yami had removed from his other had been cleared from the bedside cabinet; peering over onto the floor the once-pharaoh could see his hikari’s boots had vanished as well. Yami’s own belongings were untouched, except -
Where’s the Puzzle?!
Alarm spiked through Yami and he was up and out of bed in an instant, carefully looking under the bed to see if the Puzzle had fallen down there but - no. It had gone. As had Yugi. So maybe - maybe Yugi had woken up early and put it on, leaving to go get some breakfast or something, to talk to Ryou. It wasn’t unlikely.
A little more calmly, Yami slowly pulled on his belongings again, slipping his boots onto his feet before walking over to the room’s doorway, and stepping out into the narrow hallway outside.
This place, Yami decided, glancing around said hallway and noticing the many doors set there, is definitely a lot larger than it looks from the outside. It wouldn’t be that hard to lose a room here, to mistake a bedroom for a bathroom. Ryou had said this was Bakura’s haunt - just what did the former tomb-robber need so many rooms for?
Edging down the narrow stairs to the floor below, Yami went hunting for the kitchen in the house. That was where Yugi was most likely to be, the younger male unable to properly function without his daily intake of sugar and/or caffeine in the morning.
The kitchen was empty. As was the living-room, the room covered with drapes, the room that held nothing but a dusty piano with a vase of wilted flowers on its top. A room full of bookshelves crammed full of books; a room lined with shelves of curiosities and strange things that chimed when Yami accidentally bumped into them. In none of them could Yami find Yugi.
Worry lancing through him once more, Yami ascended the stairs again, returning to the room he’d slept in, leaving nothing untouched in his search for some clue as to where his hikari had gone. Nothing, nothing, nothing. Out into the corridor, peering into a bathroom full of cracked tiles, bedrooms, an upstairs lounge, another bathroom. Locked door, locked door, locked door. Yami stood in front of one of the many sealed doors, ear against the wood. Was Yugi inside? But - if so - how…?
Another thought struck Yami as he leaned against the barrier - where was Ryou? The white-haired hikari should’ve been about somewhere, but - there was no life anywhere.
Yami returned downstairs to the kitchen, to the doorway leading to outside he’d seen the first time he’d entered the room. If Yugi wasn’t inside he logically had to be out - but the front door was locked so the back door would have to do.
Turning the key that was already in the lock Yami pressed down on the handle, expecting the door to swing open - but nothing happened. Thinking the key a little rusty he jiggled it about a bit, twisting it one way then another experimentally - but still the door would not open. Yami tried again, pushing against the door, yanking the handle sharply, gently, thudding into the barrier with his shoulder -
The door remained stubbornly unmoving.
He pulled it, pushed it, twisted it, lifted it, eventually lost his temper and kicked it - all to no avail. Tired, confused, and utterly defeated, Yami slumped against the door, pressing his forehead to the damned, cold wood, breathing hard.
"It won't open, you know, however much you pull at it."
Yami whirled around, startled at the cool voice speaking suddenly from the kitchen's doorway, his heart pounding. "You!"
A familiar face smiled laconically at him, dark eyes glittering from under a drift of snowy hair. "Pharaoh, your manners are deplorable. Don't I at least get a 'good morning'?"
Abandoning the back door Yami stalked across the gleaming tile floor, his own eyes gleaming murder. "What the hell have you done?! Where's Yugi?!"
"He's asleep." Bakura seemed amused at the other's ire, his arms folded lazily across his chest, pose languid against the door-frame. “As most sane individuals are at this time in the morning. You know it’s not even ten yet?”
"Where. Is. He?" A hiss of pure menace.
Another smile in the face of fury, Bakura standing straight and stretching, his back popping with the action. "Somewhere you'll never find him." Smoothly the former thief made to step past Yami, but the other spirit snatched his wrist, nails biting into pale skin.
"Bakura!"
The other spirit's smile vanished, his voice suddenly cold. "Release my wrist this instant Pharaoh, or I promise you your hikari will regret it."
Yami dropped the other's wrist as if stung. "You wouldn't dare." His tone was uncertain.
Bakura merely raised an eyebrow, and finished moving past the young king into the kitchen proper. Rifling through a cupboard he idly called out. "Would you like some pancakes?"
Yami scowled at him, crossing his arms over his chest. “Where’s Ryou?”
“I asked whether you would like pancakes.” The thief glanced over his shoulder, voice cool once more. “It’s good manners to reply.”
“When you won’t reply any of my questions?”
“This is my house, pharaoh.” Brown eyes were hard, stony as flint. “I set the rules. Now - would you like some pancakes?”
“Of course I don’t want damn pancakes!!” Yami exploded. “Give me back Yugi, and the Puzzle!”
“You never said ‘please’.” Bakura crossed to the room’s fridge, pulling out some milk, and mixing it with flour in a bowl. Yami’s jaw set, and locked, his fists clenching at his side. Bakura, noticing this, smirked. “Temper, temper. Is it so hard for you to ask for things politely?” More ingredients were put in with the mix in the basin.
“I don’t waste manners on those who don’t deserve them.” Yami strode forwards and snatched the bowl from the other’s grasp, holding it out of Bakura’s reach. “Answer my questions, Ra damn you! Where are Yugi, the Puzzle, and Ryou?!” The albino frowned at him, aiming to snatch the bowl back, but Yami carefully stepped out of the way, withholding the basin. Step, step, step. Step, step, turn, step - wall.
Damn. Yami raised his chin defiantly as he was cornered, crimson eyes flashing with their usual fire. “I asked you a question. It’s good manners to reply.”
Bakura’s smile was crooked. “Quite the persistent one, aren’t you?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” Yami still held onto the bowlful of pancake mix, one arm curled possessively around it as the other approached. “How many times have I banished you now? I do believe I’ve lost count.”
“Then perhaps you are getting forgetful in your old age, pharaoh.” Bakura laid a hand on the stolen bowl, smirking when Yami snarled at him.
“Answer my questions.”
A long pause, brown eyes thoughtful for a few moments. “…Very well.” Bakura was standing practically toe-to-toe with Yami, the only thing between them the bowl. “Yugi, as I have already told you, is fast asleep.”
“Where?”
“In one of the rooms of this house.”
“The Puzzle?”
“Locked in another room.”
“Ryou?”
“Never here to start with.” A fanged smirk. “You can be terribly gullible, pharaoh, and it is not so hard to pretend to be sweet and innocent for a short time for you to think me my yadounishi.”
Yami’s eyes narrowed. “…Why? What reason for the subterfuge? Why seal Yugi away and not I?”
“True, he would be the more compliant one…” Bakura trailed off. “You better suit my purposes.”
“And what pur-”
“No more questions.”
“How dare you-!”
“I said - no more questions.”
Yami scowled, glaring at the one in front of him, sinking into thought. What possible ‘purposes’ could Bakura have? He had already taken the Puzzle while Yami had been sleeping - what else could the thief possibly wish to take, to possess? Nothing sprang to mind.
So lost in thought was he, Yami failed completely to take in the darkening of Bakura’s eyes, the way those irises focused so intently on his face, the soft movements of the other leaning in -
That is, until, Yami felt warm breath across his lips.
Jolted rudely from his reflections Yami tried to take a step backwards, head thumping off the wall behind him before he suddenly shoved the bowl he held rudely into Bakura’s midsection, forcing the other backwards so he could slip free from where he’d been cornered. Some of the mix sloshed out of the basin, splattering the front of the albino’s clothes.
Crimson eyes were wide - furious. “What in the name of Ra do you think you’re trying to do?!”