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thiefcat-niao · 6 years ago

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Ending the Session (Chapter 1)

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Characters/Ships: Gemshipping (Thief King Bakura/Ryou Bakura); Ryou Bakura, Thief King Bakura, Atem, Yugi Mutuo, Zorc Necrophades Rating: T Length: Chapter 1 / 3; 2300 words

Summary:

Into Ryou's lonely apartment comes a spirit, an ancient power that speaks and manifests through the Ouija board kept beneath the bed. It calls itself Tou, and claims to be human. Ryou believes.

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Chapter One: Tou

Ryou Bakura arrived home; his small apartment greeted him with silence, and with the faint scent of his supper simmering in the slow-cooker. He flicked on the light and put down his grocery bags, then set to putting his groceries away. At some point, he reached up to tug the tie out of his hair, letting the white locks tumble down around his shoulders. He didn't bother to work the tangles out with his fingers.

The only sounds were the squeak of the refrigerator door, the rustling of plastic bags, and Ryou's occasional, thoughtful mutters as he tried to find space for milk and whipping cream among plates of thawing puff pastry.

Once the groceries were put away, Ryou checked the personal-sized roast in his slow-cooker, steam bathing his face as he opened the lid. He added in chopped vegetables for the last half-hour of cooking, then went to shower. When he emerged, dressed in a plush house-robe and with damp hair clinging to his neck, he collected his supper and took it to his secondhand dining table.

The meat was tender and delicious, and Ryou hummed softly into the silence as he ate. Still, he thought, perhaps he could add a bit more onion in, next time he fixed the recipe. He answered a couple of texts from friends, phone sitting beside his plate—a question about a shared college class from Jounochi Katsuya; a invite to coffee from Yugi Mutuo; an amusing internet post that Honda Hiroto had forwarded him. He smiled, thinking of his friends.

Ryou finished his dinner; started the dishwasher; sliced himself a generous piece of the creme cake he had made the night before; retreated to his bedroom.

In the hush of his apartment, Ryou sat on his bedroom floor; turned off his lamp. He set his cake down and pulled out a box from beneath his bed. From within the box, he pulled out two pillar candles and lit their already-blackened wicks, then set them up in front of himself. He pulled a woody amulet out from beneath his shirt and let it hang prominently against his chest, then set a notebook and pen beside his cake, within easy reach on his right. Last, he unfolded a worn-out board bearing the alphabet, a set of numeric symbols, a "yes" in the upper left corner, a "no" in the upper right corner, and "goodbye" spelled out at the bottom.

With one hand, he cut himself off a forkful of cake; with the other, he moved the planchette onto the board's "G."

"Hello," he said, into the silence of his apartment. He kept his left hand light on the planchette. "Is anyone here?"

Nothing disturbed the hush; Ryou took a bite of his cake. Any apprehension he had once had about using the Ouija board had faded with time. It was as normal to him, now, as fixing his dinner or taking a shower. He'd lost count of the candle-stubs that had gathered in the bottom of the Ouija board's worn box. Though he knew—and believed, to a greater or lesser extent—that using a Ouija board alone was a bad practice, in general, it was the only way he had ever played with one.

"Hello?" he called again. Some nights, there was no answer. Some nights, the apartment remained silent.

That night was not such a night.

"h-e-l-l-o-t-h-e-r-e"

Ryou felt a smile break onto his face, honestly delighted when the planchette moved slowly across the board. He could feel the presence—long practice had given him some physical sense of it, whenever a spirit answered the board's call. This particular spirit had a somewhat more powerful presence, though the planchette seemed almost cautious, and Ryou shivered.

"Hello!" he said, making an effort to sound friendly. "I'm Ryou—Ryou Bakura! What's your name?"

"im called... tou..." the pointer spelled out.

Ryou felt a thrill travel through him, from his pounding heart and into the fingertips of his left hand. He scribbled down t-o-u in his notebook, with his right hand. "Tou? Nice to meet you!"

"nice... to meet you... ryou..." was the reply, and Ryou's smile grew.

"What are you, Tou? If you don't mind me asking."

The planchette hesitated; Ryou could feel that the spirit hadn't left, but it didn't answer immediately. When it did, it spelled out, "h-u-m-a-n"

While aware that spirits weren't always the most truthful of beings, Ryou was inclined to believe this one. There was something oddly fervent about the answer, and Ryou heard the word as if it had been spoken aloud: human.

"That's nice. So am I."

"h-a-h-a... i would assume so..."

"Have you spoken to the living like this, before?"

"yes... once or twice..."

"Oh? Do you like it?"

"i appreciate the company..."

There was a wryness about the reply, and Ryou laughed aloud. "That's why I do it, too. I like the company. Thank you for answering!"

The planchette was still, for a moment, and then spelled out, "youre odd... different from others ive talked to..."

"Really? How so?"

"n-e-d-j-e-m"

Ryou blinked. He was confident in his ability to read the board, but the word seemed like nonsense. He jotted it down, to be sure, and still couldn't identify it visually: nedjem.

"you live alone..." the spirit spelled out, and it occurred to Ryou suddenly that there was no question mark on the board. He didn't know whether to interpret it as observation or question, but decided to answer it anyway.

"Yes. I moved out of my family's home when I started college."

"no roommate..."

"No."

"friends..."

"Yes!" Ryou was surprised, but genuinely pleased. He'd never had a spirit engage him about his own life, in such a way. There wasn't much to tell, but he was glad to share what there was. "I have some very good friends."

"thats good..."

"Do you have any friends? Wherever you are?" Ryou asked.

"haha... no... no friends for me..."

Ryou felt a stab of sadness. "I'll be your friend, if you'd like."

The planchette moved suddenly, erratically, almost slipping from beneath his hand. Ryou squeaked in surprise, but watched closely; assured himself that the movement was apparently random, not calculated figure-eights or a numerical pattern. The candles flickered.

"youre crazy..." the spirit spelled out, when it had calmed. "what do you think youre doing... making an offer like that..."

"I think I'm making a friend," Ryou said, a bit indignant. "Just because you're a spirit doesn't mean we couldn't be friends."

"and i suppose youve made friends with spirits before..."

"Well, no," Ryou admitted. "I've made contact with spirits before, lots of times, but..."

"but what..."

"But they don't usually come back."

There was a pause. Then, the spirit said, "i cant imagine why..."

Ryou felt heat rise to his face, and tried to convince himself that he wasn't being charmed by a wandering spirit that had appeared at his Ouija board. "I'm not a very interesting person..."

"youre kind though..."

"I-I'm not anything special."

"i beg to differ..."

"You've known me for five minutes!" Ryou objected.

"thats true..." the spirit calling itself Tou replied. "but id like to know you for much longer..."

Ryou pulled up short; realized what he'd just read. "Oh... I mean, of course! Does that mean we'll be friends?"

"sure... if youd like to call us that..."

And again Ryou smiled. "Of course! Glad to be your friend, Tou!"

"glad to be your friend... ryou... well talk again..."

"Do you want me to end the session, then?"

"for now..."

Though slightly saddened, Ryou nodded. "Alright. Is it strenuous, to make contact like this?"

"a bit... im a tired old spirit ryou..."

"How old are you, Tou? If you don't mind me asking."

"three thousand long years"

... ... ...

Ryou lay awake, deep into the night, thinking about the three-thousand year old spirit that called itself Tou. He stared up at his blank ceiling, wondering why the apartment didn't feel as empty as it usually did.

The spirit might not come back... he reflected, no matter what it said...

He hoped Tou would come back. Perhaps, he thought, Tou hadn't even left, after the session had ended.

When morning came, Ryou resisted the urge to pull out the Ouija board; went about his morning routine, instead, in the silence of the apartment. He left for his morning classes, and then worked an uneventful shift at his local bookstore. But when he returned home, he could scarcely be bothered to fix himself a sandwich out of leftovers for supper.

He could feel the spirit's presence, and felt certain that Tou would be there when he pulled out the Ouija board.

He wasn't disappointed.

"hello again ryou..."

"Good evening, Tou! Thank you for answering!"

"its not as if i have much else to do..."

"So, have you been a spirit for three thousand years?"

"ha... well i wasnt alive for three thousand years..."

Ryou huffed. "I guess I meant, well... have you been a wandering spirit for that long?"

"i never made it to the afterlife... if thats what you mean..."

Ryou's eyes widened. "So there is one, in proper? An afterlife?" He hoped such a question didn't apply as inquiring about his own death—a thing to be absolutely avoided when using a Ouija board.

"there is..." was Tou's reply. "anubis guards its gates well... even i have no chance at sneaking in..."

Ryou couldn't tell if the spirit was being tongue-in-cheek; it didn't seem like a serious response, although the board didn't allow for clues like tone or facial expression. "It's not painful, though, is it? Being wherever you are?"

"are you asking if im in hell..."

"No!" Ryou replied. "I mean... I suppose, but that's not why I'm asking. I'm concerned!"

"concerned... about a spirit you just met yesterday..." The planchette moved slowly, and Ryou wondered if it was due to bemusement or derision. But he was certain he could feel Tou's pretense, in the apartment, and it didn't feel spiteful.

"I am. It would bother me, if you were in pain." When the spirit didn't respond, Ryou forged on ahead. "You don't seem like a spirit reaching out from hell, though, or whatever version of the concept of hell actually exists. I imagine a spirit like that would be more... volatile. Even if they weren't abjectly hostile, or bad, existing under those conditions would wear at someone."

"wandering around for three thousand years can wear on someone too..."

"I'm sure it does."

The planchette moved back and forth, just slightly; pensively. Ryou waited patiently for the spirit to speak again, content to feel the gentle rock of the pointer beneath his hands. When the next message finally came through, it was, "i would give anything to be alive again..."

"I'm sure. I'm sorry."

"for what... not you... dont apologize..."

Ryou paused; chose his next words carefully. "I'm sorry you had to die. And I'm sorry this is how we have to meet."

The spirit, too, took a moment to reply. "youre still young... too young to think of death as reality..."

"How old were you when you died, if you don't mind me asking?"

"2-0"

Ryou felt a stab of sadness. "That's how old I am..."

"well... ive still got three thousand years on you..."

Ryou smiled. "That's true, I suppose."

"it wasnt so terribly young... by the standards of when i lived..." The spirit seemed to be musing aloud, and Ryou appreciated being privy to its thoughts. "most only lived to forty... maybe fifty with luck..."

"Where did you live, Tou?"

"somewhere far from here..."

The answer surprised Ryou. The spirit hadn't shied from answering any questions so far—although again, Ryou had to remind himself, the truthfulness of such answers couldn't be taken for granted—so the dodge was unexpected. Ryou decided quickly not to press the matter.

"Do you know why you're wandering? Why you can't find peace? I could try to help, if you wanted..."

"have you done that with other spirits... played medium..."

Ryou shook his head. "No... but I figured I'd offer. If you don't want that, that's fine, too."

Tou was silent for a long moment; Ryou could feel a light pressure on his hands, above the planchette. "no... no i dont want that... i know whats keeping me here and its not a thing you can help me deal with..."

"I can be a sympathetic ear, at least. Do you want to talk about it? The thing that's keeping you here?"

"no"

The answer was abrupt and decisive, and Ryou nodded. "Alright. I'm sorry if I upset you."

"h-a-h-a-h-a-h-a..." The laughter made Ryou blink, surprised. "upset me... no... no... its nothing you did..."

"But you are upset?"

"a little... i told you ryou... im a tired tired old spirit... and talking about things like this... im damn tired..."

"If you want to talk about something else—"

"i cant take much more of this ryou..."

Ryou paused; waited to see if the spirit would elaborate, and then asked, "Much more of what?"

"of being dead... i want to live again... id give anything..."

Ryou's skin prickled with alarm. It was a dangerous thing for a spirit to say. And yet he still felt no malice or aggression from the spirit—only bitterness and exhaustion.

"I'm so sorry, Tou."

"dont... apologize..."

"I'm so sorry..."

The planchette moved aimlessly for a moment, like a restless pacing. Then Tou said, "dont apologize... you are... helping..."

"Thank you, Tou. I appreciate your company, too!"

The planchette was still, although again Ryou could feel the presence lingering in his room. Then, "end the session... for now... im sorry i just... have to rest... a while..."

"Of course." Ryou smiled; tried to infuse his voice with all the affection that might be conveyed by a parting embrace. "Rest well, Tou. I'll talk to you again."

"talk to you... soon..."

"Goodbye."

"goodbye"

#gemshipping #yu-gi-oh #ygo #thief king bakura #ryou bakura #tkb #fanfic #fanfiction #this got out of hand whoops

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millennium-puzzle · 4 years ago

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Ok so review of these three duel (im goint to complete tomorrw bc tired)

Vs Lumis and Umbra

Pretty home phobic of YY and Kaiba challenging these guys, they are clearly boyfriends they even call eachother "aibou" :^/

Jokes aside: i like the concept of YY and Seto developing their relationship thanks to these "mirrows" L&U are duelists with amazing coordination skills definited by their DARK/LIGHT cards, just like YY and Kaiba are except that Kaiba can't stand Kuriboh no one but himself, he learns that collaboration is An Amazing Thing actually... by trying to ruin L&U's friendship kinda?

At least L&U never broke up and remain by eachother's side till end. Lovs wins

Speaking of winning, their strategy and decks were greatly superior by we all know that YY only wins thanks to Plot Armor

Kaiba's character development is kinda great but because he or Mokuba can't have real character development he will forget everything the next ep

Kinda weird L&U are in DL unlike other much more deserving characters but eh whatever

vs Marik!Joey

Oh My Fucking God

This was a long ass sad duel with the highest stakes ever and incredible plot twists

The whole brainwashing with Joey was scary and tearjerking, he was Malik's slave till the last moment, even when he wanted to break free, considering he was pretty much "Joey but evil" i wonder why they didn't gave him a villainish "subconscious" motive like "i'm tired of being in your shadow and i'll become a True Duelist by getting rid of you >:(" but i assume TK can't even conceive a world where Joe doesn't absolutely love Yugi

Marik was Horrible: a real fucking bastard, arguably this is worse than Pegs because when Kaiba didn't wanted to duel Mokuba at least Pegs accepted it and dueled Kaiba himself, here Marik gave no choise beside "duel eachother until one of you dies, otherwise your other buddy (Tea) is gone instead" until he himself got tired of Joey's resistence and decided he will kill both

I have seen people claim this made him even worse than YM (...eh?), and while i really don't agree with that i consider "trying to drow two innocent boys" in my Top 3 worst thing an Ishtar did

Also where is Bakura?

Seto and Mokuba did absolutely nothing until they remembed they are ninjas and in charge of this farce and i'm proud of them I didn't liked that Tea was so ready to sacrifice her life for them but friendship power i guess, anyway, she thanking Mokuba who just pressed a button but not Seto who actually saved her? Amazing, she was right

Tristan and Duke being a powercouple and protecting Serenity? Priceless, LET THEM INTERACT MORE GODDAMIT!

Serenity saving her bro? Stunning, LET HER HAVE MORE SCREENTIME GODDAMIT!

The duel itself? Oh well, just watch it man, it's awesome and indescribable, the raw emotion is what makes this duel, Joey, Yugi and YY really REALLY love each other, shout out to TK for inventing love again and also no-homing Yugi's amazing love confession to Joey (because yes that words Yugi used could have romantic connotations), i wish Jou said "i love you too" though, it would have been perfect

I did NOT appreciate the Red Eyes torture porn, my sweet child getting summoned and immediatly brought down was Not Good >:(

Vs Bonz

Ok this is ep is one of my fave, mostly for the color pallets and the animation, they finally remembed Ryou is supposed to be beautiful

Why are Marik and Bakura's interactions so weird?

The ep start with a bizzare but very artsy sequence of Marik entering Ryou's mind (i assume?) He enters in a empty space (where i believe Bakura lives? Kinda like YY's door rooms in Yugi's mind) and claims he implanted himself in Ryou's mind and that he and Bakura are officially mindmates in Hotel Ryou, poor guy

I have noticed Bakura always calls Malik a "brat" and treats him like an irresponsable kid that toys with his MI and while he is... not wrong, Bakura is equally guilty of that, they are very similar except Malik actually gets shit (almost) done :p

Then he goes to be an Official Gamer as promised and proves to the be The brat that toys with his Millennium Item when he becomes and graveyard bully and sends three little kids to hell, very cool Bakura

My opinion for Bonz is for another post but, i love this tiny badass little boy that is strong and tough enough to escape hell according Duel Links, this is a Bonz&friends Stan Blog

Me thinking Shizuka got a real character arc with her whole "tired of being dipendent of her bro and desidering to become the strong one that will give her bro some hope" thing before the supposed female lead of this godamned show

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