Buying Time (Invite Only)

[mugenginga]

Bakura looked up as Adachi answered. Well, either he was trying to protect his feelings or he wasn't sure. Or both, it was possible it was both. He hesitated and tried to rephrase it. He didn't think Yuugi was all that bad, but Atem had seemed... well, scary the first time he'd met him. He had worked to save him, but it was possible it had been more for Yuugi and his friends than him.

"...do you think Atem-kun would harm people on purpose, then? Just your gut feeling if that's all you can give..." Bakura assumed Adachi would at least have that. He was a police officer, so he probably dealt with a lot of cases. Maybe he had a sense for that kind of thing.

Anpu was silent, but he was observing. Adachi had copped out on the first question. He was amused at where this conversation was going. His host was trying to figure out if he could be trusted. By talking to the person he already did. The direction of this conversation would be heavily effecting future developments...

----------

Teddie looked around. There was only one seat left. He looked over to Yuugi and Atem before walking towards a clear area of the living room and plopping down on the floor. He was sitting with his legs bent to either side and his feet touching. He grabbed his feet with his hands and looked up. He seemed comfortable enough.

"Partner, you take the seat. I'll be fine standing," Atem said.

Yuugi didn't argue. Ryoji looked depressed. The short teen wanted to let him talk. Ryoji glanced around the room. This was never an easy message. Well, he'd only given it once before but it still wasn't easy. He stayed standing in the doorway to the bedroom as he began to talk.

"I don't know how many details everyone knows, so I'm going to try and start from the top," he looked down and sighed before looking up, "Please don't interrupt me. This... isn't easy."

"The short version is that this world is going to end soon. An unshakable apathy will spread through humanity, and they'll all... you'll all just let yourself die. Quite a few people have already fallen to it, but when the true Fall hits, it'll happen at once," Ryoji shook his head, "Everyone will just... stop. It's something like a waking coma. I'll spare you the details. You won't feel anything, it will be like dying in your sleep."

"I'm not human, as I'm sure you knew. Even if you didn't, you were all there in the hall. That's my true form. I'm a Shadow, but I'm not like Teddie-kun. It's better said I'm a collection of powerful Shadows. Twe..." Ryoji paused and shook his head, "Fourteen to be exact. They were known as 'Arcana Shadows'. I'm the thirteenth Arcana, a man made being whose purpose is to bring about The Fall."

Ryoji closed his eyes, "The Fall is inevitable. Because I know you're going to ask, this world won't see Christmas. Things are going faster than before. I don't know why, but they are. I can't give an exact date, but I think this world will be lucky to see December 20th."

"I don't know..." Ryoji opened his eyes and looked at Minato. He seemed to find what he was looking for and returned his focus to the group, "I don't know how long I can stay with everyone. Things are different than the last time. But I've decided..." Again he glanced at Minato, "I'm going to try and stay for as long as I can this time. As Ryoji."

He stopped. He hoped the pause would be enough to indicate he was done. Atem hadn't heard anything he didn't know about, but the second time Ryoji had looked at Minato he'd looked as well. There was something going on between those two he wasn't quite sure about. He didn't think it was just that they had known each other before. He would have jumped to one theory, but Ryoji had implied he didn't feel that way before. It was perhaps merely just a deep friendship, like his Partner and Jounouchi had.

Yuugi wasn't sure if Ryoji was done. He still thought that the world was gonna end. He didn't know how long he had been awake, but it seemed Minato had failed in that regard so far. Almost. Because Ryoji was implying that before he'd left right after letting people know what was going to happen. He'd caught the glances towards Minato. Maybe Minato had gotten through to him, at least partially.

Teddie looked at his feet and squeezed them more. The fate of the other side was connected to this side. Which meant if this world were destroyed, so would his home. He was going to fight against that. Ryoji said they had just over a month on the very outside. So they had just over a month to figure out a solution to this mess. Teddie glanced at Minato. It was a longshot, but maybe he had something to say...

[Firebreath Fishslap]

And again Adachi was confronted with a hard question. About the Atem person. Adachi didn't like Atem. Atem had been the whole reason he had thrown that Puzzle thing into the other side. Atem with his ability to apparently practically crush people's minds. Yeah, Adachi didn't like him.

"I think he might," Adachi said. "I think there's just something dangerous about him."

That was a fairly honest answer, considering this was Adachi talking. Something had obviously happened that was making Bakura not trust his old friends. Maybe Anpu had something to do with it... wait, Anpu. Of course he had something to do with it.

-------------------

Minato stayed silent the whole time Ryoji spoke. This was a more condensed version of what Ryoji had said before, but other than that, it was all the same. At least until Ryoji reached the last part. He wasn't telling them to kill him. He was saying he wanted to stay as long as he could. Minato gave a small, pained smile at that. To the very end.

"Won't see Christmas..." Souji said to himself. "There's absolutely nothing you can do after all? There's no way to prevent this beyond someone giving up their life to seal Nyx?"

He looked toward Minato again. Despite the confirmation that they were all going to die, Minato didn't seem too bothered. Souji had seen Ryoji's glances toward Minato before. Was Minato just happy that he could spend some time with his friend before they all died?

Kanji and Naoto were both silent. The world wouldn't live until Christmas... But the two of them seemed to have made a silent decision to fight if nothing else could be done. Just like they knew Souji was going to. Minato and his friends had stopped the Fall before. Maybe Minato wasn't going to fight back this time. But Souji would, that they knew. And they'd stand by him.

[mugenginga]

Bakura nodded. He looked tortured about something. He was convinced Atem wouldn't hurt Yuugi. He was almost as sure that Yuugi hadn't caused all these problems on purpose. The evidence was there that Yuugi was Atem's reincarnation. Anpu was "living" proof that the present lives didn't have to have any connection to the pasts. He didn't want Yuugi hurt. But Atem... and there in lay the problem. If Atem were hurt, Yuugi would be. Emotionally at the very least.

He wasn't sure how much he could continue to say, either. He knew Anpu was listening. Anpu would "handle" things if he got out of line. If the law came down on Anpu, he'd leave and Bakura wasn't sure if he'd ever see anyone he knew again. Atem was dangerous, Yuugi wasn't. Yuugi was the one in the most danger right now. Bakura's eyes widened and he turned back towards Adachi.

"Is there any way you can keep an eye on him, then? There's a chance he might flip out soon. And Yuugi-kun might get killed..." Bakura shook his head, "I'd explain more if I could! Please, if its possible keep an eye on them!"

Anpu wasn't quite sure what Bakura was planning. For several moments he wasn't sure and then it hit him. He was trying to hande Atem without killing him. If Atem snapped over Yuugi being in trouble, it could lead to Atem being arrested. However, there would be an investigation into Yuugi's disappearance as well. Which could lead to Bakura being arrested. Adachi would argue that it was a case of split personality, stranger things seemed to occur on the Island. Would Bakura argue that just to put himself, and as a result him, behind bars...?

He doubted being arrested would be a problem for him. The fact that Bakura was willing to damn himself to protect at least Yuugi, however... Anpu found himself more entertained than he had in quite some time.

----------

"...no, there isn't," he said, his voice breaking a bit in that heartwrenching familiar manner he had apologized what seemed like a lifetime ago, "I don't even know if that would work. Minato caused a miracle before, I think it's far too optimistic to count on that happening twice. I'm not sure that the only reason it happened then wasn't from Minato's connection to Death."

"I told you once before, Souji-kun, I'm sorry to be a burden. I didn't even know how true that was, because now you all know you're going to die. The only other option is one only Minato could carry out, and he's turned it down before. I don't..." he shook his head, "It's not fair to ask him again. If it helps, though... Nyx doesn't want this anymore than any of us do. She's merely acting on a summons created by Man. Me."

"Ryoji-kun..." Yuugi said. Ryoji looked over at the short teenager, "Can you help us fight, at least?"

Atem looked pained as he looked over to Yuugi. His Partner was right. They would fight it. Unless he had completely misread every single member of the group, none of them were the type to go down without swinging. Teddie looked over to Yuugi and then to Ryoji, who seemed surprised at the question. He hesitated before squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head.

"I don't think I can. I'm going to be putting my energy into keeping this form. I'm... really really sorry..."

Ryoji grabbed his arms. He looked like he was hugging himself. That hadn't occurred to him just yet. The group was going to be fighting it, and he couldn't help. He would be lucky if Nyx let him keep his humanity until The Fall. Fighting this fate would bring the chance down to almost nothing at best. So he was going to have to watch his friends struggle against the inevitable. A bit of moisture was gathering at his eyes, he looked like he was about to cry. He was useless.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Adachi had things a bit more figured out. He knew Anpu disliked Atem quite a bit. And he knew that Yuugi was Bakura's friend and that Yuugi and Atem had something way more than a good friendship going on. Adachi wouldn't put it past Anpu to use Yuugi against Atem. And if Yuugi got hurt, Bakura was implying that Atem might not take things that well... Which was probably the understatement of the year.

And the last thing Adachi wanted was Bakura to get hurt thanks to that stupid spiky haired kid.

"Alright. I'll keep an eye on him for you," Adachi said. "But you both need to be more careful, too. Takahashi-san's been snooping around again. And if that Atem kid does lose it... then I don't want you getting hurt."

Adachi hadn't wanted to bring that up, but he knew that he needed to say it. Takahashi was one of those people who latched onto a case and didn't give up until it was solved. Apparently he got it from his old mentor. Adachi didn't know. All he knew was that Anpu had for some reason kidnapped Seta and Takahashi had driven Anpu and Seta to that shrine from the previous day.

------------------

Minato looked over at Ryoji. "Ryoji, it's okay," he said. But he couldn't think of anything else to say. How was he supposed to be reassuring Ryoji if he couldn't say anything to help him?

Souji's hands were curled into fists. Nyx didn't want this, but she wasn't doing anything to stop it. Ryoji didn't think making a seal would work, because it had taken a miracle to work before. Even if they fought back, they would all die. And the only other option would just delay things. He knew about the only other option. Minato would kill Ryoji. By doing so, their memories of the Dark Hour would disappear too. Their friendships probably wouldn't fade, but that didn't mean that things wouldn't change, probably for the worse. And if Ryoji was killed, they had no chances of changing things.

Plus, Souji didn't think Minato would ever consider taking that option again. Like Ryoji said, Minato had turned it down before. And with whatever had happened between Ryoji and Minato earlier, Souji didn't think Minato would consider that option again. It was odd. Minato and Ryoji seemed a lot closer now. Almost like Yuugi and...

Souji inwardly groaned. Well that explained a lot.

So you're still going to fight against Nyx? Izanagi asked. He scoffed. Foolishness. And Death is right. It took a miracle to defeat her before.

We're all going to fight. It may take a miracle sure... but I've worked miracles before. Or did you forget the events of earlier? Souji said back. "Ryoji. You're fighting just by existing. The fact that you're keeping that form means that you're fighting against the Fall in your own way."

You sound confident for someone who was freaking out over said events only ten minutes ago, Izanagi said. That didn't get a response either.

[mugenginga]

When Adachi confirmed he'd keep an eye on Atem, a weight seemed to lift from the entire conversation. From Bakura's shoulders at the very least. He lost some of how tense he was and let out a breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding. He got to his feet and wobbled a bit when Adachi continued with his warning. He looked at Adachi with a puzzled expression on his face, but it went away quickly enough. He didn't think introductions had been made, but Takahashi was probably the police officer that had been driving when Anpu had poisoned Souji.

He nodded. There was that possibility. Anpu didn't seem the type to not consider all outcomes. So he had to know that if he pissed off Atem he'd be putting their life in danger. Then again, Bakura knew that Anpu knew that he had to be surfaced to actually be killed. That was probably also in his contigency plans. Bakura looked exhausted and began heading towards the living room. If Adachi was on top of his game he'd realize Bakura was giving up the bed. Sometimes the kid was just too damn nice.

----------

Ryoji looked towards Minato. It wasn't okay. Maybe if he helped them fight something could be changed. It was a stupid thought, he couldn't help them fight. But right now he was looking for anything. If some of his thoughts were right, he wanted the Fall even less than before. Fate had a nasty sense of humor.

He seemed startled as Souji spoke. He grimaced a bit at Souji's words. It was a nice thought, but it was just another one of those things intended to make him feel better. He forced out a nod, but it wasn't a large one. It could have been missed. He still wanted to try and get Nyx to talk to him again, but right now he needed sleep even more. He shifted to the side a bit and leaned against the door frame.

"I think we all need to get some sleep. This hasn't been an easy day for any of us," Atem glanced at Ryoji with sympathy, "If no one objects, I suggest we rest tomorrow. It's been a long couple of days and none of us are going to be able to fight anything if we collapse."

Even Atem was feeling it to the point that he had to admit it. He didn't have a weak constitution, he never had, but the last few days had been hell. K1 had returned to his home dimension, Ryoji had shown up, Izanagi had tried to erase Souji, Bakura had appeared and the Ring had proven to be no safer than before. To top off the wonderful events, Ryoji had awakened faster than he should have and unless something drastic occurred they'd probably all be dead well before the year turned over. It would be abnormal to not be exhausted.

Teddie pushed himself to his feet. A month, give or take a few days in either direction, "Sensei... Can I... go home tonight?"

He'd once said he was proud to say that was his home. He still was. He'd spent longer times away from the TV World before, but circumstances were different. It wasn't that he had anyone to visit, your average shadow had about as much personality as a footstool. But the air there was better, even with the place being fogridden. It was comparable to those living in high altitudes coming down to the valley and vice versa, he supposed. It wasn't that it was unbearable or even all that unpleasant if you were used to the difference, but it still wasn't home.

Yuugi got up as well. This was horrible. He looked depressed, and considering it was Yuugi, it was depressing just to see. Bakura was hurt, Kaiba was off who knew where, he still had no idea about the fate of the rest of his friends back home, and the world was ending. The oppression the entire mess was placing down had him almost wishing for something as simple and winnable as the Dark Games. He didn't flinch as he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder. Atem was behind him. He gave a forced grin and looked up.

"We're going to head back to our Apartment... if something comes up, please let us know," he said.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Adachi sighed once Bakura was out of the room, and closed the door behind him. Bakura was just too nice sometimes. In any case, it had been a very long day. Adachi pulled off his jacket and undid his tie, throwing both onto the bed before he headed into the bathroom. He needed a shower, and badly.

----------------

Souji stood up as well. "Sleep sounds really good at this point." He'd probably had one of the more hellish days out of the whole group, though Ryoji and Minato won that contest easily. Ryoji because he had awakened. Minato because he was Ryoji's closest friend and possible closet lover. If the situation weren't so serious, Souji would probably be teasing them over it. After all, just the day before, Ryoji had balked at such a suggestion.

He was a little surprised by Teddie's request, and turned to him. "Yeah, go ahead," he said. He looked toward the others. "...I'm gonna head back to my apartment too."

Kanji and Naoto both stood up. They hadn't said much during the whole conversation, Kanji especially. He hadn't been able to think of anything to say that wouldn't make him sound like an asshole. He didn't want to blame Ryoji, but the way Ryoji sounded like he was just giving up pissed Kanji off.

Naoto and Kanji filtered out behind Atem and Yuugi, and Souji followed after. Minato waited until everyone was out of the room to turn to Ryoji. "...Souji was right, you know," Minato said.

[mugenginga]

Teddie looked a little relieved. He wouldn't have gone back had Souji not said it was okay. He had gone out with Naoto and Kanji. Izanami had been one thing. She hadn't thought she could lose but there hadn't been this weight of being "unable" to win, either. He was a bit upset at Ryoji too, but he'd have never admitted it. Besides, he'd almost given up twice now. And Ryoji had lost before. It was no wonder he was having trouble. Did being human suck as much as being a Shadow?

"About fighting...?" Ryoji responded after a few moments of his own. He shook his head, "No he isn't. You know Nyx was talking to me before... I'm sure she's still there, although she hasn't said anything since I remembered everything. If I had any guts at all I'd do what you said. Tell her to fuck herself. I'm..."

Ryoji hugged himself tighter. Earlier that day, he would have laughed at something like a concept of a blessing and a curse. Right now it made more sense than anything else in the world. He wondered if he was confirming he was still here. That Ryoji was still here and still had this form. He still looked on the verge of tears.

"I'm worried that if I balk her at all, she'll pull back on what little grace she's granted me here. I don't know what happened with Souji-kun and Izanagi, but like him I'm an avatar. It's up to Nyx if I even get to keep my autonomy, let alone this form..."

----------

Atem and Yuugi were quiet until they were at their apartment door. With the walls of this place, he was grateful they managed to be the only one of the group on the third floor. He stopped at the door, and Yuugi paused to look at him. Atem sighed.

"Partner, you're going to insist I take the bed again, aren't you?"

Yuugi looked confused, "It worked fine last night, didn't it? The pillows, I mean."

Atem covered his face. It was a facepalm, but it was also to hide his face. It wasn't that he was "shy" about things like that. Proximity and such. Anyone that thought he was and knew about his rank in Ancient Egypt were seriously deluding themselves. It was because it was Yuugi. People of this era didn't seem to get the difference between that and actually having feelings for someone.

Yuugi yawned. Atem looked uncomfortable but he was so exhausted right now he didn't feel like even trying to sort it out. That fact that Yuugi seemed clueless wasn't helping Atem, either. Because he couldn't just gloss over it. Even the thought made him feel like he was taking advantage of Yuugi. He shook his head and removed his hand when he knew the almost blush had subsided. He didn't really feel like spelling it out but it looked the only option. And he had a feeling they'd both pass out once they got into the bedroom.

"No, Partner, it didn't. I thought you'd been too groggy to notice. That 'barrier'? Didn't work. I was awake first. I didn't... mind... but your head was on my chest. You seem to want to take this slower, and I don't mind that. So it would be better if-"

"...is that all?"

Atem stopped, "What?"

Yuugi was fidgeting. Atem was supposed to be more observant than that. He wasn't supposed to have to spell things out for the former Pharaoh. And here he was. Maybe it was because they were both tired. Maybe he actually had tripped Atem's mind. Maybe Atem liked making him feel awkward, he didn't really know at this point. His ears felt hot at this point, whatever Atem's side of the situation was.

"I-I said is that a-a-all?"

"You don't mind...?"

Yuugi glanced around the hall, grateful no one was there and stuttering the whole time, "It's not like... I mean... you... and so..."

Atem felt it coming up and wished he could have at least apologized first. But the chuckling was out before he could form the words. This was insane. The world was about to end and he was chuckling. Yuugi jerked his head back and saw Atem had put his hand back over his face. Wait, was he laughing at him? He wanted to feel annoyed but all he could do was be more embarassed.

"A-atem...."

"I'm sorry, Partner... You're j-just... I wish I had a video camera," Atem said.

"I don't... a-am I really that stupid looking?"

"N-not at all," Atem said between chuckles, "You're that cute."

If it was physically possible for steam to come out of a person's ears, Yuugi would be suffering that phenomenon. He couldn't even speak right now. He'd been called cute before, but the context was different. He'd heard some people describe it as "puppy cute" vs "boy cute". Platonic vs Romantic. And Atem was using it in the latter sense. The only one that had even come close to that before had been Anzu. Everyone else was too busy seeing him as a gradeschooler. He was also aware that he probably wasn't helping the situation.

Atem had stopped chuckling and he stepped past Yuugi, pushing open the door to the Apartment, "Then I guess the sleeping arrangements aren't a problem anymore, huh?"

"Would you stop being so calm about this!?" It was obviously meant as a joke. Atem found himself chuckling again as Yuugi walked in and the door closed behind them.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Minato looked down. He still felt so useless. Even more than he knew Ryoji was feeling. Ryoji thought he couldn't fight. He probably couldn't. But Minato felt useless because he couldn't do anything to make Ryoji feel better. He really was useless. They both were.

He put a hand on one of Ryoji's, and lightly pulled it out of the self-hug. He was looking Ryoji in the eyes again.

"I know," Minato stated. "But Souji's still here, isn't he? And Izanagi was one of the creators of Japan. And Izanagi was trying his hardest to get rid of Souji. Souji's not even all that special either, and he's still here."

Sorry, Souji, Minato mentally apologized before continuing. "I wish you wouldn't worry so much. You'll make me worry even worse."

[mugenginga]

Ryoji looked a bit startled as Minato grabbed his hand. He was able to fight the short-lived urge to pull back. He was glad about that. Minato was staring him in the eyes now. Souji... was still there. He'd balked Izanagi more than a bit, as well. How had that worked? He still didn't know what had changed Izanagi's mind. Souji had seemed exhausted, but that was understandable for how much Izanagi had wanted to get rid of him. How had he fought for as long as he did, anyhow?

He slumped his shoulders, letting the other hand fall back to his side. Ryoji didn't think Minato was trying to criticize him, but it felt like it. How was he supposed to not worry? This was the emotions he'd offered to let Minato kill him over. That dread of death, of never seeing those you cared about again. Cared about. Ryoji turned away and pulled his hand back.

"I'm... sorry, Minato. I'm exhausted. I'll take the couch."

Ryoji sidestepped Minato and headed for the couch.

Cared about. Care about, present tense. Dammit, this isn't fair, Ryoji closed his eyes, his back now to Minato due to the layout of the Apartment, And I don't even know if I want him to stop me or let me go to sleep...

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Minato let his own hand drop back to his side when Ryoji pulled his hand out of his grip. He just stood facing the doorway to the bedroom for a moment, before turning back around and putting his hand on Ryoji's shoulder.

"Ryoji, I'll take the couch. If you're that exhausted, you'll sleep better on the bed," Minato said. He was going to at least make things comfortable for Ryoji if he could.

He almost couldn't believe himself. There was a reason he was acting this way with Ryoji, and it wasn't just because they were friends. He actually did really care about Ryoji. That was why this was so painful to him this time. It had been painful before, but it seemed to have reached new levels with this repeat of the previous scenario. And the only reason he could think was he actually -liked- Ryoji.

Somewhat ironic. The two guys at Gekkoukan who became known for hitting on pretty much everything that moved fall in love with each other. Because Minato knew by this point Ryoji had the same feelings.

Not that Minato thought he would actually admit these feelings. It was almost embarrassing.

---------------

Kanji and Naoto were both heading to bed themselves. Neither of them had really talked. They really didn't talk that much. Kanji clammed up around Naoto a lot. Naoto really had to wonder what Souji-sempai was thinking when he gave them an apartment together. Plus Kanji never seemed to take initiative and say that he actually thought they should put that empty bedroom to good use.

Kanji was already laying down on the couch when Naoto stepped out of her room. Kanji sat up when she sat down on a chair next to him.

"You worried about somethin'?" Kanji asked. Stupid question. They all were. Naoto nodded.

"I think we all are," Naoto said, confirming what Kanji had been thinking. "No one likes hearing that they're about to die. We both knew it already, but it was hard hearing it again."

"...Ryoji pisses me off," Kanji said. "He ain't even trying to do anything to stop this."

"He may not be able to," Naoto said. "He said that it had taken a miracle to stop the Fall before. And that he was losing himself. It's taking all of his effort to stay like this."

"Doesn't mean he doesn't piss me off."

Naoto sighed, and the two of them sat there for a couple minutes in silence. Finally Naoto stood up.

"I'm going to go to bed," Naoto said. She stood up, and Kanji flushed. Well, now or never, he supposed. What with the world coming to an end.

"C-can I have the bed tonight?" Kanji stuttered out. She had been walking down to the bedroom when Kanji stuttered out his question. She turned.

"Only if I can sleep in it too," Naoto said. She paused. "Kanji-kun... your nose is bleeding."

[mugenginga]

Ryoji stopped almost cold as he felt Minato put his hand on his shoulder. Not quite, but almost. It would be easy enough to misread. What was actually going on was Ryoji realized he had wanted Minato to stop him. He was in midturn with an expression that mixed surprise and relief when Minato spoke. He paused and his expression shifted back to depressed. What the hell had he been thinking there? Minato was just telling him to take the bed.

By the time he'd gotten fully turned around, he'd reconvinced himself it was better this way. Neither of them knowing one way or the other. Because if they did, especially if they did, the already painful situation would just get worse. The "theory" had flash solidified in Ryoji's mind as soon as he realized he had wanted Minato to stop him. So he knew about his end. He didn't want to think about it one way or the other for Minato's.

It was almost stupid, thinking about it. He'd become almost an overnight legend at Gekkoukan for knowing no fear. Thanks to his seconds seperated proposition of two of the most unreachable girls at Gekkoukan. Both members of S.E.E.S, Mitsuru and Yukari. It only added fuel to the legend with where he had suggested they go. Thinking back, it was possible he'd had feelings for Minato the whole time and had been trying to fill a void. And it wasn't exactly "normal" for guys to hit on guys...

But none of it really mattered. Minato would be dead in a month and Ryoji would be lost. It couldn't be anything, and he was already depressed. He didn't need to mess with "what-ifs". The world was going to end. So he wouldn't ask, he wouldn't bring it up. He nodded at Minato and walked past him. He had to keep telling himself it was better this way. Because he wasn't convinced...

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Minato turned and watched as Ryoji walked away. Shit. He'd missed his chance to say something, anything, that wasn't just stupid. He'd instead disappointed them both. Even though just a moment before he'd been thinking to himself that it would be better if he didn't admit things, he found himself wishing he had.

He hesitated for a moment. Oh, what the hell. They were both going to die in a few weeks anyway. It was now or never.

"R-Ryoji... I... I just want to say. I really like you. A lot," Minato said. "Er... well. Good night, Ryoji."

...Well that failed. Minato remembered a little tidbit about how you're supposed to move slowly with these kind of things. Like he had done with the girls. But he was getting all nervous around Ryoji.

[mugenginga]

Ryoji paused with the door half closed at Minato's words. He didn't know if Minato wanted a response. It didn't help that he was trying to avoid thinking about how Minato might feel. Because those words could have been taken two ways. Ryoji closed his eyes and closed the door the rest of the way without answering. Maybe Minato hadn't seen the pause, it hadn't been for more than a few seconds after all.

He didn't bother getting undressed. The fact that he pulled off his scarf was actually impressive for how exhausted he was. Trapped, depressed, disappointed. Minato might have been trying to say something there, but he'd pulled back. Ryoji sighed and let the scarf just fall to the floor. Minato probably did. Ryoji fell onto the bed and lay there for several moments with his face buried in the fabric. On one hand he could ask and get rid of all that tension. He rolled over on his side and closed his eyes. It was either the tension of not knowing for sure or the pain of their impending demise.

"Nyx, are you there?"

No response. He hadn't expected one, really. She was pissing him off by now. He wasn't trying to contact her to beg for his life. He knew how unavoidable the end was. He had questions, dammit, and the least she could do was answer them. Could he expect to keep his self as Ryoji up to the Fall. If not, how long? Could he ask for more time? Why had she contacted him this time but not last? If wanted The Fall as little as he suspected, why couldn't she stop it? Did she have to meet up with Erebus?

The questions didn't leave Ryoji with his awareness. They continued to plague him after the minutes it took him to drift off.

----------

The knock-knock-knock-knock-knock knock-knock made it a good thing once again that Yuugi and Atem had a room on a seperate floor from everyone else. The walls were thin, true enough, but it would prevent enough of the noise that it wouldn't be disturbing to anyone, especially in their exhaustion.

Kaiba frowned as he didn't receive a response. He pulled a pocket watch out of his pocket. Most people didn't know he had the thing, and it wasn't anything fancy. Usually there were enough clocks around that he didn't have to check it manually. The low light in the hall meant he had to practically touch it to his nose to read it. 11:40 PM, give or take.

It was Yuugi who woke up to the knocking. The sleeping arrangement had settled into something similar from that morning, but the conversation earlier had meant it was by choice this time. He rubbed one eye and glanced over at the digital clock on the nightstand. Who was knocking on their door at this time of night?

Atem's arm was swung over him, so he carefully picked it up and set it down. The fact that the former Pharaoh still didn't wake up was really saying something. Yuugi had known he was exhausted, but he hadn't realized it was this bad. The shorter teenager made his way to the bedroom door and carefully stepped out as the knocking repeated. He tried to rub more of the sleep out of his eyes, but didn't announce he was coming to the door.

Kaiba had lifted his hand for a final try when the door opened. He scowled and looked down. Yuugi was so close to sleepwalking that he stared blankly at Kaiba a few moments. Then his eyes widened. Kaiba crossed his arms and looked away. This was embarassing, asking Yuugi for help.

"I need a place stay," Kaiba grumbled.

"Whu...?" Yuugi said.

"I said, I need a place to stay!" Kaiba snapped back. He glared as Yuugi jumped at the response.

"Don't you have any place else to go...?" Yuugi could feel himself finally starting to wake up.

"Do you think I'd be at your door if I didn't? Where is Atem, anyways?"

"He's still asleep. It's almost midnight and..." Yuugi hesitated. It was almost midnight. This was Kaiba's first day on the Island. There was no way to know if he would be aware of that time. He shook his head, "Come in."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes at Yuugi even further. But he didn't say anything, instead walking into the apartment as Yuugi stepped to the side. Yuugi closed the door behind himself as Kaiba looked around the apartment. He glanced towards the bedroom door and raised an eyebrow. He'd heard from "Souji" that they were involved, but were they that involved? Yuugi didn't seem the type. He glanced towards the shorter teen, who gestured towards several places in the apartment as he spoke.

"Bathroom is that way, kitchen is over there... We don't have much to eat but help yourself," Yuugi let out a loud yawn. He was exhausted, but now he was worried. Kaiba didn't handle things he deemed 'supernatural' well... "I'm sorry all we've got for you is the couch..."

Kaiba's only response was a 'hmph'. He'd slept in less comfortable places. It wasn't uncommon for him to fall asleep at his desk at work. Especially in the early days of his presidency, or when he was setting up Death-T. That was another reason he disliked Yuugi. Any normal person wouldn't have had anything to do with him after something like that. Even with how Atem had handled it then, you didn't hang around with a person who tried to kill you like that.

He watched Yuugi head into the bedroom and sat down on the couch. He wouldn't have admitted it, but he was tired. He leaned his head back and was asleep, although he had the energy to promise to kick the ass of anyone who made a snide comment about this arrangement.

Yuugi didn't get back into bed. He made sure the door was closed tight before leaning against it. He wanted to wait until midnight before he went back to bed. He was worried about Kaiba.

"Partner."

Yuugi jerked his head up. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness, so he could see Atem leaning up, "Sorry, Atem. Kaiba-kun showed up and-"

"Kaiba?" Atem looked annoyed, "What did he want?"

"He needed a place to stay... I think he's out on the couch."

Atem mumbled something, "You're worried about him in regards to the Dark Hour, aren't you?"

"Yeah..." Yuugi nodded, "You know how he is about stuff like that. This is a terrible time for him to show up, too. If he hears about the whole Fall thing, he won't believe a word of it."

The former Pharaoh sighed, "All right. I'll stay up with you."

Yuugi smiled, "Thank you."

(OOC: Kaiba'll do the whole transmogrify thing, so we don't need anything to happen during the Dark Hour unless you have plans on your end.)

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Minato looked away when Ryoji hesitated. Dammit. He didn't know why he was having this much trouble talking to Ryoji. This was ridiculous. He'd been fine talking to Ryoji before he awakened, and before Minato had decided that he actually liked Ryoji like that.

He sat down on the couch, and just kind of sat there, staring at nothing. He didn't really feel like sleeping at this point. After a moment, he looked over at the clock. It really was late. Nearly the Dark Hour. He really didn't think there was much danger tonight, though.

He sighed and lay down on the couch. He hadn't bothered turning off the lights yet. In truth, Minato wasn't that tired, but it was getting late. Finally, he reached back, and flipped off the light switch next to the couch. After a few minutes, he finally drifted off to sleep.

-----------------

Souji was staring at himself in the mirror. It was definitely late, but he was going to stay awake through the Dark Hour, just in case. Really, though, as exhausted as he was, he was having a hard time falling asleep.

He focused on his eyes. Still gray. He knew Atem, Yuugi, and Naoto couldn't have all imagined that. So he knew they really had been that same cruel yellow color as a Shadow's eyes.

Are you just going to stand there staring at yourself or are you going to brush your teeth? Izanagi chastised. Souji finally picked up his toothbrush.

You're getting more familiar. You've dropped quite a few words, Souji commented.

I suspect it's from being around you so much, Izanagi said. Souji ignored him again.

[mugenginga]

Ryoji found himself awake before the sun was up. It was winter, although the Island had yet to get any snow. Snow would probably come later in the year if at all. It was possible Void City didn't have the right kind of climate, although it seemed similar enough to Japan. Which would imply four seasons. Ryoji sighed and rolled over to stare at the wall. Atem had suggested the group rest today, which meant there wasn't anything to do or anyplace to go. Still, he didn't think he could sleep more.

"Nyx, are you there...?" he spoke quietly.

.....What is it you want me to say, Death?

Ryoji's eyes widened. He gave himself a slight headspin from the speed and violence he sat up with. Almost fell over despite being sitting. He had to use his hands to brace himself on the bed, and he was grateful Minato wasn't the type of person who went for overly soft mattresses. Then it connected what Nyx had called him. He was irritated, although his current mood made his expression seem almost hurt.

"...My name is Ryoji," he muttered. There was traces of a growl there too, "I want answers."

Ryoji could sense Nyx was puzzled, To what, exactly?

"Everything!" Ryoji said a little loudly. Minato would probably hear it if he wasn't completely passed out.

----------

Kaiba was staring at the ceiling. He was the only one that wasn't involved in the recent mess. So he didn't know about the end of the world. He wasn't exhausted in the same ways, either. He was a bit tired, but he'd had worse. He glanced towards the bedroom door. They were sleeping together. Either Souji didn't know or he'd purposely left out that detail. Considering how the other teen had been taunting him, that was entirely possible.

He stood up and popped his neck to the side. There was an audible crack. He didn't wince, he was used to that happening when he slept in a chair. He frowned for a bit. He could just leave without saying anything, but Yuugi would freak on him. And Atem seemed a little protective of the shorter teen. He'd been pretty pissed that he'd ignored him earlier. Well, at this point he wasn't sure if Yuugi was even as tolerable as Jounouchi. He had a feeling he'd never seen Yuugi duel. And he didn't trust the words of a lover on his abilities.

He finally wrote down a short note before heading out of the Apartment. He needed to find other accomodations today...