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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Feb 25, 2010 19:14:36 GMT -5
Atsuro thought about that for a moment. He did have quite a bit of free time, having not intended on returning to the Hotel until later that night, unless Abel needed him to return back. There was something he wanted to talk to Yuugi about anyways... well, it was more inform him about. He knew from what Abel had told him about the Island that Yuugi had known Himitsu. And Atsuro was hoping that Bakura had made it back to the apartment complex safely. Abel had said he'd left Bakura alive, but Atsuro had seen what condition Cain had been in when Seth had brought him upstairs; he hadn't been good.
"Sure. I don't know if he's home... hang on, I'll check real quick," Atsuro said. He pulled his COMP out of his pocket and opened it up quickly before pressing couple buttons, sending it into email mode before he started to type something with a blindingly fast speed.
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Post by mugenginga on Feb 25, 2010 19:31:36 GMT -5
Malik nodded and watched as Atsuro brought out what appeared to be a video game system. He shifted his guess to some kind of texting based system due to what Atsuro had said. There was no keyboard for input and Malik didn't have much of an idea what the system was, but he could take a few guesses. It was something Kaiba Corporation might have come up with.
After Atsuro finished and closed the COMP, Malik took a step towards him so that he wasn't standing in the alley. The air was rather cold. Early winter in a somewhat standard four seasons climate if he had to guess. Which meant it was damn cold for someone who had just come out of the Egyptian desert in the middle of summer. His skin seemed a bit pale in several areas while the cold was bringing out the red on his face and other extremities. He didn't act cold, but his skin color indicated he was.
He said nothing. To Atsuro it may have been an awkward silence, but Malik didn't share that feeling. There was nothing to be said. In truth, Malik wondered about the three teenagers (and the Pharaoh, but that fell under Yuugi), but there was no need to discuss these things with a stranger... even if said stranger did know about him from an "anime".
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Yuugi hadn't expected Atem to be back already. He also hadn't expected to hear his COMP beep as he came into the door. He blinked in suprise. There were only a small number of people who could have been contacting him. For a moment he considered not checking the message, but he pushed the thought away, walked over to the metallic yellow device, and flipped it open.
Atsuro. Yuugi felt bad for feeling relieved. He read over the message and his eyes widened. Malik!? He had been outside the ruins when they collapsed... actually, Atem had told him that. He'd been resting inside the Puzzle. It seemed like forever ago. He walked over to the couch and sat down, not allowing himself to get comfortable.
Yuugi hit send and closed the COMP. He got to his feet. With a quick response like that, it was possible Atsuro might be able to respond quickly. Yuugi took a step towards the door when he remembered something. He found himself looking down at the Puzzle.
Malik didn't know Atem had (re)gained a body. And if what Yuugi was inferring was right, Atem had stepped away from what he was "supposed" to do by making the choice that had granted him the body. Or about Anpu. Or about his... that was going to take some explaining.... He didn't think he had to worry about Malik reacting badly, though. Not after the events of the Battle City tournament, anyhow.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Feb 25, 2010 19:49:23 GMT -5
After closing the COMP, Atsuro looked back at Malik, who had stepped out of the alley. Guy looked like he was freezing. Well, he had lived in Egypt, and while Atsuro hadn't ever been there, he didn't have to go there to know that it was hot as crap there. So considering it was December here... Yeah, probably really cold for Malik.
He didn't have a chance to say anything to Malik before Yuugi's reply came, and he flipped the COMP back open again. He grinned as he read Yuugi's response, and got to work writing a response to Yuugi's response.
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Post by mugenginga on Feb 25, 2010 20:09:30 GMT -5
Yuugi had the door open before he paused. He ran over and scribbled down a note underneath the one Atem had left and then ran out the door. He didn't mention Malik by name. Atem was already stressed out enough by what Yuugi knew he considered a mistake without knowing Malik had shown up. With that done, Yuugi ran out the still open door. He had it almost closed by the time the pen that had been teetering on the edge of the table hit the floor.
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Malik glanced over at the COMP as it beeped again, but went back to focusing on the crowd once he knew what it was. Unless Yuugi had known this person before showing up here, it left just one option. Time flowed differently here. He looked up at the cloudy sky. It was probably that, the climate seemed the type that would only threaten to snow in late fall and winter. He had leaned against the side of a building now, but was still saying nothing. If Atsuro actually wanted to have a conversation, he'd have to start it. The pale haired teenager was quiet, if nothing else.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Feb 25, 2010 20:16:22 GMT -5
Atsuro closed the COMP again after reading Yuugi's response. This place was fairly close to the apartments; it shouldn't take too long for Yuugi to arrive. Well, that was a relief. Especially since Atsuro still felt a little nervous around Malik. Call it paranoia from being around so many dangerous, easy to anger people lately.
He looked back toward Malik. Guy sure didn't talk much. He still looked cold. Atsuro took a moment to think of something to say.
"Hey, you might wanna buy a coat now that you're here," Atsuro said. "It's pretty cold around here this time of year."
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Post by mugenginga on Feb 25, 2010 20:25:50 GMT -5
Malik blinked and looked towards Atsuro as he spoke. He hadn't expected the other teenager to speak. He seemed nervous. It was still understandable if he knew his past. Malik shook his head.
"I'll be fine," he stated, "I may consider it later, but right now there are more important things to focus on. Do you know how long it will take Yuugi to get here?"
What he was trying and failing to do was figure out how they'd handle things after the Rod got back to the Pharaoh and his... and Yuugi. Malik turned back towards the crowd and closed his eyes. It was a bit rude to think of Yuugi as little more than a vessel, but he'd thought of the short teenager as such for so long it had become the 'normal' way to think of him. Other issues were if the Pharaoh even still had the Items. They'd probably be drawn to him, but even if he took the optimistic(?) route that Bakura and Kaiba had held an Item each, that left three unspoken for. It was also overly optimistic to hope all but the Rod was with the Pharaoh...
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Feb 25, 2010 21:39:40 GMT -5
Atsuro looked back at the road. "The place he's staying at isn't too far from here, so about five minutes, maybe?"
Unless something held Yuugi up, five minutes would be about right. Atsuro thought something else as he thought about before then. He didn't think Malik knew about the "Nameless Pharaoh" as he was calling him having his own body. In fact, Atsuro had completely forgotten Atem altogether when talking before.
In any case, that caused a bit of a problem. It was probably better for Yuugi to explain anyhow, what with Yuugi being more knowledgeable about the situation and a hell of a lot more trustworthy than the guy who knew them all from an anime.
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Post by mugenginga on Feb 25, 2010 21:47:28 GMT -5
It actually took him three. Yuugi wasn't sure why, but he had booked it. Maybe it was the thought of someone from his own world that didn't see him as a flea. Okay, so his relations with Malik in the past had been far from good, but it was someone from his own world. To be honest, he would have reacted the same way about Kaiba had he learned about the tall teenager before he'd learned about him.
Malik heard Yuugi's footsteps before Atsuro did. He straightened up and turned to the side as Yuugi came into view. He lifted up a hand and waved. Malik found himself glad that the Puzzle was hanging around Yuugi's neck. He gave a small smile at Yuugi. The teenager seemed to be okay. As Yuugi came up beside Atsuro he put his hands on his upper thighs and caught his breath.
"Ma... lik..."
"You didn't need to come so fast..." Malik said, "Can the Pharaoh hear me?"
Straight to business then. Yuugi froze when Malik asked that, and the Egyptian teenager did not miss Yuugi go nervous. He watched Yuugi closely as he caught his breath more and stood up. The short teenager swallowed and continued to look nervous as he straightened up and focused on Malik.
"Ah, not really... he's out."
Malik seemed confused, "...Out?"
"Yeah," Yuugi looked down, "A lot of stuff happened. He has his own body again."
It didn't seem to process for Malik. Had that happened as a result of his regaining his memories? No, he was sure it hadn't. There would have been more noise in the ruins if that had happened. Yuugi seemed nervous. Well, of course he did. The teenager only showed his true strength when his friends were in danger.
"What happened?"
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Feb 25, 2010 21:59:00 GMT -5
Atsuro grinned as Yuugi came into view. He gave a quick greeting before Yuugi and Malik started talking. And the subject Atsuro had just been thinking about came up. He frowned and decided to let them talk. He wouldn't be much help here, and he could tell Yuugi what he'd been wanting to talk to him about later, after Yuugi and Malik got done.
So he leaned up against the wall of the building they were next to and let them talk.
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Post by mugenginga on Feb 25, 2010 22:09:12 GMT -5
Yuugi bit his lip and looked away. What happened? Pretty much everything. His expression fell a bit. Malik had come at a really bad time. A month, maybe. And the odds against them surviving was slim. Yuugi shook his head and turned back towards Malik.
"It's probably better if Atem told you."
"...Atem?"
Yuugi looked confused for a moment, "Oh, shoot! That's his name! He got all of his memories back. We we-"
"Then he does have his memories?" Malik cut Yuugi off.
Yuugi stopped and looked up. He nodded, "Yeah. We've been here for... almost three months, I guess. Time seems to flow differently. Kaiba-kun and Bakura-kun are here too..."
Yuugi's face fell as he said that. The Ring was preying on Bakura again. Atem had it now, but there was such a risk of it getting back to Bakura. Like every time before. Malik didn't react with surprise, so Yuugi looked over to Atsuro. Oh, that made sense. He turned back to Malik.
"You said I should let the Pharaoh explain?"
Yuugi gave a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah... he's not home right now, but you can wait there. Atsuro-kun, do you want to come? Or do you need to get back to K1-kun?"
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Feb 25, 2010 22:33:23 GMT -5
Atsuro shook his head at Yuugi's question, and his expression was slightly pained. "He's busy today, so I'm free for the rest of the day. And besides, I had something I wanted to talk to you about. So yeah, I'll come."
Yuugi deserved to know this stuff. After all, Yuugi had been K1's friend after he'd come on the island. From what he'd heard about this place, he'd nearly pulled K1 away from Naoya. Would that have been better for everyone? Atsuro didn't know. Maybe.
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Post by mugenginga on Feb 25, 2010 22:42:20 GMT -5
Neither Yuugi nor Malik missed the expression to cross Atsuro's face. Malik said nothing nor did his expression even change. Yuugi looked depressed about it. Yeah, K1-kun. Abel. Whatever. Of course mentioning him would depress Atsuro. What would his friends have done had Atem not regretted playing that Boundary card? Yuugi rubbed his arms, hoping it would be passed off as the cold. Atem would have never not regretted it, but it was still pretty awful to think about.
"Malik, its this way," Yuugi said.
"Yuugi, wait. I think your friend wants to say something to you," Malik looked towards Atsuro, "I can go elsewhere so you can tell him if its personal."
(OOC: I just realized Yuugi hasn't reacted to the Rod. We'll pretend he hasn't seen it. XD Maybe Malik's angled just right or something)
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Feb 25, 2010 23:00:56 GMT -5
Atsuro looked over at Malik as he spoke up. Atsuro did have something he wanted to talk about, badly. But he hadn't been planning on doing it here, and definitely not in front of Malik. He gave a pained smile.
"Yeah, it's kind of... personal," Atsuro said nervously. "This shouldn't take more than a minute."
If he had just remembered to mail Yuugi the previous night, he wouldn't have had to say this now, when Yuugi had other things to deal with, but with all of the things that had happened the previous day, there hadn't been much time to do so. He unconciously rubbed his arm nervously. It was still sore, even with the healing job Seth had done on it.
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Post by mugenginga on Feb 25, 2010 23:07:34 GMT -5
Malik gave no acknowledgement. He turned and headed back into the alley, going back as far as he needed to not hear them. Well, if they yelled he'd hear them. Something was bothering the black haired teenager, he'd had to have worked to be more obvious about it. Yuugi watched Malik go before turning back to Atsuro.
"Did something else happen to K1-kun...?" he asked, and then paused, "Ah.. if its about Bakura-kun... we already know. He's okay, Adachi-san got him stitched up."
Yuugi chose not to make any accusations. He was still convinced Atsuro hadn't done it, but Abel and Cain were still possibilities. The former especially. For all he knew, it had been someone else entirely. It was easy to forget that people knew about them via an anime, so maybe it had just been random. Then again, Anpu had to have been there. Yuugi couldn't picture him letting all that happen. He waited for Atsuro's response.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Feb 26, 2010 7:25:34 GMT -5
"Oh, thank goodness... he's alright. I was worried about him... especially since I don't think Cain's woken up yet," Atsuro said. He breathed a sigh of relief before his face returned to the same pained expression. He looked down at Yuugi. "...K1's losing his mind. That's what he thinks, anyways."
He held his formerly-injured arm with one hand as he continued. "He killed someone yesterday, Yuugi. Not just anyone. He killed this shopkeeper lady he knew from here. And ever since then, things have been getting worse and worse. Seth got injured when he tried to stop Cain from attacking that Souji guy, and Abel flipped over it. He did something to Cain. According to Nirad... er, Seth's Garuda, Abel drained Cain's magatsuhi or something like that. That stuff's like a drug to demons. And apparently he got his first exposure to it when he killed that shopkeeper lady.
"After that he apparently ran off somewhere and attacked Bakura. Did the same thing to him that he did to Cain. And then carved his face open to make him look like the other Bakura.... though I guess you know that part already. He apparently attacked a couple other people after that, but he only remembers attacking one of those people," Atsuro said. He wasn't looking at Yuugi as he continued. "...He's been having a hard time controlling himself lately. And it's all because of this Magatsuhi stuff. Nirad's trying to help him control his urges for it, but..." Atsuro didn't seem to hopeful it would work. K1 was worried, but Abel didn't seem to care.
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