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Post by mugenginga on Jul 4, 2010 19:22:01 GMT -5
"You...... like...... Atem-kun...?"
Yuugi winced a bit and nodded. Anzu looked at Atem for a moment. There was no look of surprise and no denial. At most, Atem seemed to be concerned about what Yuugi had said. For over a year she hadn't been able to figure out if she liked Atem or Yuugi more. She had been convinced Atem was going to go away somehow after the events of that stone tablet. She had finally realized she'd liked Yuugi all along and...
"Really...?"
Yuugi nodded. Anzu hesitated for a few more minutes before wearing a smile. Atem looked at it and realized she was hiding at least some pain. She zipped up her jacket and walked quickly towards the door. Atem stepped to the side and Yuugi stared after her with a hurt expression. She put her hand on the door handle and looked at Yuugi. The forced smile remained.
"You just had to say so in the first place! Sorry for making things awkward!"
The door was yanked open with a bit of force. Atsuro would just barely miss being hit, but he'd feel the wind of it. Anzu had a very determined look on her face as she stepped into the hall. She blinked and gave a quick bow to Atsuro. Then she walked very quickly past him. She was almost running by the time she got to the stairs...
"Anzu..." Yuugi said, looking down at his feet. So... she'd liked him?
Atem didn't have words.
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Izanami had pulled out the entire carton of strawberries from the fridge and pulled out about six. She also got out a bunch of eggs, milk, butter... She put them in a bowl and slid it over to where Souji was standing. She grabbed the cake container and pulled out a plate from the cupboard above her. In a rather skilled pop, the cake came out of the plate in one piece. She grabbed a knife she had put on the counter earlier and had the cake cut in an extremely straight line about 1/3 from the top. She paused and looked up at Souji.
"You know how to make whipped frosting, right? Whisk is right there," she pointed without looking.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 4, 2010 19:39:52 GMT -5
Atsuro was glad he'd taken those few steps back, because the force that door had been shoved open meant he would have been hit right in the face if he'd still been standing there. He blinked as Anzu bowed to him, and realized as she ran down the hallway just how distressed she was. She'd looked like she was about to cry... she might have been by the time she'd gotten to the stairs.
Atsuro sighed and walked into the open doorway. He looked rather nervous as he walked in. Yuugi and Atem both looked rather broken.
"This is probably a bad time, but..." Atsuro looked nervous for a moment before he held out the bag with the cake he'd brought for Yuugi. "Here. Abel told me to bring this for you guys."
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Souji had to admit, he was a little intimidated at how quickly Izanami had gotten to work. He had been about to sit back and let Izanami work when she suddenly looked toward him and told him to make the frosting.
"O-Oh, sure," Souji said. He grabbed the whisk and a bowl before getting to work making some frosting.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 4, 2010 19:49:55 GMT -5
Both Atem and Yuugi looked up in surprise as Atsuro let himself in. Yuugi clearly looked like he felt like crap for what had just happened. You could almost see Atem convincing himself it couldn't have gone any smoother by his expression. Yuugi's direction was turned to the plastic bag Atsuro was holding, the white cardboard box clearly visible from inside the thin bag. He blinked. Cake?
"Abel asked you to bring this...?" Atem said, his words less confident than usual.
"Is he okay?" Yuugi was walking forward, He took the bag in his hands and Atsuro would be able to let go, "Why didn't he deliver it himself...?"
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Izanami had sliced another cut through the cake. It was now divided into three pieces. She put that knife down and picked up another. It was impressive how well Souji kept his kitchen equipped, she had to admit. She began slicing up strawberries with speed that rivalled if not beat most television cooks. She'd have all five of them cut up in a minute, tops.
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Teddie had been sitting on the couch. It began to dawn on him how long Izanami had been in there. He frowned to himself and stood up, leaning towards the kitchen. Wait, was Souji doing something with a bowl? He couldn't see in more.
"Sensei?"
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 4, 2010 20:26:29 GMT -5
Atsuro let go of the bag once Yuugi took it. But Atem and Yuugi's confused responses made him realize he needed to come up with an excuse, and fast. Even if Abel considered these two friends, Atsuro didn't doubt he didn't want them knowing about those markings. Atsuro didn't realize it, but he ended up using the same cop-out Cain had before.
"He's ill. On Christmas too! Sucks, huh?" Atsuro said with a bit of a chuckle. No need to worry Yuugi and Atem about that.
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Souji gave a low whistle at the speed Izanami was cutting up the strawberries. Even he had to go rather slowly when he cut them. She was like one of those chefs you saw on TV at the speed she was going.
He stuck his head out of the kitchen as Teddie spoke. "Yeah, Teddie?"
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 4, 2010 20:33:32 GMT -5
Yuugi looked up as Atsuro gave his explanation.
"He's sick? Atem, we should go see him!"
"Partner, no," Atem looked at Atsuro. There was a clear indication in his expression he didn't believe Atsuro. However... "I'm sure Atsuro would tell us if it was bad. Go ahead and get that in the fridge, I'll show Atsuro out."
Yuugi frowned for a moment. It wasn't broadcasted, but he knew something was up. Atem didn't mind Atsuro. Meaning that if he was escorting Atsuro out the door, there was something not being said. He wasn't as naive as people believed he was. Atem had turned away quickly from Yuugi and gestured towards the door with one hand. Yuugi shook his head and smiled.
"Tell K1-kun we'll see him later!"
Atem would follow Atsuro out the door. He wanted to ask him something.
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"Are you okay...?"
Why was Izanami still here...?
Izanami grabbed the bowl from Souji. She didn't say anything, and there wasn't even an annoyed expression. She was whisking the ingredients Souji had gotten set up with quite a bit more flair than he had been managing. Not speed, but technique. She looked up.
"Are you sure you don't want to keep him company?"
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 4, 2010 20:58:33 GMT -5
Atsuro had given a bit of a nervous chuckle as Yuugi suggested that he and Atem should go visit Abel, but the look Atem gave him right afterward told Atsuro that his bluff hadn't been very successful. He gave another smile as Yuugi spoke to him again, gave a nod, and headed out the door. He knew Atem would follow him out.
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Souji frowned at Teddie's question. Was he okay? Before he could answer Teddie, Izanami took the bowl from him and started whisking it with a lot more flair than he had been. He frowned at her question. She was saying "keep Teddie company", but in truth she was telling him to get out of the kitchen.
He walked out and over to where Teddie was standing. "Sorry about that, Teddie. She's helping me finish the cake."
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 4, 2010 21:01:43 GMT -5
Atem closed the door behind both of them. He turned to Atsuro. He had a serious expression on his face.
"What's really wrong with Abel?"
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Teddie looked up in surprise as Souji came out of the kitchen. He'd seen a bandaged hand grab the bowl from him. Souji came out of the kitchen alone. Teddie seemed to be jerking his head from the kitchen and Souji.
"Why aren't you kicking her out!?"
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 4, 2010 21:15:49 GMT -5
Atsuro sighed. He'd expected something like this. Atem was always the more perceptive of the two.
"You never change, huh?" Atsuro said. He looked away from Atem. "His body's changing. Apparently this limiter he got made for him a couple weeks back is making his demonic powers stronger, and because of it, these markings are appearing on his skin. He's been covering them up with his clothes, but I have a feeling that eventually he won't be able to cover them up anymore."
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Souji sighed. He'd expected Teddie to react like this. It wasn't like he'd fostered the best perception of her to Teddie in the first place.
"I don't know, alright? She's just helping with the cooking right now, anyways!" Souji said back in a low voice.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 4, 2010 21:41:52 GMT -5
Atem didn't reply to Atsuro, but there was a slight expression shift at his first line. Actually, he did. Atsuro may have seen the "show" they were from, but Atem was still doubting how accurate it had displayedh im and his friends. He gave his full attention as the other teenager explained what was going on. He frowned and looked towards the door before replying.
"Is he going to be alright?"
He sounded almost concerned...
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Teddie frowned and looked at his lap as Souji answered. Izanami was why the fog had gone into the TV World. They'd defeated her, it had gone away. She was back, it was back. It seemed pretty cut and dry to the blond. He looked up at Souji again.
"You should ask her why she brought the fog back into the TV World. Its horrible over there, Sensei! Remember when Inaba got flooded with the fog? That's my home."
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 4, 2010 21:54:55 GMT -5
Atsuro could hear the concern in Atem's voice as he asked his question. He gave a small chuckle. "Abel's gotten through worse than this before... I'm sure he'll be fine."
His face didn't say that, though. In truth, the stress of everything was starting to get to Atsuro. The group had been dealing with so much since they came here... they'd come to get away from the hell of the Demon Realm, but things ended up being no better than when they'd left.
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Souji was shocked at Teddie's words. He'd... completely forgotten about the issue of the fog. That place was Teddie's home, and he'd completely forgotten about the fact that the world was once again covered in fog and catering to humanity's whims.
"....I'm sorry, Teddie. I'll... I'll go ask her," Souji said. Now he felt like an asshole. And Teddie was right, he should have asked her. He turned around and walked back to the kitchen. He stood there for a moment before finally speaking up.
"Izanami, why's the fog back in the other side?" Souji asked.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 4, 2010 22:00:42 GMT -5
Atem didn't respond immediately. That chuckle was forced, and Atsuro wasn't saying what he really thought. The former Pharaoh pointed towards the apartment door behind him with his thumb.
"Partner considers him a friend. And that gesture... that's Partner's strength, making friends," Atem lowered his arm, "I've never wanted anything bad to happen to Abel, I just didn't agree with his choices. If he gets hurt, Partner will be crushed. Make sure he stays careful, understand?"
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Izanami had gotten the whipped frosting done by the time Souji came back in. She had the cake seperated into there pieces. She was spreading frosting on the top of one, the cut revealing it was the bottom piece. She had put the knife down and was arranging strawberries on it when Souji stepped into the kitchen. She paused and looked at him, causing him to speak. She frowned.
"That I don't know. I promised to not interfere with humanity, and I've kept my word. The fog represents man's inability to accept their dark sides. I would assume it relates to that somehow."
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 4, 2010 22:27:24 GMT -5
Atsuro gave a nod. "I'll try. We've been being targeted by this demon a lot lately..." Something Abel had said before clicked in his head.
"Hey, what do you know about this demon called Lucifer? Abel said he ran into that Adachi guy making some kind of deal with him the first time they ran into each other, and ever since, Lucifer's been attacking Abel whenever he can get the chance," Atsuro explained. "He even attacked Abel earlier today over those markings..."
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"I-I see..." Souji said. So Izanami didn't even know... He looked away. Dammit, why couldn't he just tell her to get out? Because he didn't want to hurt her feelings? Teddie was right, he was being stupid. But even so...
"Is the frosting working out?" Souji finally asked.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 4, 2010 22:38:05 GMT -5
Atem had turned back to his apartment when Atsuro mentioned a demon. The teenager was trailing off, but given Abel attacks by demons were to be expected. There was a far greater "kill or be killed" mentality among demons than humans, even in a time as chaotic as that of three thousand years ago. He stopped when he heard Atsuro ask about Lucifer.
"...We know about Adachi's deal with him. He is at least indirectly responsible for Bakura ending up in the TV World, and it is likely he knew about who was actually in the Ring when he gave it to Adachi. That appears to have been the deal."
Atem left the rest unsaid. The implications were that Adachi had basically sold himself to get the Ring. To get the Ring to put into the TV World. It was dawning on the former Pharaoh that at the rate things were going, they were going to be forced to stay in some sort of neutral communication. Given Atsuro's nature, it was likely he would come up with other questions. Such as where the Ring was...
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"Anzu, watch ou-!"
Anzu crashed into Jounouchi, and the two hit the ground. The blond had been carrying a basket of clothes. Most of them were now on the ground. Anzu had gotten to her feet first and was bowing and apologizing. She tried to run past, but Jounouchi gathered his bearings in time to grab her wrist. She almost faceplanted again because of it. She looked over to yell at the person when she realized it was Jounouchi.
"S-sorry, Jounouchi-kun!"
Jounouchi's eyes widened when he saw her cheeks, "Anzu, are you crying?"
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Izanami had put the whipped frosting on the top of the middle piece of cake and then put it on top of the bottom. She was covering the top of the middle piece when Souji asked about the frosting. She looked up and nodded.
"Beyond that... I can look into what's causing the trouble. It's likely the result of a powerful demon or god, something that could interfere with man's subconscious."
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 4, 2010 23:04:54 GMT -5
"I see," Atsuro said. So Adachi sold his soul to help Bakura, but ended up getting screwed over by Lucifer in the end. Figured. Demons like that always pulled things that just worked in their own benefit.
"Where's the Ring now?" Atsuro asked.
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"A powerful demon or god, huh..." Something clicked in Souji's head. "Wait, a powerful demon that could interfere with the subconscious?! That demon of Abel's, the one that was tailing me! Nyarlathotep! He attacked us the first time we went into the TV World to rescue Bakura, and he did something to Minato that forced his Shadow to come out!"
That demon had always unsettled him, especially with how focused it always was on him and Minato. But the way it had forced Minato's shadow to come out like that, just for a few seconds... that wasn't normal; a normal demon couldn't do that. And even Abel seemed to be having trouble with that demon from the few times he'd seen them together. Just what the hell was going on?!
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 4, 2010 23:12:27 GMT -5
"We haven't had it for a a few days," Atem stated. His hand had lowered from the door as Atsuro asked his question. He looked irritated as he continued. More than that, he looked pained with guilt, "Partner gave it to someone we know who is the most likely among us to be able to track down Anpu. Malik Ishtar."
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Anzu's eyes widened and she wiped at them with her free hand, "N-no, you idiot! I just got something in my eye!"
Jounouchi shook his head, "Anzu, what happened up there?"
It couldn't be Yuugi, which sort of left Atem. Jounouchi didn't want to think ill of him, but Yuugi wouldn't do anything to make Anzu cry. He didn't think Atem would either, but he would centuries before he thought that of Yuugi...
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Izanami's hand slipped and she put a hole in what appeared was going to be the bottom of the top piece of cake. She blinked and jerked the knife out, but she was holding it tight. Actually, that hurt a bit. That Diarahan might not have been a bad idea, but it was clear the Shadow didn't like her. She looked up at Souji and stared at his face. No, there had been no mispronunciation.
"Do you know the name Philemon?"
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