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Post by mugenginga on Jan 13, 2011 0:31:44 GMT -5
(OOC: We did a timeskip cause the plot was dragging. So we get a quick summary of events that totally happened but were never roleplayed. XD Things not involving my characters done with permission. XD)
After the long conversation in which the concerns of the entire group had come out on the table, things had moved as they had discussed, at least for the most part. Anzu had continued working, but hadn't been on any further dates with Adil, but they had talked while she was at work. A few glares had quieted the snickers even among her own co-workers. She'd told Adil it was a ghost, but he'd been able to tell she wasn't saying it all. He'd let it go.
In the mean time, Kaiba had been contacted. Or, to be more precise, Mokuba had. As far as Atem could figure he'd kept the information from his brother, but an arrangement had been made for Yuugi and Kaiba to Duel at the New Year's Festival. Yes, Duel Disks would be involved. Atem had known it had gone through when the flyers began going up. Kaiba was sparing nothing, but he was suspiciously absent. It seemed almost out of character, and it had both Yuugi and Atem worried something else was going on.
Atsuro hadn't been contacted by Kousei again, and pretty much everyone and their imaginary dog (and not so imaginary in Koromaru's case) could tell he was on edge. He'd refused to talk about it whenever it came up. Atem had a feeling he was covering something up, but whenever anyone tried to talk to him about it he wasn't available. It wasn't just the former Pharaoh, either. Yuugi and Naoto had both attempted words with him, to no avail.
Those outside what most considered the main group had been advancing in their own ways as well. Abel would have had no luck finding Hitoshura, and his concern had been with the Fiend more than Lucifer. Seth had been continuing his attempts to conceal the limited information that existed about the Court of Bel, but in his down time from that he was researching other things.
It was mildly disturbing to the young man just how easy information about demon summoning and contracting was to access on the Island. He'd been to the Library several times, and a stack of less than "safe" books resided in his bedroom at the moment. All of it was to try to keep his mind away from Hitoshura's inevitable return, but the research only made him focus on it more. He didn't want to fight the demon. Hadn't he been the one to point it out? Demons would be interested in just how far his regenerative abilities went...
Inpu hadn't made any effort to escape. He was wondering if Kousei thought that was because he was frightened of the man. It wasn't, it was that Inpu was still planning things. He didn't intend on staying much longer, though. Adachi had returned, and was likely attempting to find that poison. Inpu had hid it well, but he didn't want to give the man more time than he had to.
As for the gods, Shadi, and whatever unknown connection they appeared to have to Adil, no apparent movement had been made. None of them had been seen hanging around Atem or the apartments, and if Shadi was still around Adil, he had begun to conceal himself better. Malik remained missing as well, and aside from the mass of problems no one knew how to fix, things seemed to have settled into a calmness.
In the apartment inhabited by Yuugi, Atem, Jounouchi, Honda, and Atsuro, there was a fair amount of activity. The sun had not risen yet, but everyone was preparing for the festival. Yuugi seemed to be more anxious about the Duel than he'd let on, merely because of how he was dressed... it was a fair bit special. It wasn't anything those who knew their homeworld well wouldn't know, but it was far more like something out of the manga. Including the unusual taste in shirts... at least his school uniform remained over it.
Jounouchi, meanwhile, was hammering on the bathroom door, "Atsuro, did you fall in? Come out already some of us have to go!"
Yuugi frowned as he did the last buckle on his shirt, the Puzzle reversed so it was resting against his back, "I hope he isn't avoiding us again..."
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jan 13, 2011 1:48:37 GMT -5
When Atsuro had returned back from visiting Kousei's office, the first thing he'd done was run to Souji's apartment, ask him to please not be mad, and then tell him that he'd given Kousei his phone number. Souji had been, understandably, mad. Souji understood why after he'd explained, but he'd still been less than pleased that Atsuro had handed his cell phone number to that particular lawyer. Souji, however, had agreed to tell Atsuro if any calls came.
None did. With each passing day Atsuro continued to grow more and more nervous. He didn't know why Kousei continued to wait. It was probably to put him on edge, and the worst part was, it was working. Atsuro knew he couldn't tell anyone about what had happened. If Atem found out about the threat Kousei had made toward him, Atsuro knew things would only get worse... and he knew his own issues would come up in that discussion. He didn't want to deal with the others harrassing him about his own suicidal urges.
They learned the following day that Adachi had returned to work after his visit to the hospital. Atsuro didn't have to speak with the man to know he was on edge as well. All things considered, Kousei had probably done something to the man. Likely the same thing Kousei was making him do. There was also a level of avoidance from Adachi toward the people in their group, particularly Souji. Atsuro supposed that made sense, since Souji had supposedly tried to kill Adachi after Izanami's avatar was killed.
The day of the festival had come, and with it, New Years and Yuugi's duel with Kaiba. And where was Atsuro? Standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom. Was he avoiding the others? Yes he was. He knew he was being an idiot, but that didn't change the way Kousei had said things to him before. It wasn't just what Kousei had threatened. It was the way he'd said things, the way he'd managed to hit Atsuro where it hurt. He knew Atsuro didn't give a damn about what happened to himself, but if anyone else got mixed up in it...
He raised his head to look at his reflection in the mirror. He'd been living here for a week now and he still looked like shit.
It was Jounouchi's knocks that shook Atsuro out of his stupor. And really, when Atsuro said knocks, he meant something more like a very big woodpecker throwing itself against the door repeatedly. The guy could be loud when he ... well, he was loud most of the time. It was still pretty much impossible for Atsuro to ignore the hammering on the door.
"Ah! Sorry, be right out!" Atsuro called. He flushed the toilet, and then washed his hands to make it sound like he'd actually been doing something. He stepped out a few moments later. He turned and caught sight of Yuugi buckling a belt on his shirt. After a moment, he gave a nervous grin. "Nice shirt, Yuugi."
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In the two apartments on the floor below this, both Minato and Souji were asleep, though Minato would likely be up soon. Souji? Not so much. It would be very clear to Teddie just how much Souji didn't really give a damn about New Years OR his birthday because he was sound asleep. In fact, if Teddie didn't wake him up somehow, he would sleep through the whole day, even through the festival.
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Post by mugenginga on Jan 13, 2011 2:26:12 GMT -5
Jounouchi had been ready to lay into Atsuro when he saw his expression. His own fell a bit to match, but he dashed into the bathroom without saying anything, the door slamming behind him. The force in which he had the toilet seat yanked up was enough that those standing just outside the door would hear.
Yuugi gave Atsuro a concerned expression as he nodded. Atsuro was hiding something big, and the shorter teenager couldn't help but think was about more than Kousei. More than Abel even, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He pulled down on the belt to make sure it was secure before pulling the Puzzle back around.
When Atem came out of the bedroom, the first thing that would be noticed was that Atem's shirt was far looser than usual. The guy was actually wearing a normal t-shirt for once. The more observant of the group would note the rope around the back of his neck. He was wearing the Ring against his skin, concealed under the shirt.
He noted Atsuro's condition. It hadn't gotten any better in the last week, and it looked to have gotten worse. The teenager's emotions were all but killing him. He was pretty sure Atsuro thought he was ready to go out, but the muscle he'd had was already giving way to looking terminally ill. They needed to find a way off this Island, more than ever. The further away Atsuro got from Abel, the better.
"H-hey, Atsuro-kun..." Yuugi forced out, "Perk up. I know you want to see this Duel, and Mokuba-kun said we'll be using Duel Disks."
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Teddie was actually still waiting for Souji to wake up. He had been for the last hour. It wasn't going well. So finally he hopped off the couch and opened the door to Souji's room (he didn't knock), and came up next to Souji's bed. He crouched down before attempting to wake Souji up....
"SENSEI ITS MORNING!!"
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"Minato?" Ryoji was leaning over Minato's side of the bed and shaking him with one hand. He was actually up and ready, "Hey, we are going to the shrine today, right...?"
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jan 13, 2011 2:59:37 GMT -5
Atsuro gave a small flinch as he heard the unmistakable sound of porcelain meeting porcelain not long after Jounouchi entered the bathroom. He had taken a few steps toward where Yuugi was standing when Atem exited their bedroom. He'd turned his head toward Atem, and noted the t-shirt Atem was wearing. Atsuro had actually never seen Atem wear a normal t-shirt, so it was a bit odd.
Atsuro turned toward Yuugi as the shorter teenager spoke. He felt a bit stupid. Fat lot of good he was doing convincing them nothing was wrong with him when he kept looking so obviously depressed. His eating habits weren't likely helping matters. He was actually eating less than he had when he was with Abel. Honda had managed to get him to eat a decent amount of food once, and Atsuro hadn't been able to keep it down. There was no denying that he was falling apart.
"Duel Disks, huh? Sounds pretty exciting. I bet everyone's gonna love that," Atsuro said. "I wouldn't mind trying out one myself, but I don't have any cards, so..."
He trailed off, and didn't continue. He felt awkward, like everyone was staring at him. He knew just how likely that was.
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Well, Teddie managed to accomplish his purpose, and he did a very good job of it. In fact, he did such a good job of it that he not only woke Souji up, but Souji fell right out of his bed and banged his head on the bedside table. He managed to get into a sitting position and rubbed his head a bit. Then he realized the culprit and turned toward Teddie.
"Teddie! What the hell! That really hurt!"
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Minato gave a groan and rolled over, rubbing his eyes as he looked toward Ryoji. "Huh? ...Yeah, we're going." He sat up. "Is it morning already?"
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Post by mugenginga on Jan 13, 2011 3:38:09 GMT -5
Atsuro's attempt at sounding excited came off flat. He was forcing himself. In fact, not everyone was staring at him. Honda was in another room, making a bit of noise. Atem and Yuugi were though, and that was easily enough to give the impression giving Atsuro's current mental state. Yuugi's smile became a little more sincere and he shook his head.
"We can get you some at the Shrine if you want! Kaiba-kun is probably going to give one to me, and I'd be happy to loan it to you whenever you wanted!" Yuugi said. The energy was actually a sign of geeking, not a sign of forcing himself. That was a thing a lot of people didn't realize about Yuugi... he was a geek.
The toilet could be heard flushing, and Jounouchi stepped out, "Well, if it's anything like Battle City, I'll probably end up with one too! Kaiba tends to be really big about the promoting and I was in a ton of tournaments he helped run!"
"Oh, right! I'd forgotten that give away he did," Yuugi said with a smile, "And Kaiba-kun really is good about promoting. Although I'm still worried why we had to run everything through only Mokuba-kun..."
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Teddie hopped back in surprise as Souji vaulted off the bed before introducing his forehead to the beside table with an impressive amount of vigour. He managed to trip over his own leg and fall onto his butt. He hissed and rubbed it before turning towards Souji's halfhearted angry yell.
"You've been asleep for a really long time, and you've been sleeping lots lately... its your birthday, Sensei! And there's a festival, don't you remember? I don't have a birthday, so...." Teddie trailed off. Well, he was technically right. He didn't.
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Ryoji looked towards the window. Well, the sun wasn't up but it was right in the middle of winter. A quick glance at the clock showed it was 6AM. He turned back towards Minato and nodded.
"Well, close enough. Besides, the walls here are so thin I can hear Yuugi-kun-tachi. They're up and about."
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jan 13, 2011 4:06:05 GMT -5
The mood had brightened a little as Yuugi began to geek, and Atsuro's smile seemed a little more genuine. He frowned again as Yuugi brought up Mokuba after Jounouchi stepped out. "Yeah, I've been wondering about that too... maybe something happened with Kaiba?"
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And now Souji felt like a jerk. He didn't think he'd been sleeping all that much lately, even with how tired he'd been lately. He'd gone to bed rather early the previous night at pretty much the moment the sun went down. He rubbed a quickly bruising spot on his head and stood up.
"...My birthday? Oh, right. I forgot," Souji said. He was nineteen now... he supposed age wouldn't really matter much to him now, but it was still a little daunting to think about the fact that he was nineteen. In one more year, he'd be an adult. Kind of an odd thing to think about. "...Why don't we make today your birthday then, Teddie? At least you'll remember it better than I will."
He hadn't missed the part about the festival. He was actually looking forward to this one, unlike the last festival they'd had. Plus, it was the first time he would get a chance see Sayuri since he'd merged with Izanagi.
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Minato gave a small nod and climbed out of bed. He immediately gravitated toward the closet and pulled out a dress shirt and pants. He didn't have any traditional clothing to wear for this, but it tended to be mostly girls who dressed up in kimonos for new years.
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Post by mugenginga on Jan 13, 2011 4:24:19 GMT -5
Atem crossed his arms, "It can't be big. Mokuba doesn't have the foolish pride his elder brother does. If something had happened to Kaiba, he would have gotten our help. And I know he's responsible for some of it. Those posters that have been going up indicate Kaiba."
Yuugi gave a nervous grin, "He does seem to have accepted that we're a television show in another world, though... I mean, did you read those things? It sounds like an ad for a tv special."
"Or he's just going with it for the press," Honda said as he came out of the kitchen, "So are we headed to pick up the others? I think the festival's supposed to start at seven, right?"
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Teddie looked up with that look of pure admiration that only he and dogs seemed capable of showing. Souji had obviously said the right thing. Teddie scrambled to his feet.
"I have a birthday, then? Thank you so much, Sensei!!"
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Ryoji... hadn't dressed special. While it was clear his clothes were fresh, they were his usual outfit. The one that he'd left behind when he'd almost left the world behind. The scarf was wrapped around his neck as usual, as well. He glanced at the clock again.
"Hey, were we going to wait for Yuugi-kun-tachi or were we going there ourselves?"
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jan 13, 2011 15:38:23 GMT -5
Atsuro shrugged. It was possible that Mokuba might not know much about it either, or it was something Kaiba hadn't shared with his brother. He'd opened his mouth to bring that up when Honda stepped out of the kitchen.
"I think seven's right," Atsuro said. "I guess we should go meet the others... though I doubt Souji's awake."
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Souji smiled. Teddie always got so excited over little things like that. He supposed it would be important to Teddie, since the bear really hadn't been born, so to speak.
"It's no problem, Teddie," Souji said. He reached toward a watch on his bedside table, paused and seemed to consider something, and then picked it up and tossed it at Teddie. "In fact, here. Happy birthday."
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Minato was already pulling on his own typical outfit for winter when Ryoji spoke up. He stopped buttoning his jacket for a moment to look toward Ryoji. "Let's wait for them. I'm pretty sure they'll be down in a minute anyways, with all of that noise they're making."
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Post by mugenginga on Jan 13, 2011 21:24:12 GMT -5
Yuugi did note that Atsuro had been about to say something, and he had a pretty good idea what it was. If Kaiba thought saying something would put Mokuba in danger, he'd take it to his grave (a thought that bothered Yuugi a little with the recent encounters they'd had). But he did seem a little encouraged by the idea that they were going out. For all his worry about how Kaiba would handle the Duel, he couldn't deny something... part of him was excited to be able to Duel again.
"Right, we shoul go!" he said, causing a smile from Atem at his enthusiasm. Yuugi hung near Atsuro as the group headed out of the apartment.
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Teddie fumbled a bit with the watch suddenly being thrown at him, but he managed to catch it. He looked down with a confused expression for a moment before his face lit up even more than before and he gave Souji one of those grins that made him look all of five.
"Sensei, I love you!"
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Ryoji gave a smile and a nod. It looked like Minato wasn't going to overdress after all. He'd almost felt bad about his own clothes when Minato had grabbed the dress outfit.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jan 13, 2011 21:54:06 GMT -5
Atsuro followed the group out of the apartment, but he didn't miss how Yuugi was hanging near him. He didn't comment on it, though. He appreciated the shorter teenager's company, even if all of the reasons for it bothered Atsuro.
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Souji gave a small laugh at Teddie's words. The guy was like a little kid. "Yeah, love you too."
He walked past Teddie to where he had what appeared to be a haphazardly thrown pile of clothes and picked out a shirt from it. The clothes actually were clean, but as of late, Souji just hadn't had the energy to actually hang them up. He turned toward Teddie.
"I'm going to get dressed. Tell Yuugi-tachi I'll be out in a minute when they get down here, would you?"
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After finally pulling on his clothes, Minato had very quickly run a comb through his hair. Finally somewhat satisfied with his appearance, he turned toward Ryoji. "Alright, let's go."
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Post by mugenginga on Jan 13, 2011 22:20:46 GMT -5
Teddie gave a quick nod, the smile not fading from his face as he left the room. Teddie was interesting sometimes, because while he tended to seem rather young, he was more than capable of acting his apparent age and beyond, as he'd shown in the past. In any case, Yuugi's group was arriving at the door just as Teddie was coming out, fiddling with trying to get the watch on his wrist.
"Oh! Sensei said he'll be right out!" Teddie said.
Yuugi looked relieved, "So he's awake after all?"
"I had to wake him up," Teddie said. He lifted up the watch that he still hadn't gotten on yet, "Sensei said today could be my birthday too!"
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Ryoji had followed Minato out. While Minato had made some kind of attempt at getting his hair presentable, it barely looked like Ryoji had. It was a difference in their basic hairstyles, really. Despite having his bangs over one eye, Minato's hair still tended to look better tended than Ryoji's. And really, not doing anything all that special made them fit with the rest of the group rather well. Atem and Yuugi seemed to be the only one with any differences.
"Wow, they're ready?" Ryoji said as he and Minato reached the second floor, "Guys, over here!"
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jan 13, 2011 22:59:16 GMT -5
Atsuro was a little surprised and amused by the news that Teddie brought. So Souji was awake, but Teddie actually had to wake him up so he could wake up on time. Apparently Souji had made today Teddie's birthday, too, which amused Atsuro a bit more.
"So today's your birthday now? How old are you?" Atsuro asked. He was rather curious as to what would be the bear's answer. At Ryoji's yell, he turned toward Ryoji and Minato. It looked like the two of them were up.
Souji finally stepped out of his apartment at that point, and it was rather obvious that, unlike Minato, he hadn't bothered making an attempt to comb his hair. He also looked tired, thought it was entirely possible that was because of how early he'd woken up. That didn't stop Minato from giving him a rather critical look.
"Morning, everyone," Souji said with a yawn. "Are we all ready to go?"
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Post by mugenginga on Jan 14, 2011 8:31:28 GMT -5
Teddie gave a rather large grin and nod towards Atsuro's initial question. Teddie didn't quite get a chance to answer before he turned, but he answered anyways.
"Um... I guess I' d be one?" Teddie appeared to be thinking, "I met Sensei March of las... erm, the year before... so..."
"If he says he's one to anyone other than us, I'm pretending I don't know him," said Jounouchi, sweatdropping a bit at the response.
Teddie frowned, "What's wrong with being one?"
"I think what Jounouchi-kun is trying to say is that you should probably say you're Souji-kun's age," Yuugi said. Well, really, he looked more like he was in Junior High. Given mistakes about his own age, however, Yuugi wasn't about to suggest that.
"What about Anzu-tachi?" Honda asked, "I think we're all ready, but shouldn't we get them too?"
"I'm just looking forward to a festival without the end of the world hanging over our heads," Ryoji said with a slight smile. He noticed Minato's frown and beat him on the back, "And don't go looking like it is, okay?"
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jan 14, 2011 18:22:57 GMT -5
Atsuro grinned at Teddie's answer, and the subsequent reactions to it. It would probably be easier on all of them if Teddie didn't go around telling people he was one year old.
"Naoto called me while I was getting ready and said she'd gone on ahead," Souji spoke up. "I think she said they would meet us there."
Minato turned back toward Ryoji. "What? I don't know what you're talking about. I'm as excited for this festival as you are." He smiled. There was still a very definite worry present in his expression, though, and it didn't seem to be directed at Ryoji.
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Post by mugenginga on Jan 14, 2011 22:54:21 GMT -5
Teddie still looked confused, quite obviously missing the issues with his statement. After a moment though, he went back to trying to get the watch on his wrist. It wasn't going well, although it was an issue had by many "normal" humans as well.
Honda blinked at Souji's explanation, and then nodded. He wondered if Anzu was avoiding Yuugi again, though. For how much she tended to understand Yuugi, she sure was acting weird about this. Not that he made any claims to understanding women, they made his head hurt. Jounouchi gave a thumbs up.
"Well, then we should be going? Yuugi, you ready for that Duel? I can't wait to see you kick Kaiba's ass!" Jounouchi said, to which Yuugi responded with a nervous grin.
Ryoji saw the worry, but he didn't comment on it. If there was something Minato diddn't want to talk about, he wasn't going to press it. He returned the smile and nodded, seemingly back to his usual vigor. If there were no further objections, the group would go.
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