Dead Passions: 2/?

[luved_by_bishie_duelistch]

Dc: woot! back again! ^_^ and I bring with me chappie two! woot woot! *blinks* sorry. is hyper. too much sugar, not enough sleep. *twitchtwitch* Oh, and I don't own this anime. if I did, this would be on tv. since it's not, it's safe to assume I don't own it. enjoy!
######################
chapter 2
******************
"I just bumped into the doorframe last night. I was half asleep," Rumiko said. Yugi nodded, with a look that suggested that he didn't quite believe her about how she got the bruise on her face. Joey stepped back with her as they walked to school. He whispered to her, "The doorframe, huh?" Rumiko nodded quickly. Joey gave her a half smile and shook his head. "I've seen bruises like that myself, Rumiko. You didn't run into a doorframe. Besides, I've used that excuse myself."

Rumiko stared blankly at him. Does that mean...? "What do you mean Joey?" He just shook his head. "I don't know about your life Rumiko, but I've had bruises like the one on your face." Rumiko glanced away from him, and noticed that Anzu was trying to listen in. "I still don't know what you're talking about." Joey sighed. Can't I make her see? What if it's not what I think it is? It has to be! or she wouldn't be this guarded! I was that way too. I still am I guess. He sighed.

"Are you in our class then?" Rumiko shrugged, then grinned. "We'll find out, I guess."

Five minutes later, the teacher introduced Rumiko to the class. Not to anyone's surprise, she was in their class. Joey gave her a broad grin as she was given a seat next to him, at the back of the class. Rumiko smiled back, then turned her attention to the teacher, as he was explaining the day's activities.

Rumiko felt a rush of relief when the bell for lunch rang. She sighed as she sat down with her tray and Yugi's table. Joey was about to speak to her, when a pale, silver haired boy walked over to them. He was introduced as Ryou Bakura, and Yugi introduced her to him; to which he remarked, "Ah, the downtown Tokyo champ for two years?" Rumiko blushed slightly and nodded. Ryou sat down with them, and began chatting with Tristan about random things.

It seemed that all too soon the bell was ringing to go back to class. Rumiko stated so to Joey, and he suggested "You could always skip with me." He gave a sly grin. "I'm good at getting out of trouble, if you should ever need my skills." Rumiko gave a small laugh. "I would, but I can't skip on my first day, and I appreciate the thought." she gave her own sly grin. "I'm pretty good at getting out of trouble myself." I won't skip, she thought. At least, not right now.

They sat down at their desks for the displeasure of hearing their teacher drone on for the better part of the afternoon. And after what seemed like ages, the dismissal bell finally rang. Rumiko felt freedom and happiness like she hadn't felt in a long time as she walked out of the school with her friends and towards the park.

Upon reaching the park, they found a picnic table in the shade to do their homework at. Rumiko sighed as they finished. "How do you put up with him?" she asked. Anzu smiled, "It was one of the boring days. Normally he adds a bit of humor to his lectures." Tristan glared. "You mean that dry humor that only you and that other girl find funny?" Anzu glared back. "She has a name, you know." Rumiko gave a small laugh at their usual friendly bickering, and walked toward the willow nearby.

Rumiko sighed as the leaves brushed against her face. She touched the bark and slowly climbed up onto a low hanging branch. This huge willow reminded her so much of Nakari. They had always shared a liking for willow trees.

The curtain of leaves rustled, bringing her out of her thoughts. She looked down to see Joey approaching her.

Rumiko jumped with catlike grace off the branch to face him. "So you like willows, huh? I rather like them myself." Rumiko smiled. "Willow trees are my favorite. Nakari and I..." she paused, as if to say more, but left the sentence hanging. Joey gave her a small smile. "This Nakari must be pretty special." Rumiko nodded and held back the few tears she still had left. "He's not your boyfriend, is he?"

Rumiko didn't answer. She just moved to the other side of the tree, leaning against it. Joey followed her. "He... is my best friend. Or was in Tokyo, at least. I guess a lot of people thought we dated and we did for a time... but we decided it was better if we were just friends." It was a lie, but Rumiko didn't want Joey to know. There would be so many questions... and she just didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want him to know about the accident, the scar.

Joey nodded, but thought, that doesn't sound entirely right. There's just something off about the way she said it... but Rumiko wouldn't lie, would she?

Rumiko sighed, and looked up into his face. A light breeze stirred the leaves and ruffled his golden locks. His brown eyes were warm like melted chocolate, but they had a distant look to them as he looked back at her.

Joey couldn't help but stare at her as the breeze sprang up. He heard her sigh as it blew; he saw the silver bits of her hair mixing with the jet-black, and the sun peeking through to make it shimmer and her eyes grow a warm honey color. God, she's so beautiful...

"Joey?" Rumiko said, pulling him out of his thoughts. The distant look disappeared, but the warmth remained. "Hmmm?" Rumiko smiled. "Just making sure that you were still with me. You zoned out." He smiled warmly back at her. "Yeah, I guess I did." Rumiko's smile faded. "I'd love to stay here and talk, but I have to go. Sorry... I'm just afraid my father will get mad."

"You don't have to be sorry Rumiko. But how long has he been that way? How long has he been getting drunk every night?" Rumiko's jaw dropped slightly. "How...?"

"The bruise, Rumiko. My dad is a drunken bastard. Has been since he and my mom split up 9 years ago. He beat me a few times. I had a bruise like yours once. It was the first one my father ever gave me, and it got worse. I learned how to fight back, and now he gets bruises instead of me. But, why did he do it? why did he hit you Rumiko?"

Rumiko didn't answer. The things that he had just told her were still sinking in. After a few moments, she answered him. "He was drunk. Kept asking me questions. I got angry at him and then he... he hit me." Tears welled up again, but she refused to let them fall. "My parents... split a year and a half ago. My mother's still in Tokyo."

Joey looked at her for a long moment. he shouldn't have to go through this. She's too innocent and beautiful. "If you need help Rumiko, I'm always here." She gave him a sad smile, "Thanks Joey, but my grandfather taught me Shotokan. I'll be ok. If you need to talk or anything, I'm here for you." She pulled a slip of paper and a pen out, wrote something on it, and handed it to him. "Call me anytime you need me. I really need to be getting home."

"Do you want me to walk you?" Rumiko shook her head, and they walked out from beneath the willow. "I'll see you all later. ok? I need to get home." She grabbed her backpack and began to walk across the grass to the sidewalk and her path home. "See you later!" They called after her.

Rumiko sighed as she walked away. She hated to leave, but she was a afraid that she'd make her father angry again. And she was afraid she was falling for Joey. Rumiko shook herself. I can't fall for him! I love Nakari. But a voice somewhere in the back of her mind echoed, Nakari is dead. He'd want you to be happy even if he was still alive. He'd want you to follow your heart. She sighed again, knowing that the little voice was right. But how could I forget him like that? The answer came to her almost immediately. You'll always love Nakari, yes, but you need to move on.

It seemed like it took very little time for her to reach the apartment building. She mentally groaned when she saw her father's car in to lot, and was half tempted to just turn around and leave. But to her surprise when she reached the apartment, her father wasn't drunk. He was almost like he had been before her mother had died.

"Hi dad," she said timidly. "Hey Rumiko... how did you get a bruise on your face?" Rumiko was silent; unsure of how to word what she knew she had to say. But eventually she said, "You were drunk when I came home last night. I was home later than I planned because I was hanging out with some kids I met. You got mad... and then... you... you hit me." She managed to get out, small tears about to fall, but she held them back.

He bowed his head and sighed. "I'm so sorry Rumiko. I don't deserve to live. I can't seem to be a real father to you anymore. I took you away from everything familiar just so I could get away from the pain..." he trailed off. "It's ok, daddy. Just please, stop drinking." She momentarily amazed herself at how she sounded like a child again; calling her father "daddy" instead of "dad."

He sighed. "I can't Rumiko. I'm addicted."

"Daddy, please do something. I hate to see you like this. I know you loved Momma, but we have to move on. She wouldn't want us to be sad."

"I know Rumiko. But have you moved on from Nakari?"

"No, but I know that he doesn't want me to be sad. He would want me to be happy. He would want me to follow my heart. Nakari will always be with me, just like Momma will always be with you. She would want you to find someone special... but promise me I get to meet them?"

He smiled at her. "As long as I get to meet your new friends."

"Ok, daddy."

He stood and hugged his daughter. "I'll get some help, I promise. What do you say we order out?"

"Ok, pizza sound good?"

"Yeah. Sounds great."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

By the next day, Rumiko's spirit had lifted. Maybe her father would finally get better and things would be as close to normal as they could get. And maybe she could be with Joey and not feel guilty as though she were betraying Nakari... But Joey and the others still don't know my story; maybe it's better if they don't.

"Hi Rumiko!" She heard behind her. She turned, and her silver and black hair whipped out behind her. An inner light, and the light from the sun made her honey eyes sparkle. "Hi Joey," Rumiko said with a smile. He nearly froze. God, she's beautiful. Especially because of that happiness within her. I wonder what changed?

"What's up Rumiko? You seem happy today."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." then she leaned in close to him and whispered, "My father's finally going to get help! He's going to make the appointment today!" Another dazzling smile lit up her face as they walked on towards school.

Joey couldn't help but smile back. "Maybe I could come meet him tonight?" Rumiko shook her head, "Sorry, but we've got plans tonight. Maybe all of you could come over this weekend?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." The school was now visible on the next block. Joey groaned. "Great. Another day in the hell hole." Rumiko sighed. "Yeah. Too bad it's only my second day. Otherwise I'd skip." She gave him an impish grin. Tristan, Anzu, and Yugi met them at the door. "Hey guys!" Yugi said. They chatted with their other friends, and made it into the classroom just as the bell rang.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Three days later, Joey was knocking on the door to Rumiko's apartment. A tired looking man with dark hair and gray eyes answered the door. "Hello, you are...?" he trailed off. "I'm Joey, one of Rumiko's friends..."

"Oh. Come in then. I'm her father Nikoro Ikharia. Rumiko's told me so much about you." Joey slowly entered the apartment as he spoke. It was far from the dingy, messy place that he expected. It was far from the place where he and his father lived. There wasn't a speck of dust anywhere, not a sign that a drunk man lived here with his lonely daughter.

A sudden movement down the hallway caught his eye. He looked to see Rumiko coming out to the living room. "Oh, hello Joey," she said. He stared at her a moment before speaking. "Hey Rumiko." She was wearing rather baggy black jeans, a tight fitting black t-shirt, and her hair was pulled back in a Celtic style.

"Are Yugi and everyone else coming?"

"No. Yugi had chores, Tristan got grounded, Mai's car quit, and Anzu's parents decided that they were going to have a family outing."

Rumiko's father spoke up, "Shit! Rumiko, I'm so sorry, but I've got to go my... uh... doctor's appointment is today." Rumiko smile. "It's fine dad. See you later, and I hope everything goes well."

"I'll see you later then." He walked out the door, leaving Joey and Rumiko to themselves. Joey stared at Rumiko. "You look... lovely today," he said, a slight blush rising to his cheeks. Rumiko began to blush as well. "Thank you."

"Do you want to go to the park then?"

Rumiko smiled. "Yes, it sounds like fun. Maybe we could sit beneath the willow?"

"Whatever you want." Rumiko grabbed her key, left a quick note for her father, and locked the door. As they walked, Joey got her to talk about all the things she liked.

"You seem to rather like the Yankee styles."

"Yes, I do. Especially some of their music. I love the way it flows through my soul."

"Really? You're a lot deeper than I first thought. I never thought you were shallow, I just never expected you to be so... philosophical." Rumiko smiled and gave a small laugh. The willow was just ahead and Rumiko pulled aside the curtain of leaves and sat beneath the spreading branches, and Joey sat down beside her.

They talked about little things, near nothings for hours, and dusk was approaching, when a silence overtook them. "Rumiko, I..." she turned to look at Joey as he spoke, and on an impulse leaned in to kiss her. A small gasp escaped her as his lips brushed against hers. Rumiko was frozen in place. She couldn't move or respond to him. He broke the kiss off after a moment and sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry Rumiko. I shouldn't have done that..."

"No, Joey. It's fine... I guess I'm just not over the relationship I had with Nakari. He was the first person I ever really loved... and I guess I still do love him."

Joey nodded in agreement. "You never really do get over your first love. But I want to know... do you care about me?" Rumiko blushed deeply. "Yes... I think I do." She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed deeply. "I didn't think I could fall in love again after Nakari, but I think I was wrong."

"I didn't think anyone could love me or that I could care this much about someone." They were silent for a few long moments before Joey tilted her face up and buried his own at her neck, nuzzling her. Joey then whispered into her ear, the tickling of his warm breath made her shiver. "Can I kiss you again Rumiko?"

Her response was a barely audible "yes." She closed her eyes as his lips brushed hers ever so tenderly, and this time, much to her own surprise, she responded. Rumiko was surprised at how naturally it all came to her, how it felt to be held and kissed again...

Rumiko sighed. I feel like I'm with Nakari again. I wonder what Joey will say if he finds out that I'm still in love with a dead guy?

At this moment, Rumiko slipped her arms around Joey's neck. Joey took this moment to run his tongue against her lip, asking to be let in. She consented without hesitation. He deepened the kiss, and to his surprise, she was matching him move for move. Rumiko moaned softly, but broke away blushing when she heard approaching footsteps.

Yugi moved aside the vine-branches of the willow. “Hey guys. What are you doing here?”

“Talking,” Rumiko answered quickly. “My dad had a doctor’s appointment and had to leave, so we thought we’d come here for a while. We were about to leave though. I need to be getting home.”

“Do you mind if I came along? Maybe we could duel again or something.”

Rumiko smiled broadly. “That would be fun. Let’s go.”

She took her time leading them back to her apartment. She didn’t really feel like dueling; she felt like spending more time wrapped in Joey’s arms. To her, it seemed they got there all too quickly, and she was reaching for her dueling deck off her dresser and hurrying out to the kitchen to duel with Yugi.

Rumiko sat down at the table directly across from him, and quickly shuffled her deck. “Are you ready Yugi? Let’s see if you can beat the downtown champ.” Rumiko smiled and drew her five cards. This duel’s in the bag, she thought.
tbc
########
Dc: well, that’s chappie two! And I know I promised Yami would be coming soon, and he is I swear! (Sooner than you may think!)
Until next time: Ja ne!

oh, and a side note: Rumiko is dressed in the standard goth/punk rock style we see alot around here. alot of Japanese people (and other countries) refer to us as Yankees. (just thought i'd give ya that lil tidbit of info)