Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Cat of the Lilac Eyes ❯ Chapter 15: July ( Chapter 15 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Shiro: (now playing cards with Keitaro and Kyle) Hello again! Here's the next chapter for you all to enjoy!

Disclaimer: If you still think that I own Yu-Gi-Oh by this point in the story, then that's a sad sad thing. I do own all OC's in this story and the plot.

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“Hello Phoenix family!” Damian loudly greets, opening the front door to the Phoenix’s home.

“Hello, Damian.” Mrs. Phoenix kindly greets. “Ashling, Malik, and Ishizu are upstairs. Could you please bring them down here?” She asks before turning around to see Marik struggling with several bags and boxes. “Oh my… Marik dear, you didn’t have to bring them all up at one time!”

Damian quickly runs upstairs before Mrs. Phoenix can ask him to help Marik. He pauses outside the door when he hears voices. Ignoring the voice in his head, which sounds suspiciously like Riley, that’s telling him that eavesdropping is a bad thing to do, he presses his ear close to the door and listens in.

“…it’s just complicated.” Ashling says. “I mean, we’re getting along and everything, but I’d feel better deciding this in our own time. Not because we have to.”

“That is understandable.” Ishizu says. “What’s your opinion, Malik?”

“I feel the same.”

“Alright, now you just need to have a reason why you’re coming to Domino with us.”

Damian’s jaw drops. ‘What?! But she can’t leave! That’d be breaking our circle!’

“That’s easy.” Ashling replies. “I’ve always wanted to visit Japan and this way I’d be safe and have a place to stay.”

Deciding he’s heard enough, Damian puts on a fixed smile and opens the door. “Knock knock!” He greets cheerfully.

“Who’s there?” Ashling replies, able to recall their childhood greeting.

“Bug.” Damian replies, now grinning for real.

“Bug who?”

“Bug you!” Damian laughs.

Ashling snorts. “Hey Dami’, I think we really need a new greeting.”

“How about ‘tickle bug’?” Damian suggests.

Ashling gives Damian a look that clearly says you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me.

“‘Bug you’ it is then!” Damian says happily. “C’mon you guys, Mrs. Phoenix wants us downstairs.”

“You might as well call her ‘mom’ with all the time you spend here.” Ashling comments, getting up. “We should get down there though. Didn’t we send Marik down to help me- my mom?” ‘I’m going to kill that cat!’

“Yeah, he was having a little trouble with some bags and boxes when I came in.” Damian mentions.

“And you didn’t help him?!” Ashling asks, bewildered. “Damian!” She rushes past her best friend to go downstairs to help Marik.

“I’ll never understand how she doesn’t go insane around the nutty psycho…” Damian grumbles, shoving his hands into his pockets.

The Phoenix’s, Ishtar’s, and Damian soon head over to Ashling’s grandparent’s house for the annual Fourth of July get together in which the adults get a little drunk, they all stay up late, watch fireworks, and there is, of course, the usual karaoke machine set up.

Late that night while Damian is singing ‘Beer for my Horses’ on the bottom deck with Ashling’s younger cousin, Neal, Ashling goes up to the top deck where she finds Malik leaning against the rail looking out over the lake. Fireworks explode in the distance and the moon shines brightly overhead.

“Hey.” Ashling says, walking up beside him.

“Hey.” Malik murmurs.

Ashling sighs and rests her head on Malik’s shoulder. “So, what’s been bothering you?”

“Nothing.” Malik replies.

Ashling gives Malik a look. “Malik…”

Malik sighs. “It’s just… I haven’t been able to contact my cousin Tama so she has no idea that we’re going to Domino in a few days. I have no idea what’s been going on over there either. She’s probably worried sick and has been overworking like she always does when she’s upset.”

“You’ll find out in a few days, Malik. In the meantime, just relax. You shouldn’t panic over something that might not be true.” Ashling says. “Now why don’t we go on downstairs. Damian wants me to sing a duet with him.”

“You go on ahead.” Malik replies. “I’m going to stay up here for a while.”

Ashling sighs and then stands on her tip-toes to give Malik a kiss on the cheek. “Come down when you’re ready.”
Malik nods and Ashling walks away and begins going down the stairs. She pauses and glances back after hitting the third step, purposely sending a wave of emotions to him.

Anxiety. Support.

Ashling receives a mental nudge and a warmth spreads through her.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

“I can’t believe you’re leaving.” Riley says sadly. “We were going to spend the summer together goofing off for the final time.”

Holly nods, completely serious for once. “Yeah, Ash! What… what changed?”

Ashling sighs, her eyes downcast. “I know… it’s just, Ishizu invited me to come with them to Domino City. You guys know I’ve always wanted to go to Japan and this is probably the only chance I’ve got. I promise I’ll e-mail you all when I have time and tell you all the cool things I’m doing. I’ll even send you all junk.”

“It won’t be the same.” Damian grumbles, crossing his arms over his chest.

Ashling hops down from her tree branch and lands in front of her three friends. “Guys, I know this was our last summer together, but I bet you’d do the same if you had the chance!”

Riley, Holly, and Damian all look guiltily away.

“So, umm…. When are you leaving?” Holly finally asks.

“Tomorrow.” Ashling replies, wincing when she receives cries of shock from her three best friends.

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?!” Riley asks.

Ashling gives Riley a look. “Because you three would have tried to talk me out of it.”

“Damn straight!” Damian agrees.

Holly steps forward and tightly hugs Ashling. “I’m going to miss you, Ash.”

“Me too.” Riley murmurs, walking forward and hugging Ashling too.

Damian sighs and mutters, “Oh screw it all.” before stepping forward to join the three girls. “Group hug!”

Riley, Holly, and Ashling giggle.

‘I’m going to miss this…’

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The next day Riley, Holly, and Damian drag the rest of the group over to the Phoenix’s house to say their final goodbyes before the Ishtar’s and Ashling leave for Domino City.

On the flight over, Ashling and Marik get bored and start discussing pranks they’ve pulled in the past. This makes way for a very interesting conversation on how exactly they pulled off said prank.

“WHOA!”

-Thunk!-

Ashling, Marik, Malik, Ishizu, and virtually everyone around them stare at the bag that has fallen out of place.

“Lass, where am I? Lass?!”

Ashling grabs her bag out of the isle and pulls it into her lap. “Allan?” She inquires, carefully unzipping it.

Allan’s fuzzy crème and red head pops up out of the bag, answering Ashling’s question. “Well this be interesting.”

Ashling gives the flame-point Himalayan cat a hard look. “Allan, what are you doing here?”

“Well I heard you were leaving on a trip, lass and as your guardian I needed to follow you so I climbed into your bag when you weren’t looking.” Allan says, quite pleased with himself.

Ashling’s left eye twitches.

“Ashling?” Ishizu asks. “What are you doing?”

“Get in there!” Ashling growls before she’s successfully able to get her bag zipped back up. “I’ll feed you later, Allan, you overgrown fat cat!”

There’s a muffled reply that sounds somewhat like, “I’m not fat! It’s all fur!”

Ashling looks sheepishly at Ishizu. “I, uh, discovered another gift.”

Ishizu sighs. “I should have known this was coming. He’s your First Guardian, isn’t he?”

Ashling blinks. “Well, that’s what he said.”

Malik and Marik sweat drop, completely lost in the conversation.

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Several hours later they finally arrive in Domino City and Allan makes a break for the grass which causes Ashling to chase him down. They eventually make it to the Ishtar house where Odeon is waiting for their return.

After a quick introduction they all head to bed. Malik, Ashling, Marik, and Allan squeezing into the same room. The bedroom has two futons set up- one for Malik and the other for Marik. Malik and Marik drag a bunch of blankets from their closet and create a makeshift bed for the only blonde girl and then they all go to sleep, Ashling and Allan both curled up into a ball on the fluffed up blankets.

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The next morning they all sleep in until around ten and then they get up and sluggishly move about. By noon they’re finally awake and ready to pay a visit to Ryou and Tama’s house.

“Tama’s our cousin.” Malik explains as they walk. “She’s living with her boyfriend, her ‘sister’, and her boyfriend’s ‘brother’.”

“Anything I should know about your family before we get there?” Ashling asks.

Marik smirks. “Strange things happen.” He cheerfully tells her.

Ashling looks between the two boys and Ishizu questioningly, but none of them say anything else about it for the rest of the walk.

They finally make it to the Bakura household and find more cars than usual in the driveway.

“That’s a nice truck.” Ashling says, noticing the Chevrolet truck in the setting in the driveway.

“Looks like the others are here.” Malik comments, ringing the doorbell.

“I’m coming!” A feminine voice yells. “Damn it, Bakura! Knock it off you bonehead!”

“Yume, sit down!” Another girl yells. “Yume! Come back in here and lay down you idiot!”

“I’m pregnant, not invalid!” Yume yells back, opening the door.

Malik, Marik, Ishizu, and Ashling look in surprise at a very pregnant Yume.

“Malik! Marik! Ishizu! You’re back!” Yume exclaims in surprise. “Hikari! Hikari, they’re back!” She yells down the hall.

('Hikari?' Ashling wonders.)

Several people gather at the door to the living room to see who it is.

Yume cheerfully lets the three blondes and raven haired girl in and leads them down the hall to the living room where everyone has backed away from the doorway. Tama notices Ashling right off the bat and introductions are made.

“I’m Tama Muto and this is my boyfriend Ryou Bakura.” The tri-color-haired girl says. “And this is my y- ‘sister’ Yume Khalid and her husband Bakura. That’s Joey Wheeler and his little sister Serenity. Oh, and that’s Duke Devlin. Tristan and Téa both had to work today, but I’m sure you’ll meet them both soon.” She says. “Oh, and that’s Yugi and Yami Muto. They’re married.”

“And that’s Suma Muto, Yugi and Yami’s daughter.” Yume finishes happily from her spot on the couch.

Marik blinks. “Hey, Yugi’s not a girl anymore!” He blurts out before Ashling can think about some of the odd things already said.

Ashling raises an eyebrow but remembers Marik’s odd warning of, “Strange things happen” and decides to say awe over how cute the three-month-old Suma is.

Malik catches up on everything by talking to Tama, Ryou, and Joey and gets to hear all the trouble Suma has already caused for her two fathers. Marik joins Ashling and Ishizu in admiring the ‘cute-ness’ of the youngest Muto.

“She’s beautiful, pharaoh. Yugi.” Ishizu whispers as Suma grabs ahold of her finger.

Yugi giggles. “Suma’s saying ‘hello’ to her Auntie Ishizu.”

Yami sighs when Marik looks at him with a strange expression. “Don’t mind him, he’s been that way for a while.”

“Children do the strangest things to people.” Ishizu says softly. “Congratulations, the both of you.”

“Thanks Ishizu.” Yami replies.

The rest of the day is spent at Ryou’s house. Téa and Tristan eventually come over and are introduced to Ashling. They all go to their own homes for dinner. Joey drives Yugi, Yami, and Suma to the Game Shop and then drives himself and Serenity home. Tristan offers to take Téa home and she accepts, and Duke offers the three Ishtar’s and Ashling a ride, but they decline, choosing to walk home.

Later that night Tama quietly sneaks into Ryou’s bed and snuggles up next to him. Ryou sleepily rolls over and looks down into his girlfriend’s lilac eyes.

“You do realize that if Yume and Bakura find us that we’ll never hear the end of it, right?” He quietly asks.

Tama giggles softly, something she normally despises doing as it makes her sound too ‘girly’. “I know.” She replies, closing her eyes and snuggling closer. She breaths deeply, comforted by his presence. “I love you.” Tama whispers.

Ryou smiles softly and wraps his arms around her. “And I love you.”

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Shiro: Ryou/Tama moments are so rare in this story so far so I just had to throw one in there. They're so cute together! (currently picturing Ryou and Tama cuddled up together as kids) Ah! So kawaii!

Kitsune: And she's off.

Kyle: (walking in the room) Already? It's not that late yet though.

Bast: You know my hikari. She can't resist the kawaii chibi's.

Keitaro: (daydream-y sigh)

Kaze: -.- Is it just me, or am I surrounded by idiots?

Kitsune: It's just you, Kaze.

Bast: Whoo-hooo! You tell her, girl!

Kitsune: U-U Fools maybe, not not idiots.

Bast: T-T

Kyle: I resent that...

Kitsune: Again, the pretty button on the right should be clicked as there is another chapter awaiting you.