Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Sweet Revenge ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: DefiantVixen 
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Comedy / Drama / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 05.15.2009 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.7K | Visits: 346 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Comedy / Drama / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 05.15.2009 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.7K | Visits: 346 | Status: Work In Progress
Sweet Revenge
Summary: After Joey’s girlfriend, Carla dumps him for Seto; Joey stumbles across Ryou being mugged and learns that he’s a girl! Seto can’t stand Carla, but finds Ryou interesting. How does Mai fit into all of this?
Pairings: Seto/Ryou, Hinted; Joey/Mai
Disclaimer: I don’t own the Anime Yu-Gi-Oh! or any character associated. I do own Carla Whitmore. She is an original character and all likeness to people living or dead is purely coincidental. This character is not based on anyone else’s character design, again if any likeness, it’s purely coincidental.
Warnings: Female!Ryou. The use and introduction of a female Original Character. Any fans of OCs and OC pairings should leave now. Anti-OC pairings and blatant bashing of my own character. I created her; I can do what I want with her. And I plan to. A bit of character bashing on the OC’s behalf and a few swear words, but nothing over the top. Set after Yami is sent to the afterlife, so no Yamis in the story. And Seto goes to school.
AN: Hello again everyone. Sorry about the wait for this chapter; no excuse is good enough so I won’t give one ^^
Thanks so much to; RyousGirl567 and this-not-joy for reviewing. Appreciate it ^^
Comments and suggestions are always welcomed and encouraged. Hope to hear from you very soon.
-
Chapter 6:
Clutching the towel tighter to her slender frame, Ryou just could not believe her recent run of bad luck lately, worst than usual. A thick lump appeared in her throat as a sense of embarrassment and fear churned in the pit of her stomach as Mai stood in the open doorway of Joey’s apartment, her amethyst coloured eyes wide in this stunned trance like state.
“You’re a girl...” Mai muttered under her breath, an oddly blank look on her face.
A self-pitying shiver race down Ryou’s spine and she took a step back. “I...”
“It’s not what it looks like!” Joey immediately said as he waved his hands in front of him, trying subconsciously to pull Mai’s attention onto him. Carla jumped to the wrong conclusion the moment she laid eyes on Ryou; he didn’t want Mai to do the same.
However, Mai kept staring as if she was trying to comprehend what was in front of her. She blinked her eyes slowly, when suddenly a grin appeared on her lips and she made a noise that sounded eerily like a squeal of delight.
“Aw, so cute!” she said as she suddenly lunged forward and hugged Ryou like they had been best friends for years. “I knew that there was something different about you!” she then pulled back and pinched both of Ryou’s cheeks with her fingers. “Aren’t you adorable?”
To say that both Ryou and Joey were stunned would have been an understatement; they were utterly bewildered. Mai’s reaction, although a positive one, was not something they had expected. They had expected her to demand an explanation where Ryou would have to spend the rest of the night retelling details of her life until Mai understood why she was hiding her gender the way she was. But Mai, however, seemed pleased with the fact that Ryou was a girl for some strange reason. It wasn’t a shock to her at all...
Then again, stranger things have happened. How many people could say they helped save the world from an ancient evil with a dead Pharaoh as their aide? Not very many.
“But what are you doing in only a towel, trying to catch a cold?” Mai said in a stern tone as she placed her hands on her hips to give the skinny female in front of her an expression of disapproval before spinning around and closing the front door as it was obviously letting a cold draft in. “Honestly, I thought you knew better.”
Looking frazzled and perplexed, Ryou stood completely still, her eyes blinking slowly as she tried to piece together what just happened. “...Huh?”
“Wait,” Joey said as he finally managed to gain the blonde woman’s attention. “What do you mean you knew it?”
“Oh, Ryou here is far too polite and soft to be a guy,” Mai said casually like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Honestly, I thought it was common knowledge.”
Ryou and Joey deadpanned, Joey’s eye twitching in a sense of annoyance while Ryou appeared flustered. Sure, others had called her a girly-boy, but could they actually see that she’s a girl dressing as a guy?
“You’re not polite or soft, yet you’re a woman,” Joey pointed out, to which caused Mai to physically bristle and snapped her attention toward him, her eyes narrowed dangerously.
“What did you just say?” she asked slowly.
Joey immediately stiffened and threw his hands in front of him in a peace-like gesture. “Er, nothing! Nothing...”
Mai’s glare lingered for a moment longer before she turned back to Ryou and her expression brightened again. “We so have to go shopping sometime,” she suggested. “I can’t wait to see what you look like in a skirt.”
“Um, sure,” Ryou stuttered with uncertainty.
“Great!” Mai beamed before her expression folded into that of concern, her brow furrowing when she took a moment to really have a good look at Ryou. “Wait, what happened? You’re covered in scratches.”
“Oh!” Ryou said, quickly remembering why she was dressed in just a towel in the first place, the aches and pains of previous misgivings returning. “I was attacked not long ago,” she explained as she scratched her cheek, trying to appear unfazed by the whole thing.
“What?!” Mai said in alarm before abruptly turning to face Joey, her eyes blazing in anger. “Did you beat the shit out of them?” she asked.
“Don’t worry, already taken care of,” Joey reassured as he gave her a thumbs up. “I’m making Ryou stay here for the night so I can watch out for her.”
“Good,” Mai said as she nodded her head, a tiny smile appearing on her lips. It didn’t surprise her one bit that Joey would make Ryou stay the night at his place; he was protective of his friends, all of them, regardless of background or gender. She counted herself lucky to be included in his group of friends.
His girlfriend must be very lucky...
“Are you alright, sweetie?” Mai asked Ryou, hoping to distract herself from her current thought path.
“I’m fine,” Ryou quickly replied, giving the slightly older female a reassuring smile, seemingly unbothered by what transpired a few hours earlier that day. “I’m glad that you’re taking my, um, true gender so well.”
“Why shouldn’t I?” Mai asked as she lifted up her hand to pinch Ryou on the cheek again. “You’re so cute.”
“Um,” Joey muttered as he deadpanned again. “Let me find you some clothes. I don’t think anything should fit you though.”
“No, wait a moment; I have a change of clothes with me,” Mai quickly interrupted as she dropped her hand and headed for the front door. “You can change into those.”
“Are you sure?” Ryou asked as she clutched the oversize towel closer to her body.
“Of course,” Mai said as she gave her fellow female a peace sign. “They’re in my car; I’ll just go get them. Hopefully, Gothika has left the building.”
“Gothika? “ Joey queried as he tilted his head to the side, idly wondering if that was actually someone’s name and if so, what kind of mind warping drugs was the kids’ parents were on when they chose that.
“Oh, just some brat who thought could out-sass me,” Mai explained as she waved a dismissive hand as she opened the door. “Be a minute.”
And then she left as quickly as she came, leaving Ryou and Joey a few moments of silence to try and piece together what the hell just happened. While Joey was wondering where Mai got his new address from, Ryou was left inwardly reeling; she really could not believe her luck.
In the space of a mere few hours she was randomly attacked in the street, had her real gender exposed to two of her good friends, received Seto’s suspicion and to make things even more interesting, she probably made a lifelong enemy out of Carla for being half-naked in her boyfriend’s apartment.
And to think she hid her gender successfully for years up to this point. What else could go wrong?
Wait, don’t answer that.
When Mai returned a few moments later with the article of clothing in her arms, she ushered Ryou in the bathroom while ordering Joey to get them something to drink. The clothing Mai chose for Ryou were surprisingly practical; a long light blue shirt that could easily turn into a nightie and a pair of female silk boxer shorts.
She was glad that Mai didn’t give her a set of her day clothing to wear, while Mai looks great and confident in her skirts and midriff shirts, Ryou would look and feel awkward. She’s a skinny as a rail without a hint of sex appeal and the desperate need to put some weight on.
Well according to Joey she does.
After finally getting into a set of warm clothing, the three of them sat in the lounge room together where Ryou apologized again to Joey about Carla, but he quickly informed her that Carla was no longer his girlfriend. He then relayed to them what she said and did to him, leaving both Mai and Ryou aghast and appalled that a girl would do something so heartless and selfish.
“I can’t believe someone would do that to you,” Mai said bitterly as she shook her head in sympathy. She then reached forward and gently patted Joey on the arm, her hand lingering there. “I’m sorry, you deserve better.”
A small smile appeared on Joey’s lips and he softly placed his hand on top of hers. “Thanks Mai.”
“Carla has gone after Seto?” Ryou murmured under her breath in disbelief.
Ryou just couldn’t believe it. Carla dumped Joey for Seto, but Seto couldn’t stand Carla! He stated so himself, numerous times before. Heck, he even told her to her face that he loathed her and thought about committing homicide whenever he was in her presence.
Not exactly soft words of sweet nothings, was it?
It didn’t make any sense. Where did she come up with the idea that dating Joey would gain Seto’s attention and interest? Sure, the two were considered rivals, well the rivalry was one-sided, really, Seto held little to no interest in Joey. But that didn’t mean Seto would try to take everything away from him or outdo everything he did.
Really, to be perfectly honest, Seto had a huge company to run; he would have better things to do than follow Joey around all day and night just to try to outdo him. If Joey had something he wanted, he would not do whatever he could to take it away from him. He would just convince himself that he didn’t want it and leave it as that.
And Joey, he’s the same. He may resent Seto for being rich and successful, but he doesn’t hate his guts with an unreasonable amount of rage. It was not in Joey’s nature to loathe someone so much.
Unless, they did something really repulsive towards him, like Carla for example.
Poor Joey, Ryou inwardly sighed. It must have hurt him when he learnt the truth about how Carla was only using him. A punch to the gut would probably have stung less.
How could anyone use someone as friendly as Joey like that? It didn’t make much sense at all.
“Wait, so that Goth wannabe I met in the lift was Carla?” Mai suddenly asked, pulling Ryou out of her thoughts with a start. “Really?”
“Yeah,” Joey said with a sense of bitterness, looking angry with himself for reasons unknown to them. He was probably kicking himself for even agreeing to date Carla as it was obvious from the beginning that she was only a user. “She claims that she deserves him or something.”
“Unless Kaiba killed a Nun in a previous life, no one deserved Carla,” Mai quickly interjected as she leaned back in her seat and folded her arms under her bust, a frown on her lips. If she had known what that girl in the lift did, she would have done a lot more than what she did.
“You’ve done your time in Hell, Joey,” Ryou suddenly piped up with a small smile of optimism. “Things will be better from here on.”
Joey blinked at those words before his darkened expression suddenly brightened and he grinned widely. “Heh, you’re right, Rei!”
“Besides, I doubt Seto will find her attitude amusing at all,” Mai said as she sniggered into her hand lightly.
It was world known that Seto had no time for obnoxious brats like Carla, especially ones who acted like self-centred bitches with an attitude problem. Oh, she would have loved to have seen what happened when Carla ran to Seto to fall into his arms, only to be insulted and ordered to leave before he has her arrested.
“It might be kinda fun watching him verbally rip her apart, don’t you think?” she finished.
“Yeah, I get it. She did me a favour,” Joey said as he settled himself into his chair. He then pouted and folded his arms over his chest. “Still, pity I wasn’t the one to break it off. Tch.”
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Slamming open the door to her bedroom and then violently ripping it shut, Carla threw herself onto her bed, automatically burying her face into her pillow as she released a scream of sheer frustration and self-pity.
Could her night get any worse? It started out great; she finally dumped that stupid blonde pretend-boyfriend of hers so she could peruse her real soulmate, Seto. She dumped Joey in a most unsettling way, expecting him to mope around for weeks afterwards to add some tension between her and Seto, making the handsome and sexy brunette protective of her.
Like, Joey’s sudden mood swing was supposed to draw Seto’s attention immediately, where he would come to her to offer comfort in her time of need. Then they would become an item and live happily ever after, with Seto treating her like a queen she really is.
But instead, Joey already replaced her with some fucking stick insect with stupid white hair and big doe eyes!
That slut! What else could she be? Standing in Joey’s apartment in only a towel, looking for a change of clothes? The nerve of that bitch!
And to make her night total shithouse, when she bumped into Seto a short while afterwards, he turned her away! He insulted her, abused her and sent her away. Her! Of all people, he told her to leave.
What the fuck?
This was not supposed to happen. None of this was in her plans and her plans never fail.
Carla gritted her teeth when she thought about that white haired slut again. It must be her doing somehow; what else could it be? It’s not like Seto really found her unattractive and uninteresting, right? There was no way she was going to let that bitch get in-between her and Seto.
After all, they are meant to be. She’s the only girl sassy and tough enough to keep him in line, and he most certainly needed someone to change that anti-social personality and cold-hearted attitude of his.
There was no doubt about it; she was going to make that bitch pay.
Whoever she was...
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“Are you sure you still want to go to school today, Rei?” Joey asked as he and Ryou quickly walked through the not-so busy morning streets to her apartment. Mai had left them to get some rest in the night with the promise of returning the next day after school. “I mean, you could just stay home. I’ll cover for ya.”
“I need to go to school, Joey,” Ryou replied as she folded her arms tighter over her chest, looking around her surrounding with a weary gaze. She was still wearing the clothes Mai lent her last night, but she was now also wearing Joey’s school jacket, hiding her feminine figure from prying eyes. “I mean, if I stay at home, I’ll just think about...you know.”
“Ah, right, of course!”
A small smile graced her lips as she tried not to think about last night. It had been an eventful evening, one she could have done without. She might seemed like the attack that left her exposed didn’t faze her much, in reality, it left her a little shaken. She didn’t tell Joey, though, as she didn’t want him to worry about her more than he already was.
Truthfully, she just wanted to forget the whole thing.
“Good morning, Ryou,” a voice called to Ryou as soon as she stepped in her apartment complex, an elderly man in a worn-out wheelchair greeting her from the courtyard. The man was about in his late sixties, but still very mobile and independent despite being confined to a wheel chair.
“Oh, good morning Mr. Fuji,” Ryou greeted as she hurried over to him, an apologetic look on her face as she drew Joey’s jacket closer to her body. “I am so sorry that I didn’t stop by last night with dinner. I got...distracted and had to stay over at a friend’s.”
“Don’t trouble yourself, kiddo,” the man known as Fuji said as he shook his head, a grin on his lips. “I had more than enough to eat.”
“That’s good,” Ryou said as she breathed a sigh of relief before turning to Joey and motioning him over. “Oh, this is my friend, Joey. Joey, this is Mr. Fuji. He’s a neighbour of mine.”
Joey gave the older man a friendly smile, the one that usually graced his lips. “Nice to meetcha!”
“Nice to meet you as well,” Fuji returned the greeting. The three of them indulged in a bit of small talk before Ryou excused them and with Joey next to her, made her way to her apartment a few floors up.
“Hey, Rei, can I ask about Mr. Fuji?” Joey asked as they stepped into Ryou’s apartment, Ryou quickly making her way into her bedroom to pull out a spare set of the male’s school uniform.
“Hm?” Ryou hummed as she dashed into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her with a soft click, next to which Joey leaned on the wall. “Oh, he’s just an elderly neighbour that I sometimes cook dinner for,” she explains through the door. “He lives alone, you see. He doesn’t get any visitors and well, I kinda felt sorry for him. He’s really nice.”
“How did he get in the wheelchair?” Joey wondered, slightly curious as it always amazed him how someone could lose the movement of their limps and let remained a positive expression and personality. “An accident?”
“Diving accident ten years ago,” Ryou further explained over the sound of running water. “He tells me he was quite reckless back then.” The water suddenly stopped and a moment later the door then opened, revealing Ryou looking fresh and ready to start the day...as a male.
“Come on, I’m ready,” she grinned as she took Joey by the wrist and dragged him outside so she could lock the door behind them. “Let’s get to school.”
“Right,” Joey said, tilting his head to the side ever so slightly, realizing that if you squint hard enough, you could see that Ryou was really a girl and wondered if anyone else noticed. “Hey, are you going to tell the others about-?”
“The attack or my gender?”
“Both.”
Ryou hesitated, an uneasy look on her face. “...Not yet,” she finally whispered as she subconsciously curled a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m not ready yet.”
“Ok,” Joey said in an understanding tone. “Don’t worry; I’ll keep your secret.”
Ryou gave him a weary smile as he looped his arm around her neck and began dragging her in the direction of their school. She was well aware that while Joey meant well, his ability to keep secrets were, well, less than trustworthy.
It’s going to be a long day.
Summary: After Joey’s girlfriend, Carla dumps him for Seto; Joey stumbles across Ryou being mugged and learns that he’s a girl! Seto can’t stand Carla, but finds Ryou interesting. How does Mai fit into all of this?
Pairings: Seto/Ryou, Hinted; Joey/Mai
Disclaimer: I don’t own the Anime Yu-Gi-Oh! or any character associated. I do own Carla Whitmore. She is an original character and all likeness to people living or dead is purely coincidental. This character is not based on anyone else’s character design, again if any likeness, it’s purely coincidental.
Warnings: Female!Ryou. The use and introduction of a female Original Character. Any fans of OCs and OC pairings should leave now. Anti-OC pairings and blatant bashing of my own character. I created her; I can do what I want with her. And I plan to. A bit of character bashing on the OC’s behalf and a few swear words, but nothing over the top. Set after Yami is sent to the afterlife, so no Yamis in the story. And Seto goes to school.
AN: Hello again everyone. Sorry about the wait for this chapter; no excuse is good enough so I won’t give one ^^
Thanks so much to; RyousGirl567 and this-not-joy for reviewing. Appreciate it ^^
Comments and suggestions are always welcomed and encouraged. Hope to hear from you very soon.
-
Chapter 6:
Clutching the towel tighter to her slender frame, Ryou just could not believe her recent run of bad luck lately, worst than usual. A thick lump appeared in her throat as a sense of embarrassment and fear churned in the pit of her stomach as Mai stood in the open doorway of Joey’s apartment, her amethyst coloured eyes wide in this stunned trance like state.
“You’re a girl...” Mai muttered under her breath, an oddly blank look on her face.
A self-pitying shiver race down Ryou’s spine and she took a step back. “I...”
“It’s not what it looks like!” Joey immediately said as he waved his hands in front of him, trying subconsciously to pull Mai’s attention onto him. Carla jumped to the wrong conclusion the moment she laid eyes on Ryou; he didn’t want Mai to do the same.
However, Mai kept staring as if she was trying to comprehend what was in front of her. She blinked her eyes slowly, when suddenly a grin appeared on her lips and she made a noise that sounded eerily like a squeal of delight.
“Aw, so cute!” she said as she suddenly lunged forward and hugged Ryou like they had been best friends for years. “I knew that there was something different about you!” she then pulled back and pinched both of Ryou’s cheeks with her fingers. “Aren’t you adorable?”
To say that both Ryou and Joey were stunned would have been an understatement; they were utterly bewildered. Mai’s reaction, although a positive one, was not something they had expected. They had expected her to demand an explanation where Ryou would have to spend the rest of the night retelling details of her life until Mai understood why she was hiding her gender the way she was. But Mai, however, seemed pleased with the fact that Ryou was a girl for some strange reason. It wasn’t a shock to her at all...
Then again, stranger things have happened. How many people could say they helped save the world from an ancient evil with a dead Pharaoh as their aide? Not very many.
“But what are you doing in only a towel, trying to catch a cold?” Mai said in a stern tone as she placed her hands on her hips to give the skinny female in front of her an expression of disapproval before spinning around and closing the front door as it was obviously letting a cold draft in. “Honestly, I thought you knew better.”
Looking frazzled and perplexed, Ryou stood completely still, her eyes blinking slowly as she tried to piece together what just happened. “...Huh?”
“Wait,” Joey said as he finally managed to gain the blonde woman’s attention. “What do you mean you knew it?”
“Oh, Ryou here is far too polite and soft to be a guy,” Mai said casually like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Honestly, I thought it was common knowledge.”
Ryou and Joey deadpanned, Joey’s eye twitching in a sense of annoyance while Ryou appeared flustered. Sure, others had called her a girly-boy, but could they actually see that she’s a girl dressing as a guy?
“You’re not polite or soft, yet you’re a woman,” Joey pointed out, to which caused Mai to physically bristle and snapped her attention toward him, her eyes narrowed dangerously.
“What did you just say?” she asked slowly.
Joey immediately stiffened and threw his hands in front of him in a peace-like gesture. “Er, nothing! Nothing...”
Mai’s glare lingered for a moment longer before she turned back to Ryou and her expression brightened again. “We so have to go shopping sometime,” she suggested. “I can’t wait to see what you look like in a skirt.”
“Um, sure,” Ryou stuttered with uncertainty.
“Great!” Mai beamed before her expression folded into that of concern, her brow furrowing when she took a moment to really have a good look at Ryou. “Wait, what happened? You’re covered in scratches.”
“Oh!” Ryou said, quickly remembering why she was dressed in just a towel in the first place, the aches and pains of previous misgivings returning. “I was attacked not long ago,” she explained as she scratched her cheek, trying to appear unfazed by the whole thing.
“What?!” Mai said in alarm before abruptly turning to face Joey, her eyes blazing in anger. “Did you beat the shit out of them?” she asked.
“Don’t worry, already taken care of,” Joey reassured as he gave her a thumbs up. “I’m making Ryou stay here for the night so I can watch out for her.”
“Good,” Mai said as she nodded her head, a tiny smile appearing on her lips. It didn’t surprise her one bit that Joey would make Ryou stay the night at his place; he was protective of his friends, all of them, regardless of background or gender. She counted herself lucky to be included in his group of friends.
His girlfriend must be very lucky...
“Are you alright, sweetie?” Mai asked Ryou, hoping to distract herself from her current thought path.
“I’m fine,” Ryou quickly replied, giving the slightly older female a reassuring smile, seemingly unbothered by what transpired a few hours earlier that day. “I’m glad that you’re taking my, um, true gender so well.”
“Why shouldn’t I?” Mai asked as she lifted up her hand to pinch Ryou on the cheek again. “You’re so cute.”
“Um,” Joey muttered as he deadpanned again. “Let me find you some clothes. I don’t think anything should fit you though.”
“No, wait a moment; I have a change of clothes with me,” Mai quickly interrupted as she dropped her hand and headed for the front door. “You can change into those.”
“Are you sure?” Ryou asked as she clutched the oversize towel closer to her body.
“Of course,” Mai said as she gave her fellow female a peace sign. “They’re in my car; I’ll just go get them. Hopefully, Gothika has left the building.”
“Gothika? “ Joey queried as he tilted his head to the side, idly wondering if that was actually someone’s name and if so, what kind of mind warping drugs was the kids’ parents were on when they chose that.
“Oh, just some brat who thought could out-sass me,” Mai explained as she waved a dismissive hand as she opened the door. “Be a minute.”
And then she left as quickly as she came, leaving Ryou and Joey a few moments of silence to try and piece together what the hell just happened. While Joey was wondering where Mai got his new address from, Ryou was left inwardly reeling; she really could not believe her luck.
In the space of a mere few hours she was randomly attacked in the street, had her real gender exposed to two of her good friends, received Seto’s suspicion and to make things even more interesting, she probably made a lifelong enemy out of Carla for being half-naked in her boyfriend’s apartment.
And to think she hid her gender successfully for years up to this point. What else could go wrong?
Wait, don’t answer that.
When Mai returned a few moments later with the article of clothing in her arms, she ushered Ryou in the bathroom while ordering Joey to get them something to drink. The clothing Mai chose for Ryou were surprisingly practical; a long light blue shirt that could easily turn into a nightie and a pair of female silk boxer shorts.
She was glad that Mai didn’t give her a set of her day clothing to wear, while Mai looks great and confident in her skirts and midriff shirts, Ryou would look and feel awkward. She’s a skinny as a rail without a hint of sex appeal and the desperate need to put some weight on.
Well according to Joey she does.
After finally getting into a set of warm clothing, the three of them sat in the lounge room together where Ryou apologized again to Joey about Carla, but he quickly informed her that Carla was no longer his girlfriend. He then relayed to them what she said and did to him, leaving both Mai and Ryou aghast and appalled that a girl would do something so heartless and selfish.
“I can’t believe someone would do that to you,” Mai said bitterly as she shook her head in sympathy. She then reached forward and gently patted Joey on the arm, her hand lingering there. “I’m sorry, you deserve better.”
A small smile appeared on Joey’s lips and he softly placed his hand on top of hers. “Thanks Mai.”
“Carla has gone after Seto?” Ryou murmured under her breath in disbelief.
Ryou just couldn’t believe it. Carla dumped Joey for Seto, but Seto couldn’t stand Carla! He stated so himself, numerous times before. Heck, he even told her to her face that he loathed her and thought about committing homicide whenever he was in her presence.
Not exactly soft words of sweet nothings, was it?
It didn’t make any sense. Where did she come up with the idea that dating Joey would gain Seto’s attention and interest? Sure, the two were considered rivals, well the rivalry was one-sided, really, Seto held little to no interest in Joey. But that didn’t mean Seto would try to take everything away from him or outdo everything he did.
Really, to be perfectly honest, Seto had a huge company to run; he would have better things to do than follow Joey around all day and night just to try to outdo him. If Joey had something he wanted, he would not do whatever he could to take it away from him. He would just convince himself that he didn’t want it and leave it as that.
And Joey, he’s the same. He may resent Seto for being rich and successful, but he doesn’t hate his guts with an unreasonable amount of rage. It was not in Joey’s nature to loathe someone so much.
Unless, they did something really repulsive towards him, like Carla for example.
Poor Joey, Ryou inwardly sighed. It must have hurt him when he learnt the truth about how Carla was only using him. A punch to the gut would probably have stung less.
How could anyone use someone as friendly as Joey like that? It didn’t make much sense at all.
“Wait, so that Goth wannabe I met in the lift was Carla?” Mai suddenly asked, pulling Ryou out of her thoughts with a start. “Really?”
“Yeah,” Joey said with a sense of bitterness, looking angry with himself for reasons unknown to them. He was probably kicking himself for even agreeing to date Carla as it was obvious from the beginning that she was only a user. “She claims that she deserves him or something.”
“Unless Kaiba killed a Nun in a previous life, no one deserved Carla,” Mai quickly interjected as she leaned back in her seat and folded her arms under her bust, a frown on her lips. If she had known what that girl in the lift did, she would have done a lot more than what she did.
“You’ve done your time in Hell, Joey,” Ryou suddenly piped up with a small smile of optimism. “Things will be better from here on.”
Joey blinked at those words before his darkened expression suddenly brightened and he grinned widely. “Heh, you’re right, Rei!”
“Besides, I doubt Seto will find her attitude amusing at all,” Mai said as she sniggered into her hand lightly.
It was world known that Seto had no time for obnoxious brats like Carla, especially ones who acted like self-centred bitches with an attitude problem. Oh, she would have loved to have seen what happened when Carla ran to Seto to fall into his arms, only to be insulted and ordered to leave before he has her arrested.
“It might be kinda fun watching him verbally rip her apart, don’t you think?” she finished.
“Yeah, I get it. She did me a favour,” Joey said as he settled himself into his chair. He then pouted and folded his arms over his chest. “Still, pity I wasn’t the one to break it off. Tch.”
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Slamming open the door to her bedroom and then violently ripping it shut, Carla threw herself onto her bed, automatically burying her face into her pillow as she released a scream of sheer frustration and self-pity.
Could her night get any worse? It started out great; she finally dumped that stupid blonde pretend-boyfriend of hers so she could peruse her real soulmate, Seto. She dumped Joey in a most unsettling way, expecting him to mope around for weeks afterwards to add some tension between her and Seto, making the handsome and sexy brunette protective of her.
Like, Joey’s sudden mood swing was supposed to draw Seto’s attention immediately, where he would come to her to offer comfort in her time of need. Then they would become an item and live happily ever after, with Seto treating her like a queen she really is.
But instead, Joey already replaced her with some fucking stick insect with stupid white hair and big doe eyes!
That slut! What else could she be? Standing in Joey’s apartment in only a towel, looking for a change of clothes? The nerve of that bitch!
And to make her night total shithouse, when she bumped into Seto a short while afterwards, he turned her away! He insulted her, abused her and sent her away. Her! Of all people, he told her to leave.
What the fuck?
This was not supposed to happen. None of this was in her plans and her plans never fail.
Carla gritted her teeth when she thought about that white haired slut again. It must be her doing somehow; what else could it be? It’s not like Seto really found her unattractive and uninteresting, right? There was no way she was going to let that bitch get in-between her and Seto.
After all, they are meant to be. She’s the only girl sassy and tough enough to keep him in line, and he most certainly needed someone to change that anti-social personality and cold-hearted attitude of his.
There was no doubt about it; she was going to make that bitch pay.
Whoever she was...
---------------------------------------
“Are you sure you still want to go to school today, Rei?” Joey asked as he and Ryou quickly walked through the not-so busy morning streets to her apartment. Mai had left them to get some rest in the night with the promise of returning the next day after school. “I mean, you could just stay home. I’ll cover for ya.”
“I need to go to school, Joey,” Ryou replied as she folded her arms tighter over her chest, looking around her surrounding with a weary gaze. She was still wearing the clothes Mai lent her last night, but she was now also wearing Joey’s school jacket, hiding her feminine figure from prying eyes. “I mean, if I stay at home, I’ll just think about...you know.”
“Ah, right, of course!”
A small smile graced her lips as she tried not to think about last night. It had been an eventful evening, one she could have done without. She might seemed like the attack that left her exposed didn’t faze her much, in reality, it left her a little shaken. She didn’t tell Joey, though, as she didn’t want him to worry about her more than he already was.
Truthfully, she just wanted to forget the whole thing.
“Good morning, Ryou,” a voice called to Ryou as soon as she stepped in her apartment complex, an elderly man in a worn-out wheelchair greeting her from the courtyard. The man was about in his late sixties, but still very mobile and independent despite being confined to a wheel chair.
“Oh, good morning Mr. Fuji,” Ryou greeted as she hurried over to him, an apologetic look on her face as she drew Joey’s jacket closer to her body. “I am so sorry that I didn’t stop by last night with dinner. I got...distracted and had to stay over at a friend’s.”
“Don’t trouble yourself, kiddo,” the man known as Fuji said as he shook his head, a grin on his lips. “I had more than enough to eat.”
“That’s good,” Ryou said as she breathed a sigh of relief before turning to Joey and motioning him over. “Oh, this is my friend, Joey. Joey, this is Mr. Fuji. He’s a neighbour of mine.”
Joey gave the older man a friendly smile, the one that usually graced his lips. “Nice to meetcha!”
“Nice to meet you as well,” Fuji returned the greeting. The three of them indulged in a bit of small talk before Ryou excused them and with Joey next to her, made her way to her apartment a few floors up.
“Hey, Rei, can I ask about Mr. Fuji?” Joey asked as they stepped into Ryou’s apartment, Ryou quickly making her way into her bedroom to pull out a spare set of the male’s school uniform.
“Hm?” Ryou hummed as she dashed into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her with a soft click, next to which Joey leaned on the wall. “Oh, he’s just an elderly neighbour that I sometimes cook dinner for,” she explains through the door. “He lives alone, you see. He doesn’t get any visitors and well, I kinda felt sorry for him. He’s really nice.”
“How did he get in the wheelchair?” Joey wondered, slightly curious as it always amazed him how someone could lose the movement of their limps and let remained a positive expression and personality. “An accident?”
“Diving accident ten years ago,” Ryou further explained over the sound of running water. “He tells me he was quite reckless back then.” The water suddenly stopped and a moment later the door then opened, revealing Ryou looking fresh and ready to start the day...as a male.
“Come on, I’m ready,” she grinned as she took Joey by the wrist and dragged him outside so she could lock the door behind them. “Let’s get to school.”
“Right,” Joey said, tilting his head to the side ever so slightly, realizing that if you squint hard enough, you could see that Ryou was really a girl and wondered if anyone else noticed. “Hey, are you going to tell the others about-?”
“The attack or my gender?”
“Both.”
Ryou hesitated, an uneasy look on her face. “...Not yet,” she finally whispered as she subconsciously curled a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m not ready yet.”
“Ok,” Joey said in an understanding tone. “Don’t worry; I’ll keep your secret.”
Ryou gave him a weary smile as he looped his arm around her neck and began dragging her in the direction of their school. She was well aware that while Joey meant well, his ability to keep secrets were, well, less than trustworthy.
It’s going to be a long day.