Pairing: SetoxJou / Yami+Bakura / Yugi+Ryou / Honda+Otogi
Beta: JennieB. - The top of the pop.
Chapter three“This can’t continue.”
“I know.”
“This isn’t something I ever seen before,” Yami said as he looked through the photos at the computer.
Yugi frowned, and beside him, Ryou sighed. Jou was against the wall, his arms crossed against his chest.
“This ‘Bloody Mary’ thing is just a myth,” said Seto, who was seated on a chair.
“Sometimes myths are created to cover the truth,” Bakura explained from his place beside Yami, and the former pharaoh agreed with a nod.
“Please. You really want to believe in that?” The brunette snorted.
The blond approached the young CEO and seated himself on his lap. He hadn't quite believed in this myth thing either, but after they had learned about the death of Carl, he was not so sure any more. And Mizuki…she couldn’t stop babbling about how her boyfriend had said that name in front of the mirror.
“What's the legend behind the Bloody Mary myth again?” asked Yami.
“If you say her name in front of a mirror three times, she will come and rip your eyes out,” Jou explained.
“Well, actually…”
Everybody looked at Ryou. The British boy just sighed and scratched his head.
“What is it hikari?” urged Bakura, a frown creasing his brow. He had a bad feeling about this.
“The legend about Bloody Mary that I know is slightly different, that’s all,” Ryou explained as he looked at all of them.
“How’s that?” asked Yami, his voice sounding curious. He closed out of the website that was broadcasting the news about of Otogi's and Carl's deaths.
“Well, the legend I heard says that if you say her name in front of the mirror three times, she will come. But she will only rip your eyes out if you carry a dark secret that involves somebody’s death.” He looked at his yami. “Maybe that’s why Mizuki didn’t die that day at my house.”
“Well, then why did Carl die? He killed someone?”
“He hit a boy with his bike a year ago,” explained Jou, and everybody turned their eyes to him. “That’s what he told me once when we went to a party, and he got completely wasted. That was before Mizuki started dating him, and I’m guessing that he never told her. Apparently, he didn’t tell anyone else.”
Yami put a finger on his lips, pondering over what he had just heard. “That explains a lot. But what about Otogi?”
Everybody fell silent. Finally, it was Seto who spoke. “Do you all remember the story about that guy who jumped off of the Brington’s bridge, over two years ago?”
“The one who left a wife and three kids?” asked Yugi.
“Yes, that one. He was an employee of Otogi’s company.”
“What? How do you know that?” exclaimed Jou as he turned to look at his boyfriend.
“That was big news in the corporate circles,” he replied with a shrug. “That employee apparently tried to steal some big project from Otogi to sell to the highest bidder. Otogi discovered it and fired him, and then threatened him of a lawsuit if he tried to look for a job near Domino again. Two days later…” He didn’t finish his sentence.
“Wow.” That little word summed up everything.
“Okay,” Bakura exclaimed, opening his arms to emphasize his point. “And how the fuck do we stop this?!”
“Obviously, this legend started with a spirit that had died a violent death,” Yami said.
“Obviously,” Bakura said with a snort.
“Well, we have to find somebody who died in a way that fits with the description of Bloody Mary.”
“Are you listening to what you’re saying?!” exclaimed Seto as he stood up from the chair, almost dropping Jou to the ground in the process. “Are you guys really talking about finding a ghost?”
“What's so strange, rich boy?” asked Bakura. “If memory serves me right, Yami and I were spirits once upon a time.”
Seto growled furiously, and he rubbed his head in annoyance. “This is ridiculous.” And with that final statement, he left the room.
Jou looked at his friends, pleading with his amber eyes for them to forgive the brunette for his outburst. Then, he left as well to go after Seto. He knew that in times like this, the other would often do something he would regret later.
-----
“Seto, please wait!” exclaimed Jou as he grabbed him by his arm.
“What?!” growled the young CEO as he turned around.
Jou stepped back and frowned. He had never seen the other that furious. He tried to calm down his heart, which was beating fast in his chest. “Look…I know how you are about these things, but come on! You know something is seriously wrong in this situation!”
“I know it’s something not right, but ghosts? Give me a break, Katsuya,” Seto said, his voice low and serious.
The blond took another step back. His boyfriend only used his first name when he was really mad. Jou snarled and his temper rose. “You are a fucking idiot, that’s what you are, Seto! How do you explain their deaths then?”
“Something that doesn’t have anything to do with some chick’s ghost, I’m sure!” Seto snarled back.
“You know what? I think you are afraid. Afraid what we might see if we dig any deeper.” He smirked in triumph when he saw something flicker in those blue eyes. “You are such a pussy, Kaiba.”
That had been the wrong thing to say. Jou saw nothing more than a blur, and then his back hit the wall of the living room. Seto was staring at him with a silent, cold fury. “Don’t you ever say that again.” He grabbed his arm and turned him around, holding his back against his broad chest. They were both staring at a full length mirror that was in the small corridor that led upstairs. “Do you want to know if I’m afraid? I’ll just have to prove you.”
Jou widened his eyes. “Don’t do this.”
“Why not? Afraid Katsuya?” Seto asked with a sneer. He looked at the mirror again. “Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary…Bloody Mary.”
“No! You idiot!” screamed the blond as he squirmed out of Seto’s grasp and turned around to face him.
“You know where to find me,” Seto said in a low tone before he turned around and left Yugi’s house.
Yami and the others arrived in the living room to find Jou cursing all the gods above.
-----
Seto was looking straight ahead as he drove his car, his heart beating fast with both adrenaline and anger. Why did Jou have to be such an idiot sometimes? It wasn't that those two deaths seemed any less weird to him, but start to looking for ghosts? For heaven’s sake!
He stamped on the accelerator, making his car go well beyond the speed limit. He really wanted to punch something. “Idiot.” He knew that some time later, he would regret saying those things to the blond, and even more for participating in that stupid ghost story. But at the time, he hadn't been thinking straight, and he had just wanted to prove his point to the blond. “I just hope they tire of this stupidity soon.”
He looked in the rearview mirror, and he saw a shadow flicker. He frowned and looked ahead again, only to see a girl staring right back at him. He turned the wheel fast, on reflex, and the car left the road, hitting the nearby tree. He smashed his forehead against the window and then his body fell back against the seat. Blood started to run down his face, and in the broken glass, the girl disappeared.
TBC
