Bakura's Siblings

        Bakura held the kittens in his lap, enjoying their constant squirming. He couldn’t believe how soft they were or how little. Playing with kittens was never something he really did before this. Even as a small child, he didn’t play with the cats on the farm as much as he had chased them. But here he was, thousands of years later, letting kittens scamper around him. They gave him a calming sensation in the same way Marik did when the two of them were together. It was in these moments that he felt the most at ease. And yet, he knew he and his tiny playmates would have to bid each other farewell in a few short weeks.


       “We can’t keep all of them,” Ryo had told him. “At most, it’ll be two, and I already promised one to Melvin.”
       “What do you mean we can only keep two? What about the others?” Bakura snarled back.
       “We’re not made of money, Bakura. Not to worry though, the others will go to good homes, I’m sure.”

       Ryo’s nonchalance infuriated the other man immensely.

       “So you mean to tell me you’re separating them? They’re going to miss their siblings!”

       It was then that Marik took notice of the conversation and had looked at Bakura as though he was about to say something. Instead, he bit his lip and tried not to pay attention in the same way Melvin wasn’t.

       “They won’t notice after a while. They’ll forget about each other in time.”

       That’s when Bakura had lost in. He grabbed the front of Ryo’s shirt and pulled him toward himself. He yelled in his face, spraying spit as he spoke.

      “I noticed when my siblings were gone! I never forgot! I remember every excruciating detail! So don’t tell me those cats will act like their siblings don’t matter!”

       He held onto Ryo’s shirt for a moment longer before pushing him back. He could feel the intense stares of Marik and Ryo. Even Melvin had glanced up when Ryo had been grabbed. The latter quickly exchanged a look with his boyfriend to let him know he needn’t worry about his safety. Melvin nodded shortly in return, but kept a careful gaze on Bakura.

      “Bakura?” Marik started, but he couldn’t get any words out beyond that one. He looked to the others for help, but they were equally at a loss. They all knew there was nothing any of them could say at this point that would placate their roommate. Bakura managed to build up his rage again after the few moments of choking silence.

      “Oh to hell with it!” He turned around and stormed out of Ryo’s bedroom. The front door was slammed seconds later.


       A ginger kitten licking his foot brought him back to the present for the time being. He tried not to giggle, but his feet were ticklish and the kitten refused to desist. Before long, two more joined in, of course having the need to copy their siblings. Bakura was in quite the predicament. He had fallen onto his back in laughter as tears poured from his eyes. He was tempted to kick them away like he’d do whenever Marik engaged him in a tickling fight. But he didn’t want to hurt his furry friends.

       “S-stop it! Please – ehahaha! Quit! Hahaha!”

       If he was being honest with himself, he never wanted it to stop. In ways, he accepted that five of them would be leaving in three weeks, yet the reality of losing them was much too sad to face.


      When he had finally returned home, it was past midnight and he was sopping wet from the rain and tired from walking all over the city. He soon noticed that the others were holed up in their rooms. Usually at this hour, Melvin and Marik played video games or everyone was up late watching movie marathons in the living room. If not that, they were all partaking in Monster World campaigns. Tonight though, the apartment was quiet, even in Melvin’s room, which always had music pumping out. This change in atmosphere wasn’t surprising after the evening’s events. His roommates decided avoiding him might be for the best until he was calm enough to approach.
      Sighing, he made his way into the kitchen and placed his house key on the table. When he did that, he saw a note lying in front of the spot usually reserved for him. He picked it up and instantly recognized Marik’s handwriting.

      “Hey Bakura, dunno if you’ll come back tonight, but in case you do, there’s a plate of salmon and veggies in the fridge if you’re hungry. I can’t believe you left your jacket with this weather. Don’t need you getting pneumonia! Anyway, hope you’re okay. Ryo felt really bad so he moved the kittens and their mother into your room. You can see which one you like best except for the ginger one because that’s Melvin’s favorite. But this way you won’t be separating them from their mother anymore. We’ll all be here for you when you’re ready to talk. Love you,

                                                                          Marik. <3”

       He had rolled his eyes over Marik’s disapproval of his clothing choices, but he admittedly felt better, if only a little. And so he had grabbed the food, gone to his room, and shared some of the salmon with the kitten’s mother, Salazar. For once, she didn’t hiss at him. He had fallen asleep on the floor next to his bed and had woken up to the kittens swarming him.


       And in this very moment, he was struggling against the onslaught of kitty kisses. His laughter seemed to amuse them and they mewed back as if sharing his temporary glee. The noises also attracted Ryo who lightly rapped upon the door.

       “May I come in?” His voice was very quiet, but Bakura could hear him clearly.
       “If you must.” Bakura sat up and removed the three kittens from his feet. They protested with squeaks, but he really couldn’t let the licking continue.

       Ryo slowly opened the door, careful to not let any of the cats out. They had explored the apartment before, but it was soon learned it was best to schedule these outings so everyone would be made aware. Several of the kittens and their mother rushed over to see Ryo. He scratched Salazar behind the only ear she had when she approached.

       “Hey,” he said. He may as well have said it to both Salazar and Bakura.
       “Hey.”
       “You…sound like you’re in better spirits today,” Ryo began cautiously.

       Bakura stood up and sat on the bed. He folded his arms, but didn’t respond. The conversation from last night was still rooted in his mind and he wasn’t ready to let Ryo forget.

       “I guess I’ll cut to the chase then. I know you want to keep all of them and I understand how you feel about this whole matter. And I’m sorry for not really taking your feelings into consideration.” Ryo paused and chewed on his lower lip nervously. He breathed in through his nose and continued. “But that fact is that cats don’t think like we do. They have feelings, yes, and they mourn for lost friends, but they are great at adapting. They literally stop remembering their moms and siblings. I want to keep all of them as much as you do, but we can’t.”

        Bakura looked down. Melvin’s favorite was nibbling on his big toe. “I know,” he replied quietly. “Still, it seems so…heartless to separate them. They very clearly love each other. They fight and play in equal amounts, just like human siblings. They really aren’t so different from us.”

        Ryo knew Bakura meant the general “us” when he’d said that, but the two of them really did act like brothers in the same way Marik and Melvin did regardless of how they were related. Ryo wondered if he reminded Bakura of one of his long-dead brothers, but he dared not ask.

        “I understand perfectly. But Bakura, don’t they deserve to be in homes that can adequately take care of them? We just don’t have the means here. Besides, the apartment has a limit to how many animals we can have.”

         Bakura frowned, but he knew Ryo spoke the truth.

        “I’ll tell you what…I can see if Yugi’s lot might be willing to take one or two. Or even Ishizu or Odion. They both like animals and then we could have kitten play dates or something. Would you like that, Bakura?”

         For the first time since Ryo entered his room, Bakura offered a small smile. “I…yes, I would.” He knew there was a possibility somebody would refuse a kitten, but at least doing it this way meant he’d have the chance to see them.

         Ryo smiled back. “I’ll talk to them later today. For now, the kittens need to be weighed. Want to help?”

         Bakura nodded and together they took turns weighing each kitten and commenting on how big they’d all gotten. They joked and laughed as the kittens pounced on each other, completely oblivious to their eventual separation.
         Even though Bakura was smiling on the outside, his heart ached for the cats. More than that though, he yearned for his brothers’ companionship. He had loved them and his parents dearly. Everything was perfect before that fateful day when the world had slipped from underneath him. Worse yet, he had nothing to remember them by except for his own memories. On some days, it took all he had to recall what their faces looked like. The struggle often left hot tears in his eyes. Just thinking of them now was making it hard to focus. He sighed heavily and cast his face downward.

         “Mew?” The question came from a white kitten with a spotty, black pattern.

         Bakura smiled. His younger brother would have asked if that kitten was a miniature cow. Their father would shake his head in mock disappointment and wonder which son had led his youngest astray. They would then set him straight, but not before discussing the topic of miniature versions of cattle and what the point of them would be. They would come to the conclusion that it had been the gods’ idea of a joke.
         Bakura picked up the kitten. “Mew yourself,” he said. The kitten licked Bakura on the nose, “This is the one I want,” he told Ryo. “And I already know his name.”

         “Oh?”
         “He’ll be known as Cow.”
         “That’s a silly name for a cat,” Ryo said indignantly.

         Bakura glared back, but his eyes remained playful. He held the little kitten close to his heart. The animal could never replace his baby brother, but he would be able to look at it and think of the happy moments they shared together. As Cow fell asleep in his palm, Bakura knew he would be okay.


                                                           Christina Price. Age 25. 5/26/15.