Bending the Rules

Rating: M

Started: 7/11/2013

Please enjoy :)

There are certain things we take for granted in the world; obvious facts we overlook. Water is wet, for example. Or light and dark exist in every setting. Everything your eyes absorb is because of the efforts of light and dark. Some people are not so lucky to be negligent of the obvious. They are the benders, bending the elements which conduct our universe, bending the status quo, and completely succumbing to their poor teenage hormones in the process.

Benders exist throughout all of time and space. Mortal beings granted unspeakable power with which they are meant to protect the innocent and vanquish evil. These gifts present themselves when in the company of a greater evil than humanity can even comprehend: demons. Beings born out of hatred and anger who dwell for the most part in the Underworld have been known to surface in the past on a quest for domination. The slaughter of human beings has always been a familiar sport for demons; it was not until the time of the Roman Empire that a new demonic law was instated.

Any demon with the power to conquer the human world would summarily be granted dominion over all dwellers of the Underworld as well. They would rule over all known beings.

This law started a long and dreadful war between benders and demons. Protectors and perpetrators. The war lasted for thousands of years, culminating in the sacrifice of a powerful bender, weakening the demonic race to the point of temporary surrender.

Now, after five hundred years of recuperation, the demons are ready to unleash the ultimate attack. Their power is unimaginably greater than ever before. To combat it, the powers that be will grant powers to eight benders.

Though currently unaware of their destiny, these benders will be the greatest to ever exist. Should they succeed in this final battle, demons will be locked away in the Underworld left with only each other to slaughter for amusement.

The demons are ready to strike. They've waited half a millennia for this opportunity and the benders must learn quickly.

Whether they have a math to study or not.

Please get me out of this hell box.

Jou looked at his phone hidden in his lap and stifled a laugh. He was currently sitting in math class trying to understand why foil was even involved when his friend Malik texted him. Malik had history this period and was forced to study in groups with…

Well, as he put it: "inconceivably nymrodic asshats".

Jou was sure that at least two of those words were not in the dictionary, but he got the gist.

Wish we were watching Milton Berle. He responded.

Their dear friend Yuugi was attending a film class where they had the pleasure of watching The Texaco Star Theater with everyone's favorite cross-dressing uncle. Missing out on said film class was a mistake which Jou bitterly regretted, but he hadn't realized that by taking auto-shop for his elective he would land in a math class seventh period with an asshole teacher that didn't really know the Pythagorean Theorem at all.

"Jounouchi. Since you have the leisure time to text your friends, I suppose I can begrudge you the pleasure of completing the first review problem on the board."

Jou groaned loudly but rose anyway. He stood at the board facing the class with a bored look on his face. It didn't really bother him that they would probably laugh when he messed up. It was just annoying, that's all.

When he turned to grab a piece of chalk, he caught a glimpse of the unfairly attractive and brilliant Seto Kaiba. They have known and fought with each other their whole lives. Right now, even, Kaiba seemed to be flicking him the bird. Wait…

Jou's eyes widened and he turned back to the board so no one could see his blush.

Kaiba definitely just mimed him the answer.

He quickly wrote in on the board and rushed to his seat, loving the annoyed look on his teacher's face when he announced Jou had gotten it right. He didn't bother Jou for the rest of the class. When the final bell rang, the blonde practically ran after Kaiba. Maybe they could have a decent conversation for once. Maybe Jou wouldn't leave his crush's presence with a painful hole in his chest as a reminder that the taller boy hated him.

"Hey, Kaiba!" The CEO surprisingly hung back so he could look Jou in the eye. He didn't say anything, but raised a brow impatiently. Jou would have gulped if he weren't so determined. "Thanks for helping me out back there."

Kaiba scoffed.

"As if I would waste my time helping you, mutt."

The hurt that flashed in Jou's eyes would have truly bothered Seto if he were someone else. As it was, he was Kaiba and he cared nothing for stupid Jou and his beautiful eyes.

Besides, the pain was replaced by anger soon enough.

"I'm not a dog, you dumb bastard," Jou growled. Seto's blue eyes rolled as he shifted his weight to one foot.

"At least I can perform math without help, you Chihuahua."

"Ah-hah! So you did help me!"

"As I stated earlier, Pug, no. You don't deserve my help."

"Damnit, stop with the dog references!"

"I'll stop when you stop being one, Labrador!"

Thus unfolded physical spar number 30 for the semester between Katsuya Jounouchi and Set Kaiba.

Ah, tradition.

Ryou Shiozu was a good student. No, damnit, he was a great student. He has gotten straight A's since kindergarten and rarely ever missed school. Even when his dad left the county, which most kids would take advantage of, he continued to attend school and picked up a job for spending cash so all the money his dad sent him could go to rent and tuition. So really, when you think about it, he was just a great person in general.

Why then, I ask you, must he be surrounded by morons?

All the time?

He resisted the very strong urge to slam his head on his desk when one of his classmates asked for the second time if he needed to write his name on his test before turning it in. Seriously? Imbeciles. All of them.

As he bent over his own test to circle the answer to the last question, a note landed in front of him. He nervously glanced at the teacher before looking up at the thrower of said note and smiling at Bakura. He unfolded the note and grinned.

No, darling, you don't need to write your name. She'll know which is yours by all the wrong answers.

They shared a roll of their eyes at the expense of their peer and picked up their exams, walking together to the teacher to turn them in and depart. The pair of them often remained quiet around large groups of people, but when they discovered last year that they lived only a block away from each other and began walking together, they realized they had something very important in common over which they bonded quickly.

They loved sass and loved to use it when judging other people.

"Oh my god, are you kidding me? How did he make it to senior year without his brain?"

"His mother probably still breathes for him."

They laughed together as they exited the school to start their trek home. Ryou's laugh was something Bakura loved, considering how quiet the other had previously been around him. There was very little either enjoyed more than commuting to and from school with their friend. As Bakura put it, "It's just nice to have someone next to you who silently judges others as much as you do."

To which Ryou would respond with something along the lines of, "Aw, Kura!" and a hug, completely oblivious to the blush on his white-haired friend's face when he did so.

"Insufferable jackass."

"Stubborn child."

"Arrogant prick!"

"Midget asshat!"

"Spoiled ignoramus!"

"Stupi- wait what?"

"Exactly!"

Kaoru Ishigami was at a loss. An absolute and complete loss. He had been teaching gym for twenty years and never had he ever known two boys to fight as these two did.

Yuugi Moto had transferred into this gym glass halfway through the semester once his counselor realized he had no PE credits to finish the curriculum. Due to his schedule and the unwavering desire of the film teacher to leave Yuugi in 7th period Film Studies, the student was placed in 8th period gym. Which would have been absolutely fine. If it weren't for the fact that the one student every teacher had tried desperately to keep away from Yuugi since pre-school was also in that class: Yami Notaro.

Practically the entire city of Domino knew of the arguments between the two. Their verbal disagreements were rivaled only by the physical spars of Seto Kaiba and Katsuya Jounouchi. Thus they were kept apart as often as possible.

Unfortunately for this teacher, they were finally reunited in his class.

"Whatever, you dick."

"Aw, is the poor wittle virgin getting angry? Why don't you go see if that slut Anzu will help you relax?"

"Fuck you, Notaro! You wish one of your harlots was half as amazing as Anzu! And you know I'm gay, anyway."

Yami stepped close to Yuugi so he was snarling in his face; an act which would have made even grown men quiver but really just served to piss Yuugi off more.

"Well then, why don't I teach you how to relax?"

Kaoru's eyes widened to the size of saucers. He almost took in the blush on Yuugi's cheeks and the shocked looks on the surrounding student's faces, but he really only had one thing on his mind.

"NO. No sex in my class; that is not the kind of physical activity I am teaching." His voice absolutely did not crack with embarrassment at this point. "Both of you, five laps around the track. Now!"

Yuugi looked away with a scoff and pushed Yami on his ass.

"I hate you!"

Yami growled and chased after Yuugi, continuing their argument for all five of their laps. Kaoru blew his whistle and pushed the rest of the class to continue their baseball game, thanking every deity he knew of that it was the last Friday of the Fall semester.

Malik Ishtar loves to design. Anything. He was the best designer for his school's playhouse back in Egypt (which is saying something, considering the origin of theater) and he was now the best for Domino High's Production Company.

He was currently running beautiful lilac eyes over the set for their New Year's production of Oedipus Rex this weekend. The garden where Oedipus would speak to his motherwife was breathtaking. He had gotten many compliments for his design and felt pride looking down at the stage. Of course, a lot of the time he would rebuff the attention, saying his designs would be nothing without such an amazing builder.

Toned arms hidden beneath a black hooded sweatshirt wrapped around his waist and a chin settled on his right shoulder. He smiled. Think of the devil.

"It looks amazing, baby."

Malik's smile broke into a grin and he turned to face his boyfriend of three years. His arms circled the taller one's neck as he spoke.

"And it's all thanks to you, Marik-The-Builder."

Marik himself chuckled, used to the silly nicknames Malik came up with for him and secretly pleased that his love always seemed happier when using them. He looked into Malik's eyes and tilted his head a bit, love and happiness shining through his own.

"Can I kiss you?"

"Yes you can!"

They laughed together before sharing a gentle kiss. Malik pulled away with wide eyes as he remembered something important.

"Oh! Isis said to come home for dinner before opening night. She has something she wanted to talk to us about."

Marik nodded and bent down to pick up both of their back packs, slinging them over his back. He put his other arm around Malik's shoulders and kissed his boyfriend's head. They walked together from the theater and down the road to their shared home. When they had been discovered in a romantic situation this past Valentine's Day by Marik's mother, they were given two options. Break up, or get the fuck out of her house.

They chose the latter, and never looked back.

Isis, Malik's older sister, and Odion, his big brother, were the only two out of both of their immediate and extended families to accept them. In fact, the rage with which Malik's father reacted was so dangerous that they had to leave. Isis conducted much research to find a suitable place for them to move; somewhere her brother and his beloved would be accepted and cherished for just how amazing they really were. Her research led her to Domino City, where not only was the homosexual population large and increasing, but there also happened to be an opening for a curator at their museum. They moved two days later and had never been happier.

Once enlisted at Domino High, Malik met Jounouchi and their spit-fire personalities meshed immediately. He then was introduced to Yuugi and Ryou, who quickly became some of his greatest allies. Marik, who was usually quiet when around any large groups of people out of nervousness for his personal opinions resulting in another blow out like in Egypt, met Seto Kaiba in his English class at the beginning of the semester and they were paired together for a project.

Surprising Seto, Marik completed the entire thing in one night because of his enthusiasm and they became fast friends. Well, tolerable acquaintances.

Well…they were the two who could sit back and hang out whenever Yami and Bakura started shit, as they often did. That was pretty close to friends, right?

"Oh my god Isis, are you serious?! That would be amazing!" Marik barely had time to get out of the way before Malik dove across the table to hug his sister, knocking her off her pillows. He and Odion shared a knowing look, very much used to the energetic antics of the youngest in their family. Isis' face showed pure joy at bringing such happiness to her little brother. After everything they had been put through, it was the least she could do to.

"Anything for you, little brother. Now, why don't you two go invite your friends to join you?" Malik nodded fervently and grabbed Marik's hand, pulling his boyfriend along with him to call their best friends for a weekend of cabin camping to celebrate the end of their midterms. They were ecstatic about their impending trip. Time away with their new friends after the absolute hell they'd been through in Egypt and with the abandonment of their families was exactly what they needed.

And, hopefully… Hopefully they can have a peaceful weekend with all of their friends.