(Edited: 20/4/2015)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: This story is a sequel to "My Brother's Keeper". You don't have to read it first, but it will definitely make some things clearer and easier to understand. R&R, constructive criticism accepted with strawberry cheesecake, flames are used to burn the flamer.
Everything is always so dark in here. And cold, of course. It's always cold too.
Five hundred. Four hundred and ninety three. Four hundred and eighty six.
I have to stay focused. When I am focused they seem to have less interest in me.
Four hundred and seventy nine. Four hundred and seventy two. Four hundred and sixty five.
I'll add and subtract and recite. I have to be focused.
Four hundred and fifty eight. Four hundred and fifty one. Four hundred and forty four.
Those leeches always come back, no matter how focused I am. But when I am focused it is easier to remember what is real. And it is easier to hold them back even for few, precious moments of clarity.
Four hundred and thirty seven. Four hundred and thirty. Four hundred and twenty three.
When I am focused, feelings are more blurred than they would be otherwise. But I think that sometimes it brasses them off too and the thought of that terrifies me. It also makes a small irrational part of me that is still intact happy to know that I can still fight back. It is satisfied.
Four hundred and sixteen. Four hundred and nine. Four hundred and two.
Satisfaction is not right. It is dangerous to feel more than necessary in here. They always come back whether I am focused or not. Feeling good feelings is bad. They are attracted to good feellings more than they enjoy negative ones.
Three hundred an-
I lose focus when the white light comes. I always lose focus then.
Regaining consiousness is never pleasant for some reason. The buzzing in my loaf that made me want to smash my skull in was highly discouraging me from sitting up, so I decided that it was as good a time as any to just lay down and take a nap. And maybe I would have taken a nap was it not for the uncomfortable lumps of something and the sensation of liquid on my back, or the stench of sweet rot hanging in the air. Sighing in defeat, I surrendered to the notion that a nap was out of the question.
My legs were wonky and I barely managed to stand up, but in the end I did it. I remained still for a few seconds to ensure that I would not fall again and when that didn't happen I sighed in relief. Relief that quickly turned to bewilderment as I took in my surroundings.
The sensation of vertigo was so overwhelming that I almost lost my balance. As I regained my footing, my pulse quickened. Everything around me was a filthy white color, while the floor was flooded and littered with flowers that were either rotten or halfway there. I could recognise a few- the sunflowers and the asphodil, as well as the orange lillies and the baby's breath. There were a lot more but my knowledge on flowers had reached its limit.
The place itself looked rather harmless; however I was more worried of what might be lurking here. There was this feeling of something being... wrong, although I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
After spending a good amount of time just standing and waiting for something to happen, I decided that it would be better to take a look around. Whatever it was that was waiting for me would eventually get to me whether I stayed where I was playing the tree or wandered farther into this. As I walked, the sensation of something being wrong increased and it did not take long for me to figure out what it was that created it.
This place was stale. The water in my feet was neither warm, nor cold and the smell of rot coming from the flowers was old, as if they had been here for days on end. It was cold but not unbearably so, even in my current state of undress. Even my footfalls seemed wrong to me. I was walking on water, but the only thing I seemed to hear was small, dull thuds.
Seemed. Maybe that's the key word here. I am not an expert on how feet sound on water, that's for sure.
But I had spent two weeks every summer in my Mom's birth house in London every year. I knew what feet sound like on water and I didn't remember ever hearing something like this. The sound was somehow pallid, strengthless.
Sending away any reservations I had about what I was about to do, I cupped my hands in front of my mouth.
"Hey! Anybody here?" I shouted at the top of my lungs. Maybe this place did not have any walls, or ceiling, but I had hoped that maybe there would've been an echo. However, there had been none and the sound of my voice was muffled, like I had covered my mouth with my hand, instead of doing exactly the opposite.
Wherever I was, it was a dead land. Nothing good ever happens in dead lands.
The sudden sting on the sole of my left foot was almost welcome after a while. Any sensation at all would be welcome, even if I had to start smacking myself on the head to get it. Looking down to face the culprit, I found a dark crimson rose bud, still fresh, lying on my feet. Its stark contrast with this dead world was startling. Nothing seemed to be muffled, or old about it. I quickly picked it up and even welcomed the sting of its thorns on my fingers. This flower was so vibrant, so alive! The velvet-like softness of its petals was magnificent and its smell sweeter than anything I had ever smelled in my life. When it was in my hands, everything seemed brighter somehow, easier, less insane. It lulled my senses into a sense of security I couldn't remember feeling for a long time.
"Beatiful, isn't it?"
My eyes widened at the sound of the unexpected voice and I turned around so fast I almost lost my balance. Chocolate brown eyes met my own shocked ones with a hint of mirth in their depths.
"I like it too. It makes me sad that there can be only one."
The girl sighed and flipped her white locks behind her back. I was left there staring at her in horror as she picked up a couple of flowers and began to weave them together.
"What is this?" I finally managed to whisper.
"Hm?"
She raised her head and looked at me questioningly. "But why, they are flowers of course. What else could they be?"
"Who the bloody hell are you?" I demanded.
"I thought it was obvious."
She picked another flower from the floor, adding it to the rest. I said nothing else and waited for her to explain. As she finished, she noticed me staring at her and sighed in exasperation. "I am you, silly."
"No you are not." I responded immediately, although I had been expecting a similar answer anyway. After all she did wear my face. "It is impossible. I am right here. This doesn't make any sense."
She giggled and the sound was so childish that caught me off guard. I didn't know what to do with her, however I was perfectly certain of what to do with myself. Get the bloody hell away from here.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Who knows what sort of danger may be lying around here! Indeed, such a dangerous place for a young lady to wander on her own!" she exclaimed happily and a million alarms went off in my head at her voice. The voice she used was undoubtedly mine- but there was something lying underneath that voice that made my blood freeze. "Why don't you take a seat? We could make a crown for me as well! Surely you remember how. Eight years is not that long and if I can do it, you can do it as well!"
My head was about to burst with fear at the new tone of voice, the childish tone barely covering the malice hidden underneath, malice that was not there a second ago.
"Come on sister." she repeated and patted the empty spot beside her. "Let's... play together, what do you say?"
There was nothing childish in her voice anymore.
"You are not my sister." I heard myself say before I could stop. "And I want nothing with that bloody crown of yours. Stay away from me."
Her hands froze with a flower half-woven in the crown. Her lips parted and she grined widely, exposing every single one of her teeth. They were not human, but jagged and sharp as broken glass. Her eyes were hidden behind her bangs but that did not stop my heart from missing a couple of beats.
"I do not appreciate you throwing a wobbler at me sister. I really don't. It... irritates me."
"I... I'm sorry." I mumbled softly to appease her. It was so surreal; that girl was wearing my face and spoke in my voice. If she did not open her mouth at all, it would be like staring at a mirror image of myself. And yet she terrified me. Everything on her was wrong and twisted. I wanted to get away as fast as I could, however I didn't think that turning my back on her would be a wise decision.
"Oh dear, you think so poorly of me? Going behind someone's back is the coward's way isn't it?"
Her grin seemed like it was cutting her face in two and her eyes shone with madness. For a moment I was paralyzed from terror,
It was hard running on that flooded floor and the scattered flowers managed to make me trip more than once. However I kept running, not looking back. I had to get away, there was nothing else on my mind.
"I told you sister. This is not a place for a young lady to wander on her own." her voice said cheerfully right next to my ear, making me lose my balance. Before I had enough time to stand up once more, something heavy encircled my wrists. A pair of shackles had appeared out of nowhere, connected to the floor by a thick chain.
"No!" I screamed in panic, pulling at the chains like a madwoman. "No, no..."
"Stop being a baby, will you? After all you brought this upon yourself." the girl said, matterializing a few feet away from me out of thin air, flower crown in hand. For some reason, this was the worst part about this whole situation, the threat of placing that... thing on my head. The mere idea of it touching me anwhere was revolting to the point of making me nauseus just thinking about it. I could feel myself going into hysterics. I pulled harder at the chains as she approached, begging her to not come any closer.
"You dropped it."
The disappointment in her voice was almost tangible and I snapped back into reality at her words. I stopped my attempt to break free and followed the direction of her eyes. There, in front of her feet lay the rose I was holding before. She bent and picked it up, staring at it lovingly, like a mother would look at her child.
"We've worked quite a while for this sister. It is not right to treat it like that."
That's what broke me. Her dissapointment, her chastising voice. I collapsed on my feet and sobbed. I couldn't take this. I couldn't take that face of hers, that grin and that crown.
The sound of her steps was getting louder and I could almost feel her looming over me. I screamed and screamed but this was all I could do and screaming is not a highly recommended form of self-defence against your insane doppelganger, or so it seemed.
"It's all your fault you know. You should have just done as you were told. But you just had to be the brave one, didn't you?"
"I'm sorry. Please, I'm sorry." I choked out between my sobs. "Please, just don't come any closer to me. Please."
She laughed at that, causing me to cringe. Her eyes were even more insane than before, that woman was a comlete nutter and I was at her mercy, with nothing to defend myself. Bending down, she he grabbed the chain of my shackles and effortlessly forced me on my knees, our faces so close that our lips were almost touching. Her breath stank of sweet rot and moldy bread and it was enough to make me nauseus but I locked my mouth and tried to hold it back. My breathing had become ragged and she simply stared at me with those eyes, my eyes and all I wanted to do is crawl away and if possible just die already.
She grinned again at that moment and I couldn't hold it back anymore. I puked in her face again and again until I had nothing left to puke out. She did not even flinch the whole time. Her face was covered in blood and the fluids of my stomach as was most of what I could see from her body.
"Are you done?"
I had to gather every single bit of whatever courage was left in me to nod my head.
"Now, that's better." she exclaimed happily and pushed me back. "Just sit still for a second Amane, this crown is a gift after all and it is rude to send back gifts. Rude people are so awful, don't you agree?"
I said nothing, just stared wide-eyed at the nutter in front of me. She raised the crown theatrically, not taking her eyes off mine, probably enjoying every single moment of what was going on. I could not protect myself and that bloody girl with her bloody crown knew it all too well.
"That's not very nice you know."
"Go fuck yourself."
It escaped my mouth before I completed the thought and I held my breath as she frowned for a moment. Then she burst into a fit of laughter that made me wish I could rip my ears off and stuff them in my mouth, just to prevent any future similar accidents.
"Maybe later."
It was times like this that I hate my mouth for its severe disconnection with my brain.
She moved too fast for me to be able to see her and the next thing I knew, she shoved her flower crown down my head and someone screamed. It took me a moment to understand that I was the one screaming, or feel the pain in my head. I pulled desperately at the chains on my hands, trying to reach my head and take that thing off but it was nothing short of impossible. All I could feel was the hot pain on my head, like someone had spilled melted iron on me. That and her laughter, that bloody, terrifying laughter of hers, my laughter as I screamed on and on.
I didn't know how long it's been. I couldn't scream any more. My body did not possess the necessary strength to even crawl and all I was able to do was lie there pathetically. I still felt the pain but I couldn't move a muscle. My body convulsed randomly but that was all.
The pain was maddening. I couldn't move and I couldn't scream but the pain... God help me, the pain wouldn't stop.
My body was completely out of my control but my mind was fairly intact. I could think, for one.
I wished I couldn't.
The pain began to subside slowly. I gasped at the slight relief and I almost burst in tears from happiness when the pain decreased even more. It subsided in a painfully slow rate but in the end the only thing left was my sore eyes and a slight headache. I tried to sit up but the moment I put the slightest pressure on my hands I hissed in pain and stopped. Turning carefully to my stomach I could see why.
My hands were practically in ribbons. Blood was gushing out of them and I noticed that the water underneath me was red, the flowers I was lying on completely ruined. Pushing myself forward with my feet, I tried to bring my body to a standing position despite the fact that the slippery floor made things much more difficult than they could have been otherwise.
"You are becoming boring. It's not any fun playing with you any longer. And you've made such a mess all over the place!"
"That's me caring." I shot back at her, still trying to stand.
My self appointed sister did not reply, opting to wait until I was able to sit up. Eventually I managed to reach a relatively more dignified position and for a while we simply stared at each other. Her face was back to normal, her eyes emotionless, her hair flawless.
"What was that?" I asked finally.
"Marigold and nightsade and cypress. And a touch of teasel flower, just for you."
"I did not mean your crown."
"It's your crown, not mine. Otherwise you would not be wearing it." she pointed out. "What do you have to say about all that mess?" she asked again. I did not answer, instead opting for the safest route of cursing my brains out at her.
"Nothing?"
"Blatantly."
She smiled at me. It was a completely normal, absolutely human kind of smile, but in its own way it was as terrifying as her other face had been. She came over to me and I cowered away, but all she did was grab me gently from my arms and help me stand. After she made sure I would not fall, she took a step back and eyed me apprehensively, staying a bit longer at my hands from where blood was still coming out.
"Don't worry, I'll clean up after you." she assured me sarcastically. "Oh. I almost forgot. Here."
She raised my left hand softly, taking care not to hurt me too much and placed something in my open palm. It was another flower, an apple blossom. I looked at her questioningly and she smiled sweetly at me . "It's a gift. An apple blossom."
She turned around and walked away, just when I realized that the water at my feet had already reached the middle of my shins. Understanding what she meant by "cleaning up", I called for her to come back, however she only turned around her head slightly, just enough for me to notice the same insane look from before. A very unwelcome bout of bravery overtook me and I growled, to which she responded by bursting into laughter, making me cringe.
Blatantly, I could expect no help from that direction.
Gritting my teeth, I made another attempt to slip my hands through the chains, thinking that maybe the blood would be of some help by making my hand slippery enough to pass right through, but of course nothing of the sort happened. My hands were stuck and the water had reached my navel. I pulled at the chains with more force than before, screaming as the pain on my wrists was getting worse and worse, however it was in vain. My own thumb acted as some sort of safe.
And of course, I could now see it. Of course. I had to break it. How did one go about breaking their bones though?
The water was ice cold and a bit soothing for my hands as it reached them, but I'd have a flutter it would not feel so good when it get inside my lungs. Just a random guess, but I'd never been drown before, not even here and I was not in that much of a hurry to learn how it felt anyway. That sealed the deal. Thumbs or no thumbs, I refused to be killed off like that.
Taking a deep breath, I pulled once more at the handcuffs and when they reached the thumb, I doubled the strength I used, trying my best to ignore the pain. My body protested against this new abuse and the exhaustion of my previous ordeal seemed to become that much more evident. My heart clenched from fear and pain but I could not give up now, I refused to die in this place. If I managed to free myself I might have a chance to escape alive, maybe that was what the point of this really was. If I needed to break both my thumbs to survive this then bugger it, I would break them like Kit Kat bars.
That sounds demented, chuckled a voice in my head.
"Well I am all ears for any idea on your part you bloody smartass." I murmured furiously.
I could feel the strain on my finger as the skin surarounding it had been peeled and gone towards the nails. Blood was gushing out freely and I could see the white of my bone. I howled in agony and stopped for a second to catch my breath and calm down my heart. Looking down at the horrid image of exposed flesh and bone, my exposed flesh and bone, I shuddered.
It's almost like peeling a banana, I mused for a second and then gagged at the image.
The water had reached my breasts by the time I had gathered enough courage to go through with what needed to be done. I felt my limbs stiff and tears overflowing. Shaking my head to clear my vision, I inhaled deeply and with a scream released my hand from the cuff. The sound of my bone breaking made my stomach clench, the actual sight of my shattered thumb making me puke a little. However there was no more time to waste, not with the water so close to covering my breasts completely. I sobbed as I fought against my own trembling body for control, as I felt it ready to collapse from the shock of what I had done. I had to hold onto conciousness no matter what, I refused to die here.
Holding my breath, I began the process all over with the other hand. This time though, the pain was ten times worse, making it that much harder to free myself. My vision was slowly fading to black and my heart felt like it would explode in my chest. Cold sweat was going down my forehead and the back of my neck, my breath fast and irregular. I had to calm down before I did anything else, I knew, because at this rate my legs would simply not support me anymore. Ignoring my instict that told me to hurry up, to finish this and finish it fast, I closed my eyes and began to inhale and exhale slowly, regaining some semplance of composure as well as a relatively more normal heart rate. It was becoming harder and harder to focus though and I suspected that that couple of buckets of blood I had lost were probably catching up with me. I mumbled a few curses as I steeled myself for yet another try at freedom.
This time I couldn't bother with taking it slow, not with the water reaching my chin. Adrenaline was pumping in my veins and with one last breath, I pulled my hand as hard as I could, not stopping when the muscle was shredded, or the strain on my wrist became almost too much. I could not hold back neither my screams nor my tears, but I had to finish this before my body broke down. Putting what was left of my strength behind one last chance, I ripped my hand out of the handcuff. For my fatigued body, that was the last stroke.
It took me a second to realise that I could no longer breath. The sudden sensation of being covered with ice-cold water drove me into panic and this time I did not have the luxury of taking deep breaths to calm myself or even waiting a second longer. I could already feel the lack of oxygen and I desperately tried to make it back to the surface, however my hands were too numb to be of any use to me and my legs could no longer offer any support. Despite my efforts I had barely managed to stand, let alone fight to get my head above the water.
I was going to die.
The sudden realization of exactly how hopeless this situation was filled me with despair. I looked at my ruined hands, the blood that was still gushing out creating intricate patterns in the water, coloring everything around me red. I couldn't help but admire the beauty of it all; the stark contrast of bright red on the white world around me. I tried to raise my hand, however I found that I could no longer move. I was so cold and as black dots appeared before my eyes and I slowly slipped into uncosciousness, I decided that maybe I would manage to take a nap after all.
I could only wish that death from drowning did not actually have any after effects. Besides, it's not like that was the first time I had died, not even close. But this- this was just bollocks. My eyelids weighted a ton but at the same time it hurt to keep them closed and my body was so sore I was certain I'd creak like a door in need of some serious oiling if I tried to move. A groan escaped me as I stirred a bit, trying to force some life back into my numb limbs. I concluded that it wasn't a bad idea to rest a bit longer; after all it is not very often that someone can have the pleasant reprieve of a dreamless sleep in hell. However I was forced to reconcider when, in my attempt to get a bit more comfortable, I realised that I was in fact snuggling against something soft and warm, or rather someone. My fists tightened.
With a shriek I fought against the hands holding me, scrambling away as fast as possible, trying to put some distance between me and whoever the bloody hell was after me this time. Which was all well if I didn't take into consideration the fact that my body was not able to support any sort of movement at this point still, so when my legs gave up on me almost instanteneously, I was left only with my admittedly admirable ability to curse at everything that moves as my last defence.
"Amane! Amane it's okay, it's me!"
My head snapped towards the direction of the voice and I stared incredulously at the purple-eyed boy that was smiling softly at my direction. Of all the things, all the people I expected to see, he was the last one. I vaguely remembered the Shadow Game in which Ryou sacrificed his soul to win, the Shadow Game that landed me here. At the same time though, the most vivid memory I had of it was the end. It was him, telling me that he would take care of me, that he would make sure I would not be aware of what was happening to me. That it would be over before I knew it.
"You." I hissed, as I tried to foce myself on my feet. I was wonky at best, unable to stand at all at worst. "You liar."
He rushed to my aid, grabbing my arms gently. I swatted his hands away as hard as I could. "Don't touch me you sad bastard!" I screeched at the top of my lungs. "You lied to me! You said... you said... you..." I trailed off as sobs began to rack my body and this time, when his hands fell hesitantly on my shoulders, I leaned in and took as much comfort as I could out of it. I knew in my gut that this was real, that the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle really was standing next to me. I felt so grateful for his presence, he wouldn't harm me, I knew he wouldn't and that was all I could ask.
"Amane, I am sorry." the spirit muttered. "But it's going to be ok now. I will take you out of here."
I turned to look at him with wide eyes, the meaning of his words slowly registering into my brain.
"Wh-What?" I managed to choke out.
"There isn't enough time to explain right now, but I promise you- it will be alright."
For a split second, my entire being rebelled against what he was saying, coming up with all sorts of explanations for why this was most definitely just another way of breaking me, playing with my deepest desire. But there was something about his comforting smile, his warm hand on my shoulder. Hope blossomed into my heart, unexpected, all-consuming. He was the one who had substitued my soul for my brother's. It only stood to reason that he was able to save it as well.
Adrenaline rushed through my veins and the previous weakness of my body suddenly meant very little. I jumped on him without warning and hugged him full-force, unable to convey my feelings for him with just words.
"Thank you. Thank you so much." I muttered into his chest, my voice hoarse from my attempts to suppress the new round of tears that was just around the corner.
"You don't need to." he assured me. For what felt like the first time in forever, a huge grin broke across my face as I released him.
"Alright!" I yelled as I twirled around and placed my hands on my hips. "It's time to go!"
"Uh... Amane... um..."
The spirit cleared his throat awkwardly and I turned to look at him questioningly. "What is it?"
"Uh... well..." he motioned in my general direction, his face cherry red, his eyes cast in any direction but mine.
"Huh?" I looked around, before a small chill made me fully aware of the problem. With a shriek I tried to cover my nudity as best as I could, while every ounce of blood in my body proceeded to move on my face. But it wasn't only embarassment that I felt.
Oh no, it sure as bugger wasn't.
"You... you... you bloody pervert!"
Needless to say that I was merciless; there are simply some things you mention to a lady before you announce her impending rescue from hell. When I was done, a very sizeable lump, that was created through repeated and quick in succession smacks on the head, decorated the top of a very, very repentant spirit's head. He had turned his back on me, holding his school jacket in my general direction. I grabbed it with a huff and buttoned it all the way up. It barely reached my mid-thighs and I probably would be unable to move freely, but it was better than nothing.
"You may turn around now you pervert." I announced coldly, glaring at him as he made eye contact. He just shook his head at me, although his cheeks were still red. His fingers clamped down on mine and there was a brief sensation of sidestepping-
There was not much difference from where we were before. It definitely was not how I remembered "out of the Shadow Realm" to look like. Then my eye fell on the board with the tiny people closely resembling Yugi Moto's friends dressed up for Haloween on it, along with Yugi Moto himself. On the one end the spirit was staring intendly at his opponent, whom I certainly did not need to look at to know who it was.
Nostalgia hit me as I took in the spiky white hair that framed a face so similar to mine, a face I had missed so dearly. I felt the need to rush at him and hug him, grab the chance to talk to him and feel him safe in my arms. However a look in his eyes was enough for me to snap out of it. Those were not the eyes of my sweet, quiet brother, not in a million years. And of course there were other feelings of my own. I caught the spirit staring at me with curiosity in his eyes, so I quickly composed myself.
"How did this happen?" I asked quietly, eyeing the board. Seriously, was that the only bloody idea the spirit of the Millennium Ring could think of? I mean, if it didn't work the first time around, what made him think it would work this one?
"The spirit of the Millennium Ring managed to find his way out of the Shadow Realm on his own at some point. Bakura was probably not even aware of his return, well, until he took over."
"That's not what I meant."
"The Millennium Puzzle is a powerful magical object."he answered with a sigh. "Even I don't know the full extend of its abilities and trust me- I've been in there for quite a while."
"Yeah but how will you-"
"I can't keep this up much longer. I need to win this Amane and not only your soul depends on it anymore." he cut in. "I will answer any question you may have later."
"I will hold you on that."
He smirked and, as the flow of time restored itself, I sent a quick prayer to whomever might be listening.
Don't let him lose.
What's the first reaction you have when somebody appears out of nowhere in front of you? Well, let me tell you that it's not this:
"Ah! Another Bakura? With boobs?"
"Joey!" yelled the brown-haired girl next to him, smacking him on the head with her staff. "Pay him no mind..." she trailed off, expecting me to introduce myself.
"I am Bakura Amane, Ryou's twin sister." She opened her mouth but I interrupted her, knowing what she would ask next. "I am dead, that's why." Her eyes widened in surprise, as did the eyes of her friends. "And I think you still have not introduced yourselves yet." I said with a sympathetic smile.
That seemed to snap them out of their shock. "Of course, how rude of me! I am Tea Gardner, nice to meet you!"
"I'm Yugi Moto."
"The name's Tristan Taylor!"
"And I'm Joey Wheeler!"
"Nice to meet all of you." I smiled.
"Oh? So I don't even get a greeting? You hurt my feelings sister."
I turned my head slowly to look at the owner of the mocking voice. I stared at him coldly before offering him a tight-lipped smile.
"Weren't you rotting somewhere in here? Or did the Shadows began feeling small and inadequate in front of you and spat you out?"
His grin grew wider.
"My, aren't you stroppy today! Did you not enjoy your stay in the Shadow Realm little sister?"
"Actually, you bloody pompous arse, I am the big sister. By five minutes, no less." I corrected him through gritted teeth. "And you can sod off as well." I spat for good measure.
He opened his mouth to reply, but the spirit cut in before he had the chance.
"Make your move Bakura. We don't have all day."
Bakura's attention snapped back to the game and he smirked.
"Oh I'll move. And you will lose. This is the play that'll give me the match and will win me your Millennium Puzzle!"
He slammed a card on the board and a miniature version of the woman depicted on it appeared on the bard. "First I will play the Lady of Faith in attack mode. And then the card that will turn your friends against one another. The Change of Heart!"
"The Change of Heart? Isn't that Bakura's favorite card?" asked Yugi.
"And a very magical card it is. With this card I can turn you against your comrades. The very friends you sought to protect, you will now destroy!"
The spirit's expression hardened, however the silent rage in his eyes indicated he could do nothing to prevent it.
"No, I refuse!" Yugi yelled angrily.
"You won't have a choice in the matter. The Change of Heart allows me to control any opposing monster. And I choose you little Yugi."
"Leave the young one out of this!" the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle spat, causing a grin to appear on Bakura's face.
"Why should I? By simply destroying him, I defeat you as well. You are here to try to protect him? Then protect him against this!" he shouted and placed a second card on the field, which generated a strong white light to engulf the field.
"Yugi!"
When the light was gone, a white-haired boy was standing on top of the card, with an angel and a demon wing on his back, sporting a white robe. Almost instantly, a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders, longing for my brother taking over me completely. I reached out to him, whispering his name. His eyes met mine and shock, along with recognition shone in them.
"No, it can't..."
"I- I'm so..." I stumbled upon my own words as past memories came forth, accompanied with guilt and shame. "I missed you little brother."
I had to settle for the only thing that had been a constant throughout my entire stay in the Shadow Realm. I tried to keep those emotions in check, allowing only my relief to show on my face. Thankfully, Ryou made this far easier when a very familiar glint of stubborness surfaced in his eyes, something I hadn't seen since we were children- or since the Monster World game that came so close to costing him his own soul.
"I am not the little brother!"
"Five minutes Ryou. Five. Whole. Minutes." I shot back with a smirk.
"Five minutes mean absolutely nothing!"
A chuckle escaped my mouth. "Now now Ryou, you would probably want to waste less energy arguing over the fact that you are the younger twin and more thinkng how to end this game. And I will not lie to you- you look like a bum chum in that dress."
His face turned fifty shades of red at the comment. "It's a robe! And nobody says 'bum chum' for God's shake!" he yelled in an outrage. I couldn't stop myself from bursting into laughter and soon the others followed.
"That's enough!" Bakura suddenly screamed, cutting our laughter short and acting as a reminder of how grave the situation really was. Nobody needed be reminded of what was at stake here- even if I didn't know the exact details, I could easily tell what the Game was without someone explaining anything to me. Sadly for him, Bakura was not a very original person.
I gave Ryou a nod, a silent understandig passing between us in less than a second. I reached for his presence, sensing the bond connecting us with every fiber of my being. A familiar warmth washed over me and, before Bakura had enough time to understand what we were doing, Ryou and I were both engulfed in a soft white light, as I offered him my energy, considerably stronger in a Realm of souls, to use as a means to an end.
"Alright!" he nodded and quickly flied to Bakura's Lady of Faith. "We want to help but we must act quickly Yugi!"
The monster shivered and Ryou appeared in its place. "I've taken over one of his cards instead of yours! I will control her while you attack me! That way you will win against the evil Bakura!"
"But I can't! I will be destroying you, sending you to the Graveyard!"
Ryou's eyes were determined and in them there was a fire I had never seen before.
"I don't care! It's better than being enslaved by an evil spirit! Do it!"
"No!" I screamed in panic, turning to the spirit of the Puzzle, who seemed equally astonished. "You have to do something!"
"Be quiet!" shouted Bakura, fear and rage clear in his voice.
"I have a better idea." the spirit said as the Eye of Horus shined on his forehead along with the Puzzle. The light hit straight on Bakura and made him scream. "If the evil power of Bakura's Millennium Ring can pull souls from people, then perhaps the power of my Puzzle can put them back!"
And just like that, Ryou was now the one sitting in Bakura's place and Bakura was a monster wearing a hat twice the size of his head. My mouth was agape at the quick turn of events and before I had enough time to register how the tide of the Game had turned in our favor, Yugi pointed his staff at Bakura.
"Dark Magic Attack!"
Bakura screamed as a ray of energy fell on him and, as the space around us began to crumble, Ryou's hand found mine and we held onto each other for dear life- until we did not.
There was a light breeze. That was my first thought.
There goes the bloody headache again. I complained mentally, as I fought the migraine off and opened my eyes. Blinking to clear my vision, I took in the night sky and the trees, as well as the bodies that had just began to stir back to conciousness.
Sky?
Trees?
Bodies?
I jumped on my feet, taking in everything in my line of vision hungrily, as understanding finally downed on me.
I was finally out of the Shadow Realm.
A/N: Don't forget, all who review get strawberry cheesecake! Hope ya liked it! Also, special thanks to DarkSideOfTheLight for helping me with the summary!