A Sweet Voice- Treasure
Kura was in his usual sleeping habit under his favorite tree. The shadows of the clouds moved ever so slowly past the thief's lighten body. The calming wind brushed against the leaves around him, creating a tune of their own. However, something didn't felt right for Bakura. Something felt rather peculiar in this picture, as soon as the thief realized his body was lighter than usual. He opened his eyes at a leisurely pace, and noticed that his red robe was missing from his character.
Kura kept his cool, and gave the biggest sigh for the whole realm of the Afterlife to hear. He stood up from his place of peace and started to look for the culprit. The fields were empty, only accompanied by the many outlandish types of flowers that disgusted the thief. He started to walk around his tree, hoping to find the pest hiding on the other side.
Just as he did a full rotation, a small creature emerged from the bushes of the branches in an attempt to scare his prey.
"HAH!" Amane yelled with all her might. But Kura remained unmoved from his position. He stared at her with a death glare on the sight of his crimson robe around the child.
…Kura raised one of his arms and pushed the tree with his elbow. The tree shook from the impact and caused Amane to fell down on the ground. The conditions of the Afterlife made it so Amane could not feel the pain from the fall, so she quickly recovered up with a smile smacked on her face.
"Damn, I failed again!" yelled Amane at her poor attempt of scaring her friend. Bakura was not having any of the joy, seeing as he woke up from one of his somber-induced dreams. "Robe. Now."
Amane detected a high level of grumpiness from her playmate, and immediately took action. She covered her cape (that's how she called Kura's robe unfortunately) around her tiny body and cradled back and forth like a little worm. "But its so comfy for wittle me".
Shit. Bakura quickly slapped his face to hide it from Amane's cuteness attack. Bakura could not still process how a great thief king like himself, succumbed to a child like this! She was already unconsciously cute, why is she doing it on purpose now?!
"Hey, Kura?"
Bakura took his hand away from his face and noticed Amane on the edge of the hill. "Do you think I could use your cape like a parachute?" grinned the little daredevil.
Bakura gave his own amusing grin as he wrapped his arms together, "Yes. Try it. See if you can fly. I'm sure nothing will happen~"
"YAY!" exclaimed Amane, who wasn't the best detector of sarcasm. Bakura quickly switched off from his evil mode and quickly ran towards the child, "No-no wait!"
SMACK!
Bakura looked below the hill and saw the little circle Amane did on the ground on impact. He was sure during first few milliseconds of the fall was the greatest day of the child's life, but soon crushed by the presence of dirt around her face.
"...Ow."
Well…that's a relief, Kura sarcastically thought, not letting his true worried feelings to leak through.
Amane woke up from her fall, now resting on the spot that the Thief King claimed on his tree. It caused Amane let a little giggle, feeling very honored to have slept on the place of a King.
"You're an idiot," murmured Kura as the child found him sitting next to her. Amane sheepishly smiled, "Don't…think you will let me do that again, huh?" Kura stood up and waved his hand dismissively.
"No please, by all means…fall as many times your little head wants you to…" Kura immediately switched his tone, "Just. Don't. Steal. My. Cape."
"Robe" corrected Amane.
"…shit.ROBE! Gah!"
What is wrong with him? This place is making him act so…different! He's been making little mistakes like this and can't take it anymore. He has to leave this…this fluff-filled place!
"Hehehe" Amane stood up and begun to walk away, "You seem troubled again, Fluffy! I'll leave you alone now, kay?"
Amane yelled goodbye to the thief and skipped off, only for her shoe to get caught on her dress. Which caused Amane to fell down on the ground. Kura quickly recovered from his thoughts and helped the girl up, along with his usual insults "Shoot. This is the fourth time. Stop falling like that."
"I told you, Kura! It's these shoes!"
"Why do you wear them, then?"
Amane quickly stopped her banter. It took a few seconds for the child to continue, "I…didn't chose these shoes. I mean…I didn't chose this dress either." The answer was very vague for Bakura, and he waited for a continuation, but the child remained looking at the ground.
"I-I mean…I'm sure you didn't picked that skirt." Pointed Amane, in which Kura quickly responded, "Not a skirt".
But…yes. Bakura noticed that he died with his old original body, and not of his Host's paled skin figure. Which is good news for Bakura, since he saw it as been very fragile. The only downside of THIS body was the height though… And living in Japan and in today's modern world made Kura to have second thoughts on the skirt. Shit, yes it's a skirt. He's wearing a freaking skirt! He's going to wear this skirt forever!
Amane laughed again at the sight of her confused friend. But as Kura realized…she was trying to change the conversation…the little devil. It amused Bakura, but he really wanted to get a better answer from her.
"Amane. The shoes-"
The girl finally stopped laughing and rested her hand on one of her ears.
"I think my mom's calling me."
"Amane…?"
The girl quickly ran off into the distance as she waved to Kura.
"Bye Kura! I'll see you soon!"
…
Shit, Kura sighed as he noticed he was alone again. He was so used to the child clinging on him every hour of his life (or well…undead life). Maybe after a long nap, Amane will come over soon…and wake him up when she does. And by Gods, her face is the only thing worth seeing in this forsaken place!
"…I used to play the flute, you know."
Kura woke up slowly from his nap to found Amane sitting down next to him. She was looking far away from the distance, her eyes set on the mountains resting on the other side. Kura didn't have any strength to say anything, and succumbed to his idleness to just let the child speak to herself.
"There was this band recital at my school at night. Mom dressed me up like this to look pretty. I didn't wanted to upset her, but the shoes did kinda hurt."
Kura was still frozen, unaware of the purpose of this story. Amane started to play with bits of her dress before continuing.
"I…wanted Ryou-chan to come and see me play. But…Mom said he was feeling sick."
A loud thunderous clap quaked in Bakura's mind. Putting the pieces together, he knew it was the time where he was still testing his Host…He was able to possess him for just 1 or 3 minutes at the time but…
"My mom was driving, and I kept kicking and kicking, 'Where's my brother? I want my brother!' And…"
Bakura wanted to move. He wanted to reach up to her and do something, but his whole body was paralyzed. And the child too could not stop talking.
"My mom turned to yell at me to sit down, but I kept screaming. I wanted my brother. But then…there were these lights and…and then…a- and then…"
"Stop." Finally, Kura regained his senses. He was able to stop the child with a strict but caring voice. "You don't have to."
"But…what if Ryou asks-"
"Don't."
Kura was able to make a knife for himself using two sharp rocks that he collected. He was carving something with pieces of the tree.
Amane walked up the hill to greet Bakura. Neither skipping nor jumping, but still was able to hold onto a smile.
"Hey…you're not napping."
"Been busy."
Amane giggled, "Doing what?"
Kura held up the item of his creation for last minute inspection. He blew on it three times to let the pieces of wood dust to disperse. He handed it down to the child while trying to sell an uncaring attitude.
"Here. Play something."
Amane looked down and saw a very crude-made flute. She reached for it very slowly as she too examined the object.
One blow: nothing.
She inhaled more air this time and blew on it. The note came out too loudly, causing Kura to block his ears from its irritating noise.
But for a few tries…it actually worked. Amane started with 2 then 3 notes. Then she started to play Mary Had A Little Lamb so flawlessly. And finally, she sang freely as she skipped a few steps forwards. No sheet music nor anything, just the child singing whatever notes she wanted to sing.
"Thank you, Kura." She turned to the thief, with a smile and a tear escaping from her eye.
Kura watched as the child skipped around the hill, singing her song out loud. He smiled as he heard the sound consume the hills and the land of its beauty.
A sound that has never been heard in this realm before.
A sound that was a treasure of its own.