"Yuugi! Get the phone for me?"
Yuugi looked up from where he was arranging the cards on display at his grandfather's store. "Hai!" He scrambled over the counter and grabbed the phone. "Kame game shop!"
"Yuu-- Yuugi-kun...?" Bakura's voice was trembling and held the taint of a panic barely being held back. "Something-- something happened, it--- the Ring--" the boy hesitated a moment. "Can-- can you come over? Please...?" he near begged.
Yuugi heard the panic in Bakura's voice and looked around the empty store. "I'll be over as soon as I can," he promised.
Jiichan didn't want him to go, but couldn't argue the fact that there weren't so many people in the store that Yuugi needed to be there. The boy ran to Bakura's house, wondering what could be wrong. The pale boy had mentioned the Ring. Surely... surely no one else could have fallen victim to it, could they have?
He caught his breath outside the house before knocking on the door.
"Who is it...?" Bakura's voice called shakily.
"Yuugi. Bakura-kun, let me in!"
There was a soft click as the lock was undone and the door opened slightly, showing a sliver of the unlit entry behind it.
Yuugi peeked in and entered. "Bakura-kun?"
"Close the door and lock it please?" Bakura requested from where he was hiding in the shadows, huddling in a blanket that covered him near completely, leaving only the left side of his face unhidden.
Biting his lip, Yuugi did so, then approached. "What's wrong, Bakura-kun? What happened?"
The boy hugged himself, looking down. "I--- I don't really know, I-- I felt myself slipping away and-- and I tried to stop it and then I---" His voice cracked slightly. "At first I though I must have died, that the Ring killed me, but I was looking at myself and I--- he--- He held up the blank card and I just--"
"Where is the Ring?"
"I don't know," Bakura near whimpered, a hand moving to clench the fabric over his chest where the Ring should have lay. "He has it...."
"Who has it, Bakura-kun? I can't help if I don't know what's wrong."
"HE does!" Bakura exclaimed, voice more upset. "The-- The other me!" As he looked up, the blanket covering his face shifted slightly, a section of darkened hair and skin becoming visible.
Yuugi blinked at the sight and reached out to touch Bakura's face. "Other you?" he asked almost absently as he tried to figure out what was bothering him about how the other boy looked.
Bakura nearly flinched, pulling away slightly to recover his face. "I-- I don't know how else to describe it... He-- he was me, but not me," he said uncomfortably as he held the blanket closer to himself. "It-- It was the Ring... AS me...."
Yuugi pulled his hand back. "Like mou hitori no boku?" He continued to peer at the other boy. "Bakura-kun, why are the lights off?"
The pale haired boy hugged himself tightly. "It looks more like nothings wrong when it's dark..." he nearly whimpered.
"I can't help if I don't know what's wrong!" Yuugi repeated, reaching for the blanket.
Slowly, Bakura let go, letting the blanket fall to the floor. Wings, one feathered white, one leathery black, unfurled out behind him, their restraints gone. The black one curled slightly around the right side of the boy, that was darkened as if stained with shadow that tinted not only his hair and skin, but the soft aqua robe he wore as well.
Yuugi's eyes widened. "Kirei...." he murmured almost unconsciously.
The transformed boy looked up, eyes confused.
Yuugi shook his head a few times, knowing that Bakura was upset. He reached out and touched one of the wings. "You can feel that?" he asked, then went on without waiting for the answer. "Why do you look translucent?"
Bakura trembled slightly at the touch, pulling away with a small nod. "I-- I don't know," he answered in a near whisper. "It's why-- why I first though I was dead. It's worse when the lights are on... Yuugi-kun..." he looked at the boy, almost begging. "Please... Tell me you can fix this...?"
Yuugi bit his lip. "I can try..... Mou hitori no boku might know what to do. I'll let him out now."
Bakura curled in slightly, hugging himself nervously.
'I can't think of anything I can do, Aibou,' Yami Yuugi spoke up. 'The Ring's Yami no Jinkaku must have sealed Bakura into the Change of Heart card, like he did in the Yami no Duel. The most I can do is send him back to that card, but it wouldn't unseal him. I can challenge Yami no Bakura to a duel with Bakura's return as a condition, but that might be what he set this up for and it would be walking into his trap....'
"You can't think of anything?"
'Gomen, Aibou. Until we find Yami no Bakura and force him to restore Bakura to normal, I'm afraid nothing can be done...'
"Sonna!"
"Yuugi-kun....?" Bakura asked in a small voice, looking at the boy nervously.
"Mou hitori no boku doesn't know what to do," Yuugi said, looking upset.
Bakura looked down, shouldn't slumping in utter misery. "Sou...." he said in a defeated tone.
Yuugi grabbed the other boy's hands. "We'll think of something!" he promised. "Don't give up!"
The transformed boy looked up, slightly startled. "Demo... if you can't think of anything, what can we do...?"
There was a dark chuckle and Bakura paled. Trembling, he turned to see his own form leaning against the door frame nonchalantly, arms crossed over the glowing Ring.
"Thought about what I said, yadonushi?" Yami Bakura asked with a smirk, holding up a magic card with a white spot where the image should be.
"Leave him alone!" Yuugi said, getting in between the two Bakuras, expression defiant.
Yami Bakura gave another chuckle as Bakura near hid behind Yuugi. "I have to congratulate you, yadonushi..." he smirked, pushing against the wall to be standing. "You've given me the most interesting idea...." He held out the blanked card.
Bakura froze, eyes going wide. "No...." He pulled away from Yuugi, shaking slightly. "I won't!"
"You don't have a choice," the wild haired boy replied confidently.
"Yuugi-kun, run..." Bakura whispered, keeping his eyes on the blanked card.
"No!" Yuugi said. "I won't let you get hurt, Bakura-kun."
Yami Bakura chuckled. "Foolish boy, why would I hurt my most important card?" he said near condescendingly.
'Aibou!' Yami Yuugi exclaimed tensely. 'Let me take over!'
Yuugi closed his eyes, opening them again to see his soul room. He absently kicked a few of the toys on the floor, frustrated that he couldn't even protect Bakura without help.
Yuugi looked up from where he was arranging the cards on display at his grandfather's store. "Hai!" He scrambled over the counter and grabbed the phone. "Kame game shop!"
"Yuu-- Yuugi-kun...?" Bakura's voice was trembling and held the taint of a panic barely being held back. "Something-- something happened, it--- the Ring--" the boy hesitated a moment. "Can-- can you come over? Please...?" he near begged.
Yuugi heard the panic in Bakura's voice and looked around the empty store. "I'll be over as soon as I can," he promised.
Jiichan didn't want him to go, but couldn't argue the fact that there weren't so many people in the store that Yuugi needed to be there. The boy ran to Bakura's house, wondering what could be wrong. The pale boy had mentioned the Ring. Surely... surely no one else could have fallen victim to it, could they have?
He caught his breath outside the house before knocking on the door.
"Who is it...?" Bakura's voice called shakily.
"Yuugi. Bakura-kun, let me in!"
There was a soft click as the lock was undone and the door opened slightly, showing a sliver of the unlit entry behind it.
Yuugi peeked in and entered. "Bakura-kun?"
"Close the door and lock it please?" Bakura requested from where he was hiding in the shadows, huddling in a blanket that covered him near completely, leaving only the left side of his face unhidden.
Biting his lip, Yuugi did so, then approached. "What's wrong, Bakura-kun? What happened?"
The boy hugged himself, looking down. "I--- I don't really know, I-- I felt myself slipping away and-- and I tried to stop it and then I---" His voice cracked slightly. "At first I though I must have died, that the Ring killed me, but I was looking at myself and I--- he--- He held up the blank card and I just--"
"Where is the Ring?"
"I don't know," Bakura near whimpered, a hand moving to clench the fabric over his chest where the Ring should have lay. "He has it...."
"Who has it, Bakura-kun? I can't help if I don't know what's wrong."
"HE does!" Bakura exclaimed, voice more upset. "The-- The other me!" As he looked up, the blanket covering his face shifted slightly, a section of darkened hair and skin becoming visible.
Yuugi blinked at the sight and reached out to touch Bakura's face. "Other you?" he asked almost absently as he tried to figure out what was bothering him about how the other boy looked.
Bakura nearly flinched, pulling away slightly to recover his face. "I-- I don't know how else to describe it... He-- he was me, but not me," he said uncomfortably as he held the blanket closer to himself. "It-- It was the Ring... AS me...."
Yuugi pulled his hand back. "Like mou hitori no boku?" He continued to peer at the other boy. "Bakura-kun, why are the lights off?"
The pale haired boy hugged himself tightly. "It looks more like nothings wrong when it's dark..." he nearly whimpered.
"I can't help if I don't know what's wrong!" Yuugi repeated, reaching for the blanket.
Slowly, Bakura let go, letting the blanket fall to the floor. Wings, one feathered white, one leathery black, unfurled out behind him, their restraints gone. The black one curled slightly around the right side of the boy, that was darkened as if stained with shadow that tinted not only his hair and skin, but the soft aqua robe he wore as well.
Yuugi's eyes widened. "Kirei...." he murmured almost unconsciously.
The transformed boy looked up, eyes confused.
Yuugi shook his head a few times, knowing that Bakura was upset. He reached out and touched one of the wings. "You can feel that?" he asked, then went on without waiting for the answer. "Why do you look translucent?"
Bakura trembled slightly at the touch, pulling away with a small nod. "I-- I don't know," he answered in a near whisper. "It's why-- why I first though I was dead. It's worse when the lights are on... Yuugi-kun..." he looked at the boy, almost begging. "Please... Tell me you can fix this...?"
Yuugi bit his lip. "I can try..... Mou hitori no boku might know what to do. I'll let him out now."
Bakura curled in slightly, hugging himself nervously.
'I can't think of anything I can do, Aibou,' Yami Yuugi spoke up. 'The Ring's Yami no Jinkaku must have sealed Bakura into the Change of Heart card, like he did in the Yami no Duel. The most I can do is send him back to that card, but it wouldn't unseal him. I can challenge Yami no Bakura to a duel with Bakura's return as a condition, but that might be what he set this up for and it would be walking into his trap....'
"You can't think of anything?"
'Gomen, Aibou. Until we find Yami no Bakura and force him to restore Bakura to normal, I'm afraid nothing can be done...'
"Sonna!"
"Yuugi-kun....?" Bakura asked in a small voice, looking at the boy nervously.
"Mou hitori no boku doesn't know what to do," Yuugi said, looking upset.
Bakura looked down, shouldn't slumping in utter misery. "Sou...." he said in a defeated tone.
Yuugi grabbed the other boy's hands. "We'll think of something!" he promised. "Don't give up!"
The transformed boy looked up, slightly startled. "Demo... if you can't think of anything, what can we do...?"
There was a dark chuckle and Bakura paled. Trembling, he turned to see his own form leaning against the door frame nonchalantly, arms crossed over the glowing Ring.
"Thought about what I said, yadonushi?" Yami Bakura asked with a smirk, holding up a magic card with a white spot where the image should be.
"Leave him alone!" Yuugi said, getting in between the two Bakuras, expression defiant.
Yami Bakura gave another chuckle as Bakura near hid behind Yuugi. "I have to congratulate you, yadonushi..." he smirked, pushing against the wall to be standing. "You've given me the most interesting idea...." He held out the blanked card.
Bakura froze, eyes going wide. "No...." He pulled away from Yuugi, shaking slightly. "I won't!"
"You don't have a choice," the wild haired boy replied confidently.
"Yuugi-kun, run..." Bakura whispered, keeping his eyes on the blanked card.
"No!" Yuugi said. "I won't let you get hurt, Bakura-kun."
Yami Bakura chuckled. "Foolish boy, why would I hurt my most important card?" he said near condescendingly.
'Aibou!' Yami Yuugi exclaimed tensely. 'Let me take over!'
Yuugi closed his eyes, opening them again to see his soul room. He absently kicked a few of the toys on the floor, frustrated that he couldn't even protect Bakura without help.