Name This Feeling
Author's Note: Stupid title, yeah. Fellow Thiefshipper, Annzy attempted to give me some title ideas, but I finally just stuck with this. *sighs*
So here's my super fantastical Thiefshipping story's first chapter! (Thiefshipping, in case you're wondering, is my favorite pairing. Why? Because it's so fun to write. :3) I was just patiently waiting for a good Thiefshipping idea to come along in my mind and BAM! On my recent vacation to the Midwest, it arrived! *happy dance*
Enough of this author's note. On with the first chap. P.S. Thanks, Annzy, for the motivation. :3
Chapter 1
I can't believe I was the one to suggest this, Marik thought as she crawled behind her older twin brother. The brick steps they climbed felt steeper than necessary, especially when dreading the destination at the top.
As if Melvin heard her internal thoughts, he turned around, walking backwards up the steps, and questioned, "You're not scared, are you?"
Scared? Try terrified. "No," Marik denied quickly. She couldn't admit she was scared. After all, she had been the one to propose that they should go to the town's haunted mansion. She had a good reason for doing this, don't mistake. That summer afternoon, Melvin had been bored. And when Melvin was bored, bad stuff happened. And when bad stuff happened, Marik got in trouble. So, wanting to avoid future complications, Marik had rapidly suggested that she and Melvin should go visit the wealthy, yet abandoned estate down the street from the twins' home. Why it had been her first thought to blurt out was beyond her. Didn't Melvin mention something about it earlier? Yes, she was sure he did. Some kind of myth… Marik inquired, "What was the legend on this mansion again?"
Melvin reached the top step and turned back toward Marik, locking his dull blue eyes on her dramatically. "This is the legend of the mysterious Bakura Akefia," Melvin narrated, delving into story mode, "Bakura was a normal teenager who was cursed at a young age. His curse entailed that he would feel the emotions of anyone around him. Overwhelmed by this, Bakura secluded himself from all others, taking refuge in this abandoned estate."
"You said 'was'," Marik observed. She raised a skeptical eyebrow, inquiring, "Is he supposed to be a ghost or something?" Not that Marik didn't believe in ghosts- because she did. She was just relatively sure this "Bakura" character wasn't a ghost.
"No one knows," Melvin answered ominously, "The unfortunate people who have come in contact with Bakura have disappeared."
"If that's true, how do people know he's cursed?" Marik continued to interrogate.
"Uhh…" Melvin scratched his head. "… Not sure. But the legend is true! Make no mistake!"
Marik rolled her eyes. "Suuuuure…"
"Well-" Melvin smiled deviously, pushing the front door of the mansion open with an eerie creak, "-Why don't you see for yourself? Lead the way, dear sister."
Marik tried her best to keep her apprehension at a low, undistinguishable hum and shrugged nonchalantly, sauntering through the door. She mumbled just loud enough to be audible, "Who the hell leaves their front door unlocked anyway?"
Melvin breathed down her neck, "Murders."
Marik couldn't help it. She gulped like people did in those cheesy horror films. Her pace didn't slow, though, as she treaded deeper into the mansion's entryway.
It was dark. Not as dark as Marik expected but dark, nonetheless. There were electrical lights every few feet on the light, periwinkle colored walls, which for one reason or another surprised Marik. Weren't haunted houses supposed to only be lit by precariously tall candles? Then again, Marik was only basing the house on her limited amount of spirit knowledge, this of which she had only retained from cliché monster movies Melvin had forced her to watch. The entry was large and airy, giving a pleasant feel to the estate that didn't seem to belong in a mansion that was deemed haunted.
"You sure we're in the right place?" Marik questioned, glancing down the hall that was tiled with a warm, rusty color that felt like it belonged in a lovely country cottage.
"Yep, this is the place," Melvin confirmed. "I see why you'd be confused, though. It doesn't seem like a haunted house, does it?"
Marik shook her head.
Melvin replied darkly, "That's because Bakura wants to lure his victims into a false sense of security."
Instantly after this proposal, the entryway appeared more sinister than before in the reflection of Marik's lavender eyes.
"You going upstairs or not?" Melvin randomly asked, shaking Marik out of her trance.
"Why should I go upstairs?" I'm perfectly happy down here.
"Because all ghosts and stuff haunt the second floor," Melvin stated as if it was a fact, folding his tan arms.
"Fine. Then I'll go," Marik declared, straining to sound less nervous than she was. She began hiking up the long, marble staircase, Melvin shadowing her. She asked behind her, "So what's this 'Bakura Akefia' supposed to look like?"
"The myth states that he's of average height and stature but as pale as the moon-"
"-Which is probably why people assume he's a ghost," Marik intercepted.
Melvin nodded and resumed, "And his eyes are said to be a murderous, crimson red."
"No one has red eyes, Melvin," Marik dismissed.
"Albinos do!" Melvin disputed.
Marik couldn't argue there. But this kid was supposedly a cursed, albino, teen ghost? That just seemed too unlikely.
Nonetheless, Marik didn't ask any more questions. Not that she has the time to, anyway, because the duo reached the summit of the staircase, presenting a new challenge.
"Left or right?" Melvin questioned, gazing down at each way, the hallways offering a formidable amount of doors.
"How about… you take left, and I'll take right," Marik proposed.
"Sounds like a plan."
The Ishtar twins departed simultaneously in their directions. Well, except-
"Melvin, your other left!"
"Oh, right!"
"No, left."
"Right."
"Left."
"Right."
"Left."
"Right."
"Oh, for the love of Ra, just go the other damn way!"
"Right!"
Marik facepalmed.
Melvin disappeared down the opposite corridor, leaving Marik with the only option of going her way. She gave a sigh of exasperation but did just that.
On the right side of the grand staircase, there were seven different doors. Now, which one should I pick…? Marik thought about maybe picking the doors in a specific order but gave up on that and simply decided to pick a door at random. That random door soon revealed itself to lead to the mansion's library. Marik walked slowly into the library, taking it all in. A bookshelf covered each and every wall of the circular room, reaching all the way to the tall ceilings. A polished wood desk sat comfortably in the center of the room, guaranteeing the person sitting at the desk would have a true sense of being surrounded by knowledge.
Wanting to feel this for herself, Marik sat at the head of the desk. She spun the office chair left and then right, lightly laughing as the spinning feeling made her stomach jump.
"Having fun?"
Marik froze, her eyes going wide. It wasn't Melvin's voice. But it couldn't be…
As Marik slowly lifted her head up, two crimson eyes trapped her gaze as the owner of said eyes examined her. The white-haired teen wore an unreadable expression as he leaned against one of the far bookshelves, his pale arms crossed.
"You- you're Bakura Akefia." It was more of a statement than question.
"That I am," the albino confirmed, edging towards Marik ever so slightly as if he was afraid she might bolt at any moment. And why wouldn't she? She was definitely fearful enough to wish she could melt through the floorboards. But before she could take any action whatsoever, Bakura ordered, "Keep spinning."
Marik blinked. "W- what?"
"I said, keep spinning."
"W- why?"
"Because your joy is refreshing. Now, spin."
Marik realized that the legend must be true. Bakura felt her joy. Suddenly, she felt a bit violated. Her emotion had been recieved- by someone other than her! Was he feeing the violated emotion she was dwelling on at the moment, too? But these inquiries didn't distract her from reading the acid in Bakura's tone that demanded she spin.
"Um… Of course…" Marik trailed off awkwardly, pushing on the floor with her foot and causing the office chair to spin yet another time.
"No, no." Bakura clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "Now you're nervous. What can I do to make you feel joy again?"
"Um…" Marik didn't know. She'd never been asked that question! How was she supposed to answer it? Her tongue felt like it was tied in knots.
"Tell you what," Bakura proposed, "If you go home, tell no one of me, and come back tomorrow, I promise I'll have something really fun for us to do tomorrow."
"W- wha? Really?"
Bakura nodded.
"Okay," Marik found it surprisingly easy to agree to this. She stood up from the office chair, her gaze leveled with that of Bakura's.
"Then, I'll see you tomorrow," Bakura confirmed, walking out of the library room and disappearing down the hallway.
Marik blinked after Bakura. Why had she so readily agreed to meet him the next day? And not just that; the whole thing was bizarre.
She departed from the room herself. She kept her eyes open for Bakura but didn't see him again after that vague vow the two had made. Instead, she only found Melvin waiting for her at the top of the staircase.
"Did you find anything?" Melvin inquired with half a smirk. It was obvious he doubted that she had.
Marik bit her lower lip, recalling that Bakura had sworn her to secrecy.
"Of course not. But I'm returning tomorrow just to be sure."
Author's Note: Hooray! Now the first chap is out! *happy dance*
Pretty please review if you're interested in more!