Me again.
Again, this is a filler story while I'm working on finishing off, "The Return."; there's another one I wrote called, "Rebirth" that you MUST read. I put a lot of effort into it for a filler, and I thought it was impressive.
So, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or its characters--I'm working on it, though. No flames, please, 'cause those aren't fun to see, and please review as well so that my confidence lifts as a writer.
This tidbit is set nine years after "Rebirth," when Kisara is now about fourteen, and it's kind of a follow-up to my 'theory' timeline. The next one in this series will happen two years later.
Autumn-Angel-31? This was written with you in mind. Thanks for being the first to review, "Rebirth."
With all that out of the picture, you may begin.
She sat by the well, observing her appearance in it.
The reflection showed a young girl with silver hair that flashed brilliantly in the sunlight, a single strand of hair stubbornly falling across the middle of it. Her beautiful deep sapphire eyes complemented her pale, smooth skin.
Kisara knew full well that Chisisi was not her real father, nor was Amunet her real mother; her "brother" was also not her own. However, she did know that she had been saved from death and brought to this village--though by what and how she could not remember. Her singular appearance was said to be a gift from Heaven, as Chisisi often reassured her. "You are special, my little Kisara," he'd say, earning him a brilliant smile.
If only the rest village saw it that way.
Everyone feared and shunned the strange girl, and made it no secret that they thought her to be a curse. However, what Kisara could not figure out was why they had not yet cast her out. Surely if she was such an abomination they would have stoned her by now. And it was not as if Chisisi would give her any answers; he always seemed to want to change the subject on her whenever she brought it up...
She sighed, closing her eyes and looking upwards. "Where did I come from?" she wondered aloud, opening her eyes once more.
Kisara could not recall anything about her past, no matter how hard she tried. In her dreams, she had always traveled to a burning place that not even Anubis would inhabit, watching as people were slain right and left. And even then, they were but mere snatches of memory, not put together in a coherent pattern.
There was also a blinding light in her dreams...one that filled her with warmth and spoke gentle reassurances to her, promising her protection. But no matter how she tried, she could not get the voice to answer her questions.
She looked back down at the well, dipping her hand in the water and watching the ensuing ripples distort her reflection. Right now, Chisisi and his family had gone to celebrate the wedding of one of his relatives in the next village for the day; she was alone at the home right now.
As the ripples subsided, she noticed that there was another face filling the well, one that was not her own.
Kisara whirled around to face a stranger looking at her. His face was hidden behind a veil, and his crimson robe hung open, revealing a tan chest marred with slight scars. His eye color was hard to determine.
"Who are--?!"
She was cut off as the man grabbed her around the waist and clapped a hand over her mouth. Alarm went through her, but she was suddenly paralyzed and unable to move. Kisara debated trying to get away, but since the man's grip was like iron, she thought better of it and decided to see what he wanted.
He pointed to Kisara's place of dwelling. "Do you live there?"
She nodded, feeling light-headed. His hand was over her mouth and nose, making it almost impossible to breathe.
"All right..." he muttered, dragging her swiftly across the open space into the cool confines of Chisisi's home. Once inside, he used his foot to shut the door before saying, "I'll let you go if you promise not to scream."
She barely heard it because the lack of oxygen was making it hard to focus. She went slack in his arms.
Kisara heard a muttered curse as the hand released her. "Breathe, for pity's sake!" he growled.
She collapsed onto a bench near the door and gasped for air, drawing it in gratefully. After a moment, her vision cleared and she looked over her would-be captor. His back was turned to her, the man's attention diverted as he rummaged through a cupboard.
"Are you...are you hungry?" she asked timidly. The man turned to her with a brief look of surprise that was replaced with a scowl.
"Yeah, I am. Where do you keep the grub in this hovel?"
Kisara hesitated, rising to her feet to head to the cupboard on the opposite wall. She opened it, searching around before spotting the sole loaf of bread that had been left for her own use. Kisara carried it to the small table and set on there. "It's all I have, I'm afraid. Otherwise, I would offer you more..."
"What about meat?"
"That is not mine to give. It belongs to my...stepfather, Chisisi. If I got it out without his permission, I would get into trouble."
The man looked at her suspiciously for a moment before shrugging. "Whatever. I'm hungry, so I'll take what I can get."
He removed his veil and his turban to reveal a face framed with fly-away white hair, a terrible scar adorning his right cheek. His lavender eyes had a hungry look to them as he sat at the table. He winced, a hand shooting to his side for a moment before shifting away.
"You're hurt."
The man--more like a boy; he could not be much older than her--shot her an irritated look. "Thank you for stating the obvious."
He frowned, scrutinizing her intently for a moment. "You...are you Egyptian?"
"Yes."
"Sure don't look like it."
Kisara didn't know how to respond to that statement. "I was found this way," she said at last, heading for the cabinet the stranger had been rummaging in for some bandages and ointment.
"'Found'?"
She nodded, watching as the man dug into the loaf with an unrivaled ferocity. "I was brought here seven years ago, according to Chisisi. I was badly hurt...but that's about all I remember."
Kisara hesitated for a moment before getting to her knees and gently investigating the injury. It wasn't too deep, but the wound still had a chance of getting infected. She carefully began rubbing ointment on the injury, wincing at the sudden curse.
"What do you think you're doing?! For Ra's sake, that HURTS!" he growled, moving away from her instantly.
"The injury will get infected if I don't treat it," she replied evenly.
He regarded her with narrowed eyes before slowly sitting back down. Kisara resumed treating the injury, ignoring the occasional muttered curse that came from his direction. She finished bandaging the cut.
"...What's your name?"
Kisara looked up, startled. "K-Kisara."
"Huh...well, sorry about the man-handling earlier," he said gruffly. "Most people seem to scream whenever they see me. Force of habit."
"Why would they be afraid of you? You don't look like me...everyone here thinks I'm a demon," Kisara said, looking at him quizzically.
The boy shot her an incredulous look. "Do you have any idea how I am?" he asked, swallowing his food.
She shook her head. "No...I'm afraid not," she said honestly.
"I am the Bandit King, Bakura," he said boldly, thumping his chest in emphasis.
At the name, Kisara let out a small gasp, but not out of recognition of the title. The boy's name had triggered something within her memory.
Running lots of screaming make it stop...blood everywhere more screams laughter evil...get away...Bakura, I'm scared...more running pain make it go away it hurts Ra help me...falling...
"BENNU!"
"HEY!"
Kisara gasped again, realizing that she was no longer kneeling. Bakura's chair was tipped over, signaling a hasty exit. The boy held her upper body delicately in his arms, alarm racing in his eyes. "What on earth just happened?! You passed out without warning and started mumbling nonsense!"
She felt her heart racing within her chest almost painfully. "I...I don't know..."
"Whatever it was, don't do it again!"
"I'm sorry..."
Bakura looked at her worriedly for a moment before scooping her into his arms and carrying her into one of the bed chambers. He gently sat her down on the mattress. "Stay there," he said curtly, vanishing into the room. Kisara heard the door shut vaguely, but she drifted into unconsciousness before she registered him going outside...
"Hey. Wake up."
She opened her eyes wearily and looked up at Bakura. Kisara felt a cold wet cloth on her forehead, which told her what Bakura had been doing outside. "Th-Thank you," she said at length.
He grunted. "What happened earlier?"
"I...I was having a flashback..."
"Of what?"
"...I think it was my past."
A pause. "You don't remember it...?"
"No," Kisara replied sadly. "I only have flashbacks and scattered voices for my past."
"I wish I didn't remember mine," said Bakura bitterly. Kisara looked at him with confusion. "I am the sole survivor of the massacre of my village," he continued in the same bitter tone.
"Massacre?" repeated Kisara in disbelief. "How did that--?"
"You ever hear of Kul Elna?" asked Bakura. Kisara frowned, trying to remember if she had--
Screams more blood maniacal laughter Pharaoh--!
"Snap out of it!" Bakura's voice cut off her train of thought abruptly. She jerked, realizing she had had another memory dive.
"S-sorry. Some things just...trigger it."
Bakura nodded slowly. "Anyway, the Pharaoh decided that our village was too evil, so he decided to play Ra and destroy everyone and everything in there. I managed to escape..." he trailed off as his his lavender eyes filled with sadness.
"I'm sorry..." Kisara said hesitantly, unsure of what to say to that
"I didn't care about the rest of the dratted villagers; as far as I'm concerned, Anubis can go ahead and burn them alive down there in the Underworld. But there was one...only one that mattered to me. And I failed her."
"What do you mean?" asked Kisara.
"She...she was my light. She hadn't even been born in that cursed village; she was brought there as a slave. She was as innocent as a newborn infant--even if someone hurt her she'd sit there and apologize to them, like it was her fault. When the massacre happened...I found her and tried to escape with her...but she...she..."
Bakura choked, biting back a sob. He turned away from Kisara, hiding what he probably felt was weakness. Kisara felt a wave of sympathy crash through her for the boy. "Bakura..."
"I let her hand go. Just for a moment...I thought it would be all right. But it wasn't. She was shot in the back with an arrow...she would have lived...but one of the soldiers...he kicked her off of this cliff we were near..."
Now it was quite obvious. Bakura was crying.
"If I hadn't released her...if I held her hand...Bennu would still be alive..."
"Bennu?"
The name felt so familiar on Kisara's tongue that she started. It was almost as if she had used it regularly, as if it had been her own...
Pain laughter evil grins jeering taunts river blood a body flying snarling anguished screams...
"BENNU!!"
"FOR PITY'S SAKE, STOP DOING THAT!!" roared Bakura, shaking her slightly. "You really are starting to freak me out!"
Kisara opened her eyes to look at him, slightly breathless. "It happened again?" she asked faintly.
"Of course it did! I'm beginning to think that you're doing it on purpose just to scare me!" snapped Bakura angrily.
"Sorry," she said meekly.
"Don't apologize! It--GAH!"
Bakura had slipped off of the mattress and had hit the floor with a resounding THUMP. He cursed loudly and said, "Now see what you made me do!"
"Sorry..."
"I told you not to apologize!"
"Sorry--oops."
Bakura hit his forehead with the palm off his hand. "Never mind," he growled.
"So...Bakura, what are you doing now?" Kisara asked timidly.
"Why do you think I'm called 'Bandit King'? I steal for a living! And as soon as I get enough men to join my cause, I'm going to make the Pharaoh pay for what he did to my village...to Bennu..."
Kisara frowned. "Revenge won't bring them back."
"So what?! I want the Pharaoh to feel MY pain, to suffer loss like I have--I want him to give Bennu back to me!" he shouted desperately, his eyes flashing with fury and anguish.
She had no clue what possessed her to do what she did next, no clue as to why it had crossed her mind. But she somehow knew that it was the right thing to do.
Kisara pulled Bakura into a hug, ignoring Bakura's alarmed exclamation. After a moment, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her hesitantly. The thief had most likely never hugged anybody before, which explained his awkwardness. She released him after a few more moments and regarded him intently.
"But is that what she wants you to do? Do you think that Bennu truly wants 'vengeance'?"
Bakura's eyes narrowed bitterly. "I can't very well ask her, now, can I?" He sighed, cupping his chin in his hand. "You're so much like her..." he said softly, sighing again.
Inadvertently, Kisara yawned.
"Go to sleep," said Bakura immediately. "You need to rest."
"But--!"
"No arguments. You. Sleep. Now."
Kisara hesitated, finally agreeing to it and closing her eyes in compliance. She heard Bakura get up and she opened one eye sleepily. "Bakura...?"
"Hm?"
"Will you still be here when I wake up?" she asked groggily.
Bakura muttered something incoherently under his breath and shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Just go to sleep already."
Kisara gave him a sleepy smile before drifting off to sleep.
"...sara...Kisara?"
A pair of sapphire eyes opened to see a blurred figure in her line of vision. "Bakura...?"
"Who? You were dreaming, little one," said Chisisi with a tender smile. "You must have fallen asleep in here by mistake."
Oh...her stepfather... "No, Father, I wasn't. A stranger came here today--he helped me with the chores. I passed out and he tended to me."
Kisara wasn't sure why she lied; probably, it had something to do with her guardian panicking.
Chisisi looked at her with mild concern. "Well, you look all right now, but maybe we shouldn't let you do the chores for a while. I should have left Caleb here with you."
She smiled. "No, it's all right. How was the wedding?"
Kisara didn't listen, however, to what Chisisi was saying. Her thoughts were on Bakura and his whereabouts at the moment. It's sad...his thoughts are so clouded by vengeance...I hope that in the end, he finds true happiness.
Some distance away, Bakura was trudging up a sand dune, the moon shining brightly down on his back.
He had honestly felt as if Kisara was Bennu's twin--or even Bennu herself--as he had talked to her. It had felt good to talk to someone like that. But at the same time, it had reminded him of his promise to Bennu, and he could not be swayed from following that path.
Kisara...
"Do you truly think that Bennu wants 'vengeance'?"
Bakura idly traced the scar that adorned his cheek, the mark that would not fade away until he accomplished his task. "One day, I'll come back for you," he said aloud. "If only to see Bennu once more."
He could not rest, not until the Pharaoh's blood had been spilled.
Bakura would have his revenge.
Soon.
Bennu...I'll make him pay. I promise.
The clouds abruptly covered the moon. When it re-emerged, Bakura was gone.