CHAPTER THREE
It was with a scream that Yugi's entire body arched off the bed, wild, amethyst orbs flickering about, frantic in their search. The sight that greeted him however, instead of having the opposite effects, only served to send the teen into a panic frenzy. Eyes widening upon recognizing his surroundings as the walls of his own bedroom, Yugi wrestled himself out of the covers and was quick to scramble off his bed.
Wary, guarded eyes took into every corner of the room, positive that everything he remembered wasn't just some horrific nightmare.
Then, how on earth had he come back to his house?
Slowly, fearful of his findings, his hand drifted down his body and came to rest on his abdomen. Running his finders up and down gently and discovering nothing out of place, he gripped the fabric of his white shirt and lifted it up a few inches, peeking hesitantly at the expanse of skin revealed.
He blinked, disbelieving at the bruise that had formed around his navel. The center was a light purple shade, but the edges had already started turning into a yellowish color, signaling that it was already well on its way to healing.
He lowered his shirt back down, a puzzled frown marring his features.
Surely, this wasn't normal for a stab wound? No scar, no clotted blood, nor pain?
Now more certain than ever that something was terribly wrong with the whole situation, Yugi began his search anew, head swiveling from side to side, never before having felt so intimidated in the confines of his own room.
"Where are you?" he whispered under his breath, somehow able to sense eyes on him.
It was a vague feeling, like he was being silently observed.
Shuddering, he squinted at a spot next to his closet, positive he had caught sight of the shadows shifting.
"I know you're here!" he shouted, aware that his voice was bordering on hysterical.
A yelp left his throat, surprised that he was actually getting a response when a figure emerged out of seemingly thin air.
By all standards, he should've been scared, but as it was, he had already witnessed far more than that.
The person was young, dressed in garments far richer than the leather scraps those creatures from before had been wearing. A white cotton kilt adorned his lower body, with a blue, golden rimmed sash running down the middle. His torso was clothed in a white tunic; a glaring contrast against the tanned complexion of his skin. A golden band was resting snug around his neck, and more similar bands encased his forearms and ankles. Sandals covered his feet, the same dark, royal blue color as the long cape that was draped over his shoulders.
To top it all, the moment he looked up, Yugi's own face was staring right back at him, causing the teen to stagger backwards, frame growing rigid once his back came in contact with the wall.
"I'm not going to harm you, little one." the other boy said, lifting one arm in a placating manner, and it was with great relief that Yugi noted the deep baritone voice that spilled past those dark lips, so unlike Yugi's softer tenor. His features too were somewhat sharper now that he took the time to study them closer, more angular, especially his eyes; a rich crimson, redder even than blood, if that was possible.
"I know," Yugi blurted after a while, and to his shock, he realized it to be true.
Surprise and apprehension had been invoked deep within him, but not once had he felt unsettled by his counterpart's presence or even threatened.
He didn't know how, or why, but he knew he wasn't in any danger before this being, non-human as it obviously was.
Which actually brought him to a dwelling question. It was established he wasn't like those things that had seemed intent to have his blood, so…
"What are you? You don't look like them. Are you similar to that guy that was with Ryou?"
The other shook his head, and Yugi was momentarily distracted by those extra golden locks that were mixed in with the otherwise black hair; they shot up in peculiar lighting bolt shapes.
He motioned mutely towards the bed, and Yugi took the hint and situated himself against the headboard, eyeing the other teen distrustfully when he asked for permission to join him.
He nodded after a while of contemplation, and his doppelganger sat at the foot of the bed, a safe distance away.
"You're half right," the boy began, and gestured at himself. "I can hazard a guess about the guy you mentioned, and in a way yes, I am like him but at the same time I'm not. In any case, I resemble him more than the creatures that inflicted that wound on you."
Yugi simply stared, unblinking.
"…Was that actually supposed to make any sense?"
He tipped his head, as though acknowledging Yugi's words, before falling into contemplative silence.
After seemingly reaching some sort of inner agreement, he turned back towards Yugi and at last said, "Allow me to start over. My name is Atem, class Pharaoh, and I'm your familiar."
"Excuse me?!" Yugi exclaimed, getting only the general gist of it, but he did have an inkling as to what familiar portrayed.
Atem gestured towards the window, or more accurately, the outside of it. "For many centuries, since the ancient times in fact, magical beings have existed in this world. Some of them are at large, merely roaming the earth with no specific purpose. Others, however, more powerful beings, can only be brought into existence through selected humans. The beings that those rare few humans summon are called familiars, each one with their own unique powers.
Now, the familiars are sorted into classes and ranks to make it easier to distinguish them from one another. I'm rank one, and my class is Pharaoh."
"Hold on, hold on!" Yugi yelled, shooting to his feet. "So, what you're saying is that creatures that control magic actually exist, and I actually summoned one?"
"Well, not magic exactly, just certain powers. The other part was correct, though."
Yugi stared at him incredulously before shaking his head. He made his way over to the door when a hand suddenly latched onto his wrist. He spun around, slapping away the other's limb, "Don't touch me!" he shouted, and Atem took a step back, an expression of genuine bewilderment marring his features.
"Where are you going?"
"None of your business." Yugi grumbled, twisting towards the exit of the room once again only to have the door slam shut of its own.
Calming his racing heart, the surprise was quickly replaced by anger and he turned narrowed eyes in the direction of the only other occupant in his bedroom. "Open it." he demanded, pointing sharply at the door.
Atem folded his arms across his chest, an unimpressed look on his face.
Growling softly, he stalked over to the door, pulling at the handle with all the force he could muster only for it to not budge a single inch. He frowned, noticing for the first time the misty, black ring that was encasing the base of the handle. He peered suspiciously at Atem out of the corner of his eyes, who simply arched an eyebrow in return.
"What did you do?" Yugi asked warily.
The corners of Atem's mouth curled minutely as he raised his arm, and as though tied by invisible strings, every single shadow in the room came to life, stretching far out of their original location to slither towards him, approaching almost reverently. They licked at his feet, slowly enveloping his form as if he was a most precious thing.
Then, Atem lowered his arm back down and the shadows' movements came to an abrupt halt, stilling completely, before they finally started to shrink away, reclaiming their respective positions dejectedly.
"My personal power; shadows."
Yugi's knees buckled beneath him and he slid down against the door, the pupils of his eyes blown out of proportion.
Atem's brows slowly knitted together upon noticing the quivers that were shaking the teen's entire body.
The moment he made to advance, Yugi's eyes widened.
"No! Stay back!" the boy shouted, flattening himself against the wooden frame.
"Yugi," he started, but said person shook his head vehemently.
"I wanna talk to Ryou. He said…he said he was going to explain."
Atem's frown deepened. "But I already-"
"I need to hear it from a human, not a monster!"
Atem reared back violently. He looked down at himself, trying to discern any sort of wounds on his person before shifting his gaze to the human boy.
Strange…if he hadn't maimed him, then how could that have hurt?
He took in the way Yugi had laid his arms atop his drawn up knees and buried his face in them, like he wanted to hide himself from the world. Perhaps even from reality.
"I need to talk to him, but I don't have his number. I don't know where he lives, either."
The tremor in his voice didn't go unnoticed.
Atem's expression gradually softened. It was clear as day that the boy was frightened.
"Yugi," he called out quietly, and yet his look-alike flinched as though he had shouted. Stifling the urge to react in a similar manner, Atem went on, making sure to keep his tone as low as possible, "I can take you to where your friend is, if you wish."
He didn't know who Ryou was exactly, but he was fairly certain he was partnered to one of those two, which would make it all the more easier to find him.
Twin amethyst orbs hesitantly peeked above a pair of clothed arms and he nodded once in confirmation of his words.
"…How?"
He gave him a brief, reassuring smile. "Like this."
Atem glanced around the room, approaching the nearest barren wall and touching its surface with the pads of all five of his fingers. Instantly, black tendrils of shadow separated from the closest objects and shot up the length of the wall until they reached the spot he had marked. There they merged together, a tiny black dot that grew and grew as more shadows gathered inside.
It only ceased spreading once it had reached the size of a full circle; a black hole which opened up the moment Atem snapped his fingers together.
Black smoke wafted inwards, disappearing into the bottomless abyss just behind the shadowy ring. Electric currents, just as black and ominous as their fellows, kept sizzling all around the entrance, reaching outwards from time to time as though seeking for someone foolish enough to go near and taste their lethal bite.
Atem nodded, satisfied. He could already feel the presence of the other two on the other side.
He paused, however, once he noticed Yugi's blanched look.
"It's perfectly safe, little one." he hurried to reassure him, but the boy's eyes not once strayed from the portal, didn't even show any indication he had actually heard him.
"You know I would never hurt you."
That seemed to do the trick, because at that instant, Yugi hauled himself up, brows furrowing into a fierce scowl.
"No, I really don't. This could all be just a big ploy to get me to trust you and then finish the job your little friends started."
Atem's jaws clenched firmly together at the undisguised insult.
"Why?" he bit out, "Are you any closer to trusting me?"
Yugi snorted, eyes rolling upwards. "Please," he scoffed.
"Then you have nothing to worry about, do you?"
The boy actually faltered at that, eyeing the ominous darkness behind the outer black ring with unconcealed trepidation. "If this kills me…" he appeared to be considering his words for a moment, but in the end, he merely shrugged. "I'm sure I can find a way to get back at you."
Atem pinched the bridge of his nose. "Difficult little thing," he muttered under his breath, sighing.
Yugi flashed him an irritable look in passing, preparing himself for the worst the moment he stepped foot inside the entrance. Once his whole body was in, though, the misty black walls that had been surrounding him simply seemed to vanish and when he blinked, a lounge had already manifested before him.
Well, if he could even call it that.
He had appeared in a flat, apparently, a tiny room that contained a single couch, TV, coffee table, an armchair and that was pretty much it.
Just as he was about to inquire where exactly they were, a body slammed into him from the side, knocking the breath out of him, but the white strands that were tickling his nose were unmistakable and Yugi squeezed back, grateful to finally see a familiar face.
Ryou drew back, grasping Yugi by the forearms to keep him close. "Oh, Yugi! You have no idea how worried I was! The Pharaoh took you away right after he appeared and he even put your house under lock-down. Neither Bakura nor Marik could create a portal for us to get to you!"
"Ryou! Ryou, I'm fine." Yugi placed his own hands on the white haired boy's shoulders, applying just the slightest bit of pressure.
Ryou nodded tersely, withdrawing his arms completely.
"Look…" Yugi breathed out a sigh, carding a hand through his multiple locks of hair. "You promised to explain everything to me, so please, do explain what the heck is going on."
"Uh," Ryou rubbed at his neck. "Didn't the Pharaoh-?"
"Atem." The aforementioned Pharaoh interjected, walking over to the two. "My name is Atem and yes, I did explain the situation to him."
Ryou frowned, "Then why - ?"
"You stay away from him!" Yugi yelled, taking hold of a startled Ryou's arm and dragging him a couple of feet away from Atem. "And I thought I told you not to come near me! You're the worst!"
Ryou blinked, flabbergasted. "…That'd explain it…" he whispered to no one in particular.
Crimson eyes hardened. His patience was wearing seriously thin. "I'm the worst, you say? Then you clearly haven't had the pleasure of meeting these two."
"Who?" Yugi shot back, shoulders tensing.
"You know, it's usually considered rude not to welcome your guests." Atem crossed his arms. "It's not like you can hide. I could sense you from the other side of the portal."
Deep chuckles echoed around the room, making Yugi glance around in puzzlement and Ryou to run a hand down his face.
He could already foresee the disaster that was going to unfold.
And Malik wasn't even here to help him.
…Good God.
"You maybe can," a disembodied voice floated from somewhere to their right, and another to their left piped up, "but your feisty, little human can't."
Yugi frowned deeply as he kept failing to locate the source of the voices. There was a tap on his shoulder and he turned reflexively, expecting to see Ryou, only to freeze when a head invaded his personal space. And he meant that quite literally. There was no body attached to it.
Its lips twisted gruesomely to one side before they finally parted, "Boo!"
Yugi shrieked, diving all the way behind Ryou to the point that not even the crimson tips of his hair peeked out while booming laughter erupted around the flat, bouncing off the walls and seemingly multiplying in intensity.
"Bakura! Marik!" Ryou shouted, exasperated at their theatrics.
A body materialized to accompany the head of platinum spikes that was rolling on the floor in fits of laughter.
"A stroke of genius, that one." commented the second voice and soon, another person manifested on the armchair nearby, snow white locks bouncing along their owner's chuckles.
"Real smooth, 'Kura." Ryou scoffed, reaching behind him to run a soothing hand up and down a shaking Yugi's back.
"Awww~ don't be a spoilsport." Marik chuckled, sitting up properly and wiping a few stray, mirthful tears.
"And besides," Bakura chided in once he noticed the venomous look his look-alike was sporting. "It's not our fault he scares so easily."
"In case you two hadn't noticed," Ryou spat out, "he was introduced to our world only a day ago, and not in the best of ways either. If I hadn't been there to heal his wound, he'd have likely bled to death, and we'd have wasted two millennia waiting for the Pharaoh only for him to never be summoned because the chosen human didn't make it!"
Both Bakura and Marik sobered up, the latter's brows drawn into a scathing scowl. "…Spoilsport." he muttered again for good measure and ignoring the glare Ryou directed his way, he lifted himself from the floor and sprawled over the couch, long legs dangling off the edge.
Keys sounded on the front door, and Ryou exhaled heavily when it swung inwards to reveal Malik.
Thank goodness for small mercies.
The boy paused on the threshold, blinking at the gathered group for a moment. Assessing violet eyes lost part of their tension as they landed on the two newcomers. "Oh, good. I see you aren't grounded anymore." he said, tossing a half grin towards Yugi's way while kicking the door closed.
"Malik!" Ryou exclaimed cheerfully, gratefully, and stormed over to his friend, taking the grocery bags out of an amused Malik's hands and promptly shoving them into Bakura's chest, earning a protesting 'oof' in return.
"Put them away, will you?" he asked sweetly, causing his counterpart to blink owlishly back.
Not waiting for a response, he grabbed Yugi and Malik's arms and went down the narrow hallway that led to the bedroom. "And play nice!" he yelled in warning over his shoulder, reaching the door across the small hallway and pushing the other two boys inside. He halted before entering himself, "And Phar- uh, I mean Atem, make yourself at home."
He shut the door behind him, cutting off Marik's dark response of, "Control freak," before it fully reached him.
"Ryou, what the hell?" Malik snapped, marching over to one of the single sized beds and flopping down on it.
Ryou guided Yugi towards the only other bed and took a seat as well, "We've got to talk."
"Yeah, so I gathered." Malik tossed flippantly back, propping himself up on his elbows on the mattress. "What for?"
Ryou jerked his head in the direction of a brooding Yugi.
"Hmm?" Malik followed his gaze, shrugging carelessly. "Yeah, so? Didn't his partner already explain?"
"Hey!" Yugi's eyes narrowed, "That thing out there isn't my partner!"
"Aah," Malik chuckled, waving a hand dismissively. "The rebellious stage. Don't worry, it'll pass soon."
"Pass?" Yugi muttered incredulously, and Ryou buried his face in his palms.
"What's wrong with you people?!" the tri-colored haired teen shouted, staring at them as though they had grown another head or something. "You accept them like it's normal. That… that Pharaoh or whatever, commanded the shadows like they were his hounds and they jumped to obey, like, literally."
"Oh?" Malik sat up, suddenly interested, "Is that what his power is? Pretty cool, huh? It'll certainly boost the team's performance." he added as an afterthought, addressing the last part to Ryou.
"Can't you see they're monsters?!"
"Don't," Malik warned, violet eyes flashing dangerously, "you dare call my familiar like that, you understand?"
Yugi pursed his lips, head shaking from side to side. "You're crazy,"
"Cut it out, both of you!" Ryou shouted, causing Yugi, who was sitting only inches away, to jump in surprise. The white haired teen sighed, lifting a hand to massage his aching temples. "Yugi," he said after a while, voice weary, "I understand it must be difficult for you, at first it was for us too. But this…it's not something that can be reversed. Atem's been waiting for three thousand years for the specific human that'd summon him, and we've been looking for you for two millennia."
Yugi stiffened, looking uncertainly between them. "You…you said that before. Him, well I suppose I understand, given his nature and all, but you two…how?"
Malik lifted an eyebrow, "Didn't he mention the immortality?"
"The what?"
"Um, you see," Ryou trailed off, awkwardly, "it's kinda a one way deal. The humans born with the ability to summon a familiar are very few, some of them don't even achieve the summoning. Something must occur, a situation that'd have a great impact on the human, for them to actually reach the emotional state that allows their familiar to be brought into the world."
"And for me it was the whole incident yesterday." Yugi said, not needing confirmation.
Ryou nodded anyway. "Precisely."
"So, you two also…?"
Malik snorted derisively. "Please. I was dead for two whole minutes before that slacker showed up."
Yugi smiled despite himself, "I thought I wasn't supposed to call him names."
"Sure thing." Malik nodded assertively, the huge grin that was splitting his face destroying the uptight attitude he was going for, "But I never said anything about myself. It goes without saying that I can call him whatever I want."
"Well, I suppose I had it the easiest." Ryou said, laughing softly. "I was being robbed, and the guy was going to cut my throat, but he never made it that far. Bakura had him torn to shreds the moment he appeared."
Yugi cringed openly at that. "I still think they're dangerous."
"Of course they are!" Malik laughed like he had said something stupid. "They have to be dangerous. They're the elite, you know. They've got to be strong enough to be feared amongst the lower ranks."
Ryou coughed discreetly, rubbing his neck sheepishly when he attracted the attention of the other two. "Which brings us back to square one, actually. The thing is, Yugi, because summoning a familiar is really rare, as I said before, it cannot be undone unless one of the parties is killed."
"So…?" Yugi prompted, not realy catching what the other was getting at.
"So," Malik picked up, eyes alight, "if they're immortal and they're bound to a human, what do you think happens if the bond isn't possible to be severed?"
It was apparent from Yugi's features that comprehension was beginning to dawn on him.
"We…we become…?"
"Immortal?" Malik assisted helpfully, "Bingo!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands enthusiastically.
"It's not as bad as it sounds!" Ryou hurried to clarify, watching as Yugi grew more faint by the second. "It's pretty hard to swallow at first, but it gets better, I swear!" He peered at the other, worried when he failed to get any sort of reply. "Yugi?"
The teen stared unseeingly up ahead, face blank.
"Yugi?" Ryou repeated, gently shaking him by the shoulder.
"How? Exactly how's it going to get any better?"
The white haired boy swallowed thickly, glancing over at Malik. "Well, it does help when you've got company."
Yugi blinked, snapping out of his stupor. He looked at them both, smiling wryly. "You don't even like me and yet you're saying you want to spend eternity together?"
"Don't get me wrong." Malik scoffed. "I don't like humans in general because, compared to us, they're too easy to squash. You're one of us now, though. You didn't summon just any familiar, you know. The Pharaoh was the only one missing to assemble their entire rank. He belongs with his team, and you belong with ours."
Yugi grasped his head, already sensing the tell tale signs of a massive headache. "Look, I understood next to nothing from what you just said."
From inside his jacket, his cell went off, the loud ringtone Joey had set for when he called cutting through the silence and making Yugi groan at how the sheer volume of it pounded a fierce tempo inside his skull. He reached inside his pocket and fished it out, thankful he hadn't lost or bashed it during yesterday's struggle.
"Have you tweaked with my phone again, Joey?" he said first thing into the devise, mouth twitching, "I swear it's way louder than what I – "
He trailed off, eyes growing in size. "What? Arson, you sure? At our school?"
He fidgeted on the bed, swallowing the lump that had suddenly risen to his throat. "No, I didn't know."
A pause.
"Yeah, I woke up only a while ago so…Mm? Oh, sure. No, don't bother, I'm already out of the house."
A sigh.
"No, Joey, I'm fine. I was planning to go the grocery store but I'm not in a hurry."
A nod, followed by a small laugh. "Yeah, I'll meet you there."
He cut the line, re-pocketed his phone and stood stiffly from the bed.
"Yugi?" Ryou called out, rising to his feet as well.
"They wrote it off as arson, what happened yesterday."
"Well, what did you expect?" Malik stretched his arms high above his head. "Humans always try to find the most plausible explanation for anything unusual that happens. As if they'd ever accept the abnormal."
"You know what, you're right." Yugi slid a hand down his face, "And I suppose that goes to show I'm still human, after all, 'cause I certainly don't accept you."
He made to turn the handle and step out but his hand was snatched back before he could so much as touch it.
"What're you talking about?!" Malik spat, face contorted in a cross between anger and annoyance. "You can't just walk away. This is what you are now."
"Malik…" Ryou tugged at his friend's arm, but he didn't even budge.
"No!" Yugi yelled, tearing his hand away. "I don't want anything to do with your messed up world! You wanted the Pharaoh, right? Well, you can have him, he's all yours." And with that, the teen stormed out of the room, increasing his pace when the duo's arguing voices reached all the way out to the hallway.
"Hey, pipsqueak, what's going on in there?" the one that resembled Ryou questioned, Bakura he believed his name was, as he rose from the armchair and approached him.
Yugi shrank back, recalling all too clear the way the creature had treated him the night before.
Atem stepped in, placing a hand on Bakura's shoulder to halt his procession and ignoring the filthy look he was rewarded with, he turned inquiring eyes towards the little human.
"Is everything alright?"
Yugi held out a hand when the other made to reach hesitantly for him, and took a farther step back to widen the distance between them. "They're your team, right? Or at least something like that?" It was hesitant, the movement almost miniscule enough for him not to spot it, but he did and it was more than enough. "Good. Then you can stay with them."
Something akin to alarm flashed across the creature's features, but Yugi couldn't be entirely sure since it was wiped out the moment he blinked.
"You are my partner though, my aibou, isn't that how you call it in your language?"
Yugi's eyes went wide.
"I'm not!" he denied adamantly, pulse beating far too loud in his ears. "And I don't want to be!"
"Little one…" Atem whispered, and it might have been his imagination but for a moment his voice sounded imploring. His look-alike moved closer, Yugi's eyes involuntarily being drawn to those crimson pools, so similar to the substance that had been covering every inch of his school's hallways.
Too much blood.
It didn't seem to want to leave him alone.
"Don't come near me!" Damn, he sounded too frantic even to his own ears. Yugi swept golden locks away from his face, breathing deeply through the nose.
"You've done enough damage already, so just…stay with your kind, and leave me alone."
He chanced a brief glance at the other's face and nearly flinched at the expression of absolute turmoil he was met with. Teeth digging into the flesh of his lower lip, Yugi spun on his heels and sprinted out of the flat.
Atem's hands balled into fists with enough strength to make the knuckles turn stark white.
Why had this happened?
"Atem?" a voice inquired softly, and in one swift movement, he had fastened his hands around a pale throat, bodily slamming the frail boy against the wall, eliciting a cry when his head collided forcefully with the hard surface.
"Ryou!" Malik yelled, but his voice was drawn out by a feral shout of, "PHARAOH!"
Atem ignored them all, quickly calling upon the shadows to shield himself against the impending attack of the thief's wrath. They rushed to him, his ever faithful servants, encasing him and his captive in a black cocoon, impenetrable to all outside forces if the outraged howl that reached his ears was any indication.
Now then…
He turned his attention back to the struggling human in his hands, seeing his every feature as though he were still out in the light of day.
"What did you do?" he whispered menacingly, and when the boy cringed back, he knew he had finally looked up into his burning eyes, more bright when inside the darkness, his natural domain, than the daylight.
And he knew for a fact that whatever emotions were swirling in there at the moment…let's just say they were bound to be rather ugly.
"Nothing," the boy whispered fervently, that one word only barely audible above the harsh pounding that reverberated around them.
"Don't lie to me!" he hissed, tightening his hold even as he leant closer to the human's face, "Whatever you told him drove him away. Do you have the slightest idea how long I've been waiting for that person? Do you?!"
"I know, I know!" Ryou assured him, golden-brown eyes shifting to the steel, black walls of their prison. "Bakura!" he yelled suddenly, and Atem bared his teeth in a snarl. "Bakura, stop! Stop!"
Almost instantly, all attacks came to a staggering halt, only the muffled sound of ragged breathing slithering through.
A weary sigh pressed past those pale lips, before eerily calm eyes refocused on his person.
"I only told him the truth, Atem. He deserved that much, don't you think?"
He growled, low and deeply.
The air around them crackled with power, reacting to his spike of temper.
"You might as well have destroyed everything." he spat venomously, releasing his grip on the boy and stepping away.
His mouth twisted into a sneer. "If I can't be by his side, then you won't either. Approach him ever again, human, and I will hurt you. Let's see how the thief fares when inflicted with the pain you inflicted upon me; losing a partner."
Ryou's eyes dilated, raw fear reflecting back at him and Atem smirked, a dark and cruel smile that had goosebumps erupting on every inch of Ryou's skin.
He went over to the black walls his shadows had formed and slashed downwards on their surface.
With a sizzling crack, the portal opened up and he was gone.
The steel prison vanished; collapsed into shadowy tendrils that writhed on the floor before dissipating into smoke.
Arms were suddenly all around Ryou, and he tensed, for a moment more still trapped inside that dark cell. Cold hands cupped his face and he was pulled into murky depths, not rivers of blood for the eyes that were staring at him were malevolent, but they were dark brown instead of red and he could feel the tension slowly leaving his body.
He had had years of practice on how to handle this person's cruelty, not on himself; it was never directed at him.
Atem on the other hand…
The sheer intensity of his power had simply paralyzed him; a power he wouldn't hesitate to utilize to make good on his threats.
"I'm fine," he said, gently prying Bakura's hands away and squeezing them soothingly.
"That coward," Bakura hissed lowly, elegant features contorting in fury. "He ran away rather than face me."
"No!" he threw his arms around the other when he made to stand, and Ryou knew he had every intention of going after Atem. So he clung to him, held on for dear life because if he were to let go now, he truly didn't know if his familiar would come back to him.
"He's in pain, 'Kura." he muttered quietly, tightening his hold. "Being cast out by the one person that means the most to you…must hurt a great deal."
A whispery exhale of air ruffled his hair, and then strong arms finally returned the embrace.
"He'll come around," he said out loud, catching Malik's eyes from above Bakura's shoulders. "They both will." he insisted, only he didn't know whom he wanted to persuade more; his friends, or himself.
TBC…
Sorry for making you wait such a long time.
More explanations will be given in the next chapter.
Until then!