I deeply apologize for the long wait! I can't even fathom the fact that I've left like that...oh God. Now I will present you with this lousy chapter...forgive me! The cover is drawn by the awesome Forgetful Insanity, a round of applause for her! ^^
"The shadow what?" Gabrielle asked dumbfounded. She looked at her feet, trying to figure out if she was either walking or floating, and if she was really in the dark since she could clearly see Evil Ryou. Her mind was about to explode. That didn't make any sense!
"The Shadow Realm," Bakura repeated. "A place for eternal suffering." He chuckled as Gabrielle's eyes widened.
A shiver went down her spine as she heard something scream at a distance. There was nothing here except shadows, she should be able to see who—or what was screaming. But no, this Shadow Realm only served to confuse her more. "Eternah sufferin' ya say?" she asked, trying to appear as calm as possible but that was a little hard. She wanted to scream. "I am not feelin' any sufferin' at all."
Okay, that was true. Despite hearing unpleasant sounds and seeing shadows everywhere, she didn't feel any pain at all. Actually, her brain hurt her a little from so much thinking.
Bakura only laughed at her statement then smirked at her. "Oh, you will see."
The Australian teen didn't like the sound of his laugh, his words only made things worse for her. She took a deep breath before exhaling. She was about to ask what did he mean by that when a monstrous shriek echoed in her ears. That made the spiky haired teen scream and clutch onto the nearest object to her.
Which was Bakura.
Gabrielle opened her eyes and looked around, not seeing any monsters around. "Wah?" Came her dumbfounded response.
"You can let go now."
She looked at her hands before gasping and jumping away from her white haired companion. "What was that seconds ago?"
Bakura only looked at her with a quirked eyebrow. "There was nothing..." he paused before looking at her scared expression and laughed. "You see, hear and feel what you have in your thoughts." He chuckled evilly.
"So tha's what ya meant by eternah sufferin'." She mumbled to herself and looked around. "I want ta get outta t'is place."
The white haired spirit smirked and shook his head. "There's no way out of here."
Gabrielle was about to say something when he raised one finger. She immediately closed her mouth.
"But there's one way."
The Australian champion knew he was hiding something. "Which is?"
"I'll have to use your body."
Her eyes widened and shook her head repeatedly. "Don' even think 'bout it!" she glared at the spirit, but he seemed not to notice it. "How are you going to do it anyway?"
The white haired thief smirked. "I sealed a part of my soul in your bracelet."
"Bracelet?" Gabrielle looked at him for a few seconds trying to figure out what he meant. Realization hit her. "Oh, ya mean t'is bracelet." She reached for her bag and opened it. She pulled out several items of hers then she sighed in defeat when didn't find it. "I believe I put it inside befoh leavin' my house."
The thief suddenly laughed loudly that made her jump in surprise. Shivers went down her spine, his laughs always meant something bad; she concluded.
"It is in your bag. But not here." He said. "Millennium Items aren't allowed here."
"What do ya mean? My bracelet isn't a Millennium Item. 'Tis a gift from my mothah..." she paused. "So is the Millennium Ring was a gift..." Her eyes widened in realization.
"Exactly." The spirit chuckled. "Remember when you first met Landlord? I took the opportunity of sealing a part of my soul in your item. I am glad I did."
Gabrielle opened her mouth to say something but closed it to contemplate what she was going to say. If she pointed out he could go back by using the Millennium Ring instead of her Millennium Bracelet —it was still shocking to know that she had a Millennium Item— he might go and leave her in the shadows. Besides, that meant he would get back to Ryou and she didn't want him to get hurt. She sighed, "Alrigh'. Ya can use my body."
Bakura looked at her with a quirked eyebrow. "I am going to do it anyway, it's not like I asked for your permission."
The Australian duelist felt a vein pop and her fists clench. The spirit was getting on her nerves. She opened her mouth to say something but a roar from behind her startled her. "Crikey!" she jumped and clutched onto Bakura again without realizing. She looked around and sighed in relief. It was her thoughts after all. If she was here alone without Bakura ―not that she's gonna admit that he was helping her— she'd probably be losing it.
"You can let go now."
Wow, talk about Deja Vu.
Gabrielle let go of Bakura, making sure she wasn't thinking any horrific thoughts. "When are we goin' ta get outta here?" she said, somewhat impatiently.
"We'll have to wait until a portal is opened." Came the simple reply.
"WHAT?"
It had been what felt like five hours in the Shadow Realm with nothing to be done except for wandering around. For the umpteenth time Gabrielle sighed in boredom. "What are we doin' exactly?"
"Waiting."
She sighed again. "Yeah, waitin'. Tha's what we've been doin' fo' the last five hours or so!" Gabrielle shouted at him, grabbing the collar of his shirt. "'n' why are ya wearing Ryou's clothes?" Came the random question.
Bakura didn't reply and just swatted her hands away. He continued walking aimlessly through the shadows with Gabrielle behind him.
"Answah me!"
"I am not obliged to."
The Australian huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms over her chest. They continued walking around for another several minutes until Gabrielle decided that the silence was too much.
"What are the Millennium Items?"
The question made Bakura stop suddenly, resulting in Gabrielle bumping into him. "Why do you want to know?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Jus' curious."
"You don't have to know."
"T'at Millennium Ring of Ryou's what brought us 'ere!" She protested. "And now I know t'at I 'ave a Millennium Item of my own!"
Bakura ignored her again and this time, she smacked him on the back of his head. He whirled around quickly and a snarl was etched on his face. "What the fuck did you just do?" He growled dangerously and before she knew it, shadows wrapped around her wrists and ankles. She was trapped.
She struggled against her bindings but to no avail. "What did ya do ta me?"
Bakura lowered himself so he could stare into her eyes. "I am the Lord of Darkness. Either you're too stupid to smack me or too brave. In both ways, I don't like it." He said, dangerously low. "Do you understand?"
When Gabrielle didn't talk, he tugged at her hair harshly. "I repeat, do you understand?" Each syllable came out as a threat of its own. Gabrielle nodded weakly, feeling drained out of energy.
Bakura smiled, proud of himself. The shadows disappeared and Gabrielle fell on her knees. "Why...do I feel...out of...energy?" She said quietly.
"Anything is possible in the Shadow Realm."
Gabrielle coughed and stood up slowly, her knees felt a little shaky. She waited a few minutes, and apparently Bakura did too, before speaking. "You still didn't tell me what those Millennium Items are."
Bakura didn't speak and instead walked away. The girl sighed, knowing that she wouldn't get answers out of him.
"Two days! Two freakin' days 'n' we're still in 'ere!"
"How do you know it's been two days?"
"I 'aven't been doin' anythin' except countin' seconds!" The Australian pouted. "I miss my friends."
Bakura chuckled. "But they don't miss you."
Gabrielle's eyes widened. "And why is t'at?" She pouted, believing he was just messing with her.
"People forget about those who are sent to the Shadow Realm."
That was it, the Australian teen couldn't take it anymore. "First ya tell me t'at I 'ave a Millennium Item, then ya tell me we'll 'ave to wait 'til somebody open a portal, and I am not really sure what does t'at mean, and then ya tell me t'at my friends forgot 'bout me?" She shouted. "How stupid do ya think I am?"
The white haired spirit chuckled. "You are the reason for us being here."
Well, he was right. She did tell Yugi to attack her, but she didn't know it was going to send her to this place. Was that some kind of a punishment? And shouldn't she be sent to the graveyard? Or was that the Shadow Realm is the graveyard? Too many questions wandered around her head and she felt a headache on its way.
That was when a light shone a little far from them. "Light!" Gabrielle ran towards it but Bakura grabbed one of her wings. Ouch, that hurt a little too much. "What? I am tryin' ta get outta 'ere! And release my wing!" She struggled and he let go of her wing, and she stumbled forward...or floated forward.
"For my plan to work, you have to do what I am going to say." He hissed in her ear. She shivered out of fear and nodded her head. "Good," he started. "Now wait until the poor soul enter through the portal and then we'll be out."
Gabrielle deliberately ignored the 'poor soul' part and looked at him as if he had grown another head. "Wait? We'll jus' wait? The portal will be closed!"
A scream tore through the silence of the Shadow Realm —Gabrielle was really appreciating the silence— and the spiky haired Australian tried to think of anything else except how agonizing the scream sounded. She took a quick glance at the white haired spirit, who seemed to be directing all of his attention at that hole of light.
Gabrielle fought the urge to laugh humorlessly at that. Hole of light...really?
Out of nowhere, Bakura grasped Gabrielle's wrist tightly and accelerated forward drastically that the Australian's eyes watered from the speed. There wasn't air just a moment ago but Gabrielle gave in and admitted that any thing can happen in the Shadow Realm.
They were nearing the hole at a breakneck speed...and then they were on the ground.
Gabrielle opened her eyes, surprised that she closed them, and was glad to see starry sky upwards. In fact, she wanted to jump and dance around like a maniac, but her head throbbed so much that she just lay there, waiting for the terrible headache to go.
She raised her right hand upwards to have a good look at it. Five fingers, all of them seemed to work finely, there wasn't any strange marks thankfully. Doing the same thing with her left hand, Gabrielle officially concluded that she was in good shape. Nothing seemed to be broken.
She was going to have a quick sleeping session and then go and be on her merry way when a voice spoke to her.
...in her mind.
"Get on your feet, foolish mortal. We have business."
The voice sounded familiar, and Gabrielle had a guess of who it was.
"Can't ya jus' leave me? I wanna rest." She complained childishly, putting a hand on her forehead. "Crikey! I'm burnin'!"
The Australian heard a sigh at the back of her head. Then all of a sudden, the spirit from before appeared before her eyes. She groaned. "I knew t'at ring wasn't good. Why did Ryou keep it, I don' know."
"Because he can't get rid of it, now get up!"
Another groan was emitted before she stood up. Her legs felt a little wobbly but other than that, everything was good.
Except for the presence of the annoying spirit; thought Gabrielle to herself.
"I can hear that, you know." Came his amused voice. "And I am really tempted to be in control but I can't do that now."
"Nevah! Not in million years! Ya will nevah take control of me!" She stated, crossing her arms and glaring at his semi-translucent body. Any passerby will think she was glaring at thin air.
Bakura only clucked his tongue and started floating away. "Start walking, mortal or I will take control."
Gabrielle followed, grumbling as she did.
"The tournament is still on? I thought we were in t'at realm fer two days!" Gabrielle exclaimed as she saw a couple of duelists on a dueling platform. "An' I've completely wasted the perfect time ta duel!"
She heard nothing from the spirit and looked around. No spirit in sight. Gabrielle wanted to dance around, and this time she actually did.
Before rudely interrupted by a cough from behind. She turned around to meet one of the duelists; she recognized him as Vincent something...or just Vincent. She wasn't sure, her brain was still fogy.
"Can I help ya?" She quirked a brown eyebrow.
The pale man smirked. "A duel perhaps?" He asked with a chuckle, a dueling platform appeared beneath them.
Gabrielle squeaked childishly, her cheeks going red from embarrassment. "I didn't accept t'at duel!" She complained, and was about to jump down when her companion spirit appeared before her. "Crikey!" She fell backwards, thankfully on the dueling platform.
Speak to me in your mind.
Gabrielle looked confusedly at the white haired spirit. He seemed to be talking to her without moving his mouth.
Your mind you idiot!
Ah, so that was how he spoke to her. Clever.
Wow, I can speak to you in my own mind! Isn't that exciting? She thought as big grin found its way to her face.
The thief's line pursued and a look of boredom was developed onto his face. Why am I even letting you in control? Why don't you wear your bracelet? It will help you in the duel.
Huh? Gabrielle thought back idiotically, completely ignoring the frustrated shouts from her opponent. She dug through her backpack, miraculous it was still there, and took out her bracelet. "Oh, 'ere it is! I thought I lost it!" She exclaimed happily, wearing it quickly on her wrist. The fact that it was a Millennium Item was so exciting she couldn't wipe the wide grin from her face.
Foolish mortal.
And that was the last thing she heard before everything turned black but only after seeing light shine brightly from her bracelet.
Gabrielle's spiky hair was more spikier than usual, giving her the look of a boy rather than a girl, her soft blue eyes seemed to turn sharper and darker in color, rivaling the sky above, and a murderous glint glimmered in those pools. Even that guy, Vincent, seemed to be a little freaked out.
"What did just happen?" He asked, not camouflaging the fear in his voice.
The new Gabrielle chuckled. "Nothing, dear, Vincent was it? Nothing, dear Vincent." Her voice seemed deeper than usual, almost masculine, but the feminine tone was still lingering.
"Let's duel, shall we?" Gabrielle smirked evilly.
That's all for now. I apologize again for the long wait. Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully I will get chapter 5 done sooner than this! Now, I will start writing!
Assalamu A'laykom. ^^ (It means: Good bye in Arabic!)
