Chapter 4

Melody opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a strange place, a dark area surrounded by wooden crates. Above her a crate sat suspended by to crates underneath. The area in between was where Melody dwelt. The dirt under her feet was wet, and it stank of rotting flesh.

"Man, it's disgusting in here," she couldn't help but say.

"Way to state the obvious," said a voice. Melody whirled around. "Who's there?"

A blonde guy older, and thicker, than her walked towards her, smirking. He wore a star-spangled bandanna and street clothes. "Hey."

Melody stiffened.

The man grabbed a lock of her long purple hair and gave her a once-over. "Pretty," he said. "Too bad, too bad. You're not going to last very long."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Bakura doesn't like to leave his prisoners living."

"Oh my God. I've got to get out of here!" Melody tried to climb up the side of a crate, but her foot slipped and she landed face-first in mud. "Eeughh."

"Already tried that, Sweetie. Doesn't work."

Melody made a face. "What's your name?"

"Keith. Bandit Keith."

"Uh... huh. Well, Keith..." She looked around again. "What else did you try?" She figured it might be better to work together.

"Like I'd tell you."

"Why not?" asked Melody. "It's not like it worked, so even if I tried it, I wouldn't get out either."

"Hmmm."

"Hey, I've got an idea. What if you hoisted me up? I could pull you out."

"Yeah, right. Like I'd fall for that. You'd leave as soon as you got out."

"Only to get help."

"Sure."

"You don't know me, you don't know that I'd come back."

"Better safe than sorry."

Melody smiled. "What if..." she took a red star necklace off of her neck. "If I gave this to you. I would never leave without it."

"You're too trusting."

"Well, how else are you going to get out of here?" Melody queried, looking around to see if she missed something.

Bandit Keith smirked as the purple-haired girl lowered her necklace into his hand. He pocketed it and hoisted her up through a wide crack between the crates. Melody climbed out, stood up, and dusted her muddy self off. "Ready?" she asked, sticking her hand down.

Bandit Keith nodded, and took her hand. She pulled him up eventually, with great effort. He used her to pulley himself like a rock climber. Once he was up, he grinned and turned to leave. "I told you you were too trusting. I kept your necklace."

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did."

Melody grinned and held up the necklace. "I knew you would try. For one, you said I was too trusting, and anyone who calls himself "bandit" can't be trusted. So I pilfered it when you let your guard down. Besides, it doesn't matter now, we're free!"

"How did you get out?" Bakura appeared in front of them, and he was not happy.

"I saw through your little scheme, Bakura. You put me with someone you knew would never agree to teamwork."

"You worked together?" He said it like it was a bad thing.

"Yes..." Melody's voice quivered. "What are you going to do now?"

Bakura stood there for a moment. His expression grew angry. "Where is it?"

"You mean this?" Melody pulled out the millenium ring.

Bandit Keith's eyes widened. "That's-"

"Mine!" Bakura lunged for his treasured item.

"Try and catch us!" Melody and Bandit Keith both took off separate ways, running on top of the wooden crates, up and down the small mountains they made. Bakura ran after Melody, who tripped and fell hard on top of a wooden crate. "Ow, ow, owww!" she cried. The millenium ring was knocked out of her hand and slid across the surface of a wooden crate and fell into a hole. Down it went until Melody heard a clink on the floor below. "Shit."

Bakura faltered and lost his balance, collapsing onto the floor. His innocent side lifted his head wearily. "What's going on?"

Now it was Melody's turn to be surprised. "Wha- weren't you just evil?"

Bakura lifted an eyebrow. "Evil?"

"Yeah... you were chasing me and killing people... weren't you?"

Bakura's face fell. "Oh, no. It happened again."

"What happened?" Melody cocked her head to the side.

"It's that ring. Every so often something happens and I lose my memory for a while. And when I come to, people usually tell me I've done something... terrible. I'm surprised it's never landed me in jail. But I can't get rid of it."

Melody looked at him. "Wow."

"I've tried everything!" he cried. "I just can't get rid of it."

Melody frowned. "I'm sorry."

The two heard car brakes squealing and turned around to see what could only be Bandit Keith's car [red, white, and blue paint job, nice rims] tear down the street at high speed.

Melody shook her head. "He's gonna kill himself that way."

Bakura sniffed. "Is that... rotting flesh? What have I done?"

Melody frowned. "Do you want to... see a psychiatrist or something?"

"No!" Bakura shrieked. "I'm sorry, it's just... I can't take psychiatrists. They... freak me out."

Melody raised an eyebrow. Something told her this wasn't the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. 'But,' she thought. 'It doesn't really matter right now. I've gotta get out of here before he flips out again.'

"Well, I've got to go. My mom's gonna freak out when she wakes up and finds I'm not there." She didn't say the only reason she knew exactly what her mom would do is because it happened before.

Bakura nodded. "Alright. I hope... I see you again."

Melody's eyebrows shot up. 'What?' she thought. "Yeah. I ...hope to see you again, too." She turned to go, smiling as she went. He was cute.

"The sun's rising, Harmony. You should head on home."

"No."

Byakko sighed. "Why not?"

"I've already spent two nights away from home, why should I go back?"

"Um, because your family's probably worried sick about you!"

Harmony shook her head, stood up, and grabbed her satchel. "If you keep bugging me, I'm going to leave."

"Harmony, I wouldn't be a good friend to Melody if I didn't tell you to go home."

"Well, you did. Several times now."

"Sometimes repetition sways people," Byakko said.

"Well, not this time." Harmony frowned. "I guess this is where we part."

Byakko sighed as she watched her best friend's sister leave. "At least be safe, Harmony."

Harmony made her way down Yugi's street again on her way out. She paused by the mailbox and looked at the window, but the blinds were pulled down this time. Harmony gasped, realizing that whoever was awake could find her, and ran all the way to the end of the street. She paused at the street sign and took time to pant before heading off down another suburban roadway.