Author's Note: I am so sorry for taking so long to update! I allowed classes to dominate all of my free time and for that I apologize! I hope to be able to do quite a bit of updating while I have some time off. So I really hope this chapter is worth the wait!
At one point in the middle of the night, the snow had finally stopped falling, thus allowing the snow plows to drive through the streets. By the time the city was ready to awaken, it had been turned into a neat, easy to walk through, winter wonderland.
Outside of Hotaru's apartment, people were beginning their morning routes, enraptured by the snow piled on the sides of the streets, hanging off the trees, and the icicles that adorned everywhere the snow could not stick.
Inside her apartment, she was the first one to wake. Sitting up on the couch, she rubbed her eyes and looked around herself in a daze. In her half-awake stage, she couldn't remember why she was sleeping on the couch or why she was still in her school uniform.
However, a throbbing pain shooting up her legs and the soft breathing from across the room forced her memory back. Gingerly touching her legs, she looked over at the sleeping form of Bakura lying on the floor. "He stayed the whole night?" She muttered quietly to herself in English, a small smile forming on her face.
Carefully, she stood up and with a slight wince, began to walk. First, she glanced at the clock; luckily, it was still early enough to clean up for school and not be late. Another bonus of living so close to the school, she thought as she turned back to Bakura. Quietly stepping over to him, she crouched beside him and started to reach out her hand.
Her hand hesitated over his shoulder as she looked at his sleeping face. Normally, she thought he had a pleasant face, but he had such a peaceful and relaxed expression on his face that she couldn't help but stare at him. A moment passed and she lightly touched his shoulder. "Ryou-san…Morning.." She said quietly, pressing on his shoulder.
Slowly, Bakura opened his eyes and stretched, yawning while he did so. "Ryou-san, morning!" Hotaru said cheerfully, a little louder now that he was awake. Bakura yawned again and sat up, giving her a sleepy smile. "Good morning Aoimori." He replied with another yawn, causing Hotaru to laugh quietly. "No morning Ryou-san?" She asked as she stood up and stretched as well.
Bakura smiled and followed her lead, also standing up. "Sometimes. But it's hard to be fully rested after sleeping on the floor." He told her with a slight shrug. Hotaru stared at him with a blank face before nodding once. Seeing that, Bakura had to bite his mouth to keep from laughing. It was obvious to him that she didn't understand but didn't want him to know.
You're awake. She's awake. Let's get the hell out of here! Yami growled from inside the Ring. What's gotten into you? You made it through the night; can't you wait another couple of minutes? Bakura asked, slightly surprised by the Ancient Spirit. While he was normally in a bad mood around Hotaru and not the best morning person in the world, he was rarely this irritated so soon after waking. No. I do not want to be around this girl any longer than I have to. Yami declared
"Breakfast, Ryou-san?" Hotaru staring up at him interrupted the inner dialogue, her large eyes locking with his. Bakura swallowed audibly, noting how close she was standing next to him. Even now, half-awake, he couldn't help but be very much aware of her, how close she was or what her expressions were.
Damn it, Bakura! I said enough! Yami growled, causing the Ring to glow. Without a warning, he shoved Bakura inside of it and claimed their shared body. Now towering over the girl, he fixed her with a deadly and icy cold glare.
"You will stay away from me." He commanded, moving closer to her. Instinctively, Hotaru began to back away as he advanced. This continued until she felt her back hit the wall, leaving her trapped. Yami threateningly raised his fist and she flinched, her eyes closing as she braced herself to be hit.
Instead, she felt a rush of air next to her face and heard a loud thud against the wall. Opening her eyes, she saw that he had punched the wall right above her head and was now leaning over her, his eyes glaring down into hers.
"Do you understand?" He growled, his eyes narrowing as he raised his other hand and placed it on her neck, his thumb pressing against her pulse. Hotaru blinked, her eyes widening as she stared back up at him. Her frozen face revealed how her startled mind was frantically trying to understand the situation.
"Why?" She whispered finally, eerily echoing the events of the previous night. Once more, Yami's eyes widened as that question hit straight at the ice in the core of his being. His hand burned, as if beneath her flesh a fierce fire blazed while her eyes held his, locking him in place.
"Why?" Hotaru repeated. However, she didn't move or raise her hand, or even blink. All she could do was stand still and stare at him. Yami too, could only stare back at her, feeling as if he had become disconnected from his body.
At once, it felt as if he had been punched in the brain as memories from the time he was alive surged back. Almost as if it were a slide show on the fastest setting, images blurred one after the other in front of his eyes. A burning town, corpses piled high, a chest full of precious stones and jewels. One set of images kept repeating; long black hair trailing down the back of a slender girl, a lightly tanned neck seemingly too frail for its only task in life, and blood red lips moving without sound.
Breathing heavily, Yami stepped away from the Hotaru and turned his back to her while his hands clutched at his head. It had been so long since he had been alive, some of his memories had to be shoved aside as he learned more and more about the modern world. This unexpected barrage was painful; the memories forcing their way to be front and center.
As he battled for control of his mind, Hotaru had snapped out of her own shock and stepped over to him, hesitantly reaching a hand to his shoulder. The second she made contact; Yami whirled to face her, his hands grasping her upper arms. His eyes were wild with the sudden surge of emotion; he pulled her to himself, crushing her against his chest. "Please forgive me Amunet…Forgive me…" He murmured into her hair, his hands clutching at her. Hotaru froze, unable to understand his words, and therefore, further confused by his actions.
Only a few seconds had passed before Hotaru attempted to move. While still unable to comprehend the situation, she raised a hand to touch his neck. In her mind, Bakura could have caught a fever, sleeping on the floor after yesterday's stress. Maybe it was the fever driving his mood changes and startling behavior?
However, at her touch, Yami immediately slumped forward against her, his eyes closing. Shaking under his unconscious weight, Hotaru managed to shove him so that he fell on the couch before her injured legs buckled and dropped her on the floor. The sudden impact sent such a shock of pain up her legs that her eyes rolled back into her head and she too, slumped forward, driven unconscious by her pain.
Drifting back into the Ring, Yami saw that his memories had taken a slightly tangible form within the spirit's place, both allowing him to examine them and forcing him to acknowledge all of them. Taking a breath, he crossed his arms and glanced at the first one, trying to place when and where the memory had happened.
In the first memory displayed to him, he was back in Ancient Egypt, wearing his typical garb of the Thief King. He was standing atop a large hill, overlooking a small, but wealthy town. Next to him was a small girl, barely coming above his elbows in height, but somehow he knew that she was only a lunar cycle or two younger than him. She had long black hair, so silky soft as it cascaded down to her waist. Her skin was paler than the norm for the town she lived in, the color of the virgin sand in the uncharted areas of the desert. She was dressed in a short tunic, the ties at both shoulders and the hem stopping short of her knees, revealing her bare legs and feet.
In the memory, he turned to the girl at the same instant she turned to him. Upon making eye contact, she smiled the kindest smile he had ever seen. "Amunet…" Without being forced, Yami recalled her name, thinking about how it suited this shy, quiet, little creature. At once, the next memory came into view.
It was the same hill, but now he held the girl in his arms, her trembling body folding perfectly into his. The wind blew her hair to the side, along with the slight draping of his own clothing. She tilted her face up to his, her mouth moving but unable to make an audible sound.
Then the memories came faster and faster; holding the girl once more atop the hill, kissing her in a temple, holding her hand in the moonlight. She had known what he was, known what he did and had done. And she still turned to him again and again with her kind smile and loving eyes. The memories continued to fly faster now, becoming violent flashes. The city on fire, people screaming as blood ran through the streets. The girl was lying atop that very hill, her hair streaming around her. Her once white tunic was now the color of blood, both fresh and dried. His hands closed around her throat while her eyes stared straight into his, her mouth moving frantically, but unable to make a sound.
With a gasp, Yami shot himself out of the Ring, away from his tangible memory's grasp. Dazed, he looked around himself, not recognizing where he was. "Are you happy now, you idiot?" At that familiar voice, he turned and noticed that he was in his shade form while Bakura possessed their body. Upon further inspection, they were back in Bakura's apartment, in their room to be more precise.
"What are you talking about?" Yami asked, still reeling from his forced trip down memory lane. That girl…He had all those memories of a girl like that and didn't know it. What was even more troubling was that Hotaru of all people had caused those memories to resurface.
"You know exactly what." Bakura's sharp tone drew Yami's focus, forcing him to shove his own thoughts to the back of his mind. "You terrified Aoimori! You threatened her, broke down, and collapsed on her! As soon I escaped the Ring, I saw her! She had fainted from fear of you! When she came to, she looked at me with the worst expression! As if I had killed someone or was preparing to kill her! Do you realize what you've done?"
As he listened to Bakura rant, a small smirk formed on Yami's face. Assuming his arms crossed, confident stance, he faced Bakura with his cold smirk and even colder glance. "I know what I did. Exactly what I told you I would do. You allowed her to get too close and so I made it so she would never want to be near you again."
Bakura's expression darkened and without a word, reached up, untied the necklace, and allowed the Ring to drop to the floor. Turning on his heel, he stormed out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind himself.
Left alone with his thoughts, Yami drifted around the room, glowering to himself. Thanks to a pact he made with Bakura, he couldn't go further then the room the Ring was in unless it was where Bakura was going or if he had taken control over Bakura's body. So in a sense, he had been sentenced to his room and left there.
Ignoring the indignation that swelled up at that thought, Yami instead focused on the newly discovered memories of that girl and himself. Even from what the memories showed him, he still couldn't place how he knew her then, or what the connection, if there even was one, was with Hotaru. All he knew for sure was that she had known him while he was alive and he had seen her die while that town shown in the memory was destroyed. Yet, his chest grew cold as his thoughts lingered on how Hotaru had now twice stopped him from doing what he deemed to be necessary.
Out in the living room, Bakura sat on the couch, his head in his hands. He could not believe what Yami had had the nerve to do to Hotaru. He knew the spirit had been threatening to do so, but he had thought the Thief King had trusted him enough not to reveal anything to Hotaru. Yet, he had gone along and terrified the girl. All she could do when Bakura woke up was point to the door with a trembling finger and wince if he stepped too close to her.
Even now, just picturing the absolute horror in her eyes made him clench his fists in anger. On one hand, he understood why the spirit had felt the need to do so. On the other, he couldn't forgive his darker half for taking matters in to his own hands like that. How could he explain this to Hotaru? On that matter, how could he ever approach her again for fear of seeing her cringe at the sight of him?
As he sat there contemplating, the phone rang, startling him to the point he jumped to his feet. He picked up the phone, and before he could get a word out, his eyes widened at the words his caller. Slamming the phone back down, he raced to the bedroom and snatched his deck off his bed and the Ring off the floor. At Yami's questioning look, he jerked his thumb towards the door. "Yugi just called. The school received a disturbing photo of Aoimori five minutes ago. The time stamp is eight a.m. of this morning." Bakura had left the frightened girl's apartment at exactly a quarter to eight. It was now eight-thirty. "The rare hunters found her."