Yu-Gi-Oh and Harry Potter come together to bring you...
Arc of Solitude
Chapter Seven: Serpent Dreams
Ryou lay in bed, awake. Mariks snores reverberated around the room and nothing Ryou could do – even pulling both his pillows and half his duvet over his head – could mask the sound.
So he'd given up and now just lay there, staring at the ceiling. A spider was spinning a web in the corner of the room. Ryou watched it; it was intriguing how a simple creature such as a spider could create patterns that complex.
The Millennium Ring lay on the bedside table where he'd put it the night before. He picked it up and looked at it, running his hands over the central triangle and the Eye of Wdjat in the centre. He fiddled with one of the prongs of the Ring, turning it over in his hand.
It was interesting how the Ring, and the other Millennium Items, were supposedly made of pure gold, but they were so light… Surely gold was supposed to be heavier? If so, what was this seemingly innocent pendant made of?
"Blood and bone, Spirit and gold."
Ryou jumped. Bakura had shimmered into view, again looking out the window. It was pitch-black outside, but Bakura had his eyes trained on the house opposite.
"What?"
"You wondered what made the Millennium Items. The blood and bone and spirit of ninety-nine innocents, mixed with liquid gold enchanted with Shadow Magic."
Ryou gasped. "You mean… I'm wearing people!?"
"Put bluntly, yes. Your treasured pendant was made by rounding up ninety-nine people, herding them into a forge and executing them by pushing them into a cauldron of molten gold. This ensured that the souls of the innocents were trapped within the gold. They were then –"
"Please, don't…"
"Why not? I thought you wanted to know about my past."
"You were one of those people?"
Bakura fell silent. When he next spoke, there was a slight hint of sorrow in his voice. "No. No, I… I wasn't."
Ryou looked sadly at the translucent form of his darker half.
But then Bakura turned round, and the coldness and bitterness was back in his eyes. "I need to use you."
"What?"
"The house across the road – some strange power emanates from it. I want to find out what it is."
Ryou shook his head. "And what if someone catches you? What if said 'strange power' confronts you? What if-"
"Be silent. You have no choice." Bakura vanished, and the Millennium Ring shone brightly as Bakura roughly shoved Ryou aside and took control. [Now, stay silent.]
Bakura looked down at himself. [I should be grateful that you threw away those bunny pyjamas.] He crossed the room and grabbed his black coat from where it hung on the back of the door. Unfortunately, he caught his foot on the edge of Marik's bed.
"Wha... No! No! Keep away from me!" Marik jerked awake, flinging off his duvet and gasping for breath.
"Fool. It's me." Bakura pulled on the coat and looped the rope that held the Ring round his neck.
"Where are you going?"
"Out." Bakura slid open the window and looked out. A two-storey drop; no problem.
"Wait!" But Marik was too late; Bakura had dropped out of the window and landed on the damp grass of the carefully mowed front garden.
Marik kicked himself out of bed and rushed to the window. "Bakura!"
"Keep it down!" Bakura scowled up at Marik. He'd landed in a crouch, like a cat, and now stood up, dusting off his shimmering silver pyjamas and black coat.
Marik rolled his eyes and pulled his head back inside the window. He knew too well than to argue.
But on the other side of the house, the curtain of another bedroom twitched…
[[You know, I still think this is a bad idea.]]
[Whatever do you mean?]
[[Oh, well… You know… Breaking into somebody else's house to check out an odd power that may or may not be malevolent, relying on a Millennium Item that has a history of failing you…]]
[The Millennium Ring has never failed me.]
Bakura put his hand on the solid wooden door of Number Four, Privet Drive. [Heh. Wood can't keep me out.] The Millennium Ring briefly glowed, and Bakura passed through the door like a ghost. In fact, he had briefly entered the Shadow Realm, 'Shadow-travelling' through the door. He looked around; noting the room he was in was a reflection, structurally, of the house that his host was now staying in.
"Alright, Ring. Work your magic. Show me the source." Bakura picked the Ring off his chest and activated its power. The prongs briefly waved around, and then pointed upstairs and to the left.
Bakura placed a hand on the banister, softly creeping up the stairs. Ryou, looking through his eyes, marvelled at the way he made no sound.
Bakura stood on the landing, on the second floor. There were three doors here; behind one door came the sound of snoring, and Bakura grimaced. [I think I've found someone who's worse than Marik.]
The second door led to a double bedroom; Bakura passed through the door and looked down at two people; one tall and ruddy and one small and horsey. The Millennium Ring pointed back through the door, so Bakura followed it.
The third bedroom, then.
This room was cluttered with random stuff. Bakura stepped over a stack of books and an old wooden trunk, until he looked down upon a boy.
Fourteen years old, perhaps; Messy jet-black hair flopped over a forehead that bore a long lightning-shaped scar.
Bakura put a hand to his cheek; He missed his own scar – the one that reminded him of the dangers of recklessness and folly.
The boy stirred; Bakura backed into a shadow that hid him from view. Not for the first time he curse his white hair; Apart from being impractical, it made it hard to blend in without using the Ring. And his host wouldn't let him dye it either.
[So… The boy with the lightning scar is the source of this strange power. I wonder… Can I take it from him?]
[[Maybe it's just the same power that the new magic feels like.]]
[No. This is different. This is ancient… and Dark.]
[[Well, please… You said you'd keep a low profile… Please just leave him alone…]]
Bakura gritted his teeth in frustration. [Why? Why should I listen to you?]
[[Because… Uh…]]
[Exactly.] Bakura moved forward once the boy had settled again. [It seems the lightning scar is the source of this power.] He moved his hand until it hovered slightly above the boy's forehead, and concentrated, attempting to use the Ring to break into the boys mind. [Grah. I should have brought the Millennium Rod – it specialises in this.]
Two figures stood in a short corridor. Ryou looked around him. "This is interesting… I've never been in anyone else's mind before..."
"Stay here." Bakura paced down the short corridor, mapping the place. "Ah… It seems that this boy has also got a split mind… But I sensed no other Millennium Items in his room or, even, his house. How…"
Ryou followed him. Much to his irritation. "Wow… Does everyone have two doors?"
"No," he said curtly. "This is odd…" He stepped up to a door patterned in red and gold. His hand closed upon the doorknob and turned, admitting him to a large room…
The most striking feature of the room was the walls. They were draped in banners of red and gold, and one symbol – a golden lion, rampant – decorated everything.
On one wall hung three picture frames. One held a photo of a brown-haired girl, another held a ginger boy and the third was blank.
((A/N: Warning! HP Spoiler alert from here on!))
Outside in the corridor, Ryou was looking at the other door. It was decorated with carved snakes, and the emeralds set in their eyes stared at him, making him feel uncomfortable.
He looked over his shoulder, but Bakura was still examining the other room. He reached out a hand to push open the door…
It was pitch-black inside. The small triangle of light that the doorway let in fell on a floor that dipped suddenly to form a pit.
He stepped forward, into the darkness, and the door began to swing shut. He turned to dash out, but the door shut with a click.
He was locked in – in a pitch-black room that could be full of all sorts of evil creatures. Images rose up in his mind – The Earl of Demise, the Zombie Master – He began to regret having a Zombie/Fiend deck.
Two points of red light appeared, straight in front of him. He stepped back, slowly.
A rustle. Something dragging itself over a stone floor.
A hiss – of annoyance, perhaps?
He backed up further, his back hitting the door. He turned to the door, hitting a fist against it. It wouldn't budge.
[[Bakura… Help…]]
No reply.
[[HELP ME!!]]
The… whatever it was… had reached him, now. He could feel it touching him, and its dry body began to wind up his legs, holding him still.
"Yessss… You will do, I think…"
Ryou began to hyperventilate. Who could blame him? He started thrashing around, attempting to get the thing off him, yelling out into the echoing room, and the creature dragged him back, away from the door, away from freedom…
Crash.
The door burst open. Bakura stood there, silhouetted in the doorway. Ryou looked down at the creature that had hold of him…
It was a snake. A giant, black snake, with red eyes that glared hungrily at him. He thrashed more; the snake was squeezing him, constricting him, so that he couldn't breathe…
And then it recoiled from him. Bakura had grabbed hold of the head and wrestled it away from him, his hands around its neck, and he was glaring at it, straight into its eyes, and it began to squirm, attempting to get away from him…
Bakura pushed the snake away from him, scowling. He grabbed hold of Ryou's hair, dragging him to his feet.
" Get out."
Ryou fled from the room.
Bakura opened his eyes. The boy had slept through all this, and was breathing heavily.
Bakura stepped back into a deep shadow and entered the Shadow Realm, Travelling back to the room he and Marik shared.
[Don't you EVER do that again! You don't know what he might have had in his mind… And yet you just blundered into that room. That snake would have killed you if I hadn't intervened, and you should be glad that I did!]
[[I'm sorry…]] Ryou was in shock.
[Sorry? SORRY? Sorry isn't good enough. I TOLD you to stay there. Why you came in with me is anyone's guess, but you did, and I might not be there next time! You understand?]
Ryou flinched away from Bakura's mental shout. [[Yes…]]
[Good. Don't EVER do that again.]
Bakura withdrew to the Ring. Ryou sat on his bed and drew his knees up to his chin, shivering with a cold that nothing could heat.
That was extremely hard to write. I hope y'alls enjoyed it... Next chappie, Diagon Alley! ^^
Read, Review! But no flaming, please!
Also... Litzana is now on DeviantArt! Check my profile for a pic of Kerah I recently finished. Review that one, too, please!
Also also... This has nothing to do with this story, but. Is there anywhere I can put a Dragon Riders story that is in no way related to Eragon or anything else?