Chapter 11: ticked off thief.
Yays! Chapter 11! I don't own anything! Well, except for Rain and Anna. I'm so sorry I kinda dropped off the face of the earth for a bit, just been really busy lately, and my computer got a really bad virus and I had to pretty much replace a bunch of software… I'm back now though! Thanks all who reviewed, favorited, and read up to this point! Hugs to all!
Bakura: Get on with the chapter woman, the readers have waited long enough!
Whatever…on with the story!
…...
After the blimp landed, Rain checked on Anna, though she couldn't do it alone because the others, who were really only trying to help, had deemed it unsafe for her to go anywhere alone. Seriously. To the point where it was extremely annoying as they would constantly ask if she was alright. After bearing the constant irritation for twenty minutes she finally rounded on them.
"That is ENOUGH! I'm FINE! I just want one moment of silence PLEASE, before I go absolutely insane! I can understand you're worried but this is ridiculous. " There was immediate silence…well, outside her head… Bakura, meanwhile, was laughing his ghostly ass off, making her really wish she could actually glare at him. She settled for giving her necklace a look, which just made him laugh harder.
"Shut up." The others just looked at her weird, Anzu put her hand on Rain's shoulder.
"Um…Rain, um…Did you just tell your necklace to shut up?"
"No…" Rain grumbled, Anzu wisely let it go as Rain continued to glare at the poor necklace…
-Ugh…you know, when I said I wanted a moment of silence I meant you too…you're almost as annoying as they are right now. I just want everyone to shut the hell up…-
/ How exactly have I been annoying?/
-Uh, you were laughing like a maniac for the last fifteen minutes straight. In my head. That, let me tell you, is kind of annoying.-
/ poor little princess. I can't believe you say things like that so casually. I've killed for less than that, you know./
Rain didn't answer, she merely smiled to herself before focusing back on her shocked friends, who were all still looking at her rather strangely. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and was saved the effort of explaining away her actions when Kaiba and Jou began insulting each other. She rolled her eyes when ordered them to pretty much move their asses. He was always in such a hurry, wasn't he? Rain sighed when Yami, who had taken over the minute Kaiba had begun speaking, began to walk beside her. Marik's voice cut through the air.
"Ah, it's such a lovely day isn't it pharaoh? It's such a shame that some of your friends can't enjoy it from all the way in the shadow realm." He snickered. Before Yam could say anything Jou cut in and yelled at Marik. Rain couldn't help herself, she laughed, causing the others to look at her in confusion.
"J-Jounouchi…You called him an artichoke head…BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I-It's so true!" She didn't even look to see Marik glaring, she could feel it and for once she didn't care.
"Rain?" She could hear the concern in Yami's voice and let herself sigh before glancing over at him as they continued to walk to the duel tower. He was giving her that piercing look he always used on people when he was really serious about something. "We're all worried about you…"
"Look, I'm sorry about yelling like that…I'll apologize to everyone, I promise…I didn't mean to freak out…but I usually like having a little bit of time to myself and if one more person asked me if I was alright I figured I may have decked them for it... Especially after all the crap I've been dealing with."
"I understand…that's fine but…" He paused. "Is there something you're hiding? You know you can tell me anything right?"
Rain tilted her head to the side, a soft smile gracing her lips. "Thank you for your concern, but must you know everything that goes on in my head? Please don't start getting nosy, if I knew something important, you'd be the first to know."
/Liar!/ Rain ignored Bakura's comment and harsh laughter. Yami put a hand on her shoulder.
"Sorry…I was just worried about you as you seem to attract trouble like no one I have ever come across. You've even gone as far as falling in love with some of this said trouble, and don't tell me you don't still love him because I can see right through you." Rain gave him a dirty look.
"I can't exactly help who I fell in love with in any life and you know it. Nor can I help who I seem to attract." She sent a glare Marik's way, he caught her and smirked, sending her a suggestive motion. She gave him the finger. Yami sighed, shaking his head,
"I can't believe you're provoking him."
"Sure you can. You just don't like it. He provokes me whenever he sees me, and you're going to get rid of him right away anyway, right? I have the right to at least try to piss him off."
Yami sighed and shook his head, "Fine…do what you want. Just…Be careful. You're injured enough as it is." Rain knew he was eyeing her bruised cheek. She touched her face self-consciously.
"The bruises will heal in time Yami…they already look better."
"It's not just the visible injuries I speak of. As I said, I'm worried about you Rain, you've been acting strange." Rain frowned at him,
"I'm sorry to worry you…I'm fine. Just…get rid of that monster and I'm sure I'll be back to normal in no time."
They were cut off as they entered the tower, Rain looked around as the Kaibacorp employee with them instructed the group to stand in the centre of the tower. Even the walls looked high tech, Rain found herself wondering how they'd be getting to the top. She may have watched the series but she couldn't remember everything.
"As you know there are four finalists left in the tournament. Mr.'s Katsuya Jounouchi, Yugi Mouto, Malik Ishtar, and of course Mr. Seto Kaiba. There are four doors in this room that the finalists may choose. Each must choose a different door, choose wisely." Rain noticed Yami frown and mutter slightly to himself. She gave him a little half smile. After a bit of indecision on Jou's part, the four of them chose a door. Mokuba beckoned.
"Hey, the rest of you follow me!" Rain blinked, then followed him onto a thing that reminded her of a conveyor belt. "Good luck." She muttered before losing sight of Yam and Jou. The conveyor belt took the group, which now consisted of Rain, Anzu, Honda, that guy with the dice, and Mokuba, into what looked almost like an elevator shaft. Wow…that's high…after a short wait, the four duelists arrived up through the floor, coming to rest slightly higher than her and the others. The wall beside each individual had life points. Rain kind of zoned out as the guy, Roland? Announced the rules to the four way duel that would decide who would be dueling first. She knew how this would turn out anyway. The duel began and she watched the four duke it out…if not slowly…did they have to explain everything they did? Rain jumped slightly when Bakura randomly materialized beside her…though in his ghostlike form, Rain couldn't help but look around to see if anyone else noticed him. She heard him snicker, and glanced his way. He was looking at the arena with a bored expression on his face.
" So, want to place bets on who'll be in the first round of the semi finals?"
"Jou and Marik will be in the first round." Rain muttered in response, he raised a brow.
"Why do you bother watching the duels if you have knowledge of what will transpire?"
"Because, things can change. Besides, I like to be there to support my friends and see the downfall of my enemies."
"How sweet…You do realize you're talking out loud. Your friends will start thinking you're crazy if it looks like you're talking to yourself like that."
" …" Rain didn't answer, choosing to ignore the tomb robber, who she was still irritated with for earlier in the day. Besides, his random sarcasm was getting annoying. She realized that the four way duel had just ended when the Roland stated that the first duel of the semi finals would be Marik vs. Jou. Mokuba ran over to an elevator door, which opened for him.
"Come on guys, the first duel starts now!" They followed him in the elevator, then up a number of stairs. It took a few minutes but eventually they were at the top of the duel tower. She followed the other spectators to the sidelines, giving a slight squeak when she realized how high up they were…and the railings didn't look so sturdy. "Does Kaiba have something against doing things on the ground? First a blimp and now this…sheesh…"
"You're right, it's kind of crazy isn't it…" Anzu appeared at her side as she peered over the railing. Marik's harsh laughter made both girls jump.
"Careful ladies, you don't want to fall to your deaths now, do you?" He laughed again as they both glared at him. "Oh, and I'm glad to see you'll be watching this time Rain, don't worry, I'll be giving you quite a show."
"The only show I want to see is you losing."
"I'll regret disappointing you then, when this is over." He cackled,
"Hey, leave the girls alone you freak!" Jou yelled, Rain looked on as the duel began. As Rain expected, it soon became a shadow duel. Dark clouds surrounding the arena and blotting out the sun, causing a purple haze. She shivered as the chill of the shadow realm set in. After the rules of this particular game became evident Rain shook her head, irritated as the others looked on in horror.
"'Kay, really? Does he have to torture everyone he duels?" Rain muttered, annoyed with his pointless evil ways. -Stupid insane asshole…- Marik chuckled amid the cries of outrage, his eyes met Rain's for a moment, he grinned, throwing out an arm in her general direction.
" I'm shocked, I would think your protective lover would have wanted to be here to keep an eye on you. I know he doesn't like you being anywhere near me, even if you're merely watching one of your pathetic friends duel. Where exactly is he now? Back in the shadows where he belongs?" It took Rain a moment to process what he was talking about. Then she turned three shades of red,
"My lover? Since when? Why don't you just get on with your duel and leave me alone, you're spouting nonsense." Yami looked at her, then Marik, then her again.
"Rain, what is he talking about?"
"Oh, you didn't tell them?" Rain glared up at him,
"There's nothing to tell." She hissed. The others don't need to know Bakura left a piece of himself here. That would open a whole new can of worms I'm not willing to deal with.
"Didn't I tell you to leave her alone?" Jou yelled across the arena angrily, Yami was eyeing Rain with a questioning look.
"Rain? The thief is still in the shadow realm, right?" He so knew something…
"How the heck should I know? Most likely. Marik's insane. Maybe he thinks he saw Bakura lurking around after their duel and thinks he somehow got out of the shadow realm." It was lame, but it was the best thing Rain could come up with at the moment. She was startled when Bakura snorted from beside her, she glanced at him while trying hard to look like she wasn't looking at anything in particular. He was still in his ghostly state, she was glad there weren't any mediums or whatever there. That would have completely destroyed her attempts at saying Bakura was gone completely. He was smirking slightly, though his eyes were narrowed as he watched Marik warily. He spoke without looking at Rain,
"You know, you're terribly bad at hiding things. I don't know why you bother anyway, it's not like they can do anything about the situation. You may be able to pull the wool over most of your friend's eyes, but your idiot brother can see right through you. The only reason he's not pushing the issue is because he's got other things to worry about at the moment." He gestured towards Marik, then finally looked at Rain. His smirk grew. "And what's so bad about me being considered your lover?"
"Isn't a lover someone who shares your bed? I don't recall sleeping with you." Rain whispered, Bakura laughed.
"But you have slept with me." Rain blushed, looking flustered for a moment, which caught her brother's attention.
"Are you alright? You look flushed." He looked at her with concern, touching his hand to her forehead. Rain blushed harder.
"I'm fine…" She mumbled. -You're such an asshole Bakura, as far as I know, I only slept with you once, I doubt it was that great sinceI don't even really remember it, and that wasn't even in this life! How many times must I tell you that doesn't count?- Bakura stared at her, irritation on his face.
" You're the same person, how does it not count?"
-I'm not having this conversation right now. You're an idiot if you can't understand my past self and I may be the same soul, but we aren't the same person. Every experience from this life has moulded me into the person I am today, in a normal case of reincarnation, the person doesn't remember their previous life. On a deep level, they carry what they learned through life lessons from previous lives, but…-
"You aren't a normal case of reincarnation. You have your memories, you act nearly the same, you look the same, just accept the facts and stop being foolish."
-I'm not denying that I'm Rayana…but I'm also Rain. Because I've lived this life too, I can guarantee there are differences. I'm sure you'll see them in time…You of all people should know that even without reincarnation, a few thousand years can really change a person.-
"Whatever. The most I see is that you've become weaker. You barely understand your powers in this life, and I believe you're more emotional than you were before, you lack the training you had that made you a formidable force." Rain glared openly at him, unable to help it.
"Y-You insulting jerk! What do you know? How do you know If I remember any training or not? Idiot, you just assume shit and act all high and mighty, when was the last time you actually won a duel? At least I can win a fight, you pathetic asshole!"
"As I said. You. Are. Too. Emotional."
"And you're a dumb ass. You couldn't even beat Marik, so how exactly did you plan on even putting a scrape on my brother? Yeah, I'm emotional, but you're so freaking single minded it makes me sick! It's ridiculous!"
Babura's eyes narrowed, " You're beginning to cross the line woman."
" Does it look like I care?"
" Woman…" Bakura growled, Rain cut him off.
"Oh just shut the hell up! Say another word and I'll…I'll…"
"You'll what?" Rain could see the angry challenge in his eyes, she forced herself to maintain eye contact despite the look of death she was getting.
"I'll do something…I just don't know what yet…" The balloon that had been her anger was deflating…then Rain realized she'd been speaking out loud for most of that fight…yelling…at what appeared to be thin air. She blushed as everyone stared at her, Bakura snorted after a moment.
"Hmph…well, I don't find you particularly frightening, my dear princess. So I believe I'll do what I want regardless of your empty thre-" Rain cut him off again, closing her eyes and trying to think loudly,
-SHUT UP!- He glared at her, crossing his arms and doing a great job of looking murderous.
"Just because I'm not all here right now doesn't mean I can't punish you later. You're starting to really anger me Rain. A big mistake on your part." He faded away, giving her a look that promised pain, leaving Rain seething somewhat. She knew she was acting crazy, like she was always angry for no reason. She was starting to feel bad for yelling at Bakura, she'd definitely gone overboard, even openly insulting him …and from what she'd seen, no one pulled something like that and got away unscathed when it came to the king of thieves. She gulped. The homicidal look he'd given her had been scary. She was so screwed.
"Uh…What was that all about?" Anzu was the first to speak, Rain sighed, glancing at Yami, who definitely knew something was up with her now that she'd had a fight with someone none of them could see. He would either believe that she'd lost her mind completely and thought Bakura was still there, or that Bakura was really somehow communicating with her. From the look he was giving her, she was pretty sure he was thinking idea number two. Everyone else though, she figured, thought she'd gone off the deep end. Except for Marik, he'd seen Bakura though so he could just put two and two together. Rain didn't even spare him a glance. A worried voice cut through her thoughts.
"Rain. You should go back to the blimp…maybe keep Shizuka company." Rain looked up at Jou, tears of her own frustration evident on her face.
"But…"
"Rain, he's right. We all know that Marik's just going to taunt you throughout his duel with Jou, and no one needs that. Especially you." Yami's eyes trapped her, she knew he was very upset with her, and was dreading the conversation they would soon have. Another part of her mind was still reminding her that she should really be more worried about Bakura. She knew he was beyond pissed off, and was sure that the moment she was alone she'd be in for it.
"What you need is a good amount of rest and some counseling." Rain stared at the owner of that voice, Seta Kaiba looked back at her coolly. "You've been acting crazy Rain, and that won't help Anna. Nor will it help you. I have doctors you can talk to, I'm only offering once though so I would advise you to be smart and follow good advice before you hurt yourself. We even have medication if need be." After a moment Rain nodded, then closed her eyes. Attempting to ward off the anger that was flaring within her.
"I…will admit that I need to rest…but I don't need counseling. I'm fine. I swear I'm not crazy, ok? Just really stressed out. Now." She clapped her hands, "Joe, you have a duel to win. Maybe you can end this nightmare. We're all counting on you…and I'm going to try not to snap at anyone. I'm sorry for being so horrible…and weird…I'll try to start acting sane again…"
"It's alright Rain, no worries." Jou gave her a thumbs up, which she returned with a smile. Anzu put an arm around her shoulders in a short half hug, Rain looked to Yami, who after a moment, smiled too.
"I'm sure we all accept your apology Rain, and you're right, Jou has a duel to win." He looked at Jou, who nodded. Marik rolled his eyes,
"Get on with it, I'm getting bored. Make your move…or just give up so I can go deal with the royal siblings." He growled, Jou yelled something back at him, Rain sighed, then made her way away from the duel, down back to the blimp, deep in thought, she barely paid attention to where exactly she was walking and before she knew it, she found herself standing at the door to Bakura's room. She sighed, before making her way inside.
"I suppose I can rest in here…Hopefully Bakura's off stewing in his anger somewhere…I need some peace." She laid on the bed, staring sat the ceiling for a moment before closing her eyes to the world, within minutes, sleep overtook her. Rain began to dream.
…...
It was that field again…but no dead people…or trees, or anything this time. Just lots of dead looking grass… It was night, but there were clouds hiding the stars and it was cold, Rain stood there, looking around for a moment. She felt strange, as though someone or something was watching her…waiting for the perfect moment to strike. She shivered, eyeing her surroundings. After a moment of hesitation she began to walk, not really caring where exactly she was going as everything seemed to look the same anyway. After a short time she realized something strange was happening to her surroundings, what looked like a dark ominous fog was spreading in the distance, getting closer and closer the longer she watched. The sky began to darken as well. Rain looked around warily.
"Ok, now would be a great time for me to wake up." She shouted at the sky, feeling panic beginning to rise in her as the fog began to swirl around her legs. A familiar dark chuckle from behind her made Rain spin around, eyes wide.
"You!" She took a step back as Bakura walked her way, he smirked as she began pinching at her arms, "Ok, wake up Rain! Come on! Come on…"
"No matter what you do, you won't wake up until your nightmare ends…and believe me, it's barely begun." Rain shuddered at the tone his voice had taken, reminding her of just how evil he could be if he was pissed off. Suddenly Rain tripped, falling onto her back as he advanced on her, a smirk still on his face as he planted a foot on either side of her body before she could get to her feet. He came to his knees and crouched over her, Rain blushed slightly at the position, which was stupid really, that her brain could still think that way when he was looking down at her with lethal eyes, a predator's eyes. Rain took at shaking breath,
"I'm really sorry for freaking out at you Bakura, please please please don't kill me." He chuckled, then stroked her face with the back of his hand gently,
"Oh don't worry, I'd never kill you Rain, darling…though, I have no problem scaring you, Especially here, in your dreamscape, where no evidence will be left behind, only a memory. It's perfect if you need to be taught a lesson." He suddenly slammed his fist onto the ground beside the girl's head, making her flinch, closing her eyes in fear. The heat from his body suddenly disappeared, making Rain's eyes snap open in surprise. She stood up quickly, looking around. The fog was so thick and dense now that she couldn't see a thing. Had no idea where the tomb robber was, which was most likely his goal. What was he planning? He'd said something about punishment, so she knew that was definitely part of this. Was he just going to scare her half to death? Because he was doing a good job of that already, she stood as still as possible, afraid to move a muscle. Sudden laughter echoed around her, and something brushed against her leg, making her scream.
"What's wrong? You scared?" His voice felt like it was coming from everywhere at once. Rain wished she could see. She tried to use wind to blow away the fog, to her dismay it did nothing but make the fog swirl further. She heard Bakura's taunting voice again, "Oh, that's a shame, isn't it? Your powers will never work against mine, I'm sure you've figured out why it's become so dark by now."
"Y-you bastard…what is the point of this!" Rain yelled into the fog,
"Now now, you're a smart girl. You know why I'm doing this." She suddenly felt his hands on her waist before being spun around. Fearful blue eyes met angry crimson.
"I-I really didn't mean what I said before you know, I know you're not weak at all. I'm just really emotional right now, I-I don't know how to make you believe I'm sorry…" He raised a brow, a small glint of amusement in his eyes.
"Are you finished? Or do you plan on stuttering some more?" When Rain didn't answer, he pulled her closer so her body was molded against his own, she blushed prettily, looking off to the side, making him smirk. "No more to say? Good…Hmmm…Maybe I should take a page from Marik's books and have a little bit of fun?"
"That's low Bakura, even for you." She couldn't keep the trembling from her voice.
" Even for me? Rain, you forget that I'm a thief and a murderer among other things…nothing is too low for me." Her head snapped back to look at him. At Rain's horrified expression he chuckled darkly, running a hand along her side. "…Or maybe we'll just play a little game of tag. I'm not quite the criminal I used to be after all…" Rain gaped at him in horror, trying to absorb what he was saying to her.
"Eh…tag?" She stared at him incredulously. "Are you serious?"
His eyes narrowed at her, "You think I'm joking?" The shadows almost seemed to take shape, and she somehow found herself unable to breathe. Both airways were blocked by what looked like solidified shadow…eh…stuff…Whatever it was it was cold and icky. She struggled for a few minutes, after a while she was seeing black dots, light headed and dizzy Rain knew this was killing her. It wasn't long before she collapsed, Bakura's arms holding her upright. A moment later she could breathe again, Rain choked, taking unsteady breaths into her desperate lungs, Her heart beating fiercely in her heaving chest. She felt the tomb robber's lips on her ear. "See how easy it is to hurt you when I'm annoyed? Would you like to play a game with me now?" Tears fell from Rain's eyes as she found herself leaning on him against her will. She'd nearly blacked out due to lack of air, and it took her a good amount of time to regain herself.
"I doubt I have a choice in the matter." She whispered, surprised to find him laughing in response.
"No you don't. I'll explain the rules, it's quite simple really." Rain shivered as she felt his breath in her ear, his lips touching her skin. Despite her being afraid, having his body against hers was driving her traitorous hormones crazy. Not that she'd give him the satisfaction of knowing that. Hmmm, did he work out? Wait, do ancient spirits work out? Interesting concept…well, he was a tomb robber, obviously he doesn't have an inch of fat on him, Rain was suddenly struck by the image of his very nice shirtless chest from his thieving days. And that tan…damn… Great, I'm really in need of a therapist, there's something seriously wrong with my brain…nothing says you're a crazy idiot better than being distracted by dirty thoughts while the object of said thoughts is an insane, sadistic, downright evil spirit bent on world domination currently holding you hostage in your own nightmare…place…I'm thoroughly screwed up. Rain forced herself to focus.
"So…as you can see, the fog I've created around us will play a part of this game, I shall give you a head start of ten seconds, if you can manage to keep from being caught by me for twenty minutes, you win. If I catch you before then…I win and you comply to whatever I want and don't talk back to me for a week. I'd have to say, you've got it pretty good either way, as there's no shadow realm or death involved."
"I-I'd have to say I'm a little surprised…I was expecting you to come up with something less generic…and maybe a bit more evil."
"Would you like something more interesting? I can send you to the shadow realm for a bit instead…"
"Uh…No, I'm good."
"Excellent. Now, Run." He released her at that, Rain didn't need to be told twice, she bolted into the dense fog, trying to run as quietly as possible. She darted in a zig zag pattern, before turning in a wide loop. She stopped after a bit to catch her breath, hoping she could hear where Bakura was, if he was close or not. She tilted her head, listening. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears, and thought she could hear the dead grass crunching to her left but just as she heard the sound, it stopped, making her wonder if she'd really heard anything at all. Rain tried to slow her terrified heart, there was nothing more frightening than being alone with yami bakura in a field, surrounded by dense fog, while he's hunting you and you know it. He puts the bad guys in horror flicks to shame. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to block out her surroundings.
Thump thump thump crunch
Rain's thought process froze and her breath caught in her throat, he was close. Her eyes shot open. She could see his figure a few feet away off to the side, she bolted, cursing herself for stopping too long. Suddenly, she skidded to a stop, he was in front of her now.
"H-how the hell…" He chuckled,
"Now, I never said I wouldn't use my power over the darkness to my advantage."
"B-but that means I have no chance!"
His hand suddenly closed around her wrist, Rain could see his smug and slightly deranged grin.
"Precisely."
"You cheated, so there's no way I'm going to just do whatever you want or-"
"I didn't cheat, but regardless of that, no matter how I won…I did win. Which means, you're mine for a week."
"I'm not yours you jerk." Rain hissed, he tugged her against him, smirking at her discomfort.
"Now now, no talking back." He gripped her chin and tilted her face to look at him. "I don't want to discipline you, so don't make me. It would mar your pretty skin." Rain shivered, she wanted to back away as suddenly and unexpectedly, ice cold fear had her heart in it's grip. An image of Marik came to the forefront of her mind, she tried to make it go away. This is Bakura, not Marik. He's trying to scare you, remember?.
"B-Bakura…P-Please don't…" He started slightly at the sudden fear in her voice, the vulnerability in her eyes. He couldn't help but find his sadistic side rather excited by her fear, he pushed it down in disgust, not her. Never her. What she'd never know was that he may talk about harming her for the sadistic fun of it, he doubted he could ever bring himself to doing it. She was the only person he could never truly take pleasure from causing pain. Yeah, he liked to scare her, to keep her in line…and he was rather rough with her, but he'd never outright, grievously harm her. Not physically anyway. He brushed a stray hair from her face.
"That filthy imposter really did a number on you…before he got his hands on you, little threats like that would have just made you angry…" Rain blinked at the tomb robber. Her shaking was beginning to subside as she kept repeating the same mantra in her head. He's not Marik, not Marik, not Marik…as her breathing steadied Rain berated herself for her brief panic attack, she truly prayed that this sort of reaction to little threats wouldn't be a reoccurring sort of thing.
"I'm going to leave you alone for a while, for the most part. I'll be out of the shadow realm soon I'm sure, so we'll wait until then for the week of your punishment to begin. I will still have a connection to your little necklace but I won't be there really…though…I will hear you if something happens, just call out for me and I'll come back. That's why I placed a piece of my soul in the necklace in the first place. I don't trust you not to get into trouble when I'm gone. I don't need to add worrying about you to my to do list."
Rain gave him a look, choosing not to saying anything about how touched she was by the idea that he'd actually admitted to worrying about her. She cleared her throat after a moment of awkwardness. "I do hope you know I'm not going to do whatever you want….not even for a day tomb robber."
He grinned, "We'll see about that." She rolled her eyes in response.
"I suppose I should allow you to wake up now, It's been some time and you might as well go back to your little friends, as I'd rather you be in a group…not secluded and unconscious." Rain didn't have any idea how to respond to that one. Did Bakura actually sound concerned for her wellbeing? Hmmm…he was still harsh, but this caring side of him was kinda cute, She felt a small smile form on her lips. Did I just think of the tomb robber as cute? Jeez, maybe I do need counseling…He's never cute…hot? Yes. Sexy? Yeah, definitely…when he's not being a creepy freak that is…handsome? Oh yeah…but Cute? I've lost my mind. Rain shook herself mentally, blinking.
"Hey Babura, isn't it your fault I'm still asleep? You're the one who decided to force me to stay in a nightmare and chase me around like that, now you're saying me being unconscious is a bad thing?"
He snorted, "It's not the fact that you're not awake that's bad, it's merely the fact that you're alone, and if Marik is finished his duel with that idiot Jounouchi I have no doubt that in the small amount of spare time he's got, he'll come looking for you my dear. I'm not strong enough right now to protect you as I wish, so I would rather you find a more populated area to rest in." Rain stared at him for a moment, hearing Bakura talk about wanting to protect her made her feel very fuzzy and warm inside, again, and she allowed herself to feel how surreal the situation with him, how her life had suddenly gone insane, was. She wondered if it was strange that she didn't care so much that he'd just been playing a rather frightening mind game with her. It's like he'd forgotten he was supposed to be freaking her out…and suddenly was being nice to her instead. He stared back at her, tilting his head to the side.
"What?"
"Huh?"
"You're staring at me, woman."
"Oh!" Rain blushed, looking away, she noticed the fog was completely gone. "I was just thinking…you can be kind of…sweet…on the odd occasion. When you're not being evil, that is." He stared…stared…and stared some more. To the point where Rain was beginning to think something was wrong with him. She eyed him, trying to figure out if she should be concerned.
"Eh…Bakura, you alright?" He blinked, then frowned at her.
"Did you really just say I'm sweet? I'm not sweet…" Rain giggled, which just made him blink at her in shock. "You're laughing at me now?" Rain shook her head,
"No…I'm not. More at myself really. How about, I promise I'll never tell anyone anything about you being all awesome and protective. I won't tarnish your crazy evil psychopath name you've made for yourself. In return, just accept that you actually can be nice on the odd occasion and you've proven it."
He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment in exasperation. This girl was making him go soft and he hated it. "Fine, whatever. Just remember, I do nothing for free, and I shall be demanding my payment in the near future." On that note, Rain was promptly woken from her nap. She sat up, looking at the time after giving herself a moment to recouperate from that bizarre encounter. What the hell was that anyway? More tomb robber randomness? She could have swore he was going to torture or maim her when he'd showed up in the dreamscape…but they'd played some sort of nightmare-tag game. Oh, and he'd suffocated her with shadow…stuff…Rain felt a strange sort of relief things hadn't ended up as bad as she'd thought they'd be. Then she remembered, apparently she was to pretty much be his slave for a week when he came back. Great, that sound be loads of torturous fun I don't need…I'm so gonna need a therapist…hmmm, maybe Kaiba will give me a hand with that as he seems to think I already require one. Rain groaned and got to her feet, she fixed her bed head, then wandered into the hall.
"Huh…wonder if Jou's duel is ove-" Before the sentence was finished she heard a commotion around the corner, moving quickly, Rain found herself right in the path of a very distressed pharoah. He had tears in his eyes, Anzu closely followed him.
"There was nothing you could have done!" He turned and slammed his fist into the wall, a rare show of violence on his part. Neither of them seemed to notice Rain standing there yet.
"Damnit, how many more people need to get hurt? How can that insane bastard do this! So many people have lost their souls, so many friends have become victims of this madman…when will this end?" Anzu sighed, putting a hand on the distraught man's shoulder. Rain sighed loudly, causing them both to notice her presence. To both girl's shock, the pharoah stormed up to Rain and gripped her shoulders harshly.
"You knew…you knew Jou was going to lose that duel. Yet you said nothing! Why?" Rain winced at his grip,
"Yami…you're being a little violent." She whispered, causing him to let go of her with a start, his eyes widened in shame.
"I'm sorry Rain…I'm just…"
"I know…You know I can't change certain things…even if I told you, it wouldn't have made a difference. This will all end, and everything will be ok…when you defeat Marik. When he's gone, everyone he's sent to the shadow realm will return. You just need to have faith in yourself. Don't lose your hope, or everything will be lost…and I…really need you to win. We all do…"
"Remember, we're all cheering for you. You'll face Marik, and you'll win. You have your friends, and your cards." Anzu began to give the usual pep talk, Rain fought the urge to run away. Ugh…friendship speech…must tune out or my ears will bleed…She made the quick decision to leave the other two alone, continuing along. She knew round two would be Kaiba vs. Yugi…aka Yami…but yeah, she had a bit of time it seemed, to grab a bite to eat. There was a kitchen somewhere around here, and she planned to find it.
Two minutes later, Rain hit the jackpot. She grinned as she raided the fridge in the room, grabbing a one person salad with a plastic fork. She opened it and took a crunchy bite.
"Oh! I'm in heaven…"
" When was the last time you ate?" Rain jumped up and spun to face the owner of the voice, she blinked as she realized it was only Ishizu. The older woman made her way to one of the wooden chairs by a table across the room, motioning for Rain to join her. Rain followed, sitting down across from the kind Ishtar. She took another bite of salad thoughtfully.
"Hmmm…I actually don't know…Oh, wait! I had coffee before I left my parents in their realm! Does that count?" Ishizu gave her a concerned frown.
"Well, you must begin to remember to eat. Take better care of yourself, your body needs food to recouperate properly and I doubt you want to be fainting or anything, correct?"
"Last I checked, you weren't a doctor." Rain found herself grumbling before she could stop herself. The other woman's slender brow raised a fraction.
"Would you like me to have one of Kaiba's doctors tell you the same thing? It can be arranged. Though I doubt they'd stop at that, they would want to check you over for anything serious, then maybe give you some fluids, an iv perhaps. It would probably be better for you anyway, but I get the feeling that you would truly fight the notion of resting until we get back to domino."
Rain shook her head, smiling weakly at Ishizu, "I'm sorry, I'm being a dork right now. But you don't need to worry about me, I'm trying, hence why I came food hunting right now. I didn't realize how truly hungry I was until I actually got my hands on some food." She giggled, looking at her fork. "And please don't tell me off for wandering off on my own, I didn't think now would have been a great time to mention being hungry to the pharaoh, or anyone in our little group…with Jounouchi being out cold and all. He'll be ok though, he's a strong person." Ishizu nodded after a moment, then shifted in her seat.
"May I ask you something Rain?"
"Uh, sure." Rain finished off her salad, blinking at Ishizu in curiosity. "What would you like to know?"
"Have you been feeling odd at all lately? Since Bakura got sent to the shadow realm?"
Rain frowned, "What do you mean by odd? Cause I'm in pain, but that's cause I've had quite the beating since I got on this blimp. I mean, I'm sad that he's in the shadow realm…"
"Hm…I just remembered something I saw in a vision… about the power of balance, the souls involved. It's probably nothing, but…It worried me."
"What do you remember?"
" I saw a tablet, with a number of explanations on it, I couldn't make out everything, but I saw something along the lines of 'the two souls which make up the power of balance are forever tied to each other, true soul mates. Unlike normal soul mates though, if one is to go to the afterlife the other will follow soon after, as one can not survive long without the other'."
Rain stared at the other woman, "But…that doesn't make sense…I wasn't even in the same reality until recently, and I've been very healthy. Bakura's been around for a few thousand years….besides that, he's already dead right?"
"True…but think about it. Yes, he's already a spirit, He has no body of his own, but he's still here. He's lost much of his sanity, and the sennen items have only become active again relatively recently. He was dormant for many of those years within the ring, not completely awakened until Ryo Bakura gained the item when he was a child. Your power was dormant until you returned here, so in a way, you both have been protected from the negative effects of your bond. Even still, I don't believe your bond has fully asserted itself yet, I'm sure it's due to the fact that you've re-incarnated, while he has not truly been able to. Remember, this is all in theory though, as I doubt anything like this has ever happened before."
"That…is probably the single most confusing thing I have ever heard…and sooo not what I need on my mind right now. Besides, if he hasn't been able to re-incarnate what the heck is Ryo?"
"I believe that Ryo and Yugi for that matter, are proof that the gods still attemped to have the two reincarnated, even lacking the original souls. Perhaps trying to balance things out…I really don't know. I don't think I'll ever be able to explain it, because as I said, the situation has never happened before. Have you not noticed how innocent and pure the two seem though? It's because they have no darkness of their own, they have no past lives because who they would have been are still in the world of the living."
"So…ignoring the Yugi, Ryo thing, as it's too complicated for us mortals to ever figure out, are you saying that when Bakura leaves the world of the living completely and faces judgment in the afterlife, there's actually a possibility that his absence will eventually kill me? That's just awesome news, isn't it…" Rain rolled her eyes, unable to hold in her sarcasm. Good lord, that thought is truly terrifying…because he'll be gone rather soon if I can't stop his fate somehow.
"Calm yourself, I don't know if it's fact or not, only that I read it in my vision and remembered it just now. I do not know what will occur when the thief meets his final end, but please don't assume you're going to die. You must have hope."
"Easy for you to say…You really shouldn't have even told me. I mean, how would you feel if someone came out and said 'Oh, you know that evil spirit in the sennen ring? The one who's your soul mate? He might murder you slowly without meaning to by dying himself.' I mean, me having cool magic powers? Way cool. The fact that my favorite series is actually real? That's great! The fact that I was originally from said series and am the soul mate of the most interesting, longest lasting villain I've ever thought to be a fan of? Um…well, that takes more getting used to…I still feel the need to pinch myself on occasion…but I can accept it…Being molested, injured and harassed by Mr. pervert-bodysnatching-psycho that scares the crap out of me and sent my best friend to the shadow realm? Um… I may need help getting rid of the nightmares… But I'm sort of dealing with it. But this new development you've so kindly brought to light? I may have to pretend you never brought it up…I really really can't handle the thought that I may die slowly and painfully within a few years without finally going over the deep end. I'm only human, there's only so much I can deal with."
Ishizu met Rain's stare with sad eyes. "I'm sorry Rain…I just figured you had a right to know."
Rain took a shuddering breath, clasping shaking hands on her lap. "I know…don't apologize, you're right. It's something I should know, I'm just a bit stressed at the moment so you can't blame me for having a bit of a rant…especially considering what you just said to me."
There was suddenly an announcement that the next duel was to take place, Rain looked towards the speaker on the wall, then back at the other woman in the room. She made no move to get up, Ishizu smiled at her.
"I assume you have no plan on going to watch the pharaoh and Mr. Kaiba duel?"
Rain leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms across her chest. "Well, since I'm positive of how the outcome of this one will be, there's really no point in my going to watch it. I don't know how you manage it Ishizu, the whole knowing what's going to happen thing must get boring after a while, right?"
"Well…I already gave the sennen tauk to the pharaoh, so I don't see quite as much as I used to…I wouldn't say it gets boring…but…it does grow tiresome after a time."
"The only duel I'm determined to be there for is Yami vs. Marik. I have to cheer him on."
"The decision to watch that specific duel has nothing to do with proving a point?" Rain had stood to grab a glass of water, but she stopped, turning back to Ishizu, slightly puzzled.
"A point?"
"That you're not afraid of the man that's stolen my brother's body."
A sour look came upon Rains face, she scowled. "Why should I have to prove it? The bastard would probably just find entertainment in trying to prove that I am scared of him. Besides, he's a thing…not a man."
"Hm…Yes, but I would think you'd want to prove him wrong anyway. It's just something that fits with your personality. Besides, I think you want to prove it to yourself as well Rain."
Rain snorted, "Right." There was silence for a few minutes, but neither woman seemed to mind.
"Do you want to see at least part of the duel? I'm sure it would likely please the pharaoh." Rain grimaced,
"No…I don't want to be around him too much right now."
"Hmmm…Would it bother you if I asked why?" Rain smiled,
"No…not really. You probably noticed my little argument with thin air earlier…and the fact that I was acting like a crazy person. Ishizu nodded slowly,
"Yes, though to me it seemed obvious that you were having a fight with the spirit of the sennen ring. I'm assuming you can see him when he's in spirit form due to the small amount of magical energy in your charm necklace that he…as you said, placed a small piece of his soul into. Am I correct in this assessment?"
"Uh…Yeah, though…he's not there anymore really…I mean, he's still attached to it, and could likely come if I need help or something, but he said I wouldn't be seeing him for a while…so I'm assuming that means he's gone. Anyway" Rain took a breath, "I'm pretty sure
Yami knows what's up…he's not stupid so…"
"But weren't you forgiven?"
"Um…For acting like a crazy person, yes. But I know the minute I'm alone with Yami, he's going to go on a rant about my safety and how evil the spirit is and yada yada…" Ishizu smiled softly.
"I'm sure it's not so horrible that he cares for you. Come. I don't think the others will want you to be alone anyway, so lets go watch the duel."
…...
Well, let me know if you like the newest chapter! I adore you all, my dear readers! I'm already working on chapter twelve and now that my computer is working I can actually start writing again! -Cheers- Also, I HAD to keep the artichoke head thing…I don't think Jou calls Marik that in the Japanese version, but I found it wildly entertaining. Anyway, read and review! Luvs you all!