My longest chapter yet! Thanks for all your reviews so far! This chapter will be a bit weird, kind of surreal, a lot of seducing...

26/11/05

Chapter XI: Betrayal from the Heart

Bakura felt it was a bit too soon to be revealing his soul to the Anzu woman, so he suppressed her memories of that night. All she would remember the next day would be the never-ending waltz as they whirled and whirled to the heart of the music, lost in ecstasy on that moonlit rooftop.

"Why won't you let me out?" Anzu cried again and again, beating her tiny fists against the door.

She had on another elegant ball gown, this time as snow white as Bakura's hair. Her hair shimmered as it always did, only she looked frailer, more fragile. Like a bird in a cage that desires to be free.

Fed up, Ryou shook his head sleepily and made his way to the entrance, ignoring the pounding in his head every time he stood up. Shadows under his eyes, he still hadn't recovered from the fight.

"You can't," he said. "That Seto Kaiba is searching for us, he knows that you're associated with me."

"So?" There was a ring of impatience to her voice.

"Did you see how easily he commanded the magic?"

The pleading had no effect on her. She stared on in stony silence.

"You saw how ruthless he is, do you really think he'll just let you go if he finds you?"

"He can't hurt me; he was the one that bought my painting."

How naïve, Ryou thought sadly. "Then he knows where you live and who you are." Walking away, he said, "it's best for both of us if you just stay here until we can sort something out."

Why was he being so different today? Anzu crumpled onto the ground. Last night, last night he'd been… why couldn't she remember? Oh, she remembered the moonlit roof all right, and the dancing, but anything he'd said to her had faded to a blur, like a mist that she just couldn't quite reach.

Ryou felt so sorry for the Anzu girl, but he couldn't do anything about it. He needed to think, go over the events from that night. Plus, his body still hadn't fully recovered; the lacerations were faint scars now, but still there. No doubt they'd disappear soon, though.

And there were still the fundamental questions he needed answering. Who was he? He had to have been someone; he couldn't have been nobody.

Bakura had convinced him that they were the same person; streams of consciousness from the same soul, but sometimes Ryou found himself wondering.

xXx

It was the second evening since the attack, and Bakura had arisen in Ryou's mind. Even though he wasn't in spirit form, he still made his presence felt. He'd read Anzu's agony from Ryou's mind, felt her despair like a bird in a cage and he wasn't too happy about that.

"Why, may I ask, are you being so stubborn to the girl?"

"Because she isn't safe, Bakura!" Ryou said, exasperated. He didn't need to get it from both sides; Anzu's incessant moaning had been enough. "You know as well as I do that she is safer inside."

"What makes you think that you know best, eh?" Bakura snarled, going on the defensive.

"I beg your pardon? Wasn't I the one that saved our sorry hides?"

Bakura turned away, muttering mutinously.

"Do you want her to be captured, to be used against us? You saw the Duellist, you know he is a slayer."

"It isn't just glass that can be broken, human vampire. I'm sure you'll find that hearts are a lot less messy."

Ryou knew he was referring to Serenity.

"Is that a threat?"

Bakura smiled evilly, drawing himself up to his full height.

"We shall see." In an instant he was right by Ryou's side and had him in a headlock, squeezing him. "Let me have your body tonight!"

"Who…are…you?" Ryou gasped, sweating. Bakura's grip was so strong, and icy, it was draining away his energy. Ryou elbowed his counterpart, but Bakura retaliated by squeezing his throat.

Let me take over! Let your darker half…

"Stop it!"

"If you knew who I really was, I don't think you could bear to live anymore," Bakura said sadly, finally releasing him. This change of heart was too much for Ryou.

"Just get out!" Ryou screamed, doubled over as he fought for air.

xXx

"Bloody human vampire, who does he think he is? Doesn't he know that the Great Vampire Bakura is far superior to that pathetic fledgling?" Bakura muttered angrily, flying around in circles.

That human vampire Ryou really got under his proverbial skin. He was always trying to stay safe, avoid danger…Bakura would've done things a lot differently, had he been in charge. He'd been so bored so far in this life, nothing compared to the true hearts of evil, yes, soppy romantics he could cope with, pathetic fledgings maybe…but making that Anzu woman unhappy had been the last straw. How dare he?

Spying Serenity's house, Bakura flew down and landed by her windowsill. Tapping it gently, he watched her smooth expression change as her mind was disturbed from sleep. My, my, would this be fun…

xXx

Serenity opened her eyes, groaning sleepily. She hadn't heard from Duke since he came round two nights ago. Could this be him?

Another tap at the window. Climbing out of her bed, she went to pull the curtains aside, feet padding ever so delicately across the wooden floor. She would tell Duke she'd missed him, and maybe tell him what the Doctor had told her, that she was getting better and that her depression would be going away for good. She felt happy, and her eyes sparkled as they had that night when he'd come round to comfort her. But she would have to tell him to call in advance in the future and to come round earlier.

So it was such a shock she received when she found the figure at the window wasn't Duke, but some white-haired stranger, perched on her windowsill. Backing away in fear on his insane grin, she stammered- "w-what…"

"Open the window, my dear," he commanded lustily, eyes glinting.

Oh no…not again…she began to hyperventilate as past memories surfaced. He had the same look in his eyes, she was sure he was back, he was coming for her, not again…she thought she'd escaped from the hurt, no, not again…

Serenity opened her mouth to scream but at that second Bakura locked his steely gaze upon her eyes.

"Don't worry, my dear, sleep."

"I-" She couldn't pull out of his stare. Stumbling backwards, she suddenly felt the energy drain from her body. How good it would be to just lie back, forget about all her troubles, nightmares that weren't even real- no, nothing could harm her if she just obeyed the white-haired stranger. He told her that she was safe now, he wasn't coming back. She could trust him. Slowly, her eyelids drooped, as the resistance in her disappeared, and she yielded, her honeyed hair fell across her face as her head slumped forwards.

Bakura crowed in triumph. She was his!

"Now, an instruction will be relayed, and I want you to obey, do you understand?"

A soft sigh escaped her lips; Bakura took this as a yes. How easily her will had been broken, ever so easily like the stem of a daisy.

"Open the window, and stand back."

Serenity moved as if in a trance, so graceful and compliant. She was putty in his hands!

The window was fully open; shutters flung back into her room as the curtains swelled with the cool night breeze. She looked like a ghost in her white night dress, as it billowed in the wind with her silky strawberry hair. Her face was so serene, and as she hovered, eyes closed in a trance-like state she slowly stepped forwards towards Bakura's beckoning finger. She was right up against the window; head poised in mid air, eyes still closed.

"Now let me in, my sweet," Bakura chuckled throatily, tickling her bare neck.

Her eyelids fluttered, hypnotised and she answered in a monotone, "you may come in."

Jumping off his haunches, Bakura landed in the room and took the swooning girl in his arms. She had been so easy to manipulate. And my, how pretty she really was, but in his eyes, nothing compared to the feisty soul he'd sensed in Anzu. She reminded him of someone he'd once known, from ever so long ago…

Bakura took Serenity's hand and led her around the room like a trainer might to a pony, murmuring soothing words to her. She tried to nuzzle him, but he always danced just out of her reach. Finally he led her to the full-length wardrobe mirror.

"Open your eyes."

She opened them, and stared vacantly ahead, bright eyes dulled. Her posture was perfect, she was like the obedient child waiting to be told what to do.

"Do you see yourself, see how pretty you are?" Bakura crooned to her, letting the words sing. "My, what an angel, with a face as delicate as yours. It would be a shame to spoil such beauty, wouldn't it?"

She nodded vacantly, her long straight hair falling across her china face. Bakura reached up and brushed her locks aside like you would to a doll.

"Now look in the mirror, and tell me what you see."

And with that, he leant forward, and bit into her neck.

xXx

Ryou had broken into the local library under the cover of darkness. He needed someplace away from Anzu's incessant pleading to think, and the public library had seemed the best option. Now, walking through the dark shelves upon shelves, he had time to himself.

Who was Bakura? The demon vampire had demonstrated that he was capable of far greater violence, Ryou was sure Bakura would've strangled him had he the chance. So what was it that had stopped him?

"My name is Ryou. I am the Vampire Bakura. Ryou is for Bakura and Bakura is for death."

That was the mantra he'd repeated that first night when he'd awoken. But now, he wasn't so sure. It was true that he could see through Bakura's eyes and feel his emotions, but whenever he tried to read Bakura's thoughts his mind closed like a clam. If they were the same person, souls split then shouldn't he have full access to Bakura's thoughts?

Not if he isn't you…

Dusty tomes lined the bookshelves; old volumes that spent their existence collecting dust. Slits of orange light fell across the floor from the windows. He passed another shelf, and came to a place that looked more recently used.

It was the newspaper library. Here, thousands upon thousands of daily reports lay filed and ordered for public use. Newspapers in every imaginable language; stories vivid, great and small.

Having nothing to do, Ryou picked up a few and began to read. He didn't need to read far until he came across something of interest. It was dated three weeks ago; the same time when he'd come to.

Craning forward, pupils dilating against the dim light, he began to read:

Mystery Youth Disappears Under Cloak of Darkness

The doctors of Domino Hospital have been horrified to discover that one of their patients has gone missing last night. The said patient, name unknown, was last noted hooked up on life support, whilst in a coma.

"We don't know anything about the boy, except that he had been involved in a car crash. He is a complete mystery to us all and we were hoping that somebody would come forward to tell us more about him. He can't have walked out by himself, so we can only fear an abduction."

The car crash incident had been reported a few weeks ago, but that too has remained a mystery. All we know is that the boy used to attend Domino High, though why his old classmates are not aware of his disappearance is something else altogether.

"All we know is that he is called Ryou Bakura, and that he was an exchange student from England. He looked like the shy but popular with girls type, so why no one seems to know him now, well, we're completely baffled by that."

The report went on to talk about the hospital's worry over security, but by then Ryou had stopped reading and was in a world of his own. Had that been his life story, there in print?

There was a fuzzy photograph of a figure lying in a hospital bed; he couldn't really make out the details of the person, but he was sure he'd seen himself enough times to recognize himself in the picture. The hair, think locks tousled; the stance of the figure as he lay in his coma…it had to have been him…

Ryou felt hollow. Once again, it was as if time had slowed down to a trickle and he saw himself isolated, standing alone in blackness. A spotlight trained on him, picking out his isolation, his solitude. Somewhere molten ice flowed like treacle into his stomach. He was frozen, numb.

The last few weeks of searching, and he'd stumbled across this. The realisation hadn't hit him yet; that he might've had a past, an actual life. And that life might've been led in England… he was still contemplating the mystery of why no one here seemed to remember him when he felt it, deep in his soul.

An exhalation of pure, sweet satisfaction. And a girl, nearby. Someone he knew, had studied, had obsessed over for the past few weeks.

"Bakura," Ryou breathed.

The rage was building up again, a whirlwind of emotions against a raging backdrop of despair. The wind howled; tornado picked up a beating heart and flung it into his face. He stared at the glistening veins as they leaked blood, the ice blue and the wild red whirling and whirling together until he was lost, couldn't take it anymore, swept away on a tide that he had never wanted to be carried on, it was too much…

"Bakura!" He yelled, shattering the icy air.

xXx

"I see…a tall, handsome stranger with pure white hair and…deep brown eyes," she murmured thickly. Her hair fell across her face, as Bakura nuzzled her throat again, licking his lips.

Her blood was as sweet as it had been the first time round, only this time it didn't pulse with as much resistance as it had the first time. Docile blood. That spoiled the taste slightly, which is what he hated about manipulation. Blood of the suicidal, the fragile, the innocent.

He brushed her hair aside and allowed her to snuggle into his neck. This she did instinctively, still in her trance-like state. How good it would be to turn her now…but for that Bakura needed to be in body form. Oh well, this was good enough.

He drew her close to him, turning her ever so pale face towards the mirror again. Her eyes registered no change, only reflecting the pure moonlight.

"What do you see again?" Bakura whispered in her ear, coaxing her.

Under a spell, she began again. "I see a tall handsome stranger…and he will protect me and I love him. He has pure white hair, intense brown eyes…and his name is Bakura."

"Good," Bakura crooned. Oh, sweet revenge.

He led Serenity to the open window, motioned for her to climb up, until she was stood on the window ledge. Her frail body was buffeted back and forth by the icy wind, yet she remained standing straight, hypnotised, obedient.

"Now jump," Bakura whispered into her ear.

Her face remained relaxed as her knees bent.

"No-!" Ryou yelled, as he crashed into the room, taking Serenity down with him. Out of breath, he pulled Serenity away from the grinning Bakura and wailed, "what have you done to her?"

Bakura merely glanced coolly in his direction. "Only what you'd have done if you weren't so-"

"Serenity!" Ryou cried. Her face was still vacant, still beautiful with innocent bliss. Shaking her, he realised that Bakura hadn't hurt her, which eased his pain a little. He held her close, feeling her dull breathing against his heart.

In the room next door, a light flickered on.

"S-Serenity?" The confused yet concerned voice of her brother called.

"Undo whatever it is you've done to her then we get out of here!" Ryou hissed angrily to Bakura.

Bakura flicked his gaze coolly from Ryou to Serenity. Yielding, he went over to Serenity, and whispered in her ear. She glided over to her bed, before sliding in, face still calm, serene. Bakura clicked his fingers and she relaxed, eyes closed, returned to normal.

"Selfish enough to make you wait for me," Bakura said loftily.

"Lazy enough to sleep all day," Ryou retorted, as he rose to the windowsill. "The root of all evil has been running my life, and will run it no longer."

And with that, he fell from the windowsill, like how Serenity was about to, a fragile figure poised on the edge of the sky, only to swoop back into the night.

xXx

"I've done enough," Ryou murmured. "I've exposed myself too much, and I've stayed here for far too long." I'm supposed to be finding my memory; when did I lose sight of my original goal?

Anzu was silent, head bowed.

"I'm leaving for England," Ryou said. "It turns out I used to live there."

"You can't!" Anzu gasped. "I love you, don't you know?"

"Tell that to Bakura," Ryou mumbled.

"But…aren't you the same person?"

"I thought we were too," he replied dully. The pain still held him in shock; the betrayal. Bakura had used him, lied to him.

Numb, he allowed himself to be swept away in his tide of thoughts. They weren't the same person. In fact, Ryou didn't even know anything about the Great Vampire Bakura. They were two completely separate personalities, with completely different goals. Why hadn't he seen that before?

You took my heart
Threw it away
Numb, I
Don't know what to say

Suddenly it all came back to Anzu, that moonlit night, everything Bakura had said to her, confided to her in confidence. Whatever spell he'd laid on her had been broken. Everything, all the pieces of his life story, never before told to everyone else was now crystal clear…and the waltzing.

But she couldn't think of them with any joy anymore, for when she found out about that other Serenity woman, this all faded into the back of her mind. All the infatuation she'd felt was overwhelmed now by a sense of betrayal. She'd been here before, had the shocking truth hit her like a tonne of bricks. This had been just the same with her first love, Yugi.

Anzu was shaking him; tears in her angel eyes. "You can't do this to me, not after everything you put me through!"

"I-" Ryou began, but it was true. He knew exactly how it felt to be betrayed, and knew then what it would be to have revenge on that demon spirit. "Fine, I'll let you see him, then, if that's what you really want."

Bakura opened his eyes, drowsy.

"What!" He frowned. Reeling back in pain, it took him a second to register the brightness of the day.

All I want is to
see you suffer
For the pain you caused
to the ones I love

"You monster!" Anzu screamed, pounding him. Though the blows completely unaffected him, he still flinched, the raw anger in her voice striking him time and time again as the rays of the sun scorched his skin red.

Ryou merely watched on, silent, and when Anzu had exhausted herself, quietly replaced Bakura, and walked her to her room, whilst rubbing his new bruises.

OK, even I know that was weird...