A TRAIN OF THOUGHTS

Elenion: Well, you know by now that I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Ugh, this took me sooo long. I'm so sorry!

This story won't last too much longer. But it's summer now, which means more story ideas should be rolling along…

I don't have time to write individual responses, but a big thanks to: Peneia Teke, Imperfect Paradise, Wolfyu, Crimson-Eyed-Angel99, Sleek Wolf, Lily of the Shadow, Jieli, WildBlackWolf and Viva, Lover of Seto Kaiba, SilentAngel014, Purple-Dragan-Lockheed, Bishoplover, Cleoraia, Blaze Girl, ChildlikeEmpress, LoneGothic, Cloudsluver, GoldenStar, Aiedail, ryouholic, samuraiduck27, RiterAnonymous, Flowerperson, MihoMaiden, Pirate Monkey (I agree with you, by the way, after re-reading this thing), Arwen Dark Sorceress of Fate, and Maki-sama.

Oh, and Lover of Seto Kaiba? I really would like that cookie… lol.

CHAPTER 11: Winning a Losing Battle

Serenity choked back a sob, putting her free hand over her mouth in horror. 'Why is this happening? What did we ever do to anyone? Why did it have to be a black marble?'

The man grinned evilly at the expression lighting the auburn-haired girl's face. "Fairytale's over, princess."

"Don't bring her into this," Bakura said, stiffly. He didn't want to fight. It wasn't in his nature. But the last thing that he was going to tolerate was this man toying with her.

Green eyes flashed angrily in the dark, perfectly disguising the fear that was coming back to him almost as if it was out of distant memory. It was the fear he'd felt the last time he'd seen this boy… coming back to haunt him… making him feel ashamed. He'd sworn he'd win his pride back, but at that moment, he almost blanched.

As if to vent his untold emotions, the greasy man flicked the black marble in the couple's direction. The ebony glass of it sparkled lightly in the fluorescent bulbs overhead as it made an almost elegant curve, landing at the white-haired boy's feet.

"I'll wait for you in the basement," the man said with a growl, turning his back to the two teenagers. The kitchen door swung closed after him, causing him to disappear from sight.

There was a biting silence in the room for a moment.

Finally… "B-bakura?"

His eyes turned from the door to the girl next to him. He couldn't possibly have known it, but his stare was causing her heart to melt right then and there.

"P-please don't g-go. You d-don't have t-to…" Serenity's voice trailed off. She was desperate. She didn't want to lose him. Anything but him…

Bakura sighed deeply. "I need to, love. This needs to end." He closed his eyes in sadness. "However…"

Serenity's eyes lit up in hope. A hope that was soon crushed.

"…I think you should stay here. If I'm not back soon, then run for it."

Serenity's eyes watered. "B-but…"

He gave her a look that was so full of resolve that she knew it was futile to argue. Besides, she figured that she'd probably only be a liability. But even so… her heart was screaming to stay with him no matter what.

Forever. That was how long she wanted to stay with him.

It had taken her this long to realize it. No matter how stubbornly she fought it- the L-word always came into play. It frightened her, but since when was anything easy?

Bakura squeezed her hand gently before releasing it and starting forward. He didn't want to look at her- to see those heartbreaking tears staining her little face. It was incredible that her childhood had been so difficult, and yet she was so… kind-hearted.

His hand was already on the doorknob when…

"Wait!" Serenity cried, throwing herself into his arms once more. Her breath was hot and uneven on his neck as she tried in vain to hold back her tears. Small hands reached around his neck, tangling slender fingers in his soft snowy hair. "P-please c-come b-back, Bakura."

He stared in front of him in starry disbelief, chin resting on her soft cinnamon hair. "I'll try my best."

"W-what w-would I d-do without y-you?" Serenity whispered nuzzling deeper into his neck.

Bakura felt heat rise into his face. It was something he'd often thought about her as well. Could it be that she- no… she couldn't really love- no. He shook his head, trying to clear it of ridiculous thoughts. But then, there had been that kiss… Bakura's face heated to a full-scale blush just thinking about it.

"Take care of yourself, love," he said tenderly, running his pale fingers through that breathtaking hair of hers. "Serenity, I…"

Her eyes turned up to melt into his.

"…I…"

Her honey eyes were drowning him in those depths.

"… I hope I'll see you soon," he finished lamely, before uncurling his arms from around her petite frame. Without another look back, he pulled the door open and walked through.

Joey slowly unfolded the cardboard, showing him a montage of colors on the inside. His hands trembled slightly as he lifted a duffel bag from the box. It was hers… But of course it was… what had he been expecting?

It was torn now in various spots. It almost looked like teeth had ripped jaggedly through the fabric… probably glass. On the right side, there was a large ebony mark spreading over the duffel bag like a deadly bout of plague. Joey swallowed. It was a burn mark.

Mai patted his arm. 'Maybe this was what he needed to let her go…'

Her eyes suddenly snagged on something. "Joey, what's"

His blurry hazel eyes found what she was looking at. His shaking hands picked the crunched and wrinkled paper from the bottom of the box. He choked on his own breath.

"Oh gods…"

It was a photo of Serenity… probably the last one taken of her before she… was gone. She was sitting childishly on a swing in the park. The many folds over the surface made it difficult to entirely see the details- but her smile was still the same. Bright and carefree as always.

"Mai, I… I loved her. She was ma kid sista…."

Her hand gently squeezed his arm. If there was any time he needed a helping hand, it was now.

Joey blindly flipped the crumpled paper over. His eyes widened. She had written something there… to him…

Hi big brother!

Uncle Takashi took this photo, and he said he thought you'd like it. He's so nice, isn't he? Well, I'm on the train coming home. I can't wait to see you again! I promise we'll do all sorts of fun stuff together once I get back! And then

That was where it ended. She had obviously been interrupted in the middle of writing this.

Burning tears burst from their dams and trailed down his cheeks. Unashamed, he used the back of his sleeve to wipe them calmly away.

I promise we'll do all sorts of fun stuff together once I get back!

His heart was tearing in two.

'Ren, ya promised…'

Serenity leaned, physically and emotionally drained, against the rough lodge wall with her head cradled in her hands.

He's dangerous, Ren.

Her eyelids slammed shut, creasing in concentration.

Be careful around him.

Joey had warned her about Bakura, but for the life of her, she could not remember why. After his strange mental shutdown, Serenity found her brother's words nagging profusely at her mind like a bad head cold.

Bakura isn't like anyone else. He's dangerous, Ren.

Frustrated, the young girl grit her teeth. At that time, it seemed that if she could just remember what her brother had said to her, everything else would just fall into place. Particularly that word… Yami… it had something to do with that. Yugi had used that phrase before as well.

It isn't really his fault, but Bakura's got dis Millennium item…

Serenity's fingers wound into her hair and clenched in exasperation. She could remember very little of that long-ago conversation other than bits and pieces.

… da Millennium Ring. And that thing is bad news, sis…

But what did that have to do with anything? Suddenly, the mental blocks crumbled. Serenity could practically see her brother sitting on the couch next to her, telling her all of this.

"Why?" Serenity could hear herself say.

Her brother sighed, wearily picking at the fraying edge of a cushion. "Well, it has ta do wit his Yami."

"Yami?"

"It's kinda hard ta explain. Well, basically it's this spirit that lives inside the Millennium Ring…"

"You expect me to believe that, Joey?"

"I'm just tryin' ta tell ya! Geez!" Her brother got off the couch, irritated and walked away.

Serenity opened her eyes. That still didn't solve everything. There had to be something else. So maybe there was a spirit in this Millennium Ring… so what? The young girl sighed heavily, wracking her brains. An overheard conversation between Yugi and Tea from months ago came to mind. She was about to dismiss it as irrelevant but then stopped and reconsidered.

"Yugi?"

"Yes, Tea?"

"What exactly is…" Her voice trailed off uncertainly.

"What exactly is what?"

"Well, I was wondering… what exactly is Yami?"

Pause.

"I don't really know myself. He's like the other half of me now."

"He came from the Millennium Puzzle, right?"

"Right. And before I realized what he was, he took over a few times…"

"Took over you?"

"Right. He's a spirit, I know that. And he doesn't seem to want to hurt any of us. In fact, I think he may like us. Especially…"

"Especially who?"

"Never mind."

"Yugi… what about Bakura?"

"You mean the Millennium Ring?"

"Yes."

Pause.

"Tea, I believe that Bakura has a much worse problem than I do."

"How so?"

"In Bakura's case, I believe it is a very hostile spirit that he hosts."

"But if that spirit came from a Millennium item too, then you mean that Bakura's spirit can take over his body as well?"

"Exactly. Which is why there is a great problem where Bakura is concerned."

Serenity swallowed and took a deep breath. So it all made sense… which meant that the night by the river, it really hadn't been Bakura. She truly had seen someone else- a certain very dangerous someone else. And it also explained why he wouldn't want to tell her about it, why he didn't want her to meet him. She clearly remembered the strange stories now- the stories of strange possessions and Shadow Duels from Battle City.

It made her shudder. Violently.

And now this spirit- this yami- might take over at any moment.

Suddenly, it didn't matter that Bakura had told her to stay put. If he needed help, Serenity was determined to help and she was damned if she was going to let him face everything alone. Like he had said, he wasn't inhuman. Everyone needed help more often than not. Bakura was no exception.

At least it wasn't raining. But other than that, the cold of the night was miserable. Bakura felt a shiver work its way up his spine.

He slipped quietly into the basement door and wondered absently if Serenity was all right. The dark claimed him, and the albino boy grasped desperately onto the rickety railing as he made his way cautiously down a flight of warped stairs. He couldn't even see ten feet from his face.

/Hello, hikari./

Bakura grit his teeth but did not reply.

/Trying to ignore me, are you/

Again, he did not so much as flinch. He just kept descending the stairs, one foot after another.

/Oh, hikari. You amuse me./

A painful wave surged through the boy's mind, sending his nerves tingling. Bakura's grip upon the railing tightened to the point where his knuckles were white. Another surge followed, but he was able to fight it off by sheer will power. Bakura, for once, felt empowered, felt that his yami could not take control.

But then a fist materialized out of the dark, slamming him backwards into the railing.

His concentration faltered.

That was all his yami needed.

Icy green eyes laughed soundlessly at the boy. That was all he was, after all… just a boy. He had been foolish to be scared of him. So very foolish. "What are you going to do now, boy? You have no moves left."

Unknown to that man, a pair of even colder eyes rose to watch him through the dark. A chilling smirk appeared and an icy voice followed. "Oh, I have plenty of moves."

A tremor of fear spread from the green-eyed mans gut. That was not the voice that he had expected. Perhaps it was someone else? But who? That made no sense. This was most definitely the white-haired boy.

'But that voice…'

The boy sprung towards him, barreling into the other man and sending them both crashing down the last few steps onto cold rock floor. Fingernails dug into the green-eyed man's forearms as an ancient spirit in a teenager's body pinned him down and calmly held a pocketknife between his gleaming teeth.

Serenity burst through the lodge door, flashlight in hand, and looked hastily for the way to the basement. It was an outside door, she knew that much. The air was damp and cold, raising the small hairs on her unprotected skin.

She spotted the basement door. It hung ajar upon its hinges.

It no longer mattered that a cold-blooded murderer lurked down there. If Bakura needed her help, then she was going to go, regardless of her brother's warnings. After all, if Yugi was in this sort of situation, there was no doubt that Joey would be rushing to help him. So the girl steeled herself, clicked the flashlight on, and raced to the basement door.

She stood uncertainly at the top of the steps and waved the beam downwards. It settled upon two figures…

"Bakura!"

But he did not turn at the sound of her voice.

It took a moment for Serenity to grasp what was going on. The white-haired boy was shuddering, holding a pocketknife above the man's green eyes as if poised to gauge them out. But he was frozen there, completely immobilized. As if he was fighting some invisible person…

And then it all made sense.

Serenity raced down the stairs, grasping the railing in one hand and the flashlight in the other. Her heart leapt into her throat. Maybe she could help him. How, she had no idea, but… Where there's a will there's a way.

She knelt beside him, feeling awkward and helpless. Bakura's face was blank, his eyes introspective while the icy-eyed man stared at the blade with open horror. Serenity swallowed, unsure as to what to do. Now that the moment was actually at hand, she wasn't quite sure how she could help Bakura fight a battle within himself.

But she wouldn't lose heart. She couldn't.

"Bakura?" she whispered fervently, hoping maybe that would be enough.

He didn't move.

Her fingers curled firmly around his wrist.

Still, there was no reaction.

Serenity inhaled deeply and taking a leaf out of Joey's book, slowly pried the pocketknife from his hand.

Bakura didn't so much as flinch.

The icy-eyed man's eyes were on Serenity now, but she noticed, with further inspection, that his eyes were dazed. It was probably the result of having the back of his head slammed onto a stone basement floor. He didn't seem to present much of a threat at the moment.

But there was still Bakura.

Serenity clicked the blade back into its place and slid it into her back pocket. She slowly touched the boy's pale forearm, but when there was no reaction, she dropped the flashlight and slid her other arm around his neck and drew him close to herself.

Carefully, the young girl cast a glance at the murderer on the floor. His eyes had rolled back into his head, and Serenity had the cold suspicion that he may not ever wake up. But that wasn't the important thing. She hugged Bakura as closely as she could, wishing she could see into his mind. Tearfully, she began whispering things to him, just like a mother would do to a child after a nightmare. If she was lucky, he would hear her.

Bakura had been fighting with his avatar fiercely. This would be it. If he could win now, then he knew that he'd have the upperhand for the rest of his life. It was like an unspoken agreement- a last battle of wills. But if he lost… then that man would die painfully along with the trusting girl twenty feet above his head.

Their emotions were locked- two opposing beams of light at war with one another. The light mingled with the dark, and the two spirits pushed and pulled, fighting for control. Both spirits were running low on energy. It took all the emotional fuel they had to keep going, but neither was willing to give up. Sheer hatred and spite for one another was a key factor, but the hikari had other reasons- to stop the damage about to be done, to avenge Reiko and anyone else to ever be hurt by his dark side, and to gain back the will to live.

There was more at stake than anyone else could have imagined. It wasn't born out of desperation. Rather, it was born out of a culmination of everything that had ever happened to either soul. And both souls wanted possession of the same body. For good.

Both pushed harder, their lights slamming into one another faster and faster. Spirals of pain spiked through them like burning liquid. But neither desisted. Neither would falter, but they couldn't keep it up much longer.

It finally reached a climax. Their hearts strained against each other's onslaught, each other's will power. It was a fury of pain and confusion- of beams of light and dark.

They strained against one another in their one final effort…

Bakura collapsed in Serenity's arms.

She caught the weight of him despite the obvious difference in size. His white hair fell over his face, and it seemed for a moment that his breathing stopped. In that moment, Serenity panicked. What if he never woke up again?

Then, painfully, his head raised itself.

Serenity swallowed. 'What if…?'

Her questioned trailed off as she met Bakura's eyes. Bakura's sparkling, kind eyes… He was exhausted, barely able to hold up his head.

Hikari Bakura smiled weakly and took a gasp of air, before staring Serenity straight in the eyes and saying, "I did it."

Then he collapsed once more.

The British boy re-awoke to find himself tucked into a soft bed. His mind ached, and it suddenly came back to him… He'd fought his yami… and he'd won.

A smile worked onto his face.

"Bakura?"

His eyes twinkled as they fell onto the small girl standing at his bedside. "Serenity."

"I wanted to tell you, Bakura, that you don't have to fight him alone."

He was puzzled for a moment. "Fight who?"

"Your yami."

That threw him for a moment. "How did you-"

"I pieced it together. It doesn't really matter." She smiled winningly at him.

No. Bakura thought. At this time, it doesn't matter.

"I won," he whispered. "I don't have to worry about him anymore."

Serenity looked confused for a moment before covering it up. She supposed she wouldn't understand even if she asked. "Is he gone?"

Bakura sighed. "No. I don't believe he'll ever truly be gone. But he can't win anymore."

"I'm glad," Serenity replied awkwardly. And she was despite the fact that she felt very in the dark. "Bakura…"

He raised his eyes to look at her.

"…I can't possibly imagine what you've been through. But since that other man is- well- gone…"

"Gone?" Bakura asked as images of a green-eyed murderer rushed back to him.

"He, erm, he died from shock, I think. I just left him in the basement. But that's not what I meant to say…" Serenity took a breath. "I wanted to say that I think you should tell me about your yami, even if you say he 'can't win anymore'."

The white-haired teenager clenched and unclenched his fist. "Serenity, I don't want to burden you…"

"You're not burdening me. I asked."

"You don't understand, love," Bakura said, hating himself, "that you could find someone so much better than me. Someone with less emotional baggage.

Serenity sat down on the edge of his bed, looking angry. "Bakura, I had an abusive father. Now, if you're willing to cope with that kind of emotional baggage, then how could I not be able to cope with yours?"

He stared straight into her sweetly colored eyes for a moment. There really was no answer. Finally, he sighed. "Serenity, I… It will be hard."

"I know," she replied strongly, grasping his hand in hers.

"I don't want to hurt you."

She shook her head. "Bakura, if it wasn't for you, I would never have made it this far."

He slowly sat up, leaning against the headboard. "I'm talking about after all this, love. I… I just want you to be happy."

Serenity slowly squeezed his hand. "How could I be happy without you?"

They stared at one another for a long moment as feelings unspoken finally surfaced in their eyes. And they found that they completely understood one another, even without words. Tears welled in Serenity's eyes, but she looked away in time.

"All right," Bakura said softly, pretending that he could not see her tears. "I'll tell you about my yami. But we'd better get going if we want to make it home soon, love."

'Home…' Serenity thought, her tears spilling despite her attempts to quell them. 'I really would like to be home…' She looked up at Bakura and suddenly started to laugh uncontrollably.

He raised a silver eyebrow and cocked his head to one side. "What's so funny?"

The redhead slowly wiped her tears- tears of mirth- from her smiling eyes. She gestured at him and then back at herself widely with an infectious smile plastered upon her face. "What is Joey going to say about this?"

Bakura shook his head, chuckling. "He's not going to say anything."

Serenity looked at him, still giggling, but now somewhat confused.

"He'll merely knock the living daylights out of me…"

Elenion: Well, it was a bit mushy there toward the end...

Stay tuned for Joey's reaction that his dead sister is alive!