The Others: The First Year

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, and TV Tokyo. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

Chapter 13: Never Going Back

Friday, December 30th, 2016

Holy shit!

I dodged left, rolling on the ground to get out of the way of Rafael's murderous axe. It swung down, taking a chunk out of the floor before it was up and swinging again. I was convinced; this behemoth of a fifth year was really trying to kill me.

Rafael hadn't taken the 'coward' comments that I'd thrown at him in my first month too well and now I was paying for it. And Kaiba wasn't freaking helping!

"You'll never win anything by being on the constant defense, Bakura," go to hell Kaiba, I'm trying not to die over here!

I leapt to my feet and blocked the next strike with my knife. It didn't even crack; Atem's magic was so strong that it had lasted over a millennium after the original spell had been cast. I flipped over Rafael's head and slashed at his neck. Missed! Damn it!

Move! Left, right, duck down! Roll, stab, blocked!

Sweat dripped down my face and I cursed not doing much physical activity up until now. But then again, how was I to know half a year ago that I'd soon be fighting a giant with an axe?

Oh crap! The blade came down again, smashing into the spot I'd been in seconds before. I leapt upwards and clung to one of the hanging light fixtures on the ceiling.

"Come down here, Necromancer," Rafael said, toneless as usual.

"No way," I gasped for air, "Sparing is one thing; what you're doing is another. You're going to kill me if this keeps up."

He shrugged, smirking as he did so. It wasn't a nice smirk or even a joking one. It was cruel and resentful. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Rafael wasn't actually trying to kill me, right?

And then he threw the axe. Threw it. He fucking threw it at me - oh fucking shit!

The pole attached to the light snapped when the blade hit it. Rafael's weapon lodged itself in the ceiling as I fell down. I landed awkwardly, something important in my leg snapped.

Pain lanced up my leg, red hot fire that had nothing to do with the fact that Combat magic was running through my veins. I cried out and Kaiba moved to stop the fight.

Rafael lunged at me, "Die, Necromancer scum!"

I felt the tackle before I realized what had happened. Rafael pinned me beneath him, grabbed me by the hair and jaw and oh god, he was going to snap my neck! Help me, help me, somebody -

I guess that's my cue.

Without the landlord, I - we - didn't exist. Without him, I'd end up back in the Realm for another two hundred years. I'd been there once already. I didn't plan on going back.

The landlord didn't know how much we'd learned by just being in his mind. As the Princess taught him about Necromancy, we learned about it as well.

The landlord wasn't going to die, not if I had anything to say about it. I stepped out of my door and locked his. He didn't need to see this.

After all, outward spirits weren't the only things that could possess a Necromancer. Inward ones could as well.

- suddenly I was on the other side of the room.

"Huh? Bakura, how'd you get over here?" Marik asked. My answer was a pained whine. His eyes widened, "Kisara!"

The Medic ran over, "Sorry! Sorry! Aaron just doesn't know how to stay out of - Bakura? I thought that you were over there fighting Rafael..."

She leaned over me and placed a glowing hand over my leg. I could feel the bones in my leg moving and coming together once again. A few months ago, I would have freaked my out. Now I was used to it.

Kisara stood up when she finished and nearly backed into Seto Kaiba, who had the weirdest look on his face. It was a cross between seething anger and utter fear.

"How did you do it?" his blue eyes flashed.

"Do what?"

"Instant teleportation," Kaiba explained, "You used Instant Teleportation to get away from Rafael. I saw you."

Marik looked confused, "Instant Teleportation isn't possible, though. Teleportation always takes time when you travel."

But the teacher wasn't listening. Kaiba was looking at the blade in my hand, "That knife, where did you get it?"

I rose from my position on the ground, "It was on the table when you had us choose our weapons. Why?"

"Why did you choose it?" he was in my face now, shaking my shoulders. I knocked his hands off.

"Magic chose it for me, like it did for everyone else. Calm down."

He took a step back, muttering under his breath, "...god...white hair...red eyes...why didn't I notice..."

Kisara laid a hand on his arm and Kaiba relaxed immediately. She looked at him, "I think it would be best if Rafael didn't fight with Bakura again, Seto."

Kaiba nodded slowly. He turned to her, "Keep an eye on him."

I didn't know if he was talking about Rafael or me.

Teleportation is considered to be a Summoning Spell. When you Teleports, you actually take an impromptu trip through the outskirts of the Shadow Realm, the blackness I immerse myself in when I Summon Sangan or Dark Necrofear. If I were to go into the Shadow Realm entirely, I'd probably never come out. Well...that is without help from the outside...

However, Teleportation is an interesting bit of Summoning because of the time delay between when you leave this realm and when you re-enter at your destination. To travel from D.C. to Hawaii would probably take about ten or so minutes. I know, it's definitely an improvement from the nine to ten hour flight, but there is some hazards to staying too long in the Realm. In the best-case scenario, you might lose a few recent memories; worst case, you come out a vegetable.

Supposedly, there is a way to get around going into the Shadow Realm. It's called Instant Teleportation, and instead of using Summoning magic, you use Combat.

There are drawbacks, of course. Since Instant Teleportation is really just incredibly quick movement from place to place, you need to be looking at exactly where you're going. Travel has to take place in a straight line, as taking a left mid-flight can result in a severe case of whiplash that may even take your head off. However, it can be used over and over again without the fear of entering the Realm.

Only one person has ever been able to use Instant Teleportation; in fact, he was the very man who invented it. For some reason, no one ever dreams of him, so very little people even know the spell exists. It's like he's been written out of history, out of magic. The only reason that people even know about him is because his teacher and closest friend is still walking around, talking about him.

Atem still has the ring Akeifa gave her; its just not on the fourth finger of her left hand, as he wanted it to be, but in her little box of regrets.

Saturday, December 31st, 2016

There were just a few minutes left until midnight. A new year would be upon us soon. I'd say good-bye to the best year of my life and welcome one that promised to be just as awesome.

We congregated in the cafeteria, waiting for the fireworks to appear in the sky just outside the window. Marik was taping the whole thing on his phone, as were several other people. I wish I'd thought of that idea myself, but I couldn't seem to find the thing. Bah! I'll look for it tomorrow.

Atem managed to come down from her room. She still looked sick and was nursing a mug of steaming tea. Unlike the rest of the staff, who were gazing up at the computer screens watching the New Years Countdown, her nose was in a small paperback book. My book, I realized. She was actually going to read it after all!

Mana grabbed me and pulled me into a hug when the clock struck twelve. I practically lifted her off the ground returning it. People were cheering and embracing each other, happy that they were together with people who cared; that they were no longer alone.

However, I had to turn away at the sight of Ishizu and Mahad kissing. Watching your teachers do that was just...weird as hell...ew, much.

Food and drinks were passed around and we watched as the sky flashed with brilliant reds, greens, yellows, and blues. Marik had passed me a pair of sunglasses so that I could see the whole show of bright lights without wincing. It was amazing, I'd never done anything like this before.

I smiled, happy and content. This was where I belonged.

Sunday, January 1st, 2017

Where the hell was it?

I'd torn apart the room I shared with Marik looking for my phone. He was helping, but there was still nothing. I really didn't need this now. There was only a few minutes left before they started calling out names to PORT out of here. I knew I shouldn't have left this to the last minute!

"When was the last time you saw it?" Marik asked, "Were you in one of the classrooms?"

I shook my head, "Nah, I keep it in my backpack during class. The last time I saw it was…"

I blinked; it has been in my pocket when I went to see Atem to give her gift to her. I hadn't seen it afterwards…

Had it fallen out then?

I told Marik what I was thinking and rushed down the hallways towards the lift. There were a few business people in suits in there already that looked down their noses at me. I sneered back at them and pushed the button for the hundredth floor.

You think they'd be a bit subtler when whispering about someone who was standing feet away from them in an elevator. But no, I was treated to their gossip ("Who does this kid think he is, going up to the top floor so casually?") until they got off on the twenty-eighth.

It was quiet the rest of the way up.

The doors opened with a ping and I rushed to her room. I knocked on the door, trying not to think of the last time I was there. While Atem had been reading my book late last night (this morning?), I didn't know whether she was still whatever she was when I said "Healer."

No one answered, but her door was unlocked. I crept into the room, eyes sweeping over the surface of her desk and bedside table for my phone. There it was, sitting on her bed, with a little note beside it. It was written in the strangest hieroglyphics I'd ever seen in my life; I guessed that they were Mayan.

I stuffed the phone in my pocket as a sound came from a door I'd never noticed before. It looked like it led to a connecting room, like the kind you see in hotels. It was slightly ajar and light peeked through from the other side.

I crept closer and the sound became a voice. More specifically, it became Kaiba's voice.

"You knew, damn it, you knew," his words came out as a harsh whisper, "You knew the moment you saw him. Why didn't you tell me?"

"What makes you think that I realized it myself?" it was Atem this time.

"Don't play games with me. He's got white hair and red eyes. The boy even carries your knife around."

It took me a moment to realize that Kaiba was talking about me. I swallowed, suddenly filled with the knowledge that I shouldn't be listening to this conversation. I pressed myself closer to the door.

Atem didn't answer straight away, "I didn't think I'd see him again. There had been six before him, one for each branch of magic. And they'd appeared about two hundred years apart from each other. He should have appeared in the 20th century, not the 21st."

"It doesn't matter when they appear, mother," my jaw dropped, realizing that Kaiba had called Atem his mom, "It's when they're born. Ryou Bakura was born on September 2nd, 1999; that's enough to put him in the two hundred year range, isn't it?"

He continued, "You used to tell Mokuba and I stories about him – what he'd become each time you met him. Why didn't you tell me that we have a soon-to-be murder walking the halls of this school?"

"If this battle turns into a war, like we think it will, then all the students in this school are soon-to-be murders, Seto. Just because the Bakuras I met in the past killed people, doesn't make this one a bad person."

My knees gave out and I slumped against the wall. Oh god…what were they talking about? Me, a murderer? No, no, this couldn't be true. I couldn't kill someone. Why did they think I would?

I nearly had a heart attack at Kaiba's next words, "You told me that Akeifa staged the coup against Robespierre's government in France during the Revolution, that he killed several other people – innocent people - to get to that point. He slaughtered them in a blink of an eye."

"The time Robespierre was in power was called the Reign of Terror of a reason, Seto," Atem countered, "You weren't there. Akeifa saved people by –"

"And what about Dark God?" Kaiba started again, "You were blamed for sinking those ships, but those were his Summons."

"Dark God was wasn't well. He needed help. I tried –"

"And that sultan's brother wasn't poisoned, it only looked like he was. Soul Stealer robbed him of his mind and caused him to have a seizure."

"Seto, stop it, please," Atem sounded like she was going to cry, "You didn't know them –"

"Why are you defending them? They tried to kill you!"

There was silence. I couldn't hear myself breathing.

Kill? Kill Atem?

"Thief King," Kaiba started naming them, the voices in my head, "Touzoku, Game Master, Soul Stealer, Dark God, and Akeifa. They were all reincarnations of each other. They all went insane from the punishment of killing. They all tried to kill you and yet you defend them. Why, mother? Why?"

Her voice was barely there, "Why does this matter anyways? If Bakura turns out to be one of them, then he does. But he deserves a chance not to, to choose another path. Seto, my son, I'm begging you to let him stay."

"It matters because Bakura used Instant Teleportation the other day," Kaiba explained, "You said that spell died with Akeifa. But he used it."

"That's impossible."

"It's what I saw, mother," he growled, "What if Pegasus is correct, and there are things in his head that shouldn't be there? He's a Necromancer who's entered and re-entered the Shadow Realm more times than anyone in history before him. Who's to say that he doesn't remember being the murders that you're defending? Who's to say that he won't start killing again?"

I couldn't listen anymore. I ran from the room, ignoring the lift and ran down the stairs. I ran until my legs felt like they were going to fall off.

I had my backpack with me already, so I didn't need to go back to my room. I felt like I was going to throw up. Murderer. I was going to become a murder.

I wanted to claw at my mind and dig the others – the other Bakuras – out of there. That moment during Combat where I'd lot consciousness and ended up on the other side of the room, had I been remembering my past life as Akeifa? How much longer did I have before I started killing people like he did? Like they all did?

I was going to end up like them. I was going to be a murder. I was going to try and kill Atem one day.

But, the thought came to me suddenly: if I didn't learn enough magic to become powerful, then I might not be able to cause that much damage. If I stopped learning magic, then I'd be okay.

It was safer for everyone that way. I didn't want to stay away, but I had no other choice: I was never going back to Atlantis again.

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2017

Amane had a boyfriend.

I didn't realize it until yesterday, but apparently they'd been dating since the day after I'd picked her up from that party. It was that big, naked guy who was passed out on the couch. Keith Howard was his name, but Amane mentioned that everyone called him Bandit Keith.

He looked like the stereotypical macho-man and talked like he'd been hit in the head one to many times. Each word that came out of his mouth was slow and simple, like he had to think them through before saying them allowed. I bet he was in his mid-twenties, but he said he was nineteen.

And the worst thing was my parents loved him.

Mom was always talking about how cute they looked together, Amane clinging to Keith's arm and looking at him with sickening affection. It was almost comical. Keith was both taller and wider than my sister. She looked so tiny sitting next to him, it was ridiculous.

But I had eyes, and I could see the way that bastard looked at my sister. There was only lust in his gaze; he wanted her body, nothing more. He was playing her for a fool. I wanted to kill –

I nearly stabbed myself with my fork to keep me from completing that thought. I felt the blood drain from my face. Kill? I wanted to kill Keith "Bandit" Howard?

Memories of Sunday came back and all I could think about was Kaiba talking to Atem, telling her that I was going to start killing people. Was this it? Was this the start of my future as a murderer?

My parents were sitting in the front room with Amane and her boy-toy, talking away about stupid things like what Keith was studying in college and where the two of them met. Their high-pitched laughter came through the walls and into the kitchen where I was eating. It made me grind my teeth together.

Finally, just as I was putting my plate in the dishwasher, I heard the conversation switch to me.

"So who's the guy in the other room?" Keith asked. I could just picture him pulling Amane close and looking at her with false-affection.

"Oh him," my father said, "Don't mind him. He isn't around much."

"Ryou's my…" I heard my sister pause and the next word came out rather forced, "brother."

"Like I said, the boy's not around much," dad explained.

"He's dangerous," my mother tried to whisper, but it came out louder than the rest of them, "Don't talk to him, Keith. He'll drag you down to his level."

My fists clenched. I wanted nothing more than to go into that room and –

Yes, a voice hissed in the back of my mind. I recognized it as Game Master, sadistic and evil. You want to do what?

"Shut up," I growled, "I'm not like you."

I never said you were, Game Master said again, You will never be like us because you have to potential to be greater than any other us. So, what do you want to do to them?

"Shut up!" I yelled again. I grabbed on of the glasses and hurled it at the wall. It smashed and the shards clattered to the floor.

"I'm not like you! I'll never be like you!"

"You know, talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity."

"Fuck off, Amane."

I didn't want to deal with her now, her or her stupid boyfriend. I stomped over to the wall and bent down, picking up the larger shards of glass. I swore loudly as a sharp edge cut into my finger.

"Here," she said, wetting a paper towel and kneeling beside me, "You'll take a finger off next time if you keep at it that way."

Amane swept the towel across the floor, collecting the smaller pieces that I'd missed.

"Go away, Amane," I muttered, "Go back to your boyfriend. He's probably missing having his hand on your ass by now."

"Hey!" she snapped, "Don't talk about Keith like that! He's not a perv, he's different from the others."

"You say that about every boy you bring home," it was true. Every time Amane introduced her family (that is, mom and dad and sure as hell not me) to her most recent boyfriend, I heard those same words, "Face it Amane, the only reason he's interested in you is because of what you look like beneath your clothes."

I heard the sound of her palm meeting my face before I realized that she'd slapped me. The sting didn't even register as pain in comparison to the hurt I saw on her face.

"How dare you!" she looked like she wanted to strangle me right then and there.

"It's the truth and you know it," maybe if she realized this now, Amane would break off their relationship. Though I had a feeling that Bandit Keith wasn't used to being bumped.

Tears welled in her eyes, "Well, at least I have someone. Who'd…" she paused, much like she had before when she's told Keith I was her brother, "Who'd want to be with you? You're such a jerk."

Then she ran out of the room, back to her boyfriend. I could hear them saying their good-byes in the front hall as I shoved the wet ball of towel and glass into the rubbish bin.

Amane was right. Who'd ever want to be with me anyways? I was sarcastic and harsh, and I wasn't exactly A-class boyfriend material. The only girls I really cared about were Mai and Mana and they weren't exactly going to happen anyways. Mai was so totally out of my league and I'd caught Mana staring at Marik a lot as of late.

I was being stupid. I wasn't going back to Atlantis anyways, so what was I doing worrying about if Mai or Mana would want to go out with me. I was going to stay here and live out my life in Domino, just like I had been before I'd ever heard of Atlantis. I was going to go back to my life before Solomon Moto walked through my door, before I met Marik, before Atem showed me how not be afraid of my gift.

But now I was afraid again. I was scared of magic, of the things that had been done before my birth that I had no control over. I hated that feeling and I hated the thought of not going back to Atlantis.

I just hated the thought of killing people more.

"You don't need to worry about her. The princess will recover soon."

I scoffed at the Healer's assistant, a pretty slave girl who I had just met, "I'm not worried about her."

She smiled, "Of course not. And that's why you haven't left her side since she got here."

Damn that woman for being so perceptive. Not that I was worried or anything, I just wanted to know why Atem lied to me. And she was going to tell me the moment she woke up.

The slave girl hummed away as she replaced the damp cloth on the princess's forehead, "She's recover, but she's never be healthy again."

This got my attention, "What do you mean?"

"She came to my master too late," she explained, "While the princess is formidable in Warrior magic, she is no Healer. Without being treated regularly, she won't live a long life."

The girl sighed, "But still, a Death Touch attacking her. How did you know that's what happened?"

"I was there," I said, "I saw her get touched. But she said she was fine…"

"You were…there," she sounded astounded, "How did you survive?"

"Dumb luck, I suppose," along with a bunch of magic that I wasn't supposed to possess and back up from Atem. I changed the subject, "Why is the King scared of Shamans with extra powers?"

The girl looked away from the herbs she was grinding, "You don't look old enough to know of the Purge. It started the day the current King took the throne. His father, may he find rest, was assassinated by a Shape Changer.

"The Shape Changer took the form of the former King's late wife. The man actually believed that she'd come back from the dead, right up until the moment when she killed him.

"King Acalan declared war against the Children of Toltex, an underground brotherhood of Shamans that took credit for the former King's assassination. Mostly comprised of those who had extra powers, there was no question in the King's mind that this was the group who killed with father."

"So what happened afterwards?" I asked.

"What do you think?" she asked, "King Acalan has his soldiers sweep through the country and kill anyone who possessed those powers. He also banded the use of magic amongst slaves. It is called a Purge for a reason."

"And he killed them? All of them?" But then how was it possible that the old man, the Death Touch who attacked Atem and I, was still alive?

The girl rolled her eyes, "He said he did. But then again, the King was the one who was ordering the killing, so he wasn't about to say that he missed a few. I think a couple managed to escape, hid themselves away, and are waiting for their change to strike again. Or rather…they were waiting for their chance, because they've definitely made a first strike."

A noise came from the bed beside me. I looked down and saw eyes like dried blood.

"You're awake," I commented on the obvious, as Atem lifted the damp cloth from her head. She made a sound, but no real words came out. I understood what she wanted. There was a water skin on the Healer's desk. I grabbed it and gave it to her.

When she coughed up the first swallow, I took it from her and helped her drink.

"Thanks," Atem whispered. I nodded and put the skin down beside them. The slave girl left to go alert the head Healer.

I took my chance, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Hmm?"

"Why didn't you tell me you were still sick?"

She looked off to the side, embarrassed, "You…wouldn't have cared."

"I –" I sputtered, trying to think of something to say to that. I shouldn't have cared, but I did. Maybe it was because she knew that I was a Shaman. Maybe it was because we could both see spirits, because we were both going to be killed by her father if we were ever found out.

Maybe it was because she was the first person to hold me since my mother when I was five.

"…I don't like it when people lie to me…" I was a pathetic answer, but it was all I had. When she said nothing, I continued, "I knew something was wrong. If you'd told me, we could have gotten you help."

"It's not that bad, Bakura."

"Damn it, Atem," I grabbed her shoulder and whipped her around, "The Healer says you're going to have to be medicated for the rest of your natural life because you didn't get treated properly. So why didn't you tell anyone? Do you want to die so badly?"

She looked at me, just then, and I could see it in her eyes. She did want to die, for what reason was beyond me. It was frightening; I'd never seen anyone who wanted to die so badly.

"If I died on the trip, I wouldn't have had to tell my father about my failure," Atem whispered, "I wouldn't have had to face him."

"You stupid idiot," I growled, "You stupid, stupid girl. Don't say things like that."

Atem smiled sadly, and something in my chest hurt, "All right."

The Healer came in, followed by the slave girl from before. He barked an order that I didn't catch at her and then waved a glowing yellow hand over the princess. I backed up and watched from a far.

The Healer relied most of the information I'd already told her, so I bit my tongue to keep myself from making a comment that'll get the choke collar activated. I nearly jumped when the King came in, followed closely by the girl.

"I will to talk to my daughter alone," King Acalan snapped, "Get out."

As I stepped out of the room, I reached out and touched the girl's wrist. She turned.

"I'm Bakura," I introduced myself, "What's your name?"

She blinked, "You don't know?"

"Should I?"

"Slaves who are born into captivity have no names," she said.

I didn't know how to take that. How could someone not have a name? And yet, now that I thought about it, I didn't really know the names for most of the other slaves I worked with. Maybe they didn't have them either.

As she was walking away back to her business, I called after her once more, "Ix Chel."

"Excuse me?" she asked, confused.

"That what I'll call you from now on. Ix Chel," I grinned.

She – Ix Chel – smiled back warmly, "I'd like that."

She turned away again and this time I let her go. Having a friend in the palace might not be so bad.

It's not like I was in a hurry to leave this place anymore.

I really, really, hope you guys aren't going to kill me for leaving you on a cliff hanger like this...

In other news, I'd like to thank my reviewers: Yaminisu, Malik'sStalker, Akikee, Yuui, and Coolaloo. I thank you all for sticking with me so far.

A special shout out goes to SRRH who commented on my forum and almost guessed at the real relationship between Atem and the Bakuras. SRRH, if you are reading this: I am still grinning.

So some of the mystery behind the voices in Bakura's head has been revealed. They were real people once and very powerful magic users. Once every 200 years, they show up and create chaos. But wait...I thought Atem was the one that did that? Isn't that what Mai was telling us about what she saw in her dreams? Hmm...

Oh, and for those of you who are wondering, Ix Chel is not an original character; she's from canon. However, Bakura doesn't know her actual name, so he's taken to calling her Ix Chel after the Mayan jaguar goddess of medicine and midwifery. Who she really is will be revealed eventually.

If you have a comment, question, or concern, you can reach me by leaving a review, commenting on my forum, or sending me a PM. Either way, I love to hear from you guys.

Until next time,

AlcatrazOutpatient