-sighs dramatically- Ah, tis been so long. My apologies, sweeties. College is hell. Need I say more?
Darkness.Angel.LSM: -le gasp- New reviewer! -tackleglomps- There. You're offical now. (darkness: O.o...) Yes yes I tried to suffocate Kura. Don't worry. He can't be killed off that easily! (Kura: Are you gonna kill me?) -smirks secretly- No can tell. Too much angst to be had! (Kura: -sigh-) Glad you like the poems. Most of the ones in this half of the story are songs though. -shrugs- I can't keep up with all the chapters. "are they going back to kuru eruna? make them go back!make them go back!" -laughs- Well they're not planning on going back...(Bakura: In other words: we must be going back. -.-;) Hehe. Yes yes they're asking Kaiba for a jet. He's gonna be in this half of the story. (darkness: FWEEEEE!) O.O whoa
Tabby: Yes our fuzzy wuzzy Kura. (Kura: Feh!) "You did a good job of Ryou's turning point, because under pressure people can be forced to face some things" Exactly. (Kura: So predictable, light) (Ryou: -glare-) " I definitely like the lines putting the space between the different scenes rather than what you had in the other chapter." So do I. -breathes sigh of relief- Thank goodness they're working again! "Otogi shines through as a great 'main' character instead of some side character that only gets a few lines and barely a personality in the anime...I still don't want anyone to die!" -sobs- Neither do I! (Kura: Then don't make us, idiot!)
Survivor Chick (aka Rotem): All you people pick so many names. Feh! Confuzzlement on Ferris' part! Updating! Updating!
Akane-HiMe: New reviewer! -tackles- Hi honey! "just awesome. loved the way you used your expressions and such." Whoot! Glad you're enjoying it! Please reviewsies again! -huggles-
Yami Val: Yes we all feel bad for Yami and Kura...wait...some of you aren't feeling too sympathetic to Yami...(Yami: WTF!) But yes, Egypt shall be interesting...and dark. Very dark. (Kura: OoO)
Spryte: -sighs- Sadly Ryou/Kura moments can't last forever. (readers: -le gasp) Sprtye: Dammit, Ferris, what'd you do NOW?
IM NOT GOTH: Can't see a psychiatrist? Sad! They're not so bad...if you get a good one. Confuzzlement in the story? Hopefully it's confuzzlement I've placed there and not lack of explanations on my part.
DayDreamer23182: "So they want to recreate the items? Thats definatly not good..." Understatement. Of course, Kura being Kura, he's not going to explain anything to them. (Kura: Damn straight, I'm not!) "I really wonder how they will react when they find out the truth. I mean, they all know he was abused in the past but now they will feel REALLY bad." Indeed. Granted, they have to find out the past before any of this guilt can surface.
Soki-Chan the Great: Go marching bands! Congrats (sorrry it's been so long since that happened!) "Liked the little turn-around Ryou-chan had there! And Baku is just great! Love his one-liners!!" Ah yes. Can't forget Kura's one-liners. He's so much fun to write in that sense especially. "Ever heard of Dir En Gray? They're an awsome J-Rock band!!" -blink- Nope. Never heard of 'em. Are they American? Cause that would explain why I haven't heard of them. I basically shun american song artists now. -smirk-
Silver Mirror: "hides knife behind back Minus that annoying doctor, he's a pain!! But I hate doctors as a general rule." Oh I know! I hates them as well! They're one of my main phobias. Funny that I should write one that I like as a character, no? Loved your latest update (once again!) Lovely!
Sirithiliel: Yes Ryou's not usually a complete ass in stories. He's not in this one, thank goodness. Besides, if he were a complete ass I'd make sure there was a reason behind it that would make the readers' dislike for him less. People always have reasons for being horrible. "bakura's useful to the enemy, that's always an interesting problem." (Baku: Aren't I the lucky one? -.-)
koinu27: The jet? No tis not Otogi. He isn't as rich and all in this story as I made him in SOA. So that leaves Kaiba, doesn't it? (Kaiba: Joy) heh
TaintedWolf: "Oh. OH! OHH! YOU CAN'T JUST STOP THERE! THERE MUST BE A MISPRINT! A TYPO! A CUT-OFF! SOMETHING!!"H287bN£!!" -keyboard smash" O.O Ummm...wow. Er...yeah, wow. -tackleglomps- You poor thing! How could I be so cruel to you? -insert evil laughter- "I loved Hero!Bakura in the last fic, cornering the pickpocket and saving Joey's wallet. Can we make him do something else heroic like that?" -laughs- Oh sweetie, there are sooo many things that have to happen in this story. There will be more of those cute moments. Just not quite yet, k? -pats head- "He could so easily turn their trust against them...but he wouldn't do that now...or would he?" Wellll...he wouldn't turn against them, true. But he's not going to tell them everything. (Hence you readers won't know everything either. You'll just think you do. -smirk-) "If Bakura becomes ruler of the world, I'd totally be his slave. :D
Sponge bath, oh masterful one:D)" -drools- Uhh...yeah. Ditto on that one, honey. (Baku: you're all perverts)
DOCTORUnder FingerandThumb: -laughs- That is AWESOME! I'm infected with SPIFFTACULAROSIS! Whoot whoot! (Baku: Damn spiffa-what-cular-sisisisis...) Holy shit! Every single one of those symptoms is part of me! -hugs self- (Kura: -sarcastically- Yeah. Wow. It's like this was made up just for you!) But why should I fight it? Ubercoolness! Whoot whoot! (Kura: -sigh-)
HieiWannabe: "Are we ever going to learn his name, or do I just have to keep saying, 'Go, doc, go!'" -smirk- Actually, they've yet to call him by his name...-shrugs- I dunno what his name is either. (Kura: What?!) Heh. "So, the Master suspected for some time that the items were gone, eh? Good, that means he's not a fool, so they'll have to be smart to beat him. It was great that he's nearly killed the only person who could tell him what he wants to know twice now." True ture. Irony makes the world go round! (Kura: And kills me!) Nuh uh! you're still alive and kicking! (Kura: true. -kicks ferris-) Hey! "I'm a little surprised by Ryou's turn around, but not much. I've been secretly hoping that it wasn't Bakura who did the most damage to Ryou" -nods- Understandable. Like someone else said, sometimes it takes extreme events for one to realize just how they feel about someone. Ryou realized with Kura's impending 'death' that he still cares 'bout our kura. -squee!- Now about Baku being the reason for Ryou's pent-up anger: we'll be getting into that more next chapter, k? Thanks about the psychiatrist info and all. Ah Freud...-rolls eyes- Yes I've studied about all those freaks. -snicker- We're all sex crazed! (Kura: Actually, yes you all are.)
Kanashimi no Tenshi: Glad you liked the chapter. -glances at limp Kura plushie- Hmm...might need to recessitate him, hmm?
Red Phoniex: " Why do i have a strange feeling that this story is going to take ages to finish. I'll properly still be waiting for a chapter in 10 years time." -fidgets- Well, not that long. but it's gonna take a while, yes. -sweatdrop-
dragonlady222: "I wonder how Yami will feel when Bakura tells him how the items were made." That's assuming Kura tells him. (Yami: WTF!) "Will Seto be entering soon?" Ah Seto. Yes he indeed shall be! Squee! (Kaiba: Here we go again.)
AnimeLoverAngel: "Oh! Egypt! Hehe... Oh, when they find out HOW Bakura knows all this... The horror..." -eyes glaze over- Aiiiie! (animelover: "?") Oh. Sorry. Got a flashback of "Heart of Darkness" -shudders- I hated that book. "The Horror! The horror!"
Roguex1979: "Brilliant! I was going 'oh!' although I did for a second think it was Yami Marik." Ah yes. Our insane psycholunatic. I've come to a decision about him for this story. -shivers in delight- I swear, this is going to be my best plot yet! "Is Kaiba going to supply the jet? Is he going to insist he come alone to make sure they don't break it?" -laughs- Well, something like that...
kara mcpherson: Ah! It's the girl with my name! (well, my first name anyhoo!) -tackleglomps- Whoot whoot! The longer chappies? Yes they're much better this way, aren't they? "Per se?" -makes mental note- Got it. Thanks sweetie! -huggles-
NOTES: The information of the ka, ba, and ankh later in the chapter is not made up. I nearly all of it from a book I've got on Ancient Egypt. Whoot! This chapter will be dedicated to kara mcpherson, TaintedWolf, Akane-HiMe, and Darkness.Angel.LSM! Onward my pretties!
Inside of You, In Spite of You (ThouShaltNot)
I am in the air now I am inside of you in spite of you I am in your future I am the dawn of ages
I am in your lungs
I am written
I am spoken by a million flaming tongues
I'm the lens through which you see
I'm the process
I am the key
I am synapses firing bullets from a gun
I'm the world's mystique
I am the words you speak
I am language
I am hidden memories that you seek
I am the sun before you see me rise
I burn still when you close your eyes
I am the soul that never dies when flesh is weak
With strength and sacred grace
But for all you do
I'll carry you now
From this bitter place
I am in your past
I'm the echo of your footsteps
I'm your shadow cast
I'm the heat you radiate
I am the fury and the fate
I am each beat within your heart from first to last
I'm your action without thought
I am the instinct born inside you
I'm the bones from which you drape
I am protective skin to hide you
I'm the pull that the earth exerts
I am the rain that stings and the snow that blinds
I'm the architecture of your world and mind
I am the days seen through
I'm final entropy
I am inside of you
I am the clouds that cover
Your way into the blue
I kiss with life to give
All this in spite of you
Chapter 14: Ka
"I still don't understand why we need to go to Egypt of all places," Jou stated as he and Yami sat in the front seat as the doctor drove them in his own car through the rain behind Otogi's pickup truck where Honda and Yugi also resided. Bakura sat between Marik and Ryou in the backseat of the doctor's car; the two of them cuddling against the thief.
"I must agree, Bakura," Yami sighed heavily. "What good will it do? Most likely all the magical objects I'm aware of from our time had been taken and used as a substitute power after the items were lost. They could be anywhere!"
"Then it's a good thing we aren't going to romp all over Egypt looking for them," the thief snorted, eyes staring out the window into the rain.
"Then just what are we going there for?" Jou put in impatiently.
"I concur," Otogi's voice crackled over the cell phone Yami was holding. "If you ask me..."
"Which nobody did," Marik cut in irately.
"Enough all of you," Yami stated firmly before shifting so he could look back at the former tomb robber. "Continue Bakura. What's all this about?"
The thief turned his head so he was staring into the other's eyes. "It's a gamble, but it's our best option. Back in ancient times I stole a number of paranormal devices from the temples that aided me so I could fight you and your priests."
"Wait! What good does this do us? Unless you had them in your pockets when you sealed yourself inside the ring I don't see how this helps," Honda interjected bluntly.
"Will you let the guy speak?" Marik shouted at the phone.
"Will you take down the volume of your voice?" Bakura muttered.
"Anyway," Yugi coughed in the pickup, quite tired of the petty arguments.
The thief nodded. "Anyway, among such objects I ended up with a few amulets that anyone would want to get their hands on. They provided the ability to separate oneself from one's ka."
Yami's eyes widened in shock. "So that's how you did it."
Marik gawked at his friend in an unimaginably surprised state. The rest of them glanced at one another, confused.
"Uh...and that means...?" Jou mumbled unsurely.
"In the ancient Egyptian religion there are three important words that each meant 'spirit' or 'soul'," Marik explained, still eyeing his friend in amazement. "The first is ka. Often in scenes on the walls of temples a person's—usually a deity's—ka is a slightly smaller double. The ka is not necessarily with you...it's sort of...how would you describe it, Yami?" the young Egyptian asked turning to the former pharaoh.
The other frowned. "Basically the ka is intimately linked with our physical bodies which are a sort of holder for it. This is why bodies were sought to be preserved even after death. My lesser priests were equipped with these amulets which were in the likeness as a pair of arms—the symbol of the ka." He glanced back at Bakura. "That's how you battled me in the past. You fought me with your ka." The thief nodded. "You could have died doing that! It's incredibly rash, Bakura!"
"It was worth it. I was willing to risk it. There was absolutely nothing to lose," the other yami murmured softly in ancient Egyptian, eyes leaving violet orbs and staring out distantly at the rain again.
"But there is now. We can't fight with our ka! If the ka is destroyed..."
"Then the spirit remaining is devastated," Marik finished quietly. "And it is impossible to move on to the Afterlife."
"Wait, I thought you said ka was the spirit," Jou said in confusion.
"I said it was part of the spirit. It's not the entire spirit. As I said: there are three parts," Marik explained somberly. "The second part is ba. It's a similar concept to what we might today call 'personality'. Ba is easily transferable, allowing a dead person to move about in the Afterlife."
"So then what is the ka for?" Yugi's voice questioned.
"At the moment of death ka and ba are to reunite forming the new result of the complete spirit: akh. One might call akh the transfigured spirit. Without this transfiguration taking place one will be condemned to eternal death, never to enter the Afterlife."
"Whoa," Jou whispered under his breath.
"And you want us to go around using our ka to fight these nutcases?" Honda exclaimed in horror.
"Do we even have ka?" Otogi's voice muttered doubtfully.
"Yes," Yami answered almost inaudibly. His mind was buzzing. They couldn't risk it. There was no way he was willing to.
"That reminds me: why can't we just recreate the Millennium Items? You know a lot about that, don't you, Bakura?" Otogi pressed as he drove the truck through the deep puddles of water.
The thief's expression darkened. "It is not an option."
"That's not necessarily your choice," Honda retorted angrily. "So let me see if I'm understanding this: You want us to use a part of our spirits to fight these guys, in which—if these ka things are destroyed—we're set up for eternal damnation? And you're not even willing to consider recreating the Millennium Items?"
"You got it."
"Bakura!" Marik cried out pulling away from his friend. "Why not recreate the items? Are you saying you know how to do it?"
The thief didn't reply, jaw clenched. This was all the answer they needed. No one was sure what to do now though. If he didn't talk they simply would have to find another method of defeating this Master and his followers. But was that even possible without the Millennium Items?
"Hey Doc, you seem fairly calm about all of this," Jou observed suddenly, breaking the silence.
The man 'harrumphed.' "Yes well, being held frozen in place by someone who's possessed tends to convert one's ideas a bit. Besides, I'm coming along to make sure that one," he cast a disapproving eye at the former tomb robber who glowered in response. "—doesn't get himself beaten up any more than he currently has been."
"So you're a control freak and nosy," the thief muttered earning a snicker from Marik.
"Bakura," Yami sighed heavily pinching the bridge of his nose. "Why can't you just cooperate here? It'd make things a hell of a lot easier."
"Who told you life was easy?" the black-haired yami retorted pulling out a cigarette and lighting it up.
"BAKURA!"
"The answer is no," Kaiba snorted at Yami and Yugi who were standing before him at his home.
He sat back in the big leather armchair behind his mahogany desk, studying the duo before him. He hadn't seen them in over a year, neither of them having participated in tournaments of any kind. This angered him more than anything else because he'd been unable to reclaim the title King of Games for himself.
"Kaiba, we need this," Yugi pleaded beseechingly. "We're going to Egypt..."
"Don't start with that ancient Egyptian mumbo jumbo," the CEO snarled, blue eyes intense behind brown bangs. "I'm sick of tired of it."
"Surely you're joking," Yami scowled crossing his arms over his chest. "How do you explain my being here all of a sudden if it's not true?"
"Nothing is unexplainable. I just haven't looked into the situation and frankly, I don't want to. It's meaningless to me whether you're a long-lost relative or a clone," the taller teen replied coolly striding around his desk and staring down coldly at them. "Now do I have to call my bodyguards in here to drag you out or...?"
"Kaiba please!" Yugi implored falling to his knees, hands clasped together in front of him. "We can't do this without a jet! Please!"
The CEO stared down at the boy for a long moment, face emotionless. Yami waited, praying to all the gods the bitter teen would listen to his hikari. He blinked when blue eyes were suddenly boring into his.
"And what about you?"
Yami quirked an eyebrow. "What about me?"
Kaiba smirked. "Are you as desperate as Yugi here? Does this matter so much to you that you'd readily bow down before a rival in order to get what you necessitate?"
A growl emitted from the former pharaoh's throat, his fists clenched at his side. This was met by nothing but a gleam of wicked delight in the intense indigo orbs. Yugi's brow furrowed, his head turning to his darker half who was standing tall above him.
((Yami, please, just do it! If it gets us the jet it's worth it!))
The former pharaoh didn't move—couldn't move. It should be easy enough. All he had to do was kneel down and they could go. It didn't mean anything.
'Just kneel...'
"My Pharaoh," Mahaado stated falling to his knees. "A peasant has broken into the palace and is demanding an audience with you."
"Impossible!" Priest Akunadin snorted with contempt, Millennium eye gleaming in the light of the torches lining the walls. "Such has never occurred! Only someone possessing incredible magical abilities would even have the smallest likelihood of doing so."
"Or with incredible thievery skills," Isis stated softly, eyes lingering at the large golden doors that were the entrance to the throne room.
Atemu stat above them, staring straight at the doors with narrowed eyes as if his vision could pierce their solid forms. His fingers clenched the arms of the throne, nails digging uselessly into the stone. Whoever this peasant was—they'd have to be extremely desperate to speak with him. He turned to Mahaado, his dear friend and priest.
"Show him in."
The young priest nodded, turning and striding from the room through the golden doors. Shaadi frowned, turning to Atemu.
"Your highness, do you think this wise? He could...!"
"You are all here with me, therefore, I fear not," Atemu stated with a smile.
The priest's face was still laced with uncertainty but he said no more, turning instead to the doors which were opening again. A man wearing a tattered beige garment was let in. His eyes were a deep grey, hair so white it seemed illusory. It was impossible to tell how old he was; face worn no doubt from the harsh conditions of peasant life. He stood tall, his head up, shoulders straight, knife-like eyes locked on the Pharaoh sitting aloft. Two guards walked stiffly on either side of him, Mahaado leading this silent procession to Atemu.
"On your knees!" one of the guards barked harshly; he and his companion shoving the stranger down onto the floor.
Atemu held up his hand, casting a warning look at the sentinels who backed away in submission. The young monarch turned back to the white-haired peasant who now knelt with his hands fisted in front of him on the ground, head bowed so his face was not visible.
"How did you get in here?" Priest Akunadin snapped to the figure. "Do you not know the punishment for breaking into the palace? Speak!"
"When last I was aware," the peasant replied quietly, "no one had ever managed to do so."
"He's got you there," a young brown-haired girl snickered stepping around a corner.
"Mana!" Mahaado barked sharply. "What do you think you are doing here?"
His pupil shrugged, eyes locked on the stranger amidst the solemn-faced group. "I was bored. Besides, I heard the rumor. Is it true he got in here without detection?" she pressed excitedly.
"Once again you prove yourself inadequate," Seth hissed turning on Mahaado, a mocking sneer curled on his lips. "This is no place for petty mages in training. Why don't you escort her from the premises? Don't bother coming back either."
"Enough," Atemu sighed, turning to his childhood playmate. "Mana, please. This is not the time or place."
A frown found its way onto her pretty features. "Aww. The big pharaoh doesn't want me around to protect him?"
"Mana!" Shimon, Atemu's elderly advisor, yelled angrily coming forward and grasping the girl firmly by the wrist. "That is enough!"
"Hey! Wait! How'd he get in? I'll be quiet!" she cried out piteously as Mahaado and Shimon dragged her un-cooperating figure from the throne room.
The priests all shared apathetic glances. Atemu had to force himself not to laugh, biting his bottom lip in an effort to contain his amusement. The white-haired stranger was glancing out of the corner of his eye after the three of them, face holding an expression of bewilderment.
"Such a sad display," Seth snorted contemptuously turning back once they'd gone. "If Priest Mahaado cannot keep his jesters out of..."
"Enough. Let's get back to the subject at hand," Karim, priest of the Millennium Scales, put in tiredly.
Atemu nodded his assent, glancing down once more at the intruder before them. "You: What is your name?"
The other did not look up. "Bakura."
"Address the Pharaoh properly, you scum!" the elderly priest shouted tersely.
"Akunadin." Atemu stated grimly before turning back to the trespasser. "Bakura, is it? And what brings you to my palace, Bakura? It seems quite a trial to go through all the trouble of breaking in, don't you think? Would not it have been easier to just speak with my guards about the matter?"
"Your guards cannot give me an answer, as they know not of the affair I wish to speak of; nor do they possess any authority to do anything about it," the other replied, head still bowed in acquiescence.
"For a commoner you hold your 'knowledge' surprisingly high," Seth scoffed with a roll of his cynical blue eyes. "Come though: what is this affair that none save our Pharaoh would be able to answer?"
"Are you suggesting the Pharaoh knows no more than anyone else, Seth?" Shadi put in, a hint of resentment in his tone for his fellow priest.
"All of you: Enough!" Atemu shouted angrily.
The priests and guards flinched, eyes all downcast. The young monarch became intrigued when Bakura didn't react, merely staying as he was. Atemu stood slowly, coming down the steps to the floor where they all were gathered.
"My Pharaoh...?" Isis asked nervously, reaching up and touching her Millennium necklace.
"Such a lack of fear," Atemu murmured more to himself than anyone else. "Bakura," he said louder. "Do you fear me?"
"I have my fears, your highness," the other replied calmly. "You are not among them."
"Why you disrespectful...!" Seth began but froze when the Pharaoh held a hand up for silence.
To his priests' surprise there was curiosity—not malice—in their youthful leader's deep violet eyes. A smile threatened to play at the corners of his mouth but he kept a solemn face.
"If you do not fear me then why don't you look at me?"
"I broke into your palace to speak with you of a matter of great magnitude. I've no further intention of impertinence."
"Well said. But if we're to talk of a critical matter I'd prefer you speak to me not the floor," Atemu countered crossing his arms; the Millennium puzzled brushing against his hand.
The white-haired peasant's head slowly came up, a face with sharp features now visible. Grey impenetrable eyes sliced into the Pharaoh making him feel as if he were being dissected pieced by piece. The priests stood around the duo, shifting uncomfortably. This was completely unethical, yet who were they to correct their leader if this be his will?
"That's better. Now then," Atemu continued, interested despite himself. "Tell me of which you came here to say."
Bakura's jaw clenched, a hidden emotion unidentifiable by the young leader burning behind stormy eyes. He inhaled silently before opening his mouth, limbs now quivering ever so slightly.
"I come with a request, your highness, on behalf of those in utter torment."
"Which is?" Atemu pressed ardently, leaning forward.
Deep gray met dark violet. "Destroy the Millennium Items."
"Please Kaiba," Yami spoke kneeling down before his enduring rival. "We cannot do this without your aid. I will be in your debt if you'll only help us."
The CEO stared down in shock at the former monarch, blue eyes wide in disbelief. Yugi internally smiled, embracing his darker half through their mind link.
((Thank you, Yami.))
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Kaiba growled angrily, eyes suddenly on fire. "What happened to the Dueling master who never bowed before his rivals?—who refused to back down no matter what he faced-off against? You're pathetic," the teen spat vehemently. "Look at you! Why aren't you challenging me to a duel? Taunting? Bribing? So when it comes to the truth you're nothing but a lowly worm doomed to wallow in the muck of others shit."
Yami clenched his jaw but refused to retaliate. He and his hikari blinked in shock when the CEO turned, storming towards the door.
"What—where are you going, Kaiba? Can we have the jet?" Yugi called frantically, shifting on his knees.
"No. A rival who can't stand up for himself warrants neither pity nor aid," was the scathing reply.
"Kaiba...!" Yami began staggering to his feet.
The three of them jolted when the door suddenly swung open; none other than Kaiba's younger brother and the entire gang before them.
"Seto, we're going to Egypt!" Mokuba burst excitedly jumping up and down. "When? Can we go now? Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease?"
The others were grinning, Jou giving Yami and Yugi a 'thumbs-up' signal as Kaiba stared down at his sibling, eyes twitching. The former pharaoh watched on uncertainly, heart racing. He glanced towards the back of the group, nerves eased at the sight of the ex- tomb robber standing with his arms crossed over his chest, a mischievous gleam in deep grey eyes.
"I still can't believe we're on our way to Egypt!" Yugi giggled excitedly from his large velvet seat on the private Kaiba Corp. jet.
Yami had barely said anything since they'd boarded the craft, thoughts spiraling every which-way. He turned to across the aisle where Marik and Bakura were sitting; the latter 'absentmindedly' flipping through a tour guide book of Egypt.
"These people don't know shit about the ancient times," the thief muttered casting the pamphlet onto the floor with a look of repugnance.
"It is rather pathetic," Marik agreed, yawning and leaning his head on the former tomb robber's shoulder sleepily.
Yami cleared his throat. "Just how did you all get Kaiba to...?"
Bakura rolled his eyes that stood out more than ever with the red burns covering his skin. "Come on, Yami. Little sugar-high kids being promised vacations are extremely predictable. Just supply the sugar and turn them loose."
"Yes thank you very much," a voice growled.
They looked up to find Kaiba standing before them, a murderous gleam in his scalding blue eyes. Bakura took it all in stride, sitting back with a smirk on his face.
"Oh did you think we were talking about your brother just now?" the thief king blinked 'innocently'. "A misconception. But no matter. We won't hold it against you."
"I'd just as soon throw you out over the mountains if it weren't for Mokuba being present," the CEO hissed with a vengeance, leaning towards them so his brother might not hear.
"Tsk tsk. Such impudicity to your guests," Bakura snorted taking out a cigarette and lighting it up.
Marik's eyes shot open the second his nostrils detected the smoke, turning on the former tomb robber. "Kura! Put that out right now!"
The other answered by setting the joint up to his chaffed lips, inhaling deeply. Glancing at the CEO Yami found a homicidal expression on Kaiba's face.
The former pharaoh cleared his throat. "Umm...Bakura, perhaps this isn't a good time..."
"According to this one," the thief answered jabbing a finger at the blonde Egyptian hovering over him in an effort to snatch his cigarette away, "there's never a good time."
"Put that thing out now," Kaiba snarled with flaming eyes. "There will be no smoking on my jet."
"Look who's become Mr. Goody-two-shoes," Bakura sneered contemptuously blowing out a stream of black smoke.
"Do you want me to turn this thing around?" the CEO countered with a warning look.
Scowling, but not to be completely out-done the thief put the joint out by crushing the cigarette down onto the arm of his seat, the fabric smoldering. Marik was glaring at his friend, peeved. Yami meanwhile kept his eye on Kaiba whose fists were clenched tightly. To the surprise of the former pharaoh the brunette turned sharply on his heel and strode away down the aisle. Only after he'd left did Marik turn on the thief.
"What the hells! Are you trying to get thrown off the plane?" he hissed irritably.
Bakura snorted but didn't answer, turning to stare out at the clouds as they whipped through them. Yami studied the other from across the aisle, mind still plagued by the memories of his first encounter with the thief. Bakura had certainly changed since that day—for a huge portion of the reason Yami was to blame.
'If only I'd questioned him by myself. Things could have been so different.'
"So where are we going once we land?" Yugi quipped from next to his darker half.
When the former tomb robber didn't answer Marik jabbed him in the side with a finger to which the other jolted, sending the young Egyptian a death glare.
"Watch the ribs!" he snarled, obviously cross at his lack of nicotine.
"Sorry. Yugi, asked you a question—one that I myself am also interested in hearing an answer to," Marik replied coolly, quite accustomed to his friend's wrath.
"We're not going back to Kuru Eruna, are we?" Yugi whimpered with an anxious look.
Yami and Marik both had their full attention on Bakura now. They and Yugi waited in silent anticipation, dreading the answer should their fears be confirmed. The thief sighed heavily, eyes lost in the clouds.
"Hopefully it won't come to that."
"But isn't that where you lived?" Yami pressed quietly.
"I had a number of lairs throughout different parts of the desert. To have only one refuge is folly," the other yami snorted in blatant condescension. "There's one south of modern day Cairo. That's the one we want."
"Without the items to uncover the cavern will you even be able to find it?" Yami asked restlessly shifting in his seat.
The former tomb robber's eyes narrowed. "We'll soon find out."
Bakura stared out the large window in the back lounge of the private jet. There was a maroon cushioned seat that was more of a large bench, tracing the outline of the room and under the two tinted windows on either side. Between two of the thief's fingers was a lit cigarette. It cast a glow across the softly lighted room. Wisps of smoky night clouds dotted with stars swept past outside the glass giving the impression the jet was in the deep nadirs of the oceans where only sea creatures that produced their own luminosity could dwell.
The former tomb robber sighed heavily, clearing his throat as a gulp of smoke blackened with tar and other toxins slithered through his systems. Besides the dull hum of the jet's engines everything was silent for the occasional footfall of the attendants that made sure to stay out of sight most of the time. Marik and the others were all asleep in their seats in the front "corridor" of the aircraft; a small supply room for first aid and refreshments separating them from this somewhat clandestine lounge.
"Just as I expected. You did seem the type to go against protocol," a voice hissed from across the room.
"And yet you haven't done anything about it," Bakura replied blandly not turning from the window as Kaiba shut the door quietly behind himself before strolling towards the thief. "Of course you have to relieve your own cravings at some point and time, no?"
The CEO didn't seem too astonished. "How'd you guess?"
"No guessing," the thief lightly tapped his cigarette on the edge of the windowsill. "The faint stain between your fingers says it all."
Kaiba smirked. "Whatever. Now give me one."
Bakura scowled. "Since when have I taken orders from you?"
"Since it's my jet and I'm letting you all ride free of charge."
Scowling but not arguing the thief reached into his jean pocket and pulled out an open pack of cigarettes, passing it to the CEO. Kaiba smirked, bringing out a dark blue lighter and holding a joint to it.
"Is this another one of your being an 'ideal' older sibling in your brother's eyes?" Bakura asked impassively.
"There's that and my public image as well," the CEO stated with a frown as he inhaled a breath of smoke, eyes closing momentarily in relief. "So why are you coming along?...as a matter of fact," he turned to the thief, "who are you exactly?"
Bakura sneered, breathing in from his own cigarette. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."
"Oh gods not another one of you!" Kaiba groaned rolling his eyes. "How many of you loons are there that think you're from ancient Egypt?"
The former tomb robber merely chuckled. "The subject annoys you. So why bother feeding it and indulging in our 'fantasies'?"
"Look, I'm not interested in the least about your anomalous antics," the brunette scoffed. "And don't think for a second that I believe any of it."
"But of course not. It's completely implausible," Bakura agreed with a nod. He turned again, gazing impassively out the window.
Kaiba gawked at him, in a state of shock for a long moment before speaking. "Aren't you going to lecture me on and on about how I should believe in it?"
The thief smiled humorlessly but didn't turn. "I am not one that likes to delve in the past as Yami does. If you don't want to know about it then I respect that. You're actually the lucky one...having forgotten it all," he mumbled more to himself than the CEO, expression distant.
Kaiba didn't know how to react to this statement. He was an excellent judge of telling whether or not someone was jerking his chain. The black-haired teen before him was speaking the truth.
'If he's not going to play games with me about this ancient past the others are so adamant on having me accept, then what? He doesn't seem the type to even believe in that kind of crap. Yet he's here.'
Being puzzled only annoyed the young tycoon more than almost anything. Scrunching up his nose and glaring at nothing he lifted the cigarette to his lips again. They both let out shouts when the plane tipped completely sideways, both of them slamming into the window that was now under them. Kaiba growled, gritting his teeth as they swerved again sharply; he and the thief being catapulted back onto the floor as the jet regained itself.
"What the fuck!" Bakura groaned grasping his side while panting heavily.
Scrambling to their feet, they both stiffened at the piercing screech echoing throughout the atmosphere. A shudder ran through there bodies, blood chilled. From the other cabin came screaming of the other passengers. Kaiba dashed for the door, wrenching it open only to be forced to cling to the doorframe as the entire craft quaked violently. Bakura managed to limp over to the door as the movement ceased, both of them clambering through to the front area where the others were all hastily buckling their seatbelts.
"Kura! Where the hell have you...?"
"What is going on up there?" Kaiba bellowed as the craft jerked again fiercely
"Is it the engines?" Yami gasped as they were all wrenched forward, his forehead connecting with the seat in front of him. "Ow."
"No." They all turned to find Ryou staring out the window, eyes wide. "We've got company."
They all shifted to see what his quivering finger was pointing at. Everyone gasped at the flash of brilliant yellow as it flashed by the window. Bakura swore.
"They're back!" Marik shouted, unbuckling his seatbelt and standing swiftly to his feet, Yami doing likewise.
"Which one is it this time?" Jou yelled from where he was struggling to undo his own harness.
"Does it matter? We can't fight it this time," Marik hissed as the group of them took off down the aisle to the cockpit.
"Mind filling me in?" Kaiba growled as they entered the room to find five Kaiba Corp. personnel fighting desperately to keep the jet steady.
"No. It's one of those things you don't believe in and don't want to talk about," Bakura merely shrugged, glaring out at the blackened sky as another shriek bellowed throughout the aircraft.
"Don't start that now!" the CEO snarled grabbing the thief by the front of the shirt. "What the hell is...?"
Wide blue eyes stared at the monsters as they swooped past the front of the plane, his mind telling him it wasn't real. It couldn't be real! There was no possible way...!
"Shake those things off!" he shouted to his men who were all sweating profusely.
"H-how?" one panted, wincing as something heavy rammed against the left side secreting screams from the passengers in the back.
"We've got to land this thing now!" Yami commanded grasping the seat of the pilot to keep himself steady.
"No!" Bakura barked, eyes flashing. "That's what they want us to do!"
"Want us to do? What choice do we have? They're going to kill us!" Yami hollered fiercely at the former tomb robber as another blast shook the compartment. Ryou whimpered, burying his face in Marik's shoulder.
"No they won't! They can't, don't you see? They need us alive!" the thief shot back angrily, voice halting for a moment as the creatures outside the jet screeched once more. "They're just trying to intimidate us!"
"Well it's working," Jou whispered hoarsely.
"This isn't just our lives on the line! We can't risk it!" the former pharaoh cried furiously.
"All of you shut up," Kaiba muttered, striding forward and punching a button.
Everyone shouted as the entire craft shuddered before emitting a mighty roar, blasting away high-speed. Groaning, Yami sat up slowly, finding himself amidst a jumble of human limbs as they all had been thrown against the wall.
"W-what was that?"
Kaiba sneered, rising shakily to his feet. "The rocket engines." He turned to the pilots who looked about ready to pass out. "How much longer before we reach Egypt?"
"A-about another...hour, s-sir," one managed weakly, face slightly green.
"Can we out-fly those things for that long?" Marik wondered aloud casting a wary glance out the window.
"We'd better," Kaiba muttered as the group turned and made there way back to check on their companions.
And so the drama continues. Next chapter has dead people.
Kura: Yessss!
Malik: -whimpers- It's me, isn't it?
Ferris: Shut up! You aren't even in the story yet!
Malik: -blink- Oh. Right.
Ferris: -sigh- -.-;
Yugi: Review!