Stolen Hearts Across Time
Chapter 14
Dream Time (continued)
Lily looked down at the game board on the table. It reminded her of Nine Men's Morris, but it looked bigger... different. Instead of just two colors of pieces, there were five colors--black, white, brown, red, and green. A small pile of white stones sat on the table in front of Bakura, and she picked one up, curious as to what it was for.
"What are you going to play?" she inquired, setting the piece back down.
Anub grinned. "Our version of Nine Men's Morris. Since we are all so competitive, we place bets on who will win or how many mills someone will get," he answered.
"Aren't there supposed to be only two colors?" Lily asked, pointing at all the different colored stones.
Bakura laughed. "Do you honestly think we wouldn't change the game so we could all play?" His tone was condescending and arrogant.
She crossed her arms in annoyance. 'He is such a jerk. I'm not sure the lessons are worth putting up with him.' "I just don't know your game, but that's probably because it's so pathetic no one wants to talk about it," she retorted.
Anub and the man next to him roared with laughter once again. "She's a little spitfire, she is," a man stated, his black eyes roaming up and down her body, earning a glare from her. "I'd love to have a girl like her." He grinned. "So, Bakura, how is she in bed?"
Lily instantly turned bright red, her teal eyes wide with surprise. Without thinking, she reached across the table and smacked him. "You have no right to ask such a question!" she snapped, tone laced with anger and embarrassment.
The men simply laughed, even the one she had slapped. Fuming at their attitude, she prepared to slap one of them, but Bakura caught her arm.
"No," he whispered in her ear. "Now's not the time to act all high and mighty. You are supposed to be my pet, my bed-warmer. At least try to act like it... unless you're too stupid to do something like that."
She growled at him. 'Fine. I accept the challenge. I'll act like the perfect little pet and prove I'm not stupid.' An evil glint in her eyes, she turned, brushing her lips against Bakura's. "Sorry about my temper-tantrum, love; I just don't like people prying into our private life."
Bakura's eyes drastically widened and his jaw temporarily dropped. It took him a mere second to snap out of his shock and narrow his eyes at her. "What are you up to?" he quietly hissed in her ear as the other men chuckled, obviously unaware of what was really going on.
'Now that face is priceless,' Lily thought, giggling. "Acting like you want me to, of course," she replied
quietly, smiling deviously. She turned her attention back to the game. "So, if this is like Nine Men's
Morris, who goes first?"
She knew how to play the basic game. The players took turns putting their pieces on the board, trying to form three in a row. Once all the players put all their pieces down, they began moving them, space by space. Whenever a player put three of his pieces in a row either horizontally or vertically (in other words, created a mill), he could take one of his opponent's pieces off the board. A player was disqualified as soon as he had only two pieces remaining or became unable to move anything. The last player remaining won.
"Since you're new to this game, we'll let you and Bakura go first. It's only fair," Anub replied, bracing his elbows on the table as he laced his fingers together. "You two are going to need every advantage you can get."
Lily scowled at him. "We're going to win," she stated firmly, easily hiding her uncertainty. It had been ages since she had played Nine Men's Morris, so she wasn't quite sure if she could win; however, for the sake of the conversation, she was going to defeat them all. 'I cannot lose to these men; although, it would be nice to know just how good they are or what strategies they use.'
Expression unwavering, she picked up a piece and set it down in the middle of the board. The others, Anub, Mekh, Gaib, and Osik quickly went as well, creating a loose circle about her piece.
'They're ganging up against me,' Lily mused, narrowing her eyes slightly. 'How dare they?! I'll crush them for this. Don't they know how to play fair?' She mentally shook her head, silently scolding herself. 'How stupid am I? I'm outside the palace. People aren't going to coddle me, treat me fairly, or give me the respect my station demands. Here, they see me as some little female, a trinket. Of course they'd gang up on me. It seems I'll just have to show them I'm not as stupid or helpless as they think.'
She picked up another piece and went to set it down, but a voice in her ear stopped her. "Not there,"
Bakura told her quietly. "Unless you want to lose, put it here." He reached out, taking the piece from her and placing it where he wanted.
"But I think it'd go better there, Bakura!" Lily protested, frowning at the white-haired man.
"Let the girl do as she wishes," Mekh recommended. He didn't seem to harbor any bad feelings toward Lily for the slap she had bestowed upon him. "That way, you can lecture her when she loses and prove to her that women just can't play games."
She huffed at that. "I will make you eat your words, that I promise you." She debated moving the piece, but she suddenly noticed that Bakura had placed it in a better spot than she had. Blushing slightly and leaving the piece where it was, she watched the other men put their pieces on.
Lily took a slow breath, studying the board. 'I need to create a mill, but they've blocked off one of my pieces. My other piece is almost completely blocked off. How can I stop them from creating mills and make some of my own?' She chewed delicately on her bottom lip, trying to decide on where to put her piece.
Bakura put an arm around her waist, gently squeezing. "Hurry up," he recommended. "They'll grow impatient unless you go soon. You don't want to see them impatient."
"Don't rush me, love," she retorted softly before looking up at her opponents. "I'm thinking, which you boys seemed to have forgotten how to do considering how you all go so quickly." 'There, take that!'
"That, or we actually know how to play the game," Gaib retorted evenly. He was one of the few men in the entire tavern that hadn't had anything to drink. He wasn't drunk in the least, which meant he had an alert mind.
'He's going to be my biggest problem,' she thought, teal eyes focusing on the board. After a few moments, she put down the piece. When Bakura said nothing, she let out a breath she hadn't known she had been holding.
As soon as everyone had all the pieces down, the men began to place bets on who would win, except Bakura. He remained quiet and no one betted on her. 'I'll just have to prove to them that I can play and that they should not underestimate me,' she thought as the game continued.
In the middle of the game, right before Lily's turn, Bakura placed his bet... on Lily winning. She blinked in surprise, turning around to look at him.
"You actually think I'm going to win?" she inquired, a small smile on her face. 'It seems that someone finally believes in me,' she mused happily.
"With my help you will," he replied with a smirk.
Her face fell. "Well, thank you for your confidence," she spat back, crossing her arms and pouting. 'What a jerk.'
"You're a beginner; I'm an expert," Bakura whispered in her ear, a dangerous edge to his voice. "Accepting my help won't kill you, and there is no way I'm going to let you lose my money."
Lily sighed. 'He does have a point. I don't want him to lose his money, especially if I'm the cause. If I do, he might not give me any more lessons.' She nodded her head, her entire body tense. "Okay."
"Good," he replied, voice still quiet. "Now we have to make this look like we're two lovers playing a game together."
She smiled softly, hiding her true feelings. "I hope you know," she whispered back to him, "that I'm only agreeing to this because I don't want them to find out what I am."
Bakura didn't reply. He merely covered her hand with his and had her move one of the white pieces on the board. After the turn, he didn't remove his hand; he simply held onto it, obviously trying to keep up the act.
The game heated up from that point on, and the bets increased at least every other turn. While Mekh, Gaib,
Osik, and Anub grew nervous and uptight, Lily and the white-haired boy remained calm. Slowly, ever so slowly, Bakura and Lily began to win. Mekh lost first, and then Osik and Anub quickly followed. Gaib was the only one left, but he was not doing as good as his opponent; he had only three pieces left, while she (and Bakura, of course) had five.
Lily grinned. 'We're going to win,' she thought happily as Bakura guided her hand to create another mill. She immediately removed one of Gaib's pieces, leaving him with only two.
"You lost," Bakura stated. "We won, so I believe you all owe me some money."
She clapped her hands, smiling for all she was worth. It had been ages since she had spent some time simply playing a fun game. The only game she had played in years had been senet, and that was because it had religious purposes.
As the other men paid up, Lily put all the white pieces back in a pile. "Can we play again?" she inquired, tone light and happy. She didn't mind the fact that the thief had helped her, that she was still sitting on his lap. She merely wanted to have some more fun.
"Not tonight, little princess," Gaib replied, and she stiffened slightly.
'Oh my... Isis help me. He must know,' she thought, forcing her worry down. She didn't want anyone else to notice how she had reacted and come to the correct conclusion. Gaib was probably the only one who knew.
She studied Gaib's face and came to a different conclusion. 'He doesn't know. If he did, he wouldn't look so relaxed and friendly still. I think he merely called me that pet name because he felt like it. At least, I hope so.'
"I'm broke, as I believe Anub is as well." Mekh stood up, stretching. "I'm going home now." The others quickly echoed that statement.
"Alright." Lily climbed off Bakura's lap in slow motions, unsure about whether it looked like she was reluctant or simply slow. "Perhaps we can play tomorrow." She saw the thief roll his eyes, causing her to grit her teeth. He was making fun of her again, the jerk.
Bakura stood as well while she tossed on her cloak. "We're heading out now as well. Take care, and may you always be one step ahead of the guards." They nodded in agreement.
Then, before Lily could say or do anything else, Bakura grabbed her hand and dragged her outside. He pulled her down a few side streets, not stopping until they were quite a distance from the tavern.
Suddenly, he released her and pushed her against a wall. He put one hand on each side of her head, bracing himself against the wall as he leaned close to her. "Why did you react when he called you princess?" he hissed, dark eyes flashing in anger.
She fidgeted nervously for a moment, unsure how to answer him. She couldn't tell him that she was the princess, although the chance of him believing her was slim. 'He's a little too close for my liking at the moment,' she thought. Biting on her bottom lip for a moment, she decided to answer him the best way she knew how. "Daddy used to call me that before he died. He called me his cute princess."
Bakura growled. "If any of them had been paying any attention to you, they would have noticed and easily figured out you're some kind of noble. They don't like nobles."
"And you don't seem to either," Lily retorted. "But it's not my fault that I was born in the position I'm in now. Do you honestly think I like being a noble?" she shot back, frowning at him. 'Why does he think it's so great being rich and everything else? It's not like it makes my life any happier than his.'
He backed off, finally giving her some space. Glaring at her for a moment, he crossed his arms over his chest. "Spoiled brat," he spat out, scowling darkly. "Do you really think I'm going to believe such a pathetic lie?"
She bristled. "I'm not lying!" she shouted, stomping her foot in aggravation. "For the love of Isis, why does everyone think being a noble is so great?! I'm stuck indoors almost all day and told what to do. I have to deal with things I hate, and I have no freedom. I'm not allowed to do what I want, when I want, and everyone expects me to act perfectly all the time. The instant I mess up, my big brother scolds me and usually punishes me. I hate my life!"
Lily clasped her hands over her mouth, finally realizing that she had been screaming at the thief. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lash out at you." 'And I don't hate my life. I just wish I had more freedom.' She mentally sighed.
"Overdramatic spoiled brat," Bakura stated, shaking his head.
"What?" She blinked in surprise, unsure how to take his new attitude. His expression was different as well; he appeared to be almost amused.
"Overdramatic spoiled brat," he repeated, smirking at her. "You're an idiot if you can't enjoy all the pampering you receive."
'He really and truly didn't get a thing I said.' Lily shook her head. "You don't understand. I love the people around me, but I hate not having any freedom. I used to be able to roam around and have fun, but that's all been taken away from me now. I'm pretty much a prisoner in a fancy cell with exceptionally kind jailers."
Bakura snorted. "By Ra, you are an idiot," he stated. "Grow up." He began walking off.
She growled at him. "Who do you think you are, ordering me around?!" she exclaimed. "And I'm not an idiot!" 'And how dare he walk away from me when we're talking! Why doesn't he just grow up?!' She ran after him, grabbing his arm and forcing him to look at her. "And do you think anyone can grow up when everything is pretty much done for them? The only thing I'm capable of doing on my own is passing my lessons, and I hate it."
He wrenched his arm out of her grip. "Stop acting like a child," he ordered. "And do not grab me like that again."
Glaring at him, Lily grabbed his arm a second time hen he turned away from her. "You stop acting like a child and try to see things from a different point of view," she retorted. "Do you think that a noble life is perfect? How would you like someone ordering you around all day? I have to be in certain places at certain times, and if I'm late, I'm punished. I'm told who I'm going to marry and when, and I have no say in the matter. Normal choices are taken out of my hands, and I can't do a thing about it."
Bakura opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off. "I'm sick and tired of acting as if I accept everything with open arms. Right now, I'm happiest when I'm outside the walls of my prison and here with you. I've never been able to go into a tavern and play a game simply for the fun of it. You say I'm an idiot, probably because you think I take the things I have for granted, but then you're an idiot as well. You have freedom, and you take it for granted. I would give anything to have what you have."
He shook his head, pale hair falling over his shoulders as his bangs hid his eyes from view. "Then you are even a bigger idiot than I thought." He pried her hand off his arm. "Go back to your palace and the pharaoh, Princess Tigrililian."
End Dream
Lily shot up in bed, her eyes wide. For some reason, her heart had almost seemed to stop. 'Dear Kami, that was unusual.'
You are merely dreaming of my past. I about had a heart attack when I realized that Bakura had figured out who I was, Tigrililian replied softly.
'What did he do? Did he ransom you off or anything?' the young girl wanted to know.
The princess shrugged. I don't know.
Lily sighed, glancing out the window. Clouds filled the sky and covered up the sun, much to her disappointment. 'Things in the past were so strange, and I don't think I could take such a restricting life-style either. Even I like being able to make my own decisions.'
As do I. Lilian paused. Perhaps we should prepare ourselves for going out to look for the items, she advised.
The curly blonde nodded her head. 'Yeah. We should, but how would you feel about heading out early and getting some shopping done? I know that you wanted some dresses and skirts.'
I would enjoy that, the princess replied, smiling.
'Alright, let's go!'
---------------------
The woman sighed, her dark eyes flashing in annoyance. "This is boring," she muttered. "She's just walking around and shopping, the little twit." She flopped down in her armchair. "And at this point, there's no way attacking her soul room is going to do any good. She'll be able to protect herself, and it'll only make a stupid scene that'll leave her the center of attention once again."
She idly fingered the eye of Horus that was engraved on her knife. "Perhaps I should try something different then. Attacking someone else just might prove more advantageous than bothering her, and I know the perfect person. After all, it's her own fault for growing so attached to him."
She grinned. "Yes, I think killing him will not only help me in destroying the damn princess, but it should also improve my mood. Besides, I didn't even like the bastard in the past."
Standing up, she twirled the blade, an evil glint sparkling in her eyes. "I think I'll wait a little bit though. I want to catch the bastard off guard. Yes, then it'll be bye-bye for him."
Dark laughter filled the room, the menacing sound bouncing off the walls as if they even found it so evil that they had to reject it. "And then poor Lily will have nothing to do but go home and miss him."
With practiced ease, she threw a dart at a new dartboard and picture--an image of a young boy with kind eyes.
"Good-bye, bastard."
---------------------
"'Morning, Bakura," Yugi called out as the white-haired boy entered the game shop, smiling bright at his friend. "How's everything going with Lily? Are you meeting her here?" He was definitely curious, especially since he hadn't seen either one of them since the day before yesterday. Plenty of things could change in two days.
Ryou nodded, admiring a few items on the shelves before walking up to the front counter and leaning his elbows on it. "Everything's fine, although we haven't found anything yet, and we decided it would be best to meet here in a few hours. I figured it couldn't hurt to come by and see how you're doing, maybe have a small practice duel for the fun of it."
"Sure. As soon as Grandpa gets out of the back room, we can play," the short boy replied, eyes sparkling in anticipation. "And maybe when Lily gets here, she can play too."
The other boy smiled softly, brown eyes gaining a strange look at the mentioning of the girl's name.
"Yeah. That'd be fun."
---------------------
Lily dumped all her new clothes in her apartment. 'I don't think Dad is going to be pleased with me, but I think I can make him understand why I just bought so many new clothes. You favor skirts while I like pants and shorts.' She smoothed out the pair of shorts that gave a whole new meaning to the term minuscule and the lilac tank top she sported at the moment.
If not, I can speak with him. I'm sure that he'll believe me, Tigrililian replied. It's not as if I
would even infinitesimally comfortable in those clothes you prefer.
The young female giggled like a schoolgirl. "Probably not," she admitted out loud, grinning. "But, since it is getting close to lunch, how about we grab a bite to eat and then head over to Yugi's game shop? We promised to meet Ryou there at twelve-thirty or so."
Hm... you are correct on that account. The princess turned thoughtful for a moment. Actually, I would enjoy heading over there early to talk to Yugi as well as Yami. I'm hoping he might recall something about my past, especially if I describe some incidences from ourdreams.
'Sounds like a plan.' Then, Lily began fixing herself a quick lunch.
---------------------
"Your turn, Bakura," Yugi said as he finished attacking.
"Alright." Ryou drew a card and was about ready to place another monster on the field when he felt immense pain ripple through him, causing him to drop his hand and clutch at his head. 'What in the--' He was in so much pain he couldn't even finish the thought. Then, he fell to the floor, still clutching his head as he curled up in a small ball.
"Bakura!" Yugi shouted, dropping his hand as he knelt on the floor to check on his friend. The boy was pale, his skin suddenly matching his hair color. "I'm going to call the ambulance. Just hang on, Bakura!"
The violet-eyed boy jumped up and ran to the phone, quickly dialing the emergency number.
---------------------
"What is this?" Bakura hissed out, the pain rippling through him as he watched his soul room shake and crack as if it was some kind of earthquake. He heard his aibou call out, screaming in pain, but there wasn't anything he could do. He was doing good to merely stay awake to keep his soul room intact. "Damn
hikari."
"Help!" Ryou pleaded, wanting the pain to end more than anything. His soul room was shaking as well, the many items flying across the room as the magical quake tossed him about the area. He ended up flying into a corner, his dresser slamming into him a moment later.
The British boy screamed in pain, curling up into a tiny ball as the dresser went flying across the room.
He was nothing more than a mass of agony, and he wanted it all to end. Even if it took death to do that, he wanted the pain to end. "HELP!" he screamed again.
No help came.
---------------------
Yugi watched nervously as Bakura was taken away by the EMTs, his eyes dark with worry. His grandfather was nearby, watching with a somber expression. Because they weren't family, they couldn't ride in the ambulance with the white-haired boy, but they would be able to check up on him later. That was their only consolation.
'What happened?' Yugi wondered, frowning. 'Why did he suddenly curl up and clutch at his head? He acted like he was in such pain, but I can't think about what could have caused it.'
It came upon him so suddenly that I am not sure what disease could have struck him, Yami replied, anxiety in his tone as well. I have never seen anything like it, and that worries me. Never in my life have I ever even heard of something that could cripple someone so quickly without warning.
'Yeah, it's scary,' the short boy replied, closing his eyes as he prayed for his friend. 'I hope Bakura will be okay.'
The pharaoh nodded his head in agreement. So do I.
---------------------
Lily paused as she watched the ambulance drive by, the lights flashing and the siren blaring. Her entire body frozen as a sense of dread filled her, she fought off the desire to run after the emergency vehicle. 'I think I'm becoming paranoid.' She shook her head, resuming her brisk pace.
I am not so sure. Ever since we came to this town, things have been going wrong. We ran into those gangsters twice, and then we were lead on wild goose chases. We were also magically attacked twice,
Tigrililian reminded her hikari. I highly doubt anything is going to improve until we find the person with this new item.
The curly blonde mentally nodded her head in agreement. 'You're probably right, but let's just get to the game shop. I'll feel better once I see that Yugi and Ryou are perfectly fine.'
You're just concerned about Ryou because you haven't seen him in the last eight hours, the princess teased, trying to lighten the mood. She didn't like it when her aibou became worried, because that meant things truly were bad. You REALLY like him, don't you?
Lily blushed, although she tried to hide that fact from her yami. She failed miserably. 'Maybe,' she answered; however, she knew that the spirit saw through the little lie.
Yes, you really, really, really like him. Lilian grinned. You really should just admit these things instead of lying to yourself. It's not healthy.
'I think it's partly because I keep seeing him in my dreams. It's like I'm really getting to know him, even though I know it's kind of a lie,' she replied, twirling a curl around her finger. 'And I'm hoping that after we've retrieved the eye for Dad... well, I'd like to go out on a date with him, or at least try to. I know how Dad views that particular topic.' She sighed. 'He doesn't want me associating with anyone he doesn't approve of, and the only people he approves of are all stuffy, overly-polite people who really don't know how to have fun.'
I believe you called them sticks in the mud, the princess commented with a musical laugh that reminded the young girl of tinkling bells.
'Yeah. Sticks in the mud.' She mentally nodded her head in agreement as she reached the game shop.
The instant Lily entered, she found Yugi standing behind the counter, looking far too somber for her liking. He had an elbow on the counter, his head propped up on his hand. Worry filled his normally sparkling violet eyes, and his mouth was turned down in a frown.
"What's wrong?" she inquired, hurrying over to the short male. She bit down on her bottom lip as he looked up at her with his sad eyes.
"Bakura had to go to the hospital," he answered softly. "Grandpa's in the back on our personal line, calling to find out which one he's at."
Lily's eyes widened as she felt her stomach plummet and her heart twist painfully in her chest, as if someone was yanking on it. "What happened? Why'd he have to go to the hospital? Is he sick? Did he fall down or something?" She frantically rambled off more questions, completely panicking. She already had one person she cared about in the hospital; she didn't want another one there too. "Please tell me that it isn't anything serious."
Yugi quickly took in her pleading expression as her eyes became overly bright. She really did care about
Bakura, and he could see it just by looking at her. "I don't know. We were dueling, and he suddenly starting clutching his head. He fell to the floor, pale as a sheet. When the ambulance arrived, he was shaking, as if he was having seizures or something."
She immediately paled. "Oh dear Kami," she whispered. "If he's suffering from what I think he is, then the hospital won't be able to help him." 'We have to get to him NOW' she thought, pure anxiety filling her.
Fear trickled into her heart, worming its way into her mind. She didn't want to lose Ryou. He was such a wonderful guy, and she cared about Bakura too. Both boys were so important to her, and not just because they were helping her.
'She knows something,' Yugi thought.
Yes, she does, Yami agreed. But can we get her to stop panicking long enough to ask her what it is she knows?
'I'm going to try,' the young boy replied, but his grandfather entering the room cut him off.
"He's in the Domino Regional Hospital," Mr. Moto stated, his expression an exact copy of Yugi's worried one. He noticed the blond girl standing by the counter a moment later, and he easily picked up on the tears forming in her eyes. "I--"
"Thank you!" Lily shouted, running out the door before the old man could even finish his sentence.
He blinked, rubbing his head. "Is she okay, Yugi?" he inquired.
"I don't think so," Yugi replied. "The instant she heard about Bakura, she panicked." He paused. "I'm going to go after her."
"Alright. Keep me updated if Bakura's condition changes at all," his grandfather requested.
The reincarnated pharaoh nodded his head. "I will." Then, he was out the door as well, heading towards the hospital.
---------------------
Lily paid the taxi driver that had taken her to the hospital in record time, giving him a huge tip before she raced toward the front door. Without caring how many people she upset, she practically raced to the front desk.
"Which room is Ryou Bakura in?" she asked the lady typing away at the computer.
"Are you a family member?" she inquired in response.
Lily shook her head. "No. I'm just a close friend. My name is Lily Pegasus, so can you please tell me what room he's in?"
That made the lady snap to attention, her eyes focusing on the young girl. "Alright." She typed for a few moments before answering the original question. "He's in room 301. He's in a coma, although all his stats seem to be stable, and..."
"Thanks!" Once again, she was off and running before the woman could even finish talking. She figured that she'd be able to find Ryou once she came close enough. After all, he had the ring.
The elevator couldn't come down quickly enough, so she raced up the stairs, the adrenaline easily giving her the energy she needed. She knew that she'd pay later for all the rush, but she didn't care. If she didn't hurry, then Ryou or Bakura's soul room could be destroyed, and she refused to let that happen.
Running down a hall, she found room 301. Throwing open the door, she raced to the young boy's side.
Ryou was lying down on a hospital bed, his white hair almost perfectly matching his skin color. His eyes were tightly closed shut, and his breathing was far too shallow for her liking. All sorts of machines were hooked up to him by plenty of wires, but she ignored them.
Lily took his hand, finding it cold and limp. "Ryou... Bakura..." she whispered before pouring her power into him. Even if it took all of her magic to save him, she would do it. She was not going to lose one of her friends to the enemy.
"Hold on..."
---------------------
Lily walked into Ryou's soul room, Lilian not far behind. There wasn't much left of the room; in fact, it was pretty much unrecognizable as anything but a heap of rubble.
"Ryou!" the young girl called out desperately as she began to search for him.
"Where are you?" the princess shouted, searching as well.
"Lily?" a soft voice drifted through the air as the place shook violently.
Both girls were thrown to the floor, Lily flying through the air and landing with a painful thump.
Briefly shaking her head, she stood back up. "Ryou?!"
"Help..." Ryou's voice was quickly growing weaker, and the girls knew that he wouldn't be able to last much longer.
Lily scrambled over to where the voice had come from, trying her best to keep from being thrown into another wall by the next tremor. She was not going to let anything hurt her friends, and no stupid enemy was going to keep her from helping Ryou.
Finally, she reached the boy. He was curled in a small ball, surrounded by rubble. What was left of what she assumed was a dresser kept a large section of ceiling from falling on his head.
"RYOU!" Lily instantly dragged him out of the dangerous position and into her lap, cradling him as she let her power surround him. "Lilian, can I put up one of those barriers to protect--" Another huge shaking cut her off, but she refused to release the white-haired boy, even when she painfully collided with a fallen section of wall.
"Yes, but it won't be easy. You'll have to gain his permission first," the princess replied.
"That's fine," the young girl replied, hugging Ryou closer to her, trying to protect him as best as she could. "I think I have a handle on this, so go help Bakura."
Tigrililian nodded her head. "Alright." As quickly as she could, she raced off.
Lily turned her attention back to Ryou. "Do I have your permission to set up a barrier to protect your mind?" When he didn't answer, she gently shook him and tried again. "Please, answer me."
"....Ye...Yes..."
The shaky response was good enough for her, and she immediately set about filling the room with her power, trying to put up the familiar barrier. It was easier in a sense because she wasn't in any pain, but it was also harder because it took far more power and more concentration because it wasn't her soul room.
"I'm not going to give up," she growled out softly, burying her face in Ryou's hair. "I'm not."
Slowly, the barrier formed and the quakes stopped. Sighing happily, Lily watched Ryou's soul room slowly reform, all the pieces going back to where they belonged. It took a little while, but soon she saw a pleasant room filled with games, books, and all sorts of interesting figurines and photographs.
When Ryou stirred in her arms, she smiled, relaxing her grip on him. "How are you feeling?" she asked him as he looked at her with unsure brown eyes.
"Better now," he replied softly, blushing as he moved slightly away from her and sat with his back against a wall. 'That was nice, but a little too intimate at the moment. I wonder... why was she holding me?' "But... what happened?"
"You're soul room was attacked," Lily answered, blushing as well. 'What possessed me to hold him like that?' "It's the same thing that happened to me. To help you, I had to enter your soul room. I hope you don't mind."
"If you had to do it to save me, it's okay," Ryou replied, smiling gently at her.
"Alright." She stood up. "Now, I should probably check on Lilian and Bakura. She was supposed to protect him from the attack."
Brown eyes widened in surprise. "That isn't good."
Lily frowned. "Why?"
"Bakura doesn't accept help very well."
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CotA: Sorry about the long wait for this chappie, but at least I made it long enough for you people to enjoy. Unfortunately, it got so long that I didn't feel like adding the Bakura-gets-his-butt-saved scene. That'll be in the next chappie. Oh, and warning, this wasn't sent off to my beta reader. I grew a little too lazy, and I felt my readers had waited far too long for this chappie anyways. ::shrugs:: So, I hope everyone enjoyed it, and the review responses are below.
SesshysKitty: I'm glad you liked it, and I'm praying that you enjoyed this chappie as well.
Sakura-chan: I believe I answered your question about Yami/Yugi coming back in. Although it was brief, you'll see more of him in the next chappie, and I'm planning on adding the others in as well. And thanks for the cookie! ::bounces around::
Hutchy: I believe I answered your question. It's an old Egyptian game that I could actually find the rules to. ::grins:: I got to do lots of research for this chapter.
???: I'm glad you approve. I've been working hard on this story.
Spontaneousxhumanxcombusion: Dream time is fun, especially to write. And I enjoyed the song too. So priceless... ::giggles::