An Author's Note: Cannon twisters ahead.
Chapter 37
The Merging
"Oh no! She's dragging him into a café…and it's…PINK!!" Once Marik was certain that Bakura was not going to go postal again they had gotten back on the trail of the lovebirds. Harry and Cho were entering a shop called Madam Puddifoot's, and Marik could not be more appalled to look at the place.
Then, unfortunately for Bakura, a smile appeared on Marik's face. "Looks like one of those romantic type places…let's go in!"
"…what?" Bakura asked.
"Come on." Marik tried to yank his unfortunate friend in, but Bakura dug his heels into the ground.
"Have you lost the rest of your mind?!" Bakura asked.
"All the better to spy on them, besides, there might be gay bashers in there!"
"….huh…"
Marik sighed "Look, what's the one thing that gay bashers can't stand? Two men acting affectionate!" he slung his arm around Bakura to indicate "affectionate". In fact it could almost be loosely defined as a hug. It made Bakura uncomfortable. "So, if you pretend to be attracted to a man they attack, right?"
"And you would want this to happen because…?"
"I can get into a fight and have a perfectly good excuse to kick someone's tail! I can say 'Yes officer, I laid ten of them to the ground, but they attacked first!' It's perfect, Bakura!"
"Holy Ra…" Bakura shook his head "The things that go through your head…"
"It'll be fun."
"No."
They went back and forth like that for about ten minuets, then they were almost trampled when Cho fled from the teashop in tears.
"Oh no! We missed the good stuff!" Marik said.
Harry came bursting out of the shop muttering "Women! What did she want to talk about Cedric for anyway? Why does she always want to drag up a subject that makes her act like a human hosepipe?"
"It's this thing called 'grieving' Harry, say it with me now, 'grieving'." Marik grinned.
Harry gave Marik a baleful look "One of these days you are going to do or say the wrong thing to the wrong person and then you'll be dead in an alley somewhere."
"Don't you worry about me, Harry, I can handle myself. And hey if worse comes to worse I can always throw Tomb Robber here at the problem!" Marik aimed a thumb at Bakura.
"You wanna lose that digit, Ishtar?" Yami Bakura growled.
"BAKURA!!" suddenly a slightly peeved looked Angelina came racing up the drive, broom in hand. Actually, to be accurate she looked like she was ready to brain someone with that broom "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE AT PRACTICE! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?"
"Ooops, forgot about that broom thing." Bakura said in all honesty.
"YOU! SLYTHERIN!" Angelina aimed a finger at Marik, who scowled at it "YOU'RE TRYING TO SABOTAGE US!"
"Lady, if I wanted to sabotage you I would at least have the decency to be original about it." Marik said coolly.
"YOU! COME!" Angelina barked at Bakura as she grabbed the body part nearest to her, which happened to be an ear.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Bakura said as he was dragged along the ground to the field.
"Hehehe, oh I gotta see this!" Marik followed with a grin. He ignored Angelina's cries of "GET AWAY, SPY!"
Harry shook his head. Well, at least the Nut Gallery was heading in the opposite direction now…
Bakura sat aboard his school loaned broom with an irritated sigh. Oh he was not going to enjoy this.
His yami on the other hand…
/I must say I like this side of the game, Bakura, I get to bludgeon things!/
/Words cannot express how thrilled I am for you, yami./ Bakura said.
"Remember, Bakura, aim for the head!" Fred yelled from the ground. Despite the fact that the twins had a lifelong ban that did not stop them from giving the new Beater a string of advice.
Bakura looked over at Ginny, who was now going to be the other Beater. He had a feeling that she was not relishing this role at all.
"Honestly," she had said "I would rather be a Chaser, but we need another Beater…"
Bakura was half afraid that she was going to break her neck.
/Let her deal with that herself./ Yami Bakura growled.
/Yami-/
/Honestly, she lived with how many males in the house? She must have learned SOMETHING./
/Okay, okay…/
"Okay, you two, here come the Bludgers!" Angelina had set up a practice for the two Beaters that sort of resembled an airborne firing range. She would released the evil balls and Ginny and Bakura were supposed to bat them at some floating wooden targets set up around the field. The targets were vaguely shaped like humans on brooms.
The balls flew towards them and the two Beaters started…well beating. It was actually going pretty well.
"Good! Now try your passing!"
"Passing" involved hitting the ball towards the other Beater.
Unfortunately Ginny got a bit too close to Bakura.
WHACK
/Wha…checkers?/ Bakura muttered in his mind as he fell.
/Hmmmm, looks like it…/
"I'm so sorry!" Ginny said for the millionth time as she helped Bakura up the stairs to the infirmary. Poor Angelina had almost collapsed in grief when they could not get Bakura to stop muttering strange things in Japanese at them. She had then mumbled something about getting Bakura fixed up, and then Angelina had walked away saying something about rabbit's feet.
She probably thinks the team is cursed or something….and maybe it is…Ginny thought. She felt so bad for braining her own teammate.
Once she had gotten Bakura situated Ginny returned to the field, determined to make this work.
Even if it killed her…
As long as she did not kill anyone else…
The match against Hufflepuff had arrived.
And Bakura's head could not have been sorer.
He had mostly stopped talking in Japanese and had returned to mostly English, but there were times when he would start muttering in the other language.
It was unknown if he was really unable to tell the difference because of the cracked skull, or if he was simply grumbling profanities.
"Hey, you gonna be okay?" Marik slid down beside his friend. "I doubt that blow could have caused that much damage to empty space…"
"Marik. I. Am. Not. In. The. Mood." Bakura said.
"Okay, okay." Marik said. "But seriously, you know I'll be rooting for you, right?"
Bakura glared at Marik "You got me into this mess."
"Yeah, because I thought you would find it fun." Marik said. "It won't be that bad, you'll see."
"Evil Egyptian punk." Bakura growled. He shoved his food away and stood up. It was time to play.
He was not the only one who was nervous; the entire team looked like they were going to the guillotine…except for Yugi.
Or should I say Yami Yugi? The two of them had done what they always did before a game, they had merged there minds so that it was almost impossible to separate them. When they merged they grew stronger then they could ever be alone.
Bakura envied them.
"Tomb Robber?"
"What is it, Pharaoh?"
"Do you want to know why you always lose to me?"
"You cheat?"
"No, you never once merged with your other self. You have never become one with your light. You cannot fight properly because you are only half of what you should be. You have always fought as darkness, but against one like me, who is both darkness and light, you could never prevail."
"Your point?"
"Become one with the light. Become one with your other self. You need him like I need Yugi. You cannot have Shadow with only Darkness. You need Light as well…didn't you know that, Tomb Robber?"
"I am NOT like you!"
"You need Bakura. You always will. You knew it on the blimp! You protected him because you know that you are weak without him to give you the strength." Yami Yugi turned and stared at Yami Bakura "You cannot keep him smothered inside you! Let him help you and help him in return!
"Stop yapping you two, it's time to go!" Angelina rose into the sky. She looked like she was heading for her doom.
"Let him give you the light, Tomb Robber." Yami Yugi whispered as he started to fly as well.
/Yami/ Bakura said as they too started to fly /He's right, let me help you!/
/I don't need help! I have never needed help!/
Turn. Look at the others. Ignore that stupid Weasly is our King song.
/Why did you save me on the blimp, then? You said yourself that Shadow magic required the light! Aren't I your light?/
Ball coming at face. Dodge ball. Roll to the side.
/Yes./
Bludger. Send it to enemy. A miss.
/Let me help/
Another hit, another miss.
/No!/
Booing of the crowd. Most of whom are Slytherin.
/WHY DO YOU KEEP SHOVING ME AWAY!/
/I'M TRYING TO PROTECT YOU!/
A Bludger hit Yami Bakura on the back. He slipped off the broom. He just barely caught the handle.
He was dangling at least twenty feet in the air.
/…protect…me…?/
/You…I could never put you in danger…I…can't…you…you look. I…Bakura you look like…/
/…like who?/
/Her…your eyes…they are her eyes. The rest of you looks like me…but the eyes are like hers…my wife…/
/What? But how can that…?/
/Little Brother! Here me now!/ the voice of Gorneel rang in their heads. The golden dragon appeared before them in the sky. /Now is the time to tell you!/
/What? Tell me what!?/ Yami Bakura asked.
/Watch/
FLASH
It was Ancient Egypt. Yami and Ryou Bakura where standing in a hallway lined with cells.
"Where are we?" Bakura asked.
His Yami looked around in confusion. "Looks like…the dungeons…" the spirit said. He turned and his eyes grew wide "Gywn!"
"Huh?"
"My wife."
Guess whoever named her did not believe in vowels. Bakura thought. He stared at the women. It was true that mostly she did not look a thing like himself…but the eyes. It was true he had seen eyes like this before. In the mirror. They where a bit colder and had a determined air about them…but they were still identical to his.
Footsteps caught their attention. They turned and a woman who looked a lot like Marik's sister came down the hall. She stopped at the cell door and gave the prisoner an evaluating look.
"You are with child are you not?" the Ishizu clone said.
"You can tell this?" Gywn growled.
"I am a women, I can tell." Ishizu said.
Gywn snorted "More then likely you little magic tricks told you. And if I was? What would it matter to a butcher like you?"
Ishizu stiffened "I am not a killer, Thief!"
"Ha!" Gywn spat on the floor at her jailer's feet "My love told me about Kul Elna! He told me what your masters did! If you are not a murderer then the dogs you serve are! Kill me if you dare! I will curse you till my dying breath!"
"I will not sit here and listen to your lies, but I have spoken to the Pharaoh. Your execution shall be postponed until the little one comes. The child should not pay for your crimes."
"And then what? You would leave the baby an orphan like his father? Or will you raise him to be a little palace dog? Like you?"
The Ishizu look alike walked away looking frustrated. The vision slowly faded.
/Gorneel…they…survived?/ the spirit asked.
/No./ they were back in the air above the field, but time seemed to be standing still now. Nothing moved. Yami Bakura and Bakura stared at the golden dragon, who continued the story /It came to pass as Isis said. After you were sealed in the Ring Gywn bore a son. They left her just enough time to name him. She called him Aki. Aki Bakura. Then they killed her, but the child survived. He was raised to be a palace servant until your adopted son Runeclaw found him and saved him. Runeclaw brought him back to the Band, and they moved East. East…to the place that would be called Japan. Aki had a son. Then that son had a son, all the way down the line until…Ryou Bakura was born…/
/What!/ Bakura said /Are you saying I'm his…descendent?/
/Little one, why do you think the Ring came to you? All along my little brother sensed his son in you, but he could not recognize it for so long. Little brother you were so blinded by your hate that you could not see what you had rediscovered./
At that moment Yami Bakura knew the truth. He had been a fool back then. If he had been smarter he might have saved his wife. He might have met his son. Now fate had given him another chance.
And his hate had almost spoiled it again.
A strange sensation came over the two of them…no there was no two, or at least they were not as two as they had been. They could see each other's minds reflected in each other. Darkness and Light, the two them had at long last become one.
Yami Bakura swung himself back on his broom.
/Let's win this./
A/N: Yet more of my strange cannon twisting. But hopefully this is the good cannon twisting that makes you feel all warm inside…is it?