Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, the characters within, or any references mentioned. Shira is copyrighted by me, and remains my creation forevermore.

Chapter 37

Adare's POV

Adare told the others to wait where she had left them -quite far from where she was now -, until she found Tenchi. She managed to find her and Shira at their sanctuary, which was a barn. After that she followed and they lead her to a warehouse. She now went through its door, and was stealthily moving through the shadows, making sure not to let a single piece of clothing whip through the light. If she got detected, this would be all pointless.

The blue-haired girl came in front of an opening and held her breath. Bakura had his back to her, arms crossed and growling. Someone laughed beside him, and she thought it was dark and sexy at the same time. The person began to speak.

"That's her?"

"Yeah," Bakura said bitterly. "I knew her in the past life. But I don't know what the hell's her problem now."

"I didn't know there were eight Millennium Items."

"Neither did I at first. But then I remembered, and I remembered that it was made secretly."

"What does it do?"

"That I don't remember..."

"Are you going to listen to Sayegh?"

"About what? Killing her? I suppose, to my displeasure."

"I remember Ishizu talking about an intruder once to my hikari. She said a girl with a spirit of an Egyptian thief had stolen a journal. For a second there I thought you switched your host for a girl."

Adare's eyes widened. This talk of hikaris and Ishizu only meant one thing. The one speaking with Bakura is none other than Yami Marik!

"...I don't really know what you're talking about-" Adare nodded to herself; if Shira had erased Ryou's - she now knew better that it was Bakura's - mind, he would never have known of the trouble at the museum. Bakura continued.

"-but I'm certain that it was her. As my and her hikaris were hanging around each other, Shira and I were sometimes speaking with each other without knowing."

"Did you try to kill each other then?"

"Once or twice I tried to think of ways. Nothing to do with who she was."

Adare leaned forward, closer to Bakura's trench coat, to see through the crack. At the side he stood, and her breath was cut short again. He looked just like Rune. This time he had these black markings at the corner of his eyes, and he was wearing golden earrings and sunglasses hung on his collar. He was wearing all black, except for a loose white dress shirt, and his hair was way spikier.

His eyes flickered, and suddenly his eyes seemed to look where she was. She quickly retreated away from Bakura and hid behind a crate, lungs hungrily begging for air as she refused to listen to them.

"Malik, what the hell're you looking at?" Bakura sighed.

"Thought I saw something..." Malik mumbled, then chuckled. "Must've been a mouse."

Adare moved away along the crates, heart beating hard. This may be the day, she gulped, that I'll have to kill him. She felt for the knife at her chest, and was relieved that its cold sheath stung her flesh. She just hoped it didn't abandon her, just like in that dream...

At another opening, the punkish girl stopped herself from calling out loudly. Tenchi stood close by, arms folded and eyes shut, eye brows furrowed. She seemed really troubled and annoyed. Adare slid across the crate until she was very close to the light, and she hissed.

"Tenchi!"

She turned around immediately and saw her friend lurking. She tilted her head, eyes wide.

"Adare? You shouldn't be in this warehouse!"

Adare pushed her finger to her lips fast, and beckoned the other teen to come, agitated. Tenchi looked back at where Shira was with another person, then walked to the crates.

"You should really leave," she whispered. "I don't want to be here, either, but I have to. You go! I'll meet you back home! Didn't I tell you to wait for me? You promised!"

"I know I promised," the blue-haired girl said regretfully. "And I'm sorry. But after everything everyone's been telling me, I'm having my doubts. You're not safe with Shira. Didn't you see her when she attacked Bakura? What if she suddenly started attacking you?"

"She wouldn't!"

"How could you be so sure?" Adare grabbed Tenchi's shoulders and spun her, switching places with her while in the shadows still. The result was the punkish girl's back now facing the room, and Tenchi looking at her in the darkness. "How can you be so sure that she won't even think of killing you?"

"Because she promised to protect me!" she cried, and she turned her back. Her voice shook as she tried to keep everything under control. "She isn't the type that breaks promises! After Tad and my parents died, she told me that she would take care of me. She told me I was her responsibility now!"

"From what I've heard, she's bloodthirsty, greedy, and vicious. What if she doesn't want you as her responsibility in the days to come? What if she gets so stressed, that she'll leave your corpse in a river or something?"

"She's... she's just misunderstood! She wouldn't..." Tenchi whispered, taken down by the pressure of Adare's questions. She turned around, and was about to say something, but she stared behind her friend blankly instead. Adare turned around and looked up, throat closing in tight.

Shira started applauding slowly, feigning claps at each second.

"Greedy?" she said in fake surprise, her brow raised. "Vicious? Bloodthirsty? My, such negative characteristics! I thought you knew me better, Adare."

"Adare's only used by friends." the blue-haired girl replied coldly. She felt Tenchi shuffle behind her.
Shira tilted her head. Her eyes narrowed. "Oh, really?" she sneered. "Why the sudden change of heart? Was it the Pharaoh, or Isis, that turned you against me?"

"Isis, as in Ishizu."

"Naturally."

"They both told me the truth," Adare said bravely. "They told me what you did in the past. They told me what you had done."

Shira's head tilted to her other side, studying the teenager with interest. "And that's the thing that suddenly makes you hate me? What I did back then didn't concern you, so why do you care?"

"It's not that I'm angry about the past," Adare retorted. "It's the future that concerns me, because I'm going to be apart of it, and face the consequences of your actions!"

"I could just kill you now, if you'd like that. Would that satisfy your worry?"

Adare looked at Shira in shock. She looked absolutely serious. This proved just what everyone was saying.

"Shira!" Tenchi exclaimed. "You can't!

"You're a monster!" Adare hissed. "I'm taking Tenchi back with me!"

Shira's eyes burned, and her hand shot up and seized the girl's throat. She pulled her into the light, and the punkish girl saw everyone looking at her. She immediately reached for her chest, feeling for the hilt. To her relief, it didn't disappear this time. Shira looked at her with an icy stare. "You're just Arwen's physical copy. You're nothing like her. I should've known better."

Tenchi grabbed Shira's arm and shook it hard.

"What are you doing?!" she shrieked. "Let Adare go!"

"Easy for you to say," Shira growled. "It was my back she stabbed, not yours!"

"She's still my friend!" she shouted angrily. "You have no right to hurt my friends!"

"You can't tell me what I can and can't do!" Shira snarled back, glaring at Tenchi. She was merely holding Adare in the air, the spirit's grip not tightening. Adare slipped her hand into her shirt anyway, and retrieved the knife. She brought it high, and made her arm fall heavily. The sound of metal going through flesh traveled to her, and the feel of it slightly frightened her. However, Adare saw no blood. Shira's attention went back to her, and her cold eyes moved along the teen's arm to the knife. All was silent in the room.

She took of the girl's wrist and twisted harshly, ripping the hilt out of her grasp. Shira then threw her back into the shadows, her back crashing into a crate. She groaned, and watched as Shira still stood with the knife still plunged in her chest. The blue-haired girl looked at the spirit in disbelief. As Shira was about to move forward, Tenchi kicked her ribs with a roundhouse kick and sent her stumbling to the side. Shira grunted, rubbing her ribs and looking back at Tenchi, who was in a protective stance. A touch of hurt entered Shira's eyes as Tenchi glared back.

"You hurt Adare..." Tenchi breathed, "...then I will hurt you."

Shira closed her eyes, and after a few moments of what seemed like deep thought, she forced a smile. She laughed bitterly, "You've won, Amadare," she looked at the girl in distain. "Take her back."

Tenchi's eyes softened and widened. "What?" she said in dismay. "No, wait, Shira—"

"I should never had brought you, Tenchi. You were better off back where you belong."

Adare stood up with some difficulty, then walked over to Tenchi. She took her friend's hand and tugged. Tenchi looked at her, then at Shira.

"Shira—"

"Just go."

Shira had turned her back. She was turning a blind eye, letting Adare and Tenchi get away. The blue-haired girl looked over at Malik to see him looking straight at her, amused. She averted her eyes again, but heard his voice call out to Shira.

"Nice cat fight. I'm very disappointed, though; I expected more of a performance!"

Shira, in one quick movement reached for the knife in her chest and threw the knife at the delicate crate above Malik's head. Malik watched it with his eyes curiously as it spiraled.

"You missed by a mile!" he laughed.

The knife punctured the box, and liquid shot down into Malik's face as he looked up. The smell of lemons was strong, and Malik writhed and scratched at his eyes. Shira had broken a glass of lemon juice above his head. Adare saw Bakura watch him in his agony in amusement.

"I don't have time for your idiocy!" Shira yelled. She turned to Adare and Tenchi, and her eyes narrowed in betrayal.

"Begone, traitors!"

Adare looked at her neglectfully, then dragged Tenchi along. She would summon her knife later...
Tenchi looked back at Shira as she reluctantly left, and soon even Shira's tired face disappeared from view.

End of Chapter

Vixen: ... -looks around warily-

Shira: What is it, hikari?

Vixen: I'm not gonna jinx myself. -lips purse into a thin line-

Bakura: You know, talking about jinxing is also jinxing.

Vixen: -gasp- NO WONDER! DX

Star: -sweatdrop- Hope you liked the chapter, and Vixen luhvs you! -heart-