Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Vampire Hunter D.
I'm sure everyone understand that life right now is a bit difficult for everyone. I do hope that what I can offer at the moment acts as a nice little early Halloween present!
I hope.
Life is still crazy on my end and twice as busy (more paperwork thus less free-time for writing on my part), so I'm not going to pretend I can keep to a schedule right now. I will only say I will post the next chapter when I can, and that I am dedicated when it comes to finishing this story. Thus, thank you readers for remaining patient, and I hope that you still enjoy everything that comes from this tale.
It's always nice to know, either way.
Anyway, enjoy!
Chapter Fifty-Seven: Plots
First the world was hazy, a spiral of light and dark, then it burst into a flash of colors like when one rubbed too roughly at their eyes. Each light source pierced his vision, setting streams of agitated tears down his cheeks. A being manifested before him as he tried to make sense of what he could see. Their voice was as hazy as their appearance, indiscernible, indescribable. Yet, the notes cleared as the person before him did the same. When his eyes came into focus, he recognized his sister. He blinked a few times, filled with the same awe and love as he had the first time that they had conversed in such a dream-state. In a matter of seconds, he was hugging her, freed of his worldly sorrows if only for that moment.
"Amane-chan," he whispered. She felt more corporeal than the last time he had "seen" her if it were possible. Her arms wrapped around him like that of tendrils wrapping around their supporting stake. Somehow, she even smelled of earth. A contented sigh swept through him.
"Oh, what a mess you've fallen into…" she said, her voice soft and soothing. "My poor brother."
He wanted to tell her it was awful, that each experience had brought new pains and losses that were so heavy to bear, but as she smoothed his hair he felt something nagging—the tint of the world or the strange stiffness in her motion, he was not sure—and thus only said, "But I'm one step closer."
"Yes, you are," she agreed with a pleasant laugh. Her breath tickled the back of his neck, cool and sharp—like ice. "Soon you'll be able to bring your new family home…and we will see each other again. Really get to see each other again!"
Bakura rubbed at that chilled spot, wondering on what she had said. Had she not demanded the last time they had spoken that he had to live on for the children? Then again, she would probably know of his other feelings…she always had. Sure, it had been something he had once desired, but as time progressed, he was less keen on making the same mistakes that others had made. He had enough of his own under his belt…and such a prize seemed hollow, especially when his heart was dedicated to creating a world where D and everyone else could live side by side instead of against one another. Certain priorities had changed.
Her posture shifted. She had noted his distracted disposition. "What's the matter?" She asked as he took a step back. The minute change seemed to distress her.
"It's like you once said, I need to be careful. There's something after us. And…you're dead." His heart hurt to say it, but it seemed necessary. The words felt like pieces of a puzzle he could not see. A puzzle that would sever his dependency, and it had taken so long for him to realize that was what it was. That nagging feeling grew. "We are seeing each other now, right?"
"Yes?"
She watched as he silently pondered her response, then murmured into his hand, "Maybe my magic abilities are stronger?"
"Yes!" she exclaimed, cheering him on with a clap of her hands. "You're much stronger now, strong enough to protect those children from anything that comes your way. I know you'll defeat that monster for sure! You just have to go to the place you dream of to defeat it!"
"…"
Her face fell. "Why don't you seem happy? You're almost there!"
"Because it's a trap," Bakura replied, staring her in the eyes. "I know it is. That thing wants something from me that I don't understand, but it's never held its end of the bargain. Also, there's a high chance I'll end up losing more people I care for. That's nothing to be excited about."
"But you're still going to do it?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Of course."
"And you'll follow through on your end of the bargain, right?"
"Well, I promised." Something clicked in his mind and his eyes widened in understanding. He might not have had the whole puzzle to see, but the image was now discernable. With a step, he backed farther away from the one who questioned him.
"So long as I wasn't lied to," he whispered. "Are you going to keep your promise? Will my family be free of all this nonsense? Free of you? How many times do I have to say it? Stop using my sister against me and talk to me yourself, damn it!"
His sister's face scowled in a way he only ever seen in pure villain improvisation across the board of their campaign and the world around them shuddered. Bakura centered himself, focusing on his existence as everything else disappeared, too aware he could be lost right alongside the false world that had been built. The creature before him was livid.
"How dare you!" It chided, its face warping into another woman's face, one unfamiliar yet oh so familiar. He suddenly felt as small as a toddler, lost, confused, and looking to it (to her?) for guidance. It loomed over him, its face twisting again, and he did not know if he would be prepared for what he saw. And it knew.
But, unlike all the times that he had fallen back in the past, apologetic, or weak because he could not hold his own to this being or to his other half, this time he faced it with resolve. Bakura's mind turned to changing the scene himself, unaware of the finer points, but scrabbling on with intuitive gusto, remaking and reshaping the world around him. Its body contorted in rage as he used the creature's gift to him against it. A mouth formed, its gaping maw a realistic mimicry of the frightening yet childish picture he had once drew with his sister's input. He shifted his stance and stood his ground.
"You agreed and you will come!"
"I did!" he snapped back. He grabbed ahold of one of its many hands in his size and felt a wave of baking air blow in his face. With a rash burst of confidence, he smirked. Then spoke. "And I will do as I swore…when I'm ready! Now stay away from my family!"
Heart thumping, he proceeded to force the other being out until he knew he would be ready. Shock at his audacity lent to his success, but also let the entity see that he was not as easy of prey that he once had been. He wanted the justice he had been promised.
And he would get it—for everyone.
As the being reached for him once more in a final thrash for power over their current position, no longer pretending to be his sibling or whoever that matronly woman had been to him once in the distant past, he raised his hand and a bright flash of light cut the scene. That light dissipated quickly, leaving the young man to fall, down, down, down into a cavern from one of his other many "dreams" of this place. As he fell, he heard it shift from raging to pleading:
"No, no! I know you're angry, but just give it time! I swear to you that you'll get what you want! You just have to—"
Then silence.
Bakura lay still as death upon the ground he had slammed into, feeling the sensation of tiny imperfections in the flooring beneath his palms. Once he was positive the thing had been blocked from his mind for a time, he let out a gasp and coughed as he rolled to his feet. So much for having normal dreams that night.
Swaying to his feet, he saw he was surrounded by familiar glassy rock. Still in its realm then, but this place had been made his. How sweet of it to accept that. He reached forward and tapped the black wall before him.
Stone shifted and what had once been a room with a dead end opened into a cavern that flickered with torchlight. Light from the fires flashed against the smoothed rock, dancing like the ghosts that haunted this great hall. The visitor considered that perhaps these illuminations were all spirits trapped in the great reflective walls, forever tasked to dance in time with the directionless wind while unexpected guests watched in awe. He certainly felt awe, seeing that frightening construct once more placed directly in the center of the room. Not a drop of light danced on the mirror's surface. Not until he stood before it.
Bakura found himself staring at the darkened mirror once more, although in truth it acted more as a window. This time he shouted no questions at it, sent no pleas for understanding. Something deep within him said it would only bring the beast if he showed the slightest weakness, but in his state, he also knew there was nothing to fear. A figure began to form, and he waited, patient, alert. This world would answer to him one day, he thought, he could wait for it to transmit whatever message it had that he would have to parse out in the daylight. The misty outline of the person on the other side came into focus and his hardened glare slackened without his consent. His mouth twisted in sardonic acceptance. He should have known.
Standing there, in his shadow yet in clear view, was his sister. Yes, this was his sister. She seemed a little younger than the last time he saw her, and even younger still than the last time he had seen her when she was alive. Yet for all the times he had easily accepted whatever image of her had been produced in his dreams, his defenses were up now, and this time he knew for certain that this image was no mimicry. He was alert; the world was his.
It was her.
"So, are you done crying?" Amane asked him, her tone like one waiting impatiently for their turn in line. She appeared as incorporeal as the transparent phantoms that surrounded them, yet every detail of her was defined, down to the buttons on her shirt.
"I…think so," Bakura confessed, and he felt a wave of ease pass over him as he said it. Her image remained silent as he internally mulled over his response. Given this moment to reflect, he recognized this feeling as acceptance. No longer could he be swayed with empty promises when it came to be with her once more. His priorities had shifted, he needed to live. And for once…he felt a peace with their separation.
Amane smiled an obnoxious all-knowing smile he had known her to be good for when she had known an answer that he had not, applauding him with her taunting laughter. This laughter, though, this smile…set off no cold warnings. It was merely an instance of a sibling teasing another sibling. He relaxed further.
"Big brother," she said, her slight sarcasm good-natured in tone, "I believe you've stopped dreaming an impossible dream. How does it feel?"
"It sucks," he replied, and they both laughed.
"But you're done?" her image asked.
"Yes."
"For real this time?"
"Yes, Amane-chan."
"Promise?"
Bakura sighed, unaware of just how youthful he sounded. "Yes, I promise."
Pressing her hand against the mirror-like window, Amane reached out for his aid. He dipped his hand into the hardened substance with the ease of breaking water, pulled her forward and hugged her tightly to him. They stood there in their embrace as close to mirror images as they had ever been, only the lifetime that they could never share again separating them from one another.
"I'm glad," she said as they rocked back and forth in the darkness. Spirits danced along with them at the fringes, a reminder of the short time they had. "You should live your life. I can't—no, I won't tell you to stop going after it…But I will ask you to be careful."
Bakura nodded. "I will."
She pulled away enough to stare into his eyes. Her intensity reminded him a little of their mother. "Really, be careful. It did a good job pretending to be me. So good, it almost sounded like it was trying to destroy itself."
"That wouldn't make sense," Bakura said, blinking. Thanks to his other "dream", he had been increasingly concerned about the others he had had regarding his sister. The questions of how much had been real and how much fabricated remained entangled in his mind even now, and not only because she had brought it up. What did the entity he planned on destroying have to gain by acting so much like his sister that it warned him of its own impending attack? Why would it call itself a monster? Yet, there were other, stranger questions. Why did it plead with him? Did it not consider itself a god?
"Exactly!" Amane interjected, as if riding along with his thoughts. "There are other factors involved that neither of us can see. It must have plans for those kids…why else demand you protect them? The good thing is that it started asking you for strange favors too early. It messed up and now you know what to be careful of. So, be on your guard. Keep them close and walk carefully when you tread in its land. I know it's been promising we can be together again—which has always been tempting to you, hasn't it? It's hard being alone."
"We couldn't, could we? Not if it wins."
She scoffed. "Don't sound hopeful! You're supposed to be done with that. But yes, I believe so. Where it resides, I do not. Take everything it says as a lie unless proven otherwise. It wants the kids for something and wants you out of the way once you've lost your usefulness. I mean, look at how menacing it acts now. Not to mention what better bait than to promise you can see me, again? But it wants you to bring the kids to it first before it throws you away. It's an easy trick that your White Mage would have never ever gotten caught in—so you better not!"
"You don't think…"
"Him?" she backed away slightly to rub her incorporeal chin. "I don't know, honestly. He's telling you to go that way, too. But do you trust him?"
Bakura looked down where once a Millennium Item had hung, and slowly nodded. "I saw more, I know more about him now. He's shared things that there would be no point to lie about, and unintentionally shared extra now that I'm a little more sensitive to these powers…or whatever they are. And…he wants to help me defeat our other enemy. I can feel it. That has to count for something."
"That's good enough for me, then," she said with a sigh. "It's sort of cool that you can do that, and that we are able to talk like this, even if for a moment…I wonder what the world would be like if more people had abilities like that."
"I don't think I want to know."
"Isn't that what is happening, though?" Amane asked, and Bakura whipped to attention like one just slapped. All those strange experiments that no doubt continued under D's father's command…would they bring forth such other abilities? New creatures, certainly, that had been seen, but the new environment had also played its part. Just because he had already been familiar with the magic of the Items did not mean new talents could not crop up. It would just take time—and time that vampires had in droves.
Yet, if they kept going the way they were, vampires would set themselves on the path to destruction, just as much as humans had done. He had seen that early on. No one was immune to building extremists. Not even the most powerful.
"Maybe."
"Then you're going to have so many adventures!" she cried, clapping her hands in excitement. He glared at her and she stopped, reminded that his experience had been no pleasant venture. She, however, looked appropriately contrite whereas her "doppelganger" had given him pause with its expression. Clearing her throat, she added, "It's nice to think that the world isn't going to end. Find excitement in that. When terrible people think they've won, it's those 'downtrodden' who've found new strength in themselves that are the ones to set things right again…right?"
Bakura offered her a small grin. "I guess so. But, at the core my wish is selfish. I just want those I care about to live in peace."
"Don't most people?"
"Probably."
"Just remember that I'm not the only one who can reach you," she said, directing his attention to the dancing figures. "Those people…they've come a long way and waited a long time. They're watching, waiting…but trapped and far too angry to be sensible. Trust them less than you trust that part of you that I've never known. To be freed, to be laid to rest—I don't know what they would do to receive that sort of closure."
More pieces seemed to connect. He let out an audible gasp, but the words that left him were calm, "Those are the ones that I hear when I don't want to hear them, then. Literal ghosts from the past."
"I'd guess so."
"Consider them marked. Thank you for the warning." He stared up at the swirling, twirling figures, sympathetic to their cause. Imagining the horrors of being trapped so long in this dark world swiftly amplified this to compassion. He would help them, too. Just…carefully.
"You aren't alone," Amane said abruptly. Bakura faced her again with an inquisitive flick of his features. She smiled once more and added, "You've never been alone. I told you I'd be here…but I don't want to be the person who holds you back."
"You don't."
She did not seem convinced. Yet instead of arguing the point, she grabbed his hands and squeezed them, offering him a comfort in their parting. A light pinging sound caused the area around them to waver but her full focus was on him. "I love you, Ryou-kun, my 'big' brother."
Even though he had just promised, tears still filled his dreaming eyes. "I love you, too."
Although no tears stained his cheeks, the world around him warped and slid from the scene in great globs and droplets. Her form began to twist and droop much like the walls and ceiling, but her hands felt warm and real and there. A galaxy burst before his eyes, the light of the stars a beautiful contrast to the splendor of the deep, dark vacuum that surrounded all. Throughout this magnificent confusion she remained, a soothing constant as he tried to make sense of the enormity that assaulted his mind. He felt at the cusp of understanding some great unknown, all too aware he would not have the time to achieve it then and there.
Before she faded from his view, before those fingers slid from his grasp, he heard her parting words, full of gratitude and hope. Words that could be no one's but hers.
"Thank you for the letters."
Bakura awoke with a start to gray light streaming from the opened window, the chilled breeze thick with the scent of sea air. The woman who had accidentally bumped into the nightstand and rattled his cup jolted back when the sleeping man burst into a fit of giggles before suddenly springing to a seated position, appearing wide awake. A visual disconnected from the reality he felt; he blinked, rubbed his eyes, and looked around the room with a bewildered gaze before recognizing where he was.
What had it been, two, three days since they had landed off their intended trajectory? First had come the issue of a brilliant green miasma alighting even daylight with its sickly pallor forcing them to veer from their course. An unexpected turn of events—they had not seen such remnants of the past warring for so long that for a moment their small collective feared their future travel would be a hopeless endeavor. The distorting glow seemed to stretch for miles.
The next issue had been their undead companions that had slept within the cargo hold. Would they be understanding or livid that they had to take such a detour? Using the map acquired from the thankfully untouched library had assured those awake that they could still arrive at their destination provided that the damage did not extend past the coastline of the inland sea. If said sea still existed. All of which led to the third issue.
No one, aside from those who rested in their supernatural slumber, wanted to reach said "destination". For all that Arthur promised that they were under his protection, everyone aboard knew it took only one slip, or one betrayal to ruin everything. However, no one in the cabin dared to discuss the very real option of treachery on their end. They had agreed to play nice after all, and their choice had ensured the temporary safety of those left behind by removing the immediate threat. Thus, they remained silent. Less damaging words had been said before and the small contingency that remained acted as a visual for what they had endured for such talk.
Yet given a moment to reflect, one trouble solved another. The unfortunate turn of events ended up being their best way out of the initial plan. To remain out of the radiation, they had needed to swing wide, wide enough that there would have been little chance for anyone in D's father's main encampment to see anything flying past. In fact, they had never reached the country border. It had taken until the curved coastline of the ancient sea for the "correct" course to once again be safe enough to travel and by then, they had only had the chance to travel south along this route for a short time. Everyone awake and aware had perked up when alerted by their piloting force that there would need to be an early landing. They were running low on fuel.
With D's help navigating the impending murky evening with his keen eyesight, Kaiba—the only one practiced and healthy enough to fly—had managed to land on a relatively empty highway road. No one had been excited to leave the confines of their transport, but they had done so with caution, and had waited to drag their immobile passengers out of their confines until night fully fell. Unlike when they had at least a hundred to watch their back, the meager collection of fifteen travelers had worked on with little faith that they would not be surrounded somehow.
As they had worked, night had chittered its welcome.
Little than a few moments later, another unpleasant fact had come to light—or lack thereof. Without question, they were lost. Strange howls and yips had filled the air and the darkened glares of their vampire compatriots had reminded them that they were just shy of being hostages in their bid to their own destination. However, their temporary allies had been sensible enough not to blame Kaiba for his thought process (for who else could have guided them there), and had even been kind enough to haul him and his brother in the double platform truck (or wide dolly) they had packed for such a purpose. While Mokuba now had a crutch, the vampires had not wanted to lose any more time. This also would have allowed for Kaiba to get some sleep. Would have. Instead he had remained wide awake to tend to whatever needs his brother had had.
They had traveled the road by foot, eventually coming upon what had seemed to be an abandoned city. Road signs in the native tongue remained as helpful as the deep dark around them, which was to say not at all. All they had known was they had landed between river and sea. While the lonely landscape ensured easier travel, it had done little to soothe their trepidation.
This discomfort lasted until their confused march had caught the attention of a meager patrol. The city did have life, most of it hiding away until the day returned. Amelia's horde had honored their promise to aim for a more peaceful approach and dipped to the back of the group, which was just as well. The language barrier had done little to aid them in proving them harmless. It was only when D had tried his last-ditch effort to quell the frightened man in Romanian that they had received any relief. While it had been clear that it had not been the man's native language, they had been able to learn the name of the city, Vylkove, and had been twice as lucky to be ferried over the river to the other side. Apparently, this patrol had been pleased to help people leave their city rather than house them at the risk of upending their balance. No one blamed them.
D had received many compliments from most of the adults in their small band as they continued through the night. Yet for all this praise he had simply pursed his lips and gone on without comment. There had been no room for any type of celebration in his mind; he had already realized their less than optimal position. The question of what they would have done if D's words had not gotten through weighed heavily on him that night, and throughout that day when they had hid in an abandoned building of a ruined costal town for the sake of those that followed them. He had explained as much to Bakura.
The young man had wished that he could have transferred that weight from the boy's shoulders to his own. Unfortunately, the only thing that he could provide him was proximity, and affirmation that the boy was not reading too deeply into the situation. Such little time to share, they had needed to focus on monitoring for any possible ambush immediately after.
The idea to split the party for a time had come the night they had picked their way to a town with visible life. The route there had been filled with empty seaside cities, some having fallen to ruin, whereas others appeared as if their ilk had simply picked up what belongings they could carry and left. Yugi had speculated that the inhabitants had been looking for fresh water, a thought brought on by their own questionable supply, but this place gave them pause from moving further inland. The faint light pouring from the windows spoke to their travel-weary hearts while the supernatural portion of their party demanded to continue. They had a mission, and as Arthur reminded them, he and his band had already compromised by leaving the city on the isle alone for now and promising their own assistance to the human group after they completed their duty. A whispered argument ensued with all the adults present, with a final agreement to split momentarily and meet once more in this very city after the vampires' business was over. Once the vampires had left, the remaining party had found shelter in an occupied hotel by the sea. They had also found themselves magnets to very curious stares.
However, to the leftovers of what had become a rather large force, such attention was hard to remain focused on. With a rare moment of downtime, everyone save for the youngest in the party found themselves thinking about those they left behind. Only three of the remnants of their surviving allies had come along, the rest were tired of the constant adventure and were now looking for places to settle in the ruins of the isle. The same was said for the masses they had grown fond of that had followed them for the sake of adventure. Too much blood had been shed, too many had lost their friends and close acquaintances to justify moving along to another location. It had been inevitable that many would choose not to risk more.
The goodbyes the travelers had taken part in had been brief; staying long enough to bury those they knew that had not been spared of the carnage. Tears spent, ignoring the comments from many on the topic that their continued adventure would be a waste, the travelers had packed what they had and had boarded the plane to gamble their luck on the next chapter in their lives.
This was not to say that they left without mementos from those living memories. Keepsakes had been offered even for the pushback, and one gift in particular caught the man's eye as he forced himself to an alert state. A compass from their mechanic friend; closed, with its face hidden by the black lacquer-like finish of the durable plastic. Bakura knew within the cover a short letter had been folded for him to find. The feeling of the slender, calloused hand from one that D, and most everyone, had admired was still readily available in his mind.
"Sorry I'm not coming," the letter started, "But I can't leave them behind—even if some things are inevitable. To be honest, I don't know if I could handle any more craziness. We'll see if we can't do better here and try not to make the same mistakes as before. Since you're going in blind, you'll need this more than we do. And no matter what was said…we won't forget you. Please be careful, and don't go dying on us out there."
He did not intend to die. Nor did he plan on letting any more of his own die on his watch. Yet, even for his lofty goals, he certainly felt lost. Maybe the compass would come in handy. East was no longer the answer anymore.
"Sorry," Bakura mumbled to his visitor. "Strange dreams."
"I see…It's okay," Anzu said and bit at her lip.
He watched her face fall further in worry and gave her a brief smile. "Not a bad dream," he said, half-lying.
Her relief was poorly hidden, but he did not bother to point it out. They were all stressed enough as it was. Instead, he let her wander around the room, building whatever confidence she needed to say what she had to say. She paused at the open window and stared at the picturesque scenery they were lucky enough to have. Her eyes closed as the breeze gently assailed her face.
"Everyone is awake."
"Save for our newest acquaintances, wherever they are."
She shook her head and let out a rueful chuckle that was much unlike her. "Yes. Save for them."
The silence between the two grew to the point they could hear soft arguments from a floor below. Bakura wondered if D were practicing his eavesdropping skills, not that this training would be particularly difficult for him. What was spoken was one of his native tongues.
"Are we really putting our lives in the hands of these 'acquaintances'? They can't even understand the language." She spun on her toe and powerwalked a lap around the room. "What if they come back and demand D's help? What if they have something more insidious planned?"
"Interesting morning discussion you're presenting me with here, Anzu-chan."
"It's not morning anymore—anyway, I would rather talk about it now than in a room where I might be understood."
"We're speaking Japanese," he replied with a smirk. An action she disapproved of with a deep frown. He wiped it from his face. "I take it if you are talking to me about it, you've gone to Yugi-kun with it?"
"We were both talking about it," she confessed.
"So, he's going to…"
"Kaiba."
He shrugged from his seated position. "I need to talk to D."
"You can't be saying—"
Bakura held up his hand. "Wait, wait. No, that's not what I'm saying. It's just he has a talent he hasn't used and if it gets ugly, I want to know if he's comfortable using it or not."
"That's not much better."
He shrugged again. "It isn't, but I'd rather him be in the know than left in the dark about something that might affect him. It could be that they know exactly where to go, and they will try to fulfill their promise when they meet up with someone that understands them. They did have all night to travel and we have our rendezvous spot."
"And we trust them to do this?"
"As far as I could throw them with my own two arms," Bakura stated, sliding out of bed. He caught sight of himself in the mirror and mused that the effectiveness of the saying was wearing off for himself. He was certainly more imposing than when he had escaped that experimental prison, but he did not enjoy that it brought a flicker of fear into his friend's eyes. He did not know what ghosts she was seeing, but he saw enough for both of them already.
"What's the plan then?" she asked nervously.
"Shouldn't we talk about it with everyone? I'm not the one in charge. I just said I was going to go."
"You both swore you'd get rid of that demon, though, so of course we all have to follow," she pointed out.
He sighed, rubbing his eyes once more. What he would not give for a true day of rest. "It's noon? Ish?" He asked, changing the subject.
"And they are wondering how we are going to pay."
"As per D's translation."
"Who else?" she asked dryly.
"I'll handle that," Bakura said, tossing on a shirt. The day was chilly, but less so than it had been further north. If anything, the chill was invigorating rather than cruel.
"And you said you aren't in charge," Anzu said with another laugh.
"I'm not," Bakura replied, continuing to dress the upper portion of himself for the day. "I'm just doing what I have to do to keep the people I care about safe."
Her face fell, and he contemplated the rollercoaster of emotions she had run through in just the short time of their discussion. "I'm sorry about—" she began.
"There's nothing to be sorry about," he calmed while quickly cutting the conversation off. "We are all allowed to make choices in our lives. My choice is to move on."
"I just want to make sure you're okay."
Bakura turned his attention to his friend whose eyebrow quirked at his expression. "And I hope you're okay, too. Don't worry about me; I know it seems wrong or off, but I'm in a better headspace now than I have been in a long time."
"If you're sure," she said, unconvinced.
"I am."
"You just seem to be taking it so well…If Yugi had…"
Bakura snickered at her words. "That's an unfair comparison and you know it. Let him be a vampire hunter now or whatever it is he wants to be. Make it a family business or something. Maybe he's right and it's all going to go south no matter what we do. I don't care. It's not going to stop me—I'm going to keep trying."
'And if we end up becoming hunters ourselves,' he thought, 'it won't be for a lack of empathy.'
"This isn't healthy for you. It's bad enough you've had to hold in your grief for everyone," she sniffed, wiping her eyes with swift gestures. "You should talk about all of your losses, you know?"
"I was looking for something that couldn't exist," Bakura reasoned, waving her off with impatience. "Anyway, we have more important things to worry about. You should probably talk to Mai next. I don't think she'll be very happy that you came to me first about this, or Kaiba."
Anzu's cheeks flushed red. "You're right. She's probably going to be livid."
"I wouldn't say livid. Hurt would be the better word. She's done a great job so far putting up with all of our nonsense."
She nodded and moved to the door to take her leave. "Don't push yourself too hard," she warned. "You have children to think about."
Bakura shooed her off once more with a gentle flick of his wrist. "Trust me, I know. Go talk to Mai. Then we'll all discuss it later like we originally planned."
When she left, he finished getting dressed and stood by the window she had rested by. The view was a calming salve. He relished the sight of water between the buildings and trees, aware that during some points in their journey it would become a rare sight. His fingers played with the hidden pin beneath his shirt recalling such a time. Yet, his heart beat with excitement as much as anxiety. He was close.
He just wondered if this excitement was truly his.
Leaving the window, he moved to the bag that the children had rescued from what would become the wreckage of their past residence. He opened it and reached inside for one last thing he wanted to attach to his person for the day. He left the gun inside, an obvious show of force and a weapon that painted too aggressive a picture for now. Unfortunately, it was a picture that he probably should have created sooner in the other city. Faced with it, he cursed himself for not having brought it along to at least have Otogi use in case all had gone downhill—like it had. Still, it would have been useful for only a few good shots unless he had carried the box of ammunition for it. Had the speed to reload…
But, oh, poor Otogi…
Bakura pulled out the weapon that he had procured the same day that D had obtained his sword. With it in his hands he looked skyward and thought of what his sister had said. Envisioned the flicker of his protector Diabound at the corner of his vision. Then he looked down again at what lay in his hands, quietly admiring the artistry.
'In order to win,' he thought, drawing the blade, and watching it shine in the light. 'I'm going to have to multi-class this.'
Placing it back within its sheath, he hid it under his sweater for now and descended the steps to find his first charge.
In another room, a pair was writing between one another, sporadically eyeing the door as if waiting for someone to barge through. One sat calmly on one side of the coffee table, the pen flourishing like one writing a business letter repeated so many times it became rote. The other rested in a loveseat across from them, their lips pressed thin. A third person lay propped up on the bed scanning over a map of the area, acting completely unaware that there was a guest present.
Only the gentle scratching of the nub betrayed they were doing anything more than relaxing together.
"I see," the taller one wrote as if speaking. "Your concerns are valid."
"It is good to hear that from you," wrote the other.
Blue eyes narrowed across the table. Quick strokes lined the page. "I have always been cautious in those believing in fantasies. Not dumb to reality."
An unintended grin fluttered the troubled line. "What should we do then?"
"For one, continue on this way and then burn the discussion. This will leave certain prying ears out of our plans. Once we ensure the best actions to take, then we can share it out. No sooner than that."
"I was thinking the same thing."
"Logically, it would be best if we just gave him the boy."
"You can't be serious."
"I'm simply speaking fact. However, it would also make sense that I would have to go with him. I'm more of a burden on all of you than anything."
Before the other could write a swift negative, Kaiba shook his head and continued to write.
"I'm not saying I'm leaving, nor am I saying D has to go. Don't be an idiot. I am just explaining what the easiest course for you all would be. You have a family to consider after all."
"And you a brother," Yugi wrote furiously. "Don't even bring that up again. We are trying to get everyone out of the grasp of these vampires. Giving up is not an option."
"Of course, it isn't. Nor is it something I plan to do. But to ignore the facts is to ignore what the last three that followed us may eventually think. The only ones that I feel will continue traveling by 'just a feeling' is your little friend group and the children who follow Bakura. Mokuba and I are included—that is if you are willing to accept that we will need to move slowly. I don't foresee him ever being as quick moving as he once was."
Yugi bit at the skin on his thumb before adding his piece. "You guys have always been one of us. We won't leave you. But that does remind me. Have you felt strangely at any point?"
"Not as of late," Kaiba wrote, shaking his head. "Although I am tired."
"I think we all are."
"It would be stranger if we weren't." Kaiba looked to his brother and the conversation fell into a lull as he contemplated the youth engrossed in plotting possible routes to exit the country undetected. Mokuba's pallor remained fainter than normal, although he insisted that while everything hurt, he "technically" was feeling better. The elder brother wished that he could believe the younger's words, but the injured one was only human. There was no way those drawn lines plaguing his face came from anything other than agony. It did not help that they still had to look out for infection and would have to for some time. Travelling was not the best option, but what other choice was there.
If only they could stay longer.
"We aren't waiting for the returns to our end of the bargain with those people," Kaiba continued, his fingertips bloodless with the pressure of his writing. "No matter what anyone says."
"Should we warn the people here? The," Yugi paused, sweat beading his brow at the thought, "Others might lash out if we don't appear as promised."
"They wanted passage here. We did that. There would be little point in attacking this town if we were not here."
"Like we've discussed, they may want D. Wouldn't that be enough to rage at?"
"We will leave a false trail. If they are so intent on him, they'll follow it."
"How?"
Kaiba crossed his arms as he breathed in deeply through his nose. The expelled air vented his frustration. When Yugi looked to him quizzically, he once again narrowed his eyes. To the brunette it appeared as if Yugi forgot what an important position he had once held for Domino City. He wondered to himself if the man before him had lost his assurance in the countless catastrophes rather than bolstered it. As if reading his mind, Yugi's mouth made a small "O" and he began to write again.
"Don't think you have to think up everything yourself," he stated, his mouth relaxing into a small smile. "I was just checking to see if you had an idea. Mokuba is the one with our only visuals after all."
"He might have found something."
"Shall we include him?"
Kaiba's harsh expression softened. He turned to his brother still pouring over the maps. "Yes. He's more than capable, after all."
"Good, let's ask then."
Yugi moved to stand and share their pages, but Kaiba grabbed his wrist and tugged him back down. With a look of mild frustration, Yugi added, "What?"
"You said Anzu was going to Bakura?"
"Yes, I think I mentioned that on another page."
"Whatever is decided, we can't tell him until later."
Yugi jerked back after reading the sentence. "What? Why?"
"One, because everything he knows leaves the risk of a certain someone else learning about it. D's too smart for his own good." Kaiba grinned, as if pleased with the knowledge, but his face became stoic seconds later. He flipped the sheet over. "Two, there's something we need to ask of him, and it is not going to be something that he will like. But if given little time to think on it, he will agree. I know I reacted poorly to your previous question, but you were right. I do have something of a plan."
Yugi's hand hovered over the page. He swallowed multiple times as if he were trying to keep down the contents of his stomach. "You aren't going to ask him to do anything very dangerous, are you?"
"My plan will have him placed where he is most useful."
A prolonged silence followed. Realizing that was all he was going to get out of the man, Yugi finally nodded in tentative acceptance. "We'll go to Mai first, then."
"Yes. She's close to them, but not as much on the boy's radar."
"So, you worry that he won't like the plan, either."
At this, Kaiba motioned that the answer should have been obvious. "On another note, I've been meaning to talk to you about your skills, or lack thereof when it comes to a concept that I believed so little in until recently. It is unlike you not to be in the thick of such nonsense."
"Nonsense? I don't know. It sounds to me like you're attempting to gloat."
"Not at all. Just stating fact."
Yugi eyed Kaiba in exasperation. "Right. I don't know the answer to that, if I'm being honest, but I do know I can sense things—and see things—that most of our group couldn't before we got to, well, our first destination."
"The shadow things."
"Yes."
"Well isn't that charming."
"Is there a point to this?"
"Only that I think things are going to get harder here on out, and it would be beneficial if you maybe try to develop this talent so we don't have to rely on just the two of us who have somewhat of a handle on it."
"I don't like not being able to help, you know. If I knew why I couldn't manifest a Ka, I would have told you all already."
"Aren't you—"
Yugi knocked his hand away. Kaiba blinked in surprise and confusion as he watched the other scribble their answer in angry strikes.
"I am myself. Myself. While I am your friend, I will never be like the one who had to move on. I will never be him. He was the one with the abilities. I worked with him. That's it."
Composing his stunned response into cool patience, Kaiba waited with crossed arms as Yugi filed his grievances to the page. Once through, the taller one responded. "I think you underestimate yourself still."
"What does that mean?"
"You are right that you aren't the 'Yugi' who was my rival. If the world had not changed so drastically, I probably still would have the freedom to fixate on dueling him once more." An eyebrow was raised from across the table yet was ignored. "But that's not how the world went. Instead, I have you, who gave that 'other' Yugi strength in a different way that is easier to see now that there is not choice but to depend on one another. And he gave you confidence and helped you recognize some of the leadership qualities in yourself. I wouldn't have placed my faith in your judgement so many times if I didn't find you proficient. He also exposed you to this strange ability, so I expect you to at least try and hone the skill so we are all putting in every bit of effort we can. Now is not the time to shirk responsibility, and you are just as culpable as any of us who made a command that placed us the situation that we are in now. We can worry about settling down and creating a better environment for our families once we have reached our destination. For now, we have to accept that we need to carry the bulk of the weight. It's the only way to protect them."
Purple eyes flared, then simmered in the dappled lighting. "I'm not trying to shirk anything. But thank you for those words. I always worried that—"
"We don't agree on many things, and I'll make it clear when I feel that way. It isn't my fault if you aren't arguing with me as an equal in your mind."
The rustling of a map being flipped punctured the pure silence between them that transpired. Neither said nor wrote anything for a while. Then the sound of footsteps coming down the hall captured their attention. Yugi turned his attention to the door, to Mokuba, and then once more to Kaiba. The brunette shrugged, took to his pen once more and noted,
"It seems their conversation is over."
"Let's finish ours, then. We can change what we need to of what plans we make once Anzu shares with us what they discussed."
"If anything of note was spoken about."
"She's good at easing into conversations like that."
"Who knew she'd have to play at espionage."
"That's not quite what it is. Was."
"That's what it is now, and what it will look like since we aren't going to bring him into the fold."
"I don't really like that idea," Yugi wrote. "I get why we have to, but I don't like leaving him in the dark. It might lead to him making other choices that conflict with ours."
"Listen. Think back on all of the times we've had someone move too quickly, or too slowly. What has been the constant?"
"I've made bad calls."
"Yes, but you don't exactly have a great deal of power that you could use to make our situation worse."
"You obviously trust him though, if you're going to assign him some unpleasant task."
"Of course. I can trust someone to get a job done when and where I ask them to. He, himself, has even expressed to me he doesn't enjoy being in charge. He prefers acting as support. Don't worry so much about leaving him out. Just as I trust you, I trust Bakura. He, in turn, trusts me. He will go along with my plan."
"You sound so certain. Have you two been talking behind my back?"
"Not so recently, no. But there is a reason I'm alive right now. And Mokuba." Again, his eyes flicked to his brother, who shifted against his pillows. Then he said, aloud, "And I thank him for that."
"Ready for what I found?" Mokuba asked, finally turning their way now that words had been uttered aloud. He bared his teeth in a grin both honest and forced to hide his discomfort. The painkillers they had access to no doubt barely touched the surface of the ache he felt.
"Yes," Kaiba replied. He lifted the papers of the conversation between Yugi and himself. "And I've got my notes here."
Mokuba shifted himself and his work where they could see it. He had charted three routes to take to leave the country on a pair of conjoined maps, all that went as far as Turkey. One was a generally direct route along the coastline, a logical route that newcomers to the country would take to travel if they wished to remain away from their intended destination. Another, a stealthier route that had them winding around most cities and roads, bouncing back to Varna in Bulgaria, outward once more, and reconnecting with the first route in Burgas. The last had the widest swing, taking them from where they resided in the still functional city of Constanta to Calarasi, then through what might once have been farmland all of the way down to a place called Troyan Pass that only connected with the first route at Istanbul. A path that might have looked like pure madness to some, and definitely the one that swung closest to where the supposed center of operations lay, but it had been a suggestion personally requested by Kaiba before setting his younger brother to the task.
"Good?" Mokuba asked, flipping through the other's conversation, taking in only what he felt was necessary. His eyes widened slightly at the secrecy within.
"Perfect," Kaiba replied. "I have one other suggestion, but that won't be important—for us."
"We're really not going to say anything to…"
Kaiba motioned for silence. Yugi's face paled, and the former CEO knew that something had finally connected. There had been a plan all along, and now, Yugi would be implicated.
"We deal with immediate matters for today," Kaiba began. "By tomorrow, I want some of us on the road. Will you be up to it?"
Mokuba nodded. "I'll have to be. Can we be sure that the people here will accept the bargain?"
"They don't seem like a bad bunch, which is a nice change. If we can get a connection with some people who understand us, which I don't think is impossible, then we won't need his help."
"That's good," Mokuba replied, "Because otherwise this isn't going to work. Are you sure that you want to be blindfolded again?"
"We're too close. I can't trust myself with the information I have much longer, especially if those…people…manage to get where they want to go. He'll start looking, and there's no question. That is why you have to make three changes to that map. I'm going to be vague, but I trust you'll get what I'm looking for. You're already doing a great job. Yugi, I need you to do something that seems menial, but is going to be especially important. Write the name of every person on a slip of paper. Mokuba will fill you in on the rest. And of course—like our conversation—burn it once you are through. I leave the rest to you and Mokuba." With that, Kaiba stood up and moved to exit the room.
Yugi blinked. "Wait, where are you going?"
Kaiba turned to the one he considered his rival and ally and gave him a small, sorrowful smile. "I'm going to get one last look of outside. I won't be seeing much of anything for a long time."
The two watched as Kaiba sauntered out with confidence, but the illusion remained just that for the ones who saw him go. Yugi clutched at the fabric just above his heart. So much secrecy and trust had been placed onto his shoulders in these past few seconds. Without so many words, Kaiba had just relinquished his hold on the situation, leaving it up to Mokuba and Yugi once more. And this time, without the aid of anyone else. He now realized that when Kaiba had said he had something planned for Bakura, that it was going to be something rigged. And Yugi was going to have to be the one to look his friend in the eye and lie to him.
What had he walked into?
